travel city direct first class

[lynne1307]

hi
just got a real good deal,

had previously been on sunshine upgrade for 129, but checked with them today - and they can upgrade us to first class for an extra £70 each !
anyone been first class whats it like !

i can't wait i am so excited..............

FFxx

[mushumadness]

how come we go with them in september

[Miffy2003]

What a great deal you got there :goodvibes

[granmaz]

We have travelled Sunshine First for 2 holidays and think it is pretty good. You are in the nose, just 22 seats which are big, and you can hardly reach the seat in front. The crew service did vary on each trip. Our first journey they were brilliant, not as good on the second. Food was quite good. You get Champagne before flying. On the first trip we had a big box of Thorntons chocolates handed round and then left in the aisle!!!
Priority check in almost made the cost worth while, but the priority luggage collection did not work a couple of times. Very annoying back in Manchester!
I would fly Sunshine First again if the price was right. However, I believe the two slightly lesser upgrades are very good too for the money so may try one of those.

[suzycute]

We have also travelled Sunshine First- last year - and would definately do it again. We loved the fact that there is so much room - you can't reach the seat in front if you stretch out your legs. Both my girls are very nervous flyers and having the space made it a much more pleasurable experience for us all.

Enjoy!

[mushumadness]

we travelled sunshine first last december, well I say that but we were down graded on the way out as there was no sunshine first on board, it was ok

[lynne1307]

mushm,

i phoned them, because being a nosey bu**er, i re priced holiday, and it came up with sunshine first upgrade for 199, instead of 299 !

so i phoned them and asked them if there was availability, and they said yes for extra 70 (i had already paid the 129), so i thought what the heck and booked it

hope i don't get "downgraded" how depressing would that be :sad2:

[snookhams]

We are flying sunshine first in August this will be our first time with TCD so not sure what to expect, but DS (6'4" - 14yrs old) is so looking forward to not being cramped in the seat for the flight

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

I have had a look on their web site and cannot see a First Class catagory??

[Boo Boo Too]

I have had a look on their web site and cannot see a First Class catagory??

http://www.travelcitydirect.com/AniteNextPage.asp?p=NEWSINFO_UPGRADES

Presumably they mean "Sunshine First". Looks very nice to me...

Boo

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

http://www.travelcitydirect.com/AniteNextPage.asp?p=NEWSINFO_UPGRADES

Presumably they mean "Sunshine First". Looks very nice to me...

Boo

Ah! OK, not what I would call first class, more like Premium economy, but a good package all the same :thumbsup2

I have to say, I do not like their children age restrictions though.....

[Boo Boo Too]

Ah! OK, not what I would call first class, more like Premium economy, but a good package all the same :thumbsup2

I have to say, I do not like their children age restrictions though.....

Well, not exactly - it is definitely better than Premium Economy on Virgin or WT+ on BA: afterall, Sunshine First has 50" seat pitch on 747s...

It is more akin to "old business class" (i.e. before BA and VS introduced flat beds in Business Class). Infact, some airline's business classes are still not much more advanced than 45"/50" reclining seats... Although I can't comment on how Sunshine First's food and service compares with "old business class".

It's all about "terminology" - it is TCD's "first class" so they call it "Sunshine First" (and some people paraphrase that as "First Class"). It's like Virgin Upper Class: some people call that "First Class", but it isn't really - it is a "Business Class" product...

Looks like a great product to me and definitely worth considering trying in lieu of scheduled "Premium Economy" products (if the price is similar).

Agreed about the age restrictions - on BA/VS babies can fly in Business/First Classes... seems odd that a charter airline would enforce age restrictions...

Boo

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Well, not exactly - it is definitely better than Premium Economy on Virgin or WT+ on BA: afterall, Sunshine First has 50" seat pitch on 747s...

It is more akin to "old business class" (i.e. before BA and VS introduced flat beds in Business Class). Infact, some airline's business classes are still not much more advanced than 45"/50" reclining seats... Although I can't comment on how Sunshine First's food and service compares with "old business class".

It's all about "terminology" - it is TCD's "first class" so they call it "Sunshine First" (and some people paraphrase that as "First Class"). It's like Virgin Upper Class: some people call that "First Class", but it isn't really - it is a "Business Class" product...

Looks like a great product to me and definitely worth considering trying in lieu of scheduled "Premium Economy" products (if the price is similar).

Agreed about the age restrictions - on BA/VS babies can fly in Business/First Classes... seems odd that a charter airline would enforce age restrictions...

Boo

I would say its very similar to PE/WT+
with only the seat pitch being different.
Virgin and BA have a larger luggage allowance, they all seem to have pre flight drinks, dedicated in flight crew, do TCD people get a choice of news papers? It also seems to indicate that you dont get a personal TV monitor in economy? is this a plus point for upgrading when others do this for economy as well?
Am I right in saying that you cannot just book a flight with TCD? I am unsure looking at their web site and is it for a fixed period, that you cannot be flexible with your flights? i.e. if you want to go for 15 days or 23 days etc...

Buisness/first class has a club lounge to start the flight, and at some airports, a revivals lounge to recover on the way back, priority luggage collection, normally on a separate carrousel, 3 X 32 Kg of lugage allowance, food served on tablecloths and using china, plus a choice of when to eat and what to eat. they have special ameinity packs, better food, unlimited drinks, a smaller cabin and they let you take your children in

Whilst TCD seem to give you more seat pitch than PE/WT+ they give you less luggage allowance and the rest seems pretty much the same as the Economy + at pretty much the same cost.
what is the set recline? pitch is great, but what is the angle they recline to? if the recline is not virtually flat, how on earth do you get to sleep on the way back?? I find this poor on PE and WT+ as well.
That point about children really kills it for me.
But for many who want to fly TCD/Charter its probably a good upgrade.

[Boo Boo Too]

I would say its very similar to PE/WT+
with only the seat pitch being different.
Virgin and BA have a larger luggage allowance, they all seem to have pre flight drinks, dedicated in flight crew, do TCD people get a choice of news papers? It also seems to indicate that you dont get a personal TV monitor in economy? is this a plus point for upgrading when others do this for economy as well?
Am I right in saying that you cannot just book a flight with TCD? I am unsure looking at their web site and is it for a fixed period, that you cannot be flexible with your flights? i.e. if you want to go for 15 days or 23 days etc...


Hhhmmm, not quite, I would say that the "Sunshine Premium" = Premium Economy/WT+.

By mid-October, the BA Club World and WT+ allowances change to two pieces of no more than 23kg each: so not much in it. Virgin is probably different (although they may well come itno line with BA soon...).

In BA WT+ you don't get dedicated check-in or pre-flight drinks.

No personal monitors in TCD Economy must be a pain... :(

Looks like you are right about "fixed period" bookings (i.e. two weeks). You can definitely book "fly drives" (i.e. no accomodation), not sure about flights only...

Buisness/first class has a club lounge to start the flight, and at some airports, a revivals lounge to recover on the way back, priority luggage collection, normally on a separate carrousel, 3 X 32 Kg of lugage allowance, food served on tablecloths and using china, plus a choice of when to eat and what to eat. they have special ameinity packs, better food, unlimited drinks, a smaller cabin and they let you take your children in


With TCD you can book a lounge at Sanford (sounds VERY reasonable and rather nice - certainly more facilities than the Delta Crown Club that Virgin/BA use at Orlando). You could also book to use a Serviceair lounge at Gatwick/Manchester. Personally I think that TCD should include lounge access with their Sunshine First product - would make a lot of sense to me...

BA's priority luggage collection (for Club World passengers) is, at best, flakey. Infact had a nasty experience this past January when one of my suitcases didn't even make the flight (we checked into Club World over 3 hours before departure at Heathrow) - bag took over a week to catch up with us! Virgin may be quite a bit better. Virgin also have priority luggage collection for PE - BA don't do this at all for WT+...

From some point in October BA's luggage allowance will be 2 x 23kg bags per person for WT+ and Club World passengers.

Unlike Virgin, BA have fixed dining times for Club World. "Sunshine First" has "upgraded catering" too - would be interesting to know what their menu, food quality and food service is like...

Agree, the no kids thing seems insane... very odd!

You really can't compare Sunshine First with a proper business class (especially of today's flat bed standards) and that makes sense - since it is about half the price...

Whilst TCD seem to give you more seat pitch than PE/WT+ they give you less luggage allowance and the rest seems pretty much the same as the Economy + at pretty much the same cost.
what is the set recline? pitch is great, but what is the angle they recline to? if the recline is not virtually flat, how on earth do you get to sleep on the way back?? I find this poor on PE and WT+ as well.
That point about children really kills it for me.
But for many who want to fly TCD/Charter its probably a good upgrade.

Yes, wonder what the recline is like too. It wasn't very long ago that Virgin was flying with none flat seats in UC to Miami/Orlando (3 or 4 years?)... Their old seats were "ok" for sleeping on (well a LOT better than PE/Economy...), but not great.

Yes, would still choose Upper Class or Club World over Sunshine First, but might be tempted to try Sunshine First if it was a choice between that and WT+/PE... Sounds like a good comprimise.

Boo

[brer rabbit 28]

i travelled in sunshine first 2 years ago and sunshine premium this year.Premium was so much cheaper on our trip and we had more than enough room with seat back monitors.Will definately use premium again because of the price difference.We also had priority check in,boarding and luggage collection.Graet deal.

[mike230652]

Obi Wan Kenobi....... you seem to flit around with your comments ..picking out the "best bits" of BA to suit your points...


"I would say its very similar to PE/WT+
with only the seat pitch being different..........."


We priced up using BA for next January based on 2 weeks in Orlando...and having used BA on our last trip to Florida. We're 4 x adults ( kids will be 14 and 15 ) and wanted a flight with priority boarding and a bit more leg room.

TCD......Premium Sunshine..... £1810 including a Full size car`and all insurances

BA PE Fixed fare £3860 ...flights only

Hardly the same costs really??

if you wanted to go for the flexible fare you mention...weell no problem...that'll be £ 6477 sir....but you don't get any lounge access in that cost...you need to go for Business Class to qualify...at nearly £7000!!!

THink we'll take the tenner a head version at Sanford if we feel we need it...

Okay...you get a free newspaper with BA.....so we'll have to fork out a couple of quid.

The luggage allowance is 2 x 32 kgs with BA...great if 4 of you want to lug around over 1/4 tonne of luggage....but we're only going on holiday not moving there!

Free drinks ....okay if you want to drink. I drive at the other end so wouldn't personally bother ( DW would in fairness! ) and kids are too young anyway....so we'll make do with the free welcome drink when we get on board.

Tablecloths ...... etc..okay...little niceties...but not for the difference in costs I'm afraid.

Don't get me wrong, BA have always been good to fly with.....but there was no contest when it came down to it.....and certainly not for an extra £2k plus.

I'd rather pay for the villas and have a lump of spending money in my pocket...

and on a personal note the restriction on young kids did make a difference to us...but I fully appreciate it might make a difference the other way for people with younger ones.

So......there just aren't enough plus points to justify springing the extra £2k for BA ...but if people think there are..then I'm sure they'll enjoy their flight with BA as much as we did.
Whichever carrier people choose.....have a great holiday in Orlando.

Mike

[Boo Boo Too]

We priced up using BA for next January based on 2 weeks in Orlando...and having used BA on our last trip to Florida. We're 4 x adults ( kids will be 14 and 15 ) and wanted a flight with priority boarding and a bit more leg room.

TCD......Premium Sunshine..... £1810 including a Full size car`and all insurances

BA PE Fixed fare £3860 ...flights only

Hardly the same costs really??

if you wanted to go for the flexible fare you mention...weell no problem...that'll be £ 6477 sir....but you don't get any lounge access in that cost...you need to go for Business Class to qualify...at nearly £7000!!!

Ah, that is partly your "not so good travel agent"...

BA flights for January are currently pricing at (per adult return - LGW to MCO):
- Club World (Business Class): £1337 per adult (so £5346 per oarty of 4)

Although your BA WT+ fares are correct.

But agree with you about the huge cost difference... trying the Sunshine Premium (or Sunshine First) is definitely worth a go (while saving about £1800...).

Boo

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Obi Wan Kenobi....... you seem to flit around with your comments ..picking out the "best bits" of BA to suit your points...


"I would say its very similar to PE/WT+
with only the seat pitch being different..........."


We priced up using BA for next January based on 2 weeks in Orlando...and having used BA on our last trip to Florida. We're 4 x adults ( kids will be 14 and 15 ) and wanted a flight with priority boarding and a bit more leg room.

TCD......Premium Sunshine..... £1810 including a Full size car`and all insurances

BA PE Fixed fare £3860 ...flights only

Hardly the same costs really??

if you wanted to go for the flexible fare you mention...weell no problem...that'll be £ 6477 sir....but you don't get any lounge access in that cost...you need to go for Business Class to qualify...at nearly £7000!!!

THink we'll take the tenner a head version at Sanford if we feel we need it...

Okay...you get a free newspaper with BA.....so we'll have to fork out a couple of quid.

The luggage allowance is 2 x 32 kgs with BA...great if 4 of you want to lug around over 1/4 tonne of luggage....but we're only going on holiday not moving there!

Free drinks ....okay if you want to drink. I drive at the other end so wouldn't personally bother ( DW would in fairness! ) and kids are too young anyway....so we'll make do with the free welcome drink when we get on board.

Tablecloths ...... etc..okay...little niceties...but not for the difference in costs I'm afraid.

Don't get me wrong, BA have always been good to fly with.....but there was no contest when it came down to it.....and certainly not for an extra £2k plus.

I'd rather pay for the villas and have a lump of spending money in my pocket...

and on a personal note the restriction on young kids did make a difference to us...but I fully appreciate it might make a difference the other way for people with younger ones.

So......there just aren't enough plus points to justify springing the extra £2k for BA ...but if people think there are..then I'm sure they'll enjoy their flight with BA as much as we did.
Whichever carrier people choose.....have a great holiday in Orlando.

Mike
the flexible fare I was stating if you check my post, was the amount of days you can go for and what days you can fly.

again, you will see that i was talking about Buisness class when talking about the buisness lounges.

You only talk about the semi clubhouse at Sanford, an airport I would not choose to fly into.
this does not compare anywhere near the Delta club room at Orlando which does not compare at all with the LGW Virgin clubhouse. No lounge at gatwick for TCD?

the majority of people coming back from Florida are close to the 2 X 32 KG weight, but you obviously do not. that is a point in your favour not TCD's

Again, you don't drink, neither do I on the flight back, but you do have eight hours for a couple of drinks to leave your body. Again, your choice

The plain fact is that the service is similar to WT+ and PE, the price is not the talking point as if you kinow how to do it, they can come out very similar.

tablecloths, again buisness class if you read my post.

Again, I stated that for some people TCD will be ok (with their delays and service and age/condition of planes) that is why we all tailor our holidays differently and why package holidays are on the way out.

Personally, we have a villa out in Fla and our holiday starts on the night before the flight at the Hilton, but for some the holiday does not start until they arrive in Orlando.

Again, horses for courses, but TCD; First class it 'aint. :) :)

I fully agree with you that in the end, it only matters that everyone has a good time on their own particular holiday.

P.S. When we fly out to our villa in Spain once a month, I always go for the cheapest flights I can find :teeth: :teeth:

[mike230652]

Obi

You summed it up..it is MY choice and that of others.

You're sailing perilously close to sounding a bit snooty by the way...which I'm sure isn't your intention...with your carefully dropped comments about your home in Fla and Spain.

Our last visit to Fla was 4 years ago.....and we're going this time purely as a treat for our DD who's been seriously ill for the last 8 months...so buying in Fla isn't an active option for us. Too far to travel and with two school-age children we couldn't utilise it to any meaningful degree.

It suits us to fly from Manchester ( we live near Durham ) rather than fly down to Gatwick since it gives us the opportunity to eat in Chinatown and stay in The Lowry.... that's nothing against Gatwick...we've used it previously and were more than happy with the flight, BA ground staff etc.

Top and bottom is it's way cheaper to go with a very good standard of seating on TCD and save a whole lot of money......which we can use for spends in Fla....both in Orlando and at Dunedin.....and an extra flight or two to OUR farmhouse in Portugal... :) :thumbsup2

Mike

Mike

[Boo Boo Too]

You only talk about the semi clubhouse at Sanford, an airport I would not choose to fly into.
this does not compare anywhere near the Delta club room at Orlando which does not compare at all with the LGW Virgin clubhouse.

Are you sure? I thought that the lounge at Sanford LOOKED very nice - I haven't been there, but have been to the Delta Crown Room at MCO (A really beautiful lounge, but very lacking in facilities and snacks...).

Agreed that it is likely to be woefully short of the Virgin Clubhouse at Gatwick - that is lovely... :)

The plain fact is that the service is similar to WT+ and PE, the price is not the talking point as if you kinow how to do it, they can come out very similar.

No, I think the price is a talking point... if you can have a SIMILAR product for about half the price (i.e. comparing "Sunshine Premium" with Virgin PE or BA WT+) or perhaps going for "Sunshine First" in lieu of Virgin PE or BA WT+. It is worth comparing prices... Afterall, if money was no object, I would probably fly BA First from LHR-MIA and connect up to MCO with AA First... ;) (unfortunately, until that big lottery win my husband keeps promising that is, there is some sense of budget in our travel...)

Out of interest, what are your tips for getting Virgin flights cheap (not sure whether you are talking UC or PE - things have got rather intertwined on this thread... :) )?

Boo

[mike230652]

......the thread was going well...with contributions from all sides giving factual comments and opinions...then along comes Lizzysmith with her usual sniping and non contributory comments about TCD which add absolutely nothing to the discussion in hand........other than to make a cheap and aimless remark with no factual content whatsover.

Go and check out the FACTS on other forums...one in particular....about TCD and their performance against other carriers over the last 18 months.

mike

[Boo Boo Too]

Interesting to read the comments but you can't be serious.

Why not?

Have you recently flown "First Class" on a US internal flight (i.e. AA/UA on a mid-continental or even a trans-continental (although not a special 3 class service out of NY))? Does that measure up to International First Class? No

Have you ever flown "Business Class" on a intra-Eropean flight with BA or similar? Does that have 70" seat pitch and lie-flat-beds? No (the seating is virtually identical to economy - give or take a few inches).

As mentioned before, people often call Virgin Upper Class "First Class"... but it is not (it is the "first class" on that plane/airline, but it is not a true "First Class" product).

It is all relative... "Sunshine First" LOOKS like an excellent product and well worth considering (if it fits in with your budget and other requirements). :confused3

Boo

[JohnnySharp2]

I have never flown TCD, but from all the many discussions on these boards about them, it is clear they do offer good value for money which when Florida is an expensive place to visit has to be a good thing.

I agree with what Mike has been saying, but with due respect to Lynne the main thing is that she has a wonderful holiday to look forward to which we should ALL agree is the most important thing.

At the end of the day we all pay what we feel is right to get the best out of our holidays, if TCD means more alternatives and options then that can only be good for us all. In addition because they offer value for money, many people get the chance to have a Florida holiday when otherwise they may not be able to.

It would be a shame (despite the many different opinions on TCD), if the thread was spoilt in anyway.

[kkymmy]

sorry to go off on one a bit here but lizzys comment really rattled me

im a student, struggling to make ends meet as it is but somehow i managed to find a bit of extra a month to put towards something i really want....that something has been agreed with a couple of friends as two weeks at WDW...we're each paying our own share but TCD was the cheapest we could find when we booked.

I'm not a chav, i just have a BUDGET

[mike230652]

kkymmy.don't let lizzy's inane comment bother you.
This thread was going well....with valid points from contributors...not always points I'd agree with (lol) but totally valid nonetheless.

Sooner or later someone was going to come along and ruin it....and the "honour" went to lizzy with her pointless cheap jibe..which she'll no doubt defend by saying " I didn't say it...it's on another board".

It's like being in a pub really...sooner or later you get some gobs...e who makes a totally pointless comment and laughs loudly at his / her own humour ( perceived! ).

BTW........the comment lizzy refers to about Chav Air... itwas made by a person who made only 9 posts on another forum last year..every one of them offensive and who attracted a load of flak for his derisory and ignorant posts....so Lizzy...you aligning yourself with that person ????

Johnny is right.....you enjoy your flight and have a great holiday! And have a look at the other major forum which will give you positive info about carrier times / delays etc...... you'll see how TCD have made big leaps forward.

Mike

[kkymmy]

thanks, its just so damned INCONSIDERATE to post stuffs which doesn't account for other peoples circumstances...worse still to side with someone who obviously only had the intent to cause trouble

[Boo Boo Too]

thanks, its just so damned INCONSIDERATE to post stuffs which doesn't account for other peoples circumstances...worse still to side with someone who obviously only had the intent to cause trouble

As Mike says, you will have a FANTASTIC trip... just ignore everyone else and go and enjoy yourself (as if you could stop yourself enjoying such a great holiday anyway... ;) )! :)

Life is not about how much you have or what you have, it's about how you enjoy it :)

Best Wishes,
Boo

[mike230652]

Don't let it bother you... the happy people far outweigh the moaners on this site... :cool1:

As Boo sez...just enjoy the experience.....knowing you won't be sat next to the TCD knockers lol

You've got the magic of your trip to Florida to come...and that's some experience as anyone on the boards will tell you!!!!

We're not going til late January...and my laid back worldly wise 13 and 14 year`olds are both in excitement mode already...long may it last!! :Pinkbounc

Have an amazing time...... :bitelip: :grouphug:

Mike

[carolfoy]

thanks, its just so damned INCONSIDERATE to post stuffs which doesn't account for other peoples circumstances...worse still to side with someone who obviously only had the intent to cause trouble

We've all been on strict budgets at some point or other its certainly isn't anything to feel bad about, I agree that that post was totally inconsiderate, as a travel agent I book thousands of holidays each year, some cost a couple of hundred pounds, some cost tens of thousands of pounds (biggest booking to date was £45k PER PERSON!!!!) and each holiday was equally important to that client! personally I budget over some things and not over others, as I fly more and more each year gradually the flight has come to be as important to me as the rest of the holiday but I would sooner sacrifice a standard of flight to stay in a better accom when I get there!
Personally calling an airline 'chav air' I think reflects more on the person saying it than on the passenger choosing to fly it - not so long ago Easyjet and Ryanair had exactly the same reputation but are deemed more than acceptable to everyone now!

[Miffy2003]

I have removed some posts on this thread that I think may be deemed offensive.