We used First Choice for an all inclusive holiday to Turkey in May 2007. The price was unbeatable and the website was easy to use.
TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS I found them polite to talk to on the phone; however, they seemed a little rushed on occasions to get me off the phone due to them being busy but they were always very helpful when dealing with enquiries and I did not have any problems with misinformation etc.
OUTBOUND FLIGHT Check in was quick and efficient. The flight was on time and uneventful. The staff were polite and friendly and well dressed. The plane was clean, modern and the seats were reasonably comfortable. What we really liked was the screens with a little map explaining where you were at that time, keeping you really well informed about where we were. We had not paid for prebook seats but all 3 of us were seated together which was a real bonus.
INBOUND FLIGHT Now this flight we were not all that happy with. The staff on the check in at Dalaman airport appeared miserable and literally forced a smile if smiled at. However, I do not know if these people were actually working for First Choice or Dalaman Airportin general. We had a night flight - our flight left at 4.20am and was for 4.5 hours. The lights were on full through the whole flight and we were constantly being interrupted with the tanoy, tea and coffee trolley and the staff trying to sell us stuff on the plane. It should have been obvious that there were people trying to sleep but the staff did not seem to consider this at all. All we ever got on this flight was 15 minute snoozes at a time before being interrupted in one way or another. We were offered travel comfort packs but had to buy them - blankets etc were not offered to us free of charge. By the time we got off the flight we were exhausted and very grumpy. Therefore, if you book a night flight with First Choice do not expect to be given the opportunity to sleep through it! However, on the positive side we got seats together again even though we did not pay for pre book seats.
HOTEL The hotel was exactly as described. In fact, it exceeded our expectations.
TOUR GUIDE We attended a welcome meeting which was warm and friendly but as expected, very sales orientated. However, we did not find the guide pushy and it was left up to us whether or not we wanted to book excursions or not. However, we did not see the agent at all after that during our stay - she did not walk around the hotel checking to see if guests were OK. I do not know how easily accessible the guide would have been; however, we were given contact details etc.
Overall, we were happy with First Choice and would definitely use them again. But, we would reconsider if a night flight was the only option!
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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
May 30th, 2007
very helpful by (88%):
helpful by (13%):
