This is in continuation to the Part I experience review about the pre departure. As I can write only 1 review per product, I decided to continue my experience during travel in a blog. I wanted to keep both the pre departure and tour experience review separate, because both experiences have different pros and cons that will be better visible when mentioned separately.
So here goes my part II experience with Thomas cook's Fusion Europe tour Part II - The Tour itself as days goes by and the events unfold before my eyes. Here is what really happens during Day 1 to Day 11 which they paint a beautiful picture in their brochure to Indian travelers, who are lured by the prospect of seeing many countries in a single trip,
Day 1 –
Travel all day and finally arrive night 8 PM at the place where tour begins – Paris. There they will accumulate all the Indian travelers in the group – 47 in a group where there will be a coach waiting at the airport. Then is the long drive to the Indian restaurant where we have to search for place to sit and literally fight for seats. This restaurant has relatively unclean toilets compared to rest of Europe. There we are given very mediocre Indian food and given a timeline to complete our food. After food then again a long drive towards the hotel. During the drive the guide is going to narrate to you that the drive to the hotel is going to be only half an hour if no traffic. But eventually you will realize the hotel is way out of Paris– Magic hotel near Euro Disney. It will be atleast 2 hour drive and you will reach your hotel by 12.30 PM all tired and drained out. The guide is going to tell you to be ready by 10 AM in the morning. But here I had one saving grace- I told the guide about my situation about the room(that the sales agent has assigned me, my mom, her friend and my son in 1 bedroom though I have paid extra money for the extra bedroom. Read my review for Thomas cook Fusion europe trip - Part I), He was kind enough to get me and my son a separate room. And the room we got at Magic hotel and the magic hotel itself was fabulous.
Day 2 –
The Magic hotel is good, very kid friendly and the continental breakfast we found was sumptuous. Then we head out again for a long drive in the coach into Paris. By the time we reach Paris, our guide says it is time for lunch, and again we head out to an Indian restaurant with mediocre foods and not so clean toilets(according to European standards). The rest of the day is spent in the coach going through the city and the guide pointing finger at sites like Eiffel tower, louvre museum, Notredam cathedral and telling to take pictures of the attractions from inside the coach. In between for 15 minutes he would allow for a photo session at Eiffel tower that you can see from a distance and then again the ride in the coach begins. At about 4 PM we reach Eiffel tower and go up to the 2nd level of Eiffel. He gives 45 minutes to roam around Eiffel. Then we have to head to the Siene river cruise which lasts another 45 minutes. In the boat you pass through the same sites that you saw on the coach from the outside like the museum, napoleons tomb, notredam cathedral etc. Then we get into the coach and head for a long drive to an indian restaurant with the same mediocre indian food for dinner and then long drive back to hotel out of the city. During the journey back the guide tries to convince you to take the lido show and Eurodisney trip for Day 3 which are optionals and additional cost. We wisely decided to take leisure on Day3 as we wanted to try out the local trains and places and get a feel of the local place and not get huddled in a coach for a long time.
Day 3 -
We had opted for leisure. After having the continental breakfast at the hotel, We took the local train out to La defense as we had to meet a friend. From La defense we walked through the Roads Rue Jean Juares, Rue Bellini and square near Quattro temps. We had the local wraps and waffles for lunch at Quattro temps and then took a train to Champs Elysses street. We had a good time on that street experiencing the real city life in Paris and mixing with the local crowds. We had dinner in Venusia restaurant mainly because we were looking for restrooms. But wish we were able to have food in one of the plenty road side Bistros. We hoped we have few more days to explore Paris, but unfortunately the next day we have to head out to Switzerland. At the hotel we enquired with our other group tour members their trip to Eurodisney. They said it was good, but were able to spend only limited time there. They actually reached Eurodisney only by Noon which was very surprising for us because when we had taken the shuttle bus to get to the station which is actually in Eurodisney, it just took 5 minutes.
Day 4 –
After the breakfast at Magic hotel, we checkout and head out for a long drive to Switzerland. In between there will be a lunch break again at an Indian restaurant with average food, and then again a long drive to the hotel. During the journey the guide tries to convince the travelers about going to Jungfrauch as it is an option and extra cost. To make Junfrauch sound more saleable he explains to the group that the movie Dilwale Dulhania le jayenge was shot at Jungfrauch and he plays the movie in the bus. We decided to opt out of it as we are bored travelling by the coach and instead we decided to take a day of leisure and go exploring ourselves. In any case we would be going to Mt Titlis the subsequent day and will anyway get to experience the snowy mountain. Some of the passengers are very jinxed that they could not shop in Paris that they were very upset with the Tour guide and began fighting with him. One of the travelers said, we have come to Paris but we did not have to time to buy any Perfume in Paris for which France is famous.
We reach at night at about 10 PM again drained out, to Hotel Sortel which is again in the outskirts in a place called sprietenbach. The hotel room had very narrow beds and was very plain, did not have air condition or fan. But the room was neat and air condition was not needed as Switzerland does get very cold in the night even in summer. My mom did the mistake of leaving the windows open and she found herself waking up shivering in the cold.
Day 5 –
The continental breakfast in this hotel was good, had a 6 to 8 variety of beverages, sauces, jam etc(But sadly this will be the last hotel where there will be good breakfast). While the rest of the group heads to Jungfrauch in another long dreary coach ride, we head out to the local tram station and take the tram to Zurich. We walk along the streets of Zurich. We explored the local markets.There was a tram heading to zurich zoo which we would have loved to take the kids, but due to lack of time and the need to get to Interlaken by noon where the coach would come to pick us up, we moved on. At noon, we took the local train to Interlaken. The train ride was about 1 hour and the scenery at interlaken was breath taking. We roam around Interlaken and take an hour horse cart ride in Interlaken. We get to see the entire town of Interlaken going through the roads and the beautiful homes on the horse car, places we otherwise would never have been able to see had we not taken the horse cart ride. The tour coach came from Jungfrauch by about 6 PM( and that too because one of the family who came with us convinced the tour guide to pick us up). We were picked up and headed for a long drive again to an Indian restaurant and long drive back to the hotel by 10 PM.
Day 6 –
We checkout of the hotel Sorell and head to Mt Titlis. To Mt. Titlis we take 3 cable cars. One is a small cable cars that can hold 4 members and the other 2 are big Gondalas which can hold about 60 people. The ride on the first cable car was heavenly looking down the greenery below as we go up towards the mountains. There are 2 stations where we have to get off and on to the next bigger cable car. The last cable car had a revolving base. But the people who were near the window had an awesome view. I unfortunately was stuck in the center and was waiting when I can get out of the stuffy cable car. At Mt Titlis we were given 1 hour time to look around. Here we did have a good time especially for a person like me and my son who is seeing snow for the first time in life. Lunch was as usual in an Indian restaurant and then drive to Lucerne in which we are given 1 hour to shop. As Day 6 was a Sunday, all shops closed by 5 PM. And the Thomas cook tour guide directed us to the two shops which they perhaps have an association with and thereby are the only shops that remain open after 5 PM. Ie Bucharer for the watches and Casagrande for the souvenirs and chocolates. I instead of heading right into these shops just walked along the road instead and found Laderach. It has such exquisite range of home made chocolates, but unfortunately they said that they were closing in few minutes. So I quickly grabbed an assorted collection of home made chocolates, paid and left. Then I spent some time in Casagrande and also picked up a cheese pizza and macarons in a nearby bakery. Then we had a drive back to a new hotel which we reached sometime at 8 PM. As in Europe there is still light at 8 PM during summer, we were able to see the beauty of the place surrounding the hotel. The hotel was clean and good. It did not have a bath tub, but had a rain shower. The hotel backward had nice sit outs with a lot of huge roses around. The tour guide had asked to take only one of the bag into this hotel as we had to check out again in the morning.
Day 7 –
The guide said that we have to have breakfast at a place which is 2 minutes walk from the hotel to supermarket Marche for breakfast. The spread here was very limited with nothing more than bread jam and milk and 1 type of cornflakes. There was a huge spread of course, but we were told by the vendors there that the Thomas cook group we were entitled to only a limited spread. Then we headed out to Rome and by the time we reached Rome it was lunch time. The Indian lunch was very average as usual that it goes without saying. Then we head out into the city of Florence where a local guide Michael shows us around the some important attractions of Florence like the 14th century cathedral, for about 45 minutes. We walk along the Arno river back to the coach. Then we again have a long drive in the coach to another hotel in the outskirts of Italy called Q point. We reach Q point very late at about 10 PM and the hotel was badly understaffed. There were couple of Thomas cook groups in that hotel and the waiters were at a loss on how to serve such a crowd of people. There was no buffet and the food was served to the table at a snails pace. The room in the hotel was neat. The interior of the rooms gives the appearance of a spaceship. There were no bathtubs, but shower points. We are to stay in this hotel for another night
Day 8 –
The breakfast again was very poor and the food was not getting replaced. Many things were missing from the menu like eggs. The bread was hard and there was no toaster. There was no milk served. It was a big mess. Then we head out to the Vatican. After a long drive to Vatican and we had a local guide again called Michael who was very old and this one did not have a microphone so whatever he spoke was not audible to the entire group of 45+ members. We were given an introduction outside the basilica and was told that he is not allowed to speak inside the basilica, and so he will wait outside and told us to go ahead. We went inside the Basilica, but we saw the guides in other groups taking their group around and they were explaining to them about each of the chapel. Most of the hindus in the group got bored of the chapel, and I think it is because there was no one to explain what the significance of each chapel inside the St. Peters Basilica is for. After about ½ hour of roaming around the chapel, we then headed to the Colosseum of Rome and looked at it from a distance as it was in ruins. Then we went over to the Trevis fountain where lots of coins were strewn by tourists signifying various unfulfilled wishes of theirs. Then again back long way to the inefficient service hotel QA point for dinner and retire for the night.
Day 9 –
Checked out of Q point and headed for a long drive, had lunch and by about 3 PM took a boat to Venice. At Venice we were told we will be given 2 hours. We were quite happy on hearing it, but we were taken to the Murano glass factory where the tour of the murano glass factory itself consumed 1 hour. After that we only had 1 hour to explore the place. We would have loved to go on the boats of venice, but there was no time and we had to head back to Thomas cook group meeting point. Then a long drive back to Tre Torri hotel which is somewhere near the Italy-Austria border. The room given to me was a single bed room which was too small like a match box and the bed in which me and my son had to sleep was also too small. The bed was similar in size of a Indian train berth in a 2A compartment. I did not like this hotel room at all.
Day 10 –
We had breakfast in Tre Torri hotel. The spread was becoming poorer and poorer as we go to one hotel after another and in Tre Torri hotel too there was very scanty spread. No eggs, No bread. We were told for Thomas cook this is all we will get. Possibly Thomas cook decided to skimp on the food to keep costs lower and maximize their profit. After checking out, again a long drive for lunch somewhere in the Austria border. The hotel where we had lunch was called “The Alps” hotel. The food was Indian, but nothing to rave about. But the hotel looked awesome. With wooden balconies surrounded by picturesque mountains it certainly looked like something out of the sound of music movie. I’m sure I would have loved this hotel, But unfortunately we were not to stay in this hotel and had to move on. Another drive to Innsbruck where we were shown the Golden addler supposed to be the oldest restaurant in the world. The place surroundings were very beautiful, but we were hardly given 15 mins to explore. Then we headed to the Swarowzki headquarters. This headquarters had a beautiful fountain. But we just window shopped for 15 minutes as everything was too expensive to our liking and we waited outside where the kids were playing in the playground. Nevertheless the place was beautiful. Here the guide let us spend nearly 1 hour. Then after this a long drive to munich where we had our dinner in again an Indian restaurant. After this we were told that we had to head to the Arcadia hotel near the airport to depart home the next day. We were very irate at this point. We had never gotten to see Munich. All Thomas cook has arranged us to do in Munich was just eat Indian food at an Indian restaurant in Munich and nothing else. In this hotel also I was allotted a single bedroom which was too small like a match box. It had a funny slanting roof as if my room was under the staircase and my head kept hitting the roof. The bed was too small for me and my son to sleep together. Also the wifi is not free in this hotel. I had to pay 3 euros for the wifi which was very slow also.
Day 11 –
The breakfast spread in this hotel is the poorest of all. No eggs, No milk, no bread toaster, no varieties of bread. We saw the other guests have various bread for breakfast. But we were only entitled to this limited spread. After breakfast we depart to the airport.
Highlights of the Tour according to me:
The fabulous room assigned to me at Magic hotel
The sumptuous breakfast at Magic hotel and Hotel Sortell Express
The 1 day Leisure in Paris when we explored champs elysses and 1 day leisure in Switzerland in which we explored Zurich and Interlaken on our own
Mt Titlis where we had seen snow for the first time in our life
The hills of Austria during the coach ride transporting us back in time to Sound of music
Cons of the Tour:
All hotels way out of the city. The fine print that hotels may be booked outside the city if there are events is just eyewash. You can be assured that all the hotels will be out of the city whether there are events or not
Hotels being outside the city and travelling to Indian restaurants for Indian food, ensured that most of the time was spent in the coach travelling
The second week of the tour was very hectic with 4 hotels changed in 5 days. In a vacation one should be relaxed and not under such kind of stress.
The breakfast in all hotels, except in the first 2 hotels were very poor and only had very few options in the spread Indian food all the time was uninspiring.
Lunch or dinner should have been replaced by local food. Or atleast one local dish can be added to the menu.
The tour showed only 5 countries and not 6 countries.
Almost all day in the coach and listening to Antakshari and watching hindi movies is a BIG BIG NONO when visiting a foreign country where one needs to mix with the local culture to get a true experience of the place.
The tour operations only take you to shops where they get commission. For instance Casagrande, bucharrer in Lucerne, Murano glass factory in Venice, Swarovski headquarters.
My take on this tour –
covering 6 countries in this given timeline is near to impossible to be happy with the trip. One has to visit 1 or 2 countries per trip to make the best of the trip. At a place one needs to spend atleast 3 nights to not feel stressed out. Personally I would not like to be too much timebound while taking a vacation. So this was a learning that group tours are not for me. Also one needs to spend 70% of their vacation time experiencing the local culture, transportation and culinary experience.