anyone ever done.... 'allocation on arrival'

[mysonsmummy]

ive always thought i would never do this as might be put on top of an all night disco. but its looks like its the only way i can take ds away in 6 week holidays. am looking at first choice - do they take anything into account i.e you have children or is it really just pot luck. thanks. any comments welcome

Parents in law do this regularly. And it is pot luck, apparently. Only do it if none of the possible allocations would be a disaster. The less salubrious ones are far more likely to have spaces.

I had an argument with a travel agent about this when she tried to tell me it was a good deal.

Me "So its how they sell off all the ones that don't sell well"

Agent "NO its just the allocation"

ME "?" "Yes but obviously the good apartments are snapped up and the not so good ones are sold off on the allocation on arrival deals"

Agent "NO! Its just the allocation they have left, look this one is 4T's"

Me "But if it was that good it will all be sold and I will end up in the one no one wants.

Agent "NO! NO!" stamps her feet "Its just the allocations they have left" she is close to tears"

Me "Fine whatever you say!"

Perhaps me trying to educate her by showing her that if you booked my kids as adluts it worked out £30,000 cheaper for a family holiday!

Skribble - £30K cheaper? Ye Gods, what was the original quote? And was it one of those cost more for 2 adults and 2 kids than 4 adults - exactly the same holiday - type rip offs? If so, would you let me know the details? Am trying to put something together on this!

you can get nasty surprises even in named accomodation. I would concentrate in the hotel ranking TBH

Now, if you are open to allocation on arrival visit: www.thomsonauctions.co.uk

Did it pre-kids and it was great - one of my most enjoyable holidays. How old is your ds? Apart from taking a risk with the accommodation itself, you might have a long transfer/flights at un-child-friendly hours so you would have to consider how he would cope with that too.

Children have to pay an extra suplement sometimes, adults don't. But check twice as sometimes the fist child is free, and is the second one's place that it's so expensive.

(Perhaps trying to check one child as an adult may help?)

Don't go to Malta on an "allocated arrival basis" - crap crap crap apartments we were first put in, dh had a massive (and I mean massive so much so the rep ended up in tears) and eventually we got moved to another flea pit that was bigger and hand a lovely view of the sea but was still a hovel. Also caught a severe stomache bug and lo and behold the result of which is now female and 8 years old! The only good thing to come out of that holiday.

Oops that should have been MASSIVE ROW

We've done allocation on arrival twice but without kids. Once in Kenya and once in Italy. Both times got a really nice hotel, excellent food and fab holiday for really low price. It's a gamble- sometimes you are lucky and sometimes not.

Did it once about 10 years ago in the greek islands. At the time we looked at the possibilities we could end up with from taking the gamble. We ended up in the worst of those possibilties!

We were in "Blackpool". Very Britain but in the sun, very noisy from 10 pm onwards in the town (which we were right on top of) and very noisy at 3/4am as people got back in. The hotel itself was okay, if a bit old-fashioned, but there was no restaurant or bar etc and the town was a dead-zone during the day.

After the first night we got a hire car to escape to the lovely bits of the island and ended up having a great holiday (though that was because we deliberately stayed out all day every day - not what we usually do). We could understand why they'd had spaces left there.

We've not repeated the experience. Depends if relaxation is the main thing you want from the holiday I suppose or if you'll be going out and about most of the time anyway.

mysonsmummy - FWIW me & dh did this on a holiday to Turkey and it was FAB. We paid a paltry amount for a week's SC and it was lovely - in a quiet spot but near the beach, in a hotel type complex but a large appartment with a balcony overlooking the pool. we danced and laughed like loons we were so thrilled. I suppose my point is that it's a bit of pot luck. They do usually tell you a minimum star rating for the hotel i think..
Hope it works out for you though!

With regards to my comment on suppliments, OK £30k is slightly more than the saving I showed her .

Chandra, even though the first child may be free, you have to pay supplements on the adult prices for under occupancies. I.e. the per person price may be based on 4 sharing, children paying or free do not count towards the occupancy.

Really? mmh.. I have stayed in multiple ocassions in hotels and aparthotels that cater for up to 4 people and had just paid for two adults and nothing for the child. I guess it depends on the particular conditions of the holiday you are buying. There are no fixed rules about how holidays are priced.

The free kids and supplements problem really applies to package deals I think.

Done it every time.
The best was a last minute deal to Austria where it really was a lucky dip but turned out to be in an all inclusive just refurbished ski lodge for the grand total of £119 incl insurance and single supplement. (It cost £85 for the taxi to the airport though as no coaches or trains siutable.)
The worst was a fabulous 4 hotel in Tunisia that looked 5. Was surrounded by unfinished Hotels but not in a noisy way. Apart from that had no quibble about it.
The rest were absolutely fine.

No, it doesn't. It depends on the offer, sorry.

There are no hard rules as to how a holiday is priced, tour operators can use their own discretion as to whether they charge for extras - ie meals, transfers, under occupancy supplements. At certain times of the year ( low season etc) they may scrap the charges ( or "hide" them in the basic cost) to encourage people to book. Some Tour ops charge the under occupancy supplements, some dont- its not a law to charge them, the only real rule/law is that the Fuel Supplements are shown in the costing of the holiday.

So basically- you may travel with one tour operator as a party of two and be charged an under occupancy supplement, whereas another tour op, to encourage bookings may not charge. Tour operators are always battling with each other to get customers and always offer gimmicks etc to get you to book with them.

If you are looking for "free child" places without having to pay under occupancy supplements then you need to be booking your holiday the summer before you wish to travel (this weekend there will be another push with new brochure editions out for next year)- you cant really expect to get free child places if you are looking for a holiday which is going in two weeks time.

In answer to the original posters question- this is how Allocation on Arrival works-

• each tour operator has a stock of what is known as "guaranteed units" basically this means that they have a contract on a holiday property and have payed the hotel/apartment owner in advance, so if the rooms here go empty, then the tour operator is, in effect losing money- so these rooms are offered as Allocation on Arrival holidays. Guaranteed units are generally very good properties, most tour operators battle it out every year to get contracts on certain properties. All other units ( non guaranteed) are payed for by tour ops on an "ad hoc" basis ie if they need a room, the tour op is invoiced after the client has left. These are the types of properties that tour ops dont really like to have to use for allocation on arrival as the price tends to increase from a basic room rate to the tour operator.

Most guaranteed units are the ones with Tour operators own kids club ( not hotel run kids club) and also in the brochure they will be advertised as "exclusive" to the tour op- these are generally the types of properties used for allocation on arrival.

If you book a 3 self catering allocation on arrival then by law- that is what you have to have from the tour operator- if there are no 3 sc available on the day that you travel out to resort, then you have to be upgraded to a 4*- you cannot be downgraded, this is stipulated by ABTA.
a few years ago while working in mallorca, some people had booked 2 sc AOA- there wasnt any available on the island - the only accom available was a 5 hotel so thats where the clients went!! - so its not always a nightmare!

If you are going to do an AOA with children, then choose a destination which is generally good for families ie menorca- portugal-fuerteventura-smaller greek islands. That way you can be sure that you wont end up above a nightclub!!

this has turned into a travel essay, my fingers now ache and need a holiday!!

Dh and I did this on a holiday to Barbados pre children (well, 9 months pre children ). There was a choice of three hotels and two were fine but of course we got the third by the open air disco - as did everyone else whom we met on the flight.
Think we were a bit foolish to ever think we were going to get one of the other hotels. It was alright (after we made them change our room) but we were disappointed. Would not do it again.

thanks everyone. i kept looking through the different sites. managed to get a week at Pegasos palace a holiday village in turkey. ive looked at it for ages but could never afford it. its my dream holiday (others nightmare). as im going on my own and ds (4) loves the kids clubs it means i get a couple of hours by the pool reading a good book. AI was £600 - i expected to pay £400 SC AOA. went on site today and its gone up by £120. well excited - we are off in 2 weeks!

Did it last year in Corfu with Style Holidays. Ended up with a huge villa sleeping 8 (there were only 3 of us) which was designed with safety in mind, i.e. pool nicely fenced in, villa all on one level so no need to use stair gates. We must have been very, very lucky and it was a fab holiday. Happy memories!