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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
1,364
Avg. Trip Length
15 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$670
Accommodation
4 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
No. of Trips
253
No. of Departures
893
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$421
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
Another great trip where GJ's organisation took a lot of the complexity and hassle out of things. The local guides were truly awesome, and the Mekong Serenity is lovely.
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.
All I can say is WOW and what a wonderful experience my husband and I had on our 15 day APT River cruise that departed from Amsterdam on Friday 29th August 2025 and finished in Budapest. We traveled on the APT Solara and the service from both the bar and restaurant staff was first class and the food was always exceptional. All APT staff on board The read more Solara are to be commended for their exceptional service. We would like to also make a special mention of our fantastic Cruise Director Navena Robertova who went above and beyond to make sure all passengers had a great time both on board the boat and during our excursions which were fantastic. We met many wonderful people on this cruise which was so much fun. This APT European cruise was flawless and we recommend it to anyone who may be considering a river cruise.
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.
4.6
Absolutely fabulous Travelmarvel Cruise on Europe's 3 rivers 0
European Gems
Glynnis, NSW, Australia, Nov 2025
I could fault nothing! The cruise was fantastic, the ship was clean, beautifully decorated with all the comforts.. Barbara our director looked after us completely. Laura looked after the dining room and Alex did a great job with the bar. Our cabins were clean and comfortable thanks to Phyu our attendant. The free daily tours were interesting with knowledgeable read more local guides. I would definately travel again with this company. Hannah our Global Journeys' agent was very helpful and efficient. She got us great deals and looked after our airfares too. Thank you Global journeys 🙏 it was a winter wonderland.
What a wonderful Tour of the south of West Australia 1
Wonders of the South West
Paul and Karen, United Kingdom, Nov 2025
Our Tour had so many highlights this was because both the places listed on the itinerary and the extra stops put in by our Tour Manager and the Driver. We picked Travelmarvel over others as their tour happened to avoid some of the places we had already visited. The driver Ash and Sue worked so well as a team and Ash particularly went out of her way read more to enhance our experience for example taking photos of use at certain stops. She always seamed to find the best places to eat and get her coffee from. Sue gave use lots of information on so many things as we progressed through the tour.
There was a lot of driving, but the coach was reasonably modern, as the tour wasn't fully booked there was plenty of space and comfortable. It did have a minor problem with the rear door but as our group was not the whole coach this wasn't an issue. To get the miles needed in needed for some an early start on a number of days and limited time for comfort and viewing stops and Lunch breaks.
The Dolphin feeding at Money Mia has evolved with time, but good photos were got, so many highs and good memories made included Shark bay wildlife Cruise, the Captain was excellent and informative, the Pinnacles, the Wave Rock. The Kalbarri Sky Walk, and the Valley of the Giants tree top walk was just amazing. The food was almost always excellent with the only disappointment was the felling of being rushed as some places (2 of them) by the waiting staff hovering and clearing away our plates the second we had finished. Similarly at the Wine tasting at Margaret River with some not finished sample glasses being whisked away before we had finished. Some of the optional extra experiences were also memorable particularly the Undersea Observatory at Busselton.
Our booking was expertly handled initially by Maise but through time as we had booked over 12 months ahead of our tour, were were seamlessly transferred to Hannah with a proper process of Maise advising us of her move (promotion) and the advice of who our new advisor was going to be. The hand over and Hannah, who swiftly contacted us and has provided timely responses to our subsequent queries. Well done all around this hasn't been our experience at other places. Book with confidence for the most amazing tour and most memorable experiences. We were luck with the weather only 2 days of wet weather and this partly helped.
There was a lot of driving, but the coach was reasonably modern, as the tour wasn't fully booked there was plenty of space and comfortable. It did have a minor problem with the rear door but as our group was not the whole coach this wasn't an issue. To get the miles needed in needed for some an early start on a number of days and limited time for comfort and viewing stops and Lunch breaks.
The Dolphin feeding at Money Mia has evolved with time, but good photos were got, so many highs and good memories made included Shark bay wildlife Cruise, the Captain was excellent and informative, the Pinnacles, the Wave Rock. The Kalbarri Sky Walk, and the Valley of the Giants tree top walk was just amazing. The food was almost always excellent with the only disappointment was the felling of being rushed as some places (2 of them) by the waiting staff hovering and clearing away our plates the second we had finished. Similarly at the Wine tasting at Margaret River with some not finished sample glasses being whisked away before we had finished. Some of the optional extra experiences were also memorable particularly the Undersea Observatory at Busselton.
Our booking was expertly handled initially by Maise but through time as we had booked over 12 months ahead of our tour, were were seamlessly transferred to Hannah with a proper process of Maise advising us of her move (promotion) and the advice of who our new advisor was going to be. The hand over and Hannah, who swiftly contacted us and has provided timely responses to our subsequent queries. Well done all around this hasn't been our experience at other places. Book with confidence for the most amazing tour and most memorable experiences. We were luck with the weather only 2 days of wet weather and this partly helped.
I thought going on this cruise in late October may have been a mistake because of the weather but I was wrong. We had only one day of rain and the rest was fine, albeit a little colder as we progressed to Amsterdam. I loved unpacking in my spacious room and simply relaxing. Having a balcony was perfect and I recommend level 3. The organisation from read more the cruise director was exemplary and daily briefings made things easy. She catered for the very active to those who had decreased mobility. The food was beautiful with three course lunches and four course dinners - different every day. we saw the sights, had great information and were entertained nightly alongside of wonderful people. would I do it again - in a heartbeat because the Danube and the Rhein are spectacular!!
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. 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.
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