The tour director () and driver () were outstanding, and made the best out of some unfortunate events on the trip. The trip Itinerary itself was good. The parks were great and the Lokota site visits and talks were very informative (and "eye-opening" and sobering).
Unfortunately, the hotel accommodations and meals were not up to past Trafalgar experiences. There were no food options at several places and did not accommodate people with allergies, etc. In advance, my wife specifically notified Trafalgar that she had a severe egg allergy, but in two specific instances the 5 breakfast options available ALL included (already plated) egg dishes or French Toast (egg dipped). There were NO other food options at all: no yogurt, milk, cereal/ oatmeal, toast, or fruit. The "resort" we stayed at was located near NOTHING and we were forced to eat at the very expensive resort restaurant. It was so remote, calling out for a pizza (etc.) would result in an additional $20 delivery charge. The farewell dinner advertised "pot roast" as one option (much anticipated following the numerous exposures to "bison meats" at the Lakota sites), since pot roast is generally thoroughly cooked. Unfortunately, what was served instead was some cut of steak that was cooked VERY RARE. I sent it back, asking for NO PINK at all, because I cannot stomach rare meat and prefer well done, but it still came back VERY RED in the middle. As I stated in my previous critique of this trip, if this had been my first Trafalgar trip, it probably WOULD HAVE BEEN MY LAST.
Bottom Line: For this itinerary:
(1) Trafalgar needs to find hotels that have other dining options available NEAR BY, or that provide shuttle service to other restaurants.
(2) The breakfasts should be either order from a menu or a buffet with multiple options to accommodate allergies, gluten free, or religious requirements, etc.
(3) The meal options should NOT be "already plated" meals that do not take into account meal restrictions some people have.
(4) They hotel/ restaurant should also provide sauces and salad dressings on the table, instead of slathered all over the food (which put egg-based product on otherwise edible meat, vegetables, or salads. Several people were very hungry during much of the trip - thankfully provided some snacks that helped everyone a little. [We also learned to "stock up" at gas stations/ convenience stores in case the meals were a problem.]
