Travel Changes?

[sayhello]

ABD finally sent me an email saying:

• Any guest or guide who has traveled from, to or through China, including Hong Kong and Macau, South Korea, Italy, Iran or Japan, within 14 days of their trip's departure will not be able to travel with Adventures by Disney.
• Any guest who has been in contact with someone from these areas, including guests with connecting flights in these locations, also will not be able to travel, nor will anyone who has helped care for someone suspected or diagnosed with coronavirus, or who is currently subject to health monitoring for possible exposure. Guests who have air travel booked through Adventures by Disney will automatically have their flights rebooked on an alternate route. Guests who booked their own air travel arrangements should contact their airlines directly to make the appropriate changes.

Seems like some obvious stuff...

They need to put it in writing. That way, when people get denied from joining their ABD, ABD can point to the email and say "You were told".

Sayhello

 

[neurosx1983]

Wonder if ABD guides will provide masks... What a fun way to spend a vacation!

For all of you that are curious, though, remember those regular masks do absolutely nothing. The mask you need is called an N-95 respirator, and most hospitals now have those on lockdown. Because people have been trying to take them and sell them online... sad

 

[Calfan]

Wonder if ABD guides will provide masks... What a fun way to spend a vacation!

For all of you that are curious, though, remember those regular masks do absolutely nothing. The mask you need is called an N-95 respirator, and most hospitals now have those on lockdown. Because people have been trying to take them and sell them online... sad

My husband actually bought some of the N-95 respirator masks when we were traveling to CA a couple of years ago during the wild fires in the Bay Area that severely impacted air quality. Luckily, he was able to find them for use on our upcoming trips. Even better, we had extras, so I was able to send three to my 83 year old father, my sister and my Dad's caregiver/companion to wear on the plane for our upcoming Spring Break trip to Hawaii.

 

[AquaDame]

My husband actually bought some of the N-95 respirator masks when we were traveling to CA a couple of years ago during the wild fires in the Bay Area that severely impacted air quality. Luckily, he was able to find them for use on our upcoming trips. Even better, we had extras, so I was able to send three to my 83 year old father, my sister and my Dad's caregiver/companion to wear on the plane for our upcoming Spring Break trip to Hawaii.

Same - though I STILL would have rather not had to live through those smokey summers... I ended up in the ER with one of the migraines that brought on!

 

[lovetotravel]

ABD finally sent me an email saying:

• Any guest or guide who has traveled from, to or through China, including Hong Kong and Macau, South Korea, Italy, Iran or Japan, within 14 days of their trip's departure will not be able to travel with Adventures by Disney.
• Any guest who has been in contact with someone from these areas, including guests with connecting flights in these locations, also will not be able to travel, nor will anyone who has helped care for someone suspected or diagnosed with coronavirus, or who is currently subject to health monitoring for possible exposure. Guests who have air travel booked through Adventures by Disney will automatically have their flights rebooked on an alternate route. Guests who booked their own air travel arrangements should contact their airlines directly to make the appropriate changes.

Seems like some obvious stuff...

Umm so does that mean that the SE Asia is a no go? Because I know for me I have to layover either in China, Japan or S Korea to get to SE Asia.

Also for ABD Europe trips, I often do a second OYO trips to other countries which could impact the ability to do those trips if the layover country was added on the list.

This is not looking good for my other PIF summer ABD trips. I will have to wait and see what happens.

 

[pistonfan32]

Call and do not do it online. I waited an hour before I got an agent. I outright cancelled the flight and gave COVID 19 as my reason. They said they are waiving change fees for international flight changes. My ticket is cancelled and the eticket number will serve as my credit. I have until 1 year from date of purchase, make sure you understand that because I had to think about it and ask for a clarification. Basically I bought my ticket in Sep 2019 for travel in March 2020. So I have until the date of my purchase Sep 2020 to use the credit. I have to call to use the credit when I figure out where I want to use it. The penalty will be waived when I make the new reservation and there is supposed to be a note on my eticket number that this was the cancellation agreement. If you get an agent that isn’t sure and won’t do it, call back or ask for a supervisor.

That one year timing stinks. I purchased $8,500 of tickets for 3 people in November 2019 for our July 31, 2020 Italy and Switzerland trip. The flights are to Milan and home from Zurich. If I decide to cancel, I have to use the $8,500 credit by November 2020. Not good. Where am I going to spend $8,500 for airline tickets. Hawaii here we come! My hope is that Delta is forced to cancel the Italy flights by the government and then they will refund the money.

 

[BluesTraveler]

That one year timing stinks. I purchased $8,500 of tickets for 3 people in November 2019 for our July 31, 2020 Italy and Switzerland trip. The flights are to Milan and home from Zurich. If I decide to cancel, I have to use the $8,500 credit by November 2020. Not good. Where am I going to spend $8,500 for airline tickets. Hawaii here we come! My hope is that Delta is forced to cancel the Italy flights by the government and then they will refund the money.

I think this is worth double checking with Delta. We canceled a trip to France for this spring (for other reasons but boy am I glad now). I had booked the tickets August 8, 2019. Delta said that I just had to use the credit by August 8, 2020, But didn’t actually have to have completed the travel by that date. I only needed to have booked the travel using the credit.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Call and do not do it online. I waited an hour before I got an agent. I outright cancelled the flight and gave COVID 19 as my reason. They said they are waiving change fees for international flight changes. My ticket is cancelled and the eticket number will serve as my credit. I have until 1 year from date of purchase, make sure you understand that because I had to think about it and ask for a clarification. Basically I bought my ticket in Sep 2019 for travel in March 2020. So I have until the date of my purchase Sep 2020 to use the credit. I have to call to use the credit when I figure out where I want to use it. The penalty will be waived when I make the new reservation and there is supposed to be a note on my eticket number that this was the cancellation agreement. If you get an agent that isn’t sure and won’t do it, call back or ask for a supervisor.

Thank you SO much! I ended up talking to a Delta agent who was very knowledgable and told me to do exactly as you have described. While on the phone, I did not cancel as we were still on the fence at that time, but I will call back and cancel tomorrow. I will have until mid-December 2020 to re-book with the e-credit, so hopefully can either use it toward our Rhine cruise airfare for the summer (if we are still going to go) or for a trip to Puerto Rico in December. Now I'm trying to figure out if I should cancel my July 2020 SoCal/DL ABD. I have until tomorrow to get my deposit back. I'm just a little skeptical of my "wait-and-see" attitude at this point as, if I had canceled our Mexico trip 11 days ago, I would have gotten a full refund. Now I can only modify, but at least I won't lose anything.

 

[pistonfan32]

Thank you SO much! I ended up talking to a Delta agent who was very knowledgable and told me to do exactly as you have described. While on the phone, I did not cancel as we were still on the fence at that time, but I will call back and cancel tomorrow. I will have until mid-December 2020 to re-book with the e-credit, so hopefully can either use it toward our Rhine cruise airfare for the summer (if we are still going to go) or for a trip to Puerto Rico in December. Now I'm trying to figure out if I should cancel my July 2020 SoCal/DL ABD. I have until tomorrow to get my deposit back. I'm just a little skeptical of my "wait-and-see" attitude at this point as, if I had canceled our Mexico trip 11 days ago, I would have gotten a full refund. Now I can only modify, but at least I won't lose anything.

Just to clarify, you have until mid-December 2020 to re-book or under December 2020 to travel? I assume that means you originally booked your flights in December 2019.

 

[lovetotravel]

I think this is worth double checking with Delta. We canceled a trip to France for this spring (for other reasons but boy am I glad now). I had booked the tickets August 8, 2019. Delta said that I just had to use the credit by August 8, 2020, But didn’t actually have to have completed the travel by that date. I only needed to have booked the travel using the credit.

Yes, it is good to confirm it and is how you describe it. Here is the exact cancellation language on the Delta website. This is exactly how the agent described to me on how to use the eticket credit. She said that travel had to start by the original ticket date not completed by the original ticketing purchase date, with the fee being waived currently for all international flights.

Per Delta website:
"Cancellation fees start at $200 depending on your itinerary (subject to change – the applicable fee is listed in the Fare Rules for your ticket), and you will receive the remaining value of your ticket as an eCredit. You must use your eCredit within one year from the date the ticket was issued."

Also for if anyone needs to cancel or purchase a Delta ticket, here are some new policies regarding COVID 19:
https://www.delta.com/us/en/advisories/other-alerts/coronavirus-travel-updates
If you need to purchase a flight by March 16, American has an interesting offer for future trips.
https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/no-change-fee-terms-and-conditions.jsp

 

[Woodview]

Think Many thousands of Tourists will NOT Now be travelling to U.S.A. from Europe

or other parts of the world so more & more aircraft will be grounded

NO flights into USA ==== NO flights out of USA

 

[sayhello]

I think this is worth double checking with Delta. We canceled a trip to France for this spring (for other reasons but boy am I glad now). I had booked the tickets August 8, 2019. Delta said that I just had to use the credit by August 8, 2020, But didn’t actually have to have completed the travel by that date. I only needed to have booked the travel using the credit.

I really think it depends. I had to cancel my trip to New York this past weekend, and Delta told me the credit was only good for travel through December 13, 2020 (purchased December 13, 2019). That I had to take the trip by then to use the credit.

Sayhello

 

[BluesTraveler]

I really think it depends. I had to cancel my trip to New York this past weekend, and Delta told me the credit was only good for travel through December 13, 2020 (purchased December 13, 2019). That I had to take the trip by then to use the credit.

Sayhello

Yes it’s different for domestic flights vs international

 

[ngl]

I am continuing to struggle with our Tauck Bridges France trip in early July. PIF is the end of the month. I bought business class on Air France during a sale last August... I am pretty sure I would have to eat that cost (times five of us) if I cancel. (AF language is pretty vague, but I *think* I would get hit with the $450 fee and would have to use the credit by August, which isn't happening if I cancel because of Coronavirus. I think that if France is at Level 3 the trip will be cancelled and I should be able to get a refund, but I am just going to have to wait. I think I would go at a level 2. I don't want to rely on the false security that our vastly under-reported numbers due to lack of testing of people without travel history are really any better than someplace like France or Germany.

I think that while a big chunk of the world is going to get this, it likely will calm down some in the summer months.

We are on Tauck Bridges to Italy in early July as well. PIF is in late April for us, however, so have a bit more time although not much. It is looming. We used miles for our flights (DL and BA) and know we could typically redeposit for $ but hoping they waive those as well. Wondering what Tauck's position will be? I haven't heard if they have cancelled their Spring Break trips to Italy, France, etc but they are scheduled to go in the next few weeks. Would like to know what they are offering for cancellations (parking deposits, etc). Hoping we gain more clarity on all in the next month or so.

 

[Sakura1017]

Our final payment was due this week, so we felt like we had to make a decision. If final payment weren't due until May we wouldn't have made a change this early, but it was just a financial risk assessment (and Ecuador does now have the virus). Although we are disappointed not to go this year, we'll go another year. And, we got all of our $$ back, including our initial deposit and airfare. Happily there are lots of places in the US we are interested in visiting, so we've made alternative plans.

Did they make it hard for you in tems of getting all your money back ie initial deposit? Did you have insurance with another company?

 

[lovetotravel]

For those concerned about ABD London trip:

BRIEF-NHS England Has Declared Coronavirus A "Level 4 Incident" Which Is The Highest Level Of Emergency- Sky News

https://www.reuters.com/article/brief-nhs-england-has-declared-coronavir-idUSFWN2AW0DV

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

@CaliforniaGirl09 Have a wonderful time, and let us know how you get on! I have a friend and co-worker heading out for London in a couple of days as well. Stay well!~

Thank you! It feels like business as usual so far with the caveat that the news and papers are pretty much nonstop coronavirus just like at home.

My husband actually bought some of the N-95 respirator masks when we were traveling to CA a couple of years ago during the wild fires in the Bay Area that severely impacted air quality. Luckily, he was able to find them for use on our upcoming trips. Even better, we had extras, so I was able to send three to my 83 year old father, my sister and my Dad's caregiver/companion to wear on the plane for our upcoming Spring Break trip to Hawaii.

We had some N95s from our trip to China. We also happened to hit Ace a while back when they got a shipment of industrial masks with liners that filter to .1 microns. Who knew CA wildfires and air pollution would come in so handy

 

[BluesTraveler]

Did they make it hard for you in tems of getting all your money back ie initial deposit? Did you have insurance with another company?

No, not hard at all. This was a 10 day trip through Celebrity, with 3 nights in Quito (guided) and 7 nights on their ship Flora. The cost of the trip included airfare and deposit was fully refundable. We did buy separate trip insurance (because the total cost of this trip was higher than the coverage we get through our credit card) but it would not have covered canceling just out of our own concerns, so that's the only $$ we "lost", except that if we book another trip before August 2020 we can transfer the trip insurance to that other trip.

 

[disneyholic family]

ABD finally sent me an email saying:

• Any guest or guide who has traveled from, to or through China, including Hong Kong and Macau, South Korea, Italy, Iran or Japan, within 14 days of their trip's departure will not be able to travel with Adventures by Disney.
• Any guest who has been in contact with someone from these areas, including guests with connecting flights in these locations, also will not be able to travel, nor will anyone who has helped care for someone suspected or diagnosed with coronavirus, or who is currently subject to health monitoring for possible exposure. Guests who have air travel booked through Adventures by Disney will automatically have their flights rebooked on an alternate route. Guests who booked their own air travel arrangements should contact their airlines directly to make the appropriate changes.

Seems like some obvious stuff...

ABD needs to cancel that trip.
This disease is incredibly contagious.
Just being in an airport is a foolhardy place to be.

as i already posted, this is an interesting website if you have nothing better to do with your time

https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
and for your reading pleasure:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/opinion/coronavirus-pandemics.html

Wonder if ABD guides will provide masks... What a fun way to spend a vacation!

For all of you that are curious, though, remember those regular masks do absolutely nothing. The mask you need is called an N-95 respirator, and most hospitals now have those on lockdown. Because people have been trying to take them and sell them online... sad

I'm not sure i would say that surgical masks do absolutely nothing.
They may be less than impenetrable, but they're certainly better than nothing.
However, if it were me, i would combine a surgical mask with cotton gloves.
I spent an entire year in surgical masks and cotton gloves. I managed to not contract anything, but perhaps i wouldn't have regardless.
.

 

[carpenta]

N 95 masks only work if they are "fit tested" meaning they must fit tight to your face with no gapping. Otherwise it is only effective in not spreading the virus once you test positive. They most effective advice is not to touch your face, stay six feet away from other people when possible and wash, wash, wash your hands for minimum 20 seconds every time. Being in Atlanta airport Saturday we did not see many with masks and those we saw were wearing surgical masks (useless against the virus) and wearing those improperly with the mouth covered and nose exposed.