Egypt 2011 ***IMPORTANT UPDATE 2/4/11 Post # 190***

[sayhello]

I like the new name I called ABD this morning and tried to transfer the trip to the Mediterranean DCL/ABD 11 Night....They said it could not be done since it is a different company???(must be different billing place) My next option will be to cancel completely and then sign up separately. My flight tickets need to be changed also...I called Travelocity and they said they are $280 x 4 to change..ouch! These are thru Delta Airlines did someone say they would waive the change fees??? Help!

Dotti (wdwsos) said ABD was *not* covering airfare change fees. I would check with Delta directly, and see what they will do for you. They may be waiving fees if people decide not to travel to Egypt, but you'd have to find out from them. Hopefully they won't refer you back to Travelocity...

Sayhello

 

[Mrpill]

I like the new name I called ABD this morning and tried to transfer the trip to the Mediterranean DCL/ABD 11 Night....They said it could not be done since it is a different company???(must be different billing place) My next option will be to cancel completely and then sign up separately. My flight tickets need to be changed also...I called Travelocity and they said they are $280 x 4 to change..ouch! These are thru Delta Airlines did someone say they would waive the change fees??? Help!

Sorry, I forgot to tell you we are a family of 4 booked for ABD Egypt on June 21st. Will take any ideas/secrets about making changes of airline reservations and the group package. Sounds like my biggest problem will be changing the flights to another destination.

 

[lb4747694]

Airlines will normally provide waivers of change fees and let you rebook without paying the change fees. Unfortunately, these waivers tend to have short durations and are near term. Chances are, they won't waive the fee in February for a June trip. Still, no harm in calling Delta directly.

http://www.delta.com/traveling_checkin/flight_status_updates/advisories/cairo_unrest/index.jsp

 

[Mrpill]

Thanks guys! That Delta website might help, the problem is do they refund anything? The trip to Cairo is a lot more expensive than the trip to Barcelona, so we would be entitled to a refund or refund of frequent flyer miles you'd think??? SayHello did you fly into Barcelona the day before your Med. Cruise and explore or did you come in the day of the cruise? Thanks again!

 

[sayhello]

SayHello did you fly into Barcelona the day before your Med. Cruise and explore or did you come in the day of the cruise? Thanks again!

Mrpill, I flew in the day before the cruise. I will NEVER fly in the day of a cruise! Too many things can go wrong (and they have!) I actually wish I'd flown in a couple of days early, because a) I was really wiped when I got there, and didn't get a chance to see much of Barcelona, and b) I really would have liked to have seen more of Barcelona! Barcelona is a beautiful city, with lots of amazing things to see. I did manage to do the Hop On Hop Off bus after the cruise, because my flight out didn't leave until evening. But there still was no time to Hop On and Off; but we saw some wonderful stuff from the bus.

Sayhello

 

[sayhello]

Thanks guys! That Delta website might help, the problem is do they refund anything? The trip to Cairo is a lot more expensive than the trip to Barcelona, so we would be entitled to a refund or refund of frequent flyer miles you'd think???

Looking at the website, it really looks like all Delta is doing is actually waiving the change fee if you change the ticket, nothing more or less. If the new ticket costs more, you'll be charged additional. So I'd assume that if the new ticket cost less, you'd get the standard credit for the difference that needs to be used within a year from the original purchase date. Sometimes they take a change fee out of the credit, also, when you use it. Again, I'd really recommend checking with Delta for the exact policy. And if you used miles, I do believe there's usually a fee to "redeposit" the miles. Don't know if that applies under these circumstances or not...

Sayhello

 

[disneyholic family]

Looking at the website, it really looks like all Delta is doing is actually waiving the change fee if you change the ticket, nothing more or less. If the new ticket costs more, you'll be charged additional. So I'd assume that if the new ticket cost less, you'd get the standard credit for the difference that needs to be used within a year from the original purchase date. Sometimes they take a change fee out of the credit, also, when you use it. Again, I'd really recommend checking with Delta for the exact policy. And if you used miles, I do believe there's usually a fee to "redeposit" the miles. Don't know if that applies under these circumstances or not...

Sayhello

yes Delta has a fee to redeposit FF miles (unless you're platinum FF)...
however, Delta FF agents can waive the fee under certain circumstances...
so it's definitely worth a try to get them to waive the redeposit fee..
for that matter, they can also waive the change fees for changes in flights under certain circumstances (which this certainly seems like an appropriate circumstance)....

 

[beachbunny]

I don't think the change will be quite that simple. Tickets are on Delta, but were purchased through Travelocity. Can they contact Delta directly or will they have to go through Travlocity and its $280 per person change fee.

 

[sayhello]

I don't think the change will be quite that simple. Tickets are on Delta, but were purchased through Travelocity. Can they contact Delta directly or will they have to go through Travlocity and its $280 per person change fee.

No way to know for sure without calling Delta. If Delta says "Sorry, you have to go through Travelocity", then they're stuck. I would not take Travelocity's word on it that they had to go through them.

Sayhello

 

[DisneyKevin]

Hi Folks....

I'm sure this will come as to no surprise.....

Just got the official word from ABD that all Egypt Adventures through the end of August 2011 have been canceled.

There is also the possibility that the cancellations will continue through the end of the year and beyond.

ABD is offering full refunds or the opportunity to move your deposit to another Adventure without penalty.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

Well, I'm glad we decided on the Grand Floridian. *sigh*

Maybe next year.

 

[Pakey]

Hi Folks....

I'm sure this will come as to no surprise.....

Just got the official word from ABD that all Egypt Adventures through the end of August 2011 have been canceled.

There is also the possibility that the cancellations will continue through the end of the year and beyond.

ABD is offering full refunds or the opportunity to move your deposit to another Adventure without penalty.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks,
Kevin

I think everyone was expecting this and I would imagine that even if they resume the tours in late 2011, many people are now going to be hesitant to travel there. I'm so glad we made it there before all of this happened.

 

[lb4747694]

Sorry for those that this impacts. As I said though, if/when they resume this ABD, I would expect super steep discounts, as tourism will be in a huge slump in Egypt.

 

[TDC Nala]

Canceled this morning. I'm going to do the Vancouver cruise add on but as I couldn't book that through ABD (cruise add-ons have to be booked through DCL) I just did a cancellation.

 

[Happy99]

Can I ask those of you that booked your own airfare why you did? I can see if using miles but with ABD they will book any flight you find you just need to give them the specifics and the price is usually the same. At least then you wouldn't incur any penalties

I am sure the airlines will allow changes because of the travel alert but I was just curious as to why you wouldn't book the air through ABD

I can see for WDW or even cruise line that air is probably better booking separately

 

[TDC Nala]

I always book my own airfare so I will have control over the price, the route and the number of stops.

 

[sayhello]

Hi Folks....

I'm sure this will come as to no surprise.....

Just got the official word from ABD that all Egypt Adventures through the end of August 2011 have been canceled.

There is also the possibility that the cancellations will continue through the end of the year and beyond.

ABD is offering full refunds or the opportunity to move your deposit to another Adventure without penalty.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks,
Kevin

A sad reality. I feel bad for people who'd booked this tour, but at least now they know for sure & can work on making alternative arrangements.

Can I ask those of you that booked your own airfare why you did? I can see if using miles but with ABD they will book any flight you find you just need to give them the specifics and the price is usually the same. At least then you wouldn't incur any penalties

I am sure the airlines will allow changes because of the travel alert but I was just curious as to why you wouldn't book the air through ABD

I can see for WDW or even cruise line that air is probably better booking separately

Well, you know, I agreed with this until Kevin pointed out to me that if the price of the ticket goes down significantly, if you booked it yourself, you can contact the airline and get a credit for the difference in price (assuming it's greater than the change fee amount). According to him, that's not an option if you purchase through ABD.

So both options have pluses and minuses.

Sayhello

 

[TDC Nala]

I also want to make sure that on a long flight I am booked on an airline for which I can use the frequent flyer miles.

 

[sayhello]

I always book my own airfare so I will have control over the price, the route and the number of stops.

Actually, with ABD, you do have this option. ABD works differently than DCL. They don't do bulk purchase of airfare. The way it works is, you can call ABD, tell them exactly what flight you want and when, the exact ticket, and if they can pull it up on their side, they will book exactly what you want. It's not like DCL, where you get whatever they decide to give you. If you *want*, you can have ABD do the whole itinerary for you, and take whatever price they offer you, but you absolutely don't have to. They are acting more like a Travel Agent in this case.

The advantage is, if ABD cancels your tour, they'll either change your tickets at no charge, or refund the money. Of course, this policy seems to be if they cancel it due to lack of people. We're not sure yet what the policy is if they cancel due to safety. Guess we'll be finding out.

(The other side to this is, if you book the airfare yourself, and ABD cancels due to lack of people, they'll still rebook your ticket, but it's not necessarily "transparent" to you.)

Sayhello

 

[TDC Nala]

I still wouldn't be comfortable with them booking my flights. I don't use travel agents, either. I want to have control over the flight without going through a middleman.