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.
We had a wonderful time on our tour last month. Nellie and Megan were absolutely flawless. They looked after us & passed on so much about NZ & the food was good. The only hiccup was the hotels without a/c. There were 2 - apart from that I would recommend this trip. We learnt so much and saw a lot in such a short time . I would do it again. Anyone who read more complains about the trip is hard to please. Well done!
Met all my expectations and was good value for money 1
Northern Wonders
Trish Grady, Australia, Jan 2011
This was the 2nd tour I have booked for a group of travellers to NZ through Global Journeys. Once again your friendly, professional and efficient service made the process very easy from the very first contact with Georgina. Our tour and was well organised with great accommodation, meals and included sightseeing. Overall it met all my expectations and was good value for money.
Had a lovely time touring Tasmania - saw some wonderful scenery and sights. I wish the group was a little smaller, and although I was told that it will be busy I didn't feel rushed. We stayed in some lovely accommodation and the meals were all great.
An achingly beautiful country, much more so than I expected 1
Kia Ora New Zealand
John & Cheryl Williams, Australia, Jan 2011
We booked our NZ holiday through Georgina at Global Journeys about 10 months before our trip. One thing I found reassuring was that before we booked, every time I made an email enquiry, Georgina got back to me very quickly, so that gave us the confidence to go ahead with an overseas company. Our trip was 17 days, starting in Auckland, travelling to read more Bay of Islands, then returning to Auckland to travel down from north to south, finishing in Christchurch. Everything went very smoothly. The actual tour was with AATKings and our bus driver Paul and tour guide Julie were outstanding. One advantage of being on an escorted coach tour is the wealth of local knowledge that these people can share. I am sure I learnt much more about NZ than I would have been able to achieve otherwise. Julie should be congratulated on her organisation, as each day she would give us a sheet that would outline the times and special notes about activities for the next day. She also booked wake up calls for everyone. People I spoke to said she was far and away the best tour guide they had had on a coach tour. My husband has a bad back but found the coaches very comfortable. Most people on the trip were Australian, with a fair sprinkling of English plus some Americans. Age range was generally 40s to 60s, although once we arrived in the South Island, many other people joined us, including two families, both with two teenage children. The teens got on very well and had a ball, but it may have been a lonely time for them had the other family not been there. New Zealand is an achingly beautiful country-much more so than I expected. It is also a friendly country. I was touched to have strangers come up and shake our hand, wish us well, once they found we were from Australia. People on our tour commented on how spotless the country is. It seems to be a nation where the people take pride in their country. Our hotels were, on the whole, very good, although some were stand out favourites. The Copthorne at Bay of Islands had by far the best buffet at night. The heating and cooling in the hotels is generally not up to Aussie standards though. I would not hesitate to use Global Journeys again to book a holiday, AATKings were excellent, the other passengers were great, NZ itself is outstanding. We finished our tour in Christchurch - such an absolutely beautiful city. I hope all those tour guides and drivers were able to stay safe in the recent earthquake and our hope is to one day be able to visit NZ again. (RJ - Edited for brevity)
A great itinerary and a positive group dynamic 2
Frank Gerrits & Rav McKee, Canada, Dec 2010
This was an excellent tour - a great itinerary and a positive group dynamic. During the time of the flooding in Queensland, it was comforting that the AAT Kings was taking the responsibility to monitor the situation and to adjust the tour accordingly. We didn't have to worry and we faced no additional cost, despite the need to add a flight to our itinerary. read more Thank you for making those arrangements and for making the tour seamless and fun! Paul, our driver, was excellent at ensuring that our travels were safe and timely. Jodi, our tour director, was extremely knowledgeable, attentive and thorough. At times, the 'lectures' could have been shortened and more interactive, with input from the group. She seems to be more comfortable remaining entirely in control of the group at all times, rather than allowing any opportunity for autonomy within the group. We had a fabulous experience on this tour and would not hesitate to book with Global Journeys & AAT Kings in the future. Thank you!
Absolutely wonderful tour of New Zealand 1
New Zealand Marvel
Marnie Bates & Garry Thurlow, Australia, Dec 2010
We had an absolutely wonderful tour of New Zealand with Global Journeys. Marty and Megan, the director and bus driver were fantastic in every respect to make our experience sensational. We met a wonderful group of people who added to the great time we had. Nearly all the accommodation was great, especially the Mercure resort in Queenstown which was read more just sensational. The Mercure in Wellington was only just average. All the breakfasts were excellent with so much choice. All the included dinners were very good, with the Maori village dinner in Rotorua being a sensational experience. I could just rave and rave about so many of the experiences we had. Thanks to Georgie from Global Journeys who was so prompt in answering all my questions before we went.
A memorable and relaxing holiday 1
Kia Ora New Zealand
Peter & Jennifer Shepherd, Australia, Dec 2010
Our trip in New Zealand was wonderful. Both the coach driver, Dennis and the tour guide, Arthur, were amazingly knowledgeable and gave us a real insight into the way of life in NZ. We learnt so much about your beautiful country, hotels were good and very good and food mostly good too. Many thanks for a memorable and relaxing holiday.
We enjoyed the different types of accommodation chosen 1
Great Ocean Road and Kangaroo Island Escape
Olive & David Stewart, United Kingdom, Dec 2010
We thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip. Our guide Lisa Carwell was superb as were our two drivers. I personally would have liked more time at the Tower Hill Reserve to walk more and to hear the young man telling us about Aboriginal culture. We enjoyed the different types of accommodation chosen. Finally a very big thank you to Georgie for all your help read more to me in arranging the whole journey and enabling everything to go so smoothly.
The tour was good and bad. The good included Hobart, Russell Falls, Gordon River Cruise, Cradle Mountain, Stanley, Launceston & Bicheno. The fantastic included Port Arthur, Richmond, Freycinet & Legerwood Memorial. The bad was the cheese factory, Axeman's hall of fame, the junk shop. The absolute pits was Queenstown and for 2 nights!? Such a shame we read more didn't stay in Strahan especially the night of the cruise as there was theatre relating to Sarah Island. The tour guide was disappointing. Unfriendly, not very knowledgeable and repeated instructions incessantly as though we were two year olds. The coach and driver were great.
First and most important was the excellence of Ted, our tour guide, and Murray our driver. They have to be your very very best. I was extremely nervous as there have been some horrific bus accidents in South Africa. Right from the start I had the utmost confidence in Murray's driving - safe, slow when necessary and we even had some excellent commentary read more when Ted was on the TranzAlpine with some of our fellow travellers. Thank you so much Murray. As for Ted, what a mine of information he imparted to us. And his little anecdotes had us in stitches. Thank you so much Ted. Please make sure these 2 men hear how much we appreciate them and how delighted we are that we were lucky enough to be on their tour. The tour was well organised and all of us, I am sure, felt part of everything. Instructions were clear and to the point and fully understandable. The accommodation was very good. We will definitely recommend your company to any interested people. We had a lovely relaxing journey for which many thanks.
I could have easily stayed there and worked on a farm 2
New Zealand Marvel
Thelma Younger, Australia, Dec 2010
My friend Helen & I thoroughly enjoyed our tour of New Zealand. We had a good group and the whole tour was well organised. Teo the tour director was excellent as a tour guide. He has a wealth of info. plus a cheerful disposition. My credit to the driver Murray who must have driven for years to acquire skills to maneuver through all the winding roads read more of South Island. Queenstown was my favourite city. I could have easily stayed there and worked on a farm. I am glad we had an extra day on the trip in Queenstown. I have no complaints about the food or the hotels except to attract tourists from Asia, perhaps a few Asian dishes in the menu would be helpful. I have certainly advertised the trip to family and friends. Thanks to all who did the organisation, I thoroughly enjoyed my New Zealand experience
A balanced itinerary and a lot of highlights 2
Perfect Tasmania
Robert & Ruth Birch, New Zealand, Nov 2010
It was a great tour. Well structured because we saw all or most of Tasmania and did so without any days of travel that could be described as onerous and a good balance between one night and two night stays in different locations. The itinerary was excellent and I think the tour is well named because much of what we saw was spectacular and a lot of highlights read more were very beautiful scenically and interesting. Good accommodation all the way around and good meals where they were included in the tour. But what made this tour so special for us was the Tour Director a lady by the name of Caroline Tipper. A proud Tasmanian passionate about her Island state and incredibly knowledgeable on all manner of subjects such as its history its economy flora and fauna etc etc Carolyn is a very special person. Through her kindly organisation and especially her commentaries on the bus she made the tour special for every person on the tour. Of this I am sure.
Covered a lot and no doubt saw the highlights of Tasmania 1
Tasmanian Wonders
Lawrence & Doris Hay, Australia, Nov 2010
There were too many on the tour and because of this we had very little time to take many photos especially when the weather was good. Generally we enjoyed the tour. The coach driver was a very good driver and the guide did her best to keep us happy and informed. We felt the tour covered a lot in the time available and no doubt saw the highlights of read more Tasmania. Starting the tour and ending the tour at Hobart was good as we could get a direct flight from and to Brisbane. The fellow passengers fitted in very well and we got along with everybody and we all had a good time together. Meals and accommodation were good but arriving in Launceston on the Sunday afternoon was not a good idea as most of the shops and eating places were closed and dinner was not included that day. We would have liked to have spent more time at the gorge near Launceston since very little was open in Launceston and it was a lovely day to have spent more time at the gorge.
My wife and I enjoyed this tour very much. We found it a well planned and executed tour. The itinerary, optional tours, hotel accommodation, meals, coach & other arrangements were very much to our satisfaction. The coach driver Meagan was very skilled at her job and made sure the ride was very comfortable. The tour director Niarey, was very efficient read more and dedicated to her job and did her best to ensure the tour was enjoyed by everyone. Her knowledge of the areas visited was very impressive. Our sincere thanks to these two hardworking staff members from AATKings for a most enjoyable and trouble free coach tour. Thanks also to Georgina from Global Journeys for the help received with the reservation.
Overall the tour was fantastic, the Tour Director (Julieanne) was very knowledgeable, helpful, empathetic and professional. The bus driver (Paul) was very capable gentleman and personable. He has got to be the best driver I have ever seen, we all felt very safe with him at the helm. The way these two people shared the journey with us and their personal read more experiences was wonderful. Their pride in their country shone through. Above all they had a great sense of humour and did not take themselves too seriously. We intend to come back to NZ in the next two years and without question we will go with your company again because the service and hospitality was exceptional. I have renamed NZ - The Land of the Long White Buffet - the food and service on the tour was UNBELIEVABLY GOBB SMAKINGLY FANTASTIC. We feel that NZ is our second home the scenery and people are second to none. I have only two suggestions I would like to make to improve the tour. 1. The first day that we went Christchurch on the TranzAlpine and the trip in the afternoon was too much for the first day. Maybe stopping overnight in Greymouth will solve this problem or giving the Pancake Rocks a miss. 2. The middle seat up the back should be not used. We had a young girl of 13 years traveling with us and every time she was up the back she felt ill, so we were lucky enough to have 3 couples and we could swap with her so she could be down the front. Apart from these minor things the tour was great and I have recommended it to several people. Keep up the good work!
Fantastic countryside and views 1
Tassie's East Coast Highlights
Jon & Heidi Savage, Singapore, Nov 2010
Leader Carolyn and driver Smiley made the trip spectacular. Carolyn's expertise and huge knowledge, being a local, and her humour really made the trip special. The tour itself is already terrific due to the fantastic countryside and views. The hotels (except for the Launceston hotel) were great, and coming from a warm country the cool weather was very read more welcome. The long stay at Port Arthur was well arranged - you need time to absorb what had happened there - also some good walking opportunity there. Having someone like Carolyn in charge makes the trip very special and puts your company an extra notch above competition (if there is any). Her memory for names is simply spectacular. I regret that we did not sign up for the whole round Tasmania trip.
This was a good trip with excellent driver (Smilie) and guide (Carolyn). Both were very knowledgeable and provided wonderful commentary on Tasmanian history and the sights we visited. They worked hard to keep each day full of interesting places. We were with an interesting group of seniors who related well and enjoyed the trip.
The coach tour was just magnificent and wonderful. I just couldn't believe how beautiful the country truly is. I enjoyed the helicopter flight to Fox Glacier and to stand on ice and snow for the first time was just awesome. Milford Sound was pure magic, even though it rained. The wildlife was amazing to see the penguins, seals, kea, and the royal albatross read more colony. The glowworms at Te Anau are amazing to see and the boat trip across Lake Te Anau just on sunset was stunning. The country was filled with beautiful flowers even though some are pests such as Broom and Gorse that made the country very picturesque with the colour yellow. One of my favourite photos is looking across Lake Tekapo towards Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman with the Luppins on the foreshore. The Tour Director was a true entertainer who kept everyone entertained with information pertaining to each district we travelled through. The bus driver was a very experienced and careful making everyone feel safe. If I plan to travel by bus again, I would like to travel with same Tour Director. I am planning to come back to explore the North Island of New Zealand February 2012. Thank you for helping me enjoy my time in New Zealand.
Tour and arrangements were great 1
Southern Spotlight
Gunter & Theresa McCarthy-Beschle, Australia, Nov 2010
Tour and arrangements were great. Pre and post accommodation at Ibis Christchurch was good. Robin Duncan our tour leader had a knowledge and friendliness unsurpassed. Tumati our driver was excellent. We enjoyed the company of fellow travellers and extra tours offered. Fox Glacier Hotel? We didn't like it, but overall everything was fine. Many thanks read more to Georgie Walpole who made our arrangements over the computer. We hope to be back!
We highly recommend this holiday. A very comprehensive tour with great driver and tour director in a very comfortable coach. Accomodation was clean and comfortable and included meals were generous and delicious.
