Belgium Travel Review: Bruges, Ghent, Cathedral, Historic Buildings, Art, 10-Night Tour

Review by traveler

John W.

11.14.2022

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Belgium

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

This is our third time using Zicasso. The previous two times we were give a choice of two or three travel agencies. This time, only one. This was by far, the most expensive trip we have taken. However, Nicole at this travel company put together a nice itinerary for us, and we agreed to the terms, as we did want to go to Belgium.
We enjoyed our trip very much. Accommodations and guides were very good. My wife and I got very sick while in Bruges, and Nicole arranged for us to spend an extra night in Bruges, and shorten our stay in Ghent by one night. There was a $493 cost for this, and we agreed to pay since the cancelation was so late. No complaints about that. There were two foul-ups with taxis, so we paid out of pocket and our travel agency reimbursed us our costs, plus $50. Also, on our last day, we went to check into our hotel and were told that our travel company had canceled the booking. We agreed to pay if that is what was required for us to get a room. We checked in, and eventually the travel team and the hotel resolved whatever issue resulted in the cancellation, and we did not have to pay out of pocket. It seems that the room we got was not as nice as the room we had the first three nights in this hotel, but we were not going to complain as under the circumstances, we felt lucky to get anything.
In our previous two experiences with Zicasso, everything was seamless. I did not have to call anyone either trip for emergencies. My opinion is, that is the way it should be for the amount of money these trips cost. This trip had a few foul-ups, and I had to make three or four phone calls to resolve these issues. All in all, we enjoyed the trip, but logistics could have been better.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

We felt fortunate that the weather cooperated. We only had one really rainy, cold day, but we soldiered on. The most memorable part was visiting the "Ghent Altarpiece" in the cathedral in Ghent. Also saw many historic buildings, artwork, etc. Enjoyed the chocolate.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

I don't think we would do anything differently. We enjoyed the trip.

Travel Company Comments:

Dear John,
On behalf of our travel company I wish to thank you for having travelled with us and for your kind words and positive review. Your feedback highlighting all aspects of the trip are very useful to us, and I would like to take the time follow up on your constructive comments.
We strive to ensure the best possible service and that is why our Helpdesk number is provided to give full support in case of unexpected occurrences beyond our control that may at times happen during your travels. I can confirm that we have in fact received 3 calls from you and I hope our service was as friendly and as supportive as possible.
During your first call you had informed that you and your wife were unwell (we were so very sorry to hear!), and as you had so kindly mentioned, we had promptly made the arrangements to adjust accommodation, tours and transfers accordingly.
You second call was to let us know that you could not find the driver at the arrival train station, and rightfully so, as I understand that the voucher must have been misleading due to the exact name of the arrival train station indicated in a smaller font below. Our driver was therefore waiting at that station, and our Helpdesk had suggested, for you to not have to wait for him to pick you up, to independently take a taxi to your hotel which had been immediately reimbursed. I wish to newly apologize for this, and we will take good note for the future to make this clearer in our document.
Your third call was made shortly after your second as the hotel had erroneously looked up your reservation in their system incorrectly informing you that it had been cancelled. The reservation was in fact active and confirmed on both ends (ours and the hotels) as shown by the confirmation email I had shared with you and by the fact the you were then able to check in your room. To apologize, the hotel had also offered a welcome drink which we hope was to your liking. Additionally, I can guarantee that the room category was in fact the same for both stays and that it may happen that the actual room sizes and layout are not all specular and might vary from floor to floor,
We thank you once again for your very kind feedback and review.
With kind regards,
Nicole