Montpellier 2022

[SandraMGfan]

Santa ? will bring me tickets to the RD and the FD
I'll see if I try to get more once I've made travel plans! Can't wait, it's been too long without live skating!

 

[Sylvia]

I'm thinking instead of Worlds because I have never been to France. Should I?!

I vote yes.

 

[Lanie]

I vote yes.

I didn't get to go to SA (no more living in CA! no easy trips to Vegas anymore!) and am still 50/50 on Nashville (going to Florida next week and back to CA end of December, a lot of traveling!). Hmm.

I have a lot of Delta eCredits. A. Lot. I was going to go to Russia last October, so I could definitely do this...

Mr. Lanie says yes. Mini says WHY CAN'T I GO WHY CAN'T I BE OUT OF SCHOOL FOR A WEEK!

 

[Aceon6]

Mini says WHY CAN'T I GO WHY CAN'T I BE OUT OF SCHOOL FOR A WEEK!

Cause Mommy wants to be able to get silly with her skating friends.

 

[Lanie]

Cause Mommy wants to be able to get silly with her skating friends.

He's so upset. France AND skating, without him?

Has anyone booked anything yet re: hotels? I've been looking.

 

[litenkyckling]

Has anyone from the UK bought the Allianz $15 insurance? And if so, do you know if it is still valid for non-EU but still technically European residents? It's all in French which alas was never my language of choice in school!

 

[Lanie]

Welp I did it. Flying in to Paris (I've never been!) March 20th and leaving April 3rd. I figure I can take the train down to Montpelier as it is cheaper to do that than fly in.

 

[avivadawn]

Weirdly enough, I’m supposed to be in Prague the week before Worlds on business. I am trying to figure out how to swing in to at least catch part of Worlds while I’m on the same continent and still make it back home for when I need to be.

Stay tuned.

 

[Lanie]

Weirdly enough, I’m supposed to be in Prague the week before Worlds on business. I am trying to figure out how to swing in to at least catch part of Worlds while I’m on the same continent and still make it back home for when I need to be.

Stay tuned.

YES! I haven't seen you in forever! Do it do it do it.

 

[Deleted member 221]

Any UK people going? Flights from Gatwick to Montpellier for Friday (arriving in time for ladies free) to Sunday or Monday are ~40 GBP round trip, which almost seems too cheap not to go. Of course, the f---ing C19 testing will be at least double that....

I'm inclined to buy the flights and go sightseeing if it turns out there will be no audiences. I'm imagining last-minute tickets won't be an issue? There seem to be plenty left as of now, plus I imagine there will be people trying to get rid of tickets last minute.

 

[SandraMGfan]

Any UK people going? Flights from Gatwick to Montpellier for Friday (arriving in time for ladies free) to Sunday or Monday are ~40 GBP round trip, which almost seems too cheap not to go. Of course, the f---ing C19 testing will be at least double that....

I'm inclined to buy the flights and go sightseeing if it turns out there will be no audiences. I'm imagining last-minute tickets won't be an issue? There seem to be plenty left as of now, plus I imagine there will be people trying to get rid of tickets last minute.

I am. But haven’t looked into flights yet - but at this price i might do the trek to Gatwick!

 

[Lanie]

Any UK people going? Flights from Gatwick to Montpellier for Friday (arriving in time for ladies free) to Sunday or Monday are ~40 GBP round trip, which almost seems too cheap not to go. Of course, the f---ing C19 testing will be at least double that....

I'm inclined to buy the flights and go sightseeing if it turns out there will be no audiences. I'm imagining last-minute tickets won't be an issue? There seem to be plenty left as of now, plus I imagine there will be people trying to get rid of tickets last minute.

I have almost always snagged last minute tickets the times I've been to Worlds. It's never been an issue.

You do not want to know what I am paying to fly into CDG...

I assume in the end it won't happen. I do not see a Worlds with an audience like we used to have ever again to be honest unless skating events are moved to summer when we are allowed some choice freedoms by our benevolent overlords. New normal and all.

 

[Deleted member 221]

I have almost always snagged last minute tickets the times I've been to Worlds. It's never been an issue.

I booked the 40 GBP flight - I mean, what do I have to lose?

I assume in the end it won't happen. I do not see a Worlds with an audience like we used to have ever again to be honest unless skating events are moved to summer when we are allowed some choice freedoms by our benevolent overlords. New normal and all.

I'm cautiously optimistic, based on two things:
1) the enormous wave that's happening right now - end of March should be too early for another big cycle
2) French presidential elections

And it's too early to tell, but it seems like England may be past the peak, surviving a huge wave with minimal restrictions (just work from home and indoor masks). If this is true, I think it will be a model that other countries will look to follow.

See you there, I hope!

 

[Miezekatze]

Dunno, but most experts in Germany seem relatively optimistic about Omicron (apart from it being big trouble for our unvaccinated people over 60) and everybody thinks the wave will be quick and high, so the worst should be over by end of March IMO.

I don't see any full arenas at end of March, but also no completely empty arenas.

Not coming to Montpellier though, my friend and I want to go to Helsinki 2023.

 

[litenkyckling]

Any UK people going? Flights from Gatwick to Montpellier for Friday (arriving in time for ladies free) to Sunday or Monday are ~40 GBP round trip, which almost seems too cheap not to go. Of course, the f---ing C19 testing will be at least double that....

I'm inclined to buy the flights and go sightseeing if it turns out there will be no audiences. I'm imagining last-minute tickets won't be an issue? There seem to be plenty left as of now, plus I imagine there will be people trying to get rid of tickets last minute.

I've finally made the decision not to go as I don't have any room in my budget for any unexpected testing and quarantine - travelling from Scotland though, so no direct flights to Montpellier, flights to Paris are at awkward times for the train and our rules tend to be a little more strict. Gutted that the European worlds this quad have been during the pandemic, fingers crossed an easily accessible European city is chosen next quad. Hope everyone has a great experience though - very envious!

 

[allezfred]

I assume in the end it won't happen. I do not see a Worlds with an audience like we used to have ever again to be honest unless skating events are moved to summer when we are allowed some choice freedoms by our benevolent overlords. New normal and all.

Yes, the whole thing is just a big konspiracy to stop all of us * checks notes * watch figure skating live.

 

[Lanie]

Yes, the whole thing is just a big konspiracy to stop all of us * checks notes * watch figure skating live.

No, it's all about mass hysteria, power, money and control. It's the new normal for a reason, Fred. Things are never going back to what they were.

I'm even willing to get a silly booster shot to go to Worlds but I doubt it'll even happen at this rate. I'll probably pay up the rear in testing too!

If it happens I am super excited to a) go to France for the first time in my life and b) see more of you FSUers because we always have such a great time together. Tentative plans are fly into CDG, spend a few days in Paris, lay flowers on my grandfather's grave (he went from living in Wales, to the USA, to France), and then take the TVG to Montpellier. My French is awful. It will be an adventure...

 

[npavel]

As I'm not going to Euros, I decided to book everything for worlds. I really hope I'll be able to go. I added the 15 € assurance to my event ticket, but I hope I don't need to cancel. Air France offers refund tickets, so I suppose it's safe to organize

 

[hanca]

No, it's all about mass hysteria, power, money and control. It's the new normal for a reason, Fred. Things are never going back to what they were.

You are such an optimist! People had to deal with lots of other illnesses. If within a year from epidemic starting we already have had vaccination, why do you think that this situation is forever? Within next year, or next few years, someone may discover vaccination that will last for the whole life, or at least for ten years like tetanus. Many illnesses got eradicated, or people learned to live with them. I don’t believe that this situation is new forever.

 

[allezfred]

No, it's all about mass hysteria, power, money and control. It's the new normal for a reason, Fred. Things are never going back to what they were.

It’s a global p*ndemic. Of course things are not going back to exactly the way they were before. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I know from now on I will not be going into any crowded settings without wearing a mask in future.

We have all been traumatised in some way or another by the past two years, especially those on the front lines and those who lost loved ones. Nobody in any government I know wants the restrictions to continue, but YKW doesn’t care about humans wanting “freedom” to live as they did before. No man is an island and we are only as safe as the most vulnerable people in our societies.

For what it’s worth, I attended the French Grand Prix in November and apart from people having to wear masks and show vaccination certs it didn’t really feel that much different to competitions pre-YKW.

 

[Miezekatze]

I also didn't find attending Nebelhorn Trophy much different from normal years.

Bit less spectators than in other years maybe, but I think that was mostly, because they didn't know in advance how many spectators would be allowed and didn't sell tickets in advance, which kept some people from taking the risk to come.

(and I'm only going to wear masks as long as it's necessary/mandatory, but it's not keeping me from attending things)

I assume next summer/fall will be even more closer to normal than 2021, which was a bit more normal than 2020 already, it's an ongoing process.

 

[ostile17]

Will they sell tickets for individual competitions or only whole day Packages?

 

[victorskid]

According to a tweet from FFSG, Surya Bonaly has been named Godmother of Worlds: https://twitter.com/ffsportsdeglace/status/1478757338551099393

 

[Hanna]

Will they sell tickets for individual competitions or only whole day Packages?

Yes there are tickets for individual competitions! They are an option on the website.

 

[Lanie]

Has anyone booked hotels yet? I've had terrible, terrible AirBnB experiences so I am wary of renting anything and would rather just a hotel room... As I'm solo I want somewhere very central!

My (tentative) plan is flying into CDG, arriving on the 18th, enjoying Paris a few days, TGV down to Montpellier. Booking stuff can be tricky though because a lot is in French and while I can read/speak a little it's pretty childish so it's proving difficult even with Google Translate.

 

[Ms. Princess]

Has anyone booked hotels yet? I've had terrible, terrible AirBnB experiences so I am wary of renting anything and would rather just a hotel room... As I'm solo I want somewhere very central!

My (tentative) plan is flying into CDG, arriving on the 18th, enjoying Paris a few days, TGV down to Montpellier. Booking stuff can be tricky though because a lot is in French and while I can read/speak a little it's pretty childish so it's proving difficult even with Google Translate.

I booked an Airbnb so don’t have much information on hotels in Montpellier

 

[acraven]

I do my European-hotel research on booking.com. Sometimes I'm motivated enough to check rates on the hotel's own website and book there; other times I just use booking.com. I find its reviews generally reliable; you can't leave a review unless you've actually stayed at the property. There are useful filters as well. You do need to be careful about cancellation policies. Lots of hotels have different rates for different cancellation options.

 

[Lanie]

@acraven thank you! I'll look at Booking.com. I usually book direct or use Delta Airlines' hotel partner program (miles ftw, I have got a lot of them).

ETA: I booked a room at the Hotel Royal in St Roch. Seems like a good central location for me!

 

[muffinplus]

So I'm guessing more tickets won't be released towards March?

 

[Hanna]

I've been trying to figure out the new French vaccine pass law and have a few questions as I feel like I've seen varying things depending on the source.

So basically, starting Feb. 15th if you want to access any events, restaurants, museums etc. in France you need to have had 3 shots with the newest not being more than 4 months old. At least this is what I gathered? Now my question is are there any exceptions to this regarding people who've had the crud before? I know that a negative test won't be useful anymore. But in my case, I have had 2 shots last summer, after which I still somehow got the crud from somewhere in early November. Which means that in Finland I'm technically not allowed to get a 3rd shot as having the crud counts as the equivalent of one shot. Is this going to get me in trouble regarding Worlds?

On this site https://www.gouvernement.fr/pass-sanitaire-et-dose-de-rappel-ce-qui-change-au-15-janvier there is a table according to which a person with 2 shots + the crud will be considered the same as 3 shots until 6 months of the infection. But I am not sure if this will still be valid starting Feb. 15th?

So if there's someone here who is more in the know about this and can share the info, I'd appreciate it! If needed, I will go beg to get a 3rd shot "for travel reasons" but if it's not needed, then I'd rather save myself from the possible drama.