Ireland but Buyer Beware... I traveled on the Globus/Cosmos Ireland Tour in Oct. 2023. The tour is priced lower than many others but, Buyer Beware -- you get what you pay for. The Positive: The tour covers the perimeter of Ireland. You experience lots of cute sheep in green meadows, dramatic ocean cliffs and very old castles. The tour guide is knowledgeable and the bus driver is safe and polite. The Negatives: Included Meals -- All breakfasts and three dinners were included in the tour price. One dinner was very good. The rest of the meals were borderline inedible. (Picture ice cold pancakes that have to be sent through the conveyor belt of the toaster machine and diluted oatmeal floating in lukewarm water. (Bring your own granola bars for survival.) Infection Control Precautions -- Several people on this large tour were ill with hacking coughs and sneezing. The air on the tour bus is recirculated. No one -- and I mean no one -- covered their nose or mouth when they sneezed and coughed. There were some face masks available on a tray at the center of the bus that went untouched all week. It was obvious that we were traveling on the pandemic bus but the tour guide made no attempt to point out the face masks nor did he suggest that travelers cover their mouth and nose when they cough and sneeze. I wore my own filter mask all week and endured plenty of dirty looks from the other travelers. I also got sick. (Bring filter masks and lots of hand sanitizer with you.) Hard Sell of Optional Excursions -- Optional excursions during free time are pushed as mandatory. I purchased admission to the Titanic Museum in Belfast (Excellent!) and elected not to attend evening excursions to pubs and similar entertainment venues where significant drinking occurs. On the morning of each of these optional excursions, the tour guide announced to the entire group that 'almost everyone has signed up for the evening excursion' and then he looked at me. On the morning after each optional excursion, the tour guide announced that 'almost everyone had a good time last night' and then he looked at me. The tour guide even had the audacity to send another traveler (a total stranger) to interrogate me on why I would not sign up for the "optional" tours. This was a complete violation of my privacy. The tour guide created a hostile travel environment for me by profiling me as the unfriendly one who won't join optional events. I came to Ireland to see sheep -- not to be a sheep. I will not be bullied into following group think mentality and I am not responsible for increasing the tour guide's commissions on these "optional" excursions. Solo Traveler -- Perhaps, because of the highly structured nature of the bus tour, some of the travelers are uncomfortable with a level of independence that they do not possess. I was interrogated by several travelers as to why I was traveling alone. (One woman at dinner demanded to know my life story!) I heard myself apologizing more than once for my presence on the tour. Summary -- You will definitely experience Ireland on this tour but for a few dollars more, you can have other options that may result in a more pleasant experience.

Sicily 2024 - How to ruin a trip?...choose Globus. Globus Sicilian Review - April 2024 Where do I start…. Tour guide – EXCELLENT! Bus Driver – EXCELLENT! Itinerary- Acceptable Hotel Meals- Sub Par Hotel Breakfast- Sub Par Restaurant meals- Good Hotels- Average at best Hotel Locations - Varied Hotels: Mercure Palermo Centro (Nice location, rude staff, no control of climate) Mahara Hotel & Wellness (No climate control, hotel dinner was listed as veal, but was a slice of roast beef) Della Valle (Poor, unwalkable location, no climate control, hotel dinner was pork cutlet) Poggio Del Sole Resort (5 miles from a town, no climate control, hotel dinner was 2 chicken legs) Mercure Siracusa (Nice hotel and location, a/c was on, best hotel to this point) Hellenia Yachting Hotel. (Nicer hotel on the water, great location, no climate control, and a feral cat problem) Our experience at the Hellenia was shocking. We were told that the A/C was not available yet, and were advised to open the window and slider, which had no screens. The problem…there are feral cats living on the building. The cats entered the room at will. We were forced to crack the slider and window and secure with a chair or water bottle wedged in the opening. Unfortunately, the cats perched themselves on the window sill and balcony, pushing on the glass to try to get entry. We had to close the curtains, which blocked the little airflow through the cracked door. I brought my concern up to the hotel staff at the front desk, when I requested a fan. All three associates looked at me, emotionless, when I mentioned the cat problem. And the “bonus” was early morning roof construction on our final day. An additional observation….although the climate control was off in the rooms, the lobby and common spaces were air conditioned. Overall, our trip was satisfying. The itinerary was good, the country is beautiful, the sights were amazing. Our tour director and bus driver were fantastic. Unfortunately, Globus put little effort into the selection of hotels and meals. Breakfasts were timed early and rushed. Hotel staff could not keep up with multiple tour groups flocking in at the same time. Same breakfast every morning consisting of watery eggs and undercooked bacon. Hotel dinners were also rushed, basic, with no choice of selection. No local dishes, salad, or vegetables on the menu. A meat, a pasta/rice and a common dessert. And be advised, you get either a glass of wine, a beer, or a soft drink included. My observation, Globus may have a reputation to keep, but the hotels have a captive audience. Each hotel was nothing more than a “stop” for an endless number of tours, therefore, they are not catering to return or future guests. Guests are treated like cattle for 18 or 36 hours. Unload the bus, give a room, feed a breakfast/dinner, and get them out. Unfortunately, Globus bears the responsibility for a review like mine. If you are happy with "average", with a bit of "disappointment", then choose Globus.

A once in a lifetime experience (European Tapestry with London) 2024 My mom and I just went on our first trip with Globus, and it was an amazing experience. Everything was so organized and well planned that we got to just sit back and relax and enjoy our vacation. We did the European Tapestry tour with London which was about 16 days long. Even though it was many days, not once did the level of service reflect that, every day we were greeted with smiles and given the same amount of care and energy that made this trip so enjoyable. Yes, there were some long days on the bus, but our tour guide, Kees, did a wonderful job of keeping us all laughing, and entertained while learning about history and different cultures, and our driver Simon kept us all safe on the road and was so helpful with all of our luggage and extremely kind. The hotels were to our surprise really nice and comfortable, they were above our expectations in cleanliness, accommodations and level of service. The excursions were really the heart of this trip, I would recommend the Swiss Dinner and folklore party, the Tuscan countryside dinner, Monte Carlo and Moulin Rouge. The planning of this trip was so well thought out, we feel we got a little bit of everything, whether that be fun or learning or just relaxing and seeing beautiful sights. This trip was a memorable one and was our first but definitely not our last. Thank you to Globus for such a wonderful and unique experience.

My fantastic experience Very pleasant and they knows their stuff fast and very friendly service and reasonable prices as well.

ALL SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE COMPANY DOESNT WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL SHOULD BE AWARE THAT THE COMPANY HAS A POLICY OF RETURNING ALL MAIL SENT TO THE COMPANY WITHOUT OPENING IT. WE HAD A SITUATION IN TRYING TO PAY FOR OUR TRIP AND AFTER A LOT OF EFFORT WE FINALLY WERE ABLE TO PAY. THE ISSUE WAS THAT THE COMPANY CANT PROCESS CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS OF GREATER THAN $20K- HOWEVER THE CLERK DIDNT KNOW THE RULE SO MUCH TIME WASTED ON OUR PART. THUS I WROTE A POSITIVE NOTE TO SCOTT NESBIT THE CEO ONLY TO HAVE IT RETURNED AND THUS i FOLLOWED UP AND AFTER 3 CHAT EMAILS I LEARNED THAT IT IS COMPANY POLICY NOT TO EVEN OPEN LETTERS- JUST SEND THEM BACK UNOPENED!! IF ONLY THEY WOULD PUT A STATEMENT ON THEIR WEBSITE TO THE EFFECT " PLEASE NOTE WE DONT WANT TO HEAR FROM ANY CUSTOMERS WITH REGARD TO COMPLAINTS OR SUGGESTIONS = SO DONT WASTE YOUR TIME CONTACTING US "