Has anyone gone on Globus' Continental Introduction? We are going on a family reunion tour for #13 in June and would like some input on your favorite experiences. Has anyone taken the optionals? Thanks!

I went on this trip last March and would be glad to answer any questions you may have. We took quite a few, but not all of the optionals. I loved this trip, and would do it again!

Great to hear from someone who has been on this itinerary! What do you think about the following optionals: Holland Dinner and Folklore Show, Volendam, Tyrolean folklore evening in Innsbruck, Mt. Pilatus, Swiss folklore party w/ meal in Lucerne, catacombs, tivoli dinner in Rome, Gondola in Venice, Tower of Lonodon in London and Versailles in Paris. Also, do all cabaret shows have nudity since we will be traveling with kids? Thanks for your input and any other suggestions you might have for optionals or anything else about the trip that you can share with us!

Although I haven't been on a Globus tour, I have been to several of the sites listed. Volendam is a picturesque fishing village with lots of shops and restaurants. I think lots of optional tours to Volendam usually include Zaans Schanse which has windmills, wooden shoe making etc. Mt. Pilatus is interesting also if the weather is good. Versailles is a good side trip from Paris also. Most of these excursions you can do on your own.
I would wait until I was there to book any optionals as you never know how tired you are going to be or if there is something else you discovered you really wanted to do.

Thanks for the info. I think that Volendam is a must see having kids on tour with us. Hopefully the weather will be nice to see from Mt. Pilatus. We'd like to try to plan as many optionals ahead of time, weather permitting, because of the size of our group that is going. It makes for a lot less "discussion" and waste of time later

Have never seen any of these cabaret shows myself but understand from a friend who always does them that at a minimum they are topless and usually nude. Doesn't seem the best place for a small child - but for teens doubt if it would be a shock compared to MTV.

Can you please tell me how to get info on Globus? Thanks.

We were on the final Winter Break version of this trip, so the optionals may be a bit different. This is what was offered by our Tour Director, Lode.

Paris
1. Dinner/Illuminations $55
2. Versailles Palace $ 49
3. Moulin rouge $145

We didn't do any of these. We chose to book our own trip that included the Illuminations and a cruise on the river.

Lucerne
1. Mountain Ride $44
2. Folklore Party - Lunch $40
3. Cruise on Lake Lucerne $23

Due to the weather we were limited as to what Mountain we could go on. We ended up going up Mt Rigi on a cog wheel railroad, then down on a gondola. The views were amazing. Loved this one.

We also did the Cruise on Lake Lucerne, which also was wonderful. They had snacks available ( cookies) and beverages. We loved Lucerne!

Rome

1. Music/Trevi Fountain/Drinks/Drive through Rome at night and dinner.$48
2. Dinner/Highlights/Drinks/ 3 Tenors
$56

We did #1. The restaurant was wonderful, and this was alot of fun with the group. Everyone woman got roses and kisses from the very attractive Italian waiters!

Venice

1. Gondola serenade $31

Not to be missed. Exactly like you see on TV. We stopped before we got to Venice so that we could purchase wine, ect to have with us.

Innsbruck

1. Tyrolean Horse-Carriage ride with drinks at oldest pub. $34

This was the best optional on the trip. I know that sounds weird, but by this time eveyone knew each other, the night was beautiful, and the shot of alcohol they gave us at the beginning was great. We laughed so hard. They had blankets to keep us warm.

Amsterdam

1. Keukenhof - Greatest Flower Show on Earth. #31
2. Volendam/windmill/wooden shoe/cheese farm/farewell dinner and drinks. $60

We did both. The flowers were beautiful. We arrived ahead of schedule, so we did the wooded shoe place as a group. The windmill was interesting. The dinner was great, but bittersweet.

Once again, I loved this trip. I can give you a detail of each day if you would like.

this is my email [email protected]

The prices are winter prices from 2003, so plan on adding a few dollars.

We did the Tower of London on our own, got 1/2 price coupons from one of the Tube stations.

Just so you know, you don't book these trips that far in advance. We had to pick the Paris optionals the first full day of the trip ( Going from London to Paris). The rest we choose on the bus ride from Paris to Lucurne. Lode collected part of the money when we booked them, and the rest towards the end of the trip. You can pay for them any way you want, but he did ask for some of it in cash if you could, so he could pay the people as he went.

It's been a few years, but once we did take a Globus European tour...general itinerary London, Brussels, Trier, Munich, Innsbruck, Venice, Rome, Florence, Lucerne, Paris, London. It's a good introduction to those places you've always heard about. But it does mean you are on the road alot. Some have complained about hotels but we found them good choices, sometimes unique.

As for the optionals, we certainly are glad we skipped the pricey Moulin Rouge (judging from the report of others going) and went instead to the Louvre. Folklore show in Innsbruck, Versailes, Lake Lucerne boatride, Florence museums, Tivoli dinner/ fountains, catacombs all fine...we skipped the gondola ride and just had coffee in a canal-side cafe.
Tower of London and other things were part of our three extra days in and around London after the tour which I suggest.

Since the Globus trip we have been in Europe on other type tours but I think Globus is a good value.
Bill in Missouri [email protected]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I will definitely get in touch with you both via
e-mail. In response to getting info on Globus, you can see all of their itineraries on their website: http://www.globusandcosmos.com
for Europe and the rest of the world. I have used them for US tours and liked them quite a bit.