Avoid Virgin if NOT using DTD Check-in??

[amystevekai&bump]

Hi again!!

We will definitely be ending our holiday at Universal (It's probably the ONLY thing I am certain of!! ) - and as we won't have a car, we are planning to get a taxi back to the airport when we fly home.

Because of this we won't be using DTD check-in, and as I am a very nervous flyer, it is really important for me that we all be sat together on the plane.

Do you think it will be a problem getting seats together on the plane (for 4 of us) if we wait until the afternoon to check-in?? Or would we be better off say flying with BA, and knowing that everyone will be checking in later in the day??

Any thoughts??

 

[traceycooper]

we are doing the same as you - i have pre-booked my seats online & am hoping we get them!
we also did this 2 yrs ago & it wasnt a problem BUT it was out of season & the plane was half empty!!!
can let you know how it goes when we get back at the end of August

 

[amystevekai&bump]

we are doing the same as you - i have pre-booked my seats online & am hoping we get them!
we also did this 2 yrs ago & it wasnt a problem BUT it was out of season & the plane was half empty!!!
can let you know how it goes when we get back at the end of August

thanks tracey - that would be great!! - I do like flying with Virgin and I must be the only person who would prefer it if they DIDN'T offer DTD check-in!!!

 

[PudseyChancer]

Only a percentage of travellers use the downtown check-in, if you're not wanting to do that then just make sure you're at the airport as early as possible. As for changing airlines, seems a bit extreme, have a look at the prices, if there's a big difference then it might be cost effective to get a taxi down to DTD and do the check-in anyway!

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Only a percentage of travellers use the downtown check-in, if you're not wanting to do that then just make sure you're at the airport as early as possible. As for changing airlines, seems a bit extreme, have a look at the prices, if there's a big difference then it might be cost effective to get a taxi down to DTD and do the check-in anyway!

Changing airlines would only be a last resort (and only if fellower disers thought that we wouldn't get to sit together unless we did dtd checkin )!!!

I'm not so worried about the cost of taxis etc - but we would sooner have a leisurely breakfast at the Kitchen (HRH) and hopefully (fingers crossed) get a late checkout time so that we could stay at the beautiful resort for our final morning.

What sort of time would you say we'd need to be at the airport to check-in and get seats together??

 

[wayneg]

Amy, does the hotel you are staying in have a business centre? or are you taking laptop? we always do On line check in the evening before we fly, many hotels let you send docs to thier printer free or have buisness centres with printers in, some free or some just charge a few $. If no other option the receptionist might do it for you for a few $.

 

[jen_uk]

Could you checkin online?

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Amy, does the hotel you are staying in have a business centre? or are you taking laptop? we always do On line check in the evening before we fly, many hotels let you send docs to thier printer free or have buisness centres with printers in, some free or some just charge a few $. If no other option the receptionist might do it for you for a few $.

Thanks Wayne!! I'm quite sure that you can get access to a computer at HRH to do on-line check-in - so is it that simple?? (I just remember people 'reserving' seats in advance and virgin just wiping out their requests or is that something different??

If we can just go on-line the night before and then take our luggage to the airport the next afternoon then that would be great !!- problem solved!!

thanks alot!!

 

[Red-Snapper]

BA allow online checkin from 24 hours before the flight anyway so I am not sure allocatio of seats is any better or worse with them tbh.

 

[wayneg]

Reserving seat months in advance is totally different, although I have never been changed others have. OLCI you can actually print out your Boarding passes, or you can still do OLCI without printing them and they do it at the airport, either way I have never been altered on arrival, you have gone thru the system and know you are arriving so unless its soemthing drastic they won't change you. Then bag drop at airport is 10 times easier, no waiting in line just goto bag drop if they have one yet or like at Easter we had to goto Upper class desk. Great service.

54 mins and I can do OLCI here, we fly at 13:30 tomorrow

 

[stubb]

thanks for this info, I remember there being long queues at dtd I noticed on our invoice that seats had already been allocated to us I rang to find out if my ds who is 21 and has downs could get a seat with more room but they said if we did that then our party of 6 wouyld be split up.

michelle

 

[Ann B]

We stayed at HRH this month at the end of our holiday. I was worried about checking in as I had always used DTD check in before. The evening before we flew I asked the concierge desk if they could check me in. I explained that I wanted to see what seats we had to make sure that we got the ones requested. It was not a problem. They were so helpful and let me round to see the computer screen as she did it. They checked us in but could not print off the boarding passes. It was not a problem and we used bag drop at the airport. We would definately do this again. Hope this helps.
Ann

 

[amystevekai&bump]

Reserving seat months in advance is totally different, although I have never been changed others have. OLCI you can actually print out your Boarding passes, or you can still do OLCI without printing them and they do it at the airport, either way I have never been altered on arrival, you have gone thru the system and know you are arriving so unless its soemthing drastic they won't change you. Then bag drop at airport is 10 times easier, no waiting in line just goto bag drop if they have one yet or like at Easter we had to goto Upper class desk. Great service.

54 mins and I can do OLCI here, we fly at 13:30 tomorrow

Thanks ever so much Wayne for the info - really put my mind at rest - Have a wonderful holiday!!!!

We stayed at HRH this month at the end of our holiday. I was worried about checking in as I had always used DTD check in before. The evening before we flew I asked the concierge desk if they could check me in. I explained that I wanted to see what seats we had to make sure that we got the ones requested. It was not a problem. They were so helpful and let me round to see the computer screen as she did it. They checked us in but could not print off the boarding passes. It was not a problem and we used bag drop at the airport. We would definately do this again. Hope this helps.
Ann

Ann that was a great help - knowing someone that has done exactly what we plan to do without any hitches - thanks for the post!!

 

[rpbert1]

We stayed at the RPR in July ,got back home last week . I just went to checkin and they did the online checkin with BA 24 hrs prior to flight, and printed of our boarding passes for Orlando flight and London to Dublin flight.
We met people who where going home the week before us, flight with Virgin, and they had handed their car back the day before, and Virgin picked them up at the hotel for free and took them to DTD for the checkin, before bringing them back to Universal

 

[amystevekai&bump]

We stayed at the RPR in July ,got back home last week . I just went to checkin and they did the online checkin with BA 24 hrs prior to flight, and printed of our boarding passes for Orlando flight and London to Dublin flight.
We met people who where going home the week before us, flight with Virgin, and they had handed their car back the day before, and Virgin picked them up at the hotel for free and took them to DTD for the checkin, before bringing them back to Universal

thats really interesting- thank you!! - although I think we are going to book independently next time as VH were a nightmare!!

I hope you enjoyed RPR - but its hard coming home isn't it!!

 

[rpbert1]

amystevekai&bump, the RPR is our fav resort, thats our third stay there, and waiting on flights so i can arrange for next summer.

 

[amystevekai&bump]

amystevekai&bump, the RPR is our fav resort, thats our third stay there, and waiting on flights so i can arrange for next summer.

theres nothing like booking another holiday to cheer you up after you get home!!!

Unfortunately we've got quite a wait until 2010 - but we'll be back at HRH so perhaps we'll take a wander over to RPR and check it out for a future stay!!

 

[paulh]

majority of times the seats you have been assined on flight out,would be same on way back
This has happened to us on both scheduled and charter
Paulh