In praise of Excel One

[Jo B]

Well, after more than two weeks back in the UK, I'm finally getting round to writing those reviews of our first visit to Tobago.

As will be gathered from the title, we decided to go with Excel One. Correction, I recommended it to my husband as a good option instead of spending extra on upgrading with Virgin. He was really apprehensive before we went having read lots of negative reports in dive mags. We did the Thursday flight, which is a triangular service, landing briefly in Grenada on the outward leg, direct home on the inward leg.

He is now a convert! We were delighted with the service in both directions. The planes were on time (in fact early into Tobago), clean, the staff were friendly and efficient, the food was good, there was plenty of drink on offer. The in-flight entertainment was limited and rather patchy, but that doesn't worry us. There were plenty of newspapers and magazines handed round. The check-in procedures were pretty smooth, with priority check-in both ends, and our bags came off almost immediately. At Gatwick you get use of a lounge, which is useful after a 3-hour check-in! Also, for divers, you automatically get a 40kg luggage allowance, so no worries about the kit.

The cost was about £725 each. For this we received space and service levels comparable to business class on big carriers. If I remember correctly, this price is considerably less than even Premium Economy on Virgin.

Obviously, travellers on a tight budget wouldn't consider this option, but for anyone who normally spends a bit more for some sort of upgrade we would definitely recommend Excel One. We will certainly use them again.

Jo x

[Jude Robson]

Thanks for that info - we are in exactly the same position as you - I like the sound of Excel One, my husband isn't keen simply based on the fact that it is a charter and therefore bound to be delayed. Your post has convinced me it is the right thing to do!

One question though - were there any children in Excel One - we have a 1 and 2 year old - will we stand out like sore thumbs with everyone cursing us if/when they cry. (It is our first big trip with them and we are rather nervous!)
Thanks
Jude

[Jo B]

Hello Jude

I don't think there were any children in Excel One on our trips, but at least you would have the extra space and legroom to move around and cope with them. The seats are arranged in 3 pairs across the cabin, so assuming you are not paying for extra seats for the children, you would have your own space with them. I don't have children myself, but I don't envy anyone having to travel with tinies in any class! The stewards were also extremely friendly and helpful, and the extra attention one gets in Excel One means that drinks and other services are more easily available.

Good luck with persuading your husband - he sounds just like mine re charter airlines. Of course, things go wrong on all airlines, but we were more than happy with the service we received. One hint - we discovered too late that it is possible to pre-book seats in advance. We didn't realise this until we questioned why all the window seats had gone despite being early to check-in. It may be useful to get front seats - right by the stewards and the loo (on LHS when looking towards front) and no-one in front to get annoyed.

Jo x