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APT vs Travelmarvel
Compare the travel styles, pricing, destinations and popularity of APT and Travelmarvel.The Low Down
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.
The lesser known, but equally popular Travelmarvel, is the sister brand of APT. Positioned as a premium Operator, but a level down from APT with regards to pricing, inclusions and the age of it's river ships. Travelmarvel & APT share the same past passenger Rewards Scheme, and many of our clients like prefer to spend a little less, knowing they are still backed by one of Australasia's premier touring companies. With it's roots in coach touring through Australia and New Zealand, Travelmarvel now offer river cruises in Europe & Asia, tours and cruises in Canada and trips around South & Central America. As Platinum Partners of APT & Travelmarvel, our consulting team have an in-depth knowledge and have personally experienced travelling with Travelmarvel and would relish the opportunity to help organise your next holiday.
Stats
No. of Trips
313
No. of Departures
1,373
Avg. Trip Length
15 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$678
Accommodation
4 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
No. of Trips
253
No. of Departures
863
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$430
Accommodation
4 Star
Budget
Affordable & Premium
In Their Own Words We asked the travel companies themselves why you should travel with them
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.
Holiday memories are not just shaped by the incredible places you visit, but also by the wonderful people you meet along the way. At Travelmarvel, we know that great service is about going above and beyond, and that’s why our staff are regarded as a holiday highlight in their own right.
Travelmarvel holidays offer the perfect combination of all the highlights of the destination with outstanding quality and value for money - you won’t go wrong choosing Travelmavel for your next holiday adventure.
Recent Reviews
4.7
We have just been on our 8th APT tour and they have delivered again. The itinerary was comprehensive without being over taxing, the accomodation was first class and well located, the meals diverse and generally above expectation and the organisation near perfect. Any such tour is dependant on the Tour Director and we had the best in Asami Komachi. Her ...read more passion for her country was evident and she never stopped working to make sure we enjoyed every aspect of our tour.
We’d also like to thank Tracey from Global Journeys for the work she did to organise our tour. We have given her some hard times over the Covid period and she always delivers in the most friendly way. We highly recommend her.
We’d also like to thank Tracey from Global Journeys for the work she did to organise our tour. We have given her some hard times over the Covid period and she always delivers in the most friendly way. We highly recommend her.
Rachel McSorley at Global Journeys was very efficient. She followed up everything we asked of her, including early delivery of our APT bags. We had a fantastic time on tour with APT. Our guide, Basil, was wonderful, we couldn't have asked for anyone better.
We had a brilliant cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam on the new APT ship Ostara. The Global Journeys team of Grace, Hannah, Tracey & Georgie did an amazing job of booking the river cruise with APT and ironing out a few problems with accommodation. Once on our way, everything worked seamlessly, and we thoroughly enjoyed the cruise; great ship, crew, ...read more food, wine & a great selection of tours. Minor hiccup was the ship swop because of low water in the rivers, but even this was handled very well, and we ended up getting on the sister ship Solara! No problem at all. A big shout out for the cruise director Anya, who was absolutely brilliant. All in all, a fantastic trip, professionally organised by Global Journeys. Thanks again, Greg & Kerry.
Unreal Prague To Paris 0
Magnificent Europe - Prague to Paris
Des & Jeanette , NSW, Australia, Aug 2025
What a fabulous trip and experience! Everyday the scenery was breathtaking and the guides were a wealth of knowledge enlightening us in each city & towns as we explored them. The extra tours and options were fantastic as were the many little extras provided. Both Ships were amazing even with a changeover due to low water. Our journey planning was easy ...read more thanks to Tracey from Global Journeys being very efficient with attention to detail. We look forward to our next adventure.
What a great showcase of Australia’s inland beauty. From the grandeur of Uluru to the magnificence of Lake Eyre in flood. Every day with its own highlight - totally understated in the supplied itinerary. A truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. Comfortable transport, very knowlegeable and capable driver and best available accommodation, make this a full ...read more comfort tour of really remote Australia. Highly recommended - great value tour.
Beautiful new boat APT Solara. The food the staff and the unlimited drinks all excellent. Multiple Restaurants but dining at 3 is by invitation only. The Captains Table is excellent but the Bistro offers the widest choice and the most flexible seatings si it was preferred by many by the end if the trip. Excellent BBQ on the top deck for a couple of ...read more lunches. Some shade upstairs but not alot especially if the boat is sailing. Owners suite fabulous - so many inclusions and amazing views of the river. Thanks Tracey for pulling it all together and getting us a great price.
4.6
The best of Tasmania in wonderful company 0
Grand Tasman
Jeannette and Lucy, WA, Australia, Oct 2025
Driver Simon and tour director Gordon were an excellent team who shared their local knowledge and passion for Tasmania in a very engaging way. We couldn’t have been happier with the route chosen by them. An excellent time was had. The whole trip was handled smoothly right through from the booking stage with Rachael until the transport back to the airport. ...read more Thank you.
Our river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest was brilliant. Everything went seamlessly and Travelmarvel ships are beautiful and probably the best looking out of all the others we passed. Global Journeys did a magnificent job in organising the trip and we would like to send a giant thank you to Grace Enchelmaier for her friendly and professional service. ...read more Even though we had to change ships due to low water levels, the inconvenience was minimal. We would definitely recommend this trip and dealing with Global Journeys (Grace).
Great cruise, highly recommended! 0
European Gems - Budapest to Amsterdam
Leticia, ACT, Australia, Oct 2025
Even if most days were cold, overcast and raining we wtill enjoyed our European Gems Cruise with Travelmarvel. We had a good group so that made all the difference. Only hitch was that after 7 days we had to pack up and swap ships as the water level was too low in one section, but at least we still had 14 days cruising. Food was very good (lots ...read more of it) and wines were excellent, specially the whites. The staff was charming and engaging, specially in the dining room, nothing was too much for them.
Great trip through Vietnam and Cambodia 0
Wonders of Vietnam and Cambodia
Phil and Linda, WA, Australia, Oct 2025
Our first time adventure to Vietnam and Cambodia and our first time travelling with Travelmarvel. Was very impressed with Travelmarvel. Well organised and thoroughly enjoyable trip. Our TD, Mr Thoi, was brilliant. Very professional, nothing was too much trouble for him and always a simile on his face. The local guides were also good. Extremely knowledgeable ...read more and great sense's of humor. The accommodation throughout the tour was excellent. Pity we did not have a bit more time to enjoy the facilities at some of the hotel / resorts. The dining was excellent, particularly on the Mekong River cruise. Would have no issue to recommend travelling with Travelmarvel through Vietnam and Cambodia. Finally, again, great service from Tracey at GJ. Look forward to booking our next adventure with GJ.
Along the Mekong- Cambodia to Vietnam 1
Essential Vietnam and Cambodia
Mandy and Peter, NSW, Australia, Sep 2025
We thoroughly enjoyed our recent rip along the Mekong. There were lots of opportunities to sitesee on set tours or to do what one wished. We love that flexibility, as after all it’s our trip to enjoy! The staff from TravelMarvel and onboard the boat were amazing to deal with, with nothing ever being a problem. And I won’t even talk about the food as ...read more there was so much choice of excellent quality and quantity. A wonderful trip for an older couple.
Italian Treasures and Budapest to Amsterdam river cruise 0
Italian Treasures and European Gems River Cruise
Alan and Valerie, VIC, Australia, Sep 2025
Global Journeys made the booking easy with many questions answered and good pricing. We have been using them for many years without issues too. TravelMarvel tours were truly wonderful, people, coaches, guides, ships, we had a few issues with a couple hotels particularly in Florence (had to change rooms 4 x!) and the coach tour was busier, as in faster, ...read more than we anticipated, some of us struggled with the pace but the guides and tour director was always fun and interesting.
Italy was manic with tourists even in this shoulder season, Vatican City particularly was very poorly organised by the venue, then people crammed through. We missed the museum and weren’t allowed to hover around taking pics, the crowds just carried you on! The Rome sites were all like this, so spoilt the tour. Koln was just awful, we visited 20 yrs ago and loved it so really looking forward to seeing it again, but it was horrible all the interesting shops and shopping areas have been replaced with tourist shops and the streets were seething with people, and smoking people at that.
Venice was magical, apart from the crazy way that tourist buses are forced to use water taxis to get to the hotel even though the hotel is adjacent to the bus terminal! Amsterdam’s name of Little Venice is appropriate too, nice place to stay for a few days exploring, but you need to see both sides of the Main Street, one side is quiet and sophisticated the other (red light side) is loud and blustering, both are interesting in their own way though.
We had to swap ships halfway up due to low water levels (they said?) and the difference in the crews was quite obvious, Capella crew was very relaxed and fun, vs Polaris who were quite restrained in approach and function, we felt that maybe the Capella crew was more experienced and comfortable with each other vs Polaris who we thought may have still been “training” a little. All in all it was a wonderfully tiring experience with TravelMarvel - yet very professional too 👍👏👏
Italy was manic with tourists even in this shoulder season, Vatican City particularly was very poorly organised by the venue, then people crammed through. We missed the museum and weren’t allowed to hover around taking pics, the crowds just carried you on! The Rome sites were all like this, so spoilt the tour. Koln was just awful, we visited 20 yrs ago and loved it so really looking forward to seeing it again, but it was horrible all the interesting shops and shopping areas have been replaced with tourist shops and the streets were seething with people, and smoking people at that.
Venice was magical, apart from the crazy way that tourist buses are forced to use water taxis to get to the hotel even though the hotel is adjacent to the bus terminal! Amsterdam’s name of Little Venice is appropriate too, nice place to stay for a few days exploring, but you need to see both sides of the Main Street, one side is quiet and sophisticated the other (red light side) is loud and blustering, both are interesting in their own way though.
We had to swap ships halfway up due to low water levels (they said?) and the difference in the crews was quite obvious, Capella crew was very relaxed and fun, vs Polaris who were quite restrained in approach and function, we felt that maybe the Capella crew was more experienced and comfortable with each other vs Polaris who we thought may have still been “training” a little. All in all it was a wonderfully tiring experience with TravelMarvel - yet very professional too 👍👏👏
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