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Thanks everyone for your patience and advice. Once more we provide our students with the opportunity to see beyond their backyards and to experience life in other cultures with all five senses. Our previous excursions (Eurotrip 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 along with Egypt 2005 and 2009) were all very successful. This time we hope to visit Paris (3 nights), overnight train to Florence, then 2 nights in Firenze, Rome (2), overnight ferry from Bari to Athens, Athens (1), Aegean cruise (4), then Athens (1) followed by a flight back to Canada.
Our itinerary has a March 10, 2011 departure from Toronto. Forty students, accompanied by 4 - 6 adult chaperones, will become travellers and adventurers.
This thread will be used as a trip report and to relate the trials and tribulations of student travel (from a chaperone's point of view). There will be other threads wherein I will ask for advice and support as we fine-tune the itinerary.
Thank you in advance for your support as we trundle down this path.
tC
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Eurotrip 2011, 40 students to Paris/Florence/Rome/Athens/5 days on Aegean
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Re: Aegean cruise. Since you are going in March, you might consider spending time on the Peloponessean Peninsula instead
of the islands. You could see so many of the famous archeological sites, Nemea, Tyrns, Mycenae there.
Bookmarking in anticipation.
nukesafe, you beat me to it!
Looking forward to another epic journey, tC.
AA
Wow - fast replies.
HappyTrvlr - A really good point you make about the last 5 days in our excursion. I've been told that the Aegean cruise is not the warmest in March. Our student travellers know that. It will, however, be warmer than where we are from, I'm sure. To be totally honest with you, good as they are, I would imagine too many days of famous archeological sites on the peninsula might wear a bit thin on this group. The excitement of travelling on a 5 day cruise appears to be getting a good response. Our "cruise loop" includes stops at Kusadasi (Turkey), Rhodes, Crete and Santorini. I think we will choose the sound track to "Mama Mia" as our theme for the trip.
nukesafe and AnselmAdorne - great to see your voices again. We have already started the countdown. 488 days until we depart.
tC
I can't wait to hear the story of tis one! You write so well of all your adventures with kids and so observantly of the places and things you see. You are a class act and your students and adult chaperones are so lucky to have you planning this wonderful trip for them.
Sounds like a great plan. By the end the kids will be reay to relax.Good luck with your planning.Love the theme song!
Sounds like fun. Keep us updated...
Rome to Bari will make for a very long day. When I took the overnight ferry (Superfast II), they only went to Patras, not Athens. You might find it cheaper and much faster to take a cheap flight from Rome (Aegean Air?). You would use a full two days getting from Rome to Athens by bus/train/ferry.
>>When I took the overnight ferry (Superfast II), they only went to Patras, not Athens.<<
There's no such thing as a ferry from Bari to Athens. They will go to Patras or Igoumenitsa, then overland to Athens from there.
I agree with kybourbon , it is a long & not very interesting bus journey from Patras to Athens
It seems to me you won't be getting much out of your time in Greece. One night in Athens before the cruise and another night night beore your flight home will give you very little time for seeing the many wonderful sights of the city. You will spend a lot of that time checking in and out of hotels, and with transfers to/from the cruise ship and airport.
On the face of it a cruise sounds wonderful, but I wonder? After the long ferry ride from Bari, will you really want to get back on a ship again so soon? Check into how much time you will spend at each port on your 5-day cruise. Typically port calls are 6-12 hours, the rest of the time spent at sea. During March you won't be able to spend much time on deck soaking up sunshine. What entertainment does the cruise ship offer that will appeal to teenagers?
Personally I feel your time in Greece would be better spent if you based yourself in Athens with a trip to the Peloponnese. Perhaps the teens would be interested in a visit to Olympia, where the Olympic Games began, and where the flame was lit for your 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada.
I did the four or five day Agean Cruise a few years ago. I think it will be a good fit for a teen group. I agree (having lead a tour) that they won't be overjoyed with 8 hours a day of "ruins"
Also, my cruise had more on shore time then you might realize. It was what I referred to as a working cruise. They docked EARLY and excursions left EARLY!
irishface - You make me blush. Thanks for you kind comments. I certainly wouldn't be involved in these sort of expeditions if they weren't educational - but also a heck of a lot of fun.
HappyTrvlr and travelgirl2 - We will do our best to inform contributors on this board of our progress. The next 18 months or so are the "work" part. The fun starts when we board the bus heading towards the airport.
kybourbon - You are so right. Sometimes when I read your responses I think you can read my mind. We had considered a quick flight from Rome to Athens, but we've been told it is cheaper to take the coach and overnight ferry. You are right again about the ferry stop being Patras, not Athens. I tried to simplify things. I should know better than to do that on this board. One thing I didn't mention yet is that our early morning coach drive from Rome to Bari will include a stop at Pompeii. As a geographer and environmental educator I have always wanted to see Mt. Vesuvius. Ever since I was a little kid and saw the pictures of the "frozen humans" in the National Geographic I have wanted to visit Pompeii. I hope this aspect of our transfer works. This is the other reason we haven't really pushed for the flight from Rome to Athens.
jean253 - Yes, you are right. We have been warned this drive can be dull. We have planned a few stops along the way. We also know that our travellers will use this bus ride as a "nap session" since they may not have had much sleep on the ferry.
Heimdall - Thank you for your two posts. You are right about the ferry. You are also right about the amount of quality time we will have on land in Athens. It was a trade-off for me. We could have taken a three night cruise (instead of a four nights), but I wanted to visit the extra stops from the ship. I hope we will be able to visit a few of the most memorable spots in Athens, but we will have to see as the time gets closer what is actually "do-able". I am sure I will be asking advice from our Greek specialists. I have the actual itinerary for the Louis Cruise Lines (which we will use for the Aegean cruise) and the shore time varies depending on the stop. I know that the itin can change in the next 18 months, but it gives us a good idea what we will work with (hows that for alliteration?) As far as entertainment - that is not high on my list of worries. Based on the students who have provided a deposit - this group will entertain themselves. They are a super bunch. Your suggestion to focus on the Peloponnesse is duly noted and will be an excellent second choice if the cruise does not pan out. Interest in the Olympic games is growing in our area (the Olympic Torch Run goes through our town) However, the games may have become a distant memory in March 2011.
CarolA - Thanks for your input. It is nice to hear from a traveller who has done this type of excursion as a chaperone with a teen group. It is always hard to know the "right" choice to make when setting up a tour. I do appreciate your comment about the "working cruise". The first line in our promotional material sent home to parents/guardians includes the message that this educational excursion is not to be confused with a holiday or vacation.
Thanks everyone for your feedback. I am very pleased to tell everyone that we have received 43 non-refundable deposit cheques ($450 each) from students who are interested in attending. This exceeds the 40 we are able to take. And this is 18 months prior to departure. What a vote of confidence for the planners. Sadly, we will have to disappoint a number who would like to go - but they will be the first on the list for the next trip.
tC
I think I would have to squeeze in the extra three (perhaps dump some parents).
That's a very long day from Rome. It's about three hours from Rome to Pompeii and you will want to spend several hours in Pompeii. It's another three hours to Bari. Most of the ferries state their check-in is mandatory two hours before departure. I hope you plan to book quads for the students and not airseats. You should be able to get a group or youth discount.
http://www.superfast.com/site/content.asp?sel=291&loc=2
It looks like one of the new ships has dorms now. It appears to sleep 6.
http://www.superfast.com/site/content.asp?sel=343&loc=2&query=
Hi teacherCanada,
Best wishes for your student trip - it's obvious you have devoted a lot of time in planning, and your responses, while rejecting our suggestions, were charming.
If you are set on the cruise, recommend you reconsider kybourbon's suggestion to take the flight. You will avoid a lot of tedious travel, and gain an extra day at Athens in the bargain. Gaining a full day of sightseeing may well be worth the extra expense. True, you will miss Pompeii, but with a little luck the ruins of Akrotiri (another buried city) on Santorini will be reopened by then.
teacherCanada,
You have some very fortunate students!
I cannot even imagine the logistics of your trip! Kudos.
Our school has launched a Chinese exchange program but it is such a small school that it can only function every 2-3 years. On the other years trips are shorter- ie carribbean, central america, U.S.A. A trip to Greece was offered this year but with the US economy as bad as it is there were not enough takers- & you have 43 takers-Wow!
Just an update from my previous post. The "last day" to hand in deposit cheques was yesterday. We have received 60 deposit cheques from students who want to participate. Wow. We've never had such a great response. We are overjoyed that so many students want to travel with us ... and so many parents are willing to trust us.
What to do now? Well, we had predetermined we were going to stick very close to our maximum of 40 student travellers. Why? Logistics gets much more challenging once that number is surpassed. Getting everyone out of bed, eating meals at restaurants, dealing with tardiness etc. all seem to grow exponentially once numbers get over 35 or 40. It might also mean getting two coaches and difficulty getting appropriate accommodations.
There are two schools (both grades 9 - 12) involved in this trip and an attempt has been made to split involvement evenly. One school had 37 interested and the other school had 23 interested. We have decided to take mostly students presently in grades 11 and 12 with a smattering of grade 10's. (They will all be one year older next year.) How and what do we tell those who will not be eligible? There is another 4 day trip to Quebec City that we will encourage everyone to partake in. We will also create a waiting list in the event someone drops out of Eurotrip 2011. We will invite those who did not make the Eurotrip 2011 list to start submitting ideas and suggestions for the next trip (2012). We hope this will keep them enthusiastic and optimistic. It also gives them another year for fundraising and to save money.
kybourbon and Heimdall - Thanks for the links to Superfast. I'm glad they have 6 to a room now. That might cut our cost a little bit. I really sense your angst when you caution about the long day prior to the overnight ferry. I agree. It would be difficult. Heimdall, you provide additional sage advice to fly from Rome to Athens and skip the ferry. I will pursue that promptly and let our agents know that would be our preference. I know we would use the time more wisely in either Rome or Athens. We might still be able to visit Pompeii and Capri. Also, flying over the Adriatic would be a real treat. Thank you for your thoughts.
eyemom84 - Thank you for your comments. As trip planners, we were surprised (pleasantly) by the response from families and students. Realistically, this trip represents a commitment of over $5000 when spending money, passports, luggage etc. is piled on top of the cost to participate. In these weakened economic times we are pleased to have families see the value of international travel.
Please encourage the trip planners in your school to keep active. Lower cost (and shorter) trips still have great educational value. China is on my wish list (which also includes India and Peru).