APT Tour & Cruise Reviews

I have just returned from my unforgettable trip through Australia. The Kimberley and the Top End tour was just stunning. It was the tour of a life time, absolutely fantastic in every respect. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful, walking through gorges, swimming in billabongs, sleeping in luxurious APT bush camps and amazing food in the middle of ...read more nowhere. Seeing Australia's wildlife and nature, the countryside's diversity by boat and helicopter was just unbelievably beautiful.

We were a lovely group of 16 people, all Australians apart from me. We got on very well and we had lots of fun. Beginning of June was a perfect time as we were fortunate enough to still see lots of waterfalls and crossing quite a few creeks. Our guide Leigh was great with an extensive knowledge of the outback, aboriginal rock art and the culture of the Aboriginal people. Our bus was the most immaculate one in the whole of the Kimberley considering travelling on dirt tracks for over 3,000 kilometres. The Kimberley is a special place which every Australian should experience and book through Global Journeys. My special thanks to Georgie who was easy to communicate with and helpful at all times. Thank you so much.

Really disappointed the itinerary in Uluru was changed to jam 2 days of original itinerary into one day. This stopped me being able to walk around Uluru, also gave limited time to explore the Olgas. To do the rim walk at Kings Canyon you had to depart the motel in the dark at 6am. Days on the 'truck' as the guide called it, were long, that was to be ...read more expected but we had days when we were not even told where or when the next comfort stop would be, sometimes driving for 3 hours with no word from Driver or Guide. I would have expected more commentary on the area we were travelling thru. Very rushed tour, poor value for money, most people on the tour felt the same. We would arrive at our destination, eat, sleep & move on early the next day. No time to look around. Very limited free time.

Enjoyed the trip and enjoyed the concept of travelling by Private jet. APT has done well to coordinate luggage to the plane directly to and from each hotel and to the plane and the very quick processing going through airport. It would be hard to visit so many places in such a short period of time without a private jet. The tour leaders were very helpful ...read more and coordinated the tour very well. Also appreciative of the help from Global Journeys and Georgie.

Margaret River, Kalgoorlie, Exmouth, Broome, Kununurra, and Darwin. Travel on one plane with the same crew on board for the entire 8 days. This was luxury travel. No worries about checking bags or waiting for baggage at the carousel! It was all loaded and unloaded from the tour bus at each location.

The 5 course lunch at Rustica winery in Margaret ...read more River was some of the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten. The Pullman Bunker Bay had the most beautiful accommodations and gorgeous beach. Wished we’d had another night. Exmouth stop did not disappoint with the Whale shark snorkel. Incredible boat crew and once in a lifetime experience.

It was nice to have an in room washer and dryer at Oaks Cable Beach once we reached Broome. Not the cleanest accommodations but it wasn’t horrible. Kununurra Country Club was the pits. Old, dirty and in need of serious upkeep/updating. I don’t know if this was due to lack of staffing or lack of access to decent updating materials given the remoteness of the location. Regardless, APT should seriously consider finding alternative accommodations for this stop. The tours to El Questro were fabulous. The Chamberlain Gorge boat trip was so much fun. I’d recommend two smaller shuttle buses for airport transfer and transport to scheduled tours. A lot of time spent loading, waiting and unloading passengers.

Had a great holiday! Always a few minor hiccups travelling in the outback, but in general all went smoothly. Our driver/ guide was lovely. The rest of the group were great - we got on very well. Just don't recommend the tour if you can't walk over rocks and riverbeds! The weather was a perfect hot for avoiding a freezing winter in Sydney! If you can ...read more stay a couple of extra days in Cable Beach resort it's worth it!

Despite being incredibly disappointed with APT's booking errors meaning we missed out on staying at El Questro and visiting Emma Gorge, our APT tour of the Kimberley was an amazing experience. Our tour guide Taimi was knowledgeable, organised and fun and we can't speak highly enough of her and our tour "truck" was comfortable and a great way to see ...read more this region. The glamping tents, meals and the APT lodges were fabulous but the accommodation booked to replace El Questro was in a building site - great new rooms and good food but not what we expected for such an expensive tour. If our itinerary had followed the itinerary we paid for, we would have easily given this tour a 5 star rating.

Every day was highlight on this trip. Our Driver/Guide, Clare was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and passionate about her work; nothing was too much trouble! Everything worked according to plan. The choice of excursions, with boat cruises, hiking, and heli-lifts was amazing. We accessed remote areas with aboriginal guides and we learnt a lot. The accommodation, ...read more including glamping, was exceptional and the food could not be faulted. The 4WD vehicle was comfortable and made for the harsh conditions and dirt roads. We were a group of 14 and surprisingly we all got on well, enjoying the fantastic experiences together. I can only speak favourably of this incredible journey.

We eventually got to experience this trip after several years of cancellations due to Covid. So glad we decided to bite the bullet and go ahead in May, regardless of the threat of Covid. May I say the level of cleaning on both the Rocky Mountaineer, our APT Coach (thank you Lennie for your wonderful driving, witty comments and dedicated hand sanitising ...read more duties) and the incredible Holland America Zuiderdam ship, was outstanding.

Sure, we had to wear our masks on occasions, but I think that we all appreciated the extra level of safety they gave. The trip was very good. Our Tour Director, Jaqi, was fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble and she made sure everyone was looked after and didn't have to worry about a thing. She was very informative and friendly and made our trip so easy. The accommodations were beautiful (my only regret was that we couldn't stay longer in some places - especially Jasper. The Fairmont at Jasper was beautiful - gorgeous cabins in an outstanding location). I think most of our group shared this sentiment, as there were a few long days (early starts) on the Coach, but we covered quite a lot of ground.

The cruise to Alaska was amazing - Glacier Bay - wow. It was very relaxing and it was a shame when it all came to an end. We had a fantastic group of people, who all got on extremely well and we had lots of fun. Thanks again to Jaqi and Lennie for making the trip so effortless. Thanks to Georgie at Global Journeys for her help over the last two years in eventually getting us to Canada/Alaska after all the cancellations etc due to the pandemic.

Everything was superb bar one. The boat, the cabin, the hotel staff on the boat, the expedition team and the musicians were all wonderful. We had a totally enjoyable time. Fellow travellers were all very nice. Food and drinks were very good.
According to our personal itinerary we were supposed to go to Hilton Darwin at 3.30 pm May 6 2022 to be taken ...read more by bus at 3.45pm to the embarkation pier. But it was changed to 12.30 pm, No one informed us. No phones calls, no SMS, no email. Quite a few of our fellow passengers who stayed at Hilton Darwin also were not informed of the change. As our luck had it we went to Hilton Darwin on May 5 2022 just to check out the place and found out that departure was changed to 12.30pm. Even then we thought it was only for travellers staying in Hilton Darwin. In any case we went to Hilton Darwin at 12 noon to have lunch and only then did we realise that the 12.30 pm departure applied to everyone.

APT are to be congratulated on the way they have put this tour together. There are times when you're out in the back of beyond but the accommodation is always clean, fully serviced and more than comfortable and the catering for meals is superb. Our tour guides/drivers, Adam and Kym, were at "Oracle" level with their knowledge of the places we went to, ...read more the people we met , their customs and history, the sights we saw and the roads we travelled. Getting a shot of a yellow-footed rock-wallaby in the wilds of Brachina Gorge is just 1 of the highlights. This was my 1st tour with APT and I'll definitely be back.

Travelled on APT Caledonian Sky 9 night cruise from Broome to Darwin late May 2022. We had the most wonderful time. The sights and experiences were unforgettable and we loved every moment of the cruise. Very professional, very organised, food above expectations. Cannot fault any aspect of this trip. Special thanks to Hannah at Global Journeys for ...read more her assistance over the past couple of years as we maneuvered our way through COVID and cancelled trips. Hannah was always timely in her responses and kept us informed of any new developments. Will certainly book through Hannah and Global Journeys for future trips.

Maralinga & Eyre Peninsula tour in April was quite good in most respects, but various things, such as some accommodation and roadside picnics, we’re not up to our expectations, given the cost and APT’s reputation.
The Maralinga flights were cancelled due fog in William Creek. Pilots should have positioned to Ceduna the night before. We were told this ...read more had happened before, so APT and William Creek Air should be prepared with alternative Maralinga visit plans. Almost two weeks after this non-event, we have heard nothing from APT re compensation for this full day nonevent. It’s cost would have been a substantial portion of the whole tour. Very disappointed.

We would book with Global Journeys again and this is our 3rd very happy trip with APT. Caledonian Sky was fabulous. Staff, food, music, rooms all first class. However, we wouldn't do a cruise again on this particular ship because of the zodiacs. They are difficult to sit on for any length of time and quite often you get very wet which is to be expected ...read more I suppose. On another APT cruise they used Explorers and we found them so much better. Overall tho, we really had a fabulous holiday.

From Cradle Mountain to Port Arthur and Hobart APT's Tasmania Complete was a trip of highlights, fun and laughter. Our Tour Director and Driver were exceptional and really made this trip wonderful. From singing on the bus to the dad jokes, we could not have asked for more. We have made new friends and created a list of 'must go back and see again' places. ...read more The memories will last a long time.

In a difficult environment when we had no idea we would be going or not due to COVID lock downs and restrictions, right up to the time of leaving, Georgie from Global Journeys worked hard to make sure we were kept informed of what was happening and that we received all paperwork and information in time when we suddenly needed to leave a week earlier than anticipated. This being the second trip we have booked through Georgie, the exceptional service we receive means we will continue to do so.

What a tour, there are many highlights from our two weeks in the Kimberly. The scenery and site was amazing the accommodation and food were impressive, especially considering we're in the middle of nowhere. The APT staff went above and beyond to make us comfortable and enhance our pleasure on the trip. This is the best way to see the rugged Kimberly ...read more and would thoroughly recommend the APT tour.

Very enjoyable trip. The itinerary is excellent with signature visits to Bungle Bungle and Mitchell Falls. Accommodation and meals are both very good. Our tour leader is generally good, but can allow more time for activities in particular at Mitchell Falls and the gorges.

Our APT 4WD guided tour from Broome to Perth was sensational. Our tour guides were fantastic as nothing was too much trouble and they made sure we were comfortable, well fed and well informed. They treated our friendly group like a family. The resorts at Cable Beach Broome, Echo Beach, Exmouth and Monkey Mia were stunning. All our accommodation and ...read more meals exceeded our expectations. Every day greeted us with new experiences and amazing places- swimming and walking through the gorges at Karijini NP, watching sea eagles feed as we boarded our Yardie Creek boat tour, snorkelling from a glass bottom boat at Coral Bay Ningaloo Reef, walking around stromatolites at Hamelin Pool and on coquina at Shell Beach, drinking champagne on a sunset cruise at Monkey Mia, viewing the panoramic landscape from the AirWalk at Kalbarri NP, just to name a few places. Our tour ended in Perth and staying at the Ritz Carlton, we felt like millionaires with everlasting memories of an amazing tour.

A great trip, what a way to see the vast expanse of outback Queensland. Longreach and Winton exceeded expectation whilst Mt Isa was a little disappointing and could be bi-passed. Thursday Island did not disappoint and the trip to the very top of Australia provided great memories. The trek is not easy but you are rewarded with a great feeling of satisfaction. ...read more It is as far north as you can go! The local guide kept us interested with many anecdotes of life in the far north.

The Oaks Resort at Port Douglas and Reef Hotel on Hamilton Island were first class. Accommodation in outback towns whilst OK, some tolerance is required. It has been a tough couple of years for them. The Alliance Airline SAAB 70 was terrific and the "Hosties" Meagan and Bronwyn provided exception service as did the APT Tour directors Richard and Rod. The APT App was down for a considerable time before the trip and we must commend the assistance of Jemma of Global Journeys who managed to keep us informed despite the outage. Overall a great way to attack our Bucket List.

We did this tour mid May which was a good month of the year to do it. We had a great group of 62 people and had lots of fun and saw some amazing things. The ground tours were excellent with very professional bus drivers excepting the day going to the Cape where the buses were dreadful and our driver didn't say one word on the whole trip. Overall ...read more the accommodation wasn't the usual APT standard but we were visiting outback places. When we booked we were going BNE/BNE but it was then changed and we had to fly to SYD before Longreach which was not good plus we had to sit on the tarmac for over an hour in SYD. And then fly from Hamilton Island to SYD and then BNE. Our tour guides were very good and we found booking with Georgie at Global Journeys very easy.

I enjoyed my trip, although 2 excursions on Ord River in Kununurra were a bit much on the same day. Global Journeys & APT both have very good customer service.