Journey to the Land of the Gods from Delta Travel (30.07-07.0.2012)

I would really like to write a chic positive review about this trip, but alas! .. Representatives and organizers from Delta Travel did everything possible to turn the positive into a negative.

To make it clear to those who read this review, I will immediately name the main reason that prompted me to go on a trip with Delta Travel: I was looking for a tour that was between August 1-6 in terms of dates. This was important for me, since it is in this interval that my son and I celebrate birthdays.

The fact that the tour is BUDGET and with TWO NIGHT transfers - I knew and was prepared for this.

I was not ready for only one thing - the dismissive and boorish attitude of the Delta Travel staff towards the "cash cow" of tourism - the Lord Tourists.

I'll start with the good:

1. I liked the work of DT managers, namely Natasha Kazakova and Tatyana Reva - for their attentive and polite attitude, timely execution of documents. Thank you.

2. I liked the Elea Village Acrotel ( http://www.acrotel.gr/index.php/en/find-halkidiki-village-hotels/elea-village-resort) where we were placed: location, lots of greenery on the territory of the hotel, the presence of swimming pools (adult, children), excellent cuisine, proximity to the sea.

3. I liked the excursion to Meteora, despite the fact that it was physically difficult for me personally (climbing the stairs to the monastery). And yet.

4. I am very pleased that I have found new friends and acquaintances in the face of some tourists.

Now about the sad. I don't want to, but I need to.

1. BUS. It's Something! To send on a bus tour to the SOUTHERN country of Europe (Greece) a bus with an OUT OF WORK air conditioner is a crime against 58 tourists. Can you imagine: + 42 degrees outside and + 39 degrees inside the bus….. It’s hard for me to imagine how the tourists sitting at the end of the bus survived!!! With the air conditioner not working, we drove not 2, not 3 hours, but almost from start to finish.

Declared on the Delta Travel website: NEOPLAN bus. Technical equipment:

- Comfortable seats with seat belts

- Adjustable back and side seat

- Air conditioning with efficient cooling and heating system

- Two LCD monitors of DVD video system.

Received as a result:

- chairs recline only BACK (and NOT to the side);

- the air conditioner does NOT work in the desired mode (efficient cooling);

- the video system did NOT work on the way back.

2. Hotel accommodation. Probably, it would never occur to anyone that you can be accommodated in more than 2-bed rooms. Unless, of course, you are traveling alone, you have not paid extra for single accommodation and you have not been warned about the possible sharing in a TRIPLE room.

Glory to the Almighty that this fate has passed for me and my son. Although at the moment when Tatyana (accompanying) read out the list of resettlement, a chill ran down my neck. And after the words of the son, “Mom, I hope that there will be no surprise that you and I live in different rooms?” I didn't even have a clue what to say to him.

It should be noted that ON THE SITE of Delta Travel it was stated that the cost of the tour included "accommodation in a hotel (rooms with private facilities)!!!!!". So it is IMPOSSIBLE to make claims against Delta Travel in the legal field. That is, no one initially promised double accommodation. This is the first time I've met this, so I'm somewhat puzzled for the future. I'll take note.

3. Additional excursions. Three dopas were offered (Meteora - 350 km one way, Athens - 650 km one way, Loutraki - 250 km one way), as well as - as it was originally announced - an excursion to Thessaloniki (a gift from the company).

Surprises from Delta Travel:

* Surprise 1. Excursion to Athens was combined with a group from "Accord" (Lviv tour operator). That is, everyone understands that the costs of organizing an additional excursion were divided by two tour operators in half, combining TWO groups into ONE. At the same time, they didn’t give a damn about the fact that 40 people on the bus and 55 = two big differences. Considering that the duration of the additional excursion to Athens was 26 hours!!! With the A/C NOT WORKING, of course!

* Surprise 2. Additional excursion to Loutraki COMBINED with a gift excursion to Thessaloniki! As if it were possible to understand - FORCE MAJOR - the air conditioner in the bus broke down, they were repairing it. It’s just that it didn’t break for the LAST time, and not for the first time, perhaps ... If you read the existing reviews on Turpravda, then we are not pioneers (relative to a non-working air conditioner), this happens with enviable regularity.

Thus, by combining excursions, we again saved at least the cost of refueling the bus (300 km). That is, a gift from the company to the company itself!

After persistent and completely legitimate "harassment" of tourists, representatives of Delta Travel did condescend and organized the delivery of tourists from Thessaloniki to the hotel, i.e. those who were not interested in a trip to Loutraki.

I would like to add on my own behalf that the excursion to Loutraki was very interesting for me PERSONALLY. But I decided to refuse it, so as not to receive another "gift surprise" from Delta Travel.

And yet, I am very glad that I managed to convince the representatives of Delta Travel that, within the framework of the current legislation, the Tour Operator Delta Travel is OBLIGED to fulfill its obligations and organize the DELIVERY of tourists from excursions to the hotel at the expense of the company (and not at the personal expense of tourists !!!)

4. The most unpleasant and, perhaps, the most painful place for Delta Travel is sanitary stops.

Unfortunately, we are also NOT PIONEERS. It is a PRACTICE for Delta Travel not to provide traveling tourists with NORMAL places for sanitary stops. That is, stopping at a gas station where there are 1-2 cabins is the NORM! At the same time, a group consisting of 60 people (80% of women) is given 20 (yes, exactly TWENTY!) minutes in order to defecate.

On the way back, both the escort and the drivers simply openly mocked us - stopping the bus in those places where the toilets did not work due to the lack of water, and sometimes light (in the dark!)

At the request of tourists - to make a NORMAL sanitary stop - followed by a cynical answer "after 4 hours." And in order to achieve a result, unfortunately, it was necessary to give a sufficiently weighty argument to bring the presumptuous "unfortunate leaders" to their senses. Only then was the stop made.

5. The last moment or the last fly in the ointment in a jar of honey called "Rest in the land of the gods" from Delta Travel.

Accompanying Tatyana, driver Andrey, chief accountant of Delta Travel Natalya Chushenko (who was traveling as a tourist as part of a group) were especially pleased when they DENIED the group a 30-minute stop to visit the DutyFree store on the Greek-Bulgarian border.

Their arguments were, to say the least, not convincing. And even funny! Well, okay. May this be credited to them in the future.

In general, the rest in Greece was a success. But the merit of Delta Travel in this is as insignificant as we were able to cheer ourselves up and arrange a small family holiday, namely, to celebrate a birthday in the beautiful country of Greece!

Unfortunately or fortunately, after this trip, my cooperation with Delta Travel ended. I wish you all successful travels and good mood.

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