Covid travel UK-US ... or not

[chefski]

Well Virgin Atlantic just canclled my return flight (13 September) but not the outbound which is kind of frustrating!

Wonder how long i'm going to be on hold refunding this.......

hopefully not too long,

I presume its only 2 weeks before you were supposed to go

 

[Thegoatfeeder]

hopefully not too long,

I presume its only 2 weeks before you were supposed to go

80 minutes so far and still waiting.

Yeah we were flying out on the 30 August! We knew it was going to get cancelled, it's the 3rd time we've had this trip cancelled, I should be used to it by now!

 

[chefski]

80 minutes so far and still waiting.

Yeah we were flying out on the 30 August! We knew it was going to get cancelled, it's the 3rd time we've had this trip cancelled, I should be used to it by now!

I know the feeling we are due 17th October and have been cancelled 3 times up to now.
Slim hope but im prepared for the worst as usual its the kids I feel for they are buzzing for this one as we expected to be going

 

[Leagill]

My trip for the 7th sept for 2 weeks via Virgin has just been cancelled today as well, gutting! I’ve rebooked for the 16th November.. just constantly kicking this trip down the road by a month or so each time now. Surely something will have to change soon? Prices keep going up so getting harder to rebook these trips but have to keep persevering.. tedious though isn’t it when you have to factor in changing all the other bits of your trip each time it changes as well. This is deja vu from last year having it cancelled then as well.. crazy. Hope we’re not in the same position this time next year too!!

 

[pinklotusflower]

we were due to go 2nd September & our return flight only has been cancelled so far, hoping now to go December this year instead now.

 

[Plague]

just constantly kicking this trip down the road by a month or so each time now.

I think you are bonkers, but I do admire your hope and persistence which is an order of magnitude greater than mine

 

[bex7583]

Tui holidays have been cancelled up to the 31st October 2021

I think tui are a bit over cautious with cancelling.

They cancelled our Mexico holiday at Xmas last year , yes we would have had to isolate when we returned but Mexico was fully open to tourists and other your operators were still flying.and there was no legal travel ban . ( I did try switch to a BA flight after it was cancelled but extra £800p.p)

 

[tinkerbell1991]

I think tui are a bit over cautious with cancelling.

They cancelled our Mexico holiday at Xmas last year , yes we would have had to isolate when we returned but Mexico was fully open to tourists and other your operators were still flying.and there was no legal travel ban . ( I did try switch to a BA flight after it was cancelled but extra £800p.p)

It's ridiculous isn't it the fee that others are bumping their costs up to.
I obviously would love to go this year but realistically I'm thinking it'll be next now. The issue is the price jump for flights. The 50th at Magic Kingdom won't be helping either with an increase in bookings alongside those who just want to go anyway but I'm worried we won't be able to afford it once prices come out

 

[chefski]

It's ridiculous isn't it the fee that others are bumping their costs up to.
I obviously would love to go this year but realistically I'm thinking it'll be next now. The issue is the price jump for flights. The 50th at Magic Kingdom won't be helping either with an increase in bookings alongside those who just want to go anyway but I'm worried we won't be able to afford it once prices come out

I think that's the same issue we have the price increase means either we go to a cheaper hotel or pay thousands more, Lets be honest we would all be happy if they just honoured what we had booked and moved it at no extra cost (yes is know im dreaming, but that would be a great solution)

 

[bex7583]

It's ridiculous isn't it the fee that others are bumping their costs up to.
I obviously would love to go this year but realistically I'm thinking it'll be next now. The issue is the price jump for flights. The 50th at Magic Kingdom won't be helping either with an increase in bookings alongside those who just want to go anyway but I'm worried we won't be able to afford it once prices come out

Tui only cancelled it with 10 days notice. I think if we had booked with BA originally the prices would have been so different. We were looking super last minute.

Got to say the refund process from tui was very impressive and fast though

 

[chefski]

Tui only cancelled it with 10 days notice. I think if we had booked with BA originally the prices would have been so different. We were looking super last minute.

Got to say the refund process from tui was very impressive and fast though

Wow that's short notice though, at least the refund was good.

 

[Leagill]

Yeah the prices are really disheartening! I’m a solo traveller so feel safer staying on the resorts, but the Disney prices are now shocking, and with companies like Tui and Virgin I have also found very limited availability for those now. I booked Coronado springs for November as it’s the only Disney hotel cheap enough to book, but even then it’s costing me well over a grand more than what I would normally pay. But after all this i think yolo!! luckily I have the flexibility too to be able to keep booking whenever, but yes I am prob mad trying for November but then again surely they have to open at some point? I even rang Virgin and asked them if they would allow me to tag 2 weeks of barbados to my trip post orlando, just to get around the 14 days rule but they said multi destination had to be booked 11 months in advance, dammit I’ll be swimming out there at this rate lol!

 

[chefski]

Yeah the prices are really disheartening! I’m a solo traveller so feel safer staying on the resorts, but the Disney prices are now shocking, and with companies like Tui and Virgin I have also found very limited availability for those now. I booked Coronado springs for November as it’s the only Disney hotel cheap enough to book, but even then it’s costing me well over a grand more than what I would normally pay. But after all this i think yolo!! luckily I have the flexibility too to be able to keep booking whenever, but yes I am prob mad trying for November but then again surely they have to open at some point? I even rang Virgin and asked them if they would allow me to tag 2 weeks of barbados to my trip post orlando, just to get around the 14 days rule but they said multi destination had to be booked 11 months in advance, dammit I’ll be swimming out there at this rate lol!

LOL

the other thing I have noticed with virgin prices for next year the car insurance price has basically doubled, for the All inclusive for 16 nights I paid £450 ish, next year same car same time they want around £900. they are tricking you when trying to book this year by not displaying the initial price with at least a car included (no insurance) yet next year the initial price is including car rental (no insurance).

Then Disney with their offer of dining credits for some reason AOA is not included yet All Stars and POP are. you have to have a suite at AOA (which is more expensive than staying at a moderate or if you get a deal a deluxe resort.

Looks to me as though everyone is trying to cash in next year.

 

[Leagill]

Oh wow that is sneaky of Virgin! So many things to look out for now when rebooking. I have noticed (as a solo traveller anyway) that Virgin are cheaper than tui by a considerable amount, but not sure how long that will last. And with Disney tickets constantly escalating too it’s becoming quite an ordeal to afford. At least on Disney anyway, the off site resorts may have to be the next option, and even universal resorts are more affordable. With on site Disney perks becoming less as well, aside from the convenience of the buses (and also safety for solos) I am not sure if there will be that much allure for a disney on site stay in the future. At least for myself. It would cost me less to stay at universal at sapphire falls and just Uber to disney daily, thats how crazy the disney price difference is for me right now!

 

[chefski]

Oh wow that is sneaky of Virgin! So many things to look out for now when rebooking. I have noticed (as a solo traveller anyway) that Virgin are cheaper than tui by a considerable amount, but not sure how long that will last. And with Disney tickets constantly escalating too it’s becoming quite an ordeal to afford. At least on Disney anyway, the off site resorts may have to be the next option, and even universal resorts are more affordable. With on site Disney perks becoming less as well, aside from the convenience of the buses (and also safety for solos) I am not sure if there will be that much allure for a disney on site stay in the future. At least for myself. It would cost me less to stay at universal at sapphire falls and just Uber to disney daily, thats how crazy the disney price difference is for me right now!

I totally agree, the perks for stopping on site are almost non existent.
Free parking at the parks - yet you now have to pay to park at the hotel = no perk
Extra magic hours - Now 30 mins extra at any park (Deluxe getting more ours) = very little perk
Not sure whether you can buy stuff in the park and have it sent back to the resort anymore?
No magic express (paid version now I believe?)

If we don't go in October then the only option will be a Universal resort (value or whatever Universal calls it) but with a 2 bedroom suite and that's still cheaper than a value Disney Hotel, with early access to Universal included.
My Kids will be going on 10 next year so Universal will probably be more them anyway but they were only 7 when we originally were supposed to go.

I love Disney and have enjoyed our stays onsite but the added of No Dining Plan at present doesn't help.

This is not a rant as I know Covid has affected everyone, and some of this will be sorted by Disney, but the resort perks won't come back as they were.

 

[itf]

We're staying offsite - I booked our trip in April with Virgin for next August and the exact same trip (3 people, Hyatt Grand Cypress, Premium Economy + Park tickets) has gone up by £3,000 since we booked it, it's crazy.

 

[bex7583]

I totally agree, the perks for stopping on site are almost non existent.
Free parking at the parks - yet you now have to pay to park at the hotel = no perk
Extra magic hours - Now 30 mins extra at any park (Deluxe getting more ours) = very little perk
Not sure whether you can buy stuff in the park and have it sent back to the resort anymore?
No magic express (paid version now I believe?)

If we don't go in October then the only option will be a Universal resort (value or whatever Universal calls it) but with a 2 bedroom suite and that's still cheaper than a value Disney Hotel, with early access to Universal included.
My Kids will be going on 10 next year so Universal will probably be more them anyway but they were only 7 when we originally were supposed to go.

I love Disney and have enjoyed our stays onsite but the added of No Dining Plan at present doesn't help.

This is not a rant as I know Covid has affected everyone, and some of this will be sorted by Disney, but the resort perks won't come back as they were.

Agree onsite perks are just not there anymore.

On previous visits as a family of 5 if we could get a free dining offer and then look at the value of all the perks such as parking and extra park hours.( Remember when you had early and late and not just an odd hour) then consider time saved in travel / ease not having to rent a car for onsite days etc then the saving between onsite and off-site really wasn't that huge.

Now the perks are gone and it's more like a direct comparison of 7 nights on idrive/ lbv against 7 nights onsite the potential saving is significant.

We may splash out on odd nights for special treat 1/2 nights or do a minimum night stay if free dining ever came back but honestly I doubt we will ever do a proper 7/14 night onsite holiday again.

Oh and with 3 older teenagers who hate sharing a bed it's just not worth listening to them argue when we could be in an apartment or villa. Anything onsite that has enough beds so the kids don't have to share is sooo far out of out budget

 

[disneyholic family]

we're DVC owners or else we'd never be able to afford the onsite prices now.
They've gone up so much over the last few years and then they started nickel and diming as well (e.g. parking fees)

 

[chefski]

we're DVC owners or else we'd never be able to afford the onsite prices now.
They've gone up so much over the last few years and then they started nickel and diming as well (e.g. parking fees)

How often do you go to Disney to make the most of DVC?

Agree with the parking etc. its a joke really and I know other resorts do it but that's why it was a perk

 

[disneyholic family]

How often do you go to Disney to make the most of DVC?

Agree with the parking etc. its a joke really and I know other resorts do it but that's why it was a perk

when we bought DVC, we planned on going every 3 years.
That way you can use 3 years of points to book rooms (by banking, borrowing and using the current year).
You can go more often of course, but we based the number of points we purchased on the whole family visiting once in 3 years.
.