Southern California and Disneyland Adventure

[Kit Jackson]

I think they will still give you passes for Lightning Lane.

You're probably right. I now feel really stupid for asking my question. It is pretty much the same system. I think I forgot how similiar Genie+ is going to be to MaxPass. You use the app, you pick your return time from the options, and then go to the ride during the return window.

The big question will be whether or not as as a surprise they sprinke pixie dust and give you access to the one of the rides that normally requires you to pay for the Lightening Lane. I have no idea if there will be a way to load money in the app to purchase access for the one of rides with an additional charge. One a slightly seperate/related not, it will be interesting to see if you can Disney Gift Cards to pay for Lightening Lane access.

 

[jimmymc]

You're probably right. I now feel really stupid for asking my question. It is pretty much the same system. I think I forgot how similiar Genie+ is going to be to MaxPass. You use the app, you pick your return time from the options, and then go to the ride during the return window.

The big question will be whether or not as as a surprise they sprinke pixie dust and give you access to the one of the rides that normally requires you to pay for the Lightening Lane. I have no idea if there will be a way to load money in the app to purchase access for the one of rides with an additional charge. One a slightly seperate/related not, it will be interesting to see if you can Disney Gift Cards to pay for Lightening Lane access.

That is a good question, something like Rise of the Resistance or Radiator Springs that will probably be an extra cost. I'm sure they could figure out a way to provide any-ride lightning lane passes.

 

[Kit Jackson]

That is a good question, something like Rise of the Resistance or Radiator Springs that will probably be an extra cost. I'm sure they could figure out a way to provide any-ride lightning lane passes.

I like your idea. I wonder if because the rides with the extra cost will be in a different system (because they will be keeping track of who paid to go on the rides,) there will be special passes for the rides with extra cost. Maybe you will get a 3 regular lightening lane passes, and then one special pass to use once on any of the paid rides. Your method is much simpler and easier, so we'll see what happens.

 

[Aelin1977]

Does anyone know what car service they use to transport people from Disneyland back to LAX?

 

[OKW Lover]

Does anyone know what car service they use to transport people from Disneyland back to LAX?

Its typically a limo or Escelade type vehicle

 

[lozzypop]

We have this adventure booked for Feb 20, 2022. Now that the Park Reservation calendar includes dates from that week, I felt it was necessary to prod ABD again about assurances that we would definitely get in the parks. Now, I do expect that Disney will ensure that everyone on the Adventure can get in the parks, but there is nothing in the contract verbiage that guarantees that and of course we don't have tickets to arrange our own reservations. When I booked the Adventure in July/August, the CM couldn't give me any guarantees, and said that they didn't even know if park reservation system would be in place by next year. Well, now we know it is and I want someone to acknowledge that ABD guests are guaranteed entry.

The CM last night wasn't sure. All she could say is that we are guaranteed 10 FP's during our Adventure. So they need to update their script because FP is not Lightning Lane. I said that I had some real concerns that we would not have reservations without a guarantee, so she was going to send an inquiry and notify me by e-mail. Not confident that I will get a follow up on that.

The other news is that the earliest date for this specific Adventure is 13 February. So all January 2022 dates have vanished since I checked last. The Feb 13 and Feb 20 tours are waitlisted. I asked what kind of lead time they gave for cancellation of dates and the CM said they always try to notify guests before the PIF date (which is December for me). She also said that if they couldn't bring the tour up to an ABD standard for whatever reason e.g. a backstage area is not available and no suitable sub is available either, then they will cancel the Adventure. I speculated that the cancellations may be tied to the delays for Fantasmic! and WOC since VIP seating for those shows are a part of the Adventure, but the CM didn't confirm that one way or the other (but I think I am right based on the January cancellations).

 

[Marthasor]

We have this adventure booked for Feb 20, 2022. Now that the Park Reservation calendar includes dates from that week, I felt it was necessary to prod ABD again about assurances that we would definitely get in the parks. Now, I do expect that Disney will ensure that everyone on the Adventure can get in the parks, but there is nothing in the contract verbiage that guarantees that and of course we don't have tickets to arrange our own reservations. When I booked the Adventure in July/August, the CM couldn't give me any guarantees, and said that they didn't even know if park reservation system would be in place by next year. Well, now we know it is and I want someone to acknowledge that ABD guests are guaranteed entry.

The CM last night wasn't sure. All she could say is that we are guaranteed 10 FP's during our Adventure. So they need to update their script because FP is not Lightning Lane. I said that I had some real concerns that we would not have reservations without a guarantee, so she was going to send an inquiry and notify me by e-mail. Not confident that I will get a follow up on that.

The other news is that the earliest date for this specific Adventure is 13 February. So all January 2022 dates have vanished since I checked last. The Feb 13 and Feb 20 tours are waitlisted. I asked what kind of lead time they gave for cancellation of dates and the CM said they always try to notify guests before the PIF date (which is December for me). She also said that if they couldn't bring the tour up to an ABD standard for whatever reason e.g. a backstage area is not available and no suitable sub is available either, then they will cancel the Adventure. I speculated that the cancellations may be tied to the delays for Fantasmic! and WOC since VIP seating for those shows are a part of the Adventure, but the CM didn't confirm that one way or the other (but I think I am right based on the January cancellations).

Yikes. I was scheduled to do this trip in 2020 and now have a credit with ABD and I have to book by Jan. 3 or lose my credit. I was actually going to call them this week to book this ABD for early April with a post-ABD DCL cruise out of San Diego, but your post makes me nervous. I'm not really sure what to do now. I feel like booking any ABD right now comes with major risks that the trip will not go or will be extensively changed. I hope they let you know very soon what your ABD will entail.

 

[Kit Jackson]

Yikes. I was scheduled to do this trip in 2020 and now have a credit with ABD and I have to book by Jan. 3 or lose my credit. I was actually going to call them this week to book this ABD for early April with a post-ABD DCL cruise out of San Diego, but your post makes me nervous. I'm not really sure what to do now. I feel like booking any ABD right now comes with major risks that the trip will not go or will be extensively changed.

Since you have until January, maybe wait until December to book. That still gives ABD two months to figure things out like Genie+, Lightning Lane, and park reservations.

My guess, based on speculation, is that ABD will make reservations for the group based on which park you start at on that day, and then you are free to park hop in the afternoon like any other guest.

What kind of extensive changes are you worried about? I am not trying to make you crazy or have you dwell on the negative, but people on the board may be able to help if they know what your concerns are.

 

[Marthasor]

Since you have until January, maybe wait until December to book. That still gives ABD two months to figure things out like Genie+, Lightning Lane, and park reservations.

My guess, based on speculation, is that ABD will make reservations for the group based on which park you start at on that day, and then you are free to park hop in the afternoon like any other guest.

What kind of extensive changes are you worried about? I am not trying to make you crazy or have you dwell on the negative, but people on the board may be able to help if they know what your concerns are.

Yes, I will probably wait a little longer and am definitely interested in hearing what ABD's announcement is tomorrow. I guess I'm getting a little worried because I'm trying to schedule something so I can meet up with my sister during her spring break (she is a teacher in CA) and I'm concerned if I don't book something (anything!) soon, I may end up with very slim pickings.

I guess I'm concerned that the itineraries published will not end up being the itineraries that are actually traveled. We tried to book both the Alaska and Wyoming ABDs over the summer and both (Alaska especially) had been changed quite extensively (no rail trip, no whitewater rafting, etc.). I think you are right - I should just wait until I have some more info on the SoCal/DL itinerary.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Double post

 

[Rapunzellover]

ABD will definitely get you into the parks on Backstage Magic. That's not even something you need to worry about. Seriously. If the trip runs, you will get in. That is the itinerary and the itinerary is always followed unless something prohibits. But as ABD is Disney, there's literally no way their tour guests will be prohibited from the itinerary elements they have complete control over.

Believe me, as someone who has done 7 ABDS, I'm certain if they can't guarantee you being in the park, the trip simply won't run.

 

[Rapunzellover]

I guess I'm concerned that the itineraries published will not end up being the itineraries that are actually traveled. We tried to book both the Alaska and Wyoming ABDs over the summer and both (Alaska especially) had been changed quite extensively (no rail trip, no whitewater rafting, etc.). I think you are right - I should just wait until I have some more info on the SoCal/DL itinerary.

ABD generally notifies of itinerary changes in advance and only makes on the trip in emergency cases. And ABD would have complete control over everything on Disney properties and itinerary changes to those parts would likely never be canceled unless a true emergency struck.

 

[RbdFoxes311]

Since we won't be doing a trip report, here is my cancellation report!

We were booked on the Jan 16th 2022 SoCal ABD, and my mom got the call that it was being cancelled on 10/29. The CM told my mother that they couldn't run the trip since Imagineering is being moved to Florida. So that was their explanation of why the trip was cancelled. If that is the truth, I honestly don't understand how they are still advertising future dates.

We made our final payment a little bit early, so I don't remember if the cancellation came after the official PIF date. They offered us a full refund or we could rebook another trip with $350-500 off the list price, depending on the trip and whether it was domestic or overseas. We booked this trip 3 years ago for October 2020 for $2,900 per person, and they let us rebook for this one (Jan-2021) at the same price (took 3 calls and a stern email to get this). With everything that's happened and not getting any info, not to mention the price going up by $1,000, we requested a full refund. I understand the market is different now, so that was the best decision for us. I hope ABD made some smart stock investments with my deposit over the last 3 years....

Here's my little rant - feel free to skip over (TW: mentions Universal)! We knew that cancellation was a strong possibility and had planned to go to LA/DL on our own anyway (flights not booked through ABD). But once I looked at the Grand Cali room rates and all the coordination it would take, it just didn't seem worth the money and energy without the magic of ABD. I know it's not apples-to-apples, but we have pivoted to a 4-person family trip to Universal in Florida and were able to get 4 nights at Hard Rock Hotel, Club Level, Express Pass included for about half of what it would cost for 3 nights in a standard room at the Grand Cali. I'm not trying to be one of those "I'm done with Disney" people, but I am looking forward to splurging on HP souvenirs with that ABD refund!

 

[Marthasor]

ABD generally notifies of itinerary changes in advance and only makes on the trip in emergency cases. And ABD would have complete control over everything on Disney properties and itinerary changes to those parts would likely never be canceled unless a true emergency struck.

Good point. I just don't want to put down any money until I'm reasonably assured what the itinerary will be. Given PP's description of the reasons behind the January cancellation, I'm going to assume if any of these trips go, the itinerary will be changed substantially.

 

[sayhello]

ABD generally notifies of itinerary changes in advance and only makes on the trip in emergency cases. And ABD would have complete control over everything on Disney properties and itinerary changes to those parts would likely never be canceled unless a true emergency struck.

Actually, while *Disney* has complete control over everything on Disney properties, ABD does not. I experienced this when I took the ABD add-on to a DCL Med cruise. Everything had to be booked through DCL, all questions had to be answered by DCL and ABD really had no control over anything except for the actual excursions. They were basically treated like a contractor to DCL. They don't have any control over anything Park-wise. So they are at the mercy of the folks who run Disneyland and who run the Studios and who run Imagineering. Hopefully those divisions would let ABD know in plenty of time to cancel if something was unavailable at the Parks, etc. But again, ABD has no control over that.

Sayhello

 

[Rapunzellover]

Actually, while *Disney* has complete control over everything on Disney properties, ABD does not. I experienced this when I took the ABD add-on to a DCL Med cruise. Everything had to be booked through DCL, all questions had to be answered by DCL and ABD really had no control over anything except for the actual excursions. They were basically treated like a contractor to DCL. They don't have any control over anything Park-wise. So they are at the mercy of the folks who run Disneyland and who run the Studios and who run Imagineering. Hopefully those divisions would let ABD know in plenty of time to cancel if something was unavailable at the Parks, etc. But again, ABD has no control over that.

Sayhello

Wait, so DL could tell ABD that the ABD can't get into DL?
If that's true, that's . What good is Disney as a company if it's travel arm has no priority at Disney parks?

 

[sayhello]

Wait, so DL could tell ABD that the ABD can't get into DL?
If that's true, that's . What good is Disney as a company if it's travel arm has no priority at Disney parks?

Well, I have a feeling actually getting *into* the Park, they'd have priority. But as far as anything happening in the Park, or any special access, DL could totally tell them "sorry, that's not happening this weekend" or something like that.

ABD might have some sort of priority, but they don't have any control.

Sayhello

 

[Rapunzellover]

Well, I have a feeling actually getting *into* the Park, they'd have priority. But as far as anything happening in the Park, or any special access, DL could totally tell them "sorry, that's not happening this weekend" or something like that.

ABD might have some sort of priority, but they don't have any control.

Sayhello

OK, so I was just thinking park access, but what you're saying is that DL could let them into the park but say "you don't get this access to _____ in the park." That's still some nonsense, imo. These arms of Disney should be working together. If ABD is coming to the park, ABD should get whatever access they want and control the itinerary. Isn't that the point of having all these different companies?

It's one thing if DL says, "ride is closed for maintenance" or "parade is canceled for weather" but there should be no arbitrary "sorry, can't do this" That is just...wrong.

 

[rchristiansen]

We were booked on the Jan 16th 2022 SoCal ABD, and my mom got the call that it was being cancelled on 10/29. The CM told my mother that they couldn't run the trip since Imagineering is being moved to Florida. So that was their explanation of why the trip was cancelled. If that is the truth, I honestly don't understand how they are still advertising future dates.

UGH!! I didn't even think about this.

We're booked for May 2022. We originally booked for July 2020 and had to cancel (before Covid was announced), so we have a credit. So we rebooked for an overseas trip in Dec, but canceled that because I didn't have a good feeling about it. I was able to put the deposit toward the May 2022 Cali ABD trip. I hope I don't have to rearrange it again otherwise Kevin at Dreams is gonna put me on a "Difficult" list soon - LOL

 

[rchristiansen]

UGH!! I didn't even think about this.

We're booked for May 2022. We originally booked for July 2020 and had to cancel (before Covid was announced), so we have a credit. So we rebooked for an overseas trip in Dec, but canceled that because I didn't have a good feeling about it. I was able to put the deposit toward the May 2022 Cali ABD trip. I hope I don't have to rearrange it again otherwise Kevin at Dreams is gonna put me on a "Difficult" list soon - LOL

Also - it's not like they made the decision yesterday to move Imagineering to FL. Hmmm.....