11 Day Eastern Europe w/Oberammergau

  

Eastern Europe w/Oberammergau
11 Day Tour • August 28, 2010
w/ Dr. John Lund

Special Guest Educator














  Important information:
• 
Airfare: Airfare will become available approximately 10 months before departure date. We will negotiate the lowest group contracts possible. Airfare is not a profit center for us, and you can always make your own airfare arrangements. Our best estimate on Salt Lake City airfare is somewhere between 799 and 999 plus taxes and fuel surcharges for airfare. We will also offer discounted airfare out of New York. Be assured we are good negotiators and expect our prices to be less than everyone else!
   
• 
Quality of Hotels: We are confident you will like the hotels we have scheduled for our tours. We have listed them on each itinerary. You will find that most of our hotels are Deluxe (4 star), with a few First Class hotels. Hotel ratings are as follows: Tourist Class hotels are 2 star, First Class Hotels are 3 star, Deluxe hotels are 4 star and Luxury Hotels are 5 star. Other companies in Utah offering Passion Play Tours state their hotels will be �Tourist Class (2 star) and First class (3 star).� We have all our hotels under contract and do not expect any hotel changes, but they are subject to change if we find a hotel that will be better for our group.
   
• 
European Expert: Ari
•   Will be touring with all of our groups.
•   Fluent in six languages.
•   Expert on European history, art, architecture, and music.
•   Tour director for over 20 years, and has assisted many dignitaries and VIPs throughout Europe.
•   Close friend to Fun for Less Tours. He made our Oberammeragau 2010 tours his top priority.
   
•  2010 Passion Play offers a lot of advantages:
•   The euro is down almost 20% over last year and is expected to stay down for the foreseeable future.
•   We have locked in a low exchange rate. This allows us to ensure the price will stay down.
•   The next Passion Play date isn’t until 2020, over 11 years from now. If predictions are correct, our huge US debt will cause our dollar to fall, making the euro very expensive. Costs could easily increase by over 150% to see the play.

We have compared our prices with another company in Utah that has Passion Play tours. Not only are they more expensive with not as nice hotels, but they require that their tours must be paid in full by upon signing up with 100% non-refundable! With us, your payments are scheduled over 9 easy payments and it does not become 100% non-refundable until 4 to 5 months before departure. We offer the better price because we are not working through a consolidator! We have our own contracts with the hotels, buses and Oberammergau.

“We are the best for less”
   • We have the best hotels
   • We have the best pricing
   • We have the best educators
   • We have our European expert - Ari
   • We have the best payment schedule
   • We have the best tour itineraries


Hotel Ratings: **2 star = Tourist Class Hotel / ***3 star = First Class Hotel / ****4 star = Deluxe Hotel and *****5 star = Luxury Hotel. When you see a � added to a star rating, it means the hotel is in between two ratings. For example: 3 � star rating would mean it is in better than a First Class, but not quite a Deluxe. The first rating by each hotel is what the hotel rates itself. The second rating is what we believe the hotel rating should be. Where other tours are staying in Tourist Class and First Class hotels - with your tour you have no 2 star Tourist Class hotels, only a few 3 star First Class hotels, a lot of 4 star Deluxe hotels and even one 5 star Luxury hotel.


DAY BY DAY ITINERARY: Partial list - subject to change as needed to improve tour!

Day 1: August 28: (Saturday) Fly from the US to Berlin, Germany.

Day 2: August 29: Berlin
In the early morning you will arrive into Berlin, Germany. We will have a full day tour of Berlin that will include both the East and West side of the city.
Overnight Pentahotels Berlin-Kopenick
Hotel rating: **** 4 star Deluxe / Our rating: **** 4 Star Deluxe

Day 3: August 30: Berlin – Dresden - Prague
This morning we travel to Prague with a stop in Dresden. You will enjoy an exciting city walk through the old town of Dresden that used to be called the Florence of the North. Prague is considered one of the most beautiful cities on earth! Today you will enjoy a stroll through the Old Town Square, visit the Jan Hus Memorial and the Astronomical Clock.
Overnight: Crowne Plaza Prague
Hotel’s rating ****½ 4½ star Deluxe Plus / Our rating: **** 4 star Deluxe

Day 4: August 31: Prague
Our local guide will show you Prague Castle, St. Vitus Cathedral, Old Royal Palace and the “Golden Lane”. We will also enjoy a short cruise on the Moldavia, which will remain in your memories forever! We will return to the old town for some free time to shop and explore.
Overnight: Crowne Plaza Prague

Day 5: September 1: Prague – Telc - Vienna
This morning we drive to Vienna with a stop in Moravia. We will visit Telc, an adorable UNESCO World Heritage Site. After arriving into Vienna we will enjoy a drive around the Ring Road along with a stroll in the royal palace area, before going to Vienna Park Hotel Schonbrunn. This wonderful hotel was built in 1907 for Emperor Franz Josef and is surrounded by a park. It is within walking distance of Schonbrunn Palace.
Overnight: Vienna Park Hotel Schonbrunn
Hotel’s rating: **** 4 star Deluxe / Our rating: ***½ 3½ star First Class Plus

Day 6: September 2: Vienna
This morning we take a tour of Schonbrunn Palace, the summer residence of the Habsburgs. We will then spend the afternoon visiting the old town including St. Stephen’s Cathedral. You will have time to explore and shop the beautiful old streets of Vienna. Overnight Vienna Park Hotel Schonbrunn.

Day 7: September 3: Vienna – River Danube Cruise - Salzburg
This morning early we will depart for Salzburg. We will proceed to Wachau Valley, the Danube Canyon, and visit Durnstein where you will board your 2 hour cruise on the Danube. We will disembark off the boat in Melk, where we will visit the monumental Benedictine Monastery. When we reach Salzburg you will enjoy a city tour and a stroll in the old town, along with a ride on the funicular to the High Fortress Hill overlooking the city.
Overnight: Renaissance Hotel Salzburg (a Marriott hotel)
Hotel’s rating: **** 4 star Deluxe / Our rating: **** 4 star Deluxe

Day 8: September 4: Salzburg - Oberammergau
This morning we will travel into the German Alps with a stop at Neuschwanstein Castle, possibly the most beautiful Castle in the world from the outside. We will visit a spot above the castle for a breathtaking view. (The best of Mad Ludwig’s Castles and his favorite is Linderhof, where we will visit inside tomorrow).
Overnight: Oberammergau area. Note: The Passion Play tickets and accommodations are controlled by Oberammergau. Most of our groups are staying in area homes or area apartments. There are 13 categories of tickets along with accommodations in homes, apartments and hotels. From what we have learned, most of our groups are in Category11 tickets & are staying in local homes or apartments. From what we have been told, this group will be staying in upgraded accommodations and they will be in Category 3 for the Passion Play. The upgraded tickets and accommodations has increased the price over our other 11 day tours.

Day 9: September 5: Oberammergau – Linderhof Castle – Passion Play
This morning, before the play starts, we will visit King Ludwig’s favorite castle, Linderhof, located near Oberammergau. We will then return to Oberammergau to experience the Passion Play.
Overnight: Oberammergau area

Day 10: September 6: Oberammergau – Liechtenstein – Zurich
This morning we will cross the Fern Pass and the impressive Arlberg Pass and then enjoy a short stop in Vaduz, the capital of the small country of Liechtenstein. We will then drive through “Heidiland” to Rapperswil, a lovely medieval town where you will enjoy a short stroll. We will finish with a tour of Zurich’s Old Town. We will then head to our hotel near the airport to prepare for your flight home tomorrow.
Overnight: Renaissance Hotel (a Marriott hotel)
Hotel rating: ***** 5 star Luxury / Our rating: ****½ 4½ star Deluxe Plus

Day 11: September 7: (Tuesday) Fly Home
Morning flight back to the US and home.
Pricing & Payment details

Price: $4,195
Pricing Information:
•   Price is per person sharing double room
•   The $4,195 is the cash discount price:
•   A Credit card can be used to pay an initial deposit of 500 to hold your space. The rest of the payments would need to be paid by cash or check.
•   Regular price is 4,395 (for those using a credit cards for deposit and payments)

Price Includes:
•   Deluxe hotels, buses, guides, entrance fees, tours
•   All Transfers
•   Passion Play tickets and accommodations around Oberammergau
•   Educator
•   Fun For Less Tour Escorts
•   Price does not include airfare or airfare taxes and fees

Payment Schedule:
$4,195 Tour Price per person
$49 Booking fee
   
$4,244 Total Price per person – to be paid as follows
   
1,500 Initial Deposit per person, paid as follows:
 
•   Those taking advantage of the cash discount price:
•   $500 paid by credit card (which will hold your space)
•   $1,000 paid by check - due within 10 days of initial deposit
•   For those paying regular price – all 1,500 would be taken by CC
   
2,500 $500 per person, to be paid each month for the next five months and $244 per person your final month. Payments would be due the 20th of each month starting the first month after your initial deposit. Note: $2,500 must be paid in full on or before May 1, 2010.

Airfare:  Group airfare will not become available until 10 months before your tour.  You can purchase your own airfare or you can purchase group airfare from us.  Our group airfare becomes non refundable after these tickets are purchased. 

Cancellation policy for Oberammergau Passion Play tours:

•   Many of our hotels and Passion Play tickets require payment in full and are non-refundable. We have had to adjust our cancellation policy for this reason.
•   15 days from your initial deposit: $1,500 becomes non refundable
120 days from you initial deposit: $2,500 becomes non refundable
February 1: 100% of Land Tour becomes non refundable.
Airfare: Becomes non refundable when ticketed
We recommend the purchase of Travel Insurance!
•  
If for any reason a person needs to cancel and if we are able to fill their space (from a wait list, that we will create after the tour is sold out), we will refund all but $250 per person (the refund on airfare is subject to the airline approving the name changes and the new passengers needing the same airfare). Even though there is a good chance we can find a replacement, we cannot guarantee that we can fill your spot.


 


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