Tour Operators and Travel Agents

Discussions regarding Tour Operators and Travel Agents
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quite a few members here have used them and they seem to have good reviews. Put caribbean warehouse into search at the top of the page and you can read all about them. :)
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could anyone give me some information please

me and my husband are thinking of going to mexico next year, who do this company fly with, does the flight cater for long haul flights, is the transport included with their package deals and do they have a rep for when you get to your destination?

any info would be great

denise
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Looking at their website it appears that you may have to pay an additional charge for in flight meals and transfers ?

Why dont you click the contact box 'Phone Us For Free' on their website and you could get all the information you require and a full holiday costing from them.

http://www.caribbeanwarehouse.co.uk/index.php
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Graham

thanks for that information

Denise
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I have said it elsewhere but yes we used them last year.
They book the flights and hotels separately and so can mix and match, or could then.
They assured me that as they do the package everything was covered and even broke down what happened when I booked and what went into the bond! Way over my head.

Meanwhile they appear to have first hand knowledge of most of the hotels ( I enquired about anyway) (lucky Bees!), answered all my questions and offered good advice, even if I didn't take it.

While working out the quote I was given the hotel costs and then costs for various flights. In my case they had a "special" on Mytravel flights, but could have booked my on First Choice or others as I wished for the sake of convenience, facilities etc. Due to the price saving we chose the MYT option which actually worked out to be the most convenient anyway.

I was originally looking at the DR and got various quoted for different hotels there, however we eventually ended up in Mexico at another complex I spotted. Nothing appeared to be a trouble.

The local agent in resort was very good, transport was always there when it was supposed to be. We were treated exactly the same as guests from larger operators etc. more importantly, we paid a lot less!

I checked out the package prices from other tour ops beforehand so I had an idea of figures I was aiming at.
I should stress that the reason I contacted them was not to save money but because I just could not get a good deal at the time I wanted it to a hotel I wanted to visit from Eclipse and such like and it was hurting my head, so I only phoned Caribbeanwarehouse on the off-chance to see what they had or advised. The resulting savings were an unexpected bonus!
I will have no hesitation in seeking quotes and using them again should the circumstances arise.
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Hi all,

I have always used traditional (if that's right word) travel agents and tour operators. I am considering using an online travel agency and specifically caribbean warehouse.

Was wondering how these agencies work- do they accept a deposit and balance of hols a few weeks before departure like traditional agencies or is it all payment at booking? Do they provide transfers to hotels from airport? Will there be assistance in the resort if needed etc?

Mant thanks!
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Hi and welcome to HT!

I have merged your post with an existing topic which may have some information in earlier posts.

luci :wave
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Can only comment on our experience which may not be typical as we were fairly late - July/ August for a September holiday.
I did have to put up a sizable deposit as I was told they had to pay some things up front when I made the booking. Obviously I had to pay the rest quickly due to the timescales but I can't remember any undue pressure, only what I expected with the lateness.

Meanwhile, rather than a main TO, our holiday was purchased with a local operator which worried us a bit despite assurances, however when we arrived at the airport (CANCUN), our man was there waiting. The smaller groups were sent off in Taxis but we were a larger group and so we had to wait a bit for a minibus, as it was all my family it was as good as a private transfer and they took us back as well.
At the hotel, our reception and treatment were at least on a par with the main operators and our accommodation was exactly the same, even though we had not had to pay to upgrade as per the main TOs! The local agent organised the same trips as the main TOs and the rep was very good and went out of his way for us at every opportunity. When I took him to task over a package not being as he had stated, he even dug out all the correspondence he had outlining the packages and he was correct in everything he had said, but the park had changed without notification.

Not sure if I would class them as an online as all my dealing were done via the phone, but at least they were not 0871 rates as FC Thompson etc are using this year.

I had an idea of where I wanted to go but couldn't find anything suitable so I phoned to see if they offered any suggestions. I was met with knowledgeable people who answered every query to their best and offered very sensible advice. They were not perturbed when I then changed destination country and hotel selection, remaining courteous and helpful at all times. I spoke to different staff many times but they were all on the ball with my booking and situation.
I would have no hesitation in using them again, all I need is a job so I can afford a holiday!
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thanks to you all for your information

we used the "phone free" logo and we got all our questions answered and was very pleased with the price, so we have booked with caribbean warehouse and are going to Excellence Riviera Cancun next April for our 25th wedding anniversary, cant wait
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Have a good time. You are a bit away from Xcarat and Xel HA but it may be worth checking the web sites to see if the parks are of interest. Try and catch the show at Xcarat if you go, although it is worth noting that if you do the dolphin swim at Xcarat it takes up most of your day, which is a bit of a waste.

On booking our holiday, my daughter is a vegetarian so we asked for a vegetarian meal. When we received the invoices, the plane part also included specific meals for each ticket/journey which I thought was a bit strange at the time of booking. They were not all the same, the vegetarian was vegetarian but the others were various meat selections, apparently allocated randomly by the booking system.

On both flights at meal times, and it was a full Mytravel plane, we were the only ones with "named" food packs! Everyone else on the planes had pot luck but we had exactly what had been specified on the invoices. Not sure if this was normal or something MYtravel were introducing.
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Hello to all,

I've been checking Caribbean Warehouse website as they have fantastic deals.

But as you can't book online, I couldn't find any mention of flights.

Are the flights included in their prices ?

Furthermore, did some of you already use them ? Are they any good ?

I'm considering them for Jan 2011 holidays.

Thanks a lot in advance for your advice !

Julmops
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Hi Julmops ... in addition to any feedback which you may attract here in this forum, it seems that we also have a topic about this company in our Caribbean forum, which may be worth checking out or posting in too ... click here.

David :wave
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Hi Julmops,
If you read the other thread you will see that I have used the CW on 2 occasions, would have been more but no funds.....

I can only speak from my experience, but they have always been helpful and courteous to me, even though they were probably tearing their hair out in exasperation at the other end of the phone with my different lines of enquiry etc.

The first holiday we took was a package to Mexico put together by the CW and I can't remember if they offered me a choice of flights or whether we got around to a choice of flights due to my incessant questions and what ifs. The upshot was I had a choice of flight times with different costs for each and I chose the most convenient, which also happily, happened to be the cheapest.
We were the only people on the plane with named food at meal times, everyone else just got what was next in the pile. Apart from that we were not treated any differently.
Once in Mexico we were in the hands of a local travel company and we received excellent treatment, better than that received by the main UK agents travelers in our observations.

The second holiday, I chose Cuba where the CW did not have options so I told them where I wanted to go and when and they sourced me a Thomas Cook package with all the extras at a much better price than the basic TC package.
Information and Tickets arrived on time as expected, all pre-holiday queries were dealt with courteously and efficiently. Naturally the holiday was a TC and from there on we were a normal TC holiday party and received the treatment one would expect from TC. We had a brilliant holiday.

One problem you may face is that booking so far in advance, there may not be that many flight options but basically the approach I took the first time was to price it up elsewhere and then see what was offered and whether it was at a price I wanted to pay. I always go away and research any new hotels offered unless it is one I am already happy with.
Once you reach that point go for it and don't bother to check prices again as they can go up .. or down ..
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