Cosmos travel - Central Europe
May 9th, 2015, 08:44 AM
#1
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Cosmos travel - Central Europe
Hi! Has anyone ever traveled with a company called Cosmos? If so, what was your experience? This Central Europe tour looks good but I'd like to hear from anyone who has actually used this company
http://www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?t...ntent=overview
http://www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?t...ntent=overview
May 9th, 2015, 08:51 AM
#2
Millions of people have traveled w/ Cosmos.
The good news is that tour has 2 night stops everywhere. The bad news is you spend all day traveling to the next stop so those two nights only net you one day in each city.
Not great but far from the worst I've seen.
The good news is that tour has 2 night stops everywhere. The bad news is you spend all day traveling to the next stop so those two nights only net you one day in each city.
Not great but far from the worst I've seen.
May 9th, 2015, 10:16 AM
#3
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It would appear to have the benefits of a group tour (all arrangements made for you, driver handles your luggage) as well as the detriments (very large percentage of your time spent in transit - days starting at 7 am, sitting on a bus and often falling asleep, limited time in world class cities, hotels may not be central and meals are likely to be americanized version of local cuisine).
The page you link to doesn't have the details. You need to determine:
Where the hotels are - are you stuck out in the suburbs rather than center city making it difficult to sightsee in evenings and find other restaurants
Check exactly what is included in the base price and which items mentioned are optional activities for which you will have to pay extra
Check the itinerary site by site: a "view" means you see something out of the bus window as you drive by, a "stop" means a 5 minute photo op out front, only a "visit" actually takes you inside - and this may be only part of the sights rather than the chance to explore the whole place (many palaces or castles include only brief inside tour and no chance to explore grounds)
The company is huge and reputable - if you want what they are selling.
The page you link to doesn't have the details. You need to determine:
Where the hotels are - are you stuck out in the suburbs rather than center city making it difficult to sightsee in evenings and find other restaurants
Check exactly what is included in the base price and which items mentioned are optional activities for which you will have to pay extra
Check the itinerary site by site: a "view" means you see something out of the bus window as you drive by, a "stop" means a 5 minute photo op out front, only a "visit" actually takes you inside - and this may be only part of the sights rather than the chance to explore the whole place (many palaces or castles include only brief inside tour and no chance to explore grounds)
The company is huge and reputable - if you want what they are selling.
May 9th, 2015, 10:36 AM
#4
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I've always found it difficult to compare tour packages across different agencies.
Some tours have a low, get-you-in-the-door price but include comparatively few sights. Instead they offer "optional excursions" for an extra fee, which may be good if there are parts of the tour route you don't care for and thus won't have to pay for. And tipping often is not included in these types of tours; you'll have to tip your guide, bus driver, etc. Also be aware that the shopping excursions (like going to see a Venetian glass blower) are pretty much scams because your guide or driver get a taste of anything your group spends.
Other tours have a higher up-front price but cover more activities and are smaller in size. 25 people on a 50-person bus is a much better experience than 50 people on a 50-person bus.
Also check to be sure you will be staying in hotels in the city center, not on the outskirts. Centrally-located hotels save you time since you won't have to commute from the outskirts. Big tours often book on the outskirts because such places can accommodate big tour buses.
Some tours have a low, get-you-in-the-door price but include comparatively few sights. Instead they offer "optional excursions" for an extra fee, which may be good if there are parts of the tour route you don't care for and thus won't have to pay for. And tipping often is not included in these types of tours; you'll have to tip your guide, bus driver, etc. Also be aware that the shopping excursions (like going to see a Venetian glass blower) are pretty much scams because your guide or driver get a taste of anything your group spends.
Other tours have a higher up-front price but cover more activities and are smaller in size. 25 people on a 50-person bus is a much better experience than 50 people on a 50-person bus.
Also check to be sure you will be staying in hotels in the city center, not on the outskirts. Centrally-located hotels save you time since you won't have to commute from the outskirts. Big tours often book on the outskirts because such places can accommodate big tour buses.
May 9th, 2015, 07:27 PM
#5
>>The page you link to doesn't have the details.<<
It does -- if you click on the various tabs most of the details are there. For instance, these are the hotels:
FRANKFURT AREA Leonardo Royal Frankfurt or Mercure at Friedrichsdorf
BERLIN Abba or NH Alexanderplatz or Holiday Inn Express City Centre
WARSAW Golden Tulip Warsaw Centre or Mercure Centrum or Mercure Grand
KRAKÓW Swing
BUDAPEST Novotel Centrum or Aquincum
VIENNA Bellevue or Kavalier or Star Inn Schönbrunn
PRAGUE Clarion Congress or Clarion City or Clarion Old Town or NH Praha
MUNICH Rivoli or Tryp
FRANKFURT AREA Leonardo Royal Frankfurt or Mercure at Friedrichsdorf
travelingtwosome: I'm not going to take the time to look up the locations of each one . . . You can figure out if they are in good locations or not.
It does -- if you click on the various tabs most of the details are there. For instance, these are the hotels:
FRANKFURT AREA Leonardo Royal Frankfurt or Mercure at Friedrichsdorf
BERLIN Abba or NH Alexanderplatz or Holiday Inn Express City Centre
WARSAW Golden Tulip Warsaw Centre or Mercure Centrum or Mercure Grand
KRAKÓW Swing
BUDAPEST Novotel Centrum or Aquincum
VIENNA Bellevue or Kavalier or Star Inn Schönbrunn
PRAGUE Clarion Congress or Clarion City or Clarion Old Town or NH Praha
MUNICH Rivoli or Tryp
FRANKFURT AREA Leonardo Royal Frankfurt or Mercure at Friedrichsdorf
travelingtwosome: I'm not going to take the time to look up the locations of each one . . . You can figure out if they are in good locations or not.
May 9th, 2015, 08:24 PM
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The routing at the end of the trip doesn't make good sense to me, but the main things is this. A lot of time is wasted arriving and departing from Frankfurt. It is not a bus tour I would enjoy, but if the tour began in Berlin and ended in Prague or Munich, it would not be too bad. It just does not give you enough time in any one city to get any kind of feel for the place.
