Sorry I haven't been around to write, but still log in every now and then to read.
Sorry I haven't been around to write, but still log in every now and then to read.
Member since:01.02.2001
Reviews:236
Members who trust:117
Hello everybody, just got back a few hours ago from Tenerife. Oh yes I'm sad writing an op straightaway. I have missed all my friends from ciao. Hey my photo has appeared eventually. Don't let it put you off though.
Anyway down to the point. This time the tour company we used was First Choice, no major complaints , but a few little moans along the way. After boarding the plane we got belted up ready for the journey. Gone are the days when they come round with the sweeties for your ears, I don't mean to insert the sweeties in your ears but to suck on them to stop your ears popping. This actually works for me, I once went without any sweets and god did my ears hurt.Now that we never seem to get any I take my own. Coming back though, the woman in front of me had her chair reclined so much that it took me half an hour to get to my bag underneath her seat. My ears had popped so much by the time i had got them, ,I was hoping she had gone deaf with the language I was using!!!
The meal was ok though, some kind of chicken in sauce and saute potatoes. But no hot towel, is it me or has anyone else noticed the little cut backs. The flight was four hours long so it gave them long enough to give out these little extra touches.
Later my husband asked for a bottle of water, he needed
to take a tablet for his toothache. The hostess went to look for a bottle but didn't return. We left it for 30 minutes then rang the assistance buzzer.
Nope nobody appeared, we then rang it again and again, eventually we had to handcuff one of the staff as he was passing until he helped us.(Only joking)we whipped him instead!!!
No water was left, well there might have been if they had replied earlier. No-one offered to bring him an alternative.
The leg room wasn't so bad , but Iam only 5ft and my husband is 6ft and he finds it hard work to get comfy. I wish they would take some extra seats out of the plane , which I have heard that they are meant to be doing.
Anyway once we had landed, I went off to look for a rep , they weren't stood out so this took quite a while. The uniforms were similar to JMCs I think it was, turquoise jackets etc. Anyway eventually it was our turn, they checked my name and said coach 96.
They gave us vague directions to where the coach was and off we set. No, you've guessed it, we couldn't find it. My husband stood still with the luggage and off I went to find the 96 coach. On passing some other holiday makers I over heard our Hotel mentioned and they were looking for a different numbered coach. The rep came along and asked us again which Hotel we were staying in and we told her. Follow me onto coach 249 , well i didn't think that that sounded anything like 96. We boarded the coach , then the rep went through the list checking everybodies names off. Our name wasn't on , I got out my recepit for the holiday and showed it her. She was very puzzled,eventually she said "Have you come off the Blackpool flight". "NO" we said "Manchester". "OH well that explains it then, we are the Blackppol flight". Nobody had once mentioned the flights, we didn't know there were two flights landed at the same time and they didn't ask, we are not physic.
She then raised her voice as though it was our fault for being shown to the wrong coach, (We stiil never found out where coach 96 was ).
I was fed up by then , other things had set off to a bad start at the airport (another op).
I said is this coach going to the Hotel we want and she said yes, because the coach was half empty I asked if we could stay put. She moaned a bit and said I will have to go and find your coach as they will be waiting for you. I didn't really give a S**t by then it was 1.30 in the morning.
Well eventually we stayed on the coach and it was only about a 20 minute drive to Toviscas where we were staying.
There was only six people to check in and I was first in the queue at reception. The receptionist was going through our details when all of a sudden the rep barged right in front of me and said could I check these people in.
really I think we are quite capable of doing that ourselves. But no it wasn't any of the six that got mentioned, it was an invisible couple called Mr and Mrs Monk.
She kept going on about a couple under this name and the receptionist said there wasn't anybody booked in under that name. Are you sure she said, this is the Hotel Ocean park, no he said this is Hotel Ocean Palace. The penny dropped she was in the wrong hotel trying to book the invisible people in. She turned round to us all and said Mr and Mrs Monk we are sorry you will have to get back on the coach. we all looked at each other vacant. She then realised the people were on another coach. She quickly left, no appologies for pushing in.
Eventually we checked in, the hotel was owned exclusively by First Choice and it was beautiful, there will be anothe op about that later.
************************************************************************** Later on in the week we were out walking when somebody shouted out,"How is the Ocean Palace" We were puzzled why they were asking as we saw them in our hotel checking in behind us. Apparently once it was their turn, they weren't booked in there and the rep had gone long ago. It was destination on arrival for them and they had been given the wrong hotel, they had to ring somewhere and 4.0clock in the morning they got a taxi to the correct hotel which wasn't as nice.
Overall I have had worse service with Airtours but because they were all tired (that was their excuse)they said that they wouldn't normally have the mix ups. We were all tired as well. Anyway it wouldn't put me off again, the other reps were fine it was just the one on the coach who was slightly nutty.
***** My ratings below are really for the Hotel not just the tour company.
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great op - I have had a few problems with First choice in the past - will write an op on it oneday! Glad to hear things were OK in the end though! Claire
moose 20.03.2001 22:42
Thanx for your comment....well timed opinion! I'm actually going with First Choice - they had better treat me ok (Miss Complainer here!). About the leg room...my bloke is 6'1" so we always try to make sure we are one of the first at the check-in desk so we can specify a seat near the exits. We always make sure we are the organised ones so literally run to the check-ins!! This means I get more leg room too!!
xanadu 17.03.2001 15:26
I'm glad to hear that you had a great holiday in the end. - Donna.
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Advantages: Very good at pretending they care PRIOR to travel... Disadvantages: ..Once you've boarded the plane for your holiday resort, they lose all interest!
Winterwonderful 24.01.2007 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of First Choice
Mar 17th, 2001
very helpful by (93%):
somewhat helpful by (7%):
