Home > Compare Tour Operators > AAT Kings vs APT
AAT Kings vs APT
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of AAT Kings and APT.The Low Down
AAT Kings have partnered with Global Journeys since our inception, and as a result we have an in-depth understanding of all their trips, through both Australia and New Zealand. Our team have journeyed with them on 9 tours through New Zealand, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland. That close relationship also means we can deliver fantastic savings throughout the year. AAT King's core multi-day coach tours cater mainly for those over 55+, whilst their short breaks in the Northern Territory tend to attract a more diverse range of ages. All coaches are first class, and AAT Kings pride themselves on their tour guides - many of which have been with them for decades!
Initially providing coach touring around Australia and NZ to the local market, APT have grown exponentially over the last decade to now offer trips around the world, and are well known for their European river cruises. Over the last few years APT have introduced small ship expeditions that cruise the waters through Asia, Europe, Canada and off the coast of Kimberley. Catering primarily for the retired market, their trips aren't cheap, but in APT's case - you get what you pay for. Look out for their great Fly Free offers, and Earlybird Savings. The team here at Global Journeys have travelled multiple times by coach, cruise & river with APT, and we definitely recommend them as a quality, consistent, reliable Operator, and our past client reviews back that up.
Stats
No. of Trips
89
No. of Departures
3,598
Avg. Trip Length
8 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$516
Accommodation
3.5 - 4 Star
Budget
Affordable & Premium
Trip Styles Coach ToursShort BreaksCity Breaks
No. of Trips
415
No. of Departures
3,163
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$753
Accommodation
4 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
Choosing AAT Kings for your Australia or New Zealand holiday guarantees you’ll benefit from the insider secrets, off-the-beaten-path destinations and authentic interactions with local characters that only 100 years of experience can provide. With over a hundred years’ experience in sharing Australia with our guests, AAT Kings holds exclusive access to some truly unique locations, secret trails and roads less travelled that add so much value to the overall travel experience.
At AAT Kings, our on-road staff are best in class. Our Travel Directors, Driver Guides and Drivers are hand-picked for their passion, experience, and enthusiasm for the spectacular countries we live in. There is truly no one better to share with you the best destinations across Australia and New Zealand. We have been perfecting our itineraries and products for over 100 years, so the benefits gained from travelling with us are unrivalled. With over 150 expertly crafted holiday itineraries to choose from, we offer something for everyone.
APT is an Australian family-owned company whose essence began in Melbourne in the 1920s. More than 90 years on, APT offers life-enriching trips to every continent, and through the company’s vast industry experience, meticulous planning and unquestionable passion it's earned a place among the world’s most well-regarded travel companies.
From boutique river cruising to small-group 4WD adventures; traditional coach touring with a decadent twist; epic rail journeys to small-ship expeditions; classic ocean cruising to safaris of discovery by both land and air – there’s little APT are unwilling to consider in pursuit of creating the finest holiday experience for its valued guests.
Timeless luxury, exclusive experiences, life enriching moments and true personalisation. APT offers all-inclusive holidays so everything is taken care of. We invite you to join us; you won’t be disappointed.
Recent Reviews
4.5
Very happy travelling with AAT, the tour guide and driver were both excellent at their jobs. The 10 day itinerary was a very full, we covered a lot of places, which was good but next time I probably would go for a more relaxed itinerary where we could spend a bit more time in each place. It was very early morning starts and very full days. We did have ...read more a couple of afternoons and nights as free time which were great just to chill. Good mix of people on the trip and accommodation and majority of meals were all very good.
Global Journeys were great to book through, all very easy and all documents and relevant information were emailed, extra accommodation etc booked and any questions were answered promptly by Toni. Would definitely book through them again.
Global Journeys were great to book through, all very easy and all documents and relevant information were emailed, extra accommodation etc booked and any questions were answered promptly by Toni. Would definitely book through them again.
Rachael did a great job in organising everything for us and we had a thoroughly good 11 days. Sadly some of the folk got Covid which rather put a dampener on things but it didn't stop us healthy ones from enjoying ourselves. Our Tour guide was amazing and being born there she had a great deal of knowledge which we would never have found out if we ...read more had been tripping around on our own. Also our driver was amazing. He could get that darn bus around some of the tightest corners and into some of the smallest parking spots. Our accommodation throughout the tour was great and would most certainly come through Global Journeys if and when we want to visit Australia again.
I enjoyed the tour and felt we saw the most interesting and scenic areas of the island. I have a good understanding of the way people live, and the industries that support them. The convict and colonial history of the island is incredible, and having seen the area around the Gordon River am extremely grateful for the successful blocking of the attempt ...read more to dam the Franklin River. I thought the standard of some of the hotel rooms was not good enough, with some air conditioners and lights not working, and having to hunt for power points to charge my phone and camera overnight. The irons in the rooms were cheap and flimsy - if they're provided they should be of a decent standard . I was disappointed at the end of the tour when lack of supervision of a passenger with obvious health issues caused me to bring home something that ruined my Christmas. Overall I enjoyed the tour, but will ensure in future that my expectations of the tour director's responsibilities are not unrealistic.
Very comprehensive tour of Tasmania - gave us a real insight in to the varying landscape and the history of the state. We went to places that we would never had gone to had we planned a tour ourselves. Weather was beautiful and really gave us the chance to explore.
Our Tour Director’s knowledge of NZ was impressive and the factual information and other interesting tales passed on to us during our time on the coach was delivered in a very pleasant, upbeat voice. Our Driver drove safely all of the 3,864km covered during the journey.
Included Experiences: The visits to the Kiwifruit Farm and Monteith Brewery ...read more were interesting, the Te Puia Whakawerawera visit as well as the Tamaki Maori Village Concert and Maori Hangi meal were both amazing as was the cruise across the Cook Strait into Queen Charlotte Sound.
The boat ride on Lake Manapouri was thoroughly enjoyable and the stop at Mirror Lakes was amazing. The Milford Sound cruise was an unforgettable experience as was the cruise aboard the TSS Earnslaw and dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm. The Pancake Rocks, Blowholes and scenery at Punakaiki were great experiences.
Optional Experiences – The Amphibious WWII era Duck at Rotorua was thoroughly enjoyable, the Speights Brewery in Dunedin was interesting, the flight from Te Anau to Queenstown was spectacular and the Skippers Canyon Drive and Jet Boat were exhilarating – all well worth doing. The helicopter at Franz Joseph Glacier seats 6 passengers in a tight squeeze and the flight path tracks on the right hand side of Fox Glacier and down on the right hand side of Franz Joseph Glacier, therefore one’s experience depends on where you are seated. The really enjoyable part was getting out and walking on Fox Glacier. The accommodation was very good across the board and the included meals were delicious. Overall a great experience!
Included Experiences: The visits to the Kiwifruit Farm and Monteith Brewery ...read more were interesting, the Te Puia Whakawerawera visit as well as the Tamaki Maori Village Concert and Maori Hangi meal were both amazing as was the cruise across the Cook Strait into Queen Charlotte Sound.
The boat ride on Lake Manapouri was thoroughly enjoyable and the stop at Mirror Lakes was amazing. The Milford Sound cruise was an unforgettable experience as was the cruise aboard the TSS Earnslaw and dinner at Walter Peak High Country Farm. The Pancake Rocks, Blowholes and scenery at Punakaiki were great experiences.
Optional Experiences – The Amphibious WWII era Duck at Rotorua was thoroughly enjoyable, the Speights Brewery in Dunedin was interesting, the flight from Te Anau to Queenstown was spectacular and the Skippers Canyon Drive and Jet Boat were exhilarating – all well worth doing. The helicopter at Franz Joseph Glacier seats 6 passengers in a tight squeeze and the flight path tracks on the right hand side of Fox Glacier and down on the right hand side of Franz Joseph Glacier, therefore one’s experience depends on where you are seated. The really enjoyable part was getting out and walking on Fox Glacier. The accommodation was very good across the board and the included meals were delicious. Overall a great experience!
Thank you for the most wonderful travel experience. The tour was amazing with AAT Kings and the tour director Dave was professional, friendly, approachable and knowledgeable with a great sense of humour. Dave is an asset to the company. Perfect Tasmania is a fantastic tour showcasing Tasmania's highlights, highly recommend. Accommodation was of a very ...read more high standard and the food amazing. We meet some fantastic people and formed new friendships. Thank you Georgie from Global Journeys in booking our trip and making everything so easy for us. We certainly will book another trip with you.
4.7
I have been on many tours both in Australia and overseas. I would have to say that the Tour Director Michelle and Coach Driver David were without doubt up there with the best. David was a local Tasmanian and Michelle was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and totally empathetic to all her guests' needs. I thoroughly recommend APT for this 6 day tour, and also ...read more Global Journeys for their efficiency.
We have done this trip previously, although in April. This time we went in November. Although the autumn colours were beautiful it was very cold most days (around 5 degrees during the day). As this was the last trip of the season we found many of the freedom of choice activities were limited and in many cases were only limited to a city walk. We were ...read more really looking forward to riding the e-bikes on a couple of occasions but were told once we boarded that they stop that by the end of October. Very disappointed! We did find we were sitting around a lot on the ship and once we did stop at each port we were time limited. Maybe more day-time activities whilst on board too would have been better. On the whole we enjoyed our time away and couldn't fault the food and staff and their attention to detail.
Paris was very disappointing, the river cruise & Prague were excellent and met all expectations. Very knowledgeable & well organized tour guides. Perhaps this trip isn't geared to solo travelers. Accommodation on the cruise & Prague of high quality but were disappointing in Paris.
Recommendations:- (Paris) Perhaps the APT tour guide could have attended ...read more earlier to ease the tension/frustration/anger felt by the early arrival of clients. It was noticeable, that both Avalon & Viking guides where in attendance. Hotel personnel were quite rude/short/ with clients as they where very busy! Perhaps this could be looked into by Global Journeys. (GJ Team: We'll certainly pass on your comments to APT. Thanks for your feedback.)
Recommendations:- (Paris) Perhaps the APT tour guide could have attended ...read more earlier to ease the tension/frustration/anger felt by the early arrival of clients. It was noticeable, that both Avalon & Viking guides where in attendance. Hotel personnel were quite rude/short/ with clients as they where very busy! Perhaps this could be looked into by Global Journeys. (GJ Team: We'll certainly pass on your comments to APT. Thanks for your feedback.)
On the whole a great trip. The one let-down was the food, which would not pass muster in a Melbourne bistro. Restaurant staff were largely under-trained, which may be a hang-over from COVID.
Trip was very good. Karijini was below standard (very arrogant staff and canteen like food). Tour director Shay and husband who drove the bus were outstanding and went the extra mile to assist everyone. Visited many places that we had never heard of. The weather was lovely Exmouth and Broome excellent accommodation. Smaller towns accommodation was ...read more not as good but that had to be expected as there isn’t much to choose from.
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