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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
1,387
Avg. Trip Length
15 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$673
Accommodation
4 - 5 Star
Budget
Premium & Luxury
No. of Trips
253
No. of Departures
937
Avg. Trip Length
14 Days
Avg. Price Per Day
$420
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
Amazing Christmas Markets and Magnificent Europe Tour with APT 0
Festive Christmas Markets with Magnificent Europe
Michael and Elise Smith , WA, Australia, Nov 2025
This is the 5th time we have used Hannah at Global Journeys for a travel booking, and it won’t be our last. She is responsive, efficient, and very easy to deal with. Same with APT. Luxury accommodation, great food, free-flowing drink and amazing staff. A well organised tour with excellent information provided by our Tour Director and Cruise Director read more which was outstanding. Excellent selection of Christmas markets for us to visit and there was something in the Christmas markets for everyone, be it hot food and drinks or any one of a thousand Christmas mementos or ornaments. Loved the Christmas markets in Venna, and we were very lucky with weather, no snow unfortunately but still a fantastic itinerary. Highly recommended. We have booked another APT adventure next year!
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.
4.6
Have travelled with several other cruises lines and whilst Travelmarvel was very nice, we found it at the lower end of the scale. But it was very well priced in comparison so I guess you get what you pay for. We felt the cruise director was was hard to understand whenever she held a microphone and at times tried to give out too much information at once read more which had the guest bored and not listening. The meals were excellent but the tours only basic.
An Xmas markets trip 0
Rhine and Moselle Christmas Markets with Lucerne and Zurich
Tony and Lesley, WA, Australia, Nov 2025
Thanks Hannah for yet another well organised river cruise. Looking forward to August. Our second Travelmarvel cruise, both have been good but we have to say that after eight with Avalon they are still number one with us. Travelmarvel was comfortable and food was OK but little extras that Avalon do like happy hour in the lounge are no longer on Travelmarvel. read more They have a pub at the other end of the boat which not very many people bothered to walk to. Also all cruise companies have cut out plastic water bottles but Avalon last time we used them in August did leave two glass bottles for cabin use. Travelmarvel tell you to bring your own. So simple little things that make travel a happy thing are missing.
Christmas memories for a lifetime 0
Rhine and Moselle Christmas Markets with Lucerne and Zurich
Jenny and Tiarn, QLD, Australia, Nov 2025
From the first point of contact through to the end, we were communicated with clearly and very promptly. Tracey forwarded information from the service provider as soon as she received it and followed up our queries in a very timely fashion. She was very professional and efficient but also friendly and approachable. The Christmas market cruise including read more flights and land stays in Lucerne and Zurich, which was made even more special knowing we were in capable hands. We had nothing to worry about.
Budapest to Amsterdam river cruise 0
European Gems - Budapest to Amsterdam
Wayne and Cass, NSW, Australia, Nov 2025
Rachael was a fantastic agent. Thanks, Rachael - brilliant. We did the two week cruise with Travelmarvel, and because it’s an Australian company, it was loaded only with Australians and Brits. This was perfect. Staff fabulous. Boat fabulous. We had the cheapest of the rooms and it was fine. Oh, and the food was really great. Thanks Travelmarvel, and thanks Rachael.
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.
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