 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, having always booked Feb 1/2 term c.11.5 months in advance to get exactly what we wanted, where we wanted it, how we wanted to get there etc we find ourselves unable to commit this year - and probably not until mid-Jan at earliest.
Does anyone have any experience of booking last-minute for Feb 1/2 term (family of 4, all reasonable skiers)? Is there any reasonable choice of resort/accomm/flights/tunnel? Not really bothered about resort, country, altitude, kms, apres etc, all nice-to-haves but ease of travel and price key factors for a family week and happy to self-cater. Have driven to Alps at Easter many times - always 1 hit door-to-door - but looks like 1/2 term drive is a different kettle of fish in terms of queues & traffic - is it that bad? I also assume we'd need to book tunnel quite soon too, no?
Thanks for any advice/info.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You will probably be able or find a chalet or an Air Bnb or something. Accommodation should be ok.
The bigger problem I think you will find will be things like Ski School places and nanny/childcare services should you need them.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@FrediKanoute, Don't need Ski-School or childcare, just lift passes, somewhere to stay and, most importantly, an easy and cheap way to get there from London that can be booked last-minute - possibly the biggest challenge...
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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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@Chamcham, Great tale, that. Amazing work, well done - interesting that a crossing later on the Saturday meant an easy drive through France - something I'd definitely consider as no option to skive school on the Friday. Thanks.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@jma, You're unlikely to get flights Sat-Sat, there were only two flight left out of LGW to GVA that day, at £600 each. If you're up for driving, it's definitely do-able.
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There are normally some reasonably-priced tunnel slots up to the last minute, but mostly at unpopular times. If you're looking at Saturday to Saturday accommodation, then the most likely outbound tunnel slots are from Friday midnight to 06:00 on Saturday, or maybe 08:00. For the return, the bookings tend to be more evenly spread across the day. If I were doing this, I'd keep checking to see how the price and availability is changing. Prices and availability look good now, so if you know you'll use the tunnel at some point in the next 12 months, you could book now, and change them if you don't go.
The roads up to the main French resorts get very busy on the Saturday; as long as it's not snowing it's just a bit tedious, but can get a lot messier with snow. Elsewhere in the alps I wouldn't expect major traffic problems
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| Quote: |
so if you know you'll use the tunnel at some point in the next 12 months, you could book now, and change them if you don't go
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Genius, that's what this forum's for! Already booked apartment for Easter and have a long weekend in Holland in summer - driving for both but not booked tunnel yet - will book tunnel for Feb now and if can't go, just move to later trip. Thanks, @viv!
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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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| jma wrote: |
| @Chamcham, Great tale, that. Amazing work, well done - interesting that a crossing later on the Saturday meant an easy drive through France - something I'd definitely consider as no option to skive school on the Friday. Thanks. |
Another option is to leave after school on the Friday, get a late crossing on Friday night, and stay in a motel an hour or so beyond Calais. If you're self sufficient for breakfast (bacon and egg butties made before leaving home, eaten an hour or so down the road from the motel) you can get up early and hit the road at six or seven in the morning, well ahead of the traffic. You'd need to book the motel well in advance, at £30-£40 a room, but you can then arrive any time of the day or night.
The lengths some people go to to get to the ski slopes... 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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| Quote: |
jma wrote:
@Chamcham, Great tale, that. Amazing work, well done - interesting that a crossing later on the Saturday meant an easy drive through France - something I'd definitely consider as no option to skive school on the Friday. Thanks.
Another option is to leave after school on the Friday, get a late crossing on Friday night, and stay in a motel an hour or so beyond Calais. If you're self sufficient for breakfast (bacon and egg butties made before leaving home, eaten an hour or so down the road from the motel) you can get up early and hit the road at six or seven in the morning, well ahead of the traffic. You'd need to book the motel well in advance, at £30-£40 a room, but you can then arrive any time of the day or night.
The lengths some people go to to get to the ski slopes...
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We do exactly that and use HotelBB as they're cheap and clean and do a decent breakfast and have good locations near autoroute. To get a family room you need to be a year in advance so we often end up with just two twins.They have electronic check in so can check in anytime during the night although some have a night porter as well.
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there are@jma, am in a similar situation as you, unable to commit until early jan, (not requiring ski school this year) but booked outbound/inbound overnight accom en-route via Booking.com months ago, with free cancellation up to the day of travel.
lots of (various) resort S/C accommodation on Homeaway.com etc with refundable cancellation up to early jan, some into feb as well.
tunnel prices do not seem to change much, but obviously if you buy flexiplus tickets you can use them later in the year if required, I did not think you can do this with standard tickets but I may be wrong.
happy planning!!!!!
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You know it makes sense.
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It looks like I will be cancelling my half-term accommodation in Val d'Isere ( 2 bedroom s/c ) A relocation is being brought forward from April to January so we might have a change of plans, I won't know 100% until the beginning of December, so it might suit somebody here.
When we mention half-term on Snowheads we need to remember the dates do vary across the UK,so it might be useful to post what week you are talking about.
Friends in Edinburgh have 9-16 Feb but our daughter in York has half term much later 23 Feb - 1 March and I presume other schools have the week in-between.
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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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| Quote: |
When we mention half-term on Snowheads we need to remember the dates do vary across the UK,so it might be useful to post what week you are talking about. Friends in Edinburgh have 9-16 Feb but our daughter in York has half term much later 23 Feb - 1 March and I presume other schools have the week in-between.
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Yes, sorry, I'm talking about Sat 16th to Sat 23rd Feb which I believe is 1/2 term for the vast majority of the UK - if you've got a different one, you're a lucky, lucky ba***rd!
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tunnel prices do not seem to change much, but obviously if you buy flexiplus tickets you can use them later in the year if required, I did not think you can do this with standard tickets but I may be wrong.
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Anyone got direct experience/knowledge to answer if I make a standard Tunnel reservation for Sat-Sat in Feb but then can't go, that I can move it to Easter without penalty - or at least without significant penalty? Obviosuly trying to avoid shelling out for FlexiPlus... (Yes, I'm one of those tightwads who turns up an hour early for their booked train and sits there quietly seething as a whole bunch of FPs stream through and I get on one an hour later - but saving £200 makes me happy  )
Thanks
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Poster: A snowHead
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Italy might be a good bet, as the Italians do not have half term school hols, so it is not such a peak week as elsewhere. You might therefore find more accommodation. And if you want to fly, some of the more likely routes, such as Milan and Turin, are major cities that are not as dependent on ski traffic, so it might be easier to get flights.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Anyone got direct experience/knowledge to answer if I make a standard Tunnel reservation for Sat-Sat in Feb but then can't go, that I can move it to Easter without penalty - or at least without significant penalty?
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Yes, you can change (ordinary, basic, not Flexi Plus) reservations for up to a year. You might have to pay an additional fee if the new booking is a more expensive crossing than the old one.
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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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[quote="jma"]
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Anyone got direct experience/knowledge to answer if I make a standard Tunnel reservation for Sat-Sat in Feb but then can't go, that I can move it to Easter without penalty - or at least without significant penalty? Obviosuly trying to avoid shelling out for FlexiPlus... (Yes, I'm one of those tightwads who turns up an hour early for their booked train and sits there quietly seething as a whole bunch of FPs stream through and I get on one an hour later - but saving £200 makes me happy )
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Yep! We`ve had to alter bookings (standard crossings not flexi-plus) on several occasions. You have to pay the difference between the cost you paid for your booking, and the cost of the new crossing if thats more.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'm in the same half term trap as you...
We drive to Austria every half term, apart from the tunnel, I'm not sure you'd find it especially busy.
There are queues round Munich and the A8/93, but I think that's the case every weekend. Once you're passed there, there's no issues.
The last couple of years, we have gone cross country to avoid the Munich ring.
Also, we get the flexi ticket for the outward journey, as time is more pressured. But use standard on the way back.
We get an overnight in Ghent which we get to at about midnight. Up at 7am, quick brekky and off we go...
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