D Stuck in Switzerland

Parent Cafe
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<p>My D is on a tour of Europe as we speak. When they went to leave this morning for Liechtenstein and Austria they found out their tour bus was not running, after a couple of hours of trying to fix it the tour company said they would be sending another bus from 3 hours away. 3 hours later the bus has just left and the earliest they will get on the road will be 4pm their time. They are now having to completely skip Liechtensten, Tirol, and some castle they were going to see there as well as no time for sightseeing in Innsbruck Austria as they have to leave for Germany first thing in the morning. An entire day of the trip wasted sitting in a hotel lobby for 8 hours!!</p>

<p>Has this happened to anyone else? Is there recourse with the tour company? I realize these things happen but 8 hours to get another bus seems excessive.</p>

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<p>Is this EF tours?</p>

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<p>I was trying not to mention the name of the company at this point but yes.</p>

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<p>If you have a magnifying glass handy you can read the contract, or visit their website to see if they address this. I’d be surprised if they would give you anything back, except supplement money if they missed a special tour. I can’t remember if there was a seperate fee for the castle (maybe Neuenschwander?), but that might be worth checking. </p>

<p>I was on exactly this trip with my D1 three years ago and my D2 went to Italy with EF a year ago. It is disappointing to miss that particular day, but with a bus full of kids and reservations at hotels established months in advance, I’m sure they have zero flexibility. And it would be hard to get a bus there quickly! In my experience, the guides on EF are incredible. In spite of missing the sights, your daughter is learning a tremendous amount about German culture and dealing with problems on trips (inevitable!) EF is a pretty good bargain, but the trade off is stuff like this.</p>

<p>So sorry this happened.</p>

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<p>Yeah that is what I figured. I am sure the contract has something like that in it and you are right it is a bargain tour so we are not completely shocked (especially after having read reviews of EF online). Other than that it has been an excellent trip and the guide has been great. Just sad they are missing out on a lot today. The bus finally just got there I guess but they were all looking so forward to the castle. I am thinking though that they may be seeing a castle tomorrow in Neuschwenstein as well? So hopefully that may make up for it a little.</p>

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<p>my son did an EF tour last summer – he really enjoyed it and it was worth the price. they had their mix-up at the beginning – the tour guide backed out and so EF had to scramble to find another one. the replacement ended up being excellent, so it all worked out.</p>

<p>My son did the Germany, Spain, France trip (with a side trip to Monte Carlo, I think) and they were on the move every minute! If you D gets to see Neuschwanstein castle, that will be great (it is the castle that Cinderella’s castle at Disney World is based on). My son saw it and loved it.</p>

<p>for the cost, I think EF tours does a pretty good job.</p>

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<p>LOL</p>

<p>I think the lesson here is to not let the kids take their cell phones along! Back in the stone age I communicated with my parents by mail (and the letters and post cards often arrived well after I got home). Missing buses were just something I had to sit back and wait for…</p>

<p>Wishing all of the travelers well!</p>

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<p>

I hope she gets to see this one - Mad King Ludwig’s castle. It’s the fairytale looking one you usually see in the tour guides and it’s pretty interesting.</p>

<p>I’m sorry to hear of your D’s troubles. These things can happen on vacations and tours though. I hope it all works out okay.</p>

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<p>HappyMom: You read my mind!! Oh boy, when she first got there she had issues w. her cell and was texting me from a friends phone but once that was resolved it has been non-stop (I need to live vicariously I guess). My bill is going to put me in the poor house!! TG texting is cheaper.</p>

<p>Speaking to her via text yesterday she reports they had to skip Liechtensten and Tirol and were to arrive at their hotel in Innsbruck about 10pm their time last night. For lunch in the town they were stuck in in Switzerland her and a friend went to a bakery and my D accidentally ordered a pickle and cheese sandwich. She said it tasted “very weird”. Funny, also she reports that they were selling underwear in a can at an Austrian rest stop so I guess she still has her sense of humor. Thanks for everyone’s good thoughts.</p>

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<p>momof3stars-
Sorry your d’s trip had some snafoos. I have to tell you though, when I read your thread title, my first thought was “now THERE’S a problem I’d like to have!”. My h recently went to visit an old army buddy in Germany. They were scheduled to go skiing in Germany and ustria (Garmisch and Kittsbuhl). They did get some skiing in, but the weather was absolutely awful and they had to ship a few days on the slope. His friend’s wife and kids were also with them for a few days and had transportation issues/problems getting back to their home. So, this stuff happens. It stinks, but I hope your dau has an othewise wonderful time. And, she’ll have a great story to tell about that sandwich! Hope she took a picture of it with her phone (assuming it is a camera phone). And good luck with the phone bill!!!</p>

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<p>What recourse would you want? </p>

<p>Travelling is messy, imperfect, different, buses break down, etc.</p>

<p>She was in a hotel, with her friends, safe and knew they had a plan and a place to go.</p>

<p>It doesn’t even stink to be honest. If the worst thing that happens is that they missed a castle or two, you are very lucky indeed.</p>

<p>Two years ago, when my D was 16 she was stuck at a london airport after a big security scare. i wa nervous, she was absolutely fine, My biggest concern was if she needed to stay, how would she get a room being under 18. </p>

<p>For her, it was exciting, an chance to take care of herself, and teach me to be calm.</p>

<p>This is a good place to vent, help put things in priority and see, eh, so they missed a castle.</p>

<p>i figure on any planned vacation if you get to do 75% of what was Promised that is pretty darn good, because even on family vacations together, stuff happens.</p>

<p>And 8 hours, well it happens. Sure, seems like a long time, but wouldn’t you rather they were in the hotel, then on the side of a road somewhere?</p>

<p>And even with the most expensive and magnificent tour companies, things break down.</p>

<p>And travelling, to me, should be a bit messy, not everywhere is disneyland and perfect. </p>

<p>I just go, egad CGM, what are you complaining about??? How many people can do half of what you are doing? that brings me out of the funk…and go, man, I am really indeed very lucky</p>

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<p>What I’d wonder is why, if they had 8 hours to kill, the guides wouldn’t take them out to do something more interesting than sitting in a hotel lobby?</p>

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<p>I’d have gone on a walking tour of all the nearby chocolate stores!</p>

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<p>They had already been in the town for 2 days, which is why they didn’t have much else to do. It was a small town and my D said everything closes for 2 hours at lunchtime as well. And I am glad they were not stuck on the side of the road, I consider that lucky. The hardest part of it was that she has saved like crazy for 2 years for this trip and paid it 100% by herself so I feel a little more put out than if it was me that had paid. I am sure all is well by now and I am feeling fine. Especially once I realized that getting a bus to finish their trip out for the next several days probably was a difficult task. </p>

<p>Believe me I would rather be stuck in a small town in Switzerland than where I am right now which is cleaning her room!!</p>

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<p>Two years ago DS and DH went on a school trip. They were supposed to go to London then Scotland. DD and I went to London figuring we would all meet there…
Long story short DS and DH spent two days stuck in NYC, never got to London and the whole group ended up in Scotland, many with no clothing for the 10 day trip.<br>
DD and I had a GREAT time in London!
These trips are a great experience in flexibility and other skills for kids. Stuff happens. Turns out the group had a great time in NYC, including a lost ride on the subway, last minute tickets to a Broadway show, and a long chat with one of the stars at the backstage door at the end of the show.
The kids who were the most flexible, including being willing to borrow clothes, had the best time.</p>

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<p>

Ha - my D orders those ‘on purpose’!</p>

<p>Sometimes these kinds of things force you to go outside the organized box and maybe wander around town, look in little shops, interact with some locals, and order things like pickle and cheese sandwiches. Even though that can get old if stuck in a tiny town, the bright side of this is she’ll now have a memory and a story to tell outside of the usual sights.</p>

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<p>Aren’t these called Ploughman’s lunch in the UK? Very popular there as pub food.</p>