APT Tour & Cruise Reviews

Our 20 day Essence of the Kimberley with Grand Kimberley Coast tour was fabulous. However, we also had several events that happened to make it a little unsettling. First of all, our luggage did not arrive when we reached Broome on a Saturday, and there was no flight from Brisbane-Sydney to Broome until Tuesday - another 3 days! No one at the Broome ...read more airport to help either. Eventually we got a form to fill out and was told to wait until Qantas contacted us. We went to our hotel (Oaks Cable Beach - not the hotel that the tour was leaving from), spent the night there, then checked out and went to Cable Beach Club Resort where the tour would be leaving from the next morning.

Spoke to Mas from APT on Sunday, who tried her best to see where our luggage might be or when it might arrive. Our tour was leaving 7.00am on Monday morning! We had one change of clothes and minimal toiletries. APT suggested we purchase extra clothing and essentials and that they would get our luggage out to us as soon as possible. But they wanted us to join the tour. On a Sunday afternoon around 4.00pm, we managed to find a store open, KMart, bought a large bag and about $300 worth of basic essentials to start the trip. It is June and weather is cold at night and warm in the day. After returning to our hotel, later that evening, our luggage arrived! Thank goodness! But it was after we'd purchased extra goods.

So we were ready to start our 20 day Kimberley Tour. We're thankful that APT were as helpful as possible under the circumstances. It was disappointing that there wasn't a welcome dinner on the first night so we could've met the driver and other passengers. 7.00am Monday morning we start off on our tour. A full bus of 22 passengers. (We thought the maximum number of passengers was 20!) The air-conditioning wasn't working well, so Richard the Driver, Tour Leader, dropped all of us off in Broome town for an hour while he got the bus looked at at the depot. We got a new bus with better air-conditioning. So off we set. All going really well and enjoying the trip. Day 7, on drive to Manning Creek, we got punctures - 2 flat tyres! Fortunately we were near a rest stop with toilets, so we had morning tea while the 2 tyres were being changed. Off we go! Further down the road, we got another puncture and flat tyre! No spare tyres now!! Richard phoned for help with his satellite phone, but we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the day, with little shade. We waited over 2 hours for help to arrive so we could continue on. But the air compression brakes weren't working properly, so it was a slow trip to Bell Gorge, and no activities that day.

Fortunately, Bell Gorge Wilderness Lodge is fantastic and so was the food. Excellent, after a difficult day. All praise goes to Richard, the driver, and one of our passengers who helped with the tyres and getting us on the road again. It was good to get back to Broome and Cable Beach Resort Club and be able to do some washing before starting on our cruise. It was disappointing that there wasn't a final dinner or gathering when we arrived in Broome. We'd been through a lot together and it would've been nice to have one last meal or drink together once we'd arrived in Broome. The things we saw and experienced on the land tour through the Kimberleys was fantastic and despite our flat tyres, it was a great trip. We highly commend Richard, our driver, for getting us through some difficult times.

6 couples from the land tour also went on the cruise. The entire cruise was great and enjoyed everything...food, service, guides, experiences. Amazing to see some of the natural wonders of the area. It was great to see the Kimberleys from both sides...land and sea. It was truly amazing. We'd highly recommend doing this trip and seeing the Kimberleys from both sides. Many people only do the cruise, or just the land tours, but they're missing out of half of the beauty it offers. APT were helpful with our luggage delay and we're thankful for that. Whether the bus could've been in better condition, I can't say. We found that just having one person to be driver, tour leader, and everything else is probably too big a job. All of us on our tour felt that there should be a driver and a tour leader. The roads are so bad in some areas, that to navigate the roads was difficult enough, without having to give information about the countryside, what bird it that, what vegetation is that, how old are these ranges, etc, etc, and then also set up our roadside lunches, make sure everyone has enough water and is safe on the walks, and some of the walks were difficult. Overall...it was a thoroughly enjoyable trip and well worth it. I booked through Global Journeys and are happy with their service. Thank you.

An amazing 2 weeks! Well organised tour, but flexible to situation eg some modifications because of high water levels, and places not being open. APT Lodges were very comfortable, for remote wilderness camping, with incredible meals and friendly interested staff who were always willing to help. Informative and respectful cultural experiences, and spectacular ...read more scenery. Itinerary included a variety of physical activities with different levels of challenge to complement some long periods of travel. Weather was warmish for some long hikes but swims were much appreciated!

We would certainly travel with APT again our tour guide Mary was the best & coach driver Norm was excellent & we always felt safe. We had many highlights dog sledding in Skagway white water rafting in Jasper. Our Rockie mountaineer trip was wonderful- from Banff back to Vancouver everything was beautiful & our visit to the beautiful Butchart Gardens ...read more where we had the place to ourselves was a special treat. We loved every moment. Our group of 39 got on very well.

This was our 3rd trip booked through Global Journeys and once again Jemma was brilliant in answering and solving any issues that popped up as we were travelling in a group of 6.

The APT Director Rory (originally from Australia) was fantastic and guided us around Canada and Alaska like a true professional. He united a group of 40 people together and ...read more we had a great trip and have made many new friends. He even provided great weather with only 2 days of light rain in Ketchikan and Juneau (it always rains there). From travelling around Canada for 11 days, 7 day Holland America Inside passage cruise to Alaska, 6 days in Alaska, this trip had it all. We saw at least 10 bears, 10 moose, Caribou, Elk, Humpback and Orca Whales, lots of seals and sea otters, bald eagles and much more. The scenery at Lake Louise, breathtaking glaciers at Glacier Bay and landscape on the White Pass Rail travelling to Skagway were some of the major highlights on this my bucket list trip. When you travel with APT and book with Global Journeys, you will always have a great trip.

We’ve planned our domestic and overseas travels with Hannah from Global Journeys for many years. We have always been extremely happy with the professional and friendly assistance we have received. Our latest trip, overland from Perth to Broome was certainly eye opening. The vast country and changes in landscape from pristine coastlines to rugged gorges ...read more and desert like conditions reinforced the wonder of our country.

The Kimberley is an amazing part of Australian and well worth a visit. The land component saw some very long days travelling in the vehicle. The APT ‘glamour ‘ tents were great to stay in. The days are nice and warm but the nights can be very cold in winter. At times we were cold during the night and at dinner as all the dining areas were outside. The ...read more cruise was fantastic and enjoyed going out on the zodiacs at least once a day. Would highly recommend doing the land tour first then finishing with the cruise. This gives you time for a little bit of relaxation after a very busy land tour.

The best holiday we have had. Would recommend both APT and Global Journeys. Hotels in all places were great. A must to see is Baniff and Lake Louise and The Rocky Mountaineer Train ride was amazing. The only downer was the tipping and taxes which we are not accustomed to but please don’t let that stop you going because you will be so disappointed if ...read more you don’t. May was an excellent time to visit.

Ship accomodation, meals + beveridges excellent, crew & expedition team exceptional (APT charge a premium & always do it very well)! Itinerary good, visiting coral islands & cays in zodiacs. Great opportunity to see wildlife & visit places not seen... to enjoy a different expedition holiday experience.

I have to start by thanking Georgie from Global Journeys for her special effort with our late reservation. Am so glad she succeeded. We knew nothing of APT and have been in awe of their organisation of everything from transport, accommodation and the expedition experience. Service and food presentation on the ship was first rate. Safety -particularly ...read more with zodiac transfers and snorkelling- was of high order. Of course it goes without saying that seeing this part of the WA coast and its islands was very special.
Jan and I will travel again with APT if another chance like this appeals to us. Thanks everybody.

So many wonderful things about this cruise. Everything is organised for you. The meals are great and the drinks are free flowing. The staff are so helpful and nothing is too much trouble for them. Some fantastic sights that you stop and see along the way. Highly recommend this to anyone young or old.

Beautiful trip with APT's Botanica. Their clients are a good match for me with common interests in gardens, visual arts, culture, cuisine. Perfectly organised tour with a fabulous Japanese guide as well as the botanical guide who was good enough. I had an accident with my knee and the guide handled it very well - ambulance, hospital, wheelchair, walking ...read more stick. My fellow travellers also pitched in. (Botanic guide did not). I have travelled with Botanica before and will do so again. Hotels were a mixture of excellent and OK. I loved the cultural experiences.

The tour was OK. Some activities could be excluded eg. bead stringing and making miniature sitars. There was unanimity among the 8 people who chose the temple dinner that the food was tasteless and lacking flavour. We were disappointed to find that there were more convenient ways to get from Melbourne to Korea and back than the route chosen for us. ...read more We accepted the selected flights (which involved 8-hour lay-overs in Ho Chi Min City both going and returning) because we assumed there were no better choices but we discovered from the other tour participants that this was not so.

This tour, by APT, was well organized, and included so many extra things. Most tours tell you what your sightseeing will be. APT, in certain cities, gives you a choice of 2 or more tours. At times, there is also Freedom of Choice dining. Also, the hotels were the best available, or close to it.

I have been on many tours both in Australia and overseas. I would have to say that the Tour Director Michelle and Coach Driver David were without doubt up there with the best. David was a local Tasmanian and Michelle was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and totally empathetic to all her guests' needs. I thoroughly recommend APT for this 6 day tour, and also ...read more Global Journeys for their efficiency.

We have done this trip previously, although in April. This time we went in November. Although the autumn colours were beautiful it was very cold most days (around 5 degrees during the day). As this was the last trip of the season we found many of the freedom of choice activities were limited and in many cases were only limited to a city walk. We were ...read more really looking forward to riding the e-bikes on a couple of occasions but were told once we boarded that they stop that by the end of October. Very disappointed! We did find we were sitting around a lot on the ship and once we did stop at each port we were time limited. Maybe more day-time activities whilst on board too would have been better. On the whole we enjoyed our time away and couldn't fault the food and staff and their attention to detail.

Paris was very disappointing, the river cruise & Prague were excellent and met all expectations. Very knowledgeable & well organized tour guides. Perhaps this trip isn't geared to solo travelers. Accommodation on the cruise & Prague of high quality but were disappointing in Paris.

Recommendations:- (Paris) Perhaps the APT tour guide could have attended ...read more earlier to ease the tension/frustration/anger felt by the early arrival of clients. It was noticeable, that both Avalon & Viking guides where in attendance. Hotel personnel were quite rude/short/ with clients as they where very busy! Perhaps this could be looked into by Global Journeys. (GJ Team: We'll certainly pass on your comments to APT. Thanks for your feedback.)

On the whole a great trip. The one let-down was the food, which would not pass muster in a Melbourne bistro. Restaurant staff were largely under-trained, which may be a hang-over from COVID.

Trip was very good. Karijini was below standard (very arrogant staff and canteen like food). Tour director Shay and husband who drove the bus were outstanding and went the extra mile to assist everyone. Visited many places that we had never heard of. The weather was lovely Exmouth and Broome excellent accommodation. Smaller towns accommodation was ...read more not as good but that had to be expected as there isn’t much to choose from.

APT provided an outstanding experiences and unforgettable memories for us in Kimberley. The foods are always good and our guides always ensure everyone's safety and comforts during the trip.

Our APT tour of tropical North Queensland to the tip of Australia and to Thursday and Horn Island was fantastic. Our tour guide Natasha and driver Grant were outstanding and everything went smoothly. The walk to the tip of Australia was the highlight and should be on everyone's bucket list. The walk was not too difficult and everyone in our group of ...read more predominantly over 70 year olds all got there with a big smile on their face. Accommodation was excellent overall considering the remoteness of some of our stops. APT tours are not cheap but they do represent good value and we would travel with them again. Georgie from Global Journeys was as usual very efficient and responsive with our travel arrangements.