Family Coach Trips - Yay or Nay?

[DisneyMan]

Hi,

I was wondering how everyone felt about coach breaks in general for families? Doing some research into what would make a great Coach Trip Operator aimed at families.
From my own experience the biggest concern I always have is cost and space, but what do you all think? Has anyone been on a family trip to disneyland for instance or somewhere similar?

If I go to hell it’ll be a smelly coach full of other families

I might go for the new sleeper buses (I already like sleeper trains), but that’s to avoid hotel pricing & make good use of downtime at night to do the travelling.

Spending the day on a coach sounds pretty miserable.

Also - other people’s dc & parenting. No thank you.

About 35 years ago we did a coach tour of the Eastern USA & Canada - children were 10 & 13 I think. It was a great trip that we still refer to time to time! It was an organised tour including transatlantic flights to New York. Ours were the only children.

We had a few days in NYC then the itinerary included a night or two in the following places: Boston, Niagara Falls, Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Baltimore, and probably other places that I've forgotten!

Now imagine that incredible holiday with a coach full of families, including babies and toddlers. The cries, the nappies, the travel sickness etc @Westfacing

lots of you are commenting on being stuck in a small restricted space with other peoples children - but then surely you have this issue if you go on a plane or train?

On a train you can get up and leave the carriage. Even if you can't get another seat, you can still stand at a point well away from the screaming baby or toddler watching Peppa Pig without earphones.

Plane journeys are shorter and therefore more tolerable. Flight from Glasgow to Malaga is just over 3 hours. Or 36 hours in a coach.

I would rather stay at home than go on a coach full of adults. I'd pay not to go on a coach full of children.

Some reasons.
One of the many negatives is the sheer length of time onboard.
Noise. My own children would be bad enough but everyone else's a million times worse.
Other people. I don't like or socialise with other people on holiday. Sitting next to someone on a plane for 3 hours is bad enough but on a coach for 5,6,10 hours...
Toilet. Yes coaches have one but I would not fancy it after several hours of children using it. Imagine if you're unlucky enough to be sat next to it.
Stopping. Coaches stop at horrible cafes for people to get food and use toilets which prolongs the journey.
Smell. More than one child will vomit. Nappies. Just sweaty people.

No. Absolutely not.

Let’s say we’re going to EuroDisney. Do you know the difference in time between flying and going on a coach? I don’t want to stop at services every other hour. I don’t want entertaining. I just want to get there as quickly as I can.

We have taken our son on many holidays abroad in the 14 years that he’s wandered Earth, I love spending time with him because he is extremely well behaved. I do not wish to spend time with other people’s children. Especially when they are not well behaved. I don’t want to spend my leisure time listening to the rustling of crisp packets or guzzling of juice. Or whining. Or incessant episodes of Bluey on an iPad.

There is nothing that would make the trip more enjoyable and it sounds a lot like ‘organised fun’ of which I cannot stand.

An an entertainer. 🫩

I'm not a Mumsnet misanthrope but even I don't think that the camaraderie of sharing a coach with other young families and being entertained is going to appeal to many people.

Oh god, even worse.

Also… this would all add massively to the cost of these trips. So a cheapo family holiday it would not!

A plane is maybe 3 or 4 hours. A train journey can be done without having to interact with other people. I can walk up and down, I have my seats and just ignore others.

A coach trip would mean a holiday with other people and that already is my nightmare from health. We did a day trip once which meant Coach transfer to the location and back and that had performing parents, entitled parents, children loud. DHand I looked at each other and said next time we drive ourselves.

I did coach trips from school and being in a coach for eight hours plus to go to a location and then continuously being on the coach to go to places is long, it's tiring it's cramped, a lot more cramped than trains.

I dread the idea of would be suitable entertainment.

I went on several coach holidays to Europe in the 90s, both with friends and with DH. I wasn’t keen on flying and they were cheap. We stopped once we had DS as I couldn’t imagine taking a toddler for 30 hours on a coach. I’ve done UK holidays more recently with a friend, again they are cheap and everything is convenient and easy.

In terms of a business opportunity, they may work on a UK basis for people with no car or who can’t afford to go abroad. Say a holiday to Haven or Butlins. But I can’t see many people wanting to be on a coach to Europe with children, and certainly not other people’s kids.

Even if you paid me @DisneyMan to go on one of these coach trips… I would politely but firmly decline.
Hopefully you have consigned this business idea to to the bin?!

I quite like the idea of a family oriented coach holiday.
I really enjoy coach and train travel and prefer these over flying (I’m not scared to fly, I just find airports too busy and going through security stresses me out especially with children)

Would really like it if seating was laid out more like a train with the table and four seats around so that we can interact and play games etc.
Child safe seating and accessible toilets onboard.
Stops at child friendly services that have a play area for a good run around.
Sounds good to me.

Were you thinking uk breaks @DisneyMan or venturing into Europe?

Nope, absolutely not. The few I took in late teens took forever! Ages at passport control at boarder, ages at service stations or stops as you have to wait for whole coach to get on and off. Plus you have to get to coach collection point

You also have to leave at fixed times arranged by coach. By plane I will opt for better times and by car I can leave whenever suits. I can choose to not stop driving own car if Ds falls asleep, or stop for 10 mins toilet only or take a detour and stop at a zoo for 3hrs.

A plane you have airport faff, but then it’s a 2hr flight v 16hr coach ride with overnight stop ( so 2 days travel by coach)

Trains I also find take ages and can be full so depending on time of year. I do use our local trains for a few journeys, but this isn’t uk so a 2-3 hr journey only costs around €10 and has restaurant carriage on board and often kids play carriage.

So basically I would only take a coach if I couldn’t use car, train or plane for some reason.

Coach holidays would be a no for me mainly due to my toilet anxiety. Train and planes have working toilets, people are less likely to get travel sick on a plane or train. Plus how much longer it takes vs plane or train, if we’re going to go somewhere by road we would just drive, DH is a confident driver abroad, and having our own car means choosing our own schedule (and toilet stops!)

I would do adults only. It needs a d3cent shower and clean toilets. Absolute ban on noise, no TV telephone etc and blackout blinds. Excellent coffee gourmet sandwiches and no alcohol permitted. Then I would go

Black out blinds on a coach with dozens of people you don’t know sounds terrifying

You are a bunch of miserable buggers! We did loads of trips to France and Spain by coach as kids and it was brilliant! Met loads of new people loved the ferry too. I think it would provide a cheaper alternative for families who can’t afford flights. I also think as a single parent a multi stop coach trip would some of the weight and planning off my shoulders and give my son chance to meet other kids. He is a very well behaved 9 year old, I wouldn’t do it with a baby or toddler though.

Thinking a type of holiday sounds utterly shite doesn’t make one a “miserable bugger”! 😆

You may have loved it as a child, but I wonder if the adults on the trip shared your joy?!

I went on a school trip on a coach recently, it was horrific the sheer noise of children on a coach was headache inducing it also took an hour and 40 minutes to do an hour journey. My grandparents did coach holidays and cruises when my granddad's health and mobility declined, it suited them because they would be picked up the coach had space for his mobility scooter, my gran couldn't handle both of their luggage on a train and the holidays were full of other older people. There is nothing to stop families using these companies, there are reasons people don't. Interestingly since he died my gran has gone back to holidays where either she flies, gets the train or shares the driving with a friend she travels with. We don't even get coach transfers from an airport we hire a carnor at a push for a short trip a private transfer

Whilst being picked up with luggage near my door is a positive, the negative is everyone else being picked up too, adding at least an hour each way if not more, especially where coaches collect from various cities, hitting the congestion in every one.

I’ve done it for a day trip to London when I couldn’t otherwise afford London, but it just wasn’t worth the hassle. Also where the coach was able to park and wait on the return was so far out. Also done a european coach trip. Again never again. Cramped conditions only alleviated by reclining my seat, followed by hassle from person behind (it was night-time!).

For me the journey, especially with kids, needs to be as quick and straightforward as possible. Anything that risks drawing it out would be avoided. I can see the appeal for older people, particularly older single people, going on a coach trip departing local to their town.

I did some as a young teen or into my 20s either with friends or for organised trips (ie skiing). I have no issue with coach trips and I think for people who want to do (for example) eurocamp or a holiday park that’s hard to get to then it’s ideal.

BUT we use ERF seats and will be using them till DS is 6ish. So I don’t think they’d fit on a coach and I wouldn’t want him in a FF seat.

There are toilets on coaches.