DCPhotoGal
Photographer and Mom to 2 Princesses
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2011
- Messages
- 495
Yes! It will be me, my husband, and my daughters will be 14 and 15 (yikes!) next summer.
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- Thread starter It's always cold
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Yes! It will be me, my husband, and my daughters will be 14 and 15 (yikes!) next summer.
Oh, YAY! It will be me, my husband, and our daughter who will be 17 (yikes too!) at the time. I'm so glad to be able to connect with someone before the trip!!
laceltris3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2013
- Messages
- 607
We are finishing up our TB Ireland trip and it was amazing. It was truly amazing and the family sports day followed by the Ballymaloe cooking school was amazing. We got to learn a bit bout hurling and my son got to play in the demonstration match. The Irish people were all so lovely, and our guide Scott was incredible.
Our experience with food allergies was much better than on our previous Costa Rica trip. My husband is pretty hyped on TB now and is completely uninterested in doing ABD. But we are still planning on the ABD Danube River Cruise next year. 2020 is now in play and we are looking at TB Italy, or if the dates work out, maybe TB Peru and BSM.
Our experience with food allergies was much better than on our previous Costa Rica trip. My husband is pretty hyped on TB now and is completely uninterested in doing ABD. But we are still planning on the ABD Danube River Cruise next year. 2020 is now in play and we are looking at TB Italy, or if the dates work out, maybe TB Peru and BSM.
quinnc19
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2008
- Messages
- 1,162
tink1970
DCL Platinum
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2012
- Messages
- 3,971
We fly home from our regular Tauck Ireland trip Tuesday (waving from Dublin). I'm planning on scribbling a few notes when I return (darn fat thumbs and small phone keyboard).
I will say now that Dromoland is wonderful-my DH left half my clothes in the closet since he was packing us up and they found a staff member headed to Dublin and drove them over to The Shelbourne-- outstanding service for sure!
DD finally decided on the Danube River Cruise ABD next June for graduation so we'll be on that 6/21-28.
Safe travels home!
laceltris3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2013
- Messages
- 607
Safe travels to you as well. We are also on the Danube June 21 so we will see you there, even though we missed each other in Ireland.
laceltris3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2013
- Messages
- 607
We only saw a bit of rain on Friday morning and that was it for the entire trip. Some on our trip surprisingly got a bit sunburned. We are from Texas so it was comfortable for us, but it made for a wonderful trip.
tink1970
DCL Platinum
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2012
- Messages
- 3,971
We just returned from the Small Group Tauck Ireland 7 Day trip (this had no children). It was a "small group" which has no more than 24 and 5 dropped out so there were 19 of us. It was really nice to have such a small group. By the end, it was very cohesive bunch and tardiness wasn't an issue (unlike some other tours). Briefly, just a few thoughts:
1) Tauck has only one tour guide, a driver and sometimes additional, local guides (we had them in Dublin, Glenadough, and Ft Charles). The local guides were excellent, and our tour guide was definitely not as good as some of our favorite ABD guides (we've had 11 ABD guides) but not as annoying as our least favorite ABD guide (name withheld!). I would say she was solidly average.
2) Food was fairly good-but I'm no foodie so I'm happy with pretty basic fare. Most lunches and dinners had alcohol included, iirc...I don't drink so didn't really differentiate the meals where they weren't.
3) Activities were varied and I felt there was enough free time balanced with coach drives and activities. The EPIC Museum was interesting, as was Ft Charles and Glenadough. The Book of Kells was chaotic and I was glad I'd been previously. It was super foggy at the Cliffs of Moher and again, I was happy I'd been before since many in our group were very disappointed they didn't get to view it.
4) Accommodations-we stayed at Dromoland, Hayfield Manor and The Shelbourne. Our room at Dromoland had no a/c in a rather warm time so The Shelbourne's was greatly appreciated (who knew?). The staff at Dromoland and Hayfield Manor were wonderful, and the Shelbourne was also quite nice and had a great location.
5) Tauck is slightly less than ABD and does not have dynamic pricing. The company also awards the "gift of time" which is a pre or post night hotel stay on them. We took advantage of this and had an extra night at Dromoland Castle. I do believe we received our money's worth and was pleased overall with our experience (second with Tauck overall, first small group/adult only tour).
Our next vacations are DCL, ABD River Cruise, DCL and DCL...so not sure when we'll do Tauck again but I definitely won't rule it out!
Hopefully this is helpful for someone since there isn't a lot of information out there.
1) Tauck has only one tour guide, a driver and sometimes additional, local guides (we had them in Dublin, Glenadough, and Ft Charles). The local guides were excellent, and our tour guide was definitely not as good as some of our favorite ABD guides (we've had 11 ABD guides) but not as annoying as our least favorite ABD guide (name withheld!). I would say she was solidly average.
2) Food was fairly good-but I'm no foodie so I'm happy with pretty basic fare. Most lunches and dinners had alcohol included, iirc...I don't drink so didn't really differentiate the meals where they weren't.
3) Activities were varied and I felt there was enough free time balanced with coach drives and activities. The EPIC Museum was interesting, as was Ft Charles and Glenadough. The Book of Kells was chaotic and I was glad I'd been previously. It was super foggy at the Cliffs of Moher and again, I was happy I'd been before since many in our group were very disappointed they didn't get to view it.
4) Accommodations-we stayed at Dromoland, Hayfield Manor and The Shelbourne. Our room at Dromoland had no a/c in a rather warm time so The Shelbourne's was greatly appreciated (who knew?). The staff at Dromoland and Hayfield Manor were wonderful, and the Shelbourne was also quite nice and had a great location.
5) Tauck is slightly less than ABD and does not have dynamic pricing. The company also awards the "gift of time" which is a pre or post night hotel stay on them. We took advantage of this and had an extra night at Dromoland Castle. I do believe we received our money's worth and was pleased overall with our experience (second with Tauck overall, first small group/adult only tour).
Our next vacations are DCL, ABD River Cruise, DCL and DCL...so not sure when we'll do Tauck again but I definitely won't rule it out!
Hopefully this is helpful for someone since there isn't a lot of information out there.
WishUponAStarryNight
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2014
- Messages
- 1,075
We are just back from our Yellowstone Family Adventure with Austin Adventures. I have to say, it exceeded all of my expectations! The trip was amazing in nearly every way. That being said, this is our first family adventure vacation, so I don't have anything to compare it to, but it was great.
Our group had a total of 18 people, 7 kids. DS7 and I were the only small family in the group. The others were a multi-generational family group of 9 and another multi-generational family group of 7. I knew this going in and was a little concerned DS and I would be isolated a bit, but that was not the case at all. The other families took us in and we were sad to say goodbye at the end.
Our three guides were terrific. They were our guides, chauffeurs, porters, chefs, friends and more. At the last minute, one of the more experienced AA guides was switched to a different trip and, in his place, we had a guide who was in his first year with AA. I'm sure the experience would have been somewhat different had we not had a guide switch, but I'm not sure it would have been much better. Ali, who I'll call our "lead guide" was amazing - I can't say enough good things about her. She knew the area very well and was an incredible people manager. Our other two guides didn't have the same depth of knowledge about Yellowstone as Ali, but when we were with them, we absolutely felt safe and well informed. These guides were some of the most genuine, compassionate, supportive and patient people I've ever met. Truly wonderful people and we'll miss them.
The logistics were seamless. We had many hotel transfers (not ideal, but the best way to see the park) and they were handled beautifully. All but one dinner was included. We had three included restaurant dinners, two where we had reservations and one on our own time. One dinner was a cookout prepared by the guides (complete with an apple pie warmed up on the grill). For our restaurant meals, we received coupons entitling us to breakfast and/or dinner and we could choose from the menu. Lunches were prepared by our guides. We had pulled pork, a taco fiesta, pizza, a sandwich picnic on the trail, and a Greek-themed lunch - all fantastic with lots of options to choose from. We traveled in two 12-passenger "self-cleaning" vans (every night they were cleaned and vacuumed and spotless the next morning), complete with healthy and not so healthy snacks. We never had to backtrack to get back to the vans as they would "magically" appear at the end of the trail.
Our days were full. We didn't have much down time at all, but I can't think of one activity I would have wanted to skip. Ziplining and white water rafting were so much fun. The horseback ride, though long, was great as well. I learned that the guides at the ranch run tours only for the AA groups and a couple of their private clients. The hikes were of varying length and difficulty (though none was too hard or long for a 7 year old). Many reviews of Yellowstone complain of crowds in the summer making it nearly impossible to enjoy the park. Well, on our 4+ mile hike, we saw maybe 20 other people the entire time. AA knows how to take you through the park so you see some of the most amazing things and you do it without the crowds. One of our hikes ended at one of the parking areas/viewing platforms. While people were struggling to find parking, we were enjoying yogurt parfaits prepared by the guides. It was at that point that I realized the value of a guided tour and I'm hard-pressed to believe that anyone can do Yellowstone better than AA. Some of the grandparents opted out of the trail hikes near the end of the trip and one guide would stay back with them and take them to areas more easily accessible by them so they didn't miss out on some of the highlights - a testament to the value of a small guest to guide ratio.
The little things mattered, too. On our first day, we each received water bottles and the kids got backpacks filled with all sorts of goodies. We received Yellowstone books along the way and notes left in our room. On the last night, our guides left a bottle of wine for me and a bag of DS' favorite chips. One of the kids on the trip was a little tough to deal with - not mean, just overbearing in many ways. I had chatted with the guides about my frustration not expecting them to do anything about it (they do work for tips, after all), but they really helped us manage through it and the treats at the end were a thank you for our patience. Not necessary at all. Personalities don't always mesh on group travel and smaller group travel can certainly magnify it, but the guides were very empathetic and I am so thankful to them for their kindness. DS is an extremely picky eater and the guides went above and beyond to work with him (I was more than willing to wait him out - there was plenty of food to eat and I figured he'd eat when he got hungry). I mentioned in passing that he doesn't even like cheese on his pizza. Well, one day we had pizza for lunch and, lo and behold, they'd gotten him a pizza just the way he likes it.
I absolutely will consider AA in the future. I do get the impression that the North American parks itineraries are likely their strongest trips, though. I've got a trip to Costa Rica booked for next year with Thomson and I'm excited to compare the two (though I would be lying if I didn't admit that I've got a little bit of buyer's remorse on the Thomson trip given how amazing AA was). I'm happy to answer any questions and would 100% recommend this trip.
Our group had a total of 18 people, 7 kids. DS7 and I were the only small family in the group. The others were a multi-generational family group of 9 and another multi-generational family group of 7. I knew this going in and was a little concerned DS and I would be isolated a bit, but that was not the case at all. The other families took us in and we were sad to say goodbye at the end.
Our three guides were terrific. They were our guides, chauffeurs, porters, chefs, friends and more. At the last minute, one of the more experienced AA guides was switched to a different trip and, in his place, we had a guide who was in his first year with AA. I'm sure the experience would have been somewhat different had we not had a guide switch, but I'm not sure it would have been much better. Ali, who I'll call our "lead guide" was amazing - I can't say enough good things about her. She knew the area very well and was an incredible people manager. Our other two guides didn't have the same depth of knowledge about Yellowstone as Ali, but when we were with them, we absolutely felt safe and well informed. These guides were some of the most genuine, compassionate, supportive and patient people I've ever met. Truly wonderful people and we'll miss them.
The logistics were seamless. We had many hotel transfers (not ideal, but the best way to see the park) and they were handled beautifully. All but one dinner was included. We had three included restaurant dinners, two where we had reservations and one on our own time. One dinner was a cookout prepared by the guides (complete with an apple pie warmed up on the grill). For our restaurant meals, we received coupons entitling us to breakfast and/or dinner and we could choose from the menu. Lunches were prepared by our guides. We had pulled pork, a taco fiesta, pizza, a sandwich picnic on the trail, and a Greek-themed lunch - all fantastic with lots of options to choose from. We traveled in two 12-passenger "self-cleaning" vans (every night they were cleaned and vacuumed and spotless the next morning), complete with healthy and not so healthy snacks. We never had to backtrack to get back to the vans as they would "magically" appear at the end of the trail.
Our days were full. We didn't have much down time at all, but I can't think of one activity I would have wanted to skip. Ziplining and white water rafting were so much fun. The horseback ride, though long, was great as well. I learned that the guides at the ranch run tours only for the AA groups and a couple of their private clients. The hikes were of varying length and difficulty (though none was too hard or long for a 7 year old). Many reviews of Yellowstone complain of crowds in the summer making it nearly impossible to enjoy the park. Well, on our 4+ mile hike, we saw maybe 20 other people the entire time. AA knows how to take you through the park so you see some of the most amazing things and you do it without the crowds. One of our hikes ended at one of the parking areas/viewing platforms. While people were struggling to find parking, we were enjoying yogurt parfaits prepared by the guides. It was at that point that I realized the value of a guided tour and I'm hard-pressed to believe that anyone can do Yellowstone better than AA. Some of the grandparents opted out of the trail hikes near the end of the trip and one guide would stay back with them and take them to areas more easily accessible by them so they didn't miss out on some of the highlights - a testament to the value of a small guest to guide ratio.
The little things mattered, too. On our first day, we each received water bottles and the kids got backpacks filled with all sorts of goodies. We received Yellowstone books along the way and notes left in our room. On the last night, our guides left a bottle of wine for me and a bag of DS' favorite chips. One of the kids on the trip was a little tough to deal with - not mean, just overbearing in many ways. I had chatted with the guides about my frustration not expecting them to do anything about it (they do work for tips, after all), but they really helped us manage through it and the treats at the end were a thank you for our patience. Not necessary at all. Personalities don't always mesh on group travel and smaller group travel can certainly magnify it, but the guides were very empathetic and I am so thankful to them for their kindness. DS is an extremely picky eater and the guides went above and beyond to work with him (I was more than willing to wait him out - there was plenty of food to eat and I figured he'd eat when he got hungry). I mentioned in passing that he doesn't even like cheese on his pizza. Well, one day we had pizza for lunch and, lo and behold, they'd gotten him a pizza just the way he likes it.
I absolutely will consider AA in the future. I do get the impression that the North American parks itineraries are likely their strongest trips, though. I've got a trip to Costa Rica booked for next year with Thomson and I'm excited to compare the two (though I would be lying if I didn't admit that I've got a little bit of buyer's remorse on the Thomson trip given how amazing AA was). I'm happy to answer any questions and would 100% recommend this trip.
Ava
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2006
- Messages
- 3,769
@WishUponAStarryNight Thank you for the great review! I've been eyeing AA's national parks trips for a while now, but my youngest is still a bit too young. She turned 5 this May, so we're getting there! I'm glad to read that your 7-year-old was able to keep up with the hikes. Were there any activities he wasn't able to do? I know some things like zip lining, rafting, etc have a minimum age or height/weight requirement.
BluesTraveler
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2015
- Messages
- 530
@WishUponAStarryNight - thanks for the great write up. Glad it was an outstanding trip, I always enjoy reading about people's travels.
WishUponAStarryNight
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2014
- Messages
- 1,075
Ava
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2006
- Messages
- 3,769
Haha, love it! My younger DD is a light-weight for her age, too.DS is on the small side. He wasn’t restricted in any way. We were new to zip lining, rafting and horseback riding and DS was well taken care of. He wanted to zip line on his own instead of tandem, so they attached extra water bottles to him to add some weight.
Calfan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2009
- Messages
- 2,561
And we are just back from our Peru family trip with Nat Geo, and it was phenomenal! We were pretty blown away by the level of service. I’m exhausted after nearly 24 hours of travel and 4 flights to get from the Amazaon back to Boise, ID, but I will definitely give a more detailed report once I come up for air.
CaliforniaGirl09
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2009
- Messages
- 4,173
Can't wait to hear from both of you! I love all these positive reviews of other companies. It's great to have so many choices!
Calfan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2009
- Messages
- 2,561
Got some sleep last night, and no jet lag to speak of because there is only a one-hour time difference between Boise and Peru, so that is really nice. And work is slow today, so here is my more detailed post on our family Peru trip with Nat Geo.
First off, Peru was really awesome. We were mostly in the Andes region (and we also did the Amazon extension through Nat Geo), so there is lots of the country we didn't see, but what we saw was very very cool. The top two highlights for me were Machu Picchu (of course) and the Maras salt terraces, but Cusco was very cool, and all of the Incan ruins are incredible. The food was also very good.
The Nat Geo family trip was fantastic. One thing that really stood out were the guides (as I've found on the three hiking trips I've done with Nat Geo). Plus, guide tips were INCLUDED (along with any other kind of tip for hotel staff, etc.), which was huge and I hadn't quite realized it beforehand (even though it was in the information provided), so it felt like getting a bunch of money back at the end of the trip
The guide/guest ratio was also fantastic. We had 13 in our group, with one expedition leader, one assistant guide, one logistics person (who also took a lot of pictures that are going to be emailed to us) and a full-time driver, so it seemed there were always Nat Geo people around. Our expedition leader, Juan Manuel, was really personable and so so knowledgeable about everything Peru, from culture, to politics/government, to education, to flora, fauna, food. Whatever you asked, he knew the answer, and he was great about sharing interesting information but not droning on, lol. And the assistant guide, Fabrizio was also great to talk to and also great with the kids. We did end up tipping each a bit extra (but were the only family to do so). Maybe about a quarter to a third of what I had originally been planning for guide tips. Juan Manual carried my (not so light) overnight bag for Machu Picchu everywhere and was just great in general. And Fabrizio took my DH on the strenuous hike option up Machu Picchu Mountain when everyone else either opted for the Sun Gate hike or to skip hiking altogether.
Nat Geo also went over the top with gifts. On the night of our farewell dinner, we came back to find a set of ceramic bulls for DH and me (the bulls are a very typical symbol of prosperity in Peru, and you will see them all over on rooftops) and stuffed alpacas (the kind with real, really soft alpaca fur) for each of the kids plus a keychain of typical Peruvian design. That was nice enough, but as we were leaving Cusco to head to the Amazon, we were given more gifts, and one was a REALLY nice bronze llama with a silver collar from a really upscale silver store in Cusco. We had bought a silver alpaca from the same store for ourselves, so now we have an awesome set. The one they gave us had to cost at least $150, if not more. And they give the kids really nice coffee table type books on Machu Picchu. Plus at both Inkaterra resorts (one in Machu Picchu and the other in the Amazon), we were given a small gift. One was a belt pouch, and the other was a canvas, cross body bag that we used everywhere in the Amazon instead of our regular day packs since it was so hot and humid and so nice not to have something against your back. (As an aside, I totally plan to use the cross body bag in Botswana next year as a safari camp bag.) Obviously, gifts don't make a trip great, but it was an over-the-top nice touch on top of a trip that was already great by virtue of the guides, the itinerary, the way logistics were handled, etc. Another nice touch that was very small but resonated with me was that in Cusco, I took a picture of two women with baby llamas. It is customary to give a small tip for this, but I couldn't even get my wallet halfway out of my purse before Fabrizio and Leticia (the logistics person) were waving me off saying Nat Geo had it covered.
And we definitely got the sense that Nat Geo values loyalty. Juan Manuel mentioned to DH toward the end of the trip that his bosses were pinging him to make sure "the Donalds were happy", lol. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that this was my fourth Nat Geo trip, but I don't get the same sense of valuing loyalty from ABD, which is sad.
Our hotels were also all top-notch, and I got the sense we were staying at the best in the Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu and the Amazon. Our hotel in Cusco was a 5-star as well, and we ended up with connecting rooms that formed a suite with a living room in between, so that was fantastic. (We had booked as two reservations. We ended up with adjoining rooms in Lima (just a short overnight before flying out to Cusco with the group the following morning), the Sacred Valley and Cusco. Neither Inkaterra lodge had adjoining rooms/cabins, but we were right next to each other at each.)
All meals were included, except for our final lunch in the Amazon which technically occurred after our trip had officially ended and while we were waiting for our transfer back to the Puerto Maldonado airport. I will say I found it a little odd that this final lunch was not included given that most folks are on late-afternoon flights our of Puerto Maldonado, but everything in Peru is reasonably priced, so I'm not going to hold it against Nat Geo. I know for some the dynamics of group meals can get old, but with only 13 in our group, the group meals were very manageable, and I personally have a bias against having to pay for meals on our own on an already-pricey vacation. That is another trend with ABD that I find disturbing (i.e., the seemingly ever-increasing number of meals on your own in the ABD itineraries I look at).
My family is definitely sold on Nat Geo, although we will continue the approach of using whatever company we think is best for a particular trip based on group size (must be small), itinerary and feedback, and we have also had very positive experiences on our Thomson and Austin Adventures trips. I think the only conundrum for us going forward for any of these trips will be that we are definitely outgrowing the family trips. On this one there were my DD 15 (almost 16) and DS 13 (almost 14) and another 15-year old boy (just six days older than my DD) who bonded really well with my kids and who they enjoyed hanging out with. There was also a 10 year old and 11 year old twins. They were not obnoxious in any way, but we are just beyond a desire to travel with younger kids and would prefer trips with only teens and up. So I'm not sure if that means we will try to do adult itineraries in future, or try to request departure dates on family trips with only teens or something like that.
One interesting piece of information that came out of this trip is that it turns out that Thomson Family Adventures runs Nat Geo's family trips. I started suspecting this when one of our travel forms for Peru had a Thomson header. Then our trip coordinator emailed to say she wanted to have a call with us about a week before the trip to give us last-minute tips and answer any questions (another very nice touch!), and her caller ID was Thomson. She was actually on our trip along with her sister (Thomson wants its coordinators to have experience with the itineraries they are coordinating, which makes tons of sense), so I asked her what the connection is, and she confirmed that Thomson runs Nat Geo's family trips. Our guides/driver were all decked out in Nat Geo gear, not Thomson stuff, but I'm not positive who they actually work for.
I'm happy to answer questions on any topic I didn't cover or anything else, but we would give this trip with Nat Geo a 5-star review.
First off, Peru was really awesome. We were mostly in the Andes region (and we also did the Amazon extension through Nat Geo), so there is lots of the country we didn't see, but what we saw was very very cool. The top two highlights for me were Machu Picchu (of course) and the Maras salt terraces, but Cusco was very cool, and all of the Incan ruins are incredible. The food was also very good.
The Nat Geo family trip was fantastic. One thing that really stood out were the guides (as I've found on the three hiking trips I've done with Nat Geo). Plus, guide tips were INCLUDED (along with any other kind of tip for hotel staff, etc.), which was huge and I hadn't quite realized it beforehand (even though it was in the information provided), so it felt like getting a bunch of money back at the end of the trip
The guide/guest ratio was also fantastic. We had 13 in our group, with one expedition leader, one assistant guide, one logistics person (who also took a lot of pictures that are going to be emailed to us) and a full-time driver, so it seemed there were always Nat Geo people around. Our expedition leader, Juan Manuel, was really personable and so so knowledgeable about everything Peru, from culture, to politics/government, to education, to flora, fauna, food. Whatever you asked, he knew the answer, and he was great about sharing interesting information but not droning on, lol. And the assistant guide, Fabrizio was also great to talk to and also great with the kids. We did end up tipping each a bit extra (but were the only family to do so). Maybe about a quarter to a third of what I had originally been planning for guide tips. Juan Manual carried my (not so light) overnight bag for Machu Picchu everywhere and was just great in general. And Fabrizio took my DH on the strenuous hike option up Machu Picchu Mountain when everyone else either opted for the Sun Gate hike or to skip hiking altogether. Nat Geo also went over the top with gifts. On the night of our farewell dinner, we came back to find a set of ceramic bulls for DH and me (the bulls are a very typical symbol of prosperity in Peru, and you will see them all over on rooftops) and stuffed alpacas (the kind with real, really soft alpaca fur) for each of the kids plus a keychain of typical Peruvian design. That was nice enough, but as we were leaving Cusco to head to the Amazon, we were given more gifts, and one was a REALLY nice bronze llama with a silver collar from a really upscale silver store in Cusco. We had bought a silver alpaca from the same store for ourselves, so now we have an awesome set. The one they gave us had to cost at least $150, if not more. And they give the kids really nice coffee table type books on Machu Picchu. Plus at both Inkaterra resorts (one in Machu Picchu and the other in the Amazon), we were given a small gift. One was a belt pouch, and the other was a canvas, cross body bag that we used everywhere in the Amazon instead of our regular day packs since it was so hot and humid and so nice not to have something against your back. (As an aside, I totally plan to use the cross body bag in Botswana next year as a safari camp bag.) Obviously, gifts don't make a trip great, but it was an over-the-top nice touch on top of a trip that was already great by virtue of the guides, the itinerary, the way logistics were handled, etc. Another nice touch that was very small but resonated with me was that in Cusco, I took a picture of two women with baby llamas. It is customary to give a small tip for this, but I couldn't even get my wallet halfway out of my purse before Fabrizio and Leticia (the logistics person) were waving me off saying Nat Geo had it covered.
And we definitely got the sense that Nat Geo values loyalty. Juan Manuel mentioned to DH toward the end of the trip that his bosses were pinging him to make sure "the Donalds were happy", lol. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that this was my fourth Nat Geo trip, but I don't get the same sense of valuing loyalty from ABD, which is sad.
Our hotels were also all top-notch, and I got the sense we were staying at the best in the Sacred Valley, Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu and the Amazon. Our hotel in Cusco was a 5-star as well, and we ended up with connecting rooms that formed a suite with a living room in between, so that was fantastic. (We had booked as two reservations. We ended up with adjoining rooms in Lima (just a short overnight before flying out to Cusco with the group the following morning), the Sacred Valley and Cusco. Neither Inkaterra lodge had adjoining rooms/cabins, but we were right next to each other at each.)
All meals were included, except for our final lunch in the Amazon which technically occurred after our trip had officially ended and while we were waiting for our transfer back to the Puerto Maldonado airport. I will say I found it a little odd that this final lunch was not included given that most folks are on late-afternoon flights our of Puerto Maldonado, but everything in Peru is reasonably priced, so I'm not going to hold it against Nat Geo. I know for some the dynamics of group meals can get old, but with only 13 in our group, the group meals were very manageable, and I personally have a bias against having to pay for meals on our own on an already-pricey vacation. That is another trend with ABD that I find disturbing (i.e., the seemingly ever-increasing number of meals on your own in the ABD itineraries I look at).
My family is definitely sold on Nat Geo, although we will continue the approach of using whatever company we think is best for a particular trip based on group size (must be small), itinerary and feedback, and we have also had very positive experiences on our Thomson and Austin Adventures trips. I think the only conundrum for us going forward for any of these trips will be that we are definitely outgrowing the family trips. On this one there were my DD 15 (almost 16) and DS 13 (almost 14) and another 15-year old boy (just six days older than my DD) who bonded really well with my kids and who they enjoyed hanging out with. There was also a 10 year old and 11 year old twins. They were not obnoxious in any way, but we are just beyond a desire to travel with younger kids and would prefer trips with only teens and up. So I'm not sure if that means we will try to do adult itineraries in future, or try to request departure dates on family trips with only teens or something like that.
One interesting piece of information that came out of this trip is that it turns out that Thomson Family Adventures runs Nat Geo's family trips. I started suspecting this when one of our travel forms for Peru had a Thomson header. Then our trip coordinator emailed to say she wanted to have a call with us about a week before the trip to give us last-minute tips and answer any questions (another very nice touch!), and her caller ID was Thomson. She was actually on our trip along with her sister (Thomson wants its coordinators to have experience with the itineraries they are coordinating, which makes tons of sense), so I asked her what the connection is, and she confirmed that Thomson runs Nat Geo's family trips. Our guides/driver were all decked out in Nat Geo gear, not Thomson stuff, but I'm not positive who they actually work for.
I'm happy to answer questions on any topic I didn't cover or anything else, but we would give this trip with Nat Geo a 5-star review.
Calfan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2009
- Messages
- 2,561
I totally agree with you about the North American parks itineraries likely being AA's sweet spot and also likely where they excel over other tour operators, but I also want to reassure you about Thomson for Costa Rica. We haven't done that trip, but we had a fantastic experience with Thomson in China in 2016, and (per my post above), Thomson ran an excellent trip for Nat Geo in Peru, lol. We've got Thomson booked for Japan in 2020, and I'm confident that will be another very positive experience.
BluesTraveler
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2015
- Messages
- 530
@Calfan , thanks for the excellent write up. RE: wanting to travel with older kids/teens - have you looked at Backroads? They have family trips that are specifically for older kids and teens, I think you have to be 13+ to be on them. We have our first Backroads trip booked this fall so I can't comment on them quite yet, except that working with them during the deciding/booking process has been great.
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