tcm
...
I sent the letter below to sunsail MD, but no reply from him, though a partial reply from an office person, which said "i hope it was sunny" but there are clearly no plans to do anything. Sunsail get lots of free advertising on telly, but imho some of the shorebased stuff is a bit manky. This slightly edited, names taken out etc.
Dear xxxxx
We've just got back from a 2-centre holiday with Sunsail in the BVI bareboat
over Christmas, and then at Club Colonna in Antigua over New year.
We were given questionnaires, but they don't allow a full picture - and they
take time out of a holiday. So I thought I'd write.
Overall, we enjoyed the Caribbean, and we'll go again. We had exactly the
same 2-centre holiday the year before (2000-2001) so it must have been
pretty okay the first time - and it was.
This time, the bareboat was fine again. However, it sprang a serious leak
on the last day, filling the boat with almost a foot of water before I found
the raw water exhaust pipe and fallen off, and I jammed it back on. But then
the bilge pump didn't work.
We lurched back to Mayer Cove, whilst running off as much fresh water as possible to lose some weight. Some of the sunsail men started fixing things, whilst we recovered from what had been a potential sinking situation. The manager chap (I think he was, but he didn't say anything) saw us, but then left us unsympathetically and without comment.
Later, in the office, I made the point that we could have simply packed, abandoned the boat to sink in the Drake channel, got in the dinghy and returned for our $400 dollar dinghy deposit. An hour later at debrief the nice local chap at last thanked us for saving the boat. I wonder when the manager does anything if he doesn’t even raise an eyebrow when a boat almost sinks? Or if you need him at all if others can manage it all?
Then to Antigua, where there's a beach club/hotel, with sailing boats. But things weren't as they were the year before. The rooms weren't available. They'd put us in a villa, but along where the sewerage smells are still as bad as last year. I complained, and got rooms near to where we'd been before. But this year the spin driers are hammering away at the walls from 7.30 am and then every spin cycle until mid-afternoon.
Most depressing is the food. Many of the buffets were evidently cheaper
than the year before, culminating in lasagne and potato salad at New Years
Eve. Most meals seemed aimed at the palate of the staff (what's "edo?") rather than the majority of the Brit. guests who don't go a bundle on plantain fritters,
for example. Mealtimes must be easy when most of the food is uneaten.
The New Years Eve fireworks, admittedly a fabulous over-extravagance last year were pared down to lousy and much-ridiculed 2-minute £100 five rockets and and fizzle.
This is all such a pity. I know that controlling costs is important, but
the way that this been done is to spoil the whole thing. Many people had
tired of the food and went off-site. The New Years party was only half-supported. I met one couple that were eating off-site as much as possible. We took to avoiding the morning flies in the bar by taking breakfast to our room. The bar prices have gone up so that they're now more expensive than at the airport.
Having travelled the world a fair bit, I don't think I've ever been to a
restaurant or hotel where the topic of the lousy food/management was the most easy common ground with which to start a conversation with others.
Eventually, even the pernicious little (new) charge for baggage handling back to the airport seemed entirely in character, although transfers are supposedly included.
It seems such a shame that the superb location and excellent waterports
equipment and facilities are thwarted by such a rapidly worsening onshore
situation. I can't believe that they need to so ruthlessly control and
bear down on their costs.
I mentioned to the general manager that, unlike last year, there were local
dogs roaming the watersports beach. "Well", he said "You point them out to me, and I'll make sure that they're sent away!" . Hmm. Can someone tell him that dogs have four legs and a tail?
Sadly, although we might rent Sunsail boats again, we won't use the club again unless it all changes back to at least as good as it was a year or so ago, or
hopefully, somewhat better.
I'll also avoid the tightly jammed seating of Air 2000 if I possibly can. I
understand that these have the shortest legroom of any transatlantic
carrier. I tried to upgrade but no chance on the busy Christmas flight.
During the flight on the way home, we were asked to fill in another
customer survey, and shortly afterwards, they served coffee. I noticed that
all of the stewards and hostesses pour boiling coffee/tea in the direction of the seated passenger, so that any pouring accident would instantly scald someone.
Perhaps they could turn a little, and pour over the aisle, not over the passenger, to eliminate the risk, I suggested? “I've never had any accident like that in 9 years” responded the bristling steward. I almost asked if he'd ever had a plane crash, and if he'd only bother with other safety precautions... once an accident had happened. I stopped filling in the survey.
Costs sem to have been pared such that they're driving customers away (me anyway, and some others I'd imagine) and the prices are such that you're making pots of money. At any rate, you might suggest to the CEO of First Choice
not to do any more TV interviews where he points out how people are
prepared to spend lots more on special interest holidays, hence the lovely
profits, because it grates.
That's enough from me. Let me know if Colonna is getting a refit. It needed it a few years ago. Nonetheless, we had a good holiday with lots of
sunshine.... ....but the sunshine is free, Mr. Branson is a better bet for the flight, and Moorings now actually have a Customer Service emblazoned speedboat patrolling the BVI. Wow!
Dear xxxxx
We've just got back from a 2-centre holiday with Sunsail in the BVI bareboat
over Christmas, and then at Club Colonna in Antigua over New year.
We were given questionnaires, but they don't allow a full picture - and they
take time out of a holiday. So I thought I'd write.
Overall, we enjoyed the Caribbean, and we'll go again. We had exactly the
same 2-centre holiday the year before (2000-2001) so it must have been
pretty okay the first time - and it was.
This time, the bareboat was fine again. However, it sprang a serious leak
on the last day, filling the boat with almost a foot of water before I found
the raw water exhaust pipe and fallen off, and I jammed it back on. But then
the bilge pump didn't work.
We lurched back to Mayer Cove, whilst running off as much fresh water as possible to lose some weight. Some of the sunsail men started fixing things, whilst we recovered from what had been a potential sinking situation. The manager chap (I think he was, but he didn't say anything) saw us, but then left us unsympathetically and without comment.
Later, in the office, I made the point that we could have simply packed, abandoned the boat to sink in the Drake channel, got in the dinghy and returned for our $400 dollar dinghy deposit. An hour later at debrief the nice local chap at last thanked us for saving the boat. I wonder when the manager does anything if he doesn’t even raise an eyebrow when a boat almost sinks? Or if you need him at all if others can manage it all?
Then to Antigua, where there's a beach club/hotel, with sailing boats. But things weren't as they were the year before. The rooms weren't available. They'd put us in a villa, but along where the sewerage smells are still as bad as last year. I complained, and got rooms near to where we'd been before. But this year the spin driers are hammering away at the walls from 7.30 am and then every spin cycle until mid-afternoon.
Most depressing is the food. Many of the buffets were evidently cheaper
than the year before, culminating in lasagne and potato salad at New Years
Eve. Most meals seemed aimed at the palate of the staff (what's "edo?") rather than the majority of the Brit. guests who don't go a bundle on plantain fritters,
for example. Mealtimes must be easy when most of the food is uneaten.
The New Years Eve fireworks, admittedly a fabulous over-extravagance last year were pared down to lousy and much-ridiculed 2-minute £100 five rockets and and fizzle.
This is all such a pity. I know that controlling costs is important, but
the way that this been done is to spoil the whole thing. Many people had
tired of the food and went off-site. The New Years party was only half-supported. I met one couple that were eating off-site as much as possible. We took to avoiding the morning flies in the bar by taking breakfast to our room. The bar prices have gone up so that they're now more expensive than at the airport.
Having travelled the world a fair bit, I don't think I've ever been to a
restaurant or hotel where the topic of the lousy food/management was the most easy common ground with which to start a conversation with others.
Eventually, even the pernicious little (new) charge for baggage handling back to the airport seemed entirely in character, although transfers are supposedly included.
It seems such a shame that the superb location and excellent waterports
equipment and facilities are thwarted by such a rapidly worsening onshore
situation. I can't believe that they need to so ruthlessly control and
bear down on their costs.
I mentioned to the general manager that, unlike last year, there were local
dogs roaming the watersports beach. "Well", he said "You point them out to me, and I'll make sure that they're sent away!" . Hmm. Can someone tell him that dogs have four legs and a tail?
Sadly, although we might rent Sunsail boats again, we won't use the club again unless it all changes back to at least as good as it was a year or so ago, or
hopefully, somewhat better.
I'll also avoid the tightly jammed seating of Air 2000 if I possibly can. I
understand that these have the shortest legroom of any transatlantic
carrier. I tried to upgrade but no chance on the busy Christmas flight.
During the flight on the way home, we were asked to fill in another
customer survey, and shortly afterwards, they served coffee. I noticed that
all of the stewards and hostesses pour boiling coffee/tea in the direction of the seated passenger, so that any pouring accident would instantly scald someone.
Perhaps they could turn a little, and pour over the aisle, not over the passenger, to eliminate the risk, I suggested? “I've never had any accident like that in 9 years” responded the bristling steward. I almost asked if he'd ever had a plane crash, and if he'd only bother with other safety precautions... once an accident had happened. I stopped filling in the survey.
Costs sem to have been pared such that they're driving customers away (me anyway, and some others I'd imagine) and the prices are such that you're making pots of money. At any rate, you might suggest to the CEO of First Choice
not to do any more TV interviews where he points out how people are
prepared to spend lots more on special interest holidays, hence the lovely
profits, because it grates.
That's enough from me. Let me know if Colonna is getting a refit. It needed it a few years ago. Nonetheless, we had a good holiday with lots of
sunshine.... ....but the sunshine is free, Mr. Branson is a better bet for the flight, and Moorings now actually have a Customer Service emblazoned speedboat patrolling the BVI. Wow!
