Contact from KE
An email dropped into my mailbox from a Matt Sharman of KE apologising for the uncertainty surrounding the Grand Teton trip and then going onto say "Bottom line is that this trip is looking pretty unlikely at this point". I don't know what Matt's role is in KE but I think we can take it that this is the final nail in the coffin of my aspirations as to a holiday in the Rockies.
He then goes onto to suggest I consider their Yosemite and High Sierra trip both instances of which commencing on the 22nd July and 19th August are guaranteed to run. What he does not mention is that the basic holiday cost of this trip is £1495 which is £300 (25%) more than the £1195 of the Grand Teton (GT) trip. Flights for the GT holiday were "from £580" which turned out to be £890 so assuming a similar pro rata increase the flight cost to San Francisco/Las Vegas showing "from £750" could easily reach £1200. At these sort of figures the holiday is looking completely un-affordable.
However as an academic exercise I have asked him to advise me of the flight costs from Manchester and also queried, given the current weakness in the dollar against the pound whether there is any flexibility on KE's part as to the basic holiday price.
Unfortunately its make or break time once again ...
Alan
A response from Matt at KE. Despite the weakness of the dollar they are not able to offer any reduction on the basic holiday cost (£1495) which seems a bit off, but the real surprise is the cost of the flights.
If I go on the second trip Yosemite and High Sierra on the 19th August, the flight cost with Continental Airlines is £760 - that is a real surprise. I find this hard to comprehend as San Francisco and Las Vegas are further than Salt Lake City - what a weird world we live in.
That would make the net cost of the holiday £165 more expensive than Grand Teton/Yellowstone. I'll await more information from Wilderness Horizons Expeditions before coming to a final decision. My inclination at this stage is for the Wyoming trip if at all possible. I have been fortunate to make contact with a very helpful professional guide in Jackson Hole who is making some enquiries for me looking into certain aspects of the trip. I'll cover this in my next post, hopefully with more information from Wilderness Horizons.
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