Cosmos Tour Reviews
The 1,984 Cosmos Tour reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have traveled with Cosmos. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
We were lucky to have very good weather for most of our 10 day holiday through the Canadian Rockies. I think this, combined with the magnificent scenery and the lovely people on our bus tour meant that we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday.
We were happy with most of the accommodation, which was usually central and of a reasonable standard. As we were read more aware that this tour did not include meals, the lack of breakfast being included didn't bother us but most of the other people on the bus tour felt that it should have been included, especially as we had a few early morning departures. Our main complaint was the tipping at the end of the tour. As Australians we are not used to tipping, however we were aware that in Canada we would have to tip waitresses, taxi drivers etc and a few dollars here and there didn't' bother us. But Cosmos asked us each to tip the tour guide and driver $5-7 US a day. My husband and I had to pay out hundreds of dollars in tips at the end of our trip (when money was getting tight). I agree with another reviewer that this tipping seemed outrageous and I wished I had been aware before the tour how much money we were expected to pay out in tips to the tour guide and coach driver. (GJ: Thanks for your feedback Liv & Stan. With regards to tipping, some Operators include it in the price of the tour, others - like Cosmos - allow you to pay it at the end of your trip, or prepay it before you leave. I know it's not really tipping when you are expected to pay, or feel bad if you don't, but everyone is different. Ask your GJ Consultant to include it in your quote if you'd prefer next time - we hope!)
We were happy with most of the accommodation, which was usually central and of a reasonable standard. As we were read more aware that this tour did not include meals, the lack of breakfast being included didn't bother us but most of the other people on the bus tour felt that it should have been included, especially as we had a few early morning departures. Our main complaint was the tipping at the end of the tour. As Australians we are not used to tipping, however we were aware that in Canada we would have to tip waitresses, taxi drivers etc and a few dollars here and there didn't' bother us. But Cosmos asked us each to tip the tour guide and driver $5-7 US a day. My husband and I had to pay out hundreds of dollars in tips at the end of our trip (when money was getting tight). I agree with another reviewer that this tipping seemed outrageous and I wished I had been aware before the tour how much money we were expected to pay out in tips to the tour guide and coach driver. (GJ: Thanks for your feedback Liv & Stan. With regards to tipping, some Operators include it in the price of the tour, others - like Cosmos - allow you to pay it at the end of your trip, or prepay it before you leave. I know it's not really tipping when you are expected to pay, or feel bad if you don't, but everyone is different. Ask your GJ Consultant to include it in your quote if you'd prefer next time - we hope!)
Excellent tour but impacted by daily seat rotation issue. 4
Irish Discovery
Judith & Warwick Parker, NSW, Australia, Aug 2016
What should have been an excellent tour was impacted by issues in regards the lack of daily seat rotation. It became quite a major issue which impacted greatly on the overall enjoyment of the tour which was very disappointing. Tour director should have done more to enforce the seat rotation to make it fairer for all passengers. Things actually became read more quite nasty when people refused to move at all and just sat in what ever seat they wanted to each day. A better seat rotation system needs to be implemented and then enforced to prevent this situation occurring again. Maybe name cards placed on seats each morning to indicate where each person should be sitting and then the card being moved back or forward at the end of the day and being placed on the seat for the next day. After our recent experience on board the coach on this tour I doubt whether we would do another Cosmos tour again. The tour of Belfast and the Titanic Exhibition was an optional excursion. I think the tour of Belfast should have been included in the tour rather than having to do it as part of an optional tour. We would highly recommend Global Journeys to anyone wishing to book a holiday. We were very impressed with Michelle White's attention to detail in putting our holiday plans into place.
Always enjoy travelling with Cosmos. They are professional and value for money. Will be looking to book another trip with them next year.
A memorable and enjoyable experience 2
Jim & Sophie Kelly, Qld, Australia, Aug 2016
The bus was new with seat belts and had a good quality Wi-Fi that enhanced the trip. The hotels were also good with only one hotel with low grade Wi-Fi that faded in and out. The Tour Manager and Driver were very professional, positive. pleasant and made every effort to enhance our experience The Tour Guides were the same. All were entertaining. The read more Tour inclusions, places visited and optional excursions were terrific. The weather was good, summer hot and dry, with one day of rain. (Ed. This trip has changed this season, so this review refers to a slightly different itinerary.)
Very well organised tour with great guide (Nikola) and driver (Igor). First time travelling with escorted tour and certainly enjoy to have all the accommodation/breakfast/transport sorted out by Cosmos. We are allowed plenty of free time to explore cities in the afternoon and also gets to decide what to eat for lunch, which was good. The optional tours read more are well worth going - the one we have been to are great - including Zealand Castle, Mount Floyen, Vasa Museum. The scenery was beautiful , weather great (which was a bonus), and good mix of people from all over the world (US, Australia, Philippine, Hong Kong, UK)!
This is our second time booking Cosmos tours through Global Journeys. Though we were not given the booking reference for the cruise before flying to Vancouver, however, our consultant Hannah was very helpful and immediately sent us the reference upon our request during the land tour so that we could do the online check-in and got our boarding passes read more on time. We were very happy with itinerary as well as accommodation. Scenery was breathtaking. Our tour guide Sibylle was very knowledgeable about the area, history, best places to look at, local stories, etc., that made our experience unforgettable. Our driver John was an experienced coach driver and also very pleasant and courteous. Will definitely book Cosmos through Global Journeys again in future.
Had a great time with everything taken care of. Our Tour Guide was fantastic as so the Coach Driver. A couple of Hotels were below average and same with a couple of meals. One thing that bothered us we were getting single beds night after night until we mentioned to Gavin was taken care after that. Could not understand why a married couple was given read more single beds. Other than a few little things we had a fantastic time with us being taken care of and enjoying the lovely United Kingdom.
We had a great time. Met some lovely people & made some friends. There were a few downsides to the tour. Firstly the coach was too small eg: not enough leg room & there was no pocket in back of the seat in front to put small items.
Secondly: The Welsh night was very poor. Way too expensive for what we got. The meal was very poor. The quantity was read more a lot to be desired. My husbands desert was a tiny scoop of ice cream with 3 tiny slivers of pear. I only wish we had taken a photo. The whole night was not worth 66 pounds. There was another tour bus there and paid less for the same thing. The tour director was fantastic. Very knowledgeable on English history ect. He was also very friendly
and enjoyed our sense of humor. The driver was so skillful with his driving, getting the coach into places we didn't think possible.
Secondly: The Welsh night was very poor. Way too expensive for what we got. The meal was very poor. The quantity was read more a lot to be desired. My husbands desert was a tiny scoop of ice cream with 3 tiny slivers of pear. I only wish we had taken a photo. The whole night was not worth 66 pounds. There was another tour bus there and paid less for the same thing. The tour director was fantastic. Very knowledgeable on English history ect. He was also very friendly
and enjoyed our sense of humor. The driver was so skillful with his driving, getting the coach into places we didn't think possible.
I was very happy with the tour through central Europe. Everything was taken care off and I didn't have any real issues to deal with or distract me. If there was a problem it was resolved immediately, such as when there wasn't a separate bed in the room with my twin share arrangement. On both occasions I received a separate room for the same price! read more The group was large yet was mostly punctual, with no interpersonal or behavioral issues that anyone noticed. Both the included and optional excursions generally conformed to the details provided in the brochure. However, two tours did deviate from the script somewhat. The optional Schonbrunn Palace tour was shorter and the included Budapest tour omitted the viewing of three attractions.
Both the Tour Director and primary driver were enthusiastic and helpful. On occasions the Tour Director supplied us with photocopied maps of major cities, which was most helpful. The driver handled the vehicle well and was anxious to arrive at destinations on time. All the hotels met or exceeded expectations. The facilities, comfort and ambience were satisfactory or pleasing. The locations were great being close to transport and/or supermarkets. Breakfasts were fantastic and the dinners okay. I thought all the local tour guides did a fine job. They knew their assigned area and taught the history well. There were plenty of rest stops going from destination to destination. Overall, I am confident with Cosmos being able to deliver on another tour and plan to do so in the near future.
Both the Tour Director and primary driver were enthusiastic and helpful. On occasions the Tour Director supplied us with photocopied maps of major cities, which was most helpful. The driver handled the vehicle well and was anxious to arrive at destinations on time. All the hotels met or exceeded expectations. The facilities, comfort and ambience were satisfactory or pleasing. The locations were great being close to transport and/or supermarkets. Breakfasts were fantastic and the dinners okay. I thought all the local tour guides did a fine job. They knew their assigned area and taught the history well. There were plenty of rest stops going from destination to destination. Overall, I am confident with Cosmos being able to deliver on another tour and plan to do so in the near future.
The military tattoo is the highlight of this tour. We found 24 days on a coach was a bit long, we have done a max. of 14 days a few times before, would keep it under 20 days in the future. We had a full bus with 41 x aussies & 6 x American's, no other country's. Tour guide was great, loads of knowledge & great info, thanks. Accommodation varies from read more average 2 star up to fantastic 4 star, same as the meals, some poor, some great. Double nights in the one city was very good ( around 6) , to unwind, do nothing, or tour if you like. Other tourists on our coach were very good, no late one's, no loud mouths & no wingers, everyone got on great, thank you. We will tour with Cosmos again, price is good, accommodation good, meals o.k. & tour guides are excellent. We have done 4 tours with them now, thank you.
While this tour felt a bit whirlwind, it covered all the bases - a great way to see most of the popular sites in Ireland with limited time. The accommodation was good. Would have appreciated longer stops in those places we particularly wanted to see such as Giant's Causeway, Cliffs of Moher and Blarney Castle. Enjoyed having both Dingle Peninsula read more and the Ring of Kerry included as well as Northern Ireland. We did almost all the optional excursions and many of these were highlights of the tour, such as the banquet at Bunratty Castle and the folk theatre. Thanks to Yvonne and Global Journeys for their good service in booking the tour and packaging it with another tour we were doing later so we got a better discount.
We had such a memorable experience. Yvonne and the team at Global Journeys were great in organising our tour. Whilst it was hectic, due to the schedule and getting up early each morning, it was fun and we got the most out of our holiday. I would suggest a couple of pairs of good walking shoes. We were quite happy with the accommodation also and tour read more operator, Cosmos, was very efficient as well as our friendly tour guide. We travelled in August which was good as it’s near the end of the peak tourist season so the crowds were a little smaller. Overall very happy with trip and organising through Global Journeys was a seamless experience.
Tour director was excellent. Extremely knowledgeable in regards to the history of places we visited. Used iPod to play songs related to places we visited which made the tour more interesting. Michelle White at Global Journeys did a fantastic job in organising our holiday and I would have no hesitation in using and recommending Global Journeys again read more on any future holiday bookings.
Have wanted to do this trip for a long time as I have always been interested in the history of the 2nd World War, Nazi occupation, the Holocaust, Soviet occupation and the Cold War. This trip filled in all the gaps and although some horrific details were made even clearer, the recovery and reconstruction was amazing to see. We had a fantastic tour guide read more (Anita) and superb bus driver (Csaba), the group a great mix of ages and occupations, every one was on time and there were no moaners! There were several people travelling on their own but everyone friendly and mixed well. It is a beautiful part of the world and the scenery lovely. Recommend the optional extras especially the night time cruise on the Danube in Budapest! Thanks to Leanne from Global Journeys for all the booking assistance.
Worry free holiday 1
Ashley, Mercy & Maria, New Zealand, Jul 2016
We will travel with Cosmos again, the tour director Andre was best I have ever come across. Nothing was too much for him, patient, thoughtful with good sense of humour.
Great 1st Time Cruisers 1
Canadian Masterpiece with Rocky Mountaineer & Alaska Cruise
Khanh & Martin Painter, NSW, Australia, Jul 2016
Great coach driver and Sybill was an excellent tour guide/host. British Columbia, Canada is so beautiful but if we do it again we would book for 21 days (not 19 days as it's not long enough). For the Rocky Mountaineer , I would recommend others travel to upgrade to Gold ticket, it is worth the money paying extra. The Alaskan cruise was good and relaxing, read more the water was very calm for 1st time cruisers and are now looking at European river cruises next year.
We had a great trip, our tour guide Jose was excellent and had a broad knowledge of all areas visited and went out of his way to make sure everyone had a great holiday. Highlights were the Grand Canyon and walking across the Golden Gate Bridge. I would recommend Global Journeys to anyone who wants a well organised holiday with a special thanks to Yvonne who did our booking.
Our tour was what we had expected. 3
The British Isles in Depth
Peter Tyndall & Mary Connelly, VIC, Australia, Jul 2016
Our tour was what we had expected. The two night stop overs were welcome, gave you a chance to relax after the one night up and go. The tour guide was a walking encyclopaedia regarding British history and his knowledge of how it related to all the places visited was very impressive. The group were all friendly and fitted in well together.
This was a wonderful trip, everyone had a great time and we were blessed with the weather. Accommodation was good and our guide was very informative. Would definitely book with Global Journeys again and travel with Cosmos.
We would like to complement Hannah on arranging our Europe trip. Every step of the way our tour ran like clockwork. Our time in London was very interesting even though we organised our own excursions there. The accommodation in London was great and not too far from public transport. I think our favourite city was Prague . It was so beautiful , all read more the beautiful buildings, bridges and churches.Every European city was amazing. We took so many photos. Being in the middle of their summer the weather was fairly warm particularly in Rome and Florence but it didn't worry us. Our Tour Leader was a wonderful Hungarian lady, Orsi, who has been working for Cosmos for about 10 years, so she was very knowledgeable on each place we visited and made everyone feel welcome and cared for.
The accommodation was of a good standard and included meals were good. The tours included and extra ones were all fun especially the Swiss meal and entertainment and the Switzerland Mt Titles mountain trip. We had a full coach of about 45 people. The coach was very comfortable and had very capable drivers. Our tour had a mixture of nationalities, ages, and a few families and we all got on very well. We cant wait to do something again in the future. Thank you again. Its hard getting back to reality this week!
The accommodation was of a good standard and included meals were good. The tours included and extra ones were all fun especially the Swiss meal and entertainment and the Switzerland Mt Titles mountain trip. We had a full coach of about 45 people. The coach was very comfortable and had very capable drivers. Our tour had a mixture of nationalities, ages, and a few families and we all got on very well. We cant wait to do something again in the future. Thank you again. Its hard getting back to reality this week!
