Worried Disney might cancel my China trip

[anonymousegirl]

Called ABD and found out that there are only 11 people on my adults-only China departure for October 9th.

Feel like we are in limbo--we wanted to get our airfare soon to get good pricing for Premium Economy seats, but can't until we know the trip is a go.

DH doesn't want to spend $1024 for ABD insurance, which would supposedly cover the air (it seems crazy to pay a fourth of the cost of the air to cover a possible cancellation).

ABD says they will help if they cancel the trip, but there is only the Christmas trip left and we can't be gone then, plus I would think it would be sold out in any case.

And we also have to get our Chinese entry visas. I would assume ABD would reimburse us for those if we can't use them?

Am I just being a worrywart?

 

[TXTransplant]

Buy your airfare through ABD. If ABD cancels the trip, they will refund the cost of the trip and the airfare. In fact, when you book airfare through ABD, it shows up on your credit card as a Disney Resorts charge (so ABD has to haggle with the airline to get any potential refund due to them; you simply get a refund from ABD). ABD offers this service as a courtesy. They will not charge you extra to book your airline tickets. In fact, I usually go to the website for my airline of choice and go all the way through the process (selecting exact flights and seat assignments), but right before hitting "purchase", I call my TA and give her the information to coordinate the booking with ABD. It really is very easy.

I hate to be critical, but you are describing what is a $20,000+ trip for two people. I cannot imagine committing that kind of money to a trip and NOT getting trip insurance. There are tons of reasons why you might have to unexpectedly cancel the trip that would not entitle you to any sort of refund, unless you have trip insurance. The insurance would also cover the cost of any travel delays or mishaps (like lost luggage) that might adversely impact your trip. There are other companies besides ABD that you can get trip insurance from, usually at a fraction of the cost.

 

[sayhello]

Take a look at www.squaremouth.com, www.tripinsurancestore.com or insure my trip and price trip insurance directly from an independent insurance provider. Now that ABD is pricing their insurance directly as a percentage of the trip price, you can generally find much better deals if you purchase it yourself elsewhere. And then the insurance will cover your entire trip. Pre-and post-trip stuff not booked through ABD, tours you book yourself, theater tickets, your airfare, etc. Be sure and call the company first before purchasing, however, and verify how they handle things if the tour provider cancels. They frequently will not cover anything that reasonably should be covered by the tour operator if they default. But I agree with TXTransplant. I'd never travel all the way to China, or book such an expensive trip, without trip insurance! A lot of medical insurance won't cover you if you're outside of the US. There was one family that took this trip, and ended up quarantined for most of the trip because someone a few rows away from them on the plane got sick (this was during the H1N1 flu scare). You just *never* know what's going to happen!

All that said, I don't think you're just being a worrywart. That's a lot to commit to without any sort of commitment on ABD's part.

Sayhello

 

[carpenta]

Like most things in life, protect yourself! Take out an insurance policy that includes airfare. Some of us have went ahead and purchased air fares on our own and have gotten burned when ABD cancelled and we got stuck with the air tickets. One thing you should look at if another tour company offers a similar trip in that time frame....we were very lucky and only had to pay the change charge on our air fares when ABD cancelled and we went with another vendor......Good luck.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I completely understand your worry. I called ABD today to inquire about the possibility of adding the July 10 SE Asia to our China itinerary since the dates lined up well. They informed me that there are 13 people booked on the trip and it is not yet "guaranteed". The vacationista told me "they haven't reached the minimum number of guests". When I inquired about what that number is she told me she doesn't know. I asked who would know and she said that is not information they release to the public.

They lost us as potential guests because I would have to change our return flights from the China trip right away. There is no way I could change them back again if the trip wasn't going.

Another vote for insure my trip dot com. I use them regularly and have never had an issue. For reference ABD wanted over $1,000.00 insurance for our China trip and I bought it through the site mentioned for $400.00. The previously mentioned site also has travel insurance you can purchase on an annual basis (for any and all trips during a 12 month period) for less than the cost of the ABD insurance. That is the route we will probably go next year as we usually take 3 big trips a year.

I hope everything works out for you. October is supposed to be one of the best months to visit China.

 

[Rapunzellover]

WDW Groupie, are you getting air through ABD? I booked mine through them, and when they canceled Germany, which was was back to back with Spain, they switched the air to Scotland, no extra charge. They modified outgoing and incoming flights with zero hassle, and no complaints. If I hadn't added Scotland on, I'd have gotten a refund on what I paid towards Germany in air. I would maybe take a chance on SE. Asia, cause if doesn't go, they'll fix it and get you a refund on airr.

 

[anonymousegirl]

thanks for all the advice. I will call ABD about adding flights. Just FYI, we do have travel insurance, it just does not include trip cancelation. Baggage, medical, emergency evacuation, even trip interruption, just not cancelation. We paid something like $38 apiece from Travelex.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

WDW Groupie, are you getting air through ABD? I booked mine through them, and when they canceled Germany, which was was back to back with Spain, they switched the air to Scotland, no extra charge. They modified outgoing and incoming flights with zero hassle, and no complaints. If I hadn't added Scotland on, I'd have gotten a refund on what I paid towards Germany in air. I would maybe take a chance on SE. Asia, cause if doesn't go, they'll fix it and get you a refund on airr.

I always book our airfare myself through Air Canada. We have the Aeroplan AmEx card in Canada and get miles for every dollar spent on the card. I can't run the trips through the Canadian credit card due to the (very) weak dollar. It makes more sense for me to take care of it myself.

At this point I have our flights booked direct both ways (Toronto to Beijing and Shanghai to Toronto). If I cancelled the Shanghai return flight and booked a flight back from Tokyo (assuming we booked SE Asia) and ABD cancelled the trip then I likely wouldn't get our direct flight from Shanghai to Toronto back. I hate connections so this is a very important factor for us when we are booking trips. If this was a guaranteed departure I would've said let's go for it (we really want to do SE Asia) since we are already in Asia. But I'm not willing to risk losing our precious first class seats directly home from Shanghai.

I just wish they would say "we need xx people before we guarantee a trip". I will try to keep an eye on the trip and check in with ABD on occasion to see if they have guaranteed it or not, but likely won't put a lot of effort into it.

 

[anonymousegirl]

Thanks for the great advice, TXtransplant. I called ABD and they found the exact flights I wanted for $300pp less. So now, if ABD cancels, we aren't on the hook for the airfare.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

delete

 

[AdamEfimoff]

for some stupid reason I thought it would be a cheap trip staying at cheap low quality hotels. Good to see that its not!!!!

 

[anonymousegirl]

Yay, now have 13 people booked. Plus agent said that adult only departures tend to have lower numbers needed for trip to be guaranteed, so maybe there is a chance it will go after all.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Yay, now have 13 people booked. Plus agent said that adult only departures tend to have lower numbers needed for trip to be guaranteed, so maybe there is a chance it will go after all.

That's good news! I found out our Italy / Switzerland trip is guaranteed with somewhere around 15 people (I can't recall the exact number). I'm hoping the numbers stay low!

I always buy my insurance through insure my trip dot com. They told me that trip cancellation makes up the most expensive part of the coverage, which explains why yours was priced so low. They even offer the option on some policies to cancel if you can't get time off work (for a small incremental cost). They also have policies that you can buy that will cover you for a year of international travel, which I am purchasing next year!

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

Yay, now have 13 people booked. Plus agent said that adult only departures tend to have lower numbers needed for trip to be guaranteed, so maybe there is a chance it will go after all.

I wouldn't put too much stock in having lower numbers needed to guarantee an adult only trip. My trip is adult only and at last check in January, had 22 people signed up. We have yet to be guaranteed.

 

[TXTransplant]

I wouldn't put too much stock in having lower numbers needed to guarantee an adult only trip. My trip is adult only and at last check in January, had 22 people signed up. We have yet to be guaranteed.

Whether or not a trip is "guaranteed" must be a strong function of whatever ABD representative you (or your TA) talk to. Our Germany trip last year ultimately went with 24. I NEVER at any point received ANY confirmation that the trip was guaranteed. It was complete radio silence. We got on the plane because I wasn't told otherwise.

In fact, my TA always insisted that she was told repeatedly that there are no set guidelines (number of guests, time until departure, etc.) for determining when, why, or how a trip is "guaranteed." You just have to wait until ABD does or doesn't tell you.

 

[sayhello]

Whether or not a trip is "guaranteed" must be a strong function of whatever ABD representative you (or your TA talks to). Our Germany trip last year ultimately went with 24. I NEVER at any point received ANY confirmation that the trip was guaranteed. It was complete radio silence. We got on the plane because I wasn't told otherwise.

In fact, my TA always insisted that she was told repeatedly that there are no set guidelines (number of guests, time until departure, etc.) for determining when, why, or how a trip is "guaranteed." You just have to wait until ABD does or doesn't tell you.

Very true. And just because a trip is not "guaranteed", does not necessarily mean it won't go. Adult Only trips frequently go with 20 or less people.

Sayhello

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

Whether or not a trip is "guaranteed" must be a strong function of whatever ABD representative you (or your TA talks to). Our Germany trip last year ultimately went with 24. I NEVER at any point received ANY confirmation that the trip was guaranteed. It was complete radio silence. We got on the plane because I wasn't told otherwise.

In fact, my TA always insisted that she was told repeatedly that there are no set guidelines (number of guests, time until departure, etc.) for determining when, why, or how a trip is "guaranteed." You just have to wait until ABD does or doesn't tell you.

I always went on the basis that once we were within the "window" of when Disney said there would be no cancellations, which I think used to be 75 days but is now 90 days?, then the trip was going ahead. Problem comes if they cancel within this window it makes it hard to make other plans.

 

[TXTransplant]

I always went on the basis that once we were within the "window" of when Disney said there would be no cancellations, which I think used to be 75 days but is now 90 days?, then the trip was going ahead. Problem comes if they cancel within this window it makes it hard to make other plans.

I don't think there is a window of no cancellations anymore - IIRC, this policy changed last year. I KNOW I asked about this last year around the 90-day mark (because my final payment was due, and I didn't want to make the final payment without having plane tickets, and I didn't want to buy plane tickets if the trip was going to be cancelled).

In none of my (many) calls to ABD did I get an answer that gave me the "warm and fuzzies." The only answer I ever got was that ABD can "cancel the trip at any time (but we really don't like to do that)."

 

[Cinderella's Slipper 2015]

I don't think there is a window of no cancellations anymore - IIRC, this policy changed last year. I KNOW I asked about this last year around the 90-day mark (because my final payment was due, and I didn't want to make the final payment without having plane tickets, and I didn't want to buy plane tickets if the trip was going to be cancelled).

In none of my (many) calls to ABD did I get an answer that gave me the "warm and fuzzies." The only answer I ever got was that ABD can "cancel the trip at any time (but we really don't like to do that)."

Guess that means it's time to start planning plan C since plan A is ABD goes as scheduled, plan B is to have a private trip organized by another company should ABD cancel with enough notice and plan C is planning it on my own. I know it may not be necessary but I like to have plans in place should something happen.

 

[sayhello]

I don't think there is a window of no cancellations anymore - IIRC, this policy changed last year. I KNOW I asked about this last year around the 90-day mark (because my final payment was due, and I didn't want to make the final payment without having plane tickets, and I didn't want to buy plane tickets if the trip was going to be cancelled).

In none of my (many) calls to ABD did I get an answer that gave me the "warm and fuzzies." The only answer I ever got was that ABD can "cancel the trip at any time (but we really don't like to do that)."

That's right. The "No cancellations within xx number of days of departure" clause has completely disappeared, and the FAQ now says:

We reserve the right to cancel a trip at any time prior to its commencement for any reason, such as if there are too few Guests, or if the quality of the trip or the safety of the Guests would, in our opinion, be compromised, such as may result from unforeseen circumstances (acts of God) or other circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

They try to give you plenty of notice, but there have a been a couple of rare occurrences where this has not happened.

Sayhello