Explorica

$200 account cancelation fee. I think the title says it.

We were a group of 32 traveling from Maine to Paris, Milan, & Rome. When we originally designed our tour, we opted to pay more to fly from Portland, knowing we would probably have a connecting flight from a larger airport but looking to avoid the time and expense of traveling via bus. Explorica let us know a mere six weeks before our departure (when it was conveniently too late for anyone to receive a full refund) that they had been unable to secure a flight from Portland or Logan (presumably because they waited too long and/or were unwilling to pay for the flights they had promised us) and were instead booking us through JFK with a seven-hour bus ride to and from the airport! This meant that we didn't arrive at our hotel in Paris until 5:00 PM on the first day which cost us nearly a whole day of exploring the city. We had to rush through the city on foot in the couple of hours we had before dinner, without having time to visit any of the sites in depth. As mentioned by others in prior reviews, the food at most of the restaurants was ok but not enough and most of our kids bought more food on their own dime after the meals. Two of the dinners were substituted because Explorica made reservations changes; the first was because they scheduled our flight to Milan to occur during the dinner hour - they offered us each $10EU to purchase dinner at the airport, but our fabulous tour director Cristina got everyone $15EU instead, which was better but still equal to a multiple-course, sit-down group meal. The second dinner we missed was because Explorica wanted to book our Vatican visit at a student discount rate, which apparently now requires that we book lunch there as well, so to save money on the entrance fees Explorica made us have a sit-down meal at the Vatican - which was good and quite substantial with multiple courses - but then everyone was tired and full before embarking on an hours-long, in-depth tour of the Vatican - which normally would be awesome but not when you're tired and full from a large lunch! Then the kids were on their own to pay for their own dinner later that day. The first hotel in Paris was ok and had a good breakfast, but the second hotel in Milan - Hotel Lodi - was literally the WORST hotel I've ever stayed at - dirty, old, bedbugs, mold, loud, poor breakfast, and rude staff. The last hotel - Parco de 'Medici in Rome - was fantastic, so that made up for some of the rest. What really made our trip was the staff - we all had a great time and rolled with the punches, but it was really she that made everything go as well as it did!

Hotels horrible, not clean, holes in wall, no air., beds felt like bricks. Had to eat at gas station for lunch. Paid $8,000 (parent/child). Constant bus rides three days in a row totalling 13 or more hours with limited pee breaks, so dehydrated so you don’t pee your pants. Either eat where we eat or starve because this is the only time. It’s miserable. Tired of no free time in the places you want free times because we walk all over looking at places and then it’s off to the hotel from hell. Meals were mostly nasty. Clearly not as advertised and not explained by the school of I would not have wasted my money on such a horrible spring break experience. I’ve been to these places and there are good hotels…ones with sure and not cars and roosters keeping you up all night! Company won’t return my email about complaint because they got my money. RUN, don’t walk from this company!

Hotel location in major city - too far. It took about one hour and a half for round trip to the city.

Food and restaurants poor

Our trip was canceled February 17, 2022 and I STILL DON’T HAVE MY MONEY BACK!!!

They said they needed time to ‘hand process’ the refund request and it would take 3 months. My check was supposed to be refunded to my account on May 13 but instead they claim to have sent me a check in the mail. It was mailed from VA. It’s now May 23rd. I live in Maryland it should have been here by now.

But they say it can take 3 weeks to arrive and that I cannot not request a replacement check until 30 days after they issue the first check.

JUNE 12th… !?!?! Really.

Due to the corona virus, Explorica moved the trip out but refused to cancel on their side because that means they would have to give our entire trip a refund. Our school is NEVER booking with them again. Even those who bought the travel insurance aren't getting a full refund.

I would NEVER recommend that anyone book their child and invest their hard earned money into buying a trip from this company.

Horrible experience.

We returned from a trip to Boston and NYC of mostly high school students. We were to tour Harvard and MIT. At Harvard we saw the library steps, a statue, a gate, and the outside of a freshman dormitory. We saw MIT as we drove by. That's how we saw Central Park and numerous other sites on the itinerary, from the bus window.

It was discovered near the end of the Boston leg of the trip that our NYC portion was self guided. Our Boston guide wasn't licensed to give tours in NYC. We finally got a new tour guide for NYC.

The tour guides had no regard for the health or safety of anyone. A student became ill and had to fly home. The tour guide did nothing to help get the teacher back to our group after she escorted the student to the airport. In Times Square two girls got separated from there group, they texted the teacher, the teacher. found them. We were 2 minutes late to meet the bus, the guide fussed the teacher out cause the bus had to go round the block. She never asked if the girls were safe.

My Daughter's school is using Explorica Canada to book a trip to Italy and Spain. When we had the presentation from this company, the presenter told us that they offered a refund if you cancelled the trip. I understand there is a non refundable deposit of $195. This particular trip is May 2015. May daughter is no longer going on this trip. We cancelled on December 30th. The trip is over $3,000 which I do think is a good price. I have just been informed that I now have to pay a $500 cancellation fee and then there is the $195 non refundable deposit then there is the travel insurance that I apparently checked off that I wanted when booking this trip on line. If you cancel in more than 140 days you only have to pay a whopping $300 cancellation fee plus the $195 deposit. I cancelled at the 136 day mark so I am paying the $500 fee. They have let me know that they will not charge me the extra $200 I owe.

At the end of it all, if you are booking with this company beware. You cannot cancel as easily as they tell you in the presentation. The customer service is terrible. They just want your money. If this review can help one person I will be happy.

OUR DAUGHTER GOT HER PASSPORT STOLEN THE DAY BEFORE A SCHOOL TRIP TO EUROPE AND THEY DIDN'T WANT TO RESCHEDULE THE TRIP EVEN THOUGH WE PAID FOR THE INSURANCE. WE WANTED TO SEND OUR DAUGHTER TO EUROPE BY OUR OWN EXPENSE AS SOON THE NEW PASSPORT ARRIVED AND WENT TO THE AIRPORT TO ASK FOR THE AIRLINE TO KEEP THE RETURNING TICKET FOR HER TO GET HOME FROM EUROPE AND THEY TOLD US THAT EXPLORICA WAS THE ONLY ONE COULD DO IT SINCE IT WAS A GROUP BOOKING. SO WE CALLED THEM BACK IN FRONT OF THE AIRLINE AGENT AND AFTER A LONG COMVERSATION VIA PHONE THEY AGREED TO KEEP THE RETURNING TICKET. AFTER TWO HOURS THEY CALLED US BACK TO TELL US THAT THE AIRLINE TICKET SAID THAT THEY COULDN'T DO IT. IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE!

THE AIRLINE AGENT TOLD US IN THE AIRPORT THAT WE HAVE TO BE VERY STRONG WITH THEM BECAUSE THEY WILL STILL GET THE MONEY BACK FROM THOSE UNUSED PLANE TICKETS AND THEY WILL NOT REFUND US ANYTHING.

This is by far the worst service ever received. On our first day of arrival for our Washington DC and New York trip, we were stuck at the airport for over 4 hours waiting for a bus. The first hour and a half we waited for a bus that was late. When the bus arrived it broke down as we entered we waited another hour before they told us they are going to send us another bus. It is irritating spending this money only to be taken a day off our trip waiting for them to fix our transportation situation. We flew from California and we spent more time waiting at the airport than our trip itself. Might as well have turned around for this wasted trip. Never go though Explorica