Oh my gosh! I just looked at the prices. It's $6,500 per couple plus airfare!! You can go to Europe

Has anyone ever taken the "European Tapestry holiday accommodation mallorca tour and London Extension" with Globus before? Though we have traveled extensively in the US on our own, and once on our own in Europe, we have decided to try this tour through Globus for a change. holiday accommodation mallorca I have tried to locate anyone out there who has taken this tour to whom I could direct my questions, but apparently no one has ever posted anything about it. I read good reviews about the company so I felt pretty good booking with them, but I wanted some information from those who have actually been on this tour. So if that is you, or someone you know, please get back to me. I already know about the 5:45 A.M. wake up calls which aren't a big deal as we get up at 5:40 AM anyway. I also know about the hours on the buses, and after driving all over much of the USA that too is not a problem. I am looking for a little more in depth information.
I've only taken one Globus tour (not the Tapestry tour) and I would not take another one as I was not pleased with the tour guide or hotel locations or food. Everyone is different and some people do not have high expectations. A friend took a Globus river cruise and was disappointed in the tour guide; holiday accommodation mallorca she described her guide as giving "shallow" information.
In Venice the only place the tour takes you to see is glass blowing. I'm crying for anyone who goes to Venice and only sees glass blowing. Of course, after traveling from Innsbruck that's all you'll have time for.
Oh my gosh! I just looked at the prices. It's $6,500 per couple plus airfare!! You can go to Europe for 2 weeks and spend half of that, have a wonderful time, eat good food, and stay in nice places. AND...do what you want to do, not what some tour company decides you should do and see.
You already know about the looooong bus rides and the early morning w/ luggage in the hall. If you want to travel that way and see "Europe" flash by outside the coach window - then go for it. Me -- I'd prefer a hot stick in my eye.
When I first started traveling I took several escorted tours with Globus, Trafalgar, and Cosmos, so I am probably holiday accommodation mallorca more pro-tour than many people on this board. However, after viewing this itinerary, I must say that as an experienced tour goer, I would give this one a pass.
First and foremost, too much time is spent in transit with very little time actually spent in the various cities. I, too, don't mind long bus rides, but not at the expense of actually seeing the city. Moreover, you are moving from place to place nearly holiday accommodation mallorca every night. That is tiring and inconvenient, and trust me, packing and unpacking every night gets old very quickly.
For the price you are paying, IMO there is not enough included sightseeing. As far as the glass blowing and diamond center, those are just sales presentations in disguise. Every tour I have ever been on offered something similar. After the first couple of trips, I would skip them and head out on my own. For the little bit of time you have in each city, I wouldn't spend any of it listening to a sales pitch.
You also need to take a look at the location of your hotels. For example, The Hotel Mestre is outside of Venice and you will have to take a train to get into Venice. Who wants to go to Venice and not stay near the canals? Particularly when you are in town for only one night? Likewise the Pullman Paris Rive Gauche is a bit outside of central Paris as well, in a business area. You will have to take the metro to get to any sights, which wouldn't be a big deal if your time were not so limited. I don't recognize the other hotels, but my guess is that they aren't much better situated.
I agree with adrienne and janisj. I have done tours but mostly travel independently. You do realize that your day in London has only one stop and that's St. Paul's ( That's if it's not on a Sunday). holiday accommodation mallorca The Changing of the Guards is not something that I'd recommend to a first time visitor, and it is difficult to actually see what's going on unless you arrive very early. A waste of time with all the other possibilities available in London. The rest of the London sites mentioned seem to be drive by's.
As for Venice, what about visiting (not simply having a quick look and probably not even going inside ) St. Marks (Basilica San Marco), the Doge's Palace, not to mention the wonderful holiday accommodation mallorca museums, churches and the Rialto Market. I'd be very suspect of a tour that opted to visit a glass blowing factory instead of any of the other excellent offerings. As to the "arrive in style by private boat", all tours arrive via private boat and believe me ( I've done it) it's not so special and if they're suggesting that it is special...red flag. If you must do a tour, I'm sure that there are better tours available, especially at that price point.
Have you already booked this tour? If the answer is no and you'd like suggestions to plan your own trip I'm sure the people on this forum can help you with hotels, restaurants, sight-seeing, and train tickets.
I am among the few tour enthusiasts on this board. Just took a peak at the itinerary for European Tapestry. No way much too much riding and not enough time seeing real sights. The mileage is extraordinary! The more trips I take to Europe (have also gone independently by car, train etc.), the smaller the area I wish to cover. Not sure if this is your first European jaunt. If so, presume holiday accommodation mallorca that you will return so you do not have to cover so much territory in one trip.
You might consider any one country that you have always wanted to visit (France, Italy, Ireland?) or a few adjacent countries like Spain/Portugal or the Alpine holiday accommodation mallorca countries of Switzerland/Austria. There are so many choices. As Walkabout mentioned, hotel locations are key to enjoying a trip. I usually prefer Insight tours (a step up from Trafalgar) because hotels are more centrally located.
Thanks, everyone. Well guess what? It's too late for I told you so's as I have already paid for it. So now I am trying to salvage what appears to be one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Any suggestions?
Look carefully holiday accommodation mallorca at the itinerary to see where you have free time and maximize your time and choose sights you want to see. First step - go to your local library and get some guide books so you'll be familiar with the places you're going to.
Day 2 - morning sightseeing. You'll probably do a drive by for the sights except St Paul's which you will visit. holiday accommodation mallorca If there is no changing of the guard that day (question your tour guide in advance) then leave the tour at St. Paul's and do your own thing in the afternoon. You can go until late at night as only breakfast is included that day. Get some restaurant recommendations for dining and evening activities. London Walks offers some interesting walks, including in the evenings. Rick Steves may have some podcast walks you can download.
Day 5 - see the cathedral in Cologne (unless holiday accommodation mallorca you hate churches then go out on your own). Choose holiday accommodation mallorca to do the Rhine cruise or not. Get some advice holiday accommodation mallorca from others here who know if the sights holiday accommodation mallorca along the Rhine at that point are worth giving up the afternoon.
Look up each hotel (I did look at the itinerary but didn't pay attention to accommodations) and if necessary, ask here on Fodors for the best ways to get in to the city center and back to the hotel on your own. That way you can maybe explore some w/o having to take the tour bus 'home' at night.
Day 6 - not much choice here. You might want to skip the Folklore Party. I would think it's an option and not included. You can walk around Lucerne and get some idea of its beauty. As I suspected - the folk lore thing is not included - you'll have to pay extra. Call Globus and ask how much it costs so you will have time to decide to do it or not.
Day 8 - Venice - as soon as you hit Venice leave the group and see what you want to see on your own. Read about Venice before you leave on the trip. The Basilica and Doge's Palace is in St. Mark's Square (arrival point). You may be able to book tickets for a Doge's Palace tour - check on this.
I would do a gondola ride but not on the grand canal - the ride is much nicer on the smaller canals. holiday accommodation mallorca There have been posts on this board about where to get a gondola. Perhaps you will make friends on the tour and you can share the expense with a couple of other folks. Ask your tour guide if the Globus gondola ride is on the Grand Canal or not. I thought this would not be something I would ever do but I loved the one ride I took. Listen to the orchestras in the evening in St. Mark's Square. If you sit down the drinks will be pricey but you only need to order one beverage each to sit there for hours and watch the people and listen to the music.
Day 9 - all day to Rome. Hopefully you'll get there early enough to do something. Call Globus holiday accommodation mallorca and ask what time they arrive in Rome. Find out where your hotel is. Spend some money on taxis to take you where you want to go (taxis are not that expensive in Rome). Dinner holiday accommodation mallorca is not included so find some romantic resto and have dinner - make a reservation first.
Day 10 - this will be a long day - Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, Colosseum, and Forum - wow! I think the tour will try to fit this in before lunch. Decide if you want to see the Colosseum and Forum. Plan something for the afternoon. Remember - taxis are all over, you can hail them and they will save your feet. This day is a lot of walking.
Ok, so far so good. I like your ideas to make this lemonade work. So my first question is how difficult will it be to get around in each city since we only speak English? holiday accommodation mallorca As far as I can see, all of the hotels are outside of the city centers which means we are navigating on our own. First stop Amsterdam I was already not interested in the Diamond Center, so if we leave the tour we will need to get back to our hotel. Anyone been to Amsterdam who can help? In Venice we are not interested in seeing glassblowing so again we will need to get back to our hotel in Mestre holiday accommodation mallorca on our own. Anyone been to Venice who can hel