Christmas 2020 Skiing Likely To Be Cancelled?

[NinnyNewName]

We booked back in January (we have been xmas skiing for the lsat 8 years).

Going with Esprit, to France.

Not likely to happen is it?

@bengalcat we ended up not going as it was obvious France about to go into lockdown, but because it was our choice not to go didn't get a penny refunded, and sure enough slopes closed two days later .

So I'm going to wait until the last minute before any booking for next year. Sadly I suspect skiing may be off the menu except for maybe Easter, but who knows .

I think we may transfer our deposit to a summer holiday and save the 4.8k we owe to a ski holiday last minute

Checked with inghams and they don’t cover it forced to isolate so if kids get sent home to isolate we are knackered!

And insurance only covers I think if you booked prior to covid - I did book holiday before but not insurance

Sorry, this thread fell off my radar.

Balance was due Sunday just gone, but we've not had a reminder so it's unpaid currently.

The entire holiday is around 4.5k. It's a shared occupancy with 2 other families who we don't know.

The balance is around 3.8k. We've paid the differnce as a deposit.

We have no travel insurance. We always do. But it ran out in August and having had 2 trips abroad this year cancelled I didn't renew it at the time. Not sure I'd get any now. And wouldn't go skiing without any. Been waiting to see what Esprit say tbh.

On the one hand skiing could be okay - you've got gloves on, you can socially isolate on the chair lifts, it's never that busy at xmas. The chalet worries me, as does having lunch out as the restaurants are usually quite busy. And being at the airport, on the plane, on a transfer coach for 3 hours etc.

It might just be best to not pay the balance and forfieit the deposit.

Why not ask If you can roll the deposit over to next year?
I would be astonished if you could go on holiday as you describe it even if you are happy to quarantine (and no incoming quarantine is imposed between now and then).

@NinnyNewName

Sorry, this thread fell off my radar.

Balance was due Sunday just gone, but we've not had a reminder so it's unpaid currently.

The entire holiday is around 4.5k. It's a shared occupancy with 2 other families who we don't know.

The balance is around 3.8k. We've paid the differnce as a deposit.

We have no travel insurance. We always do. But it ran out in August and having had 2 trips abroad this year cancelled I didn't renew it at the time. Not sure I'd get any now. And wouldn't go skiing without any. Been waiting to see what Esprit say tbh.

On the one hand skiing could be okay - you've got gloves on, you can socially isolate on the chair lifts, it's never that busy at xmas. The chalet worries me, as does having lunch out as the restaurants are usually quite busy. And being at the airport, on the plane, on a transfer coach for 3 hours etc.

It might just be best to not pay the balance and forfieit the deposit.

I think they have changed when balances are due - now 8 weeks before instead of 10 weeks . I spoke with inghams on Tuesday as I couldn’t see our chalet anymore online and they have pulled it for this year only offering the larger hotels so maybe worth seeing if it’s still online. If it’s not worth asking for your deposit back (this is what I have done ). Same group of companies and they they have just reviewed their winter accommodation

We’ve postponed ours to December 2021. Otherwise we’d have to pay in full. going as a big group so want to be able to be in a gang.

The chalets are still showing as available on their website. I can't really see how it will happen tbh. And yes, we would ask to postpone to next year.

I intend to roll deposit to summer or next winter and use the savings for aclast min Deb half term if it looks ok

I’m not worried about fco advice as inghams refund for that

It’s isolation from School or track and trace as insurance won’t pay for that if known

Last min Feb half term

I wouldn’t go without insurance. And I’m in the Caribbean right now, so not adverse to travelling... but there’s so much that could go wrong.

As I said, I wouldn't go on a skiing holiday with no travel insurance.

The balance on our ski holiday was due last week and we paid it because I checked with our insurance that we’d get a refund if the FCO still advise against travel.

Personally I wouldn’t go in a shared chalet but maybe self-catering. We spent September in France and did two weeks’ quarantine on our return. That still might be in place. We’re going to wait and see how things go for January or March. I wouldn’t touch a ski resort with a barge pole in February in a normal year let alone this year coming. Thing is, no one knows what’s on the horizon.

I've just paid the balance (after buying travel insurance which had expired in August).

They are removing one family from each chalet, I think, so that there are only 2 families not 3.

We cancelled our holiday.

Hoping we might get to go at Easter.

Spoke to inghams today about my Feb trip - he said it was almost definite that Dec and Jan holidays wouldn’t go ahead so we are transferring balance

Inghams did confirm refund with fco but no refund if track and trace force isolation or if area has restrictions or isolation on return

@Ginogineli

Spoke to inghams today about my Feb trip - he said it was almost definite that Dec and Jan holidays wouldn’t go ahead so we are transferring balance

Out of interest did they give any indication of the feeling for Easter? Feb half term always too £££ for us so looking at the last week of March! Missed it so much this year so really hoping we get to France next year. Would so love one thing to look forward to!

Well he said Feb was 50/50

He was quite negative to be honest which I was surprised at given their role but glad because I still have options

I will move my deposit to a city break later in year

It’s the potential for disruption from achools and clubs etc sending kids home as well as track and trace - plus local lockdown - I’m north west and all legally atop you going on holiday

Just been cancelled.

We have a booking with Peak Retreats to an apartment in France and are planning to drive using the tunnel. I think there is a chance the holiday could go ahead if the French and UK lockdowns end in early December and the French government allow ski resorts to open. There is talk of the UK inbound quarantine being reduced to 7 days with a test at the end. I read somewhere that the French government is likely to make a decision in mid to late November on resort opening dates. If the holiday turns out not to be possible we will have the choice of postponing or a refund.

When they called they said they were cancelling all holidays (hotels too) because they just can't be sure what the French authorities will do re lockdown and they needed to make a decision.

TBH I'm glad the decision has been made for us. We have put the deposit against the same booking next year. But I'm also going to look for an alternative in La Rosiere.

@NinnyNewName are you looking for a chalet in La Rosiere? If your're happy with SC apartment then Peak Retreats mentioned below have some great ones.

Our ski trip is all booked separately (France) and the flight just cancelled - so have to decide whether to try to rebook flight (12th Dec!!) or drive if the holiday goes ahead (unlikely) or what. The chalet won't cancel until the last minute and I was prepared to wait BUT it's just seeming so unlikely at the moment.

Thanks @OhCobblers. We like to go catered, especially with it being xmas. I think we will probably wait until next year :-(

@Bakeachocolatecaketoday I think it's very unlikely to go ahead, sadly.