Orlando & Florida - Questions & Answers (Part 1) *CLOSED*

Carlito_ElGuapo

Hi all,

I'd just like to say if possible stay clear of tcd. The prices are great and the car hire and hotel was fine but the flights were so bad that I would never use them again (and i'm not talking about dealys and things like that ). If anybody would like to know a bit more about tcd and my experiences then please pm me.

Cardew

Carlito_ElGuapo wrote:

Hi all,

I'd just like to say if possible stay clear of tcd. The prices are great and the car hire and hotel was fine but the flights were so bad that I would never use them again (and i'm not talking about dealys and things like that ). If anybody would like to know a bit more about tcd and my experiences then please pm me.

TCD are the very worse firm to deal with IMO.

Why not post your experiences here and let everyone know about it?

Better still complain to ABTA - it will add to the huge file they have on the firm.

funkmaster_2

This may be old news to some, but I've discovered that as from 28th October you can book your dining packages with Walt Disney World 180 days in advance (was 90 days in advance)

Might not mean much to most, but to those who want the best character breakfasts (like at Cinderella's Royal Table which seats 130 diners at a time) this could prove invaluable. Even the new Guide books say it's 90 days in advance you can book, so I was able to ring up tonight and book for next April because I guess people don't know you can book that far in advance. (The guide book has THREE pages on how to get a reservation at Cinderella's Royal Table, so that gives you an idea of how difficult it can be to get one)

Also, for money saving at Disney sign up at https://www.mousesavers.com (it was their e-mail that alerted me to the change to 180 days advance reservations). It's a great site!

Poppy9

Carlito_ElGuapo wrote:

Hi all,

I'd just like to say if possible stay clear of tcd. The prices are great and the car hire and hotel was fine but the flights were so bad that I would never use them again (and i'm not talking about dealys and things like that ). If anybody would like to know a bit more about tcd and my experiences then please pm me.

Oh common, dish the dirt;)

I've been with TCD direct. The flight was ok apart from the steward knocking my cup of hot tea all over me and just flouncing off. He had obviously had an arguement with his friend as he pouted the whole flight :rolleyes:

Chris25

Poppy9 wrote:

Thanks for that. I was looking at them for a Florida flight and accommodation. Cheaper than TCD but flights with US Airways. Had a quick google and coming back dirty planes etc.

I've flown long haul with US Air 4 times and found them fine.
I thought they had excellent entertainment systems - individual video style where you can pause the film while you go to the loo or eat a meal.
The food was good - as good as airline food can be;) .
The livery is a bit depressing though - grey, grey & grey! Or should that be gray, gray & gray:D

Carlito_ElGuapo

Due to Popular demand here is why I would never use TCD again

1. Sewage. Half way through my outbound flight the toilet that I was sitting almost next to (typical) started to leak. I complained like a lot of other people but nothing was done about it. This was a gradual leek and at the end of the flight it had turned into a big puddle. People were having to walk through it. The worst bit was as the plane stared to land and the plane tipped forward the puddle turned into a river and ran down the isle. The hostess sitting next to me seemed to think this was very funny and got on the phone to her friend to share a couple of jokes about the whole situation. The smell was so bad and was making wife very upset which in turn was making me very angry.
2. You can’t speak to the TCD customer service department. You can only send them letters and emails. I can’t get over this. It so frustrating. So anyway after a very frank letter and email I finally got a reply 38 days later basically saying sorry. That’s all I got, one stinking letter saying sorry.
3. I don’t know if this is all airlines but I made sure I got to the airport early (outbound flight) to try and get some good seats. I was fourth in the cue when the flight opened and asked for seats as close to the main door as possible. “I’ll see what I can do for you sir” Guess what. Row 74. The very back row. Couldn’t even move my seat back.

I hope this helps somebody

BTW Florida is fantastic and the Crowne Plaza Universal hotel is fantastic.

Twopints

divadee wrote:

i have been in economy and its not to bad. But we have booked with TCD in February and have upgraded to the sunshine first cabin. 50 inch seat pitch what bliss!!!!!!

We went to Orlando a few weeks back (Oct 22 - Nov 5) and did this. Definitely recommended. Had none of the TCD nightmares, but on the way out the "PEA's" (Personal Entertainment Appliances - I kid you not) were not working - so we got £25 of stuff off the trolley each. I didn't mind as I had books etc to last the flight. The PEAs worked on the flight back and were pretty good - you get a choice of pre-loaded DVDs, music, TV progs etc. The leg room was, indeed, bliss and the recline doesn't interfere with anyone else.

Poppy9

Carlito_ElGuapo wrote:

Due to Popular demand here is why I would never use TCD again

Thanks for sharing this with us. Yuck to overflowing toilet. I have only flown TCD once. Apart from having my cup of tea knocked all over me with no apology and the child in front bouncing around so much that the seat back kept going up and down constantly it was ok. The reason you probably had little choice in seating is due to the fact that TCD push you paying to book your seats saying most do so you will be left with 1 here and there.

I'm glad I booked Virgin flights this time. Cheaper that TCD, free pre-bookable seats, no paying to upgrade baggage allowance etc. I loved looking at the plane layout on line and deciding if the kind lady had given me the best available seats. If I didn't like her choice I could move to other available seats at the click of the button. The lady I spoke to on the phone was falling over herself to help me. Discussing meal options and any special requirements. Even organising a birthday cake for DD

afinn

A word of warning for anyone travelling with TCD in the next couple of months. We flew with them in Sunshine First in May and it was fabulous so we booked to go again on 8 December. A couple of weeks ago we received a letter from TCD letting us know that there has been a change of airline and we would not longer be traveling on a TC 'plane but on Excel Airways. Sunshine First would not be what we had paid for as the Excel 'plane is configured in a different way. After reading about Excel on a few sites we decided not to travel with TC and cancelled. We received a full refund and booked flights with Virgin, car with Airline Network and the Villa with Travel Options.

If you are travelling with TCD in the next few months check with them that you are getting what you have paid for. It seems from reading other sites that people travelling in January have now had letters informing them of the change, some people have been asked to change their holiday dates. It seems the TC 'plane could take about 500 passengers but the Excel Air 'plane only takes about 300 so they need to move people around.

If you visit https://www.thedibb.co.uk and read their forums you will find more posts on this.

Poppy9

With regard to Virgin can someone give me some advice please. When I booked a few weeks ago for Florida via Airline-networks my flights were only £888 for the 3 of us (exactly the same on Virgin's site) and I used the holiday wizard on Airline-network.

A friend who knows how much I paid is looking for a similar deal but it appears that I can now only book the flights through Airline-network at a cost of £1250 and the hotel at £856 separately. The wizard is bringing up Orlando at all. I checked the Virgin site and the flights do seem to have gone up £400.

Is this normal or did I just buy on when they had a sale on. If so how doI know when the next sale is on with Virgin?