thanks for the tip. Hopefully it will help others.

I think the Monarch flight would kill it for me.

However we all have to face the impending rise of the insidious tax that is Air Passenger Duty.

How they continue to think up innocuous titles for ever increasing ways to relieve us of yet more of our hard earned is beyond me.

The sad truth is the days of the cheap Goa holiday is gone.

I hear Thomas Cook are doing away with their Long Haul Premium cabin and following Thomson/First Choices lead in having 33 inch long haul seat pitch.

A direct result of the higher levels of APD on premium seats I suppose.

We will see how the other big carrier i.e. Thomson/First Choice decide to react.

They already have a 33 inch seat pitch as standard but what will this new duty do to their premium cabin.

As I said Goa on the cheap is long gone and more of us will be going DIY this year than ever before.

Papa

We've used Olympic for both Goa and Greece holidays in the past.
In fact we're off to Rhodes in a week's time with Olympic.

I know that the Monarch flight is a big issue for a lot of people but it doesn't seem to bother us.

I've read some rather poor reports about Olympic customer service towards their Goan customers stranded out there during the recent volcanic ash problems (compared to Thomas Cook/First Choice) but you never really know whether that is just a very small minority with too-high expectations and the rest of the people travelling with Olympic may have been satisfied.

I'm not sure whether we'll be back in Goa this season (sometimes we go November & February for 3 weeks), I'm reluctant to book as after seeing photos of the river Princess with massive cracks down the hull I'd like to see how she weathers the monsoons.
I wouldn't like to arrive and find her scattered over the beach.

I'd certainly consider booking with Olympic again - if we can get a good deal to a hotel we're happy with.

I have been to Greece with Olympic 2-3 times and had a great time, great rep etc - never been to Goa with them but what the heck, it is cheap so I don't mind and I think I can face Monarch as long as we book the extra leg room!!!!

We flew to Goa with Monarch in March and I have to say that it was not a bad experience. Yes the seats were a bit narrow but the leg room was ok for OH and myself and we are not short people. The flight went off on time, the staff were faultless and the food was ok.

I used Olympic to book my hotel accommodation for Xmas, they were so much cheaper than everyone else

Tried pricing up a couple of holidays earlier but they're only showing up to October this year. does anybody know when next April, or even next August will be on sale please?

Shirley, August is monsoon time in Goa and not even the tourist season, so not a lot of places will be open. Dont know if thats what youre looking for? Theres not rain every day, but when it rains, its rains!!!
April is nearing the end of the tourist season, the humidity is very bad and doesnt cool down from day time to night time, dont know if thats what your looking for? Everywhere is still opened (well most places) and many people go in April, although it isnt as busy as Dec-March time.
I see Easter falls really late next season, around 22 April I think, so I reckon that will put a lof of people off going at Easter time.

OOps- sorry about that. I was browsing new posts and clicked on the Olympic holiday thread- didn't realise I was in the Goa Forum
Was pricing up greek and egyptian hols but was only showing up until Oct.
thanks for drawing my attention to it Gemma.