Travel Changes?

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I am confused with how to book a "placeholder" ABD. My TA sent an e-mail as follows:

As long as I have been doing this deposits were non-refundable/non-transferable 14 days after you booked the Adventure- you could cancel it or move it within that 14 day window of booking but then it became non-refundable

This contradicts what I understand about a "placeholder". I am looking to move our October 20, 2020 Egypt ABD as we won't be going and I do not plan on making our PIF next month (if ABD follows their pattern they won't cancel the trip until mid-August and our PIF is next month). The deposit for this trip was moved from our Rhone River cruise (that we booked before the Egypt trip was announced), so I'm not sure if we would be eligible to move it again.

At this point I am thinking that if they don't want to let me move my deposit to another date I will just walk away and be done with them. I think they should be flexible during these uncertain times and not force people to either travel or lose their money.

 

[sayhello]

I am confused with how to book a "placeholder" ABD. My TA sent an e-mail as follows:

As long as I have been doing this deposits were non-refundable/non-transferable 14 days after you booked the Adventure- you could cancel it or move it within that 14 day window of booking but then it became non-refundable

This contradicts what I understand about a "placeholder". I am looking to move our October 20, 2020 Egypt ABD as we won't be going and I do not plan on making our PIF next month (if ABD follows their pattern they won't cancel the trip until mid-August and our PIF is next month). The deposit for this trip was moved from our Rhone River cruise (that we booked before the Egypt trip was announced), so I'm not sure if we would be eligible to move it again.

At this point I am thinking that if they don't want to let me move my deposit to another date I will just walk away and be done with them. I think they should be flexible during these uncertain times and not force people to either travel or lose their money.

I believe the current policy is that you can only move your deposit once. But you can definitely do it that once. It *is* transferable to another trip, but not refundable.

The current "temporary adjustment" to that policy is currently only good through the end of September.

Guests currently booked on adventures through September 30, 2020 can change their reservation and receive a 100% credit to be used toward a future adventure. Guests may select a new travel date and/or an alternate adventure by March 31, 2021 by calling (855) 223-0025 or (407) 566-8345. The credit is non-refundable and standard prevailing rates will apply.

Is July your PIF with the new policy?

Beginning March 19, 2020, a Final Payment Extension will be automatically added to all reservations for adventures departing through November 30, 2020.
Final payments will be extended out an additional 30 days.

Sayhello

 

[TarotFox]

You should wait, because they'll likely extend that policy into October next month.

 

[AquaDame]

I believe the current policy is that you can only move your deposit once. But you can definitely do it that once. It *is* transferable to another trip, but not refundable.

The current "temporary adjustment" to that policy is currently only good through the end of September.

Guests currently booked on adventures through September 30, 2020 can change their reservation and receive a 100% credit to be used toward a future adventure. Guests may select a new travel date and/or an alternate adventure by March 31, 2021 by calling (855) 223-0025 or (407) 566-8345. The credit is non-refundable and standard prevailing rates will apply.

Is July your PIF with the new policy?

Beginning March 19, 2020, a Final Payment Extension will be automatically added to all reservations for adventures departing through November 30, 2020.
Final payments will be extended out an additional 30 days.

Sayhello

That end of March date is getting closer... I wonder if they will push it out the longer this goes on. The fact that the park reservations are running through late September 2021 isn't filling me with confidence that THEY are confident. I'm a little worried about our May ABD - at this point its our only planned trip besides the October one that we're 95% cancelling - my husband wants to push the ABD out to next December which would be no traveling for just under two years for us.

 

[Skylarr29]

I am confused with how to book a "placeholder" ABD. My TA sent an e-mail as follows:

As long as I have been doing this deposits were non-refundable/non-transferable 14 days after you booked the Adventure- you could cancel it or move it within that 14 day window of booking but then it became non-refundable

This contradicts what I understand about a "placeholder". I am looking to move our October 20, 2020 Egypt ABD as we won't be going and I do not plan on making our PIF next month (if ABD follows their pattern they won't cancel the trip until mid-August and our PIF is next month). The deposit for this trip was moved from our Rhone River cruise (that we booked before the Egypt trip was announced), so I'm not sure if we would be eligible to move it again.

At this point I am thinking that if they don't want to let me move my deposit to another date I will just walk away and be done with them. I think they should be flexible during these uncertain times and not force people to either travel or lose their money.

we had two October trips booked (china and Southeast Asia) and we were able to move both on opening day a few weeks ago. We knew we weren’t comfortable and didn’t want to play 30k chicken with Disney anymore.

you can move your deposit once, note you will not be able to take advantage of discounts or early booking.

Ask your agent to call and figure it out. if you book another adventure in the future I’d use another agent. Good luck.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I believe the current policy is that you can only move your deposit once. But you can definitely do it that once. It *is* transferable to another trip, but not refundable.

The current "temporary adjustment" to that policy is currently only good through the end of September.

Guests currently booked on adventures through September 30, 2020 can change their reservation and receive a 100% credit to be used toward a future adventure. Guests may select a new travel date and/or an alternate adventure by March 31, 2021 by calling (855) 223-0025 or (407) 566-8345. The credit is non-refundable and standard prevailing rates will apply.

Is July your PIF with the new policy?

Beginning March 19, 2020, a Final Payment Extension will be automatically added to all reservations for adventures departing through November 30, 2020.
Final payments will be extended out an additional 30 days.

Sayhello

Thank you for the input. I had an e-mail from my TA this morning that we will be able to move our deposit one time. I decided to wait until closer to our PIF to see if they offer a refund on the deposit (which would be nice, but I'm not counting on it). If not then ds and I will have to decide what trip to move the deposit to; at this point I'm thinking of NZ in early 2022, but I'm not sure. I'm with @Skylarr29 -- I'm not playing a game of chicken with ABD with my money.

 

[sayhello]

That end of March date is getting closer... I wonder if they will push it out the longer this goes on. The fact that the park reservations are running through late September 2021 isn't filling me with confidence that THEY are confident. I'm a little worried about our May ABD - at this point its our only planned trip besides the October one that we're 95% cancelling - my husband wants to push the ABD out to next December which would be no traveling for just under two years for us.

I'm pretty much in the same boat. I currently have *NO* travel plans, and don't plan on making any until there's a viable treatment or a vaccine. Which could be a year and a half to two years.

Sayhello

 

[BluesTraveler]

I'm pretty much in the same boat. I currently have *NO* travel plans, and don't plan on making any until there's a viable treatment or a vaccine. Which could be a year and a half to two years.

Sayhello

We are the same - no travel planned at all (and no plans to book anything until there is a vaccine).

 

[scottmel]

I am so grateful I played chicken and won. I was irritated b/c the original booking was a placeholder from 2 years ago and it always irked me that I couldn't get any early book incentives for the placeholder trip so I booked August 2020. I had airfare thru ABD, no insurance. Cancelled the trip the day they ruled on the August trips. Received all my refunds back on my charge card today. Honestly ANYONE with a September trip - play chicken. NOTHING is going to go. I did my PIF on time etc. but just based on MEDIA true or false, Disney will err on caution. I'd play chicken and get the early book discount for next time.

 

[Spencer Wright]

That end of March date is getting closer... I wonder if they will push it out the longer this goes on. The fact that the park reservations are running through late September 2021 isn't filling me with confidence that THEY are confident. I'm a little worried about our May ABD - at this point its our only planned trip besides the October one that we're 95% cancelling - my husband wants to push the ABD out to next December which would be no traveling for just under two years for us.

Do you have any thoughts as to when ABD may start running again? I have a November Backstage magic I have been starting to look into researching again (i.e. Pre and post nights), and am wondering if I need to take a less optimistic view.

I understand it is a complicated and hypothetical question.

 

[scottmel]

Do you have any thoughts as to when ABD may start running again? I have a November Backstage magic I have been starting to look into researching again (i.e. Pre and post nights), and am wondering if I need to take a less optimistic view.

I understand it is a complicated and hypothetical question.

I think if your trip is AFTER the election you will be fine. If before, I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Rapunzellover]

I think if your trip is AFTER the election you will be fine. If before, I wouldn't count on it.

Why do you say this? The election isn't gonna change anything re: COVID-19.

 

[AquaDame]

Do you have any thoughts as to when ABD may start running again? I have a November Backstage magic I have been starting to look into researching again (i.e. Pre and post nights), and am wondering if I need to take a less optimistic view.

I understand it is a complicated and hypothetical question.

The only real thought I have on it is that they'll proceed once they can give most of the proper experience. We aren't just talking about park entry, but think of all the other spaces the tour goes as well, down to the backstage areas of Imagineering and the Hansen studios... every outsider they bring in is one less employee that can be in that spot, and the areas they go are very tight too. So much of the tour is in tight spaces that "belong" to the workers. I imagine their unions would have concerns... I can't even imagine them shuffling groups through Walt's Apartment right now..! Everything has to be cleaned as it is, and even moreso if more people go through. I have no insight into how much they're willing to nix off the itinerary or how long the states will have restrictions on group sizes in place though, so I'm really not sure.

 

[lovetotravel]

Do you have any thoughts as to when ABD may start running again? I have a November Backstage magic I have been starting to look into researching again (i.e. Pre and post nights), and am wondering if I need to take a less optimistic view.

I understand it is a complicated and hypothetical question.

The fact that ABD did not cancel the entire month of September is a bit hopeful, although maybe it’s because they don’t have enough cash for refunds?
You can book your pre and post activities ONLY if they are fully refundable.

 

[Mathmagicland]

This is where I’m at now - my AbD cancelled yesterday, refund in process. Airline emailed me last week to cancel & get a voucher if my plans had changed. Looking at their website, they’ve cancelled all flights to my destination through the week before my departure date. So, I’ll try to wait it out a couple of weeks to see if they do end up cancelling any of the August flights. Hoping they will cancel but a lot will depend on how much further Europe opens up and to which other countries, and when. So, the waiting game continues....

Update - the ABD refund came through in 4 days - much quicker than expected. That will pay off the deposits I just paid for 2021 travel- nice!

And, the waiting game finally paid off with my flights to Europe for this cancelled trip. After getting the “you can cancel to get voucher credit “ email three weeks ago, I got the email this morning that one leg of my trip had been cancelled...which I was hoping for as that enabled me to request a refund rather than voucher credit. Those funds will be back within a couple of weeks. It was hard to wait but worth iI.

That about does it for me for 2020 travel...only one non-Disney trip still pending, rescheduled from March tentatively to October or November. Still waiting to see when that one will happen.

 

[OKW Lover]

The fact that ABD did not cancel the entire month of September is a bit hopeful, although maybe it’s because they don’t have enough cash for refunds?

Its not a cash issue. The amount of refunds that they would have to make is incredibly small.

 

[Grifdog22]

In case you haven't seen this and are considering flying on American Airlines (I would rather walk)

From Bloomberg.com on Friday 6/26/2020:
"American Airlines Group Inc. said it would sell flights to capacity starting July 1, abandoning caps on passenger loads that were designed to promote social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

American is ditching its restrictions on filling aircraft cabins just as the pandemic worsens in parts of the U.S. that had largely been spared earlier this year. Those areas include states where the carrier has major operations, such as Texas, Arizona and North Carolina." United is the same.

"By contrast, Delta Air Lines Inc. has said it will keep middle seats open through Sept. 30. Southwest Airlines Co. has committed to block middle seats unless customers are traveling together."

Your health and that of others is worth what?

 

[lovetotravel]

In case you haven't seen this and are considering flying on American Airlines (I would rather walk)

From Bloomberg.com on Friday 6/26/2020:
"American Airlines Group Inc. said it would sell flights to capacity starting July 1, abandoning caps on passenger loads that were designed to promote social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

American is ditching its restrictions on filling aircraft cabins just as the pandemic worsens in parts of the U.S. that had largely been spared earlier this year. Those areas include states where the carrier has major operations, such as Texas, Arizona and North Carolina." United is the same.

"By contrast, Delta Air Lines Inc. has said it will keep middle seats open through Sept. 30. Southwest Airlines Co. has committed to block middle seats unless customers are traveling together."

Your health and that of others is worth what?

Thanks for posting this. I've seen many concerns with American regarding full flights!

 

[Mathmagicland]

In case you haven't seen this and are considering flying on American Airlines (I would rather walk)

From Bloomberg.com on Friday 6/26/2020:
"American Airlines Group Inc. said it would sell flights to capacity starting July 1, abandoning caps on passenger loads that were designed to promote social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

American is ditching its restrictions on filling aircraft cabins just as the pandemic worsens in parts of the U.S. that had largely been spared earlier this year. Those areas include states where the carrier has major operations, such as Texas, Arizona and North Carolina." United is the same.

"By contrast, Delta Air Lines Inc. has said it will keep middle seats open through Sept. 30. Southwest Airlines Co. has committed to block middle seats unless customers are traveling together."

Your health and that of others is worth what?

Had not yet seen this - thanks for sharing, it is disappointing to see them taking this approach at this timing,....

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

In case you haven't seen this and are considering flying on American Airlines (I would rather walk)

From Bloomberg.com on Friday 6/26/2020:
"American Airlines Group Inc. said it would sell flights to capacity starting July 1, abandoning caps on passenger loads that were designed to promote social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.

American is ditching its restrictions on filling aircraft cabins just as the pandemic worsens in parts of the U.S. that had largely been spared earlier this year. Those areas include states where the carrier has major operations, such as Texas, Arizona and North Carolina." United is the same.

"By contrast, Delta Air Lines Inc. has said it will keep middle seats open through Sept. 30. Southwest Airlines Co. has committed to block middle seats unless customers are traveling together."

Your health and that of others is worth what?

I just read that Air Canada and West Jet are doing the same:

The country’s two largest airlines are ending their on-board seat distancing policies starting July 1, raising health concerns amid a pandemic that has devastated the travel industry.
Air Canada has blocked the sale of adjacent seats in economy class, and WestJet has done the same throughout the entire plane, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The carriers said Friday they will revert to health recommendations from the United Nation’s aviation agency and the International International Air Transport Association (IATA) trade group.