Curious how long the "meet your tour group" meetings usually last? On our itinerary it says to meet at 5 PM, but it doesn't indicate how long the meeting takes. Trying to figure out the rest of our evening on that day and wondering what time we'll be free to take off for sightseeing/ dinner. Since this is for the My Way Tour (France) it's not like we'd be actually doing anything with the entire group other than introductions, I assume.
Thanks!
Robin
I have not done a My Way tour, but the regular tours usually have the meet and greet that last from one hour to around 90 minutes. Then we all head off for a get to know the neighborhood walk and then a group dinner (which I know group dinners are not part of the My Way package). I don't see any reason the get together portion would be any longer for your tour.
I've not taken one, but on the itineraries for the My Way tours it says meet at 5:pm for a group get together to meet the tour manager and the other guests, followed by an orientation to the neighborhood, and then you go your own way for dinner. I assume from that description that it would be something like an hour or an hour and a half before you're on your own for dinner - like maybe 6:30 or 7:00. If you need a more exact answer just call the office tour desk and ask them.
I'd expect the tour leader to take the group on an orientation walk of at least 30 minutes, and that would be 15-30 minutes after the meeting ends (to give people time to go back to their rooms to get what they need for the evening). The tour leader may suggest places to eat, may even suggest that people could join him/her. Some members may choose to go to dinner together to start getting to know each other. You aren't obligated to join the orientation walk, but it's usually very helpful.
Thank you, everyone!
On our itinerary it simply says "meet at 5:00" (and I was thinking about calling on Monday, but figured if I got some answers here that would be sufficient). I think I'm going to allow evening to be open-ended that night- the meeting plus the neighborhood walk and dinner (with or without others) afterwards. I won't plan anything else specific that evening, just in case!
Thanks again!
Robin
My experience on two My Way tours is that you may meet people at the orientation meeting and decide to go to dinner together. Obviously, your call. Even though these are My Way tours, there is still a good deal of voluntary group interaction. The biggest difference for me was arranging my own sightseeing and planning my own dinners, either by myself or with a small group of tour members.
I was on one My Way. The tour manager arranged several pre-dinner informal "cocktail hours" in the hotels. Some people always came and it was a good way to get to know fellow tour members. By the middle of the tour, people just gravitated to the hotel bar/lounge almost every day before dinner.
I also took just one RS My Way Tour some years ago, in Italy. On several days, including the very first, the tour manager would say something like: “of course you are on your own for dinner, but at 7:30 pm I will be leaving the hotel to have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in town. If any of you would like to join me, paying for your own dinner, feel free to meet me here in the hotel.” Many people welcomed the invitation, unless they had other plans or preferences, and it was often a nice group meal.
These replies have been very helpful, so thank you all!
Nice to know what to expect and plan accordingly!
Looking forward to our trip!
Robin
Take a look a the scrapbooks for your tour for the past few years. They often give a lot of info on what to expect as well as planning ideas and tips (like where to do laundry).
Hey Robin,
I have done 3 of the My Way Rick Steve's (RS) Tours, Italy 2014, Alpine 2016, Spain 2018. The initial greet and meet get together is normally 1 hour or so, pretty low key. Depending on the tour guide or manager they might have some "drinks" available, wine or beer or other sodas. Normally you go around the room and tell something about yourself, where you are from etc. and if you have been on other RS Tours, it is up to you to say whatever you want. After the meet and greet, you are free to go and do whatever you want that evening. Some tours may take you out on a orientation tour.
On my first My Way tour, after our meet and great, I was in the lobby in our Venice Hotel around 6-7 PM having a beer, another couple from our tour showed up, along with another women from our group, we decided to go out and have dinner at the restaurant the couple recommended, only later did we find out we all lived in the same town, Portland Oregon. Go figure! Both the My Way and guided RS tours give you plenty of time to be with others in your tour group and also to go out on your own and do whatever you want by yourselves. There is nothing wrong with trying to plan every moment of your tour and trying to see every possible site, but it is also great to not plan so much of anything and let fate take you to places you have never imagined. You will have fun either way, so don't stress out about it. The RS tours are well organized and let you enjoy the best. Have fun! Scott
Really appreciate the link to the scrapbooks! I'd seen them mentioned a few times on the forum but this is our first RS tour so I wasn't quite sure what they were or how to find them. I had fun browsing, though I never did manage to find one for our specific tour (but definitely was able to get an idea from other My Way Tours of what to expect!).
Lots of great info here, so thanks everyone!
