Costsaver Reviews
The 283 Costsaver reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have traveled with Costsaver. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
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We totally enjoyed our group tour with Costsaver. Absolutely loved Japan and our guide Mayomi wa excellent. Loved Japan so much that we are going back!
Absolutely brilliant way to see so much of Italy. We booked a 13 day Costsaver tour through Global Journeys. Most hotels we stayed 2 nights and the pace was fairly quick with some time to wander around but deadlines to keep. We were exhausted by the end but saw so much.
Sam from Global Journeys did a great job to find a tour that included all of our "bucket list" items and fitted with our other travel plans. His attention to detail, helpful advice and timely communication was first class. Although not our first choice due to last minute booking Costsaver provided all of the elements of a first visit to Japan we were read more looking for. Keiko the Tour Director carried her role perfectly. She was friendly, knowledgeable of the history, culture and geography and she provided a great insight into modern versus ancient Japan. All of the "Choice Experiences" complemented the tour and proved worthwhile. One disappointment that comes to mind was the choice of coach for the latter part of the Journey - It was less spacious and had no wi-fi compared with the coach provided in Tokyo. No complaints about either driver - they were very capable and courteous. Hotel accommodation was adequate.
We did a 12-day trip into Japan as part of the CostSaver experience and had a really great time overall visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Himeji, and Osaka. We found the tour guide to be knowledgeable in the country and in their ability to speak English and help solve problems. The itinerary was pretty packed and we were really tired most nights, read more but that's okay. My wife said, "We can sleep when we're dead," as we really tried to maximize our time in country. We got to see a huge swath of the country, try a lot of foods, and have a number of diverse experiences. While we enjoyed some aspects of the tour more than others, there wasn't a single part that we disliked. We took part in the majority of the optional packages, and they were good value for money. We would completely recommend the tour for couples and families with older children (teenagers).
Great Scandinavian tour with exceptional Tour Director 2
Highlights of Scandinavia
Susan and Jennifer, NSW, Australia, Jun 2024
We had the absolute best tour - our Tour Director - Mike, was awesome - he was very knowledgeable and super nice to everyone. Greg the bus driver was outstanding. Highlights were the stop at Bergen and the waterfall stop on the Flåm Railway. But everything was memorable and thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks Mike you are a star.
I and the other travellers on the tour saw many amazing sites & had some fantastic experiences. My fellow travellers were friendly and easy to get along with. Our driver was clever, cheerful and helpful; nothing fazed him. The tour director was knowledgeable about the sites & places we saw. She was also efficient and kept good control of the group. read more I think she could have delivered the information she gave us better, i.e. not all at once shortly before we arrived at places but in shorter installments along the way. For most of each leg of the journey, there was complete silence with very few if any explanation of sites of interest along the way. I didn't find her particularly approachable, or patient at times. Often my (very few) direct questions to her were not even responded to.
I was also rather disappointed that too many of the experiences were optional extras, which were very expensive too, although most of those were great. I thought that for the price I paid, more experiences and meals should have been included. I would not use Costsaver again at this stage.
I was also rather disappointed that too many of the experiences were optional extras, which were very expensive too, although most of those were great. I thought that for the price I paid, more experiences and meals should have been included. I would not use Costsaver again at this stage.
Itinerary was perfect not rushed and covered all key places we wished to visit. Corey our tour guide and Chris our driver were first class - we would certainly recommend them.
Great tour with an excellent tour guide. Visited all highlights with informative tour commentary each day. All but one of the accommodations were of a high standard.
Booking through Global Journey is a nice and smooth experience. However, the Costsaver online customer service needs improvement. I contacted them many times in regards to the pick up location in London at the start of the tour and none of them could give me the answer! Some gave me the wrong location!
For the tour itself, it's a well designed itinerary. read more We were well looked after by our tour director John. Our driver (Steve) is THE BEST! The dinner at Torphichen Inn was very pleasant and fun. Dinner & Cabaret at Taylor's 3 Rock was excellent, strongly recommend (it's worth every cent !!!). However, there was too much free time at York and it was the Sunday so all the shops closed early, so we all wandered in the dark & cold waiting to go to the bus for the hotel. Also there should be less free time in Bath so we could have more time in Windsor Castle (it was too rushing). It would be good if we had two nights and free time in Glasgow, it was a vibrant city but there was no time to check it out. Thank you for a wonderful trip.
For the tour itself, it's a well designed itinerary. read more We were well looked after by our tour director John. Our driver (Steve) is THE BEST! The dinner at Torphichen Inn was very pleasant and fun. Dinner & Cabaret at Taylor's 3 Rock was excellent, strongly recommend (it's worth every cent !!!). However, there was too much free time at York and it was the Sunday so all the shops closed early, so we all wandered in the dark & cold waiting to go to the bus for the hotel. Also there should be less free time in Bath so we could have more time in Windsor Castle (it was too rushing). It would be good if we had two nights and free time in Glasgow, it was a vibrant city but there was no time to check it out. Thank you for a wonderful trip.
Glimpse of Europe - Fast paced trip but worth it 1
Glimpse of Europe
Hen E., QLD, Australia, Apr 2024
The trip did meet our expectations of seeing a glimpse of Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland and Paris. Some of the optional experiences are worth taking specially the Cabaret in Paris. All hotels were comfortable except the City Hotel Brunnen in Switzerland. Our room has a tiny bathroom with the wash basin in the bedroom. A hotel at Luzern would have read more been preferable. Special mention and thanks to the Restaurant staff at the Hotel NH Weinheim, Germany for preparing special gluten free meals for my coeliac condition.
Our Tour Director Steve is exceptional, sharing his knowledge of history of the countries and well-organised in making sure we make the most of our time in each city. The cold and wet weather in April did not dampen the mood of our small group and we still got to see the main attractions. We came home with happy memories. 😊
Our Tour Director Steve is exceptional, sharing his knowledge of history of the countries and well-organised in making sure we make the most of our time in each city. The cold and wet weather in April did not dampen the mood of our small group and we still got to see the main attractions. We came home with happy memories. 😊
This is great introduction to Europe by Global Journeys & Costsaver. The travel director Trent and our driver was great! Trent was knowledgeable and made it fun. The only thing I wish that could be worked on is some of the hotel choices/in partnerships they have with. Overall good experience and looking forward to another journey again.
The title says it all!! The Best of the Balkans was thoroughly enjoyed! The coach and driver were professional and comfortable. The hotels were clean, comfortable and all staff welcoming and professional. The tour director, Jasmina, was the most amazing knowledgeable, helpful caring and genuine tour director I have ever met on all the tours that I have read more been on. She did have a few challenging moments that she handled professionally and with kindness. She is ! in a million!!!
I must add that some of the food that was served including breakfast and dinner, in the hotels were a little missing the target. There was a few gluten free passengers on my trip and there was little in the way of desserts, only fruit and more fruit and mostly only bread was offered at breakfast time. Maybe a small amount of cereal and pastry or sweet cake would of been a welcomed change .
The places we visited were amazing and if time had permitted, a longer stay would of been welcomed. Thank you to Tracey for all of your help booking this amazing trip for me!!
I must add that some of the food that was served including breakfast and dinner, in the hotels were a little missing the target. There was a few gluten free passengers on my trip and there was little in the way of desserts, only fruit and more fruit and mostly only bread was offered at breakfast time. Maybe a small amount of cereal and pastry or sweet cake would of been a welcomed change .
The places we visited were amazing and if time had permitted, a longer stay would of been welcomed. Thank you to Tracey for all of your help booking this amazing trip for me!!
Wonders of the Canadian Rockies & Alaskan Cruise 2
Kathy, NSW, Australia, Sep 2023
Tracey Standing was excellent and we would travel with Costsaver again. Hotels were very good, clean and decor was lovely.
We thoroughly enjoyed this tour. Tour guide was fantastic as was our driver. Very well paced tour, very scenic and good stops along the way. Were happy with all hotels. Extra tours were mostly very good, probably a bit expensive but I would still recommend.
Beautiful countryside and wonderful people. 3
European Cavalcade
Debbie and Mark, QLD, Australia, Aug 2023
What an amazing trip from start to finish. The Netherlands was fresh and with spectacular views where Rome was warmer in August but the history and places we visited were some of the greatest ancient ruins I have experienced. Tour guide was out standing with the greatest knowledge of the visited countries. The bus driver was a gem. Accommodations were read more of high standard and breakfasts plentiful. I recommend this trip to everyone and all ages. Would definitely travel with Costsavers again. Travelled with a mixture of people who were awesome.
Wonders of the Canadian Rockies with Alaska Cruise. 1
Susan, Australia, Jul 2023
Air Canada Airlines. The flights were good, going and coming. The person allocating the seating was very helpful. She recommended that if we'd like to sit down the back of the plane, there were 2 seats together, which would make it easier for us as we wouldn't have to climb over someone to get out. It was also convenient that we could check our luggage read more all the way through to Calgary, as we didn't have much time between flights going over.
Costsaver were very difficult to contact by email and phone. Consequently, we had to ask the hotel staff where we were to meet the trip director. The trip director was very good. However, it went a bit haywire when another had to replace to original one, due to family circumstances. The new one kept saying she hadn't done a trip on the west for a few years. She only did east Canada area. Therefore, her commentary was little and not often. In Vancouver, at the end of the trip we had a hotel situated quite a distance from the cruise terminal, There were nearly half the passengers going on the cruise the next day. It would have been convenient if a bus could have taken all of us to the terminal instead of independent transport.
The Holand America Line "Volendam" cruise was very good. Some people were very helpful. The person booking the shore excursions, at times gave us incorrect information, If we hadn't asked another, we would have arrived late for our excursion. The service desk people were helpful at times. Some came across as not being very knowledgeable. e.g when I asked for stamps, I was told I'd have to come back later, as he couldn't give them to me as they were locked away and the person who had the key was on a break. We had difficulty getting WiFi and were told we had to pay for it. This was not mentioned to us prior to the trip.
There was plenty to do during the day while at sea, and it catered for all age groups. The ship arrived in port early which enabled us to do shopping and site seeing. The food was plentiful and there was a variety to choose from. We went to the Pinnacle Restaurant, the service was very good and the food cooked to our wishes. I would consider going on another Holland America Line cruise. The size of ship was just right. I didn't feel I was on top of people.
Costsaver were very difficult to contact by email and phone. Consequently, we had to ask the hotel staff where we were to meet the trip director. The trip director was very good. However, it went a bit haywire when another had to replace to original one, due to family circumstances. The new one kept saying she hadn't done a trip on the west for a few years. She only did east Canada area. Therefore, her commentary was little and not often. In Vancouver, at the end of the trip we had a hotel situated quite a distance from the cruise terminal, There were nearly half the passengers going on the cruise the next day. It would have been convenient if a bus could have taken all of us to the terminal instead of independent transport.
The Holand America Line "Volendam" cruise was very good. Some people were very helpful. The person booking the shore excursions, at times gave us incorrect information, If we hadn't asked another, we would have arrived late for our excursion. The service desk people were helpful at times. Some came across as not being very knowledgeable. e.g when I asked for stamps, I was told I'd have to come back later, as he couldn't give them to me as they were locked away and the person who had the key was on a break. We had difficulty getting WiFi and were told we had to pay for it. This was not mentioned to us prior to the trip.
There was plenty to do during the day while at sea, and it catered for all age groups. The ship arrived in port early which enabled us to do shopping and site seeing. The food was plentiful and there was a variety to choose from. We went to the Pinnacle Restaurant, the service was very good and the food cooked to our wishes. I would consider going on another Holland America Line cruise. The size of ship was just right. I didn't feel I was on top of people.
We had an amazing guide who really tried her best to offer as much opportunity as possible for us to view and experience more. The optional and included experiences were great, the only negative was that we could not visit Mijas, because this optional included a dinner and our family has a few dietary needs, which makes the dinners extremely difficult read more and expensive. Highlights were Monserrat (Barcelona), Gibraltar and the Golden Triangle in Lisbon with a low in Valencia with the walking tour - no free time given because the guide used up all the time. Being a CostSaver tour, we knew not to expect much from the hotels, but majority were actually pretty good with the only issue being the very hard beds and small bathrooms.
Highlights of the Italian Lakes 1
Kathy, ACT, Australia, Jun 2023
Accommodation with CostSaver tour was good. The transport to and from airport in Milan was unnecessarily expensive. I booked flights myself because it was a follow on trip from a Trafalgar in Germany. Couldn't see why I should pay $197 for a private transfer when I had organised and provided flight details to arrive in Milan so I could travel on coach read more pick-up for group. Apparently a private driver arrived to pick me up which I wasn't aware was happening. Likewise if some of the group wanted to go to Como but not take the optional extra of dinner why could they not travel on the coach and meet at the pickup point for those taking optional dinner. Makes no sense. I would certainly be asking more questions before committing to another Trafalgar or CostSaver tour - looking at the fine print.
Well Organized Trip, Exactly as Described. 4
European Experience
Martha, VA, United States, May 2023
Our tour was very smooth and predictable. The tour director and driver were both very professional, easy to get along with, patient, and organized. The tour director was very knowledgeable of history and culture and her comments added a lot to the tour. I loved that the group of 44 people was very diverse with many various ages, ethnicities, and read more nationalities represented. The coach was a very comfortable brand new Mercedes coach that made travel great.
Booking process was smooth and efficient and documentation informative. Registering process was also ok. Trip with Costsaver was generally very good with an experience guide and driver. Accommodation was generally very good. Some optional excursions were grossly overpriced. Some good advice was offered by the guide. Overall trip was enhanced by unbelievably read more good weather and participants who were universally friendly and punctual. Two days in the trip were generally wasted and revolved around ceramics and tweed factories - could have been used better in so many ways. Many participants expressed disappointment at not seeing anything in Northern Ireland other than the ceramics factory a couple of hundred metres over the border. A poor claim to be visiting a fifth country.
