Insight Europe Tour

hazel

New Member
Hi snowyrain,

Like julia_andrew, I also chose Insight for my honeymoon last Sept. However, my experience is kinda different from hers.

Our hotels are mostly very nice, I think at least 4-STAR standard, with air-con and bath-tub and in great locations. When we were in Nice, we even had a sea-facing room overlooking the beach.

As we are lazy to plan our own program, we joined almost all their optional tours which are fantastic, dinners are nice, most times with free flow liquor. Once we were brought to a cosy place for dinner where they even had an opera singer sing for us, incredibly romantic. In addition, our very nice tour director, who knows we are on honeymoon even gave us a surprise by giving us a cake with a wedding couple design and had the opera singer sing for us, the whole of our tour grp also enjoyed themselves, clapping and singing along. We were very touched then.

I guess we were very lucky in that we had nice tour director and driver. Our tour director shared a lot of stories with us during long journeys, very hardworking and he even arranged a very nice room for us once. It looks like a suite with a big bedroom and another living room by itself, 2 TVs in the room somemore.

Our driver was also very nice, when we depart the tour, he even drove us to other destinations besides the airport, he dropped some of us at the train station and the rest at another hotel as a few of them are going there. These are actually his additional efforts. And his driving skills is simply superb, the whole group felt so safe in his hands.

When u book any tour, be sure to find out more abt. the details. Most companies offer 2 different packages, one more on budget tour and the other more on those 1st class tour. Insight has 2 books on tour packages. According to Chan Brothers, the one we booked was from the 1st Class book.
 


sacher

New Member
Hi Julia andrews, did u find out more abt insight vacations or the like before you signed up? Coz as far as i know those who have joined such tours will easily tell u that hotels are in ulu places. And the tour that i signed up (Cosmos not insight) also had a tour director like what you've said. The tour director will share with us infor on the plc she knows while on coach.That may be something extra, i dunno. Maybe you're plain unlucky to have that tour director.

But at dir=fferent places (usu city tours), there will definitely be a local tour guide to explain things to us. Example, we had a local tour guide in Prague, another in Rome, another in Vienna...etc.

This was my second time with Cosmos, so i knew what i was in for. Even at ulu hotels, i made my own way with hubby and a few tour mates(we'll usu garner a few pp not joinng optional tours) to places we want to go.

In Paris, the hotel we stayed was so ulu..we had to change 2 types of transport to get to the metro (their mrt). It took us like nearly 2 hrs to got to town that nite.

But i look on it as an experience. I like challenges like that. The following day, we decided to spend the whole day ourselves (not joining the tour). We already knew how the tranport sys works in Paris from the previous nite experience. So it was not much a prob for us getting to Arch de Triumpe, LV shop, Champs elysees, Eiffel tower etc. Though we were like confused reading their maps and not speaking a word of french (except merci)trying to get ard.

And knowing the costs of optional tours (my agent gave me the list), i already roughly factored in these extras.

I'm sorry to hear that you din enjoy ur trip.Maybe if you had known all these, you would be more prepared.

I, on the other hand..knew abt the sub-std hotels, so-so breakfasts, long hours on coaches, early rises, time-tight tours..i think maybe i am used to be a more budget travellor so i can take it?


Hey Hazel, the place you mentioned with the opera singer, izzit in Rome???? I went to a very nice cosy rest too, with opera singer and best part---the food was simply divine!!!!
 

iris

New Member
Hi hi,

Just like to share my experiences with Insight three years ago. After graduation, I went on an Insight ten day Europe trip with my parents.

We are the only Asians in the group but were never discriminated against. In fact, my parents even made friends with some of the Americans in the group. The tour guide is Austrian and very professional in taking us to the "hidden" places and explaining every single place to us.

I must agree that there are a lot of optional tours but there was never any hard sell to go. If you plan to go on a Europe trip, there should have been some money saved for it. For instance, if you go Venice but never opt for the gondolla ride, isnt it a waste as Venice is like the little river city.

The whole trip in fact is so enjoyable my parents still talk about it all the time. On the last day of the tour, all of them hugged each other and cry...including my mum. Imagine ... its only ten days .... but its so unforgettable...of course everyone tip the guide and driver...even the most stingy one in the grp.
 

snowyrain

New Member
Hi Hazel,

Thanks for your info. The one we planned to go is budget-cost savings one.. wonder whether the treatment will be different since you are paying lesser?
Their 1st class tour very expensive leh...
how much is ur tour package and how long is ur trip?
 

hazel

New Member
Hi Sacher,
Dun think it's Rome, cos' we din go there. Let me go back and check, but it's in Italy, we had dinner at the garden, dinner was mixed grill and I had their popular dish, steak, it's a very big potion and simply delicious, thinking of it now really makes me crave for it again.

SnowyRain,
My trip was $1088 USD if I am not wrong, for 9-10 days, covering Italy (except Rome), Switzerland(St. Moritz) and Southern France (Monte Carlo, Nice). I'm not sure if u will have similar experience as mine as I have only gone for 1 Insight trip so far, no other means of comparison. But mebbe u'll have better companions on the trip. For my trip, most are retirees with grandchildren already, so we were very different, being the only young couple and only Asians.

Don't worry too much, just go there and enjoy yourselves.
 

sacher

New Member
Hi Hazel, i had a cosy dinner at a rest. in Rome where there was a singer (boy, is her pitch high!!!) singing to us and the food was soooo good.

Iris, that was exactly what happened to us too!!! On the last day of our 15 days tour, we cried and hugged each other. Abt a week later, my australian tour mates had a stopover in Singapore and we showed them ard. I'm planning for a trip to Aust later this year, may visit some of them if possible.

We still email and some even write letters to each other.

Sigh...talking abt all these really brings back all those fond memories again. I still remember the next morning after the last day of our tour, we were in London to continue our F&E trip before returning to Spore. I was still upset coz after travelling with them for so long, you sudeenly feel something is amiss. I made a couple of good frens there and i misssed them soo much. I couldn't help wondering how they were doing ever since we parted. Hubby had to console me...


those were really the days....
 

cherubies

New Member
Hi everyone,

can i check what type of buffet bkfast does Insight vacation provide on the europe "luxury" tour? need my caffeine intake everyday or sure died one...

also anyone got recommendation where i can go in london on the pre/post day in london?

many thanks in advance.
happy.gif
 

rachel

New Member
Hee gals,

Anyone interested in 12days European Highlights? It covers Rome, Venice, Amsterdam, Germany, Paris, Switzerland, and Austria. Willing to let go at a discount becos i am held up by some matters...tour any date and latest by Aug03.

Please reply me at [email protected]
 

dreamer

New Member
Hi,
Has anyone been to 12 Days Best of France/Switzerland by Tradewinds? Any comments?

Many thanks in advance.
 

jamci

New Member
Seem like this thread had been silent for quite some time.
I would like to check it out, anyone had been to their latest package- Insight Super Saver America & Cananda 2004?
I am thinking of going to america for my honeymoon next year Mar.
 

fairymoss

New Member
Hi,

anyone been on the Insight Premium 1st class tour to England, Switzerland, Italy, France, Austria? It's a 12 day trip, starting from England and ending at Rome. We are intending to go to Prague on our own before joining the tour at England. Any tour agencies where we can purchase good and cheap air tickets from? Which airline is better? I think we got no choice but to get either open-jaw tickets or one way tickets as the tour starts at England but end in Rome, unless we take a domestic flight to England. Which way is more cost effective? When do we need to book the tour if we plan to travel in late June or early July 04? Anyone been to Prague? issit easy to travel on our own?
 

estherc

New Member
Hi,

Me also interested to know about Prague. Anyone been there before? How many days do one normally spend in Prague? And yes, is it easy to travel on our own there. SIA does not seem to have any direct flight there.
 

fairymoss

New Member
BB,

U are right, no direct flight from Singapore. U got to go Paris, London etc to fly to Prague. A feedback from friends is that better to go with tour group as English is not commonly used in Eastern Europe but Czechs are friendly people though. I just took up a package with Insight, the premium one. Took a 20D package as it includes Prague.
 

junebridetobe

New Member
Hi all brides that are going to europe
I have relatively new europe guide book wish to sell away, i had never got chance to use it as I had cancel my trip.
pls feel free to email me if you are interested, I also have London, Paris, amsterdam ,Germany,new england,etc
[email protected]
 

vette

New Member
Hi all, I am letting go of 2pax 14-day Europe land tour package with Insight Vacation. It's a known luxurious guide agency, with 5* lodgings and spacious coaches for travelling. Daily breakfast included.

Travel dates: 21st April-4th May (fixed and can't be changed)
Original pricing at US$4499 per pax (S$5713). Now selling at 20% discount = S$4500per pax, excluding air tickets. (price negotiable)

For more details, please click upon the link below.

http://www.insightvacations.com/highlights-of-europe-2012?tab=2
 

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