Travel advice: visas for Sri Lanka, gulet sailing and Disneyland Paris ...

Gill Charlton replies

Thomas Cook is not the only company in this predicament. Now that tour operators are increasingly buying allocations of seats on low-cost flights rather than using their own aircraft, this inability to reserve seats together on third-party flights is something that needs to be addressed by the industry.

What currently happens is that the tour operator sells seats from its allocation on the aircraft under one booking reference and ? at the airline?s request ? does not supply the names of the passengers until a few days before travel.

There is no individual booking reference for each party of passengers and therefore it is not possible to use the airline?s reservations system to check in online or book seats together.

This problem is restricted to flights with low-cost carriers. If you buy a holiday with Thomas Cook that includes flights with Thomson or Monarch, it is possible to book seats. On low-cost carriers, however, the only solution at present is to check in early and see whether staff can find you seats together or work with other passengers to sort something out on board.

Gulets that don?t sail

Denise Evans, from London, writes

I took a gulet sailing holiday around the Turkish coast with Saga Holidays last summer. The brochure showed a photograph of a gulet under full sail. However, in the entire week we were there we sailed for only three hours using the mizzen sail; the rest of the time we motored. Should this be advertised as a sailing holiday?

Gill Charlton replies

What is called gulet ?sailing? is really motor cruising, and charter operators say that it is the only way to cover the long distances between overnight ports of call. Sails are rarely used; perhaps just for a couple of hours of afternoon ?leisure sailing? when there is spare time.

One exception is the gulet used by Sailing Cruises in Comfort (07583 001766; scicsailing.eu), which offers sailing weeks around the Bodrum peninsula with no fixed itineraries. The captain and passengers decide how much of the itinerary will be under sail, says the company?s Dutch owner, Loes Douze.

Visa for Sri Lanka

Mary Wild, from York, writes

I have heard that Sri Lanka has introduced tourist visas. Is this correct, and how do we go about getting one before our visit to see our son there next month?

Gill Charlton replies

Sri Lanka introduced visas for tourists on January 1. Fortunately, it is quite painless to obtain them as electronic travel authorisations (ETAs). Apply online through eta.gov.lk. A 30-day one costs $ 20 (?13).

Travellers who arrive in Sri Lanka without an ETA can obtain a visa by paying the relevant fee, but there are likely to be queues.

Take cash and cards to Cuba

Sheila Cooper, from Birmingham, writes

We have heard that traveller?s cheques are no longer accepted in Cuba. Is this correct? If so, what is the best way to take our spending money?

Gill Charlton replies

Journey Latin America, a specialist in holidays to Cuba, says that the authorities have recently introduced a law making bank workers personally responsible for the correct processing of traveller?s cheques. If the cashed cheque is not accepted by the issuing bank for any reason, cashiers must repay the bank from their own pockets. Not surprisingly, bank staff are not prepared to take the risk of accepting cheques.

You should take sterling cash and a credit card as a back-up. There are ATMs in Havana and larger resorts, but these are not reliable, so you should not rely solely on cards.

Also, be aware that some travel insurers offering annual policies will not insure customers for holidays in Cuba.

A visit to Disneyland Paris with the grandchildren

Richard Bowie, from Macclesfield, writes

We want to take our four grandchildren, aged four, six, 10 and 12, to Disneyland Paris for a few days in the summer school holidays. What is the easiest way of doing this and how early should we book?

Gill Charlton replies

You should book as soon as possible for the best deals. In high summer, there is a daily Eurostar service direct to Disneyland Paris. It leaves St Pancras at 10.17 and arrives in Marne-la-Vall?e at 13.57. The return train arrives back in London at 19.47. These timings aren?t great; as you are travelling from Macclesfield you might consider flying from Manchester to Paris instead.

Cresta Holidays (0844 879 8014; crestaholidays.co.uk) has six-person ?Crew? rooms at the three-star Thomas Cook Explorers Hotel. These rooms comprise a double bed, two singles and a bunk bed. The cost for the six of you travelling out on July 19 and staying for three nights on a b? &?b basis is ?1,715. This includes scheduled flights from Manchester to Paris and a private transfer to the park.

Jacqui Brooks, the manager of your nearest First Choice branch in Stockport, recommends a package including the Eurostar service from London and accommodation in the two-star Disney Santa Fe Hotel. A three-night package departing on August 6 costs ?1,898, including passes to the park. Watch out for the cost of connecting trains from Macclesfield. There is also an affordable self-drive option involving a ferry crossing.

To build a package using Disneyland?s own hotels and to buy tickets for the park, visit disneylandparis.co.uk. Another good source of information is disneyworldmoms.com, a forum with tips from other visitors.

• Gill Charlton, who has been offering advice for more than a decade, has helped thousands of Telegraph Travel readers to get a fair deal from tour operators, airlines and insurers

• Queries may be sent by email to askgill@telegraph.co.uk. Please provide your full address, daytime telephone number and any booking reference. Readers with complicated complaints may be asked for full documentation. We regret that we are no longer able to answer postal inquiries or deal with telephone calls.

Source: http://www.uloveengine.com/3284/travel-advice-visas-for-sri-lanka-gulet-sailing-and-disneyland-paris-tips-telegraph-co-uk/

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