England & France Trip Review: London, Stonehenge, Roman Baths & Windsor Palace, Paris, Disneyland

Our travel agent was good.  However working with him via email was very frustrating as there was a lot of back and forth. I did speak with him once and I understand there is a 5 hour time difference, however an additional phone call would have been more productive than all the emails especially when I requested another phone call. In addition, there was a huge misunderstanding that immensely hindered the Paris portion of out trip.  We were told we would have a private tour guide and when I asked if the guide would have a car so we could leave things in it such as water and jackets, I was told yes.  The guide in London came with a car and the trip was fantastic.  The guide in Paris did not come with a car and could not understand that walking the distances he expected me to walk was impossible.  It was so impossible, I was unable to enjoy our trip to Disneyland Paris on the last day because I had walked 8 miles the day before and that was with a car.  No matter how many times I said this was too much walking he continued to walk.  My legs were swollen and I had developed vasculitis as a result. I could not enjoy Disneyland at all.  We are huge Disney fans and this was my 10 year's portion of the Paris trip and we sat around for most of the day doing nothing because I was in so much pain I couldn't walk or stand. The Paris guide spent a lot of time telling me that I couldn't see the things I asked to see, which as I understood from the agent was the purpose of a private tour guide.  I specifically stated that I did not want to see any churches and was taken to two. I asked to go to the Jewish Quarters, only to find out that it was turned into high-end commercial property.  The guide spent more time telling us about the rent and how they "sold out" then the history of the area.  A huge disappointment as I am Jewish and an avid reader of WWII.  In fact the guide was very fixated on money and the wealthiest areas we passed through. We were suppose to go to the Jewish Museum but the guide didn't understand why we would want to go there as it "isn't much" and he decided to skip it altogether.  We are New Yorkers, he didn't know this because he didn't ask.  As New Yorkers, seeing the Statue of Liberty would have been nice, but it was too far.  Stopping at the famous bridges such as Ponte Alexander III wasn't possible either because "stopping wasn't possible". I heard more no's on this vacation than any other vacation and I usually tour in groups. Paris is known as the most romantic place in the world, I asked to be taken to those areas.  He seemed not to know what I was talking about. We were definitely on his vacation rather than him being on ours. Paris was a huge disappointment.  Thinking about it now that I am home makes me angry partly because of the expense but more so because I so wanted to love the Paris and at every turn the guide made it so unpleasant.  There is a beautiful tree lined street we didn't see but we stop at a wall with a statue coming out of it for "luck'" Apparently, this guy walked through walls and then one day got stuck in the wall.  I have no idea how that is lucky.  I did email the agent after the first day in Paris requesting a new guide, again I was told no, there wasn't one to be had.  The second day the guide was 45 minutes late without as much as an apology, just that his phone wasn't working and there was a metro strike.   When he was a no show, I called the agent who somehow was able to get in touch with him. The four calls I made were unsuccessful, the one the agent made got things moving and all of a sudden the guides phone was working.  The agent reimbursed us for the first day but that doesn't nearly cover the disappointment I feel.  The cost of this trip was close to $5000 per person not including airfare.  My 10 year old son traveled with us, the London guide was wonderful with him and tailored the conversation appropriately and talked to him and included him.  I would be surprised if the Paris guide knew my son was there.  We somehow ended up in the LGBTQ area of Paris.  I'm thrilled there is this area and believe everyone should be comfortable being who they are however, walking the streets of Paris was not where I planned on having a conversation about same sex relationships and yet there I was explaining that everyone should be able to love who they want because the guide shared way more information that I would have liked.