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1.8
Updated by user Sep 13, 2019

TIPS for hearing people to communicate with deaf people. Advice is to speak normally and clearly, make good eye contact, and above all, relax and be patient.

Insights needs to more with people with disabilities. Insight needs to gets disabilities procedures in place which should be taken seriously as well as on how to handle insentitivite people picking on others.

Original review posted by user Aug 14, 2019

The trip was way beyond my expectations. After many, many, years of travel, as a former airline employee this trip was superb, breathtaking to say the least.

HOWEVER, 20 days on a bus was a bit much sitting on bus . With most of the bus sleeping during the duration of 9 hrs or longer for a week. Tour guide was very unaccomodating to people with disabilities. I am hard of hearing had lots of mishaps and unexplained coincidences as well as lots of miscommunications.

Missed shuttle bus with another couple as flight came in early. Had to get our own transit as bus and Tour guide wasn't there on time for our arrival. I've felt I was being picked upon do to my disabilities and had been humiliated and harassed during the tour. It was more then just unexplained coincidences I was being harassed and was a burden to everyone on the bus.

I now have extreme sensitivity in my hearing and some distortion as well.

Even my own voice is now distortion which I'm not accustom to hearing. This was sound-induced from the Vox box which tour director hooked up to her bus mircophone (July 8-9) and when I had my husband reach out to my travel agent to come home as I felt like a burden to everyone on the bus. Only to be told to stay. Then tour director upped the sound on the microphone on the bus while I was sitting in the front seat (July 13).

Which I'm still trying figure out why after I found the "Live Transcibe" app (July 11) where I could decifer speech to text is totally mind boggling to me. That evening I couldn't not make out any conversations at all with anyone at the dinner table as everything was distorted and muffled. With the ringing blare of fire whistles in both ears which kept me from sleeping that evening and had a major headache with my head pounding. Which, while in Alta I took a free day to rest my head the next day and went out on my own.

Unexplained Coincidences: Day 17, told told Tour Guide about both ears and her mircoohone being to loud.

Today mircophone was back to normal and no wifi was turned on so couldnt use my app to read from speech to text

It's extremely exhausting being HOH but now with this huge loss it's a major set back for me in socializing, with friends, and family.

I went from 60 to 80 decimals in my left ear. Down to 90 % in right ear in. Even after all the remapping the sounds are no longer the same as I heard before. Everything is now disorted and muffled no matter how they try to remap my hearing aids.

The sounds and hearing are forever lost. This is a huge major set-back for me.

Insight tours need to help people with disabilites unfortunately for me I walked away more loss then being helped. As Tour director couldn't be bothered. Evrn asked if she could give me times to board up on bus or an outline of tours.

Tour director response read your brochure and I don't have the exact times until we arrive.

It didn't just end with the torture of the blaring tinnitus as the micophones being turned up loud and/or lowered when in back of bus (couldn't tell). Microphones incidents happened after I had reached out to my travel agent saying I'd like to go home. BUT the way I was treated on the tour was totally unacceptable.

Missed dinner one night as I wasn't aware what time we were meeting up. Therefore, did my laundry that evening.

Another time, Tour guide led me to believe dinner was either reindeer or fish, told her I'd have salad, only to be told there's is no salad's.

Reindeer dinner comes with pototoes, that's it!" Tour guide said, "you'll eat reindeer, it's meat! When at dinner I asked Tour Guide was this the Reindeer Meat, she said, "no, no, no it's not!"

Unexplained Coincidences: had people on the bus who lead me to believe we're going to freeze up in the arctic circle. One women brought a jacket and people said, for me to buy one and took to me the store but was closed. They literally had me scrambling around looking for a last minute and happen to find a fleece sweatshirt which I never even wore during the entire trip.

As my green coat was more then enough for days in arctic, circle and even rainy days.

The same two people while on bus complained they were cold and pulled out their gloves while sitting on bus. Bus was comfortable and not cold. Head games??? Guess that was their way to see if they could get me to buying gloves and have a few more laughs on me.

Haven't a clue. Needless, to say I didn't fall for it after the jacket incident. I call it being harrased and humilated.

Unexplained Coincidences: another time while sitting in back of bus which I couldn't hear. I believe it to be either my hearing loss while I endured on the trip, or the mirophone was possibly lowered.

When Tour guide had called out to me on the bus. I never answered her when she called to me as I never even heard it. Later on, when Tour guide approached me and told me she had called out to me but the people on the bus told her I was sleeping. That was not the case at all.

I never her call my name. Until the women in front of me told me Tour guide just called you out but didn't say what for. That was not the case at all. Maybe she was just testing her mircophone as I was unable to hear in the back of the bus.

Felt like I really didn't belong on this tour as I was being looked down upon from everyone on the tour.

Even passengers came up to me asked me haven't you ever been on a tour before? Then another time at dinner during conversation a women asks were you always a blonde? People telling me I shouldn't be travelling alone.

By this time I was a burden to everyone on the bus and found myself travelling aboard and for first time while travelling in a very challenging situation in which I didn't know how to handle.

Yes, I totally understand it's a challenge with hearing loss, I totally understand there are times where I don't hear correctly and miss what's being said. It's was a huge challenge at dinner when everyone at the table is all talking at once.

I have no clue what's being said. I only hear every 5th word and have to piece the sentences together That's how we hear. Not to mention trying to get accustomed to all the different accents. But I did seek other options with an APP and shortly after when sitting in front with mircophone turned up high is where I took the huge loss of hearing.

That's clearing showed she didn't care. Tour guide knew I could also read lips as well as having the app from speech to text. Why in the world???

Unexplained Coincidences: While in little hammer we departed bus and everyone took off while I was taking picture of the statue of the skier, they all went to the right while I went left. Had no idea where they were.

She quoted on the bus that the statue a was land mark.

Yes, there's plenty more stories as the lists goes on and on. It clearing showed nobody wanted me to be around.

Insight needs to do more with people with disabilities.

As I wasn't getting the respect I deserved all I got was humiliated and harassed.

That being said, I would not be joining any future trips until there are other means in place for the disability to enjoy. I've already found other means for future travel which are in place where I treated with respect and not singled out by the entire bus.

Happy Travels!!

Reason of review: Tour director and being singled out by entire bus not accomodating to people with disabilities..

Monetary Loss: $8.

Preferred solution: Full refund.

Insight Vacations Pros: Arctic circle, Copenhagen, Ferry boat on silnorway.

Insight Vacations Cons: Treated as if we were a burden, Long bus ride over nine hours 9 hrs for week, Was told no ice cream on bus but fine for others to eat food, Endured huge hearing loss, Lack of communication.

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Guest

First off address me by my first name and not 'ShrillAffenpinscher " Really??? Ever here of the word "RESPECT"?

Look it up in the dictionary you can learn something. You expect me to come back as a customer? No way will that be happening! Rest assure on my blog of 8000 people (travel blog) that I will be writing about your tour company and as well how you addressed me by name.

You address your customers with nicknames? No class!!! Truly shows how you as a company operates. Status of Insight: NOTHING!

Never got back to me.

Wouldn't have expected anything more from your company. Have a good day!

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