Travel City Direct

I know this has been discussed before but there are no new discussion on it.
I have booked a holiday using Travel City Direct for next year as my friends went via them and had a great time.
I have booked the whole package I.E flights, car, villa and park tickets.
Can anyone tell me if I have done the right thing booking through TCD.
Please could you give me your good & bad points about this company.
Like I said sorry to unearth this subject again just looking for some new reviews as wife is panicing as she has read some bad reviews and thinks our holiday might not go as planned and what with it being the first time and the kids are looking forward to it and we have saved hard TCD was the best price but was it the best choice.

PLEASE HELP PUT MIND AT EASE (and be truthful thanks)[msnsmile]

Personally I have never used them. But from friends who have, they say, never again. Sorry, probably not what you want to hear.

Hi Ian, don't worry now...A holiday is down to personal choice at the end of the day. In our case even before we bought our own home we always booked a villa direct with an owner. That way you know exactly where you are staying and what facilities you have in the home and on the resort. You can get a real feel for the area, restaurants, shopping, golf etc...

With Theme park tickets booked through TCD...You get a voucher and have to pick the tickets up at the parks...With the link on here you get real tickets straight away. This saves time when you get to the parks.

I have had guests that booked fly-drives through TCD and haven't had any problems, fingers crossed you and your family won't have any either.

Enjoy your holiday and have a great time :)

Hi
Only ever used them for flights, and never had a bad experience.

Not used them for tickets but we've been with them for everything else-no problem other than because they use a Jumbo it is a bit busy at t'other end but that's nothing to do with them-I certainly wouldn't worry about it-Have a great holiday.

We used them twice a few years ago before buying our own villa, once for the whole package and once just for flights.

With the whole package you don't know where your villa is located until you get there, at least that's how it was then not sure if it's different now. We were quite lucky to get a larger home than we requested with a conservation / lake view on Highlands Reserve.

We find it cheaper now to shop around and book everything ourselves online.

On the whole we did not have any negative experience with TCD and so I'm sure everything will be OK.

JR

My sister has used them for flights, as have many of our guests and they haven't had any problems.

Have a wonderful holiday.

We have used them a couple of times for fly drive and had no problems what so ever.

Tell you wife not to worry, I am sure everything will be fine and you will have a fantastic holiday.

Janice.

We have used fly drive with TCD, as has my daughter and her two young children she also brought her park tickets. We had no problems at all, it all went very smoorhly, I'm sure everthing will be just as smooth for you and your family. Have a great holiday

a friend used them. jumbo better than smaller charter but big downside was a roll of the dice to which villa you got put in.

bit like buying an allocated on arrival spanish holiday - some good some bad. for our family it is a must to know we have a games room pool table south facing unoverlooked pool and spa and cable tv to all bedrooms. and really for not a great deal more each week, you can guarantee that by selecting any villa you want from sites like this.

that said i am sure things will be fine and if you sre not happy then advise the local agent straight away. i am a bit like a lot of people on this site. i love florida and want all viitors to have the best time and nothing to spoil it. we all have many visits under our belts and all have our own opinions so always ask any question you want.

[msnsmile2]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:PLEASE HELP PUT MIND AT EASE (and be truthful thanks)
[/quote]

If you post something like this, you are absolutely certain to get a bucket load of re-assuring replies, because that is what the nice kind people on here think you want to hear; and they may well be correct.

I assume you have the option of getting out of a TCD holiday without too much financial penalty, as there surely can be no point in starting a thread like this if you can’t??

However the main reason I am posting(despite your request for honesty) is that I think it is very important to give another view for the many people who read this open forum and might get impression that TCD are a good firm; which IMO would be a false impression.

So if you want to hear my honest opinion read on.

As you might have gathered, I wouldn’t book a holiday with TCD. I should declare that I have travelled only once with them, and had another separate dispute with them.

However I don’t like the ethos of the company and have read far too many bad reviews about them to believe there is no ‘smoke without fire’. Your wife has also read the reviews and a Google will produce countless examples of dissatisfaction with the company.

My only concern about the flights would be the same concern I have with many other charter companies, namely that delays are commonplace and with no ‘spare’ long distance aircraft, the delays can take days to clear; and is there any worse place in the civilised world to spend hours than Sanford airport?

I hope the quoted price includes all the extras you need – like the unbelievable prices they charge for car insurance alone; which is far more than the car rental site on this forum charges for the car together with all of the insurances.

However my biggest concern would be the standard of accommodation, and its location, you are likely to get allocated.

I have no connection with this site, in that I don’t rent out my property, so have no axe to grind. However you can see the standard of the properties available and, from the reports on here, the clients report almost unanimous satisfaction with the properties.

It is a racing certainty that TCD will pay ‘bottom dollar’ for their properties and they will be chosen for their price rather than their quality. There is little likelihood of them being the standard of most on here. – again do a Google.

As said above, I am not clear why you have started this thread. If you can cancel without penalty, I would do so. If you can’t, then you must take your chances and with luck all will be well; and I am sorry if my opinion is not what you wanted to hear.

Above all if you are another reader contemplating a TCD all inclusive holiday, I can only suggest you do some research first.

Hi we have flown tcd twice to florida,1st time we stayed at liki tiki with them,the 2nd was just a fly drive and we booked our own villa through this site.We never had any problems both times,i presume you will have villa on arrival,my sister had a villa on arrival and it was in highlands reserve and was a lovely villa.We booked our park tickets also with tcd and that all went smoothly as well,you have to go to the kiosk on arrival at the park 1st day to obtain your park tickets but just leave a little earlier that day.
Tell your wife not to worry and just look forward to a fantastic holiday to florida[msncool]

thanks for all your replies. we have been given 8 places were we could be staying as i dont know much about the areas it would great if anyone could enlighten me a bit. they are as follows

four corners
legacy park
sandy ridge
silver creek
town center
tuscan ridge
westbury
westhaven

i am sure that no matter where we stay we will have a great time as the most important thing is our kids who will be 10 and 6 and they are so excited already.

Spanky, all thses areas have villas advertised on this site, look at the link below and it will give you some information about many, if not all the communities you are asking about.

http://www.orlandovillas.com/orlando...mmunities.aspx

I would just look forward to it - we have used them and so have friends and family with no problems. Just a tip though - if you have a fantastic time in Florida like the majority of visitors and decide to go again - book everything separately next time and you will probably get as good or probably a better deal. Tickets on this site are probably the best value around (and I look every time we go!) and the car hire here is reliable and at excellent rates (so much so that I don't bother to look elsewhere now!) All the communities you have listed are fairly new - the main benefit of booking direct with the owner is that you can choose all those special extras that many of us include.

As already said above just look forward to having a great holiday!

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:
PLEASE HELP PUT MIND AT EASE (and be truthful thanks)[msnsmile]

[/quote]

I really couldn't be truthful and, at the same time, put your mind at rest. Even so, it is clear that others have had no problems with TCD so you might well be OK.

I certainly hope so.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:PLEASE HELP PUT MIND AT EASE (and be truthful thanks)
[/quote]

If you post something like this, you are absolutely certain to get a bucket load of re-assuring replies, because that is what the nice kind people on here think you want to hear; and they may well be correct.

I assume you have the option of getting out of a TCD holiday without too much financial penalty, as there surely can be no point in starting a thread like this if you can’t??

However the main reason I am posting(despite your request for honesty) is that I think it is very important to give another view for the many people who read this open forum and might get impression that TCD are a good firm; which IMO would be a false impression.

So if you want to hear my honest opinion read on.

As you might have gathered, I wouldn’t book a holiday with TCD. I should declare that I have travelled only once with them, and had another separate dispute with them.

However I don’t like the ethos of the company and have read far too many bad reviews about them to believe there is no ‘smoke without fire’. Your wife has also read the reviews and a Google will produce countless examples of dissatisfaction with the company.

My only concern about the flights would be the same concern I have with many other charter companies, namely that delays are commonplace and with no ‘spare’ long distance aircraft, the delays can take days to clear; and is there any worse place in the civilised world to spend hours than Sanford airport?

I hope the quoted price includes all the extras you need – like the unbelievable prices they charge for car insurance alone; which is far more than the car rental site on this forum charges for the car together with all of the insurances.

However my biggest concern would be the standard of accommodation, and its location, you are likely to get allocated.

I have no connection with this site, in that I don’t rent out my property, so have no axe to grind. However you can see the standard of the properties available and, from the reports on here, the clients report almost unanimous satisfaction with the properties.

It is a racing certainty that TCD will pay ‘bottom dollar’ for their properties and they will be chosen for their price rather than their quality. There is little likelihood of them being the standard of most on here. – again do a Google.

As said above, I am not clear why you have started this thread. If you can cancel without penalty, I would do so. If you can’t, then you must take your chances and with luck all will be well; and I am sorry if my opinion is not what you wanted to hear.

Above all if you are another reader contemplating a TCD all inclusive holiday, I can only suggest you do some research first.





[/quote]

Hi Spanky,

I was not going to get involved in this thread as most on here know my views on TCD, but I have to agree with Robert, and I feel he has been totally truthful with you with this post.

I personally would not use this company even if they offered me a free trip, the ethos of the company is all wrong.

(PLEASE HELP PUT MIND AT EASE (and be truthful thanks))

I wish I could but I can't[msnsad] I worked for BA as Cabin Crew for over 20 years and I still have many friends still flying and this company has a horrendous track record within the airline business[msnsad] Also to leave the choice of villa up to a third company would be a huge NO NO for me too.

Having said all the above you have had plenty of people post positive comments and if you had not asked us to be 'truthful' I would not have got involved.

My advice if you are going to proceed with this trip it would be to go being prpared for a delay and keep

The flight is only 9 hours and I am sure it will be ok. I have heard some bad reports about them in the past, but also heard some good ones.

When choosing a villa It is always best to choose one seperate from the package as you get to choose what facilities and location you get. Some have internet, some don't etc...

All the locations you mention are great and right in the heart of the action.

Hope you have a good time.

I am not going to say that TCD are a good or bad company, we have done a flight / villa package with them once about 10 years ago. They weren't flying with their own planes back then, at least we didn't, the fight was Airtours but the villa was beautiful, in fact it was that villa that made us decide on going with an owner direct when we return to Florida next year. Maybe the villa we got through TCD may have been more down to luck, as we booked our holiday with a company (can't remember name) but they went bankrupt, a few weeks later we were contacted by the villa management company that put us in contact with TCD, who took over the villa booking & sorted out our flights, so maybe we got an extra good villa for this reason. We have now booked our next trip to Florida for April 2008, booking the villa from one of the villa sites here, and our flights / car hire through TCD, yes the car hire is a lot cheaper from this site, but the cost of flight only from TCD is a lot more than fly- drive so in the long run, TCD turned out cheaper for us booking this far in advance. It doesn't matter which company you fly with, there will always be good & bad reports about them, it was last week i was told some bad reports about virgin lately & i always thought they were the golden flights.

We have used them two or three times and will be doing so in August this year - so far so good is all i can say! We upgrade and the service was very good and any delays were minutes not hours. Relax and look forward to the holiday!

Thank you for all your replys.
There is some good points & some bad points but at the end of the day this is our first time so all new to us so we have nothing to compare with.
Really looking forward to it will let you all know how it went.
Again thanks for your time.[msnsmile][msnwink]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by SJ canary
I would just look forward to it - we have used them and so have friends and family with no problems. Just a tip though - if you have a fantastic time in Florida like the majority of visitors and decide to go again - book everything separately next time and you will probably get as good or probably a better deal. Tickets on this site are probably the best value around (and I look every time we go!) and the car hire here is reliable and at excellent rates (so much so that I don't bother to look elsewhere now!) All the communities you have listed are fairly new - the main benefit of booking direct with the owner is that you can choose all those special extras that many of us include.

As already said above just look forward to having a great holiday!
[/quote]

Spanky, I think this post is really well said. Unfortunately TCD are not the best to book a complete package with. I also agree with Robert and all his comments, unfortunate though they are. I had first hand experience of one of their villas when friends booked with TCD and we visited when we were out there. The only thing that stuck in my mind was the fact that our feet stuck to the floor in the villa when we walked through it. Enough said.
If you end up with a villa that you are less than satisfied with then use all you have to get moved to a more satisfactory villa. Don't settle for anything less. Gill

We have used them quite a few times. No need to use them for accommadation now but we would not hesitate to use there flights. Yes this company has got a lot of bad press but if you ask around you will find that there will be people who think Virgin, BA etc etc are dreadful. You must have heard that saying "You cannot please everyone all the time" and at the end of the day if this company was so bad how come it is still going strong. Stop worrying about what you think you are going to find and look forward to your holiday.

Maybe next time have a look at booking flights, villa, carhire yourself as a DIY holiday. You may get a nice surprise at how much it will cost you compared to a package.

Norma.

Speaking as someone who drives aeroplanes for a living, would fly on a TCD aeroplane? Yes! Maybe not as number one on my list but as a method of getting to Florida then it serves a purpose. Would I book a package with them which includes a villa alocated on arrival? NO NO NO. Far too much left to chance for an important family holiday! [msnsmile]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by RIS
Speaking as someone who drives aeroplanes for a living, would fly on a TCD aeroplane? Yes! Maybe not as number one on my list but as a method of getting to Florida then it serves a purpose. [/quote]

I think that summarises the whole issue perfectly. If you regard the flight as simply a means of getting there, then TCD serves that purpose. If you have other choices or regard the flight as something more than a means to an end, then TCD probably won't be at the top of your list.

TCD was delayed 6 hours last Friday[msnsad]

BA lost/delayed more bags than any other airline, each airline have the good points and the bad points, would not hesitate to travel with TCD (as we have in the past and found them no problem), try to stop worrying and enjoy the build up to your holiday, this is half the fun.

Kim Mc

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Mach 2
TCD was delayed 6 hours last Friday[msnsad]
[/quote]

yes i know, my brother in law and his family where on that flight and he emailled me on the sunday, i thought he was sending me an aprils fool but sadly it wasn't[msnsad]

forgot to say bil never said why the delay but i will try to find out?

Mizzy

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Mach 2
TCD was delayed 6 hours last Friday[msnsad]
[/quote]
Every airline has delays, TCD are no worse than others. We have been delayed 8 hours with Monarch, 6 hours on Barbados runway in temperatures of 90+ with no water unless we helped ourselves, with Virgin and 9 hours with BA, and they gave no explanation despite being bombarded with angry passengers. . We were just about to give up and go home when the flight was called

I would forget what others have said, just look forward to your holiday. I am sure you will have a marvellous time. We used TCD last September for flights only and both ways were on time.

We have used them for a fly drive and my daughter has as well we both found the flight was fine.We thought we got good value for money.

Debbie

I have never used them but my friend did and she and her family had a fabulous holiday. It was their first visit so every thing was new to them and they had nothing to compare it with.
We have been many times and always to it ourselves even the first visit we booked our own flights, car, park tickets and accommodation but we were happy to do this but my friend did not feel confident enough so booked with TCD. I think she paid way too much and the villa she was in was too far away from the parks for my liking but as I say they had no complaints.
I am sure you will have a fab time enjoy the build up to your holiday instead of worrying about it. When you are on the plane there will be many people on there who are using TCD for second or third trips. TCD must do something right because they are still operating.

Polly

I wonder if the purpose of some of the posts here are simply to reassure the OP, rather than give objective advice to any other reader of this thread who might be contemplating using TCD.

For any of the latter I suggest:

Firstly you examine if Package deals are good value with any company, when there are thousands of flights to Orlando, loads of excellent accommodation that you can select yourself, and cheap reliable car rental.

Secondly you would be wise to research TCD on other travel websites carefully before spending your money.

As I have already said all airlines have problems at one time or another.

Yes, you can save money by doing it all yourselves but for first timers who lack the confidence they feel much happier going with a company who organizes everything. A holiday has been booked, let Spanky and family enjoy the build-up without the party poopers interfering.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:A holiday has been booked, let Spanky and family enjoy the build-up without the party poopers interfering.[/quote]

Which rather suggests you see the purpose of this forum as re-assurance to an individual - who bear in mind had asked for truthful opinions - rather than give objective advice to any other 'first timer' or person considering a package deal.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:A holiday has been booked, let Spanky and family enjoy the build-up without the party poopers interfering.[/quote]

Which rather suggests you see the purpose of this forum as re-assurance to an individual - who bear in mind had asked for truthful opinions - rather than give objective advice to any other 'first timer' or person considering a package deal.[/quote]I totally agree Robert[clap][clap][clap]

The point I am trying to make is that anything can go wrong with any airline, holiday company, car hire company, villa, if booked privately, which totally outside the company or indivudal's control and that Spanky and his family should not worry unnecessarily. I look forward to hearing that they have had no problems and that on their next visit to Florida they will have the confidence to do everything themselves.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by thornton
The point I am trying to make is that anything can go wrong with any airline, holiday company, car hire company, villa, if booked privately, which totally outside the company or indivudal's control and that Spanky and his family should not worry unnecessarily. I look forward to hearing that they have had no problems and that on their next visit to Florida they will have the confidence to do everything themselves.
[/quote]

Jill I agree with your point that things can happen with any airline but its with alarming regularity that things happen with this airline and its how people are looked after or not in this case that causes so my really really bad reviews.

Just 'google' Travel City Direct reviews and read them for yourself.

My advice to Spanky is to be prepared and if things all go smoothly then great[msnsmile2]

I think we all know the problems that BA seem to have,not always of their own making but they certainly do not deal with them well.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:I think we all know the problems that BA seem to have,not always of their own making but they certainly do not deal with them well.[/quote]

Jill,
I would hope that everyone wishes that things go well for the OP on his holiday; why would anyone want it to be otherwise?

However this thread is simply entitled 'Travel City Direct' and as stated above there will be loads of potential visitors to the Orlando area who will read this thread hoping for honest opinions of TCD.

It surely cannot be sensible to refrain from giving honest opinions, and thus potentially misleading lots of people, merely to allay the reservations of a single person; and it is not my definition of a ‘Party Pooper’ to give those people advice i.e. research TCD before you book with them.

It would appear that the OP was aware of the reputation of TCD, yet still booked a holiday with them, and then afterwards essentially asked for re-assurance; not a very sensible action IMO – asking the question that is!

Regular readers of this Forum will be aware that your comment about British Airways is a gentle ‘dig’ at Mach2(Julie) an ex BA Flight Attendant(who always seems to fly with Virgin!) – but visitors might not get the significance of the remark.

All the major airlines have their problems from time to time. However of all the companies that go to Orlando can you tell us who you believe is worse than TCD?

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:I think we all know the problems that BA seem to have,not always of their own making but they certainly do not deal with them well.[/quote]

Jill,
I would hope that everyone wishes that things go well for the OP on his holiday; why would anyone want it to be otherwise?

However this thread is simply entitled 'Travel City Direct' and as stated above there will be loads of potential visitors to the Orlando area who will read this thread hoping for honest opinions of TCD.

It surely cannot be sensible to refrain from giving honest opinions, and thus potentially misleading lots of people, merely to allay the reservations of a single person; and it is not my definition of a ‘Party Pooper’ to give those people advice i.e. research TCD before you book with them.

It would appear that the OP was aware of the reputation of TCD, yet still booked a holiday with them, and then afterwards essentially asked for re-assurance; not a very sensible action IMO – asking the question that is!

Regular readers of this Forum will be aware that your comment about British Airways is a gentle ‘dig’ at Mach2(Julie) an ex BA Flight Attendant(who always seems to fly with Virgin!) – but visitors might not get the significance of the remark.

All the major airlines have their problems from time to time. However of all the companies that go to Orlando can you tell us who you believe is worse than TCD?

[/quote]

You are right Robert - I do fly with Virgin more these days as I now live only 3 miles from MAN airport[msnwink] whereas I used to live 7 miles from LHR. However if BA ever started a direct route from MAN-MCO I would fly with them every time[msnwink]