AAT Kings Tour Reviews
The 482 AAT Kings Tour reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have traveled with AAT Kings. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
Tour director really made sure we were taken care of 2
Jayshree & Navin Kerai, Australia, Mar 2011
Another excellent tour by Global Journeys and AAT Kings. Smooth booking process, overall good tour. We tried scuba diving on this tour at the Great Barrier Reef, very good, good price for the introductary dive. It is a nice way to see the east coast. There were places that we would have like an extra day (Surfer's Paradise & Gold Coast) and also would read more have perfered better room's at Coff's Harbour hotel/motel (the upper rooms were better than ground floor). As we are vegetarian, our tour director Gillian really made sure we were taken care of and weren't just eating salad. Also, there are early starts because there is lots to do during the days. Definitely recommend the tour and Global Journeys.
Had a great time!! Our bus driver, Tom, was great, really competent and I felt so safe (normally am a nervous passenger) and our tour director, Robin, is so full of information, facts and figures it's scary!! Every day was an adventure, the accommodation was more than adequate, meals good. Absolutely no complaints. I will certainly be travelling with read more them again as soon as I can save up the pennies. Thanks to you all for a great trip.
Made loads of friends & had a wonderful time 1
Tasmanian Wonders
Ann & John Rastall, Australia, Mar 2011
We had a wonderful time in Tassie with AATKings. Our Tour Director Robin & Driver Tom were excellent. Our only complaint was with the airlines from the Gold Coast to Hobart & return. My advice to anybody would be to book direct flights. Apart from that the tour was great, very informative, made loads of friends & had many happy days. Thank you for organising the tour.
Thank you to Global Journeys. My husband and I, along with some friends enjoyed our tour of North and South Islands of New Zealand in Feb/March this year to celebrate my 50th birthday. All the worries of organising everything was taken care of and our trip was enjoyable, but very tiring, Our tour guides were marvelous.
Very well organised and the leader was very informative 1
Tassie's Wilderness Icons
Roe Sybylla, Australia, Feb 2011
Global Journeys' service was excellent. No criticisms at all - ten out of ten. The AATKings tour was also good - very well organised and the leader was very informative. Things I personally did not like so well were (1) The early starts with bags out an hour before departure; (2) Too much time spent sitting in the bus. I would have preferred to visit read more less sites with more time to walk and explore; (3) A little too much commentary on the bus. Some time for quiet contemplation would have been good - without music because not all tastes are the same.
We only have praise for our tour guide and driver 1
Southern Wonders
John & Jane Mooney-Smith, Australia, Feb 2011
We had a great time, even though the earthquake disrupted the tour. We only have praise for our tour guide and driver (Bob and Nellie). They went out of their way to make our trip memorable. The tour itself was excellent, the hotels were clean and tidy. The meals came a bit too much with baked dinners every night though. The only downside we found was read more the people touring with us were a bit too old for us, most were retired or in their sixties. So we missed a bit of nightlife as most were in bed by 8 with their cups of tea. Nevertheless we would recommend the coach tour to everyone, if we went on our own we would of missed a lot of sights. We are now planning to go next year to see the North Island.
Organisation was spot on, a hassle free holiday 1
Tasmanian Wonders
John & Lena Kelly, Australia, Feb 2011
Thank you Georgina for helping us plan our trip to Tasmania with Global Journeys. We had a really enjoyable time and in the 10 days there we saw so much. The efficiency in the organizing of our day trips, tours, cruises, meals and our very comfortable accommodation was spot on. We made some lovely friends on tour and have recommended Global Journeys read more to our friends who are looking for a hassle free holiday.
We will go back soon and visit the places we particularly loved 2
Tassie's Parks & Nature
Jill & John Hanson, Australia, Feb 2011
We really enjoyed this tour thank you Georgina. Brett, our driver guide was excellent and his knowledge of history and the farming ventures in the state was enlightening. We had lovely food and accommodation generally. The group we travelled with was a good mix of people and we enjoyed their company. We will go back soon and visit the places we particularly read more loved and would like to have had more time at, such as Cradle Mountain and Freycinet. This tour was a good overview of Tasmania and this was our reason for taking the tour. The accommodation at Strahan was a little disappointing - after viewing the website we expected better rooms, although the restaurant was lovely. Hadleys in Hobart was a great location but the rooms we had were either very tiny or noisy from the exhaust system from the kitchen - so much so that the mirror on the wall was vibrating which meant the wall was also, not good for an historic building! We think if you go upmarket and take a small tour you don't really want anything cheap. We would rather have luxury and pay more. The accommodation in Launceston was really lovely as were the Tarraleah cottages. We did not get to walk around Dove Lake but we did visit the Tassie Devil Sanctuary at Cradle Mountain. The group could have split there for non walkers/walkers as both would have taken about 2 hours. Maybe some tours with a level of fitness as a requirement would be better. The train trip up to Queenstown should have been included as a next day agenda and the bus could have met us in Queenstown. Not many did the train trip as it was too big a day after the Gordon River cruise. I think a driver/guide makes a trip. The tour companies need to look after them. Also the guide we had at Cradle Mountain was excellent.
The places visited were great, especially the National Parks 1
Tassie's Parks & Nature
Diane & John Collins, Australia, Feb 2011
We had a terrific time with Brett our driver and tour guide, and other travelling companions. Brett was always very well organised, courteous and extremely knowledgeable about the places to which we travelled. Thank you very much Brett. Accommodation and places visited were great, especially National Parks eg Mount Field. Loved Stahan and the Wilderness read more railway which we recommend. We would have liked a little more time at Dove Lake to do a little walk but appreciate there were a number of older people (older than us and frail) on the trip who would find this difficult. Another day in Launceston would be good rather than go to the Wilderness Chalet (Lemonthyme) however staying in the chalet was very pleasant indeed and we had a lovely dinner and breakfast. We know that we can not do everything in the time available and enjoy nature in preference to cities. We loved staying in the little hydro town in the highlands however this was the only place that the meals were very disappointing particularly the breakfast which was dreadful. Excellent tour overall and we really relaxed. Came back singing the praises of the tour and Tasmania generally.
Tour was just right, abit longer and it may have been too much 1
Kia Ora New Zealand
Helen Andreopoulos, Australia, Feb 2011
Tour was of both islands. Although we arrived very late in the evening we were received both at the airport and hotel in Auckland with courtesy. Our Tour Director and Drivers were attentive in every way. The hotels were good enough we can't complain and our requests were met in every way. Free days were very beneficial. Places we saw were great. We read more were lucky that the group were all nice and this made it even more successful. The tour was just right, a little longer and it may have been too much. The only regret we have is for Christchurch and the earthquake which we escaped. We grew to love this small city and hope that it recovers through all this catastrophe. We can not fault the tour in any way and would be happy to recommend Global Journeys & AATKings to friends and family.
New Zealand was delightful, we were looked after very well 1
New Zealand Vista
Clare Bannister & Will Riseborough, Australia, Feb 2011
We thought New Zealand was delightful. The scenery was wonderful and the people very friendly. We would thoroughly recommend this tour. Generally, we were looked after very well. However, in order to give constructive and honest criticism, we would make the additional comments: 1) The seating rotation should have begun at the start of the tour, even read more though the bus was not completely full at the start. There are at least three prime viewing seats on the bus, and if the decision is to bypass the rotation as stipulated, then we should move three seats each day rather than one. It would have shared the prime seats more equally. 2) The hotel in Wellington was 'quaint' to say the least. The blankets and linen in room 306 gave the impression of being hurriedly purchased at the local charity shop, and completely mismatched in size and colour. But we slept well and otherwise the hotel was good. 3) At Franz Josef the hotel was good apart from the dining/breakfast arrangements, which were completely inadequate to deal with the number of guests. 4) At Queenstown we found the food plentiful at the Skyline Restaurant, but the quality did not live up the price in our opinion. The imposition of a time limit was also irritating.
An excellent holiday which we both enjoyed 2
Perfect Tasmania
John & Margaret Dyke, New Zealand, Feb 2011
An excellent holiday which we both enjoyed. Our tour manager, Robin Gentle, looked after us all in a very professional manner, and Mark our driver (a Kiwi of course!!) was excellent. We only had one spot that was rather average and was not the fault of the company or Robin, that was our evening meal at Tall Timbers, Smithton. The meal was A La Carte, read more and we were one of the last to be served - our main meal was brought out over an hour after we ordered, we asked if our dessert could be brought out early as we were due to go on the Penguin tour. The waitress was very off-hand and we thought rather rude telling us we would have to wait until everyone had finished as that was the rule. We didn't even have time for a hot drink before we had to go to get ready for the trip. Apart from that - well done Global Journeys, we would have no hesitation in recommending it to others.
Myself and my mum thoroughly enjoyed everything 1
Tasmanian Wonders
Anne-Maree Hams, Australia, Feb 2011
The tour was great both, myself and my mum thoroughly enjoyed everything. The accommodation/food was great the tour guide Peter Redman was very informative and accommodating to everyone's needs. And the bus driver tom was also very pleasant at all times. I would recommend this tour to anyone.
Pretty cold, but I guess that is why it is so lush and beautiful 1
Tasmanian Wonders
Elizabeth Plumtree, United Kingdom, Feb 2011
I loved Tasmania. It was a pity that it was pretty cold for the time of year having left Canberra in 37 degrees and arrived in Hobart in 17 degrees which went down to 9 degrees in the mountains, but I guess that is why it is so lush and beautiful. It was a pity that it was never warm enough to even walk on the beaches as the wind was so cold. I was read more sorry that there was never enough time to stay long enough in any one place; perhaps some of the visits could have been left out. Also arriving in Launceston late afternoon on a Sunday when we were not provided with an evening meal was difficult as most restaurants were closed. With hindsight we should have eaten at the hotel where we were staying. I loved the little penguins, the mountains and temperate rain forest with magnificent trees covered in moss and lichens, the river cruise from Strahan especially the stop at Katherine Island, and the day at Port Arthur. Richmond was an enchanting little town where I could easily live!
Amazing trip, so much packed into a short time but every minute enjoyable. Tour staff so knowledgeable and so happy to talk about places they have probably seen a million times. Hotels all great. A most beautiful country and heart breaking when we left to see what had happened to Christchurch. Thank you all so much for everything.
The Tour was well organized and everything was up to schedule. The Carolyn Tipper like a guide was perfect. Her deep knowledge of Tasmanian history and the places we were visiting was overwhelming. Thank you for this tour.
A well organised tour and an amazing experience 1
Tassie's Wilderness Icons
Stella & George Sarandinou, Australia, Jan 2011
I am writing this note, on behalf of my parents, Stella and George. They decided to go to Tasmania for a short holiday and we chose Global Journeys after a few quotes and enquiries, with other companies. Both my parents were pleased with the whole trip. From the day they arrived to Tasmania, to the last minute returning to Melbourne, they enjoyed a read more well organised tour, and an amazing experience. They came back wealthier, with more memories and more friends. Thank you for giving this amazing opportunity to my parents.
The tour was great, my husband & I enjoyed it very much. Our Tour director Julianne was excellent, helpful, accommodating & knowledgable in regards to NZ which exceeded our expectations. Our coach driver Timati was also exceptional & friendly. We found the tour options to be very expensive & couldn't justify the cost, so for this reason we only did read more a couple of them. Other tour companions which we met were also saying the side tours were too expensive and there were no group discounts or something like that. I'd like to also mention that the TranzAlpine train fare you charged us was $118 each & when i enquired at the railway station in Dunedin they told me $89 each for the same trip & day (RJ - The price charged by the Operator includes transfers). That is a huge difference. Nevertheless, we still had a great time in New Zealand & enjoyed it very much.
New Zealand was fantastic! It was organised well by AATKings and Global Journeys. Booking process was smooth and we got the best price. Queries were answered and dealt with promptly. The tour covered a large part of New Zealand. Only part we struggled with was the early starts as there was a lot to do in the day. Best part of the tour was Queenstown read more and a small town of Picton. The worst part (there was a small part) - our tour director changed for the last few days of the tour and she was not organised. We had been spoilt by Jo and Murray (driver) for 14 days that when Iris came on board, it was disappointing.
I loved the history, the wilderness, and the people 2
Tasmanian Wonders
Rose Ezold, Australia, Jan 2011
I had an absolutely wonderful holiday. The tour guide had an outstanding knowledge of Tasmanian History, including convicts, locals, environment and products. As well as making the tour friendly and offering lots of extra sightseeing stops. Tasmania was beautiful, I had such a wonderful time. I loved the history, the wilderness, and the people both read more of Tasmania and my fellow travellers. The National Parks in Tasmania are awesome, I want to go back to Tasmania especially to see Cradle Mountain once again.
