Globus Reviews

Toured Italy with Globus 8 Day Tour of Great Cities. Our first trip to Europe and wanted to see history! We were not disappointed. St Peters Basilica, Vatican Museums, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Statue of David, etc, etc etc. Absolutely mind blowing. 4 Star accommodation was a little disappointing but I think we are spoiled here in Australia. Having ...read more regard to the age of buildings in Italy and limitations on size (especially Venice), I can accept the quality provided. Villa Pamphilli was modern and excellent standard. I have a tour of UK and Ireland booked with Globus in August 2013. Tour Guide Anna was amazing with her knowledge and dealing with all travellers. Coach driver Eduardo was very professional and our safety was never in danger. Happy to recommend Globus to friends and family.

We had a great time. I am planning our next holiday already.....Europe hear we come!!! I am glad we extended our stay with the extra days in Waikiki. A bit disappointed with the Sheraton, nice, just too busy, still it was central and the rooms where good. The cruise was very good, a good way to see some of the islands. The food and dining options along ...read more with the daily shore excursion offered where good, we mixed it up a bit trying some of what NCL offered and of course Roberts. This was our first ever cruise and we found the boat or should I say ship to be of a high standard. The daily and night time activities where also first class. All in all a good experience!!

The tour was actually a bundle of tours with various individuals taking different options. Our initial group of 34 later became 14, then 13. There were about 20+ tour guides or drivers, which should be taken into account re advice on tipping - prepaying tips is not very practical. Taking small denomination US dollars is advisable. Currency exchange ...read more is a constant issue, but US dollars work in most circumstances (less so in Brazil) - and in the case of Argentina, informal exchange rates definitely favour US currency. Accommodation was of an excellent standard but the location of some hotels was not ideal, remote from central areas. Organisation necessary for such a trip was complex but very competently handled. The trip pace is partly dictated by the large percentage of time involved with flying - inevitable in such a wide ranging tour but should be noted. The guide booklet provided was useful but, as I had cause to attempt to use the emergency numbers in Brazil, I found none of the after-hours numbers worked - this was a matter of concern to me at the time as I had missed a flight. It should also be noted that the Uruguay optional trip is currently not available due to changes in Argentinian tax policies which have made it uneconomic for the companies which had provided it. It can however be done privately quite easily and a couple of people did do this.

Small tour group was to our liking. Vic, the guide, was very knowledgeable but did 'go on' a little too much - however, he was very helpful in attempting to foresee problems and solve them. He also provided information about an attraction in one city that was really only of interest to one of us, but ensured that a visit was made possible. The driver ...read more was very skillful and careful & also very patient. The other 15 members of the group were friendly and always on time (a rarity in our experience!)

This tour was really excellent, both in its itinerary and its overall organisation. We were most impressed with Globus. The tour director was terrific, with her vast knowledge of the country and history of the areas we were passing through. Our coach driver was also of the top order. His politeness and assistance throughout was excellent. We felt safe ...read more with him at all times. We did feel that the tour could have had an extra day or two, to allow for rest days, but we are also aware that tour operators try to keep cost to a reasonable level. Regarding the accommodation, this was of the best that could be expected. All hotels were top class, along with the included meals. On a scale of 1 to 5, we have no hesitation to give a score of 5, including value for money, organisation by Global Journeys and the personal assistance given by Yvonne when we wanted to alter our already booked flight times. Well done. We have no hesitation in recommending (and have already) Global Journeys to our friends and relatives.

I did the 7 day Globus Ireland tour - it was AMAZING! I thoroughly loved it and would have gladly have gone for another week. I can not rave enough about it. Our hotels were great, I feel like I have seen everything I need to see of southern Ireland, The tour guide (Patricia Williamson) was awesome! Her knowledge was great - endless and she made the ...read more trip. Was thinking of booking on a Globus Britain trip in 2013 and wanted to make sure she was scheduled onto the one I booked because she was just so good. The food was amazing - just loved loved loved it!

It was our first coach trip of this kind and we weren't sure how we would find it. Our Tour Guide was exceptional and really made the trip. Passengers always knew what was ahead and likely temperature for clothing as this varied a lot. Passengers always knew exactly where to meet as a drive by was often done to emphasize this which meant that group ...read more was always at the appointed time and place. The coach driver was also excellent. Our Tour Guide coped well with the varied age and ability of passengers and allowed plenty of time for all to get the most out of a destination. We were very keen to do plenty of hiking and we certainly got plenty of opportunity. Older passengers were also given options, and perhaps had to do a little waiting for walkers, but always in beautiful places with facilities. An optional trip of a helicopter ride which ran late, did make other passengers wait about 20-30 mins at one point. Another optional tour ran slightly late and the Tour Director reorganised things very well to suit us all.

Accommodation was also excellent and several way above expectation. With the exception of Treasure Island Resort at LV where the treatment of staff at times wasn't that great - just such a big hotel and not value for money here at all. At Treasure Island check in queues on arrival took about an hour. However check in's later were all arranged brilliantly by our Tour Guide. Elsewhere accommodation was definitely excellent value for money especially Red Cliffs Lodge at Moab and Best Western at Zion, where staff and amenities were brilliant. All bookings worked well, with 2 minor points. The transfer we paid for and prebooked on arrival at LV, had a voucher that didn't say the name of transfer company and it took a bit of convincing that they should take us to the hotel - but they did in the end. And we didn't receive name tags in our package of vouchers as most other passengers did and it would have been nice to have these. However these were minor points and I would recommend this trip as a wonderful and brilliantly organised holiday and if Globus has such well arranged tours to other places would definitely go on another again. The Tour Guide played a very big part in this.

Tour went very well - due to great organised guide as well as an excellent coach driver. The food was good also. Enjoyed Canada as well as the US.

Two of the three hotels we stayed in had beds past their use by dates. I could feel the springs, but we did have a double bed each night. Meals were excellent, but of course I do not need a three course meal at night. We left too early in the mornings most days and arrived too late sometimes. Amsterdam tour content was poor: leave out the diamond visit, ...read more floriade and flower auction. Add more time at Anne Frank Museum and at Rijksmuseum. Optional tour to Volendam omit clogs and cheese. Walking tours too long and one guide was too intense (Trier). Coach driver excellent and tour director fairly good, despite above we enjoyed the tour.

The tour was well organized. The tour director was very knowledgeable and humorous and very helpful. Food was good. Weather was perfect.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Continental Introduction Europe tour with the London extension although I would have liked a two night stay in Florence as we were late arriving in from Pisa. None of our group realised that we would be unescorted in London and that our tour guide would not be finishing the Tour in London with those of us that took the London ...read more extension. We were very lucky to have a friendly group and a fantastic and knowledgeable Globus guide in Marieka, which made it a wonderful tour experience. We will definitely travel Globus again.

Stan and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. We found it very full on with the early morning starts and like everyone would have loved more time in major cities for shopping and sightseeing. Two hotels had quite average room space and older facilities - Lugano and Venice Mestre - and one hotel did not have air conditioning - Bingen on the Rhine. I felt that ...read more the tour needed an extra day in Florence and in Paris as we seemed to be very crammed and rushed for time in both of these cities. Some of the group misread the information about the Louvre in Paris and thought we would be going to visit it with the group only to find that it was a drive by the Louvre only. Fortunately Stan and I had done the Louvre visit ourselves before the tour commenced, but I thought that this should definitely be included in the itinerary. I also felt that we had insufficient free time in Florence and think that Pisa should be omitted from the itinerary to give people more free time in Florence. If there was an extra day, you could offer Pisa and Sienna as an optional excursion so that those that want more time in Florence like myself could have this. We had two nights in all the other major Italian cities except Florence, and I was disappointed with this and the fact that we arrived late in the afternoon as the shops were closing and only had two hours of free time. Our tour guide was fantastic and we had a great group and mix of people.

My experience of booking through Global Journeys was exceptional. Yvonne got back to me immediately with queries and everything went very smoothly. We have only used Insight in the past for coach tours and believe they have the edge over Globus in terms of accommodation, provided meals etc. Insight usually have guides with professional knowledge such ...read more as historians. We met some guides on this trip that had anecdotal knowledge at best and gave misleading information rather than admit they did not know. We had been on a river cruise just prior to this trip and they provided historians with a great deal of knowledge and cultural insight. If you are interested in the history and culture it is important to you. The tour was too hectic with time spent in the most interesting places rushed and limited. Distances between these places was great and too much time spent sitting in a bus rushing to the next destination. We drove almost past Gibraltar after Morocco (Gibraltar only offered as optional excursion) which meant another 4hrs unnecessary travel on the bus the next day to go back. Most people felt they would have preferred to pay a little extra and have it included.

Many of the optional tours were poor quality eg. in Tangiers, Portugal and Gibraltar. They seemed to be struggling to fill in the time. The hotel in Madrid had extremely poor service at all levels, including not being able to cope with the numbers of people at breakfast. El Mina in Tangiers was lovely but we were not there long enough to enjoy it. The other hotels were a mixed bag. We certainly loved the things we did see and had time to appreciate. Fortunately, we spent time in Barcelona alone prior to the trip starting so were able to experience that great city without the rush. The other travelers were great. Mainly Americans but a smattering of Australians and Canadians. The bus was very new and comfortable. Would we use Globus again? Probably not. We would however go on another coach trip because our prior experiences have been great (Egypt on one and Eastern Turkey on another, both with Insight). Overall, we really had a good holiday and thanks to Global Journeys for their excellent service. We will certainly use your company again.

I loved the tour of South America. My only issue was with all the flights and waiting around airports, although there is no way around this as South America is a big country. I loved the hotels and thought they were well placed in each city. Our guides were excellent as well. In Puerto Varas I would have spent the morning of our departure in Puerto ...read more Varas as its a really lovely town and the hotel was beautiful, and we could have had a leisurely start & quick trip to the downtown shops and maybe not Puerto Monte as the markets were not ready for the public at the time we went there and it seemed a wasted morning. In Manaus Brasil we arrived 2 days early to ensure we were there for the start of the tour whereas the Americans arrived the same day the tour started and when their plane was delayed so was our city tour so we had wasted a whole day because we were going to do a city tour and we ended up being delayed 2 hours because of the Americans and we were rushed around the city missing most things and the rest we saw in the dark. To me the guide wasnt flexible enough. When we departed Manaus we came straight from the Eco lodge and had a 4 hour wait at the airport! We could have done the city tour that morning. The tour at the ECO lodge that went out to the local village was a bit of a waste of time. I was thinking we were going to see an Amazon jungle village with pigmies and grass loin cloths. It was nothing remotely like that. A simple walk through the jungle would have been nicer.

Our meals were all excellent but all on South American time...late! A few I could understand but generally we westerners like to eat a tad earlier.. than 8 or 9 pm. Now they are the negatives, the positives far outway those. We had a wonderful day on the Rio Negro and an afternoon spotting wildlife in its tributaries. I was even motion sick but still will remember that wonderful river. Rio was fantastic, sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer and the wonderful shopping , food and beaches. ( I was also with 2 others and held up at gunpoint here, but it still didnt take the shine off a wonderful city.) Argentina was equally terrific, we had a great guide (Lucas) who went the extra mile to make sure we saw Buenos Aires at its best and we did. The weather in Uraguay was really dreadful and we had a hiccup/nightmare day which turned into night but Fernando bless him worked his butt off and smoothed it all over. Baraloche was stunning along with the crossing of the Andes by 3 boats and 4 buses. Santiago was also wonderful. Peru was an absolute highlight, Altitude sickness aside, Cusco & Machu Picchu was something I will remember forever. The Hotel in the Sacred Valley was Excellent and by far the best accommodations of my whole trip. That was my holiday in a nutshell, memorable, wonderfully so! Thank you everyone concerned. Particularly Georgie as she was very reliable and quick to respond to anything we needed. I would definitely use Global Journeys and Globus again.

The tour was fantastic. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and the bus driver was an absolute star. Seeing the UK when you are up higher than the hedgerows is the only way to go, particularly when you are not driving on those narrow roads. All breakfasts and in-house dinners were excellent and all the hotels were good. A couple were outstanding. ...read more Spectacular scenery and even the weather co-operated. we never queued for any tickets - straight in; and not having to carry your own luggage was terrific. It arrived pretty promptly in our room once we had checked in. My only criticisms involved the coach itself - brand new, but too many seats. It could sit 47; we had 42 on the tour. It would have been much more comfortable - particularly for the taller travellers - if they had taken a couple of seats out, which it looked like could be done pretty easily. My only caution was around the optional cabaret evenings: not my cup of tea - too many people, average food and average performances. The other events (and I did most of them), I though were excellent, Britannia and the Guinness factory particularly interesting. We gained an insight into the culture that could not have been gained if travelling on your own. Overall, a fabulous trip. We had a lovely group of very thoughtful people who never kept the bus waiting. This added to the pleasure for everyone.

This was our first bus tour and we both enjoyed it so much. Both the tour director and the bus driver were great. We saw heaps and enjoyed the company of the other travelers. The pace was quite fast so next time we may select a slower one so we could spend more time in each place.

Although the tour was as expected, the accomodation acceptable and the local tours mostly very good we were not overly impressed with the tour guide who only seemed to do what was needed without going out of her way to provide good commentaries or any helpful information. She was rather flat in her presentation in contrast to some of the local guides ...read more who were animated and very entertaining. The length of one or two coach tours was rather tedious and perhaps could have been replaced by a a flight- however I notice that most of the competing tours do the long hops by coach so it might be practically not possible. Overall the trip was OK. Thanks you for your organising the trip.

Our Globus Grand Western Canada tour with Alaska Cruise was amazing! Firstly, the bus tour was a good steady pace with lots of things to see and do. Our Tour Director, Serena, and Bus Driver Steve were excellent. Serena was very informative about each destination, and her friendly manner was appreciated by us all. The hotels we stayed at were very ...read more comfortable and accessible to local sights. We did many of the optional tours, which further enhanced the trip. The Alaskan Cruise was a great contrast to the bus tour, with chance to relax and do nothing, or join in with the extensive activities on offer each day. We did both, thoroughly enjoying a variety of dining options and shows each night. The shore excursions were a bonus. We had pre booked these, but decided to change our selection once on board. This was easy to do, and in hindsight we would wait until on board next time before booking. We were very happy with the service we received from Global Journeys, both during the booking, and planning process. It was great to know that any questions we had along the way were welcomed and answered promptly. We are already thinking about where to next, and will have no hesitation in using Global Journeys again!

The bus and the tour director and driver, were excellent. I felt rushed and did not enjoy that. I am sure its hard to know how long to stay in towns but in most cases we had a few hours only. Only other issue was that the hotels, on the whole were pretty average. Lack of air conditioning was an issue. As a snapshot tour to look at where to go next time, ...read more it works.

The Northern Italy and Cinque Terre regional tour was fantastic. If you have a passion for good quality Italian food and an interest in learning the process of how these fine foods are made this tour is a must!! Also visiting Cinque Terre and Portofino is beautiful. People are friendly and without Globus I would never have had the opportunity to experience ...read more and visit these places. My tour guide was very organised and knowledgeable and always looked out for the group and our bus driver was a gentleman. Truly an unforgettable journey :)