Hi there.

My name is Meg from Australia and I went on the European Vista Tour in May 2003 and will be going on my 2nd tour in July for my honeymoon.

Paul and I met on the Vista tour so if you need any questions answered please feel free to drop us a email.

Have a great trip! We had a blast!

Meg

Hi Meg

My name is Katy and I will be on the Euro Vista departing London 26th May 2006. !!!

Wow - its so wonderful that you met your husband-to-be on this tour !.

Just wondering if you could help me on a few things:

1. What optionals would you recommend or not recommend ?

2. What are the hotels like ?

3. Is there really enough free time do some of your own sightseeing/shopping etc ?

4. General overview of your tour i.e people, TM, length of tour etc?

Thanks heaps....

P.S - I cant wait.... I hope Contiki is really worth it like everyone says !

Katy

Hi there.

I know, It's funny that I met my hubby on a tour and now we are going on a tour again for our honeymoon!!

The hotels are just normal 3 star. Nothing flash but nothing crap. A few fantastic ones that none of us wanted to leave. The food in the mornings is sometimes **** and then other mornings you just want to eat so much you feel like being sick hehe.

Here is a good tip for you!
Buy some snap lock bags b4 you go. In the morning take a few bits of bread and put some cheese and ham on them and take a extra apple or something and have that on the bus that day coz you are on the bus A VERY LONG TIME! It gets to you after a bit!

You get a good amount of free time. But when the Tm tells you that you only have 40 mins or what ever DONT push it! The bus will leave without you! It left a few times without the full group! Remember the bus has to stick to a time limit and the bus must stop every 2 hours for a short time! It's the law and the bus driver will go without you if you are not back in time as he must stick to the times he is given the night b4 from the head office!

My bus was a bit different we only had a few girls and the rest was guys so our bus had girls magazines all over it hehehe! It was such a "guys" bus but us girls had fun too!

Also, pack only what you need! I had way way way toooooo much!

What optionals would I recommend.... gee I can't remeber all of them but I'll try.


Paris
Dinner and Show - I didn't go as I was sick but Paul went and hesaid he loved it but drank way way way tooooo much!
Museum Cards - I didn't bother but Paul did and thought it was great.

French Riviera
Monaco Restaurant - was fantastic!

Florence
Tuscan Dinner - Fantastic
Group Photograph - You have to get it!!
Space Electronic Disco - This was fantastic! Full of other contiki bus people!
 
Rome
Guided Tour Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel - For me it was very very very long, boring and hot!!!!!! But in the end I was glad I did go!

Venice
Gondola Ride - So much run! The water is soooo gross and dirty! Just one of those really funny things to do with a group of people. Passing the camera to a different boat so they can take your pic! We had a great time!

Vienna

Dinner and Mozart Concert-  I didn't go. Paul did and he said it was ok but he wouldnt go again. I think only 5 people from the total 52 people went!

Schnaps Museum - Fantastic! You feel a little pissy after it heheh. We got some fantastic Gold schnaps that we are going to drink at our wedding!

Austrian Tyrol

White Water Rafting - Once again Fantastic but having said that I was with all the guys and I didn't have to do bugger all! It is hard work keeping the boat from tipping over and you really have to think and keep track on watching the water coz there are a heap of really hards and bad turns and drops. Paul was also tipped out of his boat and went rushing down the water and they had to rush to help him! but all was good and we will do it again on this years trip! Make sure you buy the photos to! They have a guy sitting in the trees waiting to take your pic! They pics are super close too!

Crystal Museum - crapy place as I'm not into crystal. not much there but good coffee for a hang over so Paul thinks hehe

Mountain Bike Tour and BBQ - Didnt go on it as our TM said its a VERY hard long day. I think 7 people went on this day.

Tandem Paragliding - only 5 of us did it and it was GREAT! I love stuff like that but it would be hard if you don't like hights!!!!


Lucerne
Cruise - Fantastic!

St Goar - I played putt putt (great putt putt the best I have even seen in my life) with one of the guys from the trip and the rest of the bus went wine tasting. The guy I was playing with jumpped a tiny wall to get his ball and broke his leg so we sat at the hospital all night.... we found the hospital to be **** and we hated it but had a good laugh at it the next day!


 Amsterdam
Canal Cruise - i didn't go. I stayed at the hotel with the guy who had the broken leg/foot.
The sex show was somthing I will never forgot either! They don;t tell you about it until you get there! I was in the front row and lets just say it was something I will never ever forgot or want to sit in the front row for again. hehehehe it was fun!

hope I have been a help to you!
Take care and I hope to chat to you again soon!
Meg

Hi Meg.

WOW...thank you soooo much for the effort in replying !! The info you have provided will be so helpful.

Congratulations on your wedding !! - may you both be blessed with MANY happy and wonderful years together.

I've heard before that the bus waits for no-one... im going to have to be careful with this... I love my sleep !

I cant believe some poor guy on your tour broker his leg !! - Lucky it was towards the end of the tour...that would be the worst.

Amsterdam - ha,ha,ha...my friend and I are have already said we are definatley going to the sex show !!... I mean ...how could you not go when you are in Amsterdam ! ha,ha..

The sex show isnt stated in the optionals... are there any others that are not listed that you remember being offered ?? Just so I know to budget extra money. Also, do you remember how much the sex show optional was ??

What was the average age on your tour ?? My friend and I will both be 26 when we leave in 3 months...we are both young at heart and get along with anyone...but I also hope there are people who are closer to our age group. Who knows... we might get lucky like you and meet our future husbands !! ha,ha

Thank you sooooooo much once again.... you really put a lot of effort into your reply and I appreciate it sooooo much.

Take Care and I hope to chat to you soon !!

Katy

P.S - I CANT WAIT - 3 months to go !!!!!

Hi Meg and Katy,

I was thinking the same as Katy, what to do; what's it like; and Meg you've really been a help. Some of the things you've listed sound great and i'm now looking forward to my trip in September more then ever.

I've been on a trip before with Contiki (America - last year), and it was the best 2 weeks of my life. I strongly believe that the people and tour managaer on the bus make the tour. Don't worry Meg i'm sure you won't have any problems with finding people in your age group as the tour usuallys get a diverse range of people. I'll be turning 25 whilst on tour, and can't wait to meet and party with the people. This tour sounds like so much fun. Thanks for the info and congrats on your marriage.

Thanks Bec

Hi again.

I'm glad I could help and answer a few questions!

The sex show.... gosh I really cant remember how much it was. I'll take a guess and say about 18euro or something like that. I think it was just over $35 Aus but then again that's a guess!

The main age group was around 24-29 we had heaps of guys and very few girls! I was 21 and I think I was either 3rd or 4th youngest.

Our TM was great. She was so funny and our BD was very sweet. When he didn't have to drive the next day he really got out and danced the night away with us!

If you have anymore questions please ask!

Meg

Meg,



That really was great info - thanks so much.

I'm with you Katy - I love my sleep too. Which is what I'm worried about on the bus.

I've heard that you can be on the bus for up to10 hours straight and there's no chance of anyone letting you catch a few zzz's.

How was it for you Meg? Does cabin fever set in when you're trapped in a confined space with 40+ strangers?

I'm travelling with an old friend. It's been our childhood dream to see
Europe together and now it's finally happening!- Sep 15th 06 tour.

But I'm a little concerned that the long haul might cause clashes and ultimately a poor time.



Cyn.

Hi Cyn

Katy here ...I did a tour in 2004 of Italy, France & Spain but it was the tour company Gulliver (I think thats how its spelt?!)

We had up to 8 hours on the bus from Italy to Barcelona and yeah...it was a long bus trip...but trust me... if you are tired...you do sleep !!

I was always getting to bed at minimum of 1am - 5am and although we had 6.30-7.00am wake up calls.. I would sleep through breakfast (catch an extra 30 minutes sleep) and then get dressed and get on the bus & sleep !!  No-one on this tour missed the bus...but I must admit, the tour leader was my sister and it was a much more relaxed tour and the bus would wait for people.  

I still remember Barcelona !! ha,ha,ha.... we stayed up until 4am in the Hotel Bar drinking Sangria (alcohol with wine & other spirits - very lethal) we were all very pissed....but then some of us continued with a party in someones room !! I got back to my room at 6.30am..got 30 minutes sleep and then on the bus.. the sunglasses came in VERY handy that day !! ha,ha

I think the whole excite of being in Europe...your body is on an adenaline rush and although you dont get much sleep ..you always seem to have the energy to do stuff.!

Make sure you being a travel neck pillow - the blow up ones... they come in handy for the bus or else you get a stiff neck !!

Hope this info helps.

Katy

Hi Katy,



Blow up pillow - top idea!

Thanks for your reply.

Rocket fuel til 6.30am -oh my gawd!

I am expecting that I probably won't want to sleep as much, like you said, the rush will probably keep me going.

But when I need to crash....I really need to crash! Glad to hear there are ways of sneaking in the zzz's.



Cheers!



Cyn.

Hi there.

As for sleeping on the bus I had no probs at all. Having said that, I can sleep in very weird spots and sleep at any time. The bus got borningat times so you sleep just to pass time. Everyone kinda feels the same way and when the music gets crappy on the bus you seem to sleep like everyone else.

I got the nick name "the little baby" on the bus as I would Sleep, Play, Eat and I was a friend to everyone on the bus! They all thought I was just like a little new born baby!!

So in answer to your questions sleeping was fine! I was a bad girl and stoll the plane blanket and pillow but it was the best idea as I didn't care if my blanket and pillow got dirty on the bus and after the tour I gave it to someone else on the next bus. She loved it! The plane pillows and blankets are small and light great to fit in your backpack hehehe!!!

Talk to you soon!
Meg

Hi Meg, and everyone else
I'd also like to thank you for all the effort you put into that message.. that information is very useful!  My boyfriend and I will be leaving in exactly 19 days for our European Vista tour, ending in London for an extra 7 nights.. SOO excited!! 

Thats great advice about the ziplock bags, every little bit of extra food we grab means less we'll have to spend.  So the breakfasts were just a "help yourself" type of thing? 

I found this website that someone created on a bunch of contiki optional excursions, and one of the definite NO's (from what I read) was the Museum Card, mainly because you don't have enough time to fully take advantage of the card and the amount of money you spend on it costs alot more than what it would to pay separate admission to each museum.  There is alot I want to see in Paris so I'm not sure I'd even want to spend all day looking at just museums anyways.  I also heard the Electronic Disco wasn't worth going, but your saying it was good??

That's a bit frightening about the sex show.. I won't ask, just have to see that for myself   It will definetly be a part of the "Amsterdam Experience" - did you find any of those "hashbrownies" while you were out there?  haha..

Thanks for all your help, you never really know what to expect on trips like these but its nice to get some idea from people like yourself, 

Donna


 

Hi Donna and all,

just thought i would throw my two cents in the ring.

I did some travelling through Europe in 1997/1998 and did all different types of tours and hostels. Now I am going back with my wife and doing it more casual on the Vista Tour on 4th April '06.

Always the 'breakfast shuffle' is a great idea, cause sometimes the bus stops in the most expensive rest stops (because they have to stop for driver rests) and spending money at the stops can be costly. So always have something with you during the trip. Breakfast is always good to stock up, as long as the staff are not like the soup Nazi (Seinfeld).

Remember that the accommodation is just to rest your little head for the night, and dont expect it to be a resort. (Some travellers see 'hotel' as a place where servants work). 'Reality check isle 7 please.'

The London card, in my opinion, is the only card worth getting in all of Europe if your spending three days or more. The other Europe cards are mainly discounts or travel cards, all of which you will not get your money worth back on a one day stop over.

On the bus. Its going to be cramped and cosy. There are going to be loud (bored) people and those who can sleep through anything. I am one who sleeps lousy on a bus, but have imence patience. Travel wrist bands are worth getting if you have never ridden on a bus for 10 hours straight efore, or some non drousy travel tablets.

Attractions/Museums. Your only there for a short time, so no matter how much you drink and party, try to get up and visit the sites before they open. The cues are shorter, you see more and you can always sleep on the bus the next day. (You will find everyone starts sleeping after the first few nights of outings).

Hope I helped and look forward to seeing anyone who gets on my tour.

Jungle George

Thanks for the advice Jungle George, that was very helpful!  Sounds like we'll be in Europe @ the same time.  Our tour starts March 27th.  
 
Are you referring to the London Pass?  For those who don't know, London offers these great passes (that get you into 50 different attractions) if your planning to stay longer (www.londonpass.com).  My boyfriend and I bought 6-day passes, hopefully they'll be good to have.  I like them because at some places you skip the cues since you have the card alreaddy and it also gets you discounts at a bunch of different places. 

We're also going to football match in London... YESS!!!  Has anyone who's been to europe, been to a match before?    

I hear ya about the "soup natzi" and thats hilarious by the way   I'd think the hotel staff wouldn't be too happy about people taking food on the go like that but whatever they don't see won't hurt them!  

What exactly are those wrist bands?  I saw them at the travel agent we went through and wondered how they worked.  Maybe I will consider that.

I got myself an mp3 player the other day incase I want to block people out and just sleep.. a little bit of solitude if I need it anyways.  

Donna  
 

Hey Donna,

I started to get sick on long trips recently (brain not working properly these days). I got some 'non drowsy' tablets which worked but still numbed the head. (Alcohol didnt help). I tried the wrist bands and they sort of work. I dont know if its part mind game part actuall pressure points, but I felt better. They dont work if you are already travel sick, only as a preventative.

We are taking our MP3 player too, but make sure you can re-cahrge it along the way. We got an IPOD AC charger which has a USB port. It works with most MP3 players. We also got some travel plugs for the UK and EU.

All the Aussies. If you buy your travel goods from the same store, and they add up to over $300, plus its within 30 days of your departure from Australia, you can get your GST back on the other side of customs in the terminal. You have to have the receipt and goods on you though.

the london pass. READ CAREFULLY. There is a clause in there if you add the Travel Pass to it. It only can be used during OFF PEAK times. No catching the tube before 9.30am. But other than that, its great to jump the cues like you said.

Have a great trip. Leave some food on the breakfast table for us too. Dont want to be told we cant eat cause the last tour stole it all for their lunch.

Jungle George