Bait and Switch

First, I booked this trip with this travel company because of the 3 Star Rated Hotels listed in their catalog, and because they were both inside city limits. I had called the travel company 3 times over 4 months and confirmed the Hotel names and Locations listed in the catalog, again both inside city limits. 30 days before the trip I found out the Hotel Names and Locations had been changed, in both cities and both were now many miles from the center of the cities. I was now told the travel company did not book Hotels until 30 days before trip departs, and did not guarantee where the Hotel Location would be, regardless of what was in the catalog. Also both Hotels that I ultimately stayed in were not 3 Star Rated Hotels. I am an ex- Londoner that knows London very well, and the Hotel in London was in a very bad part of London, not a good place for travelers at night and very few good restaurants, what ones I did find had rough people in them. This was confirmed by our tour director's constant remarks and observations about the local people and location. The catalog states near front page, C=Centrally located near attractions and transportation hubs, this was not true on my trip. Also see near last page = About Hotels, Hotel substituted will be comparable to those shown. This was not true on my trip. Many of our fellow travers also found out that some of the optional excursions did NOT pick up people from the Hotels, and they had to use public transportation at their own expense to get to the pick up point for the optional excursions. If you want a BAIT and SWITCH travel company use this one.

Never again

I am a repeat traveler to Goahead. Always found great value. I have taken them to Greece, the Benelux, Peru, Spain, and have always been happy. The city tours to London and Paris did NOT make me happy at all. Though I had a good time because they are great places to visit,the enjoyment that I had was DESPITE the tour not because of it. The London hotel was in a not great neighborhood of outer london requiring a bus and then a 40 minute train to get to central london and several trains to get to any of the sites. The tour guide was sweet but didn't have the answer to most of my questions. I even had to drag my own luggage around to and from the rooms. At night the area near the hotel was seedy and during the day I felt like I was in an asian country and not london with all the burkas. In Paris, again I had to transport my own luggage, although a better neighborhood than in London still 3 miles from the central city. Breakfast in Paris was inedible. Powdered eggs. yuck. Area was not the best but at least there were some good Moslem restaurants to eat in and one good french. No safe in room. No frig in either room. No shampoo in room had to use Lux soap which was supplied. I would have had a much better and CHEAPER trip had I gone on my own and hired my own tours. I will never take Goahead again. I am surprised and embarrassed for them after this.

Trip to London & Paris

I really enjoyed the trip to London & Paris. September was a good time of the year to visit these destinations. I would recommend GoAhead Tours to others.

Good value

Overall very good. Just what our group of 6 was looking for. Gino, our tour guide, was excellant. Hotel in London was very nice but a little far from the center of London. Hotel in Paris was poor. Rooms were hot and noisey and in a run down area of the city.

great introduction to Europe

Our tour guide helped us to plan our day to achieve as many highlights as we could. He guided us through the metro system which was a great help.The guides were very knowledgeable which enhanced the excursions. We had a great first experience in London and Paris.

What a deal

Our Accommodations were very nice our tour director was very informative and helpful. We were free to either have the advantage of group activities

Wonderful London and Paris experiences

Go Ahead Tours made it so easy for us to enjoy the cities. There was no need to worry about flights and accommodations. These selections met every need. Their guides were helpful and available at all times. We loved the excursions available through Go Ahead Tours. Their pre-trip information and suggestions were perfect and didn't leave any surprises. Highly recommended.

An OK Stay in London and Paris

Despite several disappointments, our overall reaction to the trip was favorable. We thoroughly enjoyed the various sights and attractions that we saw and visited. The flight to Europe on United was less than stellar. I'm glad we opted to pay extra ($138) for Economy Plus on the Washington, DC, to London portion of the trip. It would have been insufferable in standard Economy. The flight back on Lufthansa was far superior in terms of comfort, service and amenities. Our transfer from Heathrow Airport to the hotel was not pleasant. We were kept waiting for an hour before we were able to board a shuttle. Other transfers during the trip were more efficient and less frustrating; although, we had to tote our own luggage from the Eurostar train to the bus that took us to the hotel in Paris. The Kensington Close Hotel in London was definitely subpar. The rooms reminded me of those in a college domritory, only smaller and less comfortable. The hotel restaurant was grossly over-priced, the choices for breakfast and dinner were unvarying, and the food was mediocre. There were no quality dining options within walking distance of the hotel. Access to the subway, however, was convenient. The Hotel Champlain in Paris was very nice, with modern, comfortable rooms, and a friendly, bi-lingual staff that seemed always ready to help in any way. Although there was not a restaurant in the hotel (but, a very nice buffet breakfast was available every morning), there were many good dining options within a short walk, and access to the subway was convenient. Our tour director, Jim O'Bierne, was an affable fello; but, he several times made it clear that he was not a tour guide. He was willing to attempt scheduling of some activities in which tour participants showed an interest (notably, a trip to the Eiffel Tower, which was excellent); but, overall, he seemed to see his role as simply "to be there." Several times he was willing to send members of our group off to unknown and unseen meetings places on the direction that they were "over there." Needless to say, nobody was willing to break away from the group and go off on their own with such direction. On balance, we were disappointed in his performance. Where we had guided tours, i.e.,London and Paris city sightseeing tours, Versailles (even though we didn't have enough earphones for everybody), and Canterbury Cathedral, the tour guides were very knowledgeable and informative. It would have been wonderful to have real guides with us on other excursions. It also would have been helpful to have ridden on open top buses for the city tours, so that we would have been able to see attraction above us. The Evening in Paris dinner was very good; however, it would have been helpful if Jim had mentioned in advance that the best place to sit on the boat ride was in the center; we made the mistake of sitting facing the right side, whereas all the attractions described were on the left side of the boat. We were very disappointed in the cancellation of the Oxford & Stratford and D-Day Beaches excursions on the basis that they didn't have a minimum of 10 participants (I believe they both had 9 advance registrations). The requirement of 10 participants was not made clear to us when we signed up for the trip. When we returned to the US, I once again checked the Go Ahead catalogue, and could find no mention of this "requirement." Had I known that any or all of the excursions that we selected and paid for could be cancelled, we would not have signed up for this trip. Overall, while we very much enjoyed the sights that we saw, we believe we could have gotten the same enjoyment had we planned our own trip. The logistics and structure of this tour left a lot to be desired, especially when compared to our previous Go Ahead experience with The Treasures of Italy.

London and Paris 13 Days

The flexibility our tour offered enabled us to enjoy exactly what we came to the two cities for - culture and excitement at our own speed. The days in London were filled with mini-tours to Stonnehenge and Bath mixed with the ability to leisurely explore sights such as Westminister Abby, Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, the Eye, etc. Then, being able to whirl into Paris on the Eurostar was a treat, topped off with dinner at Montmarte. Our tour guide took time to help package Paris for our specific desires - Seine cruise, Louve tickets, and canal trips,ending with Moulon Rogue dinner/show tickets for our final night .

Fab Four Visit London and Paris

My friends had never been outside of the USA and have always dreamed of visiting London and Paris. What a great opportunity to make thier dreams come true with Go Ahead Vacations. This was a trip of a lifetime! Imagine 4 women (husbands at home) seeing the Eiffel Tower, Windsor Castle, Big Ben, Bath and more. The food was fantastic, the hotels were beautiful and Gino our Tour Director was wonderful. My friends swore this was a one time travel experience, but now, they want to come back and see Italy !Go Ahead gave them the travel bug! See you next year! Ciao!