Frequently Asked Questions

How do I apply?

You will find all the details of the trips by surfing through our pages. If you look at the Young Person pages, there is a registration page. Fill this in and it sends your details to the appropriate people.
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How am I selected?

You will be contacted by one of the medical team and they will discuss the options with you and your family. We will come and meet you to assess your suitability for this trip or a future trip. We will look at your needs, our volunteer availability, the other Young People on the trip and several other factors to make sure you will have the best care available to you.
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If I'm not successful this time, can I reapply?

We will let you know if we think you aren't able to come on this years trip. We will keep your names on record and contact you for future trips when we start selecting people. You can, of course, fill out another registration to remind us that you are keen!
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What will it cost me?

We operate as a Charity and ask for no money from any of our Young People. However, if you are able to bring sponsorship money or any funds of your own, we will be extremely grateful and your generosity will be so useful to help yourself and others have a fabulous time on the trip.
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Will my Carer visit me before the trip?

You will first meet your Volunteer Carer at the team meeting in the February before the trip, when all the families geta brief on what will happen during the trip. After that, your Volunteer will come to your house and meet you and your family and have a chance to get to know you. You are always able to call your Volunteer at any stage if you have any questions.
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Will I meet everyone who is going on the trip beforehand?

We invite all the families and Young People to a meeting a month or two before the trip so we can brief you all on what is to be expected, what you need to bring, how the administration works etc. Not all families are able to attend because, being a National Charity, many people live too far away to travel. You will have met most people, though.
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Does my Carer have to be with me at all times?

While you are on the trip, your Volunteer will be around whenever you are and will be available to you. When you go out skiing, however, you will be paired with an NSCD instructor and your Volunteer may go off and do something else.
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Does anyone else come out with us when we go off Skiing?

When you go out on the slopes from the NSCD you will have one or two instructors with you and we try to ensure you have the same instructor all week. Since they are volunteers too, that isn't always possible. Your volunteer may ski with you some days, as will other volunteers if you don't mind. It is a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere and you may end up skiing in a small group with other Young People too.
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What do we do in the evenings and when we are not skiing?

When we return from the skiing, there is a quiet time when you can relax, socialise, have a nice "hot tub" or even sleep! We will all meet up every night and either eat out in a local restaurant (Chinese, Steak House, Pizzaria, Mexican) or we will eat in. When we do eat in, we have a choice of take aways or we get a local caterer to provide a hot meal (Spagetti Bolognase, Lasagne etc). This is a good chance to get to know the other Young People and get involved in some games or planned entertainment!
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What happens if I don't feel like skiing or if I'm too tired?

You are under no obligation to go skiing if you don't feel like it. If you are tired, you can stay in the cafe with the duty Volunteers - but you'll be so keen to get on the slopes that we don't think that'll happen! We do take a rest day in the middle of the trip to allow you to recover, which helps!
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Do we share a room and with who?

You will be sharing a room with your Volunteer during the trip. This is often necessary. All the rooms are twins.
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Do we need to bring towels?

You do not need to bring a towel as they are provided by the hotel.
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Are there hairdryers in the rooms?

No, the hotel do not provide hair dryers so you may wish to take a small travel one.
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How much money should I take?

You will not need money for the day to day running of the trip as all your food and drink is provided by the Charity. The only money you need is for buying Postcards, T-Shirts or Souvenirs. It is up to you how much you wish to take for souvenirs, clothes etc but you would be fine even if you didn't have any at all!
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Will I need Travel Insurance?

Travel Insurance has always been provided to the Charity by Alan Berry Insurance and you do not need to find your own. However, if you have some already from previous trips then we ask that you let us know.
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Are there many shops and what kind?

Winter Park town has a few shops on the high street. These include a 7/11 convenience store, a couple of clothes and ski-wear shops and several restaurants. There are no electrical shops, toy shops etc so don't expect to go on a big spending spree!
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Will I be able to contact home?

We have several means for communicating with the UK. The first is to buy a US Phonecard on arrival. There is a phone available in the hotel and the best time to chat is first thing in the morning for us, which is about 2 or 3 in the afternoon UK time. We trialled an MSN system with a Web Cam in 2007 and it was very successful, so we hope to run that again. We will provide the address and your friends can add us to their MSN contacts and chat for free!
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Can I take my mobile phone and will it work?

Phones will work in the US and you are welcome to take yours, but you must ensure that it is tri-band and you have roaming enabled. Costs of calls and messages vary between service providers so check the costs before you come out.
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