Southern California and Disneyland Adventure

[Kit Jackson]

I saw in another group that someone who is booked for the April 5th trip received an email today that they have replaced the tours of the archives and Imagineering with a generic movie museum. Someone else said they are still offering the shopping stop at the studios. This is so disappointing. The two tours are the reason we signed up for this trip.

Does anyone know if this is permanent or temporary due to Covid? I thought parts of California have been slower to drop restrictions and return to in-person work than other places (both in the state and in the rest of the country)?*

I understand (although I would be super disappointed) if they had to remove Imagineering because that is moving to Florida, but I do not understand why they would replace the visit to the Studios and Archive, unless that is not open to visitors due to Covid restrictions.

If the "generic movie museum" is the The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, that is supposed to be beyond amazing. (It's on my bucket list). I realize it isn't Disney themed, but they would have to completely rework the entire tour to fit in the Disney Family Museum in San Fransisco, which subject matter wise is the logical replacecement, but from a geographical logistical perspective does not make as much sense.

*This statement could be wrong. I am not trying to start a debate about Covid restrictions and when/under what circumstances people should return to work.

 

[Mathmagicland]

Historically AbD has sometimes offered a refund option when there’s been a significant change In itinerary. So as @AquaDame mentions, might be good to check with AbD re both the possible change and any refund options. A change for one departure might not be applicable to all departures this summer.

 

[Mathmagicland]

I thought parts of California have been slower to drop restrictions and return to in-person work than other places (both in the state and in the rest of the country)?*

You are correct, there are some areas where Covid restrictions are being revised or lifted on different timing. Los Angeles county, where the Studios & Imagineering are located, is definitely on it’s own schedule and a bit slower than most of the rest of the state.

 

[Mathmagicland]

I do not understand why they would replace the visit to the Studios and Archive, unless that is not open to visitors due to Covid restrictions

I’ve not done this AbD but have done studio & archives tours in the past. I can very much see them canceling the Archives portion, because that space is very small. If Disney wanted to maintain physical distancing, maybe 3 or 4 people at a time could be inside along with an employee. It would take a lot of time to cycle the entire group through, allowing for time to look at things.

For the Studios itself, I could see it needing to be modified. There is a lot to see outside, ie Legends Plaza & the Hyperion building. . Some indoor spaces are rather open ie sound stages. But the inside the original buildings with all of the history, like Ink & Paint and the underground corridors, along with the hallways, are narrow tight spaces with low ceilings, not easy to spread out or have guests.

Not saying I agree with the possible changes, just trying to share some possible insights aa to why Disney might feel the need to make them.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

If the "generic movie museum" is the The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, that is supposed to be beyond amazing. (It's on my bucket list). I realize it isn't Disney themed, but they would have to completely rework the entire tour to fit in the Disney Family Museum in San Fransisco, which subject matter wise is the logical replacecement, but from a geographical logistical perspective does not make as much sense.

Let's say that it is the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. It costs $25/adult to visit plus a little more if you want to see one of the special exhibits, and is free for children. My son (a child) has NO INTEREST in a stuffy museum and won't even recognize most of what is there. He is excited to talk to an imagineer and see "behind the scenes" of his beloved Disney universe. I can't see any way that AbD can somehow make this an "equivalent" substitution.

I'm not going to even tell him because he'll be so disappointed that he won't even want to go. He has been looking forward to this trip for months, ever since he started watching the "Behind the Attractions" shows on Disney+.

 

[Kit Jackson]

My son (a child) has NO INTEREST in a stuffy museum and won't even recognize most of what is there. He is excited to talk to an imagineer and see "behind the scenes" of his beloved Disney universe. I can't see any way that AbD can somehow make this an "equivalent" substitution.

I'm not going to even tell him because he'll be so disappointed that he won't even want to go. He has been looking forward to this trip for months, ever since he started watching the "Behind the Attractions" shows on Disney+.

I don't know what your budget is/what your future travel plans are, but Walt Disney World at one point had a special add-an to any trip that involved a three hour lunch with an imagineer. If talking to an imagineer is something he really wants to do, it's worth looking into.

 

[Chickkypoo]

I admit I would also be bummed... if you call would they be willing to let you cancel for a full refund or at least move it out further (in the hopes they'll be brought back?).

I'm going to reach out to my TA tomorrow. We're on the April 14th escape, and haven't received our itinerary yet.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I don't know what your budget is/what your future travel plans are, but Walt Disney World at one point had a special add-an to any trip that involved a three hour lunch with an imagineer. If talking to an imagineer is something he really wants to do, it's worth looking into.

Definitely, that's a great point! It's on our list of things to do once it comes back in Florida.

 

[sayhello]

Historically AbD has sometimes offered a refund option when there’s been a significant change In itinerary. So as @AquaDame mentions, might be good to check with AbD re both the possible change and any refund options. A change for one departure might not be applicable to all departures this summer.

I agree with this. Of the few trips that have gone so far this season, a few have had significant changes to their itineraries, and they did offer folks the option to cancel and get a refund. It's definitely worth seeing if they make the changes to folks' departure, and if they do, ask about a refund if that's what they want.

Sayhello

 

[Chickkypoo]

I called ABD today. When I first told the Vacationista which trip I was on, she put me on hold for a long period of time while she looked into it. She couldn't provide me with any information for the April 14th trip other than to tell me that it was confirmed to go. She said they made that decision last week. I mentioned it would have been nice if they had let people know that as several of us have back up plans just in case the trips got cancelled. I asked her what our options were if we were not happy with the changes as we had booked this trip for the visits to Imagineering and the Archives. I was told the normal cancellation policy would apply ie: I would be out my full payment. I told her that was very disappointing, and asked for a contact at Adventures by Disney to voice my concerns about this whole situation and the lack of communication throughout the process. She put me on hold again for several minutes, and came back and told me I could email the general Adventures by Disney email address. I asked when we would know our itinerary, as we are heading to Florida next week. I was just told "soon".

 

[sayhello]

I called ABD today. When I first told the Vacationista which trip I was on, she put me on hold for a long period of time while she looked into it. She couldn't provide me with any information for the April 14th trip other than to tell me that it was confirmed to go. She said they made that decision last week. I mentioned it would have been nice if they had let people know that as several of us have back up plans just in case the trips got cancelled. I asked her what our options were if we were not happy with the changes as we had booked this trip for the visits to Imagineering and the Archives. I was told the normal cancellation policy would apply ie: I would be out my full payment. I told her that was very disappointing, and asked for a contact at Adventures by Disney to voice my concerns about this whole situation and the lack of communication throughout the process. She put me on hold again for several minutes, and came back and told me I could email the general Adventures by Disney email address. I asked when we would know our itinerary, as we are heading to Florida next week. I was just told "soon".

That sucks. Just remember, the Vacationista is only the messenger. They really don't tell the Vacationistas much these days.

Sayhello

 

[stout]

I called ABD today. When I first told the Vacationista which trip I was on, she put me on hold for a long period of time while she looked into it. She couldn't provide me with any information for the April 14th trip other than to tell me that it was confirmed to go. She said they made that decision last week. I mentioned it would have been nice if they had let people know that as several of us have back up plans just in case the trips got cancelled. I asked her what our options were if we were not happy with the changes as we had booked this trip for the visits to Imagineering and the Archives. I was told the normal cancellation policy would apply ie: I would be out my full payment. I told her that was very disappointing, and asked for a contact at Adventures by Disney to voice my concerns about this whole situation and the lack of communication throughout the process. She put me on hold again for several minutes, and came back and told me I could email the general Adventures by Disney email address. I asked when we would know our itinerary, as we are heading to Florida next week. I was just told "soon".

Please report back once you hear about your itinerary. I know much can change between now and my trip in two months, but would really like to be able to have as much info as possible about the likely scenarios we will be looking at.

 

[Chickkypoo]

I’ve not done this AbD but have done studio & archives tours in the past. I can very much see them canceling the Archives portion, because that space is very small. If Disney wanted to maintain physical distancing, maybe 3 or 4 people at a time could be inside along with an employee. It would take a lot of time to cycle the entire group through, allowing for time to look at things.

For the Studios itself, I could see it needing to be modified. There is a lot to see outside, ie Legends Plaza & the Hyperion building. . Some indoor spaces are rather open ie sound stages. But the inside the original buildings with all of the history, like Ink & Paint and the underground corridors, along with the hallways, are narrow tight spaces with low ceilings, not easy to spread out or have guests.

Not saying I agree with the possible changes, just trying to share some possible insights aa to why Disney might feel the need to make them.

The Studios is holding a D23 event on April 9th including a screening in the main theatre. I'd be interested to see if that still occurs.

 

[Chickkypoo]

That sucks. Just remember, the Vacationista is only the messenger. They really don't tell the Vacationistas much these days.

Sayhello

I understand. I stayed calm with her. I know she's just repeating what she's told. I was hoping to get the email address of someone higher up to voice concerns to, but I was told they could only pass my email on.

 

[Kimfriedl]

The April

I called ABD today. When I first told the Vacationista which trip I was on, she put me on hold for a long period of time while she looked into it. She couldn't provide me with any information for the April 14th trip other than to tell me that it was confirmed to go. She said they made that decision last week. I mentioned it would have been nice if they had let people know that as several of us have back up plans just in case the trips got cancelled. I asked her what our options were if we were not happy with the changes as we had booked this trip for the visits to Imagineering and the Archives. I was told the normal cancellation policy would apply ie: I would be out my full payment. I told her that was very disappointing, and asked for a contact at Adventures by Disney to voice my concerns about this whole situation and the lack of communication throughout the process. She put me on hold again for several minutes, and came back and told me I could email the general Adventures by Disney email address. I asked when we would know our itinerary, as we are heading to Florida next week. I was just told "soon".

I called AND I emailed them to let them know how frustrating their lack communication in a timely manner has been regarding the April trips. When I called, I asked to speak to one of the leaders and they would not let me. The gal told me she would pass on the info.
That being said, I understand the disappointment of not being able to tour the buildings and areas we hoped to tour. I am disappointed as well. However, these are crazy times and I am just thankful this trip gets to run. I am also confident that Disney would not run this trip if they could not make it as special as it always has been. Hoping for some fun surprises!

 

[Kimfriedl]

The Studios is holding a D23 event on April 9th including a screening in the main theatre. I'd be interested to see if that still occurs.

They actually just posted that event within the last week or so. I had been watching for the date to be announced as it was supposed to happen earlier this year but kept getting delayed. When I saw that they were finally hosting the event, I was hopeful for our trips to happen.

 

[Aeroem]

I may be the only one, but no studios and archives is a deal breaker for my family. I really wanted to have this trip happen especially since it’s been postponed twice. I realize it may be out of their control, but still. I’d like to have faith but to me, it sounds like they are letting us all know info too late, which is scammy to me.

 

[DVC_Chris]

I may be the only one, but no studios and archives is a deal breaker for my family. I really wanted to have this trip happen especially since it’s been postponed twice. I realize it may be out of their control, but still. I’d like to have faith but to me, it sounds like they are letting us all know info too late, which is scammy to me.

Same. 100%. And the fact that there is no refund option for not visiting buildings that they own is horrible.

 

[Mathmagicland]

The Studios is holding a D23 event on April 9th including a screening in the main theatre. I'd be interested to see if that still occurs.

I will be there if it happens, so can let you know.

 

[WaDiWo]

Oh boy, I hadn’t logged in here in a few days and I was simply going to post that I received a box with the duffel and straps but no pins … however I see we have other issues to deal with. No studios, imagineering, archives?! i thought that was the point of “Backstage Magic?” well thus the name change