To not want to at tenth welcome meeting on holiday

[2kidsandlovinlife]

We are going on a weeks holiday abroad next week and I find the pressure the following day of arrival to attend a welcome meeting overwhelming. My oh likes to attend these for some reason in case he misses Out on something exciting. I on other other hand feel they are a waste of a precious morning and taking along two dc's and expecting them to sit still for an hour while their parents are given the hard sell to much. AIBU to refuse to attend. Would be interested to hear your opinion on this

[Alconleigh]

In fairness I was referring to the first in the list, people who don't have the Internet!

[Alconleigh]

Ah, I haven't given up exploring the world just because I am over 30

[TSSDNCOP]

I wouldn't go to anything that serves warm local drinks, usually orange with a gun to my head particularly if there's a deckchair with my name on it in the vicinity.

Send DH on his own and get the kids club stuff and other info from the hotel concierge who will invariably give better rates and know more than a Rep.

[Elsiequadrille]

Neither did I. But I haven't arranged it all myself, or winged it on buses and trains, either.

[Vivacia]

I'm with you Twas - I've figured out what it is but where do these happen??

[Alconleigh]

Getting a train from an airport into a city isn't really winging it, is it? I mean it's how I get to them at this end as well, living in central London and not having children to transport. it's just getting about, it's not hard. anyway, off topic and slightly dull, sorry.

[DayOldCheesecake]

Am I a pleb or not?

Package holiday = Mark Warner = the epitome of mc surely?

[eurochick]

Erm, you can buy package holidays online.

Our last one was to Egypt, for diving. We went along to the welcome meeting for that one to find out where the dive centre is, what time it opens, etc as we wanted to get going straight away the next day.

We made sure we bought package holidays around the time the ash cloud was going off, so that if the flight was cancelled, we were protected and not left contractually bound to pay for hotels and wrangle with the travel insurers about it later. A lot of people got really stuffed that way.

[beanandspud]

I hate them and have been to far too many over the years.

But, I do feel rather sorry for the reps that hold them - it's part of their job, they must rely on some of the commission from the sales as I can't imagine they are that well paid and I am sure they are judged on these sort of things.

Three options imho:

• Go. Be polite, treat it like the safety briefing on an aeroplane where you put down your magazine, pretend to listen, smile at the end and then get on with your holiday. You never know, there might just be something useful.
  

• Don't go at all and the rep will probably catch up with you at some point probably knocking on your door when you have two screaming kids and you're naked having just got out of the shower
  

• Send DH alone and catch up later.

[Stokes]

The meeting can be useful if you want to book any trips - get it all sorted the first morning and then you don't need to spend the rest of the week waiting around the hotel lobby for the rep's allocated hour in your hotel - which is never at a convenient time.

Packages are often cheaper than booking separately, and include your transfers etc. I don't see why you wouldn't book a package if the price is competitive. Pure snobbery to automatically be against all package holidays.

[Elsiequadrille]

It is pure snobbery. And (for example), in the past, after a long haul flight, I've appreciated having somebody waiting with a car to take us to our hotel/connection.

[Birdsgottafly]

I have only been to one meeting, when i went to Egypt.

As well as excursions, information was given about how to access a doctor, chemist etc, as if you leave the hotel, you are in the middle of a desert and considering what is happening in Cairo, you wouldn't want to head there for a hospital, if you didn't have to.

We didn't buy visa's at the airport, so we had chance to sort them out with the rep, at the meeting.

It depends on where you are going and what you plan on doing whilst you are there.

[Birdsgottafly]

Just to add, the snobbery (which is based on false assumptions anyway) on MN about package/all inclusive holidays is ridiculous.

[JessieMcJessie]

Wow, some MASSIVE package holiday snobbery from Alconleigh and a few others. As I said in my last post, package holidays were my introduction to "exploring the world", with parents who had never gone on holiday outside the UK as children and so were more comfortable using a package as a springboard to getting to know a new country. I went on to do a great deal of serious independent world-exploring (was just regaling DP last night with tales of Mexican hitch-hiking aged 21).

And anyway one of your own posts says it all - you have no children to transport. You're on MN for gawd's sake, did it not cross your mind that families with small children might welcome the idea of a resort holiday with a coach to take them there from the airport? There is nothing remotely shameful about a package and they are often very good value and provide excellent protection against unforseen circumstances.

[Oldraver]

I went on a last minute booking (via Teletext ) to Ibiza 12 odd years ago. I had friends who went out a day earlier and were meeting me at my hotel when I arrived.

The Rep on the bus went round everyone drumming up support for the welcome meeting and was badgering me to go. I declined several times, though he was quite insistant and in the end I said I would if I was back in time, as friends had got me tickets to an opening party. I did make it back in time and promptly fell asleep missing all of his spiel.

[thegreylady]

Good gracious there is some weird reasoning here-people on package holidays don't have the internet? We use Treyn to organise our short holidays now but have been with Simply Tuscany and Italia recently and in the past have used Thomsons too.
As for the 'Welcome Meeting' it is optional and not all tours have them but it is useful to see that the rep knows who you are as you may need their help at some point.

[bragmatic]

Only if there is free food and booze.

[Alconleigh]

Of course Jessie, the bit about airports was a light hearted exchange with Elsiequadrille as we were sending up our respective holiday snobbery, from different angles. And I said earlier I had been a bit snotty.

[cushtie335]

I've never been to one of these in my life, DH goes if he feels he wants to, I stay in my bed/have breakfast/go for a walk. Not read the whole thread but can't understand what a big deal this is to either you or your DH.

[ipswichwitch]

I don't get the package holiday snobbery either. One of the best holidays I ever had was a cheapy one to turkey an we even did an organised excursion (shock horror), which was one of the best days of our lives it was so much fun. We have also travelled and organised everything ourselves which is also fine but I can tell you which I would rather do with DC.
Op, I would just send your DH to the meeting alone (if he wants) and you and kids stay by the pool or whatever. Surely it doesn't have to be an either/or thing?

[QuinionsRainbow]

There was a time, yonks ago, when if you went to one of these meetines, you were quite likely to stagger back to your hotel somewhat under the influence of free alcohol. The last one we went to, a decade or so ago, we even had to buy our own non-alcoholic drinks.

[maddy68]

I never go to them they just try to sell over priced trips. However sometimes it's good to go but book them elsewhere!

[ilovepowerhoop]

we have booked our last few package holidays online as you get a better price. The last ones have been with First Choice and have been to Holiday Village type places as we have 2 children. We go to the Welcome meetings (normally held at 10am ish on the morning after arrival) and sign the kids up for kids club and find out about excursions, soccer school, etc.

There has never been any pressure to attend - we are handed our wee pack on the coach to the resort and it gives the time/place of the meeting but we have never been hounded about going and the reps have never been pushy.

[Groovee]

I never do welcome meetings! I have already researched where we are going on holiday. The last thing I want to do is waste precious holiday.

Thomas Cook wanted me to attend one recently in orlando and they gave up on us when I burst out laughing and said we would be in Animal Kingdom and there was no if and buts about it.