Perillo Tours or Globus to Italy
Mar 16th, 2001, 08:54 AM
#1
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Perillo Tours or Globus to Italy
Hello to all. I am determined to take a tour of Italy next March and was wondering if anyone here can comment on either the 14-day Italy North Classic Tour with Perillo or the 14-day Italian Mosaic Tour with Globus. They seem very similar, but Perillo seems to include more sites in their tour description. Is it true that Perillo doesn't offer optional excursions, that they are all included, or is this another tour company I've heard about doing this? Both tours stay two nights in Venice, three nights in Rome, but the Globus has two nights in Florence and one in Assisi. The three nights in Rome with Perillo are consecutive, while the three nights in Rome with Globus are two and then the final night at the end. Genoa is an included stop with Globus, but not with Perillo. Perillo spends two nights in Milan, while Globus only stops there for a brief visit. These are the basic differences I see.
Would appreciate any comments or opinions. Thanks very much.
Sandi Maier
Would appreciate any comments or opinions. Thanks very much.
Sandi Maier
Mar 16th, 2001, 09:15 AM
#3
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We took the Globus Rome, Florence & Venice tour 3 years ago and were, in the words of my travel agent, "burned". The Venice hotel turned out -- and we asked at booking & at final payment time -- when documents came in about 1 week before leaving -- to be far far outside Venice. And, Globus representative my agent spoke to then let slip that this hotel had been booked by Globus 1 year in advance. They knew at the time the brochure was printed & at the time we booked and at the time we paid that we would NOT be staying overnight in Venice. At that time Perillo was not offering that city combo tour. Had done several cruises and, of course, many many ½day tours in England, France & Holland -- thought Globus with it's ½ day of free time would be very much like those experiences combined -- some dinners with group, morning group tour and then on our own. What a false impression that was!
Some points for you to be aware of & perhaps it will help you have a better experience:
1) All included Globus meals are in the hotels -- don't expect to have the great Italian food you read about on these forums. Also, meals are heavy on the red meat (poorly cooked).
2) Globus Hotels are located for ease of access by a large tour bus -- that means NOT near the center of the historical cities. And none were easily accessible by public transportation, which we enjoy using as part of the experience of Europe. Use taxies. Just because the brochure & agent "swear" the Venice hotel is IN Venice -- don't expect it to be closer than 1hr away!
4) Globus hotels themselves were part of an American chain & you could be anywhere, USA.
5) Change $ before join the tour -- one trick to keep everyone in line is to provide $ changing time only toward end of tour -- and then at their "selected" store -- no lira, no freedom to hire that taxi, etc. We had gotten several hundred in lira before we left and were very happy to have local money in our pockets.
6) Some of the local guides were very good. Several were not. -- The driver was great, the driving was safe & he was very accommodating. As some previous posters have stated, the driver & driving was the best thing about the tour. The tour director was very nasty if you wanted to "do your own thing".
6) Globus optional meals and activities are pushed VERY HARD. Only good one was the Sistine Chapel tour. If your tour does Florence, suggest you skip the optional "Beef" dinner -- it's bad pot roast, not what non-tour diners were served, although the drive out in the countryside was nice.
On the plus side, we did stop at places we really enjoyed such as Pisa & Verona but would not have done had we been traveling by train. And we did not have the hassle of driving a car.
Last year a co-worker did the trip with Perillo, who has reinstated basically the same tour, and had a very positive impression of Perillo.
We took Central Holidays tour in Spain and had a wonderful time -- all was as expected & lots of free time with maps and directions on possible things to do. Great tour guide.
Good luck.
Some points for you to be aware of & perhaps it will help you have a better experience:
1) All included Globus meals are in the hotels -- don't expect to have the great Italian food you read about on these forums. Also, meals are heavy on the red meat (poorly cooked).
2) Globus Hotels are located for ease of access by a large tour bus -- that means NOT near the center of the historical cities. And none were easily accessible by public transportation, which we enjoy using as part of the experience of Europe. Use taxies. Just because the brochure & agent "swear" the Venice hotel is IN Venice -- don't expect it to be closer than 1hr away!
4) Globus hotels themselves were part of an American chain & you could be anywhere, USA.
5) Change $ before join the tour -- one trick to keep everyone in line is to provide $ changing time only toward end of tour -- and then at their "selected" store -- no lira, no freedom to hire that taxi, etc. We had gotten several hundred in lira before we left and were very happy to have local money in our pockets.
6) Some of the local guides were very good. Several were not. -- The driver was great, the driving was safe & he was very accommodating. As some previous posters have stated, the driver & driving was the best thing about the tour. The tour director was very nasty if you wanted to "do your own thing".
6) Globus optional meals and activities are pushed VERY HARD. Only good one was the Sistine Chapel tour. If your tour does Florence, suggest you skip the optional "Beef" dinner -- it's bad pot roast, not what non-tour diners were served, although the drive out in the countryside was nice.
On the plus side, we did stop at places we really enjoyed such as Pisa & Verona but would not have done had we been traveling by train. And we did not have the hassle of driving a car.
Last year a co-worker did the trip with Perillo, who has reinstated basically the same tour, and had a very positive impression of Perillo.
We took Central Holidays tour in Spain and had a wonderful time -- all was as expected & lots of free time with maps and directions on possible things to do. Great tour guide.
Good luck.
Mar 16th, 2001, 09:19 AM
#4
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I know many folks who have gone with Perillo, and everyone of them was truly delighted with their experience. The hotels and food were excellent, and they liked the group also. I certainly can't say the same about Globus, I've heard many stories about how Globus misled or disappointed people.
Mar 16th, 2001, 09:48 AM
#5
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Good afternoon, Sandi MHS hits the nail on the nead, Cosmos/Globus take
you to hotels that won't allow easy
access of the city to which you are
visiting, a lot of their hotels are
in the outskirts. It is fairly easy
to determine a hotels location, once
you have its name. Most hotel web
sites will also include location but
beware of a common term, "city center"
sometimes this can be stretched a bit.
If you have the hotel names and want
to know their locations, e mail me and
will gladly help you. Richard of La Grange Park, Il...
you to hotels that won't allow easy
access of the city to which you are
visiting, a lot of their hotels are
in the outskirts. It is fairly easy
to determine a hotels location, once
you have its name. Most hotel web
sites will also include location but
beware of a common term, "city center"
sometimes this can be stretched a bit.
If you have the hotel names and want
to know their locations, e mail me and
will gladly help you. Richard of La Grange Park, Il...
Mar 16th, 2001, 01:16 PM
#6
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Took the Perillo tour in '99. Hotels were all very good and centrally located (except in Milan). Sites and arrangements (boat ride, local guides, etc.)were also very good. They did offer three optional excursions. Everyone in our group took them. Most meals were included and this was the only disappointing feature of the tour. We spent entirely too much time going to restaurants that we not particularly good.
Mar 17th, 2001, 02:52 PM
#7
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We loved the Perrillo Tour!!! Did not feel rushed at all! All hotels, restaurants, meals very,very good!!! We had excellent guides in all cities!! We also had plenty of time to go off on our own during day and/or evenings !!! Everyone on our tour got along beautifully as well and we formed lasting friendships!! I highly recommend the Perrillo tour and Enjoy yourselves!!
Mar 18th, 2001, 01:41 PM
#8
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Thanks to everyone for your replies. I have taken a Globus tour last year to France and had a great time on it. I admit the meals were not the best, but the wonderful tour director and driver made up for that.
I am leaning more toward Perillo, though, for Italy. I am interested to know about the three optional tours that Steve mentioned. If you're still out there, please tell me more about those. I would welcome anyone's further comments as well.
Thanks!
Sandi
I am leaning more toward Perillo, though, for Italy. I am interested to know about the three optional tours that Steve mentioned. If you're still out there, please tell me more about those. I would welcome anyone's further comments as well.
Thanks!
Sandi
Mar 19th, 2001, 03:18 AM
#11
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My husband and I took the Italy NOrth Classic tour in May 2000. We had a wonderful time. The all the hotels were centrally located, except the one in Milan. The food was very good, but the hotel dinners were not as tasty. The optional tours were Roman Catacombs, Blue Grotto tour with Anacapri/Capri, Gondola Ride, Tarantella show, Lake Como/Lugano cruise, and others that I can't remember. The age group of the tour were married adults in their 50-80's, although there were 4 couples in their 30s (including us). Everyone on the tour got along great. I hope you have a great time in Italy!
Mar 19th, 2001, 04:41 AM
#14
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Sorry for the error shown above. Gloria that is something that I think about too. I will also be going to Spain in the summer and I would hate to leave my camcorder and miss out on capturing on film our travel experiences. Anyone outhere want to share any advice?
Mar 19th, 2001, 12:23 PM
#17
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There is a pretty big $$$ difference between a Globus and Perillo tour. You will usually, for the extra $$, get better more centrally located hotels. I do not care for Perillo, for the main reason, that I do not want to eat every meal with my tour group. Half the fun of being in Italy is exploring your options with different foods and restaurants. I have gone on tours before and skipped out on the provided meals, but you are paying some big money to Perillo to eat their food. What ever tour you go on, it's very easy to check their hotels locations. When I was in Sorrento, my first trip overseas (with Globus-Mosaic) our Hotel was changed to the Hotel Coccumello, a luxury hotel to say the least. Met a few travelers staying with Perillo down the road, their hotel was so/so..The solution I have found for myself...I go on my own and stay and eat where I want..The tour was a good intro to travel for me. Enjoyed Globus..good guide, optionals were not pushed at all..food was fair. Hotels, with the exception of Rome were great. I see now that the Mosaic tour does not stay in Venice..it did on my trip. Stresa, Florence, Assisi, Sorrento..all great hotels. What ever you choose..have a great time. If you tour, break away from your group when you can...get lost in the city you are in..you won't regret it. Have fun!!
Mar 19th, 2001, 08:50 PM
#18
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I decided to go with the Globus 11 Italy at Leisure tour this summer.
As for Perillo, I did look at their brochure and somehow it seems too expensive. I think you get what you pay for, but it really depend on what type of traveler you are - what pace you want to go with.
Best way to decide what tour will fit you is to look at their itinerary and with a good tour book, imagine what your day will be like with all the places you will visit. Some tours have alot to see, but with the time you have in one day, will you be able to take a moment and just enjoy it without having to worry about running back onto the bus... Also if you wish to extend your stay, Globus offer good rate for extra nights before and after the tour.
No matter what tour you choose, you will have a great time.
As for Perillo, I did look at their brochure and somehow it seems too expensive. I think you get what you pay for, but it really depend on what type of traveler you are - what pace you want to go with.
Best way to decide what tour will fit you is to look at their itinerary and with a good tour book, imagine what your day will be like with all the places you will visit. Some tours have alot to see, but with the time you have in one day, will you be able to take a moment and just enjoy it without having to worry about running back onto the bus... Also if you wish to extend your stay, Globus offer good rate for extra nights before and after the tour.
No matter what tour you choose, you will have a great time.
Mar 20th, 2001, 06:29 AM
#19
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take a look at gate 1 tours, they are great, www.gate1travel.com, I book ALOT of people there, better than Globus
Apr 27th, 2001, 12:53 PM
#20
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Perillo Tours are usually LOTS more expensive than Globus ... always have been, always will be. The average age of the tour group for Perillo's is consequently older ... since few younger folks can afford them. I'm surprised to see so many complaints about Globus, they are always a good value for the money. However, if Globus only offers a brief stop in Milan, you might not be happy with such a brief visit. And, you apparently aren't seeing Pompeii ... a major "miss" ... I always recommend that and Herculaneum as "must sees" on any trip to Italy.
