Non-smoking rooms with Globus Tour: Italian Mosaic
Aug 23rd, 2002, 08:22 AM
#1
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Non-smoking rooms with Globus Tour: Italian Mosaic
Hello:<BR><BR>I just reserved the Globus Tour: Italian mosaic. Will travel March 2003. I requested non-smoking rooms. The travel agent said that a request can be made but no guarantees. I contacted globus directly and they said that they typically book the rooms about 30 days in advance and in a big block, so I can ask my tour director to request non-smoking at that point in time. It seems last minute then.<BR><BR>Please give any information regarding requests for non-smoking rooms on tours esp. Globus.<BR><BR>Please provide DETAILS regarding Italian Mosaic from your own experiences, eg : Typical day, how much time you are "on your own" vs group tours. Food, hotel, tour quality. <BR><BR>We have traveled to Europe before but this is the first time that we are going on a tour. We decided that based on the number of cities that we plan to see and transportation we should book were the driving is taken care of.<BR><BR>Thanks for any input.
Aug 24th, 2002, 09:49 AM
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Hi Gand - I can't give you any specifics regarding Globus tours but I have done tours before with Cosmos and Trafalgar. I did a Trafalgar tour in Italy, and Globus and Trafalgar often follow the same route and use the same hotels.<BR><BR>With regards to non-smoking rooms, I would not be too concerned about the fact that they are only booking the rooms 30 days in advance because the hotels you stay are mostly used by the tour company and they are all doing the same thing (i.e., reserving 30 days in advance). So your shot at getting a non-smoking room is just about as good as anyone else's. That being said, if I were you, I would not get my expectations up too high because I don't think there are that many non-smoking rooms to start out with. I'm not sure where you are from, but in general, I find that Europeans smoke much more than Americans or Canadians. In my opinion, the biggest detraction in Italy is not the number of tourists but the cigarette smoke. If you want to eat in an outdoor cafe, get used breathing in someone else's smoke while you eat.<BR><BR>Regarding the "typical day" on a tour, it would probably be best for you to check with Globus. They should be able to tell you how much driving time there will be each day vs. guided tour time vs. optional excursion time vs. time on your own. In general, I found the guided tours arranged by Trafalgar to be excellent. Be prepared to feel rushed wherever you go. That is the nature of the type of tour you are taking. This is not necessarily a bad thing. You have many things you have signed up to see. They will make sure that you see them. You will want to go back to Italy and see things on your own another time, I can almost guarantee you that. But you are getting a sample of what Italy has to offer.<BR><BR>Globus uses many of the same hotels as Trafalgar so I can tell you something about that. Don't get your expectations too high for the food. You will be served cafeteria style in the hotel. Generally there is a lot of food, but very mediocre in quality. You will probably get a choice of either soup or pasta, and then a choice between two different meats (lots of veal, lots of pork), and there will probably be a vegetable. Italy is not good for vegetarians. Breakfasts will be breads, deli meats (eat your fill of yummy prosciutto!), cheeses, yogurt, dry cereal, fruit, and juice.<BR><BR>After saying all of this, I need to say that I loved the tour I took through Italy. There was a really good group of people that I traveled with and our tour manager was outstanding. Our hotels were always close to what we wanted to see, which to me is the #1 quality for a good hotel when you are sight-seeing, especially when you are walking to sights. The only exception was Venice, and there we stayed in Mestre, which is an ugly town on the mainland across from Venice. But we were able to get into Venice easily from there. Also, the tour was a great value.<BR><BR>Hope this helps!<BR>Allison
Aug 25th, 2002, 04:59 PM
#3
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Hi Gand:<BR><BR>My wife and I went on the vacation of a life time with Globus during July/August, 2001 ("Essential Europe Tour"). The accomodations were clean, and we did not encounter any problems with cigarette smoke (except in London). With regard to Globus, they are a top-notch outfit in my opinion. My wife and I were aprehensive at first due, in large part, to some of the scathing reviews we read. Most, however, referenced tours that were taken years ago, and Globus has clearly improved its performance. <BR><BR>You should also know that the tour director,and driver were extremely well organized and knowledgable. Moreover, our traveling companions were wonderful people, and really made the trip alot of fun. In short, for the price, Globus doesn't pull any punches. If you read their literature closley, you'll see that some of the hotels arn't centrally located (i.e. the "Venice" hotel was in Mestre), but most were within walking distance to important sites. In short, should we ever return to Europe again, we'll probably go it alone since we got a good feel for the territory. Without question though, if we wanted to book a tour, Globus will get our business again! <BR><BR>Hope you find this info helpful. Have a great trip!
Aug 25th, 2002, 05:27 PM
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Gand--- You are in for a real treat. I have been on many Globus Tours--most of them traveling solo. They take care of everything for you and I also had the safety of traveling with others.Most of the time ,we are a big happy family by the end of the tour.<BR> I also am a non-smoker. If I were you I'd immediately pull the tour escort aside and make your room request. Some couples did that to asure a double bed (many hotels will have twin beds). I'm sure your escort will try his/her hardest to meet your request. And as Allison said--your chances are as good as anyone else. They ARE very strict with no smoking on the coaches. Just keep in mind, many Europeans are still smoking as compared to US.<BR> As for daily schedule--read the brochure. They stick to it down to the last detail. What they say you will see----you will see it. If it says a visit, you will go inside. Many times you can ask for a photo stop if they can at all do it safely, legally, and not mess up their schedule.<BR> Keep in mind that Allison has never been on a Globus Tour---just the budget Cosmos (my recommendation is to stay away from them). Many hotels are out of town, fewer included tours, etc. Just a cheaper package. On Globus (my 14-15 of them anyway) we never eat cafeteria style for dinner.<BR> You will get to see many things in a short length of time. Personally,I like to be dropped off at the door with an English speaking guide waiting for me. (no driving, no parking problems, no securing a guide or looking for a place to purchase the tickets, and on and on.)<BR> I did Italy with Globus, but the one that went down into Sicily also.<BR> If you are allergic to smoke, fill them in on that. You might also wish to take your own pillowcase and even some Frebreeze to spray.<BR> I wish you the best on your 1st tour. You have picked a reputable touring company. Enjoy. Please post a report next April when you get back.<BR><BR>
Aug 26th, 2002, 01:38 AM
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Just to clarify - yes, I did a Cosmos tour several years ago (which, as Debbie mentioned, uses hotels which are farther away from sites since it is the "budget" line of Globus/Cosmos). However, I have also done two Trafalgar tours, which compete toe-to-toe with Globus. Globus and Trafalgar use many of the same hotels, at least in Italy. I'm pretty sure that the Globus eating arrangements were the same as ours -- (someone please correct me if I'm wrong) -- a meal in the hotel will be "cafeteria-style." Wait people in these hotel dining rooms will not give you a menu and do not go around asking for individual orders. You will choose from one or two preselected choices for each course.<BR><BR>In my experience, the factors which differentiate between a great tour and a lousy one are the tour manager and the other people on the tour. I took a Trafalgar tour a couple of years ago and HATED the tour manager. She was horrible. She repeatedly publicly ridiculed one of the passengers on the tour. Because of this, I was extremely hesitent to use Trafalgar again but decided to because I got a really great deal and had heard glowing reviews from other people. I'm so glad I decided to give them another try because our tour manager, was really fabulous. Unfortunately, these two factors (tour manager and fellow passengers) are the ones which you have the least amount of control over. You simply have to hope for the best. However, I think my first trip with Trafalgar was an anomoly as both Globus and Trafalgar use some of the best tour managers out there -- ones who have already proved themselves in the budget tours.<BR><BR>Allison
Aug 28th, 2002, 08:36 AM
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It's hard to remember the tours by name, but if you let us know what cities the Italian Mosaic tour goes to, you might get some more specific responses. We did a Globus tour of Italy that went to Rome, Florence, Venice, Assisi, Stresa, and Sorrento (not in that order 
), and the only hotel that was really out of town was the one in (or out of) Rome, which was about a 20 minute ($10 to $15) cab ride away. The only real downside of this was that once you were out for the day, you pretty much didn't bother going back to the hotel until after dinner! In Venice, the hotel was the Principe, near the train station, which is a long walk or a vaporetto ride to St. Marks Square, but gives you an excuse for wandering through town on the way to and from. In Florence, the hotel was also near the train station, but Florence is a more compact city, so it was convenient to all the tourist sites. <BR><BR>In general, these tours are very good for getting you into someplace, letting you see a few interesting things in a short time, and getting you out again. Stops in Pisa and Genoa worked well this way. The stop in Ravenna, allegedly to see the famous mosaics, was a disappointment - rather than stopping at the main sites, we stopped at a church outside of town for half an hour, I think because it also provided snack bars and restrooms, which basically gave people a choice of viewing the mosaics or using the facilities before we were loaded back on the bus. In major cities, you generally have free time, so you can explore on your own a bit more, if you feel there are places where you want to spend more time.<BR><BR>As someone already stated, the food is OK but nothing special. Even though it's paid for -) ), you will probably enjoy yourself more if you get out on your own to a local restaurant occasionally (even if the food there is nothing special, either ), just to feel you've seen more of the city. Many of the optional tours are interesting, but I've never found the group dinner outings to be all that much fun, and the food is mostly the same as what's included at the hotel - that's usually a good night to have dinner on your own!
), and the only hotel that was really out of town was the one in (or out of) Rome, which was about a 20 minute ($10 to $15) cab ride away. The only real downside of this was that once you were out for the day, you pretty much didn't bother going back to the hotel until after dinner! In Venice, the hotel was the Principe, near the train station, which is a long walk or a vaporetto ride to St. Marks Square, but gives you an excuse for wandering through town on the way to and from. In Florence, the hotel was also near the train station, but Florence is a more compact city, so it was convenient to all the tourist sites. <BR><BR>In general, these tours are very good for getting you into someplace, letting you see a few interesting things in a short time, and getting you out again. Stops in Pisa and Genoa worked well this way. The stop in Ravenna, allegedly to see the famous mosaics, was a disappointment - rather than stopping at the main sites, we stopped at a church outside of town for half an hour, I think because it also provided snack bars and restrooms, which basically gave people a choice of viewing the mosaics or using the facilities before we were loaded back on the bus. In major cities, you generally have free time, so you can explore on your own a bit more, if you feel there are places where you want to spend more time.<BR><BR>As someone already stated, the food is OK but nothing special. Even though it's paid for -) ), you will probably enjoy yourself more if you get out on your own to a local restaurant occasionally (even if the food there is nothing special, either ), just to feel you've seen more of the city. Many of the optional tours are interesting, but I've never found the group dinner outings to be all that much fun, and the food is mostly the same as what's included at the hotel - that's usually a good night to have dinner on your own!
