On the Cosmos tour we took (21 days Uk/Wales/Ireland) our Driver and Guide were exceptional and MADE the tour Incredible. I can only imagine having your Guide (I guess it is a little better than a Bad Driver) and the frustrations. I agree with you on the hotels as long as one can get into and back from town/sights without major hassle or cost, we had a few places that we felt trapped in due to lack or high cost of transportation. The optionals are good and bad and they ALWAYS have Optionals on the nights you are staying in the "Area". . We had only 1 night where it was about $100 each way by taxi (the Only choice) to town andor 1 resturant at the hotel where the lowest price even for side dishes was $20 and a family of 4 would make the $60 optional look pretty good. We loved our tour but there are things to plan ahead when on a Budget tour. And certainly READ your paperwork in Advance and learn words like "View"= drive by or most likely stop and see the outside Photo Op. "Visit" = Stop see and go IN more Photo Ops. Local Guide/Guided Tour = Lots of drive by Views and In-Depth tours of the Bigger (more popular) sights. Pray & Hope for Good Driver, Guide and Fellow Passagers and you are set!

My family and i will be taking the European Introduction tour this fall with Cosmos. Has anyone ever taken this tour? I am interested in learning are the hotels as uncomfortable as many have reported? Were the city stops so brief you could barely enjoy them? How was the food provided included in the Cosmos tours? Any information, suggestions provided would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.