APT Tour & Cruise Reviews

Our extended European River Cruise from APT could hardly be bettered. There was always fastidious attention to maximising the experience by way of range of sights and experiences. A night at the Moulin Rouge blended in with nights of classical concerts and folk music. The attending staff were completely professional and proficient. The APT tour director ...read more and guides made the tour an individual experience even though they were managing a group. We remained in control of what we did through options that importantly included skipping some organised functions. We were pampered, entertained, well fed and educated in the culture of the countries we visited. We have had some 'unbeatable' world trips (notably the Amazon) and in the category of unbeatable European tour this is it. Hannah from Global Journeys was there from start to end expediting our trip and making sure we had everything in place. Thank you Hannah for the prompt and professional attention.

Our tour guide, Jeff, and our bus driver, Ron, were the absolute best. They made a terrific team. Both were extremely knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor. We just wish we could have had a little more time at several locations (e.g. Stanley, Cradle Mountain). Also, we didn't realize we'd be joining a trip already in progress. This meant ...read more we had no time at all in Hobart. Had we been aware of this situation we could have come to Hobart a day earlier than scheduled and could have enjoyed some time in the city. That being said, the tour was wonderful, especially the time in Strahan. The variety of activities (harbor boat ride, Gordon River exploration, Sarah Island, float plane flight to the Falls, the local community play) made for an interesting day, which was capped off with a dinner voucher to be used at a local establishment in town rather than eating another night at the hotel buffet. Only five of us opted for this choice. We were joined by our guide (Jeff) and the lead from the 'play'. We had a grand time. dealing with Georgie Walpole from afar (USA to Australia), was very easy and she was extremely helpful. Finalizing arrangements and payment were not complicated and handled efficiently. Can't say enough positive about dealing with Georgie and Global Journeys. An Aussie friend living in Melbourne had traveled with APT on previous occasions and she gave the company high marks. We certainly concur with her opinion. We'd definitely travel with APT/Global Journeys in the future.

This tour was excellent. The land tour was really busy by the time we started the river cruise we were ready for a rest. The places we went to were very interesting and some were very moving. We met some lovely people and all except one couple went on to do the river cruise with us which was a great way to start it. Our guide for the land tour was excellent, ...read more unfortunately the guide on the river cruse wasn't as good. The river tour was a non stop eating tour of Europe. The food was amazing. The staff were wonderful and friendly. They couldn't do enough to help. We visited some amazing towns on the cruise. Each with their own story. Most of the local guides were interesting and some were entertaining too. We did feel the pace was a bit slow for us and were pleased when some days we could choose to do an active tour. It would have been great if that option had been available for all tours. One thing that was wonderful on the land tour was that we were split into two small groups of sixteen which was really good. Unfortunately on the river cruise that wasn't the case and some of the groups were quite big.

We hadn't realised just how much time would be spent cruising with most days only having tours for half a day and the rest of the day and night we were cruising. We were a bit disappointed in that. We imagined we would have spent more time on the tours but it did give us a chance to rest after the busy land tours. Whilst it would have been great if we could have spent more time in some places we understand that wouldn't have been possible with the need to travel to the next town. We were also surprised that we were cruising most nights. That did make sleeping difficult some nights with the noise from the engines interrupting our sleep.

Overall we had a great time. We made some nice friends, saw some wonderful places and ate too much good food. The service Global Journeys and our Consultant Hannah, provided, in particular with relation to the Lufthansa pilot strike, was excellent especially compared to some other travellers who were on the tour with us. Some of them didn't find out about the strike until they were trying to check in at the airport. Our flights all went smoothly without any delays. We will be in touch again when we want to travel next. Now we have to decide where to next.

We are probably not your average river cruise reviewers as we have undertaken 4 European river cruises and 2 non European. We can't help but make comparisons to other suppliers than APT. This has been our least favourite tour. The boat was extremely crowded - long queues at breakfast and lunch. The boat is fairly old and the layout a bit cramped - the ...read more lounge area was always standing room only at the tour leaders port talk. The off boat tours and long walking distances made it a tiring experience but in this area there probably is not much alternative as there are not too many interesting towns close to the river. The late night walking tour in Viviers was a bit ridiculous - 80 odd 70yos walking through dark cobblestoned streets at 10.30pm was a bit uncomfortable. The special 24 person restaurant at the rear of the boat was a waste of a valuable space. The food/service here was first class but the cooking was not done with involvement of the guests and on the night we went to it there were only 8 people. The main restaurant would benefit from more tables of 6 and 8 rather than 4 and 2's - this seems to work better on the other boats that we have been on.

We found the experience totally positive, with very good pace & the right length for what we wanted to experience. Excellent driver and guide, who looked after the group with compassion and understanding when it was required. We would not hesitate to recommend this trip to our friends and family. It was great!

This was our trip of a lifetime. I cannot say enough of the attention to detail that was given to making our experience so enjoyable, thank you Georgie.To the people that picked us up at airports and hotels for transfers, to the knowledgeable Guides we had on the winery and town tours. The crew of the AmaReina were so accommodating and professional. ...read more Captain Tom, his son the other co-captain, Dietmar, Nico, all the stewards and our hardworking room cleaners, Aneta and Nicoleta. We were so looked after,we had nothing else to do but relax and enjoy the magical sights we would see travelling down the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. I have started telling my friends it is a must for them to experience this trip. My wife and I will have great memories of this time, especially the great friends we made on board. If the opportunity presents itself again, we will be checking out some of the other trips on offer.

Great tour. Very professional. Excellent service from Global Journeys.

Our thanks must go to Hannah for organising our trip. There was not one thing we could fault from beginning to end. This certainly was for us the trip of a lifetime.

APT's organisation was excellent and the tour/cruise proved to be very good value for money with accommodation in top-class hotels and ships, on both Halong Bay and the Mekong River, fabulous range and quality of food, excellent service and the excursions were both interesting and varied. We felt the length of this tour was just about right and gave ...read more us a very good overview of both Vietnam and Cambodia.

Absolutely brilliant, we loved every minute of our cruise and would highly recommend APT.

This was a fantastic cruise and I really can't find anything about it that I would change. All the excursions were wonderful with great memories. The food was to die for and the staff were excellent.

Brilliant...our Tour guide only a 5/10, seemed a bit tired of this route.

Our holiday was great, everything went as planned. The air travel with Emirates was excellent, on time, and of a very high standard . We very much enjoyed the River Cruise with APT. Everything was first class including accommodation, food and tours. The highlights of our holiday were numerous, I could fill a whole page. Paris was great and we very ...read more much enjoyed Moulin Rouge, Versailles, Montmartre and Sacre Coeur. Vienna was wonderful, clean and easy to get around. The Fine Arts Museum was incredible, you could spend days looking around the Museum. The Farewell Dinner including the glittering lights of Budapest capped of the first part of our tour, then it was on to Prague we would say the most attractive city we have ever been to - lots to see but not enough time. Yes our holiday was excellent and the service and planning by Global Journeys was first class.

Transfers were on time. The cruise was more than we ever expected. We have travelled quite a few times now to Europe and America, and we all agree that this was our best holiday yet. I have been back in Australia for less than a week and have alread spoken to at least 6 people recommending Global Journeys & APT. Thank you for such a wonderful experience, ...read more we will be doing it again!

We are so pleased that we chose to experience the Kimberly by joining a tour group. The region is vast therefore a lot of driving was involved and most of all, we learnt so much of the flora, fauna and history of the area from our well informed tour guide. This is an excellent tour itinerary if you have limited travel time.

What a fantastic holiday. Yvonne, we must have driven you crazy with all our questions, but you helped us through it all. You're a marvel! Everything, everyone was brilliant. The scenery is magnificent. The tour director made the whole experience feel as though we were the most important people in the world. If not for our bank manager, we would have ...read more signed up to do the return journey, Budapest to Amsterdam, right there and then. Even the lock strikes didn't put us off. The hardest thing about the holiday...where do we go next? Thanks everyone.

Despite the lockmaster's strike that upset the schedule during the second week we had a wonderful time. APT bent over backwards to ensure that almost all the scheduled tours and activities were still undertaken. This meant some longer bus travel than was anticipated but it was all handled beautifully. All the staff, from Cruise Director Sue, Hotel Manager ...read more Dietmar and down, were exceptional and absolutely nothing was too much trouble. Food was very good and the all inclusive concept certainly makes travelling so much easier. There was also a pretty good mix of free time and scheduled tours. I would recommend APT and river cruising to anyone.

We had no idea what to expect going on a guided tour and we were utterly overjoyed with our experience. Our tour guide, Imogen, amazed us with her knowledge and passion for the Kimberley and its inhabitants and history. Every single moment of our trip was incredible, and the Wilderness Lodges were the best ever, not only the quality of the accommodation, ...read more but the wonderful staff and incredible locations. Words cannot describe how much we enjoyed and valued our trip ... it was life changing in some ways for us both, and the happiest of memories.

My wife Carolyn and I did the Rockies and Alaska tour leaving Victoria Canada on the 4th July 2013 and terminating in Seattle Washington on the 20th July. The whole experience was equal to or surpassed our expectations in all respects. The accomodation, coach transport, rail transport, Holland America Line Ship (MS Oosterdam) was 1st class. The itinerary ...read more was extremely appropriate for people our our age and and the pace of the tour was not over amitious and overly exerting. The meals and food generally were excellent, with ample opportunity to exercise choices to satisfy amost every palate. Probably the most valuable aspect of the tour in satisfying our expectations was the calibre of the Tour Director (Ms Mary Simpson) who was not only extrememly knowledgeable about the venues we visited but also excellent in co ordinating the mechanical aspects of the tour so that everything happened as it should and also happened on time. Thank you for making arrangements for us and ensuring that we were well prepared to hit the ground running.

The service provided by Global Journeys is very good along with competitive pricing. However, the cruise I chose was a disappointment. My APT experience was not as good as I have experienced with another river cruise company I have travelled with (in terms of the quality of the meals, the level of noise/vibration of the ship and the places visited). ...read more APT have only recently added the Seine cruise to their itineraries, and therefore my experience may reflect that this is still a work in progress. However, if I was to be asked whether I would recommend this tour it would be difficult to do so. Certainly if a person has a passion for art, the Seine cruise does include visits to Monet's Garden and to the town where Van Gogh lived for a short while. That said, both of these could be easily done as day trips from Paris. Other places visited, such as Honfleur and some of the Normandy abbeys, necessitate bus trips (including a day long trip) as the ship can only travel part of the way along the Seine. While the APT platinum cruises also include all drinks (with the exception of 'premium' beverages) and optional tours, I did not think these were worth the extra cost compared to other cruise companies. I think that the Rhine and Danube Rivers offer far more to interest the river cruiser and the greater number of companies sailing these rivers means generally better value for money.