Piano World Home Page Forums Fun Stuff! - Parties, Tours, Projects & More... Forum Members Parties, Tours, Cruises, & Meetings Piano & Music Lovers Tour - Europe 2011 - JOIN US!

Bart & Diane, that's great, I hope you can join us.
I'm going to ad your names to the list but under a new category (Definite Maybe)

Best,

Frank B.

Remember folks, if you know you plan to join us, post here or send me an email.

If you want to join the tour but aren't sure yet, please let us know that too.
We now have to lists running in the thread above.

One for those who have already made the decision to join the tour, and those who would like to but need a little more time to decide.

Either way please let us know so we can get a rough idea of the number of participants.

We hope you can join us, this is going to be a fantastic adventure!

Frank B.
Founder & Host
Piano World

That works. Diane is having knee replcement surgery next Monday. How she recovers (we expect fully) will determine if we can make it.

But a 2 hour walking tour "compulsory"? That could be a non-starter!

I'm sure you can sit out the walking tour (or do whatever you'd like).
The travel agent wrote the "compulsory" part, not me :-) Turns out the "local guide is compulsory", not the walk.

I hope all goes well for Diane, please keep us updated.

Best,

Frank B.

I continue to have interest, although the price is a challenge for me.

No question about the value being offered, just out of our comfort range. I had mentioned earlier that we visited one of our sons in Thailand in January. My wife and I each had a small carry-on and no checked baggage. We stayed in a variety of accommodations from a tribal village to a beach bungalow to a high-rise apartment in downtown Bangkok and several levels in between. We found that the simple accommodations subtracted nothing from our experience. As the Motel 6 ad goes "Everything looks the same with your eyes closed."

Just my opinion FWIW.

Understood Keith, and I agree if it's something you are doing on your own, you can run with whatever is ok by you.
However putting together a tour for a varied group of people means trying to strike the optimal balance.
Sticking with the better known hotels gives us a little more confidence that the accommodations will be clean and comfortable, and able to handle the entire group at once.
Our goal is to make this a unique, pleasurable, and memorable experience for everyone who joins us on this adventure.

I hope you can join us if possible.
Deposits aren't due until Dec. 1st (25%), however we are trying to get an idea of how many people plan to take the tour.

Maybe you can explain a bit about the costs?

A very quick breakdown suggests to me something like this per person per day (eg Ramada Hotel advertises with $82.10 lowest avg nightly rate) (and instead of a bus I took a standard rental car with 4 persons and guessed $200 would do per day):

hotel+breakfast $100 dinner $35 bus $50
Times 12 days I get $2220

I know I'm neglecting the entrance fees etc now but what is taking up the other $2000?

Hi wouter79,
I sent your question to our travel agent figuring she could best answer your questions.
Her reply...


Thanks for the question. There are many hidden variables that many don't
think about when planning a trip like this. That's why so many people
utilize a travel agent, we think of it all for you!


When choosing hotels, we tried to find hotels that had a bit of history or
local feel and were located central to many of the sites within walking
distance to insure less time on the road. Because of this, hotels begin to
get a bit pricier. We did take advantage of some of the low advertized
rates when possible, but cannot take advantage of some of the lower rates as
they must be prepaid and we are offering payment options for the group.


A rental car is a nice option, but not really possible in a foreign country.
Not everyone is comfortable with driving somewhere new like this.
Therefore, we have chosen an air conditioned tour bus (with reclining seats,
a fridge and more) for the entire group. With this we have a driver the
entire time as well as a tour director.


Entrance fees and VAT and meals are actually more expensive that he
projected. Again, it's easy to quickly look at what it might cost but when
you really do break it down, the costs add up quickly. One thing to note is
that because there are so many people joining the tour, we were actually
able to bring the costs down a bit saving money for each traveler for a
really 5 star experience.


Here are some elements that must be included but were not listed in the
$2220 projected. VAT/Government taxes, welcome party for group, English
speaking tour director, local guides for private excursions, entrance fees
to Cologne Dom, Bonn Beethoven Museum, Thomas Church, Mendelsohn House,
Liszt Museum, Germanisces National Museum, Mozart Haus Birthplace, Castle
Schonbrunn, porterage at hotels and airports of one piece per person,
parking for motorcoach, gas for the motorcoach, service charges at hotels
and restaurants (often charged because of larger groups), hotel costs for
driver and tour director. You can see how it can add up quickly!


Thanks again for the question, I appreciate that you are protecting your
investments and hope you join the group on the tour!


Kimberly Winters
Travel Agent
Hill's Travel Service
A Virtuoso Agency
1500 4th St N
St. Petersburg, FL 33704
727-896-7161

Thanks for the reply on my question about the costs!

Apparently I did not state it clear enough but I estimated that the bus (including gas and driver) would not be more expensive than $50 per person. I only based that on costs for rental car for comparison.

It seems a 5-star trip is out of my budget...

Sorry you won't be able to join us wouter79.
Keep in mind the more people we have the less it will cost everyone.

Quite a few people have expressed an interest in joining the tour and it's still early. The first payment isn't really due until the end of November (Dec. 1 actually).

We are hoping to have enough people by then to make it more affordable for everyone.
The sooner people raise their hand the better though, so we can get an idea of how many people will be going, which in turn helps determine the price.

I realize there are cheaper packages out there, but they are typically canned tours that go to the same places over and over.
This is a highly customized one-of-a-kind adventure, designed with our piano/music loving members in mind.

To those of you who may be on the fence about joining us, please let me know if we can put you on the Yes I'm Coming or Definitely Maybe list.

- Frank B.
Founder & Host
Piano World

This looks like great fun. I would love to go if I can work it into the schedule.

That would be great Glenn, would be happy to have you join us.

I believe it is going to be a fun adventure (don't tell anyone, we might learn something along the way too).

Please keep me posted.

Oh Wooooow!

This is amazing!!! I wish I could go, but here in Romania my husband and I together only make an average of 4000 dollars per the whole year. Spending 10,000 on a 12 day vacation is definitely wishful thinking.

On the other hand, living in Europe, and Austria/Germany not being at such an incommensurable distance I am tempted to ask if it wasn't possible to have another group that would stay at the less pricier bed and breakfast kind of guesthouses (or even camping if possible) and join with your group for the visits and tours (of course paying their share for the guide and the normal entrance fees) but again... not using the A/C, refrigerator furnished bus.

Don't get me wrong, what your travel agent is offering is fantastic, and if I had the money I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to join in, it's money well spent.

I apologize if this may upset anyone, it is not my intention of doing that!
It's just that my jaw dropped just dreaming about the amazing places you're going to visit.


later edit>
Are you really going to stay and dine at Schloss Lerbach in the picture? [envy aaaaaaal over!!!!] If so, your travel agency is more than efficient! It's a work of art

This would be my preference. I would rather meet real people like Mirela along the way rather than functionaries in the travel industry -- no matter how professional they may be. More expensive travel options have a strong tendency to create an insulated "bubble" that shields people from actual contact with the culture.

I understand that some people feel they need the "bubble" and do not question the value being offered for the price being asked. I just have a different price/value equation.

Me too.

Understood, and if I planned on traveling alone or with a very small group of close friends I'd probably approach it differently too.

However we have been working months to put together a unique experience for what I hope is somewhere between 30-50 people from all across the country (and possibly around the world.)
We are trying to fit in an extensive list of exciting venues with a wide variety of experiences, while at the same time assuring everyone of a comfortable, safe, and clean travel experience.
There is a good chance we will have some children, and some folks in their 70's or older.
There will be experienced travelers, and folks who have never been out of the States.

We are doing our best to provide a memorable experience for everyone who joins us, which is why it's organized the way it is.

For those who aren't interested in this type of tour, or who simply cannot fit it into their budget...
Please see our complete itinerary. If you are able to meet up with us at any of our destinations while we are there please do so, we would love to meet you.
Heck, I would like to meet all 53,000+ forums members if I could. Unfortunately we can't get into trying to create numerous variations of our tour to accommodate the particular requests of our many valued members.

CONTINUED FROM FIRST THREAD IN THIS POST

Hotel Hafen - Hamburg - Tower Bar



Hotel Hafen - Hamburg - Willi's Pub


Hotel Hafen - Hamburg - Terrace



Hotel Hafen - Hamburg - Stairway


Auerbach Keller Restaurant - Leipzig



Auerbach Keller Salon - Leipzig



Auerbach Keller Restaurant - Leipzig


Rhein Hotel (Rheinhotel) Dreesen - Outside


Rhein Hotel (Rheinhotel) Dreesen - Restaurant View


Rhein Hotel (Rheinhotel) Dreesen - Neighborhood


See Additional Pictures In Next Post and in First Post of this Thread

See Additional Pictures Above and in First Post in this Thread

Austrotel Hotel - Salzburg




Deutsches Museum Hall of Keyboards - Munich


Deutsches Museum Hall of Keyboards Continued - Munich


Deutsches Museum Hall of Keyboards Continued - Munich


Deutsches Museum Hall of Keyboards Continued - Munich


Kings Hotel - Munich



Kings Hotel - Munich - Continued



Kings Hotel - Munich - Continued



Additional Pictures Above, Below, and in First Post in this Thread

Additional Pictures Above and in First Post in this Thread

Mendelssohn Haus - Leipzig


Mendelssohn Haus - Leipzig - Continued


Mendelssohn Haus - Leipzig - Continued


Mendelssohn Haus - Leipzig - Continued


NOTE:
The pictures in the above posts and at the start of this thread are only a part
of what we will be seeing/visiting on this tour. Please read the first two posts in this thread carefully as they contain the primary details.

We also may add more pictures later so keep an eye on this thread.
And by all means, join us on this unique adventure if you can!

"I am tempted to ask if it wasn't possible to have another group that would stay at the less pricier bed and breakfast kind of guesthouses"

I would like to join the cheap version too but maybe we should discuss such in a different thread.