The bus nearly burned down

I want to tell you about the most terrible tour in my life to Poland, which we went with the child together with the Accord Tour literally this Christmas. Perhaps this will help someone “not get in” like us with a child due to the unprofessionalism of the escorts, although - not only because of them, read for yourself.

We ruined the tour because:

1. We were given a dirty bus. It was not cleaned in the cabin, and the luggage compartment was so dirty that people took out their suitcases in Poland in the sand and mud. On the way there, they hung garbage bags in the cabin, they were filled before arrival, but even on the third day they were thrown away. We asked if the driver could take out the trash, got the answer: "You can do it yourself." Gentlemen, firstly, when I invite guests, it is nonsense for me to send them to throw out the garbage, and secondly, for this you need at least a trash can. I don't know, maybe we should have put that bag next to the bus?

2. The stove did not work in the second half of the bus. It's winter outside, and we stood at the border for more than 8 hours. There were many passengers with children on the bus, everyone was cold. At the same time, the bus was not even half full, almost all those places that come under the guarantee for departure were empty - in the front. They would be enough to completely transfer all the people from behind to the front. Do you think that someone from the staff offered a way out to the constant complaints? The answers were: “Wait until refueling, then turn on the stove”, after refueling: “What will I do if the stove does not work?”.

3. A separate question is the accompanying group Oksana. This is the worst guide in my life. Oksana did not tell the group a word about Poland, nor about cuisine or customs during the whole trip ... Even to the question: “Where and at what rate is it better to exchange currency?” Our “guide” replied that we would pass by exchangers. And so in everything: “Oksana, how long do we have left before Krakow?” - "I'll tell you when we arrive."

After we stood at the border for so long and spent the whole day on dry rations, Oksana did not even ask if people were hungry. We asked first to give time for a snack, but this was ignored, because the sightseeing tour of Krakow was “burning” at 20.00 (by our time it is already 21.00!). As a result, part of the group nevertheless left to look for a cafe (of course, Oksana could not advise something closer and inexpensive) instead of listening to an overview of Krakow, because the children were hungry and tired.

But most of all, it was outrageous that while we were not given time for food, we were dropped off the bus - and we stood in the cold for 20 minutes (!) Waiting for the guide. Because Oksana was not able to navigate the time and agree with the guide. And the drivers in a relatively warm bus left at that moment ... to have dinner. They are people, but who are we? Tourists! They asked at least to stop by the supermarket on the way to the hotel - figs to you, and starve until the morning (the restaurant at the hotel just closed on arrival, since 22 pm).

And so on all excursions, everywhere - the group (which, by the way, turned out to be friendly and responsible) comes without delay, but stands and waits for a guide or a bus in the cold, because Oksana cannot calculate the time.

4. We booked a tour at a travel company, where we were told that without a deposit on excursions, Accord Tour does not sell tours, because people do not choose those excursions. They took 92 euros from us with a child to pay for these services. As a result, we could not choose excursions in full, as the first day was disrupted from abroad. We decided to go to the salt mines in Velichka, we still have money on deposit, but - nonsense! - we still had to pay an additional 158 zł for entrance tickets. As a result, we pay this additional amount, which we did not count on, but we cannot withdraw the money that is on the deposit.

I had to go to a beer party, which was not very appropriate for us, but giving this company 57 euros, and in return paying for dinner at another restaurant, was even less appropriate. Perhaps this money should be returned in such cases? We do not know, because Oksana ignored such questions.

5. For objectivity, I note: the only thing that was good on the part of the organizers was the hotel. He really "pulled" three stars, despite the comfort and breakfast. Although we were “lucky” here too: on the day before departure we returned to the hotel, and it was without electricity. In our room, he did not appear in the morning either (neither charge gadgets, nor take a shower in the dark, things were put in strange conditions. Although it was surprising that the staff, who did not have electricity in the restaurant, were able to organize a decent hot breakfast - they are great). We understand that there are all sorts of circumstances, but if we take everything that happened during these three days as a whole, then you will understand how much “enthusiasm” it gave us.

6. Movies on the bus - when we were going “there”, we “forgot” to turn on the screen behind. When people were already tired of complaining, then the screen was turned on, but they forgot to turn on the sound. So we drove. True, on the way back, the drivers tried to fix it, but ... point 7 happened!

7. The “cherry” on this cake is that the bus broke down right on the Polish border, when it was our turn to pick up passports (and there was a chance not to stand at the border at least on the way back !!!). I’ll quote the driver: “Oil dripped there and burned through such a hole,” he showed a hole the size of a man’s fist. So on Christmas Eve, we literally prayed and thanked God for burning alive in the bus, which, obviously, simply did not pass MOT before leaving. How we managed to get to Lviv at all and take the train to Kyiv is just a mystery (as a result of all our expectations, we transferred to a simple regular bus). Although the agency, when buying a tour, assured us that never in their memory did a bus stand at the border for more than 4 hours. And we specifically asked this question when traveling with a child, as you understand!

Therefore, if you are going to travel and do not want to burn out somewhere on the bus, learn better from our mistakes, otherwise it can be too expensive.

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