TRAVELING IN EUROPE WITH COSMOS
Mar 19th, 1998, 07:30 PM
#2
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Hi, Tom. Yes, I'd like to know more about Cosmos. How would you rate their choice of hotels and where are they usually located? Are they close to attractions? What additional charges would I be looking at? Anything you can tell me would be appreciated. Thanks.
Mar 20th, 1998, 09:05 AM
#4
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We're going with Cosmos on their Central Europe tour which include Germany, Poland, Chechsovakia, Hungary and Austria in May '98. I assume since you're going on another, you must be satifsfied with them? how close to major attractions are the hotels? how are the hotels as far as accomdations. Anything else would be greatly apprecieated.
thanks
thanks
Mar 21st, 1998, 05:28 AM
#5
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the thing about cosmos is because of the price the hotels are not in the city center. if that is more important to you globus might be better for you. however they are thirty to forty percent higher in cost. i use cosmos because it gets me to the cities and then i can go where i want. by using public transportation you can get to downtown and do things you want to do. they offer these trips for extra money and if going on your own is not your cup of tea they are useful.
Mar 21st, 1998, 05:36 AM
#6
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hello jerry, i took that trip last year in may and it was fantastic. there is a great book, LONELY PLANET of central europe that covers the areas the trip goes. we added an extra day up front in frankfurt and went to bamburg and wurzburg. berlin is a great place and the pergammon museurm is most interesting. the bus ride from there to warsaw is long and takes most of the day. thats about the only negative of the trip. czestochowa, krakow,and auschwitz were as interesting as could be. budapest was a complete surprise as it is beautiful. prague was my personal favorite. as you can tell i have a lot of thoughts on the trip so email me anytime and any suggestions i can give i will. tom
Mar 21st, 1998, 06:36 PM
#7
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Hi:
On 3/7 I had posted a message inquiring about Cosmos and their "Grand Tour of France." I did get one response but since then it is no longer posted and I don't remember whose it was. Yours? Have you taken this tour? Has anyone else taken this tour? I would be interested to read any responses about touring with Cosmos as this will be my first trip with them. I have some of the same questions others have asked about touring with them. Their optional tours seemed to be reasonable. Agree? I'm thinking of taking the optional trips to Monte Carlo, Chateau Chambord and Paris Night Life at Eve's in Pigalle. Thanks for any information you or others might have.
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On 3/7 I had posted a message inquiring about Cosmos and their "Grand Tour of France." I did get one response but since then it is no longer posted and I don't remember whose it was. Yours? Have you taken this tour? Has anyone else taken this tour? I would be interested to read any responses about touring with Cosmos as this will be my first trip with them. I have some of the same questions others have asked about touring with them. Their optional tours seemed to be reasonable. Agree? I'm thinking of taking the optional trips to Monte Carlo, Chateau Chambord and Paris Night Life at Eve's in Pigalle. Thanks for any information you or others might have.
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Mar 21st, 1998, 07:08 PM
#8
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My wife and I traveled with Globus on two of their tours. The first was in 1996 to Eastern Europe, and the second was last year to Western Turkey. The guides, buses, hotels, itineraries, and general degrees of satisfaction of value for money was excellent. We had plenty of free time to spend on our own. The guides were most accommodating, experts in their fields, and just downright pleasant people -- individuals I would be proud to have as guests in our home. The drivers were care personified. Each bus was a huge, new, immaculate Mercedes diesel with built-in toilet. Baggage handling was prompt and careful. The hotels were chosen with care, we could see, and some were far beyond anything we would have selected. The Turkish trip was a real eye-opener. Our guide was a trained archeologist who made all those ruins come alive, a charming man with a huge sense of humor. He should have been a diplomat because he made so many friends for himself, for his company, and for his land.
Mar 21st, 1998, 08:04 PM
#9
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After reading all the responses plus the travel brochures, we are leaning towards joining Globus the London, Paris, Rome. This is our first trip to Europe. As well, it will be the first time we go on an escorted tour. What is the policy on tipping? I suspect there would be more than one tour guide and driver, depending on which leg of the journey. When and how much should we tip? What about the optional excursions? Should we tip those guides too? Please share your experiences with us. Thanks.
Mar 29th, 1998, 02:48 PM
#10
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One good thing about Globus is that the tour guide usually suggests who to tip and how much. Their tours are good for the independent traveler. You can be on your own all the time if you like, but they do handle your luggage, get to and from hotels, and provide any help that you need.
Mar 29th, 1998, 04:24 PM
#11
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Hi, Saw your message that you had been to Berlin and Prague did you also go to Budapest? We are going to Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Budapest in Sept. Do you have any suggestions on Hotels, restaurants and sights we need to be sure to see? We will be driving but we thought we would reserve at least the room in Berlin, our arrival city, before we go. Any help or advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Mar 31st, 1998, 04:30 AM
#13
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Tom, my husband and I are considering going with Cosmos on their Southern Italy/Sicily Tour. I wanted to go independently because I love doing all the research for hotels, restaurants, etc., but find that the cost is just too high with the air fare too, so we are leaning towards Cosmos because they are taking us exactly to the places we want to stay (Capri, Sorrento, Rome, and then to Sicily) I don't care that much about accomodations, because you are never in your room, but my husband LOVES Italian food and is concerned that the restaurants they take us to won't provide the best of Italian food. What kind of restaurants do they usually take you to? And are they accomodating if you don't want to eat where they are eating and want to "go it alone"! I can't seem to beat their prices to go independently, but on the other hand, I don't want the trip to be so "less" that it doesn't go down as one of our best. I am SO excited to see the Amalfi Coast area, so am very worried that I will be making a mistake going too "budget". Thanks for any help you can offer.
Aug 20th, 1998, 05:42 AM
#16
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Whatever other qualities Cosmos tours have it has to be said that they are not gourmet tours. The quality of the food is very much dependant on the hotels you stay at. Dinner is generally in the hotel although if the hotel has no restaurant or it is poor or too small they may take you out. Personally I'm not too fussy, anything decent to fill a hole after a day on the road but when I'm on holiday I prefer mediocre local cooking to poor anglo saxon cooking! <BR> <BR>I don't see any problem with not taking their dinner, I know of folk who have visited friends or relatives in towns we've passed through, but of course included dinners are already paid for and they are unlikely to refund anything if you choose to go out. Couriers seem to phone ahead each day to the hotels to confirm numbers etc. so if you're thinking of opting out it would be polite to let them know. <BR> <BR>The quality of hotels Cosmos uses seems to 'average out' over the tour, you may get one or two luxurious ones compensating for one or two lower standard hotels. I feel the hotels are generally better quality than I would stay in if I were travelling independantly. Other operators charge more for their tours and this is presumably reflected in the quality of hotels they use, much of the other expenses of a tour must be much the same, so I get the impression that Globus and Trafalgar tours use better hotels. As regards blow driers I've found on tour that hotels seem to follow trends. Some enterprising salesman goes around selling kneecap massagers and all hotels have to have them whatever their level. Next year all the kneecap massagers have dissapeared in favour of ear flossers.
Oct 5th, 1998, 03:48 AM
#19
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Attention Sue: <BR> <BR>We just returned form The Cosmos Sou Italy and Sicily tour. We booked it with 44 friends or a entire bus load. <BR>It apparently thru Cosmos for a loop as they reversed our tour so as not to conflict with other busses(so they said). We were taken to hotels that even the Indians could not find . The Tour Guide had not been to most of these Hotels. Consequently, we had to take the majority of the optional tours in order to see anything as we were never even close to any of the Cities they say you will visit. One of the places we were put up in did not even have a working kitchen to get meals if you stayed back at the hotel.Some of our group never got lunch one day there. No bars or resturants close. <BR> <BR>Free time was at a premium. <BR>We had about a half day in Rome <BR>Perhaps a full day in Sorrento and a day in Capri after all the travel to these places. <BR> <BR>IDO NOT RECOMMEND COSMOS to that area. Whoever you take check out the location of the Hotels they have you scheduled to stay in. <BR>They wre much more concerned about how the rooms looked than the locations. Since we nver use our rooms much on vacations, we were not that concerned , but it would have been nice to have been able to walk or take the bus into town. <BR>We have toured all over and by far this Cosmos trip was the worst we have every experienced. <BR>BE FOREWARNED!!!
