sman

Hi,
We have booked our flights to Oz with Royal Brunei. Been searching threads on this airline, and now I am wondering if we have gone with the wrong airline. :scared:
We are having an overnight stop over in Brunei, so have booked a hotel not far from the airport.
I have two kids, 7 & 5, and I am now concerned about onboard kids entertainment. If the films are 'C***p' what am I going to do!!!!!!!?
What can I take with me to keep them occupied? I am not flying until January, can I cancel my ticket and go with another airline? I have booked through Austravel

mlbonner

Sleeping pills?!?

Seriously though, I've not travelled with Brunei so dont know how their in-flight service rates. Gameboys, puzzle books and comics would be my recommendation. Also if you have a laptop with a dvd player in it, you can always take this and play a DVD for them - just make sure you get a split connector and take the mains adapter to charge your battery over night!

It will depend on the type of flight you booked to whether you can change. AusTravel would be able to tell you for definate. There are also a couple of travel industry people on here that may know. I think they're in the UK, so may be sleeping at the moment!

Pollyana

Doesn't sound like the best airline for kids....

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=244656

jensteve

A couple of game boys for xmas and a link cable, let them go square eyed for the day.
Why have you opted for a stop over, everybody I know that has done a stop over has decided never to bother again. The in-laws arrived here 2 weeks ago and did a stop over in Singapore, they got here and said they wouldn't bother again. He said they sat in the hotel and said to each other "we would have been there by now" the hotel was quite isolated as well so they didn't get out.
I think the stop over with your kids will be more hassle than the actual flight. Also do you keep the baggage allowance, that is if you have asked for the increased allowance for new migrants, if you get off the plane and stop over.
Jenny

mlbonner

FWIW, I flew Thai Airlines return to the UK at the beginning of the year. On the way there we stopped for 5 days in Thailand, this was fine. The return journey was a 7 hour stop in Bangkok, granted I did a bit of DVD shopping but would have much rather arrived there 7 hours earlier!! Because I left the terminal I also had to pay departure tax.
I wouldn't recommend Thai Airlines for the kids - no entertainment system just a projected screen.

Craig822

Sman

I've got one of those little portable DVD players which is much easier to carry around than a Laptop. Fly regularly between Naples and UK with SleazyJet and quite frankly its a GODSEND. I think you can get them for under 200 quid in blighty now, get a good case for it that'll hold 6 discs along with the player and power cable etc. and badabing! - your own ents to keep em happy.

Well worth the investment - and that from a Yorkie.

sman

Thanks guys for all the tips, I didnt know about the portable DVD player, will go and check it out.
We are doing a stop over this time as last time it was just too much for the kids to do it all in one hit. On the return journey last time we changed our tickets to a stop over in Dubai (for 4 days) and really enjoyed that.
We are not making the permenant move just yet as the house is not sold yet (sounds like a familar story huh?), this is a short trip to attend a wedding.

Sman's other half,
Sammy

worzel

Can you use those portable DVD's in the air. I thought all electrical equipment had to be turned off?

wargod

Only on take off and landing ( i think)

spalen

on the subject of portable DVD players - anybody know how you keep them charged in the air - or do you have to grab power at the stops?

worzel

Thinking sideways, how long do the batteries last? Can you get spare batteries which you can charge in advance?

snappy

How about putting together a bit of a Christmas stocking type affair and let them delve into it once the flight takes off - maybe the game boys etc could be part of it, or pens, travel games, etc etc could keep them occupied for a while....if not drug them

Sasha

Craig822

Chaps

Answers on the DVD players: various models now available ranging from a 5" screen to 9" screen (mines 7" and is more than adequate (although the Mrs may disagree - wayhey!! )). Fine to use on most airlines as long as, as rightly stated, you do not use during take-off and landing (ie. when the seat belt signs are on). Battery on mine usually lasts between 4 and 5 hours which is fine for short/medium haul but you may have to ration your viewing on long-haul. Alternatively you could buy another battery pack. Obviously you can't charge when in the air you just have to make sure its full of juice before you depart (or plug it in on stopover!)

When buying one consider buying a dual voltage if you intend to visit the US or a voltage adapter to cope with the 110V. Also when buying the earphones try and buy a pair with a relatively high DB (decibel) setting as you may find that the background noise of the engines makes it difficult to hear. I believe you can buy headphones that are designed to cut out ambient noise but these are a little bit more expensive. Quality of the pictures is top-notch.

The size of the players make them easy to fit on the fold-down tray on the seats whereas with a laptop you would have to keep this on your knee in most cases.

Hope this helps someone!

rudo1ph

I recently travelled alone with my three children of 8, 5 and 2. It's not as bad as you think!! Honest! We did it all in one go - wanted to get it over and done with. The kids had drawing stuff, they watched the movies, they slept, ate, read books and that pretty much kept them occupied.

Good luck, it's seems like it's long but after all, it's only 24 hours.................

Rudi

Houdini

Just booked our flights to Brisbane stopping off In South Africa for 10days to see my old homeland and bid farewell to relatives. We're flying BMI/SAA to SA and then Singapore Airlines to Brisbane. I'm also dreading keeping my kids occupied (5 and 2 1/2), although the older one will probably get stuck into the onboard games.