Hello Donna:

Please contact Mariden immediately and ask for an
explanation. Since I am not a Mariden employee and I do
not have access to your account information, I can not
respond to your particular situation. What I can gather
from your dilemma is that Mariden may not have included
any fuel surcharges in the original trip fee sheet. So,
the $390 fee is the total surcharge each individual must
pay.

Is this $390 added on top of an original surcharge?? If
so, then that seems excessive. So, discuss this situation
with Mariden ASAP. With "less than a month" before your
departure, something doesn't seem right...especially with
your original fee.

My questions.... Was that original amount an estimate OR
an exact amount? Has your group decreased since the
original fee was given to you? Has your itinerary changed?
What kind of surcharges have you had in the past with EF?
All the companies have surcharge increases these days, so
since you have traveled before, you should be familiar
with these charges and their unpredictable increases. Was
there any fuel surcharge listed as part of the original
fee?

When I planned to travel with Mariden in '08, I asked for
all possible charges in '07, so I could present to the
parents a "total package" of fees. My philosophy is "the
best surprise is NO surprise". I distinctly remember
telling the Mariden rep. (Augustine) that I wanted ALL
fees itemized on the itinerary sheet. He completely
agreed and complied with my request.

Call Mariden, and get some answers. I would talk to your
rep. and to Nina. Let us know what the story is here.

On 7/01/09, Donna wrote:
> I am traveling with Mariden in less than a month and
> recently on everyone's
> bills there was an additional $390 after everyone
> thought that all payments had been finalized. It said
> on the bill that it's a fuel surcharge. I think that
> seems a little high, how do you recommend that I
> address this with Nina or whomever at Mariden? I
> appreciate any help you can give us. Airfare has
> dropped recently, and with everyone being connected to
> the internet they can see that at Travelocity or a
> comparable company, the price of hotel and flight are
> substantially lower than what we're paying. Next time,
> I may just do it independently. I know dinners wouldn't
> be included, nor entrance fees to monuments (although
> they are free for students), but I take students to the
> same places every few years. I had previously always
> traveled with EF, but was somewhat dissatisfied with
> the meals and hotels, especially locations. Therefore,
> when Mariden contacted me last year, I thought I'd give
> them a try. I know I'm rambling, but several of the
> parents have concerns, especially because they'd like
> to give their sons and daughters the money that they
> have to send to Mariden for spending money in Paris.
> Excuse me for rambling, but it's heavy on my mind.
> MERCI! Donna
>
> On 6/30/09, Cari wrote:
>> Dear Jenny:
>>
>> Nope, I am not an employee of Mariden.
>>
>> I took my first trip to Europe as a high school
>> student in 1969, then I chaperoned my own high school
>> French students on over 20 European tours from 1978
>> to 2009. My students, parents, and I have traveled
>> with the
>>> following student travel companies--->Foreign Study
>>> League, ALSG, EF,
>> Passports, ACIS, NETC, Mariden, and Explorica -- in
>> that order.
>>
>> I have taught French in the Illinois public school
>> system for thirty-four years, 29 of those years in a
>> high school of only 400 students. I have had to work
>> hard to keep my French program going, and European
>> tours have given my program the oxygen it needed to
>> thrive. The key to a "great trip" is
>> careful preparation of students---no matter what
>> company you travel with!! Add a dash of
>> positive-thinking,energetic teacher, and you have a
>> winner.
>>
>> No, I am not an employee of any student travel
>> company. Simply call me a Mariden-satisfied-customer.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 6/29/09, Jenny 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
>>>> 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.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> It seems you probably work for Mariden.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 5/10/09, Cari wrote:
>>>>> Solomon: All I can tell you is what I know from
>>>>> my personal experience. And, my Mariden
>>>>> experience was a terrific one.
>>>>>
>>>>> You did make a valid point about "teacher
>>>>> incentives".Mariden doesn't offer the
>>>>> teachers the incentives, but they sure do offer
>>>>> the students the incentives. This company does
>>>>> NOT pour money into the pockets of the
>>>>> teachers. There are some companies who entice
>>>>> teachers with promises of outrageous amounts of
>>>>> money that come from the unsuspecting students
>>>>> who pay for those
>>>>> lucrative"incentives." Mariden worked
>>>>> with me so my students got the BEST, possible
>>>>> itinerary for the best and the fairest price. I
>>>>> wanted no cash incentives. I took ten
>>>>> participants, and the company agreed to give
>>>>> the travelers the lowest price they
>>>>> could....the students received the
>>>>> incentive...a great low fee! In addition, there
>>>>> is NO membership fee...that alone saved my
>>>>> students nearly $100. Mariden gave us an
>>>>> all-inclusive fee...it included all metro
>>>>> tickets, great meals, very nice hotels,
>>>>> entrance fees to museums and to the Eiffel
>>>>> Tower. That has not always been the case with
>>>>> other companies. I stand by my recommendation
>>>>> of Mariden.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 5/09/09, Solomon wrote:
>>>>>> Don't do it. Beware. Cari may have had a good
>>>>>> experience but I know many many teachers who
>>>>>> have had nightmare tours. They are small and
>>>>>> offer no inventives to teachers.
>

Share This Post | Report This Post

Next Post >>

Posts on this thread, including this one