Rest with difficulties

We did not get on this tour of our own free will - we had to choose it after the group did not get on another route in Italy. By the way, this is Akkord's policy: to create many similar routes, many of which do not accept groups. As a result, you have to look for something at the last moment, at least remotely similar to what you want, and change train tickets to Lviv (when they are no longer on sale), and pay extra for the cost of the tour, which grows as the departure date approaches. But it seems that the management of the company is not interested in these trifles.

So, our tour was called "The Adventure of the Restless or Even More Italy + San Marino!" (20.07-29.07.2019, firm "Accord-tour").

First of all, I would like to note the POSITIVE moments of the tour: the very high professional level of local guides (with the exception of the guide in Ljubljana) and the excellent bus drivers Vasily and Piotr - special thanks to them. The bus is comfortable and in good condition, always served to board the minute.

But there are many more NEGATIVE moments:

1. The tour program is designed in such a way that tourists have the opportunity, in addition to already paid excursions, to independently choose optional excursions (for a fee). At the same time, in many cases, the principle of the majority works - the excursion that the majority of the group has chosen becomes optional. Therefore, from the tour that was originally proposed in the program, it is not possible to see everything, often what you are not interested in. Conclusion: it's good that there are such excursions, but they SHOULD NOT be provided with several to choose from, because some part of the group is left without a planned activity. In particular, my husband and I were unable to see Milan and Bologna. Therefore, it is advisable to plan only one optional excursion at a time.

2. Objectively, due to long journeys, there is very little time for rest and sleep - 5-6 hours. Therefore, it is advisable to increase the tour by one day and thereby reduce the time used for travel between settlements.

3. Accompanying guide Tatyana Bliznyak. We have not yet seen a more NEGLIGENT employee, although we travel quite often. Referring to the fact that she “does not want to take bread from local guides”, she paid a minimum of attention to the group, putting on endless movies while moving between cities, while she herself constantly “hung” on the phone. For a ten-day trip, the maximum time when the guide told the group something is 60 minutes.

4. For the first time, we encountered changes in the program that were not for the better. Yes, it is known that the travel agency has the right to do this, but in this case it was completely illiterate to provide the group with a paid trip to the sea in Rimini, if it was not originally listed in the program. Many tourists did not bring any swimsuits or towels with them, however, they had to put up with the opinion of the majority who chose this particular event. And it is almost impossible to ignore it, because then you would have to get to the hotel on your own. Egregious is the fact that those who did not agree to go to the sea were forced to travel on their own, at their own expense, by public transport from San Marino to Rimini. And this despite the fact that the bus that served us took the rest to this city. In a foreign country, people who paid for the tour were left to fend for themselves.

In Rimini there was a conflict with the accompanying guide T. Bliznyak. The day before, she collected money for the trip - 18 euros per person - but already on the way to Rimini it became clear that the weather was getting worse, it was going to rain. When we arrived in Rimini, the beach was closed, the sea was stormy, a thunderstorm was beginning. Instead of taking the group to the hotel, the guide dropped everyone in the city three hundred meters from the beach, and the bus left with her to the parking lot. As a result, the group independently searched for shelter from the strongest thunderstorm for 2 hours. "Rest at sea" did not take place. When by the appointed time - 19-00 - the group finally loaded onto the bus, T. Bliznyak did not even apologize for the situation. And only after my husband and I shamed her in the presence of the whole group and threatened with a trial upon arrival home, she returned to the two of us most of the amount for the failed stay at sea. THE MONEY COLLECTED FROM OUTSTANDING TOURISTS (ORDER 450 EURO) SHE SIMPLY ASSIGNED AS THE EVENT DID NOT TAKE PLACE.

5. During the trip, the guide was not at all interested in the issue of food for tourists. Time was not allotted for this, possible places of food were not indicated. I had to eat sandwiches on the bus. At the same time, the guide made comments so that there were no sharp smells in the bus cabin. One could agree with this if the issue of food was organized. For comparison: on the Eight First Dates air tour in Spain, the guide on arrival in the city always pointed out food points to us, and we never lost time on this.

We are very sorry that one of the most popular travel companies in the country employs unprofessional people, indifferent to their duties, and not entirely clean at hand. Apparently, this is the situation that the Department of Tourism and Resorts of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine and the prosecutor's office may be interested in.

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