EF Tours - Washington DC and New York
Jun 30th, 2017, 07:19 AM
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EF Tours - Washington DC and New York
Please note, I originally posted this review to EF Tours. They stated they had to reject it because I mentioned specific names and prices. As you can see, I used only first names and no specific prices, so they are clearly using their "privacy policy" to pick and choose the reviews they post.
First, we received poor customer service by email from Ana Rosso, months before the tour.
The tour guide and the bus driver on our tour were fantastic. Joe was our tour guide. He knew everything there was to know about New York and DC, and if he was not aware, he would find out. I learned so much from Joe, and I can tell he genuinely cares about the kids and their experience. Everyone was sad to say goodbye to Joe.
Our bus driver, Chris, was an actual phenomenon. He maneuvered that bus through the insanity of the New York and DC streets as if it was a hot knife through butter, all the while keeping the rules of the road and the passengers’ safety the highest priority.
The great thing about this tour was we saw EVERYTHING. This was also the not-so-great thing because they try to cram too much into too little time. Participants are run ragged from 7 AM until 10 PM or later every day, and there is not enough time to finish most museums. There is no downtime, and kids are not able to get the 8-9 hours of sleep they need as teens.
My friend travels with a scooter due to a health condition. She advised the tour company ahead of time; however, when we arrived, Chris had not been notified anyone was traveling with a scooter. She was given very little consideration throughout the tour and was offered assistance only as an afterthought. It’s hard enough to have to travel with a scooter, and she was often made to feel she was a burden.
The biggest problems we had with the tour were meals and hotels. Let’s start with hotels. We had the worst hotels, and they were too far away from the cities. We spent 2-3 hours every day commuting to and from hotels.
The company’s excuse is that the closer-in hotels are too expensive, but this is a lie. I work for the world’s largest hotel company, and I know what is available.
The truth is they are negotiating the cheapest rates with the worst hotels, and they are hotels that are recruiting tour groups because the quality is too poor to get anyone else to stay to stay there. The tour costs enough that $100-$150 for a hotel per room per night is more than feasible, but then EF would make less money. I understand it’s a for-profit business, but EF is sacrificing kids’ time, health, and safety so they can make more money.
For most meals, the kids were given $10 to eat in a food court. This was not enough money for more than an entrée and a drink. The kids could not get a side dish or a dessert. If they could, it was only junk food. They could not afford healthier options, even though healthy options were available. The kids whose parents gave them extra money were able to eat balanced, healthy meals. The other kids were not. I gave kids extra money on more than one occasion so they could get a full meal. The tour costs enough that $15 for a meal is more than feasible, but then EF would make less money. I understand it’s a for-profit business, but EF is sacrificing kids’ health and safety so they can make more money.
The only way I would recommend this tour is if it’s the only opportunity a student would have to visit some amazing destinations. If kids can travel with family and friends, I’d save the money and do it on your own. You can do it better, safer and less expensively.
First, we received poor customer service by email from Ana Rosso, months before the tour.
The tour guide and the bus driver on our tour were fantastic. Joe was our tour guide. He knew everything there was to know about New York and DC, and if he was not aware, he would find out. I learned so much from Joe, and I can tell he genuinely cares about the kids and their experience. Everyone was sad to say goodbye to Joe.
Our bus driver, Chris, was an actual phenomenon. He maneuvered that bus through the insanity of the New York and DC streets as if it was a hot knife through butter, all the while keeping the rules of the road and the passengers’ safety the highest priority.
The great thing about this tour was we saw EVERYTHING. This was also the not-so-great thing because they try to cram too much into too little time. Participants are run ragged from 7 AM until 10 PM or later every day, and there is not enough time to finish most museums. There is no downtime, and kids are not able to get the 8-9 hours of sleep they need as teens.
My friend travels with a scooter due to a health condition. She advised the tour company ahead of time; however, when we arrived, Chris had not been notified anyone was traveling with a scooter. She was given very little consideration throughout the tour and was offered assistance only as an afterthought. It’s hard enough to have to travel with a scooter, and she was often made to feel she was a burden.
The biggest problems we had with the tour were meals and hotels. Let’s start with hotels. We had the worst hotels, and they were too far away from the cities. We spent 2-3 hours every day commuting to and from hotels.
The company’s excuse is that the closer-in hotels are too expensive, but this is a lie. I work for the world’s largest hotel company, and I know what is available.
The truth is they are negotiating the cheapest rates with the worst hotels, and they are hotels that are recruiting tour groups because the quality is too poor to get anyone else to stay to stay there. The tour costs enough that $100-$150 for a hotel per room per night is more than feasible, but then EF would make less money. I understand it’s a for-profit business, but EF is sacrificing kids’ time, health, and safety so they can make more money.
For most meals, the kids were given $10 to eat in a food court. This was not enough money for more than an entrée and a drink. The kids could not get a side dish or a dessert. If they could, it was only junk food. They could not afford healthier options, even though healthy options were available. The kids whose parents gave them extra money were able to eat balanced, healthy meals. The other kids were not. I gave kids extra money on more than one occasion so they could get a full meal. The tour costs enough that $15 for a meal is more than feasible, but then EF would make less money. I understand it’s a for-profit business, but EF is sacrificing kids’ health and safety so they can make more money.
The only way I would recommend this tour is if it’s the only opportunity a student would have to visit some amazing destinations. If kids can travel with family and friends, I’d save the money and do it on your own. You can do it better, safer and less expensively.
Jul 2nd, 2017, 12:55 PM
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Are you a kid or teacher or chaperone? I'm a bit confused there. I'm assuming chaperone if you work in the hospitality industry. Have you been on a tour before? Or travelled to those cities before?
I went on an EF tour in high school. Your experience matched my own. I wouldn't ever recommend that someone with a scooter or someone who wants to see stuff at more leisurely pace pay for one of their tours.
Your other complaints though-
It won't kill the kids to be a little sleep deprived for the week. If those kids were in extra curricular stuff at home, chances are they have the same hours- if not more- at home. I was in school at 7 for sports or band or computer class and rarely in bed before 11pm.
Kids eat junk. A lot of them probably did have money from their parents. I did, and I still ate burgers and fries. And even a tour that picks out sit down restaurants for the group can still suck food wise, because a lot of restaurants just can't handle a large tour group (which is why I don't do tours).
Do you actually have experience negotiating hotel rooms for tour groups? Or hospitality experience in those specific cities? Because I really don't think they'd do much better with central hotels. You say that families could do it at better value, but actually, a family of four is not going to find a centrally located hotel in either city for $100 a night. I've stayed in hostels in both cities, and that's maybe $50/pp. But if I were to take kids or relatives, I'd be looking at at least $150. Probably more like $200 for NYC. So while I agree that it would probably be a more pleasant experience to travel as a family, I don't agree that it would save a lot of money.
The EF model is to make a profit but still make it so parents get the best bang for their buck. They aren't luxury (or even moderate) tours.
I went on an EF tour in high school. Your experience matched my own. I wouldn't ever recommend that someone with a scooter or someone who wants to see stuff at more leisurely pace pay for one of their tours.
Your other complaints though-
It won't kill the kids to be a little sleep deprived for the week. If those kids were in extra curricular stuff at home, chances are they have the same hours- if not more- at home. I was in school at 7 for sports or band or computer class and rarely in bed before 11pm.
Kids eat junk. A lot of them probably did have money from their parents. I did, and I still ate burgers and fries. And even a tour that picks out sit down restaurants for the group can still suck food wise, because a lot of restaurants just can't handle a large tour group (which is why I don't do tours).
Do you actually have experience negotiating hotel rooms for tour groups? Or hospitality experience in those specific cities? Because I really don't think they'd do much better with central hotels. You say that families could do it at better value, but actually, a family of four is not going to find a centrally located hotel in either city for $100 a night. I've stayed in hostels in both cities, and that's maybe $50/pp. But if I were to take kids or relatives, I'd be looking at at least $150. Probably more like $200 for NYC. So while I agree that it would probably be a more pleasant experience to travel as a family, I don't agree that it would save a lot of money.
The EF model is to make a profit but still make it so parents get the best bang for their buck. They aren't luxury (or even moderate) tours.
