Just a thought but would it work out any cheaper to cancel and then rebook.

Sometimes hotels "vanish" from websites for weeks - then reappear! When I queried why it happened ,I was told that the TO had asked for and got, an increased allocation of rooms from the hotel.
Prices go up and down all the time on the net - its just the luck of the draw if you happen to book at the low point. Don't think you have any chance of a refund,sorry!

Does anyone have experience of in flight meals with FC this season please. For once we haven't booked meals, but are now thinking of adding it to our booking. We have a 9.20 flight to Egypt. Thanks.

Hi Helen ... are you referring to experience of the advance ordering process with the tour operator, or to satisfaction/quality of the meals ? If it's on board experiences you are looking for, it may be best to ask in the airline Q&As topic.

David

Hi there, does anyone know when First Choice will be selling summer 2012 holidays? I'm sure it was April last year?

hayley/john,

I would expect them to be released sometime towards the end of May or in to June.

Darren

First Choice have announced that from 2012 they will only be marketing ALL INCLUSIVE holidays

We have booked with FC this year and the brochure is dominated by AI hotels. With DIY being so easy it's no surprise it is heading this way as it's an offer which is difficult to DIY, but it only needs hotels to start offering cruise style dining and AI packages on drinks and this USP could also disappear.

Major First Choice shake-up unveiled

First Choice will sell only all-inclusive holidays next year.

The operator says the move follows a steady rise in demand for all-inclusives from cash-conscious Brits and all-inclusives are now "the holiday of choice for many British consumers".

The TUI UK-owned group plans to become the country's only mainstream wholly all-inclusive operator, which it hopes will differentiate it from competitors.

Holiday prices will include flights, in-resort transfers, hotel accommodation, three meals a day and unlimited local drinks. The changeover will happen next summer.

First Choice says that, in five years, the all-inclusive holiday market has grown by 32% and is expected to account for 65% of all First Choice sales this year.

Managing director of TUI UK & Ireland Johan Lundgren said: "This is a major milestone for the UK travel industry and an exciting and timely transformation for the First Choice brand. All inclusive is becoming the holiday of choice for many British consumers, offering them great value for money, yet there is no mainstream holiday company currently offering a completely all-inclusive portfolio.

"We believe that this move will play a vital role in differentiating First Choice from Thomson and our competitors. With strong, distinctive brands and clearly differentiated product we will move further away from customers choosing tour operators based on cost alone, which is unsustainable.

"First Choice will become the home of all-inclusive, offering the best of both worlds - a unique feeling of indulgence combined with practical control over their holiday spending - whatever your budget. Well-earned breaks will be even more enjoyable because people can leave their wallets at home and relax: they won't have to worry about spending money when they're abroad. We know that nearly two-thirds say they would relax more on an all-inclusive holiday."

With permission from Travelmole

We tend to book AI - But it does not stop us getting out and about and spending money. I do accept the concerns expressed at the effect on the local economy. Back in 2000 a holiday to Turkey was spolit when I saw the effect it had on the local economy. We are at an age where we are not interested in bar crawls prefering instead a decent hotel on an evening with some entertainment. Can even laugh at how dire it is at times.

fwh

Having seen the effects that cheap AI is having on my favourite place in the world, I find that news very sad indeed. The restaurants and shops are suffering. Quite often heard 'Are we stopping for a drink?' 'No, let's go back, it's all free back there!'
The type of holidaymakers is changing, and whether I should say this or not, the change is not for the better.

I'm afraid FC will only be getting my custom once every few years as I only go AI whilst in the Caribbean, preferring to be out and about sampling the local lifestyle and cuisine in Europe.

We went away AI with FC in Febraury. Now this did not stop us going out and about, paying for coffees, alcohol in an evening etc... Some lunchtimes we ate out wherever we were, as we knew that we would not make it back to the hotel for lunch

Not all holiday makers need to be tarred with the same brush of 'oh let's go back to the hotel where it is all free'!

Not all holiday makers need to be tarred with the same brush of 'oh let's go back to the hotel where it is all free'!

You're right there Debbie but I bet a large majority of them do just that. TBH, with the increase in the cost of eating and drinking out abroad, I would be one that would think twice about dishing out more cash if I'd already paid for everything AI.

Its not really 'free' as you have already paid alot of money for an AI holiday, We have 4 children and have to pay adult price for 2 of them. we too like to go out shopping and buy drinks ice creams etc but do prefer going all inclusive as we know we've already paid up front and don't need to worry about taking lots of money

Debbie, I'm not saying they do, but there is an awful lot of AI holidaymakers that don't go past the front gate of the hotel. Out of those that do, there is an lot that don't stop and have a drink, or eat out for a change.
Maybe it is a generalisation, but at our favourite resort, Playa Blanca Lanzarote it is all too prevalent, and I know that it is all over the island. Very rarely have I seen anyone with a wristband eating in a restaurant or sitting in a bar, and those that are, have been heard to be moaning about the resort because the food in the hotel is c**p and how they are never coming back again because they are having to pay twice!
I go at least once every year and have done for umpteen years, and have watched the decline, year on year. I just think it is very sad that a holiday company of that size can potentially help the decline of already struggling economies.

hayley/john
Of course it's not 'free' but it is perceived that way by lots of people in the sense that they don't have to put their hands in their pockets to pay for something. A lot of the AI around is very cheap for what you get.

When our son was younger, we went AI once to Lanzarote, but went straight back to self catering. We prefer the variety and quality of both the food and drinks that you can get by eating out.

Everyone likes different things, and that is good, but for a large holiday company to stop selling everything but AI
All just my opinion of course.

I think FC are hoping to get the bulk of the AI market as people will see them as a specialist company. They can afford to turn away all but the AI clientelle because Thomson who are now under the same umbrella as FC will pick up a lot of the SC, half and full board customers.

Will this mean Thomson will stop doing AI ?????

Yes , anything that has been AI in the Thompson brochures will move over to the FC brochure , and the same but in reverse for all FC self catering and HB etc .

TBH it won t make a blind bit of difference as they are all owned by TUI anyway , what I am unsure of how it will work is when you have properties with dining options when you can upgrade to HB and AI ???