Barnio, Are the independent motor sport companies doing just speedboats, is there anything else? My son likes banana boats and windsurfing. Also I understand if you walk a little bit further along the beach the water is safer and the beach much nicer, is this true and do you know how far?

Just had a phone call from my fc shop reference a letter which I sent to customer services.

They are saying that we won't get the water sports and childminding. However they are offering a transfer to any other FC holiday, different hotel or different dates. Only problem is when we booked a year ago we got 2 free child places, and there are not any left now. We travel in just over 4 weeks so changing the dates is also not an option.

Hi All, When PP was on TV last year i wnated to change, they said if i saw a hotel with free child places as long as it was the same date they would still honour me the free child places we got in the first place even through their was none left at the hotel we wanted to change to, but cut a long st ory short we still went to PPand had a great time.

Shuggy

Do you know what childminding First Choice were refering to ?
Does this mean the creche ?

Alex UK

Yes they do mean the creche[/code]

Is this just while its shut up until July or are they doing away with the creche altogether ?

The creche will only be shut until the peak months, i.e. july/august. Does anybody know whether there will be any other watersports except speedboats?

I think the creche being shut is absolutely appauling!!
many families with young children, will choose to go in the cooler months, for obvious reasons, and not in July/August.
when ours were younger we only looked at hotels which could provide kids clubs for our older one, AND a creche for our under3.
That is supposed to be the concept of a holiday village, so the WHOLE family can relax and enjoy themselves, ie use a creche occasionally, so you can put your feet up.
i am so glad I don't have an under 3 and I had booked to go there, because I would have been sooooo angry

If all these closures apply when we are to go in September I will definatly be changing to The Kos Aqua Beach Club.
I just wish I could do it now without inccuring any charges.

I hope First Choice hurry up and let us know whether or not they will be closing The Tropical again at the end of peak season.
I personally think they will.
If they are doing it at the start of the season then they will probably do it at the end too

Not sure if it is the creche that is shut.... can anyone confirm? I was told it was only the childminding- whatever that means.

Sad to say but we have changed our holiday today, no longer going to the PP in 4 weeks time.

After booking it a year ago we have decided to go somewhere else.

Shuggy, so sorry to hear you've did that!
I just got a phone call from First Choice and I know Sam (tottya) has been speaking to them today too.

She confirmed that they truly don't know what they are doing with the pools at the tropical yet and also that she had no confirmation of what is happening with the spa gardens.

All three themed restaurants will still be open plus the buffet restaurant, she said these restaurants were, turkish, indian and bugger can't remember the third one. However, the seafood restaurant will definitely be closed.

All kids clubs AND creches will be running as normal, it is the BABYSITTING service that will not be running, but there will be an evening creche!

I have been offered the chance to cancel, but she says letters confirming exactly what will and won't be open will be with everyone within the next two weeks. They will give full refund or five consideration on a free child place at another holiday village or other holiday if there is none available on one I want to change to, but urged me to hold off for the letter. Which is what I'm going to do. I really don't think I'll be cancelling though.

Shuggy, where are you off to now then? I personally wouldn't go to the Kos Aqua Beach Club as I don't doubt for a minute that it will have the same problems on opening that the PP/PT had on opening last year. After all it is still FIRST CHOICE!

Oh well, thats it for me. The girl I spoke to was lovely, she seems to have taken it on the chin from a lot of people and I felt quite sorry for her and didn't give her too much of a hard time. She admitted that first choice were still very unsure of a lot that would be happening but they will definitely be able to confirm everything, in writing, in 2 weeks time.

Take care all, hope you make the decisions right for you.

Catherine xxx

Hi can i put some peoples mind at rest with regards the creche. It is on the Palace side and will be open.

We have already pre booked our boy in as he absolutely loved it last year and still talks about it now. There were no baby sitting facilities on offer. What they did have was an evening creche that was £22 a session which we did not use. This is what we were told from the off would not be open until later in the season.

We had a letter from FC yesterday confirming that the tropical was closed and all the facilities in the palace would be fully operational.

Catherine the missing restaurant is the Italian.

See you there Tottoya and Catherine!

The Tropical will be closed in September.

I phoned First Choice today to ask and the guy put me on hold for a while then came back to say that it would be closed due to poor sales, and that they would rather have 1 full hotel than 2 half empty ones.
He said that all of the facilities would be open.

When I asked to cancel he told me to call customer services which I did and the lady on the other end said that The Tropical would be open in September.
"Definatly"? I asked, "Definatly" she replied.

At this point I didn't know who to belive so I phoned customer services straight back hoping to speak to a different operator.
When they answered I said that I'd spoken to someone on the sales line who told me The Tropical would be shut and I had to phone this number to cancel.
When she got my details up she said that I couldn't change or cancel because I had booked The Palace so it didn't affect me.
When I told her that I had booked this holiday as a village not half of one and I had been in touch with Trading Standards she put me on hold.
When she came back she said you can't cancel but you can change your holiday free of charge.

So I've changed to The Kos Aqua beach club.
I can rest easy now.
If I hadn't been able to change I would of dreaded what I was going out to. Although they say everything will be open First Choice are notorious liars.

I hope for everyone's sake who is going that they are not lying.

Alex, I was booked for the Palace too and they offered me the chance to cancel!!! Maybe it was because I wrote to them, albeit via email ?

Catherine xxx

Alex, I had the option to cancel as well but changed instead. I was also in the PP not PT.

Hi.

Has anyone who is going in May had any reply to their written letters to FC yet? We had given them til the 27th to reply in writing and being as they haven't responded, Trading Standards have now taken it up and they said they should get back to us about it tomorrow. Trading Standards have said that however you make contact with them, they should make contact with you in the same way.

Considering that we're now only weeks away from going, I can't believe that they have said it'll be another 2 weeks til we get confirmation letters!

See my post above Emma, I got a phone call today with the promise that letters are "almost" in the post.

Catherine xxx

Briar - I did change last year as we got cold feet after all the bad reviews, but when all the good reviews started coming in I decided to book it this year.
Now I wish I hadn't

I should of stuck to my guns about cancelling and maybe I would have got something out of them.
They gave Kellymarie £100 off as a goodwill gesture.
She like myself has booked The pegasus twice.