Grand European (End Paris, 23 Days)

Customer Reviews

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  Sylvia

  · July 13th, 2024
  We had a wonderful time on this trip! So much to see in 3 weeks. Our tour guide Bernie McCarthy was EXCELLANT! As well as our bus driver Donalto. Bernie was so informative with history facts about the areas we were travelling through. I couldn’t write fast enough in my book! The hotels, meals, local tour guides were way beyond than what we expected. So organized, efficient and overall perfect. We are already planning our next Trafalgar trip!
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  Trafalgar commented on this review

  Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your review. We are thrilled that you found the services our On The Road Team provided exceptional—they are a valuable asset to our company. We understand that the long coach rides may have been tiring,... Show more
  Trip date: July 2024
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  ASMITA

  · August 16th, 2023
  FEEDBACK FOR GRAND EUROPEAN WITH EUROSTAR EXTENSION TRAFALGAR TOUR No. A040216 Hello, I am writing to you in reference to the tour with Trafalgar we’d been on. This is from my side (Asmita Anil Menon) and on behalf of my mother Ajanta Venugopal. The two of us, Asmita Anil Menon and Ajanta Venugopal travelled in the above mentioned tour from 19th July 2023 to 8th August 2023. We have the following feedback for you: 1 The management of the meals was very poor. On the first day itself, for the Welcome dinner, we did not get bread. When asked, we were told that the other tables finished it off, and there was none left. We were then given old bun. This was just for the two of us. 2 Before the trip began, and multiple times during the tour, we had informed the Tour Director Mr Brek Colling that we are Non-Vegetarians, but we don’t eat beef and pork and that we should be served Chicken or Fish in our meals. On many occasions, we were served only vegetarian food inspite of informing him earlier, much to our dislike. In fact, for one of the optional dinners (only I Asmita Anil Menon went for it), that costed 99 EUR, only vegetarian food was served. On asking Mr Brek, he in turn asked me what I eat, as if he doesn’t know. On enquiring the restaurant staff about this, they informed me that they don’t provide fish or chicken there. It’s either vegetarian or pork. Why did Mr Brek not inform this to me earlier when he knew well in advance that I have opted for this optional dinner? Inspite of me reiterating to him so many times, I had to eat the same vegetarian food. Why was I not informed earlier that food options are limited for that evening? 99 EUR is not a small amount. It was a complete waste of money as I couldn’t eat anything. 3 During the optional Gondola ride in Venice, just when me and my mother were about to get into the prescribed boat, Mr Brek directed us to move back and made the couple standing behind us get in first and take the main recliner seats. Let me reiterate that the tour director did this, and not the gondola boatman. If the boatman said it, we would have accepted it as a way to balance the boat. But Mr Brek displayed his partial ways here too by not letting us take the seat even though we were standing in front. 4 We had an itinerary. But Mr Brek kept changing the itinerary frequently at his whims and fancies, as a result of which we could not visit and see some very important places which were clearly mentioned in the itinerary. Focus was always shifted to the Optional experiences. a) Rome — We were not taken to the Colosseum to visit and take photos. We just drove past the Colosseum and Mr Brek showed us the Colosseum from a moving bus. We were not taken there. It was again shown from a far off bridge at night, but that was only for the ones who went for the optional dinner. When we reported this to Trafalgar, the next day Mr Brek asked us to take a taxi to the colosseum, and claim the taxi amount from Trafalgar. What kind of behaviour is this? He also warned us that we might not be back in time, and might miss the visit to the Vatican. We can either do this or that. On asking him why the trip is so poorly planned, he said that it’s not possible to accommodate everything on the itinerary. There is not enough time. My question is if Trafalgar and the Tour Director are on the same page or not? If it is not possible to accommodate everything on the itinerary, why is it even mentioned in the itinerary. Is it meant just to fool the customers? b) Paris - We were not taken to the Eiffel Tower to view and take photos. We only saw it from the Seine river cruise (which was an optional tour), and were only shown the Eiffel tour at 10:30 pm on our way back from the cruise. This too was the lit up Eiffel Tower from a far distance and we were given 5 minutes to get down and get back into the bus. And what if we did not want to go for the optional river cruise? Then we wouldn't have seen anything at all! We wanted to go to see the Eiffel tower from close during the day (as mentioned in the itinerary) and take photos, but the request was declined. When we asked if we can ourselves go and see it, he said “of-course, everything in Paris is at a walking distance of just 45 minutes”. He said this inspite of knowing the fact that my mother is old and cannot walk that much. He did not bother to help us out with the logistics or explaining it to us. Colosseum and Eiffel Tower are the places for which it was clearly mentioned in the itinerary as places of visit (and not viewing from the bus or optional cruise). We were not taken there in spite of it being clearly mentioned in the itinerary. We have spent a lot of money and travelled all the way from India to see these important places but were not taken there, as a result of which our tour stands as an unfinished agenda. If we knew that you are going to change the itinerary and deprive us of a visit to these two important places, Colosseum in Rome and Eiffel Tower in Paris, we would have selected another tour company. 5. At the end of the tour, while we were departing from the hotel in Paris, our baggage was not carried down by the staff in spite of the fact that we had confirmed with Mr Brek the previous night that it will be done. We have paid porterage charges for the entire tour duration including the last day. When we came down to the reception that day, the tour director spoke to us very rudely and said that it’s not a part of his job anymore, and that we can get it done ourselves. 6. On checking out from the hotel in Paris, all guests were given packed breakfast boxes, except for the two of us (even though we had come down to the reception well before time). If all the guests were given lunch boxes, why were we denied the same? When we asked the tour director, he said that some other guests have taken our breakfast and it is not his responsibility to take care of all this. Seriously? Is this the kind of behaviour for which we have entrusted Trafalgar with our hard earned money? We finally did not get our breakfasts that day and nobody was held accountable for it. No excuses are acceptable for this kind of behaviour. It appears that your tour director has racist tendencies because we were Indians citizens. This is alarming. Your tour director Mr Brek Colling gave us poor service, and was unbelievably very rude with us. It can be seen that all the above shortcomings are not minor in nature but major defects in the functioning of your company Trafalgar. We have travelled with other tour companies like Globus and Cosmos and have not faced any such deficiency in service. This amounts to harassment of guests and will be given wide publicity in all travel forums so that no one ever makes the mistake of going on any tour with Trafalgar. Whenever anyone asks us about the tour, we are making it a point to tell them about the discrimination and problems we faced with Trafalgar. We demand adequate compensation for the deficiencies in service as mentioned above. That is the least you can do to restore your credibility. Asmita Anil Menon Ajanta Venugopal
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  Trafalgar commented on this review

  Thank you for sharing your experience here with us. We would like to note that our Guest Relations Department has received your correspondence regarding this trip, and we would like to assure you that someone from the team will be reaching out to you... Show more
  Trip date: July 2023
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  SuzanneWillis

  · November 13th, 2019
  This was my 13th tour with a variety of different tour companies but my first with Trafalgar. Kassie was knowledgeable, professional, exceptionally patient and an absolute joy to have as our tour director and as such has been the best one I’ve ever had, so thank you Kassie
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  Trafalgar commented on this review

  Here at Trafalgar, we understand that the rapport between our Travel Directors and our guests can help to turn a good trip into a great one. That's why we make sure that all of our Travel Directors have been trained to the highest standards and are... Show more
  Trip date: October 2019
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  GaryWilhelmi

  · November 11th, 2019
  Kassie and driver Pierre Luigi were the best.. There is no way that you could experience what we did in 21 days on your own.. Worth every dollar
  

  Trafalgar commented on this review

  Thank you for putting through such great feedback. We always appreciate reading about our guests' time spent on the road with us and are delighted to learn that Kassie and Pierre made sure you had a truly memorable travel experience. On top of this,... Show more
  Trip date: October 2019
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  MarilynGuiang

  · November 11th, 2019
  The tour was excellent, places that we visited are well described. More free time.
  

  Trafalgar commented on this review

  Thank you for sharing this with us; it’s brilliant to read that the Grand European guided holiday proved to be as fantastic as you have described. Furthermore, we are pleased to know that the itinerary lived up to what the brochure outlined, and more... Show more
  Trip date: November 2019
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  AnnLowis

  · November 7th, 2019
  Kassie was an amazing Tour Director who possessed extensive knowledge of all the areas we travelled. Kassie ensured our tour ran smoothly and each morning she would individually speak to each guest just to check they were feeling well and to see if they had any questions for her. This is a little something that we all thought was very special. Kassie is such a lovely young lady and she endeared herself to everyone on the tour. The lady I travelled with suffered from very bad vertigo on the tour and Kassie went out of her way to assist her and make her feel safe and comfortable. Kassie is such an asset to Trafalgar.
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  Trafalgar commented on this review

  Thanks for sharing such positive feedback with us here at Trafalgar. Our Travel Directors take great pride in making our guests’ time on the road special. Their knowledge and passion for our destinations, along with the care and consideration that they... Show more
  Trip date: October 2019
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  MaureenLaRivee

  · November 6th, 2019
  Kassie Jones made our "trip of a lifetime" very memorable. She was very knowledgeable, telling us the history of all the places we visited. She was so pleasant, always smiling, and went above and beyond what was expected of a tour director, even offering to pick me up some new items to replace the ones I had left in the hotel room. Several people became ill on the trip and a few had mishaps. Kassie's heartfelt concern touched all of us. To the fantastic out of the way places she took us to, to the little "treats" she gave us, you could tell that Kassie really enjoys her work. She made out trip very special and one that we will never forget.
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  Trafalgar commented on this review

  Thanks for taking the time to share your review with us here at Trafalgar. We love creating experiences that our guests will remember for a lifetime, and one of the best ways to do that is through our dedicated and passionate Travel Directors. Still, we... Show more
  Trip date: October 2019
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  CarolAnnable

  · November 4th, 2019
  I couldn't wish for a better tour guide than Kassie. Her thoughtfulness, caring attitude, compassion (I suffered a severe form of motion sickness in the form of vertigo) was just like travelling with a best friend. She went above and beyond with not just me but everyone. The trip was full of constant 'surprises' as in little hidden places, taste tests etc. Lots of laughs, lots of games when it was a long drive and not one single day without her cheery smile and attitude.
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  Trafalgar commented on this review

  Thank you for putting through such uplifting and positive feedback concerning your time on the Grand European guided holiday with Trafalgar. Our Travel Directors are trained to the highest standards and pride themselves on the care and consideration... Show more
  Trip date: October 2019
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  LynCavanough

  · November 4th, 2019
  Kassie was so competent, knowledgeable and personable. It's a massive task organising 32 people for a huge part of the day every day and this tour was 21 days long. Kassie had made so many arrangements and everything went beautifully. I can't praise her enough. Best tour director I have EVER travelled with.
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  Trafalgar commented on this review

  Our Travel Directors are trained to the highest standards and pride themselves on the care and consideration that they provide to our guests at all times. With that being so, it pleases us to learn that Kassie made sure that you had a seamless and... Show more
  Trip date: October 2019
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  OwenPaul

  · October 21st, 2019
  Great trip and a grand group of people to travel with.Cassie is a lovely lady and was amazing as a tour director,her attention to detail is second to none and nothing was a problem for her.Cassie and our driver Edwardo formed a great team and both contributed to our great trip.
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  Trafalgar commented on this review

  Our Travel Directors take great pride in making our guests’ time on the road special. Their knowledge and passion for our destinations, along with the care and consideration that they provide to our guests at all times, makes all the difference when... Show more
  Trip date: October 2019