Hello, we used Gate1 in May for our trip to Italy. We went on the Rome/Pompeii/Florence tour..... I'll give you a quick overview of likes/dislikes. Overall I liked them, but I'll tell you a few things to watch for. Our hotel, the International Palace, was wonderful, we loved it! They even gave us the one balcony room they had.....I think the trip to Florence was a waste of time. We left early in the morning and got back late, but really didn't see much of Florence. When you go to lunch, the restaurant gives you NO choice.... we do not eat beef, and that is what they were serving...they made us feel like second class citizens since we were on a tour... they said 'no, you get what we give you!'... how rude! Pompeii was great, we loved everything about it.

They advertise breakfast every morning, but with the bus picking you up around 6:45-7:00, the restaurant is not open... so you don't get to eat until lunch. They did not have a tour guide at the hotel to help..... the restaurant refused to open early even for a cup of coffee! That is the only thing I didn't like about the hotel, but other people on the tour said the same thing about their hotels, so I think Gate1 should inform guests of that fact and not advertise it!!

I think their prices are good, the times they gave us for flights were perfect... We loved British Airways. Gate1 seems to always fly you into London first, then down to Italy, no direct flights... hope this helps...

Hi! We have used Gate 1 Travel on our trip to Spain/Portugal in Nov 2003 and then to Italy in March 2004.We will be using them again on a trip to Central Europe next year. I don't have any complaints with this tour company. They plan their itineraries just right and give you time to explore on your own. They are actually reasonably priced compared to other tour companies and their optional tours are also a great value.

From LAX we've taken Lufthansa that flies directly to Frankfurt, Germany and then transfer from there to the country we will be going to.

It may be better in the East Coast, but when we did take British Airways this summer to go to Scandinavia, they had lost my husband's luggage, and we did not receive it until 3 days later..This maybe was just my experience, but a co-worker of mine who went to London this past August and flew with British Airways from LAX, had also lost their luggage. Customer service, when losing passenger's luggage, is not the best with this airline. Hopefully, you will have a better experience.

Have a great trip!

I will be interested to hear how your Gate 1 Tour to Italy is in April as I will be taking the Gate 1 Tour to Italy trip in June 2005. Please post any tips or hints as this is my first time there.

Sandy, We are thinking of using gate 1 for an april,2006 Italy trip-first time. What was your experience with the company/trip? Hwo many people were in your group?

This is a request for information. Has anyone used Gate 1 for eastern Europe, eg Budapest? The price looks too good to be true and I wonder whether it is too good to be true.

Carol

I took their land tour in 1999 and went to Budapest, Vienna and Prague and really liked them. I am also a travel agent. I then booked 2 clients in that summer on the same trip and they were not happy campers. As other threads have indicated, they changed tour guides in mid stream and there were too many people on the tour, I almost think that they were more interested in quantity(perhaps in the summer) vs quality. I have been hesitant to book them and tonight wouldn't you know I get an e-mail for 12 to book one of their fall river cruises!! I could be wrong but I think their off season tends to be better in terms of customer service. The itineraries are great and the price is wonderful so I am trying to be as objective as possible. bgb88@juno.com

I took their land tour in 1999 and went to Budapest, Vienna and Prague and really liked them. I am also a travel agent. I then booked 2 clients in that summer on the same trip and they were not happy campers. As other threads have indicated, they changed tour guides in mid stream and there were too many people on the tour, I almost think that they were more interested in quantity(perhaps in the summer) vs quality. I have been hesitant to book them and tonight wouldn't you know I get an e-mail for 12 to book one of their fall river cruises!! I could be wrong but I think their off season tends to be better in terms of customer service. The itineraries are great and the price is wonderful so I am trying to be as objective as possible. bgb88@juno.com