I've always appreciated the information provided by people on the board, so I thought I'd contribute our experience from the trip we just completed.

Our TD was Victor and he was amazing and well informed. If you like history and learning about the areas you visit, he's the man for you. He is also extremely well organized and proved sheets most days with all details spelled out very clearly. We knew what was happening when, were the bus would be, what time to get up, put out the bags and eat breakfast. Since our group was combined with a cost saver tour group, and the 12 from this group stayed in different hotels than the first class tour, it was very important to keep the communication and details clear for everyone.

Now, on to the trip.

We did a most of the optionals and found them to be well worth the time and money. Especially in the big, busy cities, it was nice to have the optionals that took us to the quieter and more serene places. We had the lunch in Burano and loved it there. We had the dinner in the Vienna woods and appreciated the drive, the scenery and the dinner in the quiet restaurant. The optional dinners also provided the group more of a chance to get to know each other.

A few people from our group organized a fun contest to help us get to know each other. They took photos of the back of everyone's head, then put the pictures on a dvd. They played the dvd and the contest was to match the photo with the name of the person. It was great fun and we had a lot of laughs and got to know the names of people, which was the point. It also helped to pass away some of the long hours on the bus. At the end of the tour they also made a dvd showing special highlights of all the days of the trip. Their efforts were very much appreciated by everyone.

The trip began in Rome, then went on to Florence, Venice, Vienna, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Lucerne, Paris and London.


Other optionals offered on the tripRome, Vatican city; Florence - we saw the David with a guide; Vienna we went to Schonbrunn Palace and the crypts; Salzburg we went to the Eagle's nest (it poured and was very cloudy, but still worth it for the history); in Lucerne the lake cruise and ride up the mountain (very beautiful); Paris, Louvre, illumination tours and dinner, Montmartre (some also did the Moulon Rouge).

Because of special celebrations for France's birthday celebrations, the Eiffel Tower was lit up with blue lights instead of the usual ones. Extra pretty!

Many of these optionals you could do on your own, but we found the information and history provided by the city guide to be very helpful.

If you have any specific questions about this tour, let me know and I'll try to answer.

Thank you Canadian Mom, I am surprised you had lunch in Burano, with only one night in Venice, I thought it could not be possible.

Yes, we dropped those off in Venice who were not doing the lunch optional, and the rest of us stayed on the boat and went to Burano. Victor had someone else meet the first group and take them to the glass blowing demonstration and then they got free time. When we were done lunch, we had a bit of time to shop in Burano and then we went to Venice for the glass blowing demonstration and then free time until the gondola ride (4 p.m. I believe). Burano was lovely, and as soon as we got to Venice and had to deal with all the crowds and the hectic atmosphere, I was longing for the quiet of Burano again.

glad you had a good trip. What was the Moulin Rouge like? ive heard mixed responses and not sure I want to go to it.

Hi Canadian mom~ Sounds like you had fun. Can you remember how long the cruise in Lucerne lasted?

Jewel, we did the Lake Lucerne boat ride a couple of years ago. From memory it was about an hour to an hour and a half. We did it in the late afternoon and whilst it was pleasant when we set out, by the time the boat returned to the docks it was quite cold.

jewel ~ We did the Lake Lucerne cruise in the morning, & then went straight on to do Mt Stanserhorn. I agree with Penny, from memory it was 60 - 90 mins approx.