Great people, great scenery, great food, great countries, great experiences
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Amazing trip! We loved all the planned activities and help our tour guide. EF staff was super helpful from emergency line service, consult in US, guides and director.
Hotels were horrible, and I’m not looking for a five star experience, just basic cleanliness and everything working. These hotels were old and dingy and in far outskirts of the cities, taking 45 minutes just to get to the main area. In Ireland kids had their dinners in pubs! So wrong on so many levels.
Reply from EF Educational Tours
Thank you for providing your feedback on your recent trip with us. While we're glad you enjoyed the destinations and appreciated the expertise of our tour guides, we deeply apologize for the shortcomings you experienced. We understand that the hotels and their locations were not up to your expectations, and we take this matter seriously. We'll work diligently to ensure better hotel selections and locations in the future, providing cleaner and more accessible accommodations for our travelers.
Moreover, we regret that the dining experience, especially in Ireland, did not meet your preferences. We aim to offer authentic local experiences, but we understand the need for more diverse dining options. Your feedback will guide us in improving the selection and quality of meals provided during our tours.
Your comments are invaluable in helping us enhance our tours and deliver better experiences to our travelers. We hope you still enjoyed the cultural richness of the destinations and that you'll consider joining us on another EF tour in the future.
Great experience
My daughter informed me that they didn't have a lot of time at any destination as they were rushed through things and didn't get to fully experience them. I would wish for future trips they spend more time at a location and go to less locations to make the experience less rushed.
Reply from EF Educational Tours
Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding the time allocated at each destination. We understand the importance of allowing sufficient time for participants to fully experience and immerse themselves in the locations they visit. We continuously strive to strike a balance between including a variety of destinations and providing ample time for exploration and meaningful experiences. Your input will be taken into consideration as we plan and refine our itineraries in the future. We appreciate your valuable feedback and hope to exceed your expectations on future trips.
Worth the three year wait!
Places were nice tours at locations could have been longer
This was the trip of a lifetime! I am so glad that I joined our son. I wouldn’t trade our memories for anything.
My students and I learned so much about the culture and history of Scotland & Ireland. I will be back for more EF Tours of these two beautiful places. A perfect tour for a first time group leader!
We had some hotel and EF planning miscommunication, but overall, we enjoyed the trip and experiences.
Definitely NOT worth the $$$ First the bad: Because we were booked on a connecting flight through Montreal w/ Air Canada, known for cancellations and delays, we missed a day & a half of our time in Ireland, only allowing us mere hours in a city I was so excited to explore. When we missed our connecting flight due to flight being delayed almost 4 hours, we were stranded at the Montreal airport, where very few people spoke English. On top of that, the airline cancelled all outbound flights, so we had to wait until the next morning to rebook. We did not have access to our luggage and had to wear the same clothes for 55+ hours. If you are going to schedule layovers in foreign countries, a representative from EF should be @ that airport to meet groups and ensure that any needed travel changes are handled. The kids were so upset; several of them cried & wanted to just turn around & go back home. This situation created so much anxiety for everyone involved. Since we were flying out of the busiest international airport in the world, I know there were better flight options available. As your customers, we suffered so that your company could keep a little extra profit. The EF selected hotels were so far away from the cities that we could not go out & explore on our own in the evenings. Also, since the hotels were so far from the cities, we had to wake up extra early to ride the bus an hour back to airports/ferry ports to travel to our next destination. On our travel day back home, we had to wake up at 2am to accommodate the other group who had an earlier flight. Our flight wasn't until 9am, but we were forced to sit in the airport for 6 hours because EF would not provide separate buses to the airport. Once again, as your customers, we suffered so that your company could keep a little extra profit. Also, the bus driver that morning (our 4th on the trip) would not even assist us in loading our baggage onto the bus. Regarding the buses, you need to utilize buses w/ charging ports. After being out all day taking pictures, people need to be able to charge their phones. Other tour buses we saw offered free wifi onboard. If you are going to book hotels that are so far from the city, you should provide wifi access for those longer bus rides. Regarding the hotels, our first hotel (outside of Dublin area) was nice and offered an excellent breakfast. However, the air in my room did not work & it was sweltering hot. On top of that, there was no hot water in the hotel. Our entire group took cold showers. And since we had been delayed, this was the first showering opportunity we had in 2 days. The second hotel (outside of Belfast area) was cute. But again, my room was sweltering. The was no A/C, which is understandable in the UK, but if there is no A/C, they need fans. The breakfast offered was unacceptable. It was just yogurt, hard boiled eggs and croissants. The third hotel (outside of Edinburgh area) was nice and offered a good breakfast. Regarding lunch time, this needs to be better planned out. Some days we had to clarify if our stops were to also be lunch or if we would be getting lunch somewhere. On the day we had to get lunch at the Robert Burns museum in Alloway, and the day where we had to get lunch at The Scottish Wool Center in Stirling, many students went hungry. Stopping @ a gas station would have offered more options. And only allowing such a short period of time to eat, explore & shop simultaneously before getting back on the bus caused indigestion. This area needs to be better planned out. Now the good: The best part of each day was the provided dinner @ a local restaurant. I enjoyed all of the meals, but I know several people in our group did not. I think that there should be at least 2 options offered. I know that multiple people don't eat cheesecake, and it was the dessert provided at multiple dinner locations. I personally did not like the churros or ice cream offered at two dinner locations. Options would have been more appreciated, especially since many days we did not get the opportunity to eat a real lunch. I can't really say much about Dublin, because we did not get a chance to experience this city. Gavin recommended O'Neils and it was good. Our tour guide Gavin, bus driver Nigel and bus driver Darren were all great. Darren even bought our group veggies to feed the highland cow, Hamish. The tour guides for our walking tours were so informative and nice. We enjoyed all of the history and stories provided by Liam in Belfast, Linda in Edinburgh and Nicola on the Spector of Scotland tour. Stopping @ Peace Wall in Belfast to write a message was cool. However, too much time was allotted @ The Titanic Museum. We all finished the self guided tour and had to wait around in the café before moving on. Everything about Edinburgh was great. It was definitely the best part of the entire trip.
Reply from EF Educational Tours
Thank you for providing feedback on your recent trip. We apologize for the challenges and inconveniences you experienced during your journey, especially the flight delays. We understand the impact this had on your overall experience and the anxiety it caused.
Regarding the hotel locations, we apologize if they were not convenient for exploring the cities independently. Our tours are designed with students in mind, including hotels with 24/7 security and enough rooms for large groups to book in.
We apologize for the issues with the air conditioning, hot water, and breakfast options at some of the hotels. Having comfortable accommodations is important while traveling abroad, however please know certain amenities are not guaranteed such as air conditioning in other countries. We will address the concerns about hot water with our partners to ensure improved accommodations and amenities for future trips.
Regarding lunch arrangements, we understand that the timing and options were not satisfactory. We allow for lunch times to be in areas with multiple options to suit traveler's preferences. We will work on better planning and communication to ensure that all participants have adequate time and options for meals.
Thank you for your feedback, as it helps us identify areas for improvement and provide a better experience for our travelers. We value your input and will take it into consideration as we continue to enhance our tours.
It was mind blowing!! Loved everything we saw and got to experience! Would go back in a heartbeat!
My daughter loved every minute of this trip!
Something for everyone. Wonderful all around.
A lot of things packed into the trip. I would have enjoyed 2 days in Edinburgh vs the 2 spent in Dublin as there was so much to see and do in Edinburgh we could have easily filled another day there.
My daughter had a fun trip, but the hotel In Edinburgh was dirty and had bugs in the shower
Reply from EF Educational Tours
We are so glad your daughter enjoyed the Scotland and Ireland tour! However, we are sorry to hear one of the hotels was not up to the EF Tours standard. Your feedback is appreciated and will be shared with our team for review.
This tour was too packed for a 7-day visit; much of our time was spent traveling with extensive layovers and multiple flights to get to destinations. In each city, most of the time was spent on bus/walking tours that did not allow meaningful time to visit the sites of the area. For example, we spent two days in Dublin but only visited 1 museum and 1 historic site. Dinners were pre-determined with little or no choice to select our own food. On a positive note, our tour consultant, drivers and local tour guides were wonderful.
Reply from EF Educational Tours
We are glad to hear the Tour Director, Tour Consultant, driver and other staff members were a great fit for the group and made the tour enjoyable. However, we are sorry to hear the pacing of the tour detracted from the overall experience. Our team aims to create educational itineraries for students that are balanced with some free time to explore on their own. Your feedback is appreciated and will be shared with our team as we seek to provide excellent tours for each group.
My daughter came home with a better sense of culture and improved confidence overall
Excellent communication throughout the trip. Thank you for the trip of a lifetime !
This trip was full of learning experiences. Many that made a huge impression on the students. Wonderful local tour guides.