Contiki Honeymoon

Remrich · June 2013

My fiance and I are planning a honeymoon through contiki tours next year (taking the extra time to SAVE SAVE SAVE as this will be quite the trip!). I was just wondering if anyone here has ever been on a contiki tour (honeymoon or just a vacation!) and what they thought of it? We are looking at taking the 18day tour from London up through to the Scottish Highlands, over through to Northern Ireland/Ireland, then over through Wales and finishing up back in London. Some stops along the way will include: Liverpool, York, Lake District, Edinburgh, Loch Ness, Belfast and Blarney (yes, I know NOT to kiss the rock!). We are also planning on opting in for an additional day trip to tour Stonehenge, Bath and the Windsor Castle. Has anyone ever been to any of these places? What did you think of them? I just want to make sure this will be a trip of a lifetime as we have never traveled by air or to another country before. Matter of fact, this will be the first vacation we have taken together as a couple! Advice welcome!!

RobynE

AJuliaNJ · June 2013

I did 2 Contiki tours when I was younger: Egypt and Greek Isles. They were a ton of fun. Everyone ends up bonding on the trip and doing things as a group. People didn't really go off on their own even if there wasn't an organized activity. If you want to feel like you are experiencing Ireland with a group of friends, it will be great. If you want a more romantic experience, I'd find a shorter Contiki tour of Ireland so you can see a ton of stuff and then spend another week with just your husband.

Remrich · June 2013

Our travel agents did warn us that the contiki tour doesnt offer high quality accomadations and that they definately appeal more to a younger crowd. My fiance and i have been together 4 years (will be close to 5 by the time we honeymoon) so romantic isnt huge on my list so much as unforgettable is...though i dont relish the idea of someone puking on me! We really love the old world charm and history that the uk has to offer but it doesnt seem as if there are very many options which is why were considering the contiki tour right now. We were also really concered about traveling abroad so we were shooting for all inclusive or a tour kind of deal where we have less worry about being someplace foriegn

-RE

Lored · June 2013

I personally have never been on a Contiki trip but I became friends with a girl who worked for Contiki tours as a tour leader. She had nothing bad to say about them as far as the tours and experiences but def said its more for young ppl. Even when FI and I were younger, she kinda alluded to the fact the it was maybe more of a hookup thing Bottom line, not something I'd consider for a honeymoon.

Lored · June 2013

I don't know why nothing I write has paragraphs.

dazyabbey · June 2013

We had looked into Contiki for our honeymoon but decided against it not because of the group or party aspect of it but because we wanted a bit more time to do what we wanted to do. It is a lot more group oriented and some of the tours can be very party central but there are a lot of couples that do them and it is a great way to see a lot in a short amount of time. And very budget friendly.

Personally if you don't care about the romance part of the honeymoon (We didn't) and it seems up your alley you should go for it!

HobokensFury · June 2013

I took a Contiki tour a few years ago. We had a great time but it's not really great for a HM. There is no alone time and you'll even have separate beds.

alithebride · June 2013

that sounds like a great itinerary. if you want to do it then do it

imo you can make anyplace romantic-honeymoon or not. depends on what you as a couple deems 'romantic' and what you want out of your vacation.

Cynth28 · June 2013

I second @alithebride 's sentiment: go with your intuition and have a blast! As a first trip together, the organized plan may work well for you and offer lots of variety. Sometimes you have to ignore other people's ideas of what "romance" is and just define it for yourself. I've been everywhere on that list except Blarney, all are fabulous places with lots of history, charm and discovery.

Summer2011Bride · June 2013

I think it can be a fun trip if that's the kind of trip you want, KWIM? I haven't personally traveled with Contiki but a friend did and had an absolute blast. She went with a couple of her friends last summer and met people from all over the world that she still communicates with via phone, FB, etc. She said it was an awesome experience.

But like PPs have pointed out, it won't be luxury accommodations, you may have to sleep in separate beds, you will, most of the time, be with a large group of other people, etc. If that is up your alley, I think you'd have a great time and it's an affordable option to see a lot of places. That isn't what we personally wanted on our HM, so we wouldn't have chosen a tour like that, but for a different trip, we might consider it (though we are getting to the point we are too old for them--I thought I read somewhere they actually have a maximum age limit?)

dazyabbey · June 2013

@summer2011bride 35 is the maximum age.

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