 Poster: A snowHead
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Just wondering how long it has taken people to get back from skiing.
We managed to get a coach from La Plagne at 2pm Saturday and arrived at Gatwick at 730am Sunday.
It was the first time I'd ever booked through a TO (big relief). Ski France were pretty good and made a speedy decision and kept us informed about what was happening. They fed us in the morning and at lunchtime and provided food for sandwiches (they don't usually don't provide meals on transfer day). The coach was quite comfortable - lots of legroom.
Just wondered what other's experiences have been getting back to the UK. Anyone else have good (if 18 hours on a coach can ever be considered good!) experiences with their TO or did any provide really bad service?
I'm now totally knackered but at least I can get to work today.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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Fattes13, I'n sure the drinking made it all worthwhile 
We did meet people in La Plagne who had gone DIY and they had no idea how to get home. One lady had flights with Snowjet (last flights of the season this weekend just gone), they simply said you can have your money back - that's it! - no help at all. I wonder if anyone has had helpful information from any airline?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I heard someone on the radio this morning saying they had got a taxi from Milan to Calais at a cost of €700!! Utter madness!! I guess it made more financial sense than a hotel for a few days and unpaid leave from work.
Some people are being very resourceful and it's good that the TOs are laying on alternatives. However, I'm selfishly very glad I hadn't planned to go anywhere just now, it all looks like a lot of hassle and expense. I'm even glad I decided against the EOSB a while back, as I'd be more disappointed this week if it looked like I'd be unable to get there after all and unable to claim on the insurance.
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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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I left Les Menuires at about 7:40 yesterday morning and got back about half an hour ago by coach and driving from Gatwick.
Skibound kept us informed and their coach drivers were very good in informing us of progress. There was just a slight hiccup when P&O had no record of our booking, but the drivers sorted it out eventually with many phone calls. The coach drivers were very professional and kept us entertained.
I now have to ring work to say I won't be in. 
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Got up, watched the Chinese GP, left Thollon @ 11.30. Stopped in Besancon for lunch. Arrived Calais @ 8.15 pm and straight on the ferry, (we were booked on the next one). No queues at immigration and we were the last ones on the ferry but there was still space available. Home by 10 local time. Lots of coaches and hire cars on the route so hopefully most have made it back. No sign of the Mordor death cloud on the way back.
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a taxi from Milan to Calais at a cost of €700
sounds like a bargain.
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Coach from Pila, got to Calais at 07.00, got the 07.40 ferry, home by 11.00. 
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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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achilles, absolutely. All our alternative arrangements now in place.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Helen Beaumont, maybe queen bodecia doesn't have a Helen Beaumont to sort things out - it's a possibility I hadn't thought of 
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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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| planeurge wrote: |
a taxi from Milan to Calais at a cost of €700
sounds like a bargain. |
I agree sounds cheap, viamichelin estimates about €150 each way in fuel and tolls for 11 hours driving each way!
We paid €600 (4 hour journey) to get from Salzburg to Treviso after flight cancelled last February, however there were 6 of us in the taxi.
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for the first time in about 20 years we decided to drive, so had no issues at all, got the tunnel crossing we had booked, it was approx 5 mins late, but apart from that it was all plain sailing!!
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You know it makes sense.
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achilles, Helen Beaumont, I'm very glad you are all so resourceful and able to sort out alternatives. I doubt it would have been possible for me and I would have been very grumpy at having to cancel with no potential insurance claim.
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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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We drove for the first time on a ski trip last week. Great decision
Interesting for people stuck in France, get in a car with other people if you can, they don't seem to be charging any extra for additional passengers going in cars, and check in was a 1 minute job with the extra passenger's passport.
I am amazed that the towns haven't set up a board of people trying to get back with spare seats in cars etc for shared costs or agreed amount. There were hundreds of cars at Calais with 2 people in them and an empty backseat - sure it's your car, but there are people completely screwed at the moment who can't get back to work - one of our team at work is stuck in Malaysia and has been given an earliest return date of 29th April...
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Poster: A snowHead
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queen bodecia, some insurers are allowing claims but not all. I'm sure there would have been someone offering a car share or other alternative.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Monium, a price for a ferry crossing is often for car and up to 9 passengers.
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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.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I have been stuck in the Banff Fairmont for 5 extra days, looks like 7 more to come, dam it must go skiing.
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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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Drove back to the UK from Chamonix on saturday exactly as planned (save for a lorry fire on the A3 resulting in a 2 hour traffic jam), why oh why didn't we fly, we'ld still be 'stuck' there .
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| Monium wrote: |
| I am amazed that the towns haven't set up a board of people trying to get back with spare seats in cars etc for shared costs or agreed amount. There were hundreds of cars at Calais with 2 people in them and an empty backseat - sure it's your car, but there are people completely screwed at the moment who can't get back to work - one of our team at work is stuck in Malaysia and has been given an earliest return date of 29th April... |
Must be the continental thing.
When my flight from Aspen to Denver got cancelled by weather, people just congregate on the car hire desk and sort of "group up" to fill the cars. And the shuttle company also call in their extra driver to take in the extra business. I myself ended up sharing an SUV with stranger and taking turn driving the 6 hrs over the mountain...
(normally, most would simply wait for the next day for weather to clear up. But all flights for the next few days were fully booked due to the X Game that week. So were all local hotels. So everyone knew they need to find "alternative" means to get out of there. And found ways we all did, in a matter of hours!)
Perhaps the towns don't help the trevallers because they prefer them to be "stuck" there and capture the extra business?
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Our daughter was in Courchevel last week and they got bussed back overnight Saturday arriving Gatwick Sunday afternoon - through Le Ski, which I think is run by Thomson and eventually TUI. First time they have used TO holiday but very pleased they had done so this time.
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Crystal organised a coach to get us back fom Flaine to Manchester. The hotel rooms remained available to us all day, so we could have a shower before departure.
We had an extra day in the village, leaving at 7.30pm local time instead of 7.00am for Geneva airport and had a great day out soaking up the sun. 3 drivers got us to Calais by 8.00am sunday and onto the 10.15am Sea France to Dover.
Crystal had estimated our time of arrival at Manchester to be 5.00pm sunday - we arrived at 4.55pm. All credit to the company and their staff for getting us home in unprecedented circumstances.
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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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| queen bodecia wrote: |
| I'm even glad I decided against the EoSB a while back, as I'd be more disappointed this week if it looked like I'd be unable to get there after all and unable to claim on the insurance. |
I find this a bit odd. After all, the whole purpose of being part of an online "community" is for the practical support (a lot more than just idle posting when one's bored at the office)!
With such large number of snowheads going to EoSB, I would imagine it's quite possible to hook up with others going the same way, whatever they dig up as "alternatives".
After all, TO's are made of actual people. A lot of what those TO staff can do, snowheads can too (hiring couches and booking ferries), as witnessed on here.
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abc, all I did to organise it was mention it in a thread, and click a few buttons. I've not even had to make any financial outlay other than £50 or so for the ferry. Hotels are booked, but pay on check out. Petrol and tolls are yet to be charged.
Could I add a mention to the staff at Norfolkline, who must be working their socks off in difficult conditions today. I failed to receive my booking confirmation yesterday, and was dreading hanging on the phone for ages to customer services. They answered promptly, and very politely sorted it out. Email was received almost immediately.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Helen, perhaps my post wasn't very clear. I did mean to say it's indeed possible to work together with other snowheads to make a (relatively) stress free journey to EoSB.
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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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Esprit organized coaches and ferries and the whole operation seemed to run very smoothly. Set off from Aple d'Huez at 6am Sunday and arrived at Gatwick at 1am following morning. One of the Esprit staff came on the coach armed with a variety of equipment and DVD's which were a dod send. So glad I went with a tour operator, I spoke to other people in the resort who booked independently and they didn't have a clue how they were going to get back.
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We were on board the last plane to land at Heathrow (12.05 Thursday) before everything shut down. Flew back from Calgary having had a fortnight in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. Plane was 80 mins late leaving Calgary while a new flight plan was calculated to avoid Iceland, but so lucky not to have been any later!
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You know it makes sense.
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There does seem to be a good common denominator that the TOs really got their act together.
Ski France who we were with got 575 people from the Alps to the UK over the weekend and I'm sure the larger TOs moved a hell of a lot more.
In about 10 ski trips this was the first with a TO. All things being equal I will definitely take a TO holiday next time. I joked with my mate on the way out that 'at this time of year' there couldn't be any weather related problems!
dombee, We met others who did DIY in resort who had no idea how to get back. I realy felt for them and certainly wouldn't want to be in their position. Top marks to WAYNE who not only laid on coaches for his guests but organised coaches for the 'stranded' - it makes me wanna book with his company next year!
In the main people who have posted on this thread are back home. Makes me think that a lot of DIYs are still stuck out there!
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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Chamexpress organised coaches back to the UK which was really good. Four friends & relatives got back on that, one on a lift share via a local email list where everyone is posting lifts offered, two others got the train to Paris. We're luckily not in a big hurry so we're getting the train back on Sunday.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It will be interesting to see if there's an increase in people wanting to drive to holidays in general. It already seemed to be on the increase after the winter transport problems.
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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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| easiski wrote: |
| e17phil, i do wonder thought, how much the 'nanny state' mentality has made it more difficult for DIYs to work out what to do and how to get home? |
I would have thought people who choose DIY over TO are the sort that are more intrepid and (I would hope) be more resourceful...
After all, hadn't they scout all travel options on their own when they arrange their original travel plan? That would have been a ready list of "alternative" transport back, minors the plane... 
Seems more likely peep had been so spoiled by the cheap flights they are totally ignorant of other, non-air mode of transports. Exactly music to the ear of executive of budget airlines, I must say!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We were stuck in Athens.. made it back. 3 hour bus journey from Athens -> Patras, overnight ferry Patras -> Bari. Fast train, 7.5 hours Bari -> Milan, taxi out -> Milan airport, got the last hire car from Hertz, drove -> Calais, Ferry -> Dover. People who are saying that people don't understand how to use the trains, buses, eurolines etc., I challenge you to find a way home from Milanish area not involving a car in some way, or some kind of private route. Everything was simply full - all the trains were booked to everywhere.. all the coaches booked.. we got very very lucky, and got a french registered hire car, so we could drop off at Calais - the last one!
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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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jackus, Is there no spare capacity to reserve a seat on the TGV from Milan to Paris, or is it affected by the SNCF strike?
On a saturday morning there were lots of empty seats a month ago.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ski World sorted us out. No stress. Smoothly organised. Ferry last Saturday was only two thirds full. Nomally would not use TO, but worked out very well under circumstances. and a special thanks to the reps, who kept their cool!
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I'm just a snowboard user, not a skier.. but can anyone trained to use ski, please!!
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I wan't skiing myself last week, but a friend was out in Tignes with Ski Olympic and they did something similar - got everyone back by coach to Gatwick via Calais and Dover. I think the TOs deserve some kudos for being on top of this situation
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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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| WiRED wrote: |
| I wan't skiing myself last week, but a friend was out in Tignes with Ski Olympic and they did something similar - got everyone back by coach to Gatwick via Calais and Dover. I think the TOs deserve some kudos for being on top of this situation |
After the shambles of the big snow storms this winter they couldn't dare do otherwise. Perhaps first poke by Mother Nature this year got them to redraft their Business Contingency Plans?
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Eeyore, I agree with you about that - but at least they did! Last week was my first ever TO holiday out of about 10 ski trips. Whilst I could have got home if I had gone DIY it would have been a a whole lot more hassle, uncertainty and loads of time on the internet.
There does seem to be a whole load of smug gits on here who are downplaying the hassle it was/ could have been if you were doing a DIY triip. Doesn't seem as if any of them were caught up in it though.
Armchair experts - P - Off!
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FAQ
We finally arrived at Manchester at 13.30. All in all not a bad trip and we were very grateful for the speedy response of Crystal Holidays in organising it all. 