Poster: A snowHead
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The trouble with package providers is that they often don't really present their product as it really is - which is principally their being able to use economies of scale to get good prices for flights, transfers, accommodation, ski pass and equipment rental, and avoid you having to do all the research and admin involved in a DIY holiday. This is very attractive especially to working families who may not have the time to organise a DIY and where the difference in £/person becomes more significant when multiplied by the family numbers. But what they aren't is some sort of Voyages Jules Verne outfit, with a high ratio of their staff (in the office and on the ground) to clients, even if their publicity tends to imply this.
I suspect that many families go through a transition of initially using a package provider because of the obvious upsides of value-for-money and time-saving, then as we did, have a couple of bad experiences when things go seriously wrong, and decide that self-drive and DIY is the better option. Because at least with DIY you will have some contingency ready for problems on the ground, and are in full control of all the different parts of the holiday. Of course, even with DIY lots of things are still out of your direct control, and things can still go wrong.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Thu 16-02-23 15:33; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@LaForet, for skiing holidays I DIY. However, a package has an advantage: If something along the line of travel activity goes wrong it is the operator's responsibility to sort out what can be quite a mess. I am prepared to take on the risk for a skiing holiday - others may be less happy.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Good post @LaForet,
@achilles, quite often the sorting out is anything but. Yes, ultimately they will but quite often you have to chase and hassle and as Foret says you are not in control.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Lucywuk, well done for sticking to your guns and making your case well
Illegitimi non carborundum
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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PeakyB wrote: |
@Lucywuk, well done for sticking to your guns and making your case well
Illegitimi non carborundum |
Thanks. I have done DIY and package and pretty much everything. In all honesty despite the issues, if Travelski could offer day outbound I’d go again.
They did have 9000 people to deal with when SNCF screwed them over on the outbound journeys which meant huge issues.
I still love the train, but next year maybe driving as we have 2 locations
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Well done on the result!
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I did DIY for 6 years to Les Arcs but last two I have not been able to beat Travelski for price by doing DIY. They are great value.
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Anyone noticed that the Travelski website says 19:04 for the Eurostar departure but the email from customer service says 20:04. Which is correct??
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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All sorted. Emailed Travelski and they replied within 5 minutes…on a Sunday. Customer service on the up!
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Macker13 wrote: |
All sorted. Emailed Travelski and they replied within 5 minutes…on a Sunday. Customer service on the up! |
That’s great to hear!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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i have booked with travelski for next week.
According to my plan we will arrive at la Plagne around 11.00 am.
So i booked the appartment with extra the Paradiski Skipass for 6days, in order to have the free 1/2 day at Saturday.
However according to the the voucher, we will take the ski cards together with the appartment keys, but the appartment keys are available from 17.00 pm. If so how can i ski from 12.30 pm?
I have already spoken with Travelski before the booking and they confirmed that the ski cards will be available from ski pass office.
However in the booking says nothing about what we have arranged.
Emailed them again and wait for an answer.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@turms2, I went to La Plagne with Travelski a couple of weeks ago. I collected the ski pass around 9am from the estate agent who held the apartment keys and then went back there for the keys around 5.
Others collected the ski pass from their apartment reception and then went back to reception for the keys later.
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turms2 wrote: |
i have booked with travelski for next week.
According to my plan we will arrive at la Plagne around 11.00 am.
So i booked the appartment with extra the Paradiski Skipass for 6days, in order to have the free 1/2 day at Saturday.
However according to the the voucher, we will take the ski cards together with the appartment keys, but the appartment keys are available from 17.00 pm. If so how can i ski from 12.30 pm?
I have already spoken with Travelski before the booking and they confirmed that the ski cards will be available from ski pass office.
However in the booking says nothing about what we have arranged.
Emailed them again and wait for an answer. |
They, like every other accommodation provider, need to changeover the accommodation from last weeks guests. Accommodation is always available from some specified time in the afternoon. You shouldn’t have assumed you would have had access to it at midday especially as it says it on their website, when are they supposed to clean it? Can’t you change your clothes and leave you luggage at concierge or the tourist office? Go skiing, then Return for keys at 5pm?
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You know it makes sense.
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Extremophile wrote: |
turms2 wrote: |
i have booked with travelski for next week.
According to my plan we will arrive at la Plagne around 11.00 am.
So i booked the appartment with extra the Paradiski Skipass for 6days, in order to have the free 1/2 day at Saturday.
However according to the the voucher, we will take the ski cards together with the appartment keys, but the appartment keys are available from 17.00 pm. If so how can i ski from 12.30 pm?
I have already spoken with Travelski before the booking and they confirmed that the ski cards will be available from ski pass office.
However in the booking says nothing about what we have arranged.
Emailed them again and wait for an answer. |
They, like every other accommodation provider, need to changeover the accommodation from last weeks guests. Accommodation is always available from some specified time in the afternoon. You shouldn’t have assumed you would have had access to it at midday especially as it says it on their website, when are they supposed to clean it? Can’t you change your clothes and leave you luggage at concierge or the tourist office? Go skiing, then Return for keys at 5pm? |
you didnt understand my question. I dont except an access to the appartment before 17.00pm. But In the voucher says collect the ski pass with the keys. But for the keys i have to go at 17.00 pm.
But as DrNo above said, i could collect the ski pass when i want and go later for the keys. If so it is not a problem at all.
However i have to noticed that after my email today, Travelski answered, and mentioned that the system changed that automatically.
I got a new voucher where it is mentioned that i can collect the ski pass from the ski pass office.
So...a big thumbs up for travelski
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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turms2 wrote: |
Extremophile wrote: |
turms2 wrote: |
i have booked with travelski for next week.
According to my plan we will arrive at la Plagne around 11.00 am.
So i booked the appartment with extra the Paradiski Skipass for 6days, in order to have the free 1/2 day at Saturday.
However according to the the voucher, we will take the ski cards together with the appartment keys, but the appartment keys are available from 17.00 pm. If so how can i ski from 12.30 pm?
I have already spoken with Travelski before the booking and they confirmed that the ski cards will be available from ski pass office.
However in the booking says nothing about what we have arranged.
Emailed them again and wait for an answer. |
They, like every other accommodation provider, need to changeover the accommodation from last weeks guests. Accommodation is always available from some specified time in the afternoon. You shouldn’t have assumed you would have had access to it at midday especially as it says it on their website, when are they supposed to clean it? Can’t you change your clothes and leave you luggage at concierge or the tourist office? Go skiing, then Return for keys at 5pm? |
you didnt understand my question. I dont except an access to the appartment before 17.00pm. But In the voucher says collect the ski pass with the keys. But for the keys i have to go at 17.00 pm.
But as DrNo above said, i could collect the ski pass when i want and go later for the keys. If so it is not a problem at all.
However i have to noticed that after my email today, Travelski answered, and mentioned that the system changed that automatically.
I got a new voucher where it is mentioned that i can collect the ski pass from the ski pass office.
So...a big thumbs up for travelski |
Ah ha… sorry for misunderstanding, though the way it was structured made the link between apartment access and skiing. Glad it’s all sorted
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Poster: A snowHead
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Extremophile wrote: |
turms2 wrote: |
Extremophile wrote: |
turms2 wrote: |
i have booked with travelski for next week.
According to my plan we will arrive at la Plagne around 11.00 am.
So i booked the appartment with extra the Paradiski Skipass for 6days, in order to have the free 1/2 day at Saturday.
However according to the the voucher, we will take the ski cards together with the appartment keys, but the appartment keys are available from 17.00 pm. If so how can i ski from 12.30 pm?
I have already spoken with Travelski before the booking and they confirmed that the ski cards will be available from ski pass office.
However in the booking says nothing about what we have arranged.
Emailed them again and wait for an answer. |
They, like every other accommodation provider, need to changeover the accommodation from last weeks guests. Accommodation is always available from some specified time in the afternoon. You shouldn’t have assumed you would have had access to it at midday especially as it says it on their website, when are they supposed to clean it? Can’t you change your clothes and leave you luggage at concierge or the tourist office? Go skiing, then Return for keys at 5pm? |
you didnt understand my question. I dont except an access to the appartment before 17.00pm. But In the voucher says collect the ski pass with the keys. But for the keys i have to go at 17.00 pm.
But as DrNo above said, i could collect the ski pass when i want and go later for the keys. If so it is not a problem at all.
However i have to noticed that after my email today, Travelski answered, and mentioned that the system changed that automatically.
I got a new voucher where it is mentioned that i can collect the ski pass from the ski pass office.
So...a big thumbs up for travelski |
Ah ha… sorry for misunderstanding, though the way it was structured made the link between apartment access and skiing. Glad it’s all sorted |
a nope...sorry from my side. It is not my mother language
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thought I would add our recent experience with Travelski. Must admit to being a bit worried having read a few reviews but all worked fine, despite receiving an email the day before departure informing us that due to French rail strikes the Friday night train would be departing at 8.30 on the Saturday morning. They have since refunded us the cost of hotels we had to book for the Friday night, and the cost of a day's lost skiing.
We had daytime train journeys both ways which actually we all preferred.
Transfers - taxi was waiting for us at Bourg. The return got us to Bourg about 3 hours before the train departed.
Accommodation - L'Oree des Cimes in Vallandry. Nice apartment, near the Grizzly lift
Lift passes - took the voucher to the Lift pass office, no problems
Ski hire - booked online with Ski Republic, very helpful in the shop, good value.
It was pretty hassle free and good value - think we would use them again, although I would prefer day time train travel. Maybe Eurostar will start the old ski train service again...
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