travel city direct

[Deedee]

Forgive me if this has already been covered but has anyone traveled with travel city direct. Are they any good because their prices are coming out really good. for example staying at the carribean beach club for just a bit more than we are paying to stay off site any input any one?

 

[jen_uk]

If you scroll down there is a thread on TCD.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

If you scroll down there is a thread on TCD.

And the reason why they are cheaper. I would not say that much cheaper these days though..

 

[Boo Boo Too]

jen_uk means this thread - http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1167000

As you can see, castanea1985 had a really rough start to her holiday... she was flying TCD.

Problems can happen with ANY airline (flights get delayed and cancelled and/or luggage can get lost) - it isn't just TCD. BUT TCD has less flights a day from airports and less planes (than for example BA or VS)... so if something does go wrong with your flight/plane, there is less that they can do to correct it - they generally can't get another plane out of the hanger or reroute you to your destination. TCD is a charter airline - it doesn't have the support of scheduled airlines like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

You could fly with TCD and have NO PROBLEMS with your flight (or fly with BA/VS and have problems) - there are no certainties in life... Sometimes you need to go with the flow and just take the little problems that life throws at you in your stride...

So, at the end of the day, you pay your money and take your choice. Some people have found that prices are similar between Virgin Holidays and TCD. Others, like you, have found quite a difference.

Boo

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

Maybe its worth trying to get a price match, plenty of places do that these days.

 

[ely3857]

You could fly with TCD and have NO PROBLEMS with your flight (or fly with BA/VS and have problems) - there are no certainties in life... Sometimes you need to go with the flow and just take the little problems that life throws at you in your stride...

So, at the end of the day, you pay your money and take your choice. Some people have found that prices are similar between Virgin Holidays and TCD. Others, like you, have found quite a difference.

Boo

Well put



Jodie

 

[janine]

We found them to be more expensive than Virgin.

I bought the airline tickets with Virgin atlantic and booked the hotel with Virgin holidays.
I didn't book together as it was more expensive. Doing it that way was £400 cheaper than TCD.
Also the Yacht Club was £700 cheaper on Virgin holidays than the Disney World website.
You really have to check & double check. Virgin were great.

 

[Lisash]

We want to stay on-site next summer and their prices for the moderate resorts are very competative but we have decided to pay a little extra and stick with Virgin. I know there's a chance that you will encounter problems with any travel company and their prices are enticing but I have read just a few too many bad reports about TCD to be tempted to try them myself

 

[Lizzybear]

Since we won't be taking their hire car we found they're not worth it for us at the current prices, unless they have a sale sometime. I'm holding out for Virgin flights when they are released for my dates and am booking via Disney as a package in case they release codes for our dates (have done the for this year and last so we have a good chance), offsite hotel through their own site which gets me Virgin miles, non Disney park tickets through an independent seller (not sure where yet) and travel insurance separately too.

 

[iHEARTflorida]

we flown with TCD last year and our flying with them in 8 days!!!

there good value, no tvs in backs of seat like version, but there good enough to get you to Florida. free drinks, free meals, free headsets and free in flight entertainment there have 3 movies on and some tv shows.

the money we saved with them instead of going with virign was our attraction park tickets.

i must like em, i mean i have booked with them again

 

[pinkabell_87]

ive traveld with TCD three times now and always found them to be the cheapest for the holiday and never had any prombelms with them (great service)! but i find www.themepark-tickets.com the cheapest for tickets! hope helps!!!

 

[Nitram64]

Went with TCD last year no problems at all booked again this year.Yes you can have delays with any airline, we were delayed on 3 different holidays to florida with airtours.Tcd seem to let themselves down with the way they treat customers during the delay.I prefer virgin but not for the extra £1000 it was going to add,maybe not much difference in price now.Shop around good luck.

 

[keme]

Try premier travel 01634 352143 they seem to have some good deals. They are offering excellant virgin deals for next year I saw it on another forum that they have some great prices for August next year for travel after 19th August.

I called them and they were very knowledgable and helpful.

 

[castanea1985]

Please look at my link;

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1167000

I booked to go with TCD in October last year, as it seemed a good price. I then discovered this Dis Board and started reading several reviews on them. I had an open mind, and thought, as we'd booked we would stick with them! We've flown schedule and charter before, and only ever had one 'long' delay of 4 hours with a charter company - but TCD was a different matter. I will never book a flight with them again.

Their 747's are very old planes (about 30 years old), and look it. The toilets were dirty, they still had ashtrays, and no seat back TV's (you couldn't even hear the films, let alone see them). The food was disgusting - free meals! Ha! I know that they are 'serviced' regularly and are airworthy, they are bound to have more technical problems than newer planes (one would assume). That's when TCD come 'un stuck' - they don't have any back up planes - or crews.
I really value my holiday, especially when its cost £thousands, and to have a whole day less, is awful. No money could compensate being in 'paradise'.

I have always found the flights to be the problem when it comes to pricing - as we always have to travel in school holidays. When I booked our holiday last year, the Virgin/BA prices were over £800 for this July, and the charters were about £6/700. The TCD price worked out about £500 (when you'd deducted the price of the villa + hire car) Maybe we should have a thread for cheap airline web sites!!

I'd always had the view of finding the cheapest flight (as this was a means to an end), and to be fair, I'd always booked things separately before, with no problems. This was the first and last 'package' I'll ever book!

Anyway, with regards to TCD. I had an open mind, and we went with them, but we will not be going with them again. Its back to schedule next year!

Good luck - whatever you decide to do!!

Tracy

 

[Amyrlin]

A lot of poeple travel with TCD with no problems and if delays are an issue they do appear to have got better this year, so far. However the issue is not the delays. all arlines have those, it is the appaling customer services when something does go wrong.


It is worth looking at other compnaies such as First Choice and Thomas Cook, they can be cheaper, it ois also worth looking at booking a fly drive with (esp with Virgin as flydrive can be cheaper than flights only) and hotels seperalty, that can save money.

 

[Captain-Ste]

I had one hell of a good holiday with them back in May! and hope to have another one when i go with them next april!

basically you get what you pay for - but it was the BEST flight ive ever had! everything about it - outbound and inbound!!!!



p.s their planes are NOT 30yrs old!!

 

[castanea1985]

Hi Captain STE,

Sorry you are right - the Travel City Direct planes are'nt 30 years old. (my mistake) The model they use were brought into service in 1983, so they could be 23 years old, but as I said, the one we travelled on did look 'tired', and having flown with various airlines including BA, Continental, Delta, and several charters, the TCD plane looked in need of plenty of TLC.

When we were waiting to reboard, after our overnight delay, one of the ground crew of another airline, told us that our plane had been owned by several other airlines and re sprayed plenty of times, and was often in need of attention!

As I said earlier in my thread - I had an open mind about them. I accept every airline has its problems, but I chose not to use them again.

Tracy

 

[Captain-Ste]

Hi Captain STE,

Sorry you are right - the Travel City Direct planes are'nt 30 years old. (my mistake) The model they use were brought into service in 1983, so they could be 23 years old, but as I said, the one we travelled on did look 'tired', and having flown with various airlines including BA, Continental, Delta, and several charters, the TCD plane looked in need of plenty of TLC.

When we were waiting to reboard, after our overnight delay, one of the ground crew of another airline, told us that our plane had been owned by several other airlines and re sprayed plenty of times, and was often in need of attention!

As I said earlier in my thread - I had an open mind about them. I accept every airline has its problems, but I chose not to use them again.

Tracy

Hi,

Can understand what you mean by tired - Because TF-AME (the one i went on) was very tired looking -! but won't scare anyone

lol - oh well only the transport there - not like youve got to sleep on the plane for a fortnight!!


Come on countdown i want to go NOW!!!