GLOBUS EXCURSION REVIEW
There were a total of 7 excursions that were offered on our Best of Italy Tour. We took all of them, for posterity and for our fellow travelers. There simply was not a great deal of information on the excursions on the net. If there was, it successfully evaded our attempts at finding it. We tried to get information on these trips at some length and only after a substantial battle did Globus choke up an old excursion list. What follows is our excursion list (they may change evidently), the price we paid for each, and a brief review of the experience.
Let me say that while I have read on some message boards that there was pressure applied to buy the excursions, there was none at all that I noticed when these were presented. We discussed the tours and elected to become reviewers. It was very expensive, and we hope that some good will come out of it.
All prepaid meals (including the meals included with the tour) are chosen for you. You have a selection of perhaps two items, and you must choose between them. You do not get to explore the more esoteric selections on the menus. Globus and the food provider got together and chose the most bland, Americanized, low cost product, that they could select. The exceptions to this are VERY rare.
Venice :
A Venetian Night Out - EUR 64.00 each.
Globus bills it this way:
"Travel by private water taxi along the splendid Grand Canal with its elegant palaces to a fine Venetian restaurant, and taste four mouth-watering courses of local specialties and wine. Later there's time to explore and absorb the romantic and unique atmosphere of Venice by night."
Our tour director was quite specific when he said that the restaurant we were going to had the best liver and onions in all of Italy. I'm a fan of liver and onions so this sounded good to me. Contrary to the excursion description, we did not travel to our restaurant by private water taxi. We traveled by foot.
The restaurant was right on the Grand Canal and since our entire party was seated out on the back deck, the view up and down the canal was first rate. Our seat happened to be in a nice private corner of the deck at the canal's edge. Excellent.
However, as was the case with almost every meal on the tour, the food was third rate at best. If you like your liver cooked until it is one more degree till it's carbon, then this is the place for you. The courses prior to the entrée were all very Olive Garden and entirely unremarkable.
The wine was tasty, and ONE carafe was included with the meal. Additional ones were extra. While the description included a "private water taxi ride" there was not one included. Perhaps because the restaurant used on this excursion, this time, was so close to the bus drop off.
VERDICT - Skip it. You could do better on your own exploring the town.
Gondola Serenade - EUR 37.00 each.
Globus bills it this way:
"Enjoy a serenaded ride in a traditional gondola (for 6 people), gliding through centuries-old canals, under famous arched bridges, and past lavish palaces and quaint piazzas."When you think of Italian icons, few things come to mind as frequently as the gondolas of Venice. There is just not a whole lot to say about this excursion other than to tell you that you will not get a gondola ride cheaper.
You may or may not get back to Venice anytime soon, so why not do it? Yes, the canal is a bit on the stinky side. Yes, there will be a guy wailing out songs in Italian in one of the boats behind you. Yes, you'll live if you don't do it. But, when you're looking to increase your personal catalog of transportation methods used in a lifetime, why miss this one?
This excursion includes nothing else but the ride, and the music.
VERDICT - Okay excursion, but a bit cheesy.
Lagoon Cruise with Lunch or Dinner in Burano - EUR 60.00 each.
Globus bills it this way:
"Leave the crowds of Venice behind and appreciate the peaceful vistas of the Lagoon while you glide past the islands of San Giorgio, Santa Elena, and the famous Lido. In the picturesque fishing village of Burano, renowned for its pastel-colored houses, savor a four-course lunch/dinner with drinks included. Afterward there's time to shop and stroll."Our tour guide said that if we want to have the best seafood we have ever eaten, then this is the excursion to take. Well he burned me on the liver and onions, so I wasn't expecting much from Burano.
Boy was I wrong. First, the trip to Burano was, in fact, a very pleasant ride out of the thick crowds of Venice.
Second, the island itself, is a photographer's dream. (sample photo.) As a very amateur photographer, I couldn't get enough of the place. The far thinner crowds and the colors of the island scored big points on my "worth the time and money meter."
And then we came to "L'osteria Al Pescatori," our restaurant for the afternoon. It was not a fancy place to say the least, but none of that mattered when the food starting arriving. One of the first things was a simple shrimp cocktail. Small, but the shrimp was fresh and perfectly cooked.
Then came a giant plate of little clams, cooked in a wine and butter sauce. It was served family style and the platter was emptied quickly. I would cheerfully have eaten another 10 platters. A fish risotto was next. Creamy, perfectly cooked, and made with an unbelievable fish stock… Three winners in a row.
Next was a bowtie pasta in a very light fish based sauce. Considering the boldness of the prior dishes, I was a little disappointed in it.
Fried calamari was next on the plate. Again fresh, perfectly cooked and seasoned. The final dish was sautéed sole. It was also quite fresh, but a little on the bland side considering the flavors presented so far.
After lunch, we were left with only a short half an hour to wander, shop, and take a few of the 10,000 photos that were screaming to be taken. Were I to have it to do all over again, I might have elected to stay on Burano for more photos and dinner.
VERDICT - Do Not Miss This Excursion.
Montecantini:
Tuscan Dinner - EUR 47.00
Globus bills it this way -"Savor a traditional Italian four-course meal in the warm atmosphere of a famous Agriturismo, amidst the green hills of Valdinievole."On this excursion you are driven into the Tuscan hills to a rather large estate that it now mostly a restaurant. The views from the well-kept gardens of the villa are utterly spectacular. After you've arrived and looked around a bit, you are plied very liberally with wine and a pretty bad DJ. (No accordions here.) You are also treated to the second best meal of the trip.
Your meal starts with a plate of various appetizers including liver pate, some prosciutto that I would kill for around here. Two polenta like dishes made with bread crumbs, tomatoes and garlic were next, followed by a cheese ravioli. So far, they were batting a thousand. It was a nice change from the slop that was served in the included hotel dinners.
Meats came next with a very savory piece of Tuscan chicken and some delicious local sausage. Both were excellent. I should note however, that they do not consider the wing as part of the breast. So you might get a wing and the person next to you gets a whole thigh.
They finished the entrée with a very nicely prepared piece of roast lamb. It was medium rare, just like God commanded it should be, and cooked with rosemary and garlic.
As the wine took hold, many people got up to dance and of course, drink more wine. Moonlit walks around the Estate, overlooking the Tuscan hillsides completed the evening. It was great fun and a very enjoyable night.
VERDICT - Do Not Miss.
Florence:
Uffizi Gallery - EUR 35.00
Globus bills it this way:"Admire the world's greatest collection of Italian and Florentine art. The GALLERY showcases works by Leonardo da Vinci, Boticelli, and Michelangelo."I'm a sucker for museums. Since I was a child I have seen the photos of many of the pieces of art that are housed in the Uffizi. There was no way that I could miss this one. As part of a tour, you will get into the gallery far faster than the sad soulswho are in the regular entry line. Their wait was 3 hours when I walked passed them, and into the gallery in a mere 15 minutes.
This is one of the tours that you are going to be treated to the lovely little devices called "whispers." Whispers are small radio receivers that supposedly allow a tour guide to tell everyone in a group about the priceless works of art being viewed. I have included a sample of what you'll hear in your whisper - here.
Placing aside the problem of the Whispers, if you have any interest in art or history, you will not want to miss this gallery. The tour will show you only a small part of the gallery, but once you're in, you can stay until the place closes.
VERDICT - Good Excursion.
Rome:
Excursion to Tivoli with Dinner - EUR 74.00
Globus bills it this way:"Leave Rome for a guided visit of the famous VILLA ADRIANA or the VILLA D'ESTE GARDENS and FOUNTAINS in Tivoli, followed by a typical country-style dinner with wine, spumante, and music."
This excursion is an alternate to the "Roman Highlights" and was not offered on this tour.
VERDICT - N/A.
Roman Highlights and Dinner - EUR 62.00
Globus bills it this way:"A guided walking tour takes you to some of the most famous monuments. Admire the Spanish Steps, Via Condotti, Piazza Navona, Parliament, and Pantheon. Later this evening enjoy a four-course dinner at a popular Roman restaurant. Drinks included."Your tour director is your guide on this excursion. You are taken to some of the listed sites via bus, and disembark to walk to the others.
I wish there were more to report about this excursion, but there really isn't. All of the sights that you are taken to are pretty easy walks from the hotel (assuming that you are at the Visconti Palace.) They all are free with no lines. Even the most modest research will tell you pretty much anything you want to know about the sights on the excursion.
The restaurant you go to that night is okay at best, but the wine (all you want) is included in the price.
VERDICT - Skip it. Do some research and head to the Jewish quarter for a MUCH better meal.
Farewell Dinner - EUR 53.00
Globus bills it this way:"Toss your coins into the Trevi Fountain, then enjoy a memorable dinner party with your newly found friends in one of Rome's popular restaurants, where a delicious four-course meal and drinks will be served. A wonderful way to say, Arrivederci Roma!"There is only one reason to attend this excursion - friendship. This is the last excursion of the tour and if you've developed a nice rapport with the others on your tour, you'll probably want to attend this one.
We were taken to the "Mouth of Truth" and a couple other sites - each easily reachable on your own.
From a strict food perspective, as with almost every other included meal, the food quality was pretty marginal. The "music" turned out to be a late middle-aged guy playing a keyboard and singing Italian songs. Actually, the guy wasn't bad, and he kept the volume down to a background level.
Dinner included pretty much all the wine you could drink. Fortunately this restaurant was only a couple hundred feet from the hotel so everyone could relax… A lot…
VERDICT - Do it. The company of new friends made this excursion well worth the price.
