Re: Mariden

Have you ever traveled with student travel companies? yes...There
are going to be bumps in the road. However, you sound as if you
are not speaking from personal experience with Mariden. You sound
as if you are talking about someone else's experience....I think.
Your words are so general that it is difficult where you got your
info.
About the failure to "book" a restaurant....All I am saying is that
any company tour guide worth his/her salt always telephones the
restaurants in advance of the meal...sometimes 12 to 24 hours
notice. This practice assures everyone that the meal will be ready
when the group arrives. Your vague references sound fishy to me.
By the way, some travel companies are so large (EF for ex.)that
they herd about three or four student groups into one restaurant
every evening from 6 to 8 p.m.....then, I have heard about(and
experienced) major delays in seating and eating times.
In addition, there are plenty of travel companies out there who
advertise that their hotels are 3 and 4 star, but sadly these
hotels seem barely 2 stars. Please remember, European hotels may
say 3 and 4 star, but they are NOTHING like the rating system here
in the U.S. My advice to you is to go with ACIS and NETC ( the
$$$$ companies), because you will be assured of better hotels and
center city locations, but you will also PAY for those perks.
I wish you would be more specific about your comments "as has
happened"...too vague for me.
Finally, a continental breakfast in Europe is exactly that...roll
OR croissant,coffee,tea. Occasionally you get juice, cereal, and
cold cuts/cheese. For ex., in Paris it is difficult to
find "buffet" anything....the French don't eat like Americans and
stuff themselves silly at every meal....it is called portion-
control. Have you traveled with any of these student companies
before?

On 6/29/09, Jean wrote:
> On 5/14/09, Cari wrote:
>> I wish I could take a survey concerning how much preparation
>> these complaining teachers did for their tours. How many
>> meetings do they have with their students and their parents?
>> How much do these teachers actually know about international
>> travel? Do these teachers & students actually know a foreign
>> language?...or has the extent of their international
>> experience just been to Disneyworld?
>> I have been on some tours where football coaches were the
>> chaperones. On other tours, some of the teachers recruited
>> random students throughout the school for a "senior class
>> trip". Those teachers and students had no business going on
>> educational tours like these. These students were not
>> prepared one bit for what they were about to see in Europe.
>> They were better off going on a cruise ship vacation
>> somewhere in the ocean. Europe is NOT Disneyworld. Europe is
>> old and crowded, and American students need some proper
>> orientation in order to appreciate international cultures.
>>
>> My trips are called educational tours NOT SUMMER
>> VACATIONS. The key to a successful trip is preparation. I
>> spend literally years getting my students ready for these
>> trips. Language acquisition, videos, meetings, and research
>> play an important part in preparation. My students must prove
>> to me that they can speak the language and appreciate the
>> European culture for what it is, not for what they want it to
>> be. After all, isn't that why we travel in the first
>> place....to see another culture for what it truly is?!
>>
>> I alert my students, in advance, that there will be
>> frustrations, delays, rain, uncooperative "foreign people",
>> and hotels that are different from ours. And, Europeans don't
>> necessarily speak English. That is why it is
>> called "international travel"...so get over it.
>>
>>
>> Yes I agree but what do you do when there is no meal booked
> for you for dinner as has happened with Mariden or the hotels
> are not 3 or 4 star as advertised and you get a roll and coffee
> for breakfast.
>>
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>> On 5/12/09, Ann wrote:
>>> Be aware of the difference between Mariden USA and Mariden
>>> Canada. Expect problems if booking through Canada. They
>>> are totally disorganised and will leave you regretting you
>>> ever booked with them.