Cosmos Tour Reviews

I was disappointed by the Alhambra, the main reason for booking this trip, as the blue and white mosaic tiles that are shown on television were nowhere in evidence, although the gardens were lovely. On the other hand there was a lot of interesting tile-work in the cities on houses and other buildings, and the cathedrals and other churches were extremely ...read more impressive. There was also a lot of very boring driving hours on the coach with endless fields of olive trees.

This being our very first tour, it was very good. Our Tour Director (Melanie Wagner) was very good. The coach driver (Jonathan) was very good and we felt very safe with his driving abilities. The tour over all was about the right time, although a couple of places we could have done an extra day, as it was very fast and short. The only complaint is the ...read more Inn of Chicago was a little tired as the room was looking old, the carpet needed to be replaced as it had holes in.

This was truly an amazing holiday booked through Global Journeys. All went very smoothly, took the worry out of us having to organise it and Global Journeys has so many trips so you can compare. I felt that Cosmos exceeded our expectations with our excellent guide, and great accommodation and plenty of time to ourselves as well. This trip is a must ...read more I really liked the relaxed way, no meals were included but that did not bother us as there are so many places to eat, we took cereal with us, bought fruit and went out at night.

All the hotels were centrally located. The optional extras were not forced onto anyone you could do some or none completely up to you, the ones we took were so much fun. I never dreamt that at my age I would be zip lining through dense forest high up in the mountains it was just brilliant. Overall this was a well organised tour with a great tour director and I would not hesitate to book again with Global Journeys or Cosmos.

Our experiences on this tour were very positive. Our tour director was well spoken, polite and enjoyed a good sense of humour. His knowledge of the colourful history of Ireland and its people was extensive and enriched our enjoyment of the tour considerably. Our driver too was very good at his job and most helpful. The hotels we stayed at were all of ...read more a high standard and the included meals more than adequate. Some of the optional activities seemed somewhat expensive but most were worthwhile. Our local Belfast guide was exceptional and we enjoyed magic weather for our Dingle Peninsula and Ring of Kerry tour. All in all a great tour with companionable company.

I enjoyed the tour on the whole. The sights and destinations were great. Our group all got on very well together which was lucky. The accommodation in Athens was great. However, the accommodation was not so good during the tour. Some of the hotels had things missing or not working in the room e.g: in Olympia the air conditioning! I would rather have ...read more paid more for the tour to get better accommodation.

The food was not very enjoyable. Some of the buffet breakfasts and dinners were inedible. The hot food was cold and the cold food was warm! The included lunches were at restaurants that didn't cater for everyone. Some of us only felt like a sandwich but only cooked food was ever offered! The 'included' wine was awful.
Most of the optional tours were fine. The driver and tour guide were great.

The hotels were fabulous. The tour guide we had Michelle was absolutely fabulous would recommend her very highly. Nothing was too much gave a lot of information. The whole tour was wonderful. Rocky Mountain excellent silver class. Was great I thought even better than gold class, food fantastic all the crew in our carriage went out of they way to make ...read more us have a good time. Unfortunately we didn’t see and bears which was disappointing. On the Volendam on the second night on the ship the crew noticed that the spare bed slats were broken. Two nights later during the night water started leaking from the ceiling above my bed. So the next day I couldn’t go in my room most of the day due to having repairs done. The stewards where fabulous apart from that everything else was good.

Great trip through 8 states, lots of American history as well as the Route 66 was a pleasant surprise. Steve the tour guide was fantastic, accommodation lovely. Highly recommend this trip.

From the start the tour was relaxed entertaining and well managed by the tour director, the pace was in line with what I expected and the hotels where excellent. Happy with atmosphere in the bus and the free time, i was able to see all the places I expected along and off route 66. Overall I rates this trip excellent and the tour director was excellent ...read more and issues was handled well, this made for a worry less holiday.

Well organised tour with some exceptional excursions. Some hotels were below par and was disappointed. The tour leader and city tour guides were well informed and friendly, appreciated their services. Overall, a satisfactory journey.

Trip was great, sites amazing and Beatrix was a great tour leader. As I am 70, I was pleased the tour was no longer than 12 days, as the pace of the trip began to take its toll as it neared the end. On a whole the standard of the accommodation was only average, some places were good. The accommodation in Copenhagen was awful (my room at least), while ...read more the accommodation in Bromma was great. I thought it was a strange choice as it was close to the domestic terminal and everyone on tour was an international traveller.

The booking experience was efficient to a point. I found it strange that I booked through what was marked on the internet as Australian site for Globus/Cosmos. Georgie couldn’t have been more helpful but the optional extras had to be booked through another site which led to some confusion.

Highlight - well organised. Driver/ Tour Director - both excellent. The following needs Improvement: Hotels - few of the hotels needed to be upgraded. Dinners - main course needs to have options (most of them served Beef & Pork). Coaches - internet access should be available (due to the time difference). People - needs proper introduction on the first ...read more day (maybe a proper dinner & mingle time) sorry to say some of them never spoke in the entire trip, which I feel a bit odd. Weather condition - attire must be informed as most of them brought summer clothes, most of the places were very cold which was unexpected. Last day dispersal - was a bit of disappointment, last stop Paris needed more days & internal tours included. Overall trip was exciting and enjoyed every part of it.

Trip was fantastic, the tour director had 38 people in the group but handled each of our concerns very well. We all got along very well and made some good friendships.

We were looking forward to travelling with a group of friends whom we have known for years. Highlights included Iguassu Falls, one of the greatest natural wonders of the world. It was amazing from the Brazilian side of the Falls however on crossing the border the Argentine side of the Falls was just spectacular, the cascading landscape and the serene ...read more beauty was breathtaking. Lake Titicaca with a group of approximately 40 artificially made floating islands was simply awesome and amazing in how the island was build, the homes, etc using natural materials.

I would travel with Cosmos again. The tour was well planned and organised, though the pace was a little hectic as the city tours ended around 1ish. I was quite exhausted with the early morning starts and was rather hungry for lunch. Accommodations were comfortable and centrally situated with eating places, sundry shops, shopping areas within easy reach. (In Rio de Janeiro the Copacabana Beach was just down the road from the hotel). Local guides were knowledgeable about the local history and the people, they gave us good pointers should we roam around by ourselves. Drivers were excellent in manoeuvring tight corners, busy chaotic traffic and kept us safe on the roads.

I would like to commend our Tour Director, Fernando Bordallo. I have nothing but praise and admiration for him. He gave clear and precise instructions and showed such patience when asked the same question umpteenth times. He showed engagement with his ‘Cosmos family’ as within a couple of days he knew all his travellers by name and faces. He was very responsible making sure that no one was left behind and if any member was not accounted for he would go looking for the person. He showed empathy for his ‘flock of sheep’ as when any member was unwell he kept an eye on that person.

He was as meticulous as one could possibly be with his paperwork/prep work: Boarding passes were on hand for all the flights: Iguassu Falls, Buenos Aires, Lima, Cusco, Juliaca, and finally Lima where our tour ended. Fernando and the local guides would lead us to the airport check-in counter and ensure that all his travellers were safely checked through then he would be the last to go through. Porters were organised to collect our luggage from the coach to the airport check-in counter and from the carousel of the airports when we landed. Train tickets were ready to Aguas Calientes, the quaint town closest to the "Lost City of the Incas", and he had entry tickets ready for our admission to Machu Picchu.

It could not have been an easy job to handle 35 people of different nationalities and personalities. I could not begin to imagine the after-hours he puts in when we retire for the night. His time keeping and management flair indicated his dedication to his job. He did his job to the best of his abilities and he carried himself well professionally.

I would go with Global/Cosmos/Avalon for my future trips however I would need to save up as it is quite expensive however you get what you pay for. A tip for future travellers: Set your goals and priorities. If seeing the world is one of your interests, save up and embark on the journey while you’re fit and healthy. The world is huge, there’s so much to see and so little time.

In terms of the quality of accommodation: Recanto Park, Iguassu Falls – we were upgraded to a suite which was luxurious. Kenton Palace, Buenos Aires – again we were upgraded, and the room was so comfortable. San Agustin Exclusive, Lima – the air ducting in this hotel was only for heating thus the room was rather stuffy. La Casona Yucay, Sacred Valley – this hotel was just lovely, particularly the beautiful surrounding of the majestic mountain. Jose Antonio Cusco, Cusco – this hotel was very uncomfortable and stifling. Our room had a view of the road and there was no air conditioning so we had the window opened but in doing so it was noisy and very dusty.

We travelled in September which was a good time being spring in the southern hemisphere, temperature was mild and cool. It was a big group of 35 with ages ranging from the 30s to 70s. Travellers were from Australia, New Zealand, UK, Canada, US and Malaysia. We all got along, we all looked out for one another, we all were concerned for each other when anyone was ill, we all stopped when one member had a fall and when one person collapsed from the high altitude. I couldn’t ask for a better group of travellers.

In reality 2 tours with 2 different tour coaches and directors. First observation is that September is now pretty much part of high season, so perhaps these days the slowdown really starts towards the end of September. Tour 1 was Rome and Amalfi Coast area. Hotel in Rome not great but close to Villa Borghese museum (100% must see) and bus lines to ...read more take you to the heart of Rome. Optional excursion to Tivoli Gardens a must do. Sorrento and Amalfi Coast are tourist ghettos but still worth seeing once. Hotel in Sorrento OK. Anacapri and Isle of Capri lovely and hotel was great. First tour director not really that helpful.

Tour 2 was the Sicily extension - a really good tour. Sicily is unspoilt and shows a more traditional part of Italy with lovely scenery. Second Tour Director and the hotels were good. The optional Sicilian restaurant nights were good fun. We jumped off the tour after the Naples guided walk and spent 4 days in Naples. An incredible city, great fun, so much grand history and energy . Don't believe any bad press about Naples, no worse than any other big city, we could have spent a week in Naples.

The trip was fabulous. Our tour guide, Peter, was great. Very informative, made things come alive and made the trip so enjoyable. All the passengers got along and we all had fun. The optional tours were fantastic and a must to do. Would definitely book with Cosmos again.

We arrived in Tokyo 2 days before the start of the tour. We managed to navigate the metro system to visit some additional attractions not on the tour. Aki was our guide who was very knowledgable and was very helpful with advice. Our group comprised of 16 and we all enjoyed each other’s company. It was very hot and humid for our tour which slowed ...read more us down a bit. There was quite a lot of walking and steps to climb when visiting temples and shrines so we were quite tired at the end of each day.

The highlights of the tour were Tokyo, Takayama where we visited the thatched houses and stayed in a beautiful hotel in the Alps which had a thermal spa and beautiful scenery. Kyoto was enjoyable, Temple of the Gold Pavilion and the Adachi Museum of Art and Gardens. Hiroshima was special and very emotional and of course the bullet trains were amazing. Our tour ended in Osaka but unfortunately we did not have time for sightseeing. I would suggest adding on an extra day to spend some time in Osaka. On reflection I think November would have been a better month to travel, a bit cooler and you would see the autumn colours.

The accommodation on the most part was good, perhaps the location could have been better in some cases.
The optional tours were good, we did Mt Fuji which was covered in fog but an enjoyable day and Nara. I would suggest booking your optional tours from home in advance as we did not thinking we could book at the start of the tour as we have done on other tours, Cosmos included. In this case we were told that the tours could be booked out but luckily we were able to be included. On booking the tour it would be advisable for Cosmos to inform people of the importance of pre-booking the optional tours.

It would have been good to have some included meals so that the group could socialise. We had difficulty ordering meals due to the menus being in Japanese and staff not speaking English. We had to resort to 7 Eleven and Starbucks at times due to the communication problem. A few group dinners with our guide would have helped and taken the stress out of selecting food. We did manage to find a pub and had a hamburger and chips one night. All in all despite the challenges we had a wonderful time with lots of laughs and memories to cherish.

This was my first tour with Cosmos (previously I've travelled with Trafalgar and Insight). I was very impressed with this tour - great itinerary and young, active, informative Tour Director. Included meals were very good. Every day was wonderful seeing the beautiful Norwegian scenery, highlight after highlight. We were lucky with the weather with only ...read more one rainy day in Bergen - the hotel actually supplies each room with an umbrella they have so many rainy days. Thoroughly recommend this tour as an introduction to Norway.

Norway has beautiful scenery everywhere we visited. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Our favourite spot was a small village named Loen.

Jemma at Global Journeys did a wonderful job arranging the trip and the flights. I didn't have to worry about anything, all the support and advise provided was very good.

We thoroughly enjoyed this holiday. It was a perfect mixture of cities and countryside and such a variety of landscapes. We thought that it was excellent value for money, accommodation was good, all the beds being comfortable and the rooms clean. We had a wonderful group to travel with, which added to the enjoyment. Also our tour guide, John, was excellent, ...read more very knowledgable, conscientious and caring. We felt safe at all times with our bus driver, Dave. Thanks to Jodie Wallis for organising this trip for us.