Malcolm
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BOOKINGS TO OPEN FOR 2016 TT SAILINGS WITH THE ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
BOOKINGS TO OPEN FOR 2016 TT SAILINGS WITH THE ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET COMPANY
With one of the busiest TT festivals of recent years less than a fortnight away, the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company can confirm provisional bookings for 2016 sailings will open on Monday, 1st June, at 8.30am.
More than 13,500 motorcycles are currently booked to travel to the Island for this year’s TT, an increase of 10% on 2014, and demand for 2016 is expected to be just as high.
Provisional bookings, which are held with a deposit, can be made by visiting http://www.steam-packet.com or calling 08722 992 992* (UK) or 0044 8722 992 992* (ROI & Outside UK) from 8.30am on 1st June.
The deposit for foot passengers has been held at £10 for another year, but there will be a small increase in the deposit for vehicles, from £40 to £50. This does not represent an increase in final fare price, only in the level of deposit required.
Steam Packet Company Chief Executive Mark Woodward explained:
‘The deposit system is intended to help TT fans secure a place on the ferry and book accommodation a year in advance. However, in recent years it has become apparent that some people are obtaining deposit bookings to secure an “option” for a place – or to sell it on – but without a firm commitment to coming to the TT.
‘This means genuine visitors have less opportunity to secure their preferred sailings, which in turn can discourage some fans from planning a visit. Clearly, this situation is not in the best interests of fans or the event, so we have taken this decision to help promote committed bookings.
‘This deposit increase for vehicle bookings does not affect the final fare level and we hope it will dissuade speculative bookings which are limiting the options for genuine fans.’
Mr Woodward added:
‘Demand continues to grow to visit the TT, so we are expecting our website and phone lines to be very busy when provisional bookings open. We will be bringing in additional staff to help with demand, but would ask for the public’s patience as we assist other customers.’
*Calls to this number are charged at 10 pence per minute including VAT from a BT landline, calls from other networks and mobile operators may vary.
(This post was last modified: 18-05-2015, 11:57 AM by Malcolm.)
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18-05-2015, 11:18 AM |
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Steady the Edward
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RE: BOOKINGS TO OPEN FOR 2016 TT SAILINGS WITH THE ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
Dear Mr Woodward in your statement you say ( ‘This means genuine visitors have less opportunity to secure their preferred sailings, which in turn can discourage some fans from planning a visit. ) I think you will find that if you study your records more closely you will find that it is not individual customers not being able to come and there for selling their tickets on that stops the genuine visitor from getting the booking he wants' there for not coming , it is the block bookings that you hold on to for the tour operators that are then re offered when the tour operator cannot sell the amount of crossings they had hoped they would , this is what has been happening for some years now and has been a bone of contention to the genuine fans since it started in my opinion , if I am in any way wrong in my assumptions , then way I point out to you that my assumptions are held by thousands of genuine TT supporters , many of which have given up on the TT for this very reason , if I and they are wrong you need to do an awful lot of pr work to look after your core TT travelers to try and help get rid of your image and name of being the Racket company
Yours don't care anymore you're too late , Steady The Edward C/O the home for the upset off TTWebsite.com
the views of the writer are in no way endorsed by the owner or of any of the websites members , and are solely the opinion of the said writer rightly or wrongly , tut tut nudge nudge wink wink
sorry Malcolm couldn't resist delete if you like , my tongue is hurting my cheek lol
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18-05-2015, 04:02 PM |
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dommyman
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RE: BOOKINGS TO OPEN FOR 2016 TT SAILINGS WITH THE ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
(18-05-2015, 04:02 PM)Steady the Edward Wrote: Dear Mr Woodward in your statement you say ( ‘This means genuine visitors have less opportunity to secure their preferred sailings, which in turn can discourage some fans from planning a visit. ) I think you will find that if you study your records more closely you will find that it is not individual customers not being able to come and there for selling their tickets on that stops the genuine visitor from getting the booking he wants' there for not coming , it is the block bookings that you hold on to for the tour operators that are then re offered when the tour operator cannot sell the amount of crossings they had hoped they would , this is what has been happening for some years now and has been a bone of contention to the genuine fans since it started in my opinion , if I am in any way wrong in my assumptions , then way I point out to you that my assumptions are held by thousands of genuine TT supporters , many of which have given up on the TT for this very reason , if I and they are wrong you need to do an awful lot of pr work to look after your core TT travelers to try and help get rid of your image and name of being the Racket company
Yours don't care anymore you're too late , Steady The Edward C/O the home for the upset off TTWebsite.com
the views of the writer are in no way endorsed by the owner or of any of the websites members , and are solely the opinion of the said writer rightly or wrongly , tut tut nudge nudge wink wink
sorry Malcolm couldn't resist delete if you like , my tongue is hurting my cheek lol
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Rightly or wrongly Eddy, I have to agree, that is the way I feel about the booking system. In their defence though, Hotels do need to have enough ferry spaces to accomodate their customers. For years, until they closed, we stayed at the Royal Hotel in Port Erin, who were able to do all the booking for us. If we tried to book, and they could not get us on a boat, what are they going to do, except have empty rooms. Maybe the block bookings are weighted too heavily in favour of the Hotels, but they do need to be able to get their customers across. Campers and Homestay etc have different requirements, and need to be able to book their own crossings, this is understandable. It would be interesting to know how many people, who really wanted to go this year, could not get a crossing when all the extra spaces became available.
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18-05-2015, 04:41 PM |
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Steady the Edward
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RE: BOOKINGS TO OPEN FOR 2016 TT SAILINGS WITH THE ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
ha ha it is a problem Dommy I admit but , the above is to be taken with the last line in mind lol , but to be serious I have bleated on for years and said many many times any GOOD BUSINESS MUST look after its base customers and sorry to say the hotel customers are not in the majority they can't be there is not enough Hotels left thus begging the question is this new thinking a realisation that the numbers have changed ( and don' t get me on about numbers every year that I can remember we get the Bull sh-- that they have 10% more than last year ??? I would love to see the un molested true figures for the last 10 years ) from hotels to campers , and the majority of those want to do their own bookings , for me Dommy it makes no difference any more I am doing the taster this time and that is it for me TT wise , classic or otherwise I will still go to the Island but it will be for the Southern and as a tourist enjoying the Island that we love without the hustle , and as you know I normally go and come back on the out of TT period crossings but on checking the prices going over for the Southern works out a good £60 + cheaper than it would to come to the TT even on the out of period prices , , and for me and this is a personal thing I think it is getting to the stage that the 1000cc bikes are getting too fast for a roads race , I no longer enjoy being at the sharp end , I worry about safety too much and see far too much that frightens me so time to call it a day , I will be doing my last shift for the Orange army on the Wednesday of practice week sadly , for I have on the whole enjoyed my time standing shoulder to shoulder with some fantastic people and made some great friends , friends whose friendship I will cherish for ever ,
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18-05-2015, 06:31 PM |
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laverda77
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RE: BOOKINGS TO OPEN FOR 2016 TT SAILINGS WITH THE ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
I always have to laugh when the talk is of more visitors each year visiting the tt, please, many of us were around at hailwoods return in 78,trust me, what its moved to the island is much reduced.Iv e been most years since, and have spent sometimes 2k in a week to follow the tt,however its a day trip again,so sorry to the pubs, shops,restuarants,,where normally my cash goes.Im just back from the Orkney islands and getting on and off is a doddle.( a second ferry company was allowed to serve Orkney too, a while back)So until this happens we will still have to pay 3 times more than a similar crossing there.How many of us TT fans love the island to go at other times too.? I have despite the poor ferry connections.what is needed is private money to provide an alternative service,but as a long time manx visitor I know this has been tried.
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27-05-2015, 10:35 PM |
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Yamanx
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RE: BOOKINGS TO OPEN FOR 2016 TT SAILINGS WITH THE ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
BIG stress day
The touts will be there in numbers more than ever this years, as they predict.
Its not bank holiday, so, like most people I'm at work. I'm taking 4 mobiles with me and I'm using the landlines.
Stress for sure
"By all means think yourself big, but never think others small........." R.F. Scott
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27-05-2015, 10:47 PM |
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quickstepqueen
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RE: BOOKINGS TO OPEN FOR 2016 TT SAILINGS WITH THE ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
I know some people book a ferry in the hope they can get the time off work. Booking so far in advance often means you can't be guaranteed the time off work. (Last year I booked the tickets then had to wait until 1st Jan when the work's holiday chart went up, to scramble before anyone else to book the time off.) These people then feel that losing £40/£50 is a gamble worth taking.
(This post was last modified: 03-06-2015, 04:13 PM by quickstepqueen.)
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03-06-2015, 04:09 PM |
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bristolboy
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RE: BOOKINGS TO OPEN FOR 2016 TT SAILINGS WITH THE ISLE OF MAN STEAM PACKET
(18-05-2015, 07:53 PM)Steady the Edward Wrote: Oh I am sure them Fairies have a lot to answer for Dommy , but for me it is a culmination of things that put together make it hard to come up with a compromize that would allow me to carry on , it is not a decision that has come easily I have to admit , but I am known for being a stubborn old git that sticks to his guns once he has made his mind up , if you had said to me a couple of years ago that I would be turning my back on the TT I would have laught at you and told you that as long as I could get my zimmer frame up the gangplank I would be there , just goes to show that we should never say never , as for watching it on the box I am not a box watcher even when it is something you would have thought I would be interested in , watching the first three or four bikes go round doesn't do it for me
So why are you at the TT then eddy marshalling I stick to my guns LOL
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06-06-2015, 05:47 PM |
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