who has had problems with gct??who loves them??

[nbevins]

How did you find this as far as altitude problems.At what age did you do it.I am 61-but have had a smal heart attack-generally good health and trying to exercise more

[obriendan]

I had by-pass surgery after a heart attack 10 years ago and didn't have trouble with the altitude. When you first get to Cusco (which is 3000 ft higher then Manchu Picchu!) everbody experiences difficulty and have to slow down. However, after several hours you get acclimated. I was 71 when I took the trip. Since my surgery, I walk three miles six days a week. We had a wonderful lady who was 87 on the trip and except for walking slowly, she had little difficulty!

[Benita]

It's funny how altitude sickness gets some of us, while others have no problems. Four of us flew into Cuzco, then went to the Valley of the Incas, followed by Macchu Picchu, ending up in Cuzco. We went with another couple in their early 50's. The wife was an asthmatic and the husband had a cardiac stent. My husband and I were in our early 40's and in excellent health, although I do get seasick easily.

Anyway, I had no trouble with the altitude, nor did our friend with the stent. His wife was a little short of breath at times, but basically did fine. My poor husband, who never has had a health problem in his life was lying in the street, vomiting in Macchu Picchu and had to be carried to the hotel room. He recovered after a few hours and was fine for the rest of the trip. We had all taken Diamox for a few days before the trip.

[nbevins]

thanks for the encouraging info

[AZPam]

Regarding heart issues and altitude, my father has serious heart disease and his doctor advises him not to go above 3500 ft. It just might be something to ask about before leaving and for goodness sake, I hope everyone buys travel insurance.

[sjde]

I have been researching river cruises because we'd like to take our first one, and GCT's prices are great but the no internet and twin beds are big negatives for us.

 

Sue

[rogerdawhip]

I agree that no internet is a problem for some and many people do not like the fold down beds. But for $1000+ less I can do without some amenities for 14 days. As for the beds, I've been on 7 GCT river cruises and at 6'2" I've never had a problem sleeping.

[letsgo39]

It would probably be a good thing for me to be away from the internet for 2 weeks.:D

 

When we cruised Budapest to Amsterdam on Avalon in 2007 the internet access was terrible and expensive so we did not use it We docked everyday and in many of the ports there was internet cafes near our docking area.Many people used those cafes to touch base with home.

[paul929207]

Yes, most (all?) ports have internet cafes. Just ask your cain steward or waiter. They usually know where they are.

[PCruzer]

We have only been on 1 river cruise with GCT. It was last September - The Seine: Paris to Normandy. This was also our first trip to Europe. We didn't know what to expect but were pleasantly surprised by the smooth running efficiency of the entire journey. We were assigned non-stop flights into CDG from JFK on American Airlines. We were met, as stated, by a rep and transported to our hotel. All hotel accommodations on the trip were clean and well located. The riverboat, the Bizet, was great. Small but well thought out cabin. Extremely clean. The food was very good and there were always plenty of selections. In the small towns we stopped at, there was an excellent balance between tour time and time on your own. Never felt rushed and never lacked for something to do. The other passengers, while quite a bit older than us (we are early to mid-50's), were a delight to spend time with. So many of them had been all over the globe and had really interesting stories to tell. We would not hesitate to travel with GCT again - In fact, we are scheduled for the Romance of the Rhine & Mosel in September 09. We are doing the pre and post tours, also. Can't wait!!

[pbnjrockette]

Sorry but we are not fans of GCT. We traveled to Australia/New Zealand/Fiji with them in 2007. We had several "office" problems with them including having our checks "lost" in their office and then when they "found" them and we had stopped payment that wanted to charge us extra fees. We did not find the home office very accommodating.

 

Our program manager was not an experienced manager--her previous job had been in the central office in Sydney. She was on the phone daily with problems with misdirected busses, lost luggage, plane delays. There were many in our group that had traveled frequently with GCT and were dismayed with the treatment.

 

Realizing that one trip/tour does not represent a travel company we are still reluctant to travel with GCT again. Their trip prices appear cheaper but many optionals that are included with other companies are costly. We feel we were "nickeled and dimed" a lot.

 

We have gone back to traveling with Vantage (GCT and Vantage are run by brothers). We have now taken 7 trips with Vantage and enjoyed them extensively.

Edited June 27, 2009 by pbnjrockette

[rickbech]

Back from our 5th Trip with GCT all seemingly fine except for return flight from Paris to Atlanta on Air France. The whole trip booked with GCT including flights. Our Seat assignment was Husband and Wife Aisle and Center 18 K and 18L. All Confirmed before we left the states. When we arrived at Charles De Galle they had us apart - wife center seat row 45 on the left side of the aircraft husband in Row 46 in the middle of 4 seats in the Center of the Aircraft. No explanation and GCT says Air France has the right to do that if they want to.

With GCt's clout and the amount of money we paid GCT months in advance this is what you get. I suggest if you decide to book with GCT - book your own airfare. GCT is starting to cut corners and letting their customers get shoved around and don't care. They said my argument is with Air France. I said no YOU Booked it and I verified it before I left. Something in Boston Stinks. I won't recommend this company to anyone again.

[pbnjrockette]

We are giving GCT another chance as we are taking a land tour of the National Parks this fall. Their itinerary was the one that fit our interests. We are hoping since this is all in the US, there will not be problems. We have been pleased with the Customer Service so far.... fingers crossed and hoping for the best!

[sjde]

This is an update to my post of 4 years ago. We did end up going on GCT last year-Christmas Markets on the Danube-and it was wonderful. My sister who is a travel agent also took me on an AMA cruise, so I am able to compare the two.

 

For the price difference I would choose GCT. Yes, there are twin beds but we found them comfortable. The staterooms are more basic. For us that wasn't a big deal. The only other difference I remember is you are limited to 2 glasses of wine at dinner on GCT-again not a big deal--and the wine choice and quality is a little less/lower.

[Barrheadlass]

I returned last Saturday from a "Christmas on the Seine" with Grand Circle, and have no complaints whatsoever. Yes, the rooms aren't fancy, but the bed was comfortable and I slept well. The ship was clean, the food was good, and the wine glasses were filled more than twice. GCT hires really good guides, ours were terrific. There were 105 passengers, three program directors who were great. This was my third trip with GCT and I will continue to book with them. There was a couple on the ship who have taken 24 GCT trips!