I would recommend GoAhead Tours, but please read on
Written: Jul 07 '08 (Updated Jul 08 '08)
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Pros: Included meals very good. Hotels comfortable enough, reasonable price. Itinerary excellent.
Cons: Expense of optional excursions, GAT insurance not a good idea.
The Bottom Line: Go Ahead and sign up for Go Ahead Tours. I would go with them again
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| melinda789's Full Review: Go Ahead Tours |
Two friends and I traveled with GoAhead Tours in May of 2008. We visited Budapest Vienna, Prague, and Salzburg. We flew Lufthansa and United (now partners) which I usually am not pleased with, but our flights were on time, and reasonably comfortable. The tour was 14 days with two of those taken up with travel there and back.
We had a wonderful time on this tour. The flight arrangements were quite good, in spite of the fact that a common complaint about this tour company is the flight schedules. Granted, the airlines and weather cooperated. There was a small window of time coming back in to Washington to get through customs, but all went smoothly. The itinerary was excellent, and the substitute tour director was absolutely excellent. He is knowledgeable, funny, and very reliable, courteous and helpful. I don't know what the scheduled director was like, just that he became ill, and the one who took his place was great. He offered extra excursions which were quite good.
The optional excursions did add quite a bit of extra expense (averaging 60 to 100 dollars each) to the trip, but there were plenty of options available in each city without adding these. We just thought that we might never get back there, and we wanted to see and do everything. The buses from city to city were comfortable, and the little towns we stopped in charming. The local tour directors were very good.
Quite a few meals were not included. I think there were about 18 included. There was a decent buffet breakfast at all four hotels. We were on our own for lunch most days. The food was good, albeit a little heavy on the carbohydrates and not many vegetables but that is typical of the restaurants in Central Europe.
I have checked into prices of other groups, including Elderhostel, and even with the extra excursions this trip was less. Hotels ok, NH Belvedere in Prague was roomy and clean, but staff unfriendly. Ramada Budapest was very nice, but small rooms. Gablerbrau in Salzburg charming but not as clean as it should be. Holiday Inn Congress City Centre in Vienna was very clean and nicely decorated. Rooms were of secondary concern to us, because we spent very little time in them.
A common complaint about Go Ahead Tours is the insurance. We did not have to try to use it. After reading all the fine print, especially that it had to be something requiring hospitalization, we would not buy it again. There are lots of companies out there. But they all have fine print, and lots of ways to avoid paying. What I did like about the GAT insurance is that up to certain time the trip could be cancelled for any reason, (only vouchers issued) and that appealed to me.I would go with GAT again, but I would be choosy, as I have heard nothing good about the tour in France. Surprise, surprise, they don't like us anyway.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Tour format: Various
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Epinions.com ID:
melinda789
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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