Southern California and Disneyland Adventure

[wishiwasindisneyjen]

Yes, ABD qualifies for the 0% financing on the Disney Visa.

I'm in the same boat you are in - we had the Rhine Cruise booked for 2020 and ended up with a placeholder that I need to use by Jan. 3, 2022. I am hesitant to book an international trip for 2022 and most of the domestic trips hold zero interest for us. I was going to book SoCal, but won't do so until the itinerary is worked out. It's all very discouraging and, once I use up these deposits, I don't think we'll book with ABD ever again.

Exactly the same situation here. We were going to book the SoCal for October 21 because we knew it would be cancelled and we'd get our money back (finally) but by the time I went to book it, it was being waitlisted and they wouldn't let me book, then of course it was cancelled.

I don't feel comfortable going overseas yet and nothing else in the US really interested me. I am hopeful this trip happens in full but if they cancel, I'm ok with that too. I just don't want to be stuck with a partial trip.

I called yesterday to make my final payment (due 11/15) and I asked why the January SoCal trips were cancelled. She said it was because they can't offer group travel in CA yet since many things aren't even open (Imagineering) or offering tours (Studios) and most restaurants won't allow groups. I asked if the move to FL for Imagineering was impacting decisions and she said not yet since they haven't started that yet. She told me to wait until 11/15 to make my payment just in case there were any new cancellations.

 

[sayhello]

I called yesterday to make my final payment (due 11/15) and I asked why the January SoCal trips were cancelled. She said it was because they can't offer group travel in CA yet since many things aren't even open (Imagineering) or offering tours (Studios) and most restaurants won't allow groups. I asked if the move to FL for Imagineering was impacting decisions and she said not yet since they haven't started that yet. She told me to wait until 11/15 to make my payment just in case there were any new cancellations.

Yay!! They are finally allowing the Vacationistas to give real answers! That all totally makes sense!

Sayhello

 

[wishiwasindisneyjen]

Now I'm really torn. I was just about to cancel my short escape in March since there is the opportunity to get my money back right now but I just read that at the D23 conference they said they are starting up studio tours in the spring.....so now I want to go. But still worried it won't be the full trip I'm hoping for.

 

[Kit Jackson]

Now I'm really torn. I was just about to cancel my short escape in March since there is the opportunity to get my money back right now but I just read that at the D23 conference they said they are starting up studio tours in the spring.....so now I want to go. But still worried it won't be the full trip I'm hoping for.

You may not be able to tell but I am trying to help. What is the full trip you are looking for? Are you tour of Imagaineering or bust? (It's totally okay if you are.) Would you go if it was the same trip minus Imagaineering? (This is for you to think about.)

 

[lozzypop]

No official notice yet, but our February 2022 tour dates have disappeared from the ABD website. Looks like we aren't going

 

[stout]

Shoot! I just booked us on the short escape over spring break at the end of March. I guess I won’t get my hopes up.

 

[MerissaAndMomLoveDis]

I'm actually doing the Disneyland Resort and Southern California Escape, which is a shortened version of the full one on March 22-25. This also goes to Imagineering, so now I am worried that this will also get cancelled ☹. My pay in full day is in two weeks. I've been to Imagineering, so I would still go on it, if they had something good enough to replace it.

Hi Steven G, my daughter and I are booked on your same Escape March 22-25. Although I'd be bummed not to get to go to Imagineering, we would still go too if that was the only thing removed from the itinerary. From what I see that is a looooong day. Just curious, what can you think of that they could replace WDI with? Or, maybe allow longer time at the Studios?

 

[Kit Jackson]

Just curious, what can you think of that they could replace WDI with? Or, maybe allow longer time at the Studios?

This is a guess based on pure speculation. I can see it going two ways.
Possibility 1: ABD groups will spend more time at Walt Disney Studios/Archives
Possibility 2: ABD groups will spend the same amount of time at Walt Disney Studios/Archives and then go Disneyland Resort. In Possibility 2, the group arrives in Disneyland Resort and may get to spend more time in the park. If they want everyone to enter the park together, maybe people have more time to hang out in the hotel or explore Downtown Disney.

 

[Steven G]

Hi Steven G, my daughter and I are booked on your same Escape March 22-25. Although I'd be bummed not to get to go to Imagineering, we would still go too if that was the only thing removed from the itinerary. From what I see that is a looooong day. Just curious, what can you think of that they could replace WDI with? Or, maybe allow longer time at the Studios?

longer time at walt Disney studios would be best in my opinion. For example, they could take us to Walt’s office, which I believe they do not do often. I suppose if it’s available we could go to jim Henson studios as well, which is part of the longer ABD tour.

 

[TravelJunkieHubby]

Does anyone have an idea if these trips are likely to run this summer? We have a placeholder deposit that ABD won't let us extend past the end of March... trying to find an option that works with our dates off/school schedule.

 

[Steven G]

My march 22 trip was cancelled, and it looks like all the march ones are as well.

 

[stout]

Yes, our March 27-30 escape was cancelled as well. We are trying to decide whether to move it to the summer 6 night trip or not. When we booked in October 2021, I was rather confident the trip would go in March 2022…now I just don’t know if I want to tie up that much money on such uncertainty.

 

[Steven G]

I just asked to get my money back, got acknowledgement of it.

 

[sayhello]

I just asked to get my money back, got acknowledgement of it.

From everything I'm hearing, that was probably the best choice at this time.

Sayhello

 

[MerissaAndMomLoveDis]

I just asked to get my money back, got acknowledgement of it.
[/QUOTE

I was also on your trip. I think I am going to ask for my money back too. The travel agent said money back or book another trip. I was not told of any incentive to book another trip, such as $250 off the new trip, so I suppose if I book a new trip I'll be paying the higher price now, rather than what it would have cost when I book the Escape in April 2021? In fairness, I didn't ask, only just read the Bad News email. Was anyone else given any incentive to book another trip to replace the cancelled one?

 

[stout]

We were offered $400 per person to book a domestic trip and $500 per person for international. Decision needs to be made 45 days from the bad news email date or the money will automatically refund…that’s what I was told after an estimated call hold time of 4 minutes was 48 minutes…

 

[sayhello]

We were offered $400 per person to book a domestic trip and $500 per person for international. Decision needs to be made 45 days from the bad news email date or the money will automatically refund…that’s what I was told after an estimated call hold time of 4 minutes was 48 minutes…

Was this money taken off the price of the trip you re-booked? What if you were already paid in full? Or is it a future credit? Or cash refund?

Sayhello

 

[stout]

We were PIF for March 2022 California 3 night escape. They offered to move our money to summer 2022 California 6 night tour, for the current advertised price of the summer 2022 California 6 night tour, less $400 per person. They said I had 45 days to accept/reject the offer, otherwise the PIF money for 2022 California 3 night escape would refund to me. We haven’t decided what to do yet…will likely take the refund.

 

[Kimfriedl]

I also had a March trip canceled. I was told that if I chose to rebook for one of the April dates, I would have to cover the difference in price of the April trip if it was more than my March trip costed at the time of booking (not at the current cost.) for me, that would be $180 total more for me and my guest. However, the gal I spoke with was very honest in saying that she feels that it is highly unlikely that the April short escapes will happen. there are no trips planned at this time for the short escapes beyond these April dates and she wasn’t sure if there would be any available. She also stated that she was unsure of why they would have the longer escapes with dates through March 2023 and not the short escapes. She then went on to tell me that this is their most popular trip, and it has been devastating for them as a company not to be able to offer it. At this point, not knowing when the studios, imagineering, and archives buildings would be open for the tour, she is not sure if this trip will just remain on hold or be reimagined. I gave her a few ideas that I have read here and some of my own as to how it could be reimagined and that many of us would still love to be able to have an experience with ABD socal short escapes right now. Even if that meant just walking the grounds of the studios and Imagineering, extra behind the scenes experiences in the parks, possibly having a lunch with an imagineer at the hotel, or having archives bring a few special items to hotel or parks just for the ABD guests see (they do have traveling archives shows so I can’t see how this wouldn’t be possible.) anywho, she loved hearing that feedback and I encourage all of you to give any feedback about this trip/issue that you can to ABD. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful vactionista who was very honest with me, gave me lots of info, and took plenty of time talking to me about this. One more thing that surprised me that she said…even cast members working in FL offices are still working from home and have not been in the office since March 2020. So it is not just a CA issue with Disney keeping those buildings closed. This lovely gal even gave me some names of VIP tour guides at DL that are also ABD socal tour guides just in case I wanted to book my own vip experience. She suggested asking for one of these guides and telling them how my trip was canceled and could they do a few things in the parks that they do with the ABD trip-who knows how much pixie dust they have to share, but she thought it was worth a shot. Cheers to all of us being able to have this experience with ABD some day in the Future.

 

[Steven G]

Well, I already had my plane tickets, so I just booked a 4 day stay on harbour, and 3 day disneyland tickets (with genie+ parkhoppers). Saving about $3500 for 2 people total. Still have not seen my refund get credited back yet.