Anyone Else Thinking Of Cancelling ?

[Boo Boo Too]

Hi UKPHIL

I am so sorry that you are having a rough time: no matter what you decide in the end, it is obvious that this is a really horrible/stressful time for you. I hope that you and your family make a decision with which you are all happy and either go off to Florida and have a ball or find an alternative to take your minds off of it (I thought lorapinky's idea of Disneyland Paris was very good).

I am also flying in October (just husband and I - we have no kids at the moment). We have paid everything in full apart from car hire (which I haven't booked yet). Even if we hadn't paid in full, I STILL wouldn't consider cancelling.

I would agree with just about everyone else: life has very few certainties. There are more risks crossing the road than flying on a plane. I am not a nervous flyer (or religious), but every time I fly I say a quick prayer as we take-off and thank God (and the pilots) when we land safely. Makes me feel better. There are plenty of famous quotes regarding the only thing to truly regret are "missed opportunities" (i.e. you tend to regret more what you didn't do than what you did do...).

I know what you mean about US immigration... we go back and forth to the USA typically 2/3/4 times a year. I would say that 7 out of 8 times we have REALLY nice immigration officers... but there is ALWAYS going to be that 8th time when you get a REAL STINKER! They exist, they are in every job - you will get someone on a "bad day"/"power trip" occassionally.

A few years ago an immigration stamped both my husband's and my passports incorrectly - they were stamped with an entry date of something like "22nd August 2001" instead of "22nd February 2001" (when we actually entered the country). The US systems got VERY confused and assumed that we had been in the country for over six months when we departed (it assumed we had entered "22nd August 2000" - because 22nd August 2001 hadn't happened by then - and left "5th March 2001"). Then we got "flagged". The fact that we had re-entered and left the USA over Christmas 2000 just didn't register on their systems... (but was useful for pointing out to immigration officers each time we were intereviewed!). Then for the next 18 months (probably about 6/7 trips) we got pulled to one side for "secondary immigration" EVERY time (would spend at least 30 minutes, but normally an hour or two waiting to be seen and then answering questions). When you go through immigration, you often see a room/roped off area of "questionable individuals" requiring further processing - that was us! Each time they agreed it wasn't our fault, each time they put a "correction" note into the system, but it took 18 months for our records to be FINALLY updated (and the flag removed)! The final time we were pulled for secondary immigration was a Boxing Day, we flew in Business Class (as illegal immigrants tend to...), because of changing shifts and some uninterested official (after they sent a large arab family on their way, it took him another hour to process us - we were the ONLY people left in the screening area!)... it took TWO HOURS to get out of secondary immigration! I was at the end of my tether and near to vowing to never return to the US...

Sorry for the long, rambling explaination - very hard to explain!

But we have been back, LOADS of times.

Yes immigration can SUCK (big time! Believe me, you know nothing until you have had 18 months of secondary immigration!), but other than that Americans are really nice, friendly people. They are a service-oriented culture and I honestly prefer 95% of Americans to 95% of British people. Immigration can be a necessary evil (although most of the time, they are fine ).

Life is full of decisions - what is right for one person, may not be right for others... whatever you decide, hope that you find peace and find a way of having a great family vacation/break together

Best Wishes,
Boo

 

[jen_uk]

Funnily enough Dh and I have had more problems with officials in the Uk than in the USA! Dh is Albanian with indefinite leave to remain here and he has a USA holiday visa, when we went to WDW last year the Virgin checkin girl looked astonished that an Albanian could actually get a USA visa, we both had to have extra security checks and then before boarding we were taken away and searched!! Yet when we got to the USA the immigration man barely glanced at his passport and that was it!

 

[Boo Boo Too]

Oh one thing I forgot...

UKPHIL, which airline are you due to be flying?

Apparently the terror plots RECENTLY, from the UK, were only against US airlines.

Obviously this doesn't mean that US airlines are dangerous (I have a number of bookings on AA and UA over the next 6 months) OR that UK airlines will always be 100% safe. BUT it MAY give you a LITTLE bit of peace of mind assuming you are booked on Virgin/BA/TCD etc...

Just a thought.
Boo

 

[Twilight Terror]

Cancel? No way! We didn't even end up booking until AFTER all this happened! So I think that tells you our family's take on things! All I can say about going is

 

[Lizzybear]

I won't be. I'm worried yet but no more than usual.. I take the attitude of the chances of it being my flight are slim and i'd rather do what I want and take risks than not do it and let the terrorists win. I figure we all take bigger risks everyday with things like crossing the road.
Do what you feel comfortable with though, I have nothing against other people's choices and wouldn't try to change their minds.

 

[shellbell]

It would be a real shame if you cancelled your holiday. There are still alot of people travelling to and from the USA. I am flying in 7 weeks and yes I am vervous but we can't let these people take over our lives, this is what they want.

...

Also I'm geting increasingly fed up with the US authorities attitude towards anyone who is not a US citizen. They are making entry into their country more and more difficult even for us law abiding people and it is starting to look very unwelcoming. Terrorists won't care whether it is unwelcoming or not though will they ?

I wish that the UK would be more like the USA! We seem to let anyone into this counrty and this is what happens...... I feel slightly safer that the US has this set up as it may stop some of them getting through the system.

 

[wicket2005]

No way would I cancel, I would go back tomorrow given half the chance. Yes the terrorists had planned to blow up planes but we have all known of this possibility for years hence the security we all go through. There is probably more chance of being in a car accident than being blown up in a plane and we all jump into our cars each day without a problem.

 

[paulfoel]

... in the wake of recent events ?

I've got until next weekend to decide whether to go ahead with our trip in October or not. If I cancel now I lose only a few hundred pounds deposit, so no big deal.

Don't care about the hand luggage ban/restrictions. Can live without food or fun for 9 hours if neccesary (I do it most days at work anyway !). Personally I fully expect draconian measures to remain in force where hand luggage is concerned because it is a big problem for airlines even with no heightened security in place and they will use any excuse to reduce or remove it.

Heard all the arguments about not letting the scumbags win so we should all get on with life as usual, but I'm not putting a point of principle ahead of the safety of my family.

Safest time to travel? Maybe, maybe not. We all have opinions but nobody knows for sure.

We travelled a few days after 9/11 and had out worst ever holiday in Florida. You might think empty theme parks would be great. After all, we all strive to avoid queues don't we, but it was just the most miserable time. OK so this plot was foiled and nobody lost their life ... yet.

Also I'm geting increasingly fed up with the US authorities attitude towards anyone who is not a US citizen. They are making entry into their country more and more difficult even for us law abiding people and it is starting to look very unwelcoming. Terrorists won't care whether it is unwelcoming or not though will they ?

I'll continue to watch the situation and make a decision over the next few days. One thing I have decided though is that I was going to book this week for next year and I won't now be doing that. Center Parcs is suddenly looking very inviting.

No way will I cancel - we're going in October as well.

Even with the percieved threats the risk is still extremely minimal. Probably still safer flying to the US rather than driving to Center PArcs.

Know what you mean about the Americans. I'm all for tight security etc but they could at least be friendly about it. We are allies after all.

I find sometimes that their security people are sometimes very aggressive. Ranging from immigratuion officials who dont smile (although some have been very nice), to a stroppy security lady in Sanford who screamed at me for leaning on her drug-test table !!! (How was I supposed to know?)

 

[Bozza]

On the contrary - I'm thinking about booking to leave next week.

The 'threat' does not concern me - I'm more concerned about the likely delay as it will only be a short trip - 7-9 nights so time in the airport or sitting on a 'plane on the tarmac would be felt even more than if it was the beginning of a 2 or 3 week break.


Darren

 

[lorapinky]

Its nice to see so many of you aren't cancelling your holidays, it shows that the terrorists aren't winning.

The threat will always be there but like with everything else there is always a danger.

 

[crux]

We flew to WDW 2 weeks after 9/11 and in the days up to the flight I was a little nervous - more about being able to take things in the hand luggage than the flight. DW is diabetic and so we had syringes, other needles, insulin and blood test equipment with us - when it got to the day of the flight I wasn't worried at all, especially as we had no issues checking in or going through security.

We now fly out in seven weeks time and, other than the same concerns about being able to take DW medical supplies in hand luggage, I have no worries about flying.

Ian

 

[AnitaCB]

I must admit I can see your point of view. We fly in just over 8 weeks and I am nervous and a bit scared. However I have been looking forward to this holiday for 18 long months now. It is my dream trip and the first time we've ever booked a long haul flight.

I would never knowingly put my children in danger. They are my world and I am fiercely protective of them. But, in a strange way, if anything were to happen I would rather I was with them. When you hear of children being hurt at school or killed on a trip I always think it's so sad that they weren't with the people who love them most. What I am trying to say, not very well, is that if anything were to happen I would rather we were all together and not in different places. I have tried to not let my children see the news too much, and have told my youngest, who is a very nervous flyer, that the new measures regarding hand luggage and her teddy bear are designed to make her flight safer. She doesn't need to know about terrorists, no doubt she'll have that worry when she's an adult.

I'm not going ahead with my holiday to defy the terrorists, I'm going because it will hopefully be the trip of a lifetime and all of us will have the time of our lives. We have worked and saved for such a long time for this and to lose it now, when we're so close, would be horrible.

One last thing, controversial as it may seem, I do believe the media whip up this frenzy of fear which makes the whole situation much worse. That's just my opinion though.

Whatever decision you make, I hope it is the right one for you and your family. Your happiness and contentment is more important than anything else.

 

[jna]

One last thing, controversial as it may seem, I do believe the media whip up this frenzy of fear which makes the whole situation much worse. That's just my opinion though.

Couldn't agree more. Sadly bad news sells papers and increases audience figures far more than good news does.

 

[slinky101]

We went to Las Vegas just after 9/11 and were on way back from Turkey last thursday. I take reassurance from armed police in the airports, i feel more confident when they're in place. Once we get to the states i don't let it worry me. One aspect of "terrorism" is to make people afraid all the time of something that only happens very rarely. We're all going for the third time next May and though things may make my travel time a little longer NOTHING will stop me living my life the way i want to.

 

[Azune]

I have to say that I agree with the sentiment that travelling to the US is worrying particularly at the moment, everyone I know of course has told me I have more chance of being killed by a tap dancing walrus rather than on a plane but I find all of these statistics strangely unfulfilling
I think we just have to take a deep breath and consider the fact that especially considering all of the false starts we have had recently it shows that the airlines are jittery and if they think there will be a problem they will try and sort it which is good.
Saying that I am still bricking it!
On the immigration side I have spoken about this before on these website and others. The US authorities treat me and and my friends differently, I am a single man at the moment anyway and this means that when I go through with my friends who are couples, they all sail through and then I get pulled aside and grilled often several times by several different people. They are all waiting on the other side and there I am being asked, how much I earn, what job do I do etc etc. These days you can't even be sarcastic because they will give you a good drubbing so you just have to stand there even though you are meant to be going to the happiest place on earth being treated like you are the moors murderer on the run. Last time the man insistent on taking apart my cd walkman and questioning me alot about the fact that I had brought paracodol in my hand luggage. Each time I say it will be the last time but I love the country so I go back, soon though people will stop because they don't want to be treated like criminals when they are honest hard working people.
Even so I agree with all the restrictions at the moment and they could get rid of all hand luggage apart from a little baggie as far as im concerned.

Thanks for listening!