Rockies and Alaskan Adventure Reviews

We chose this tour based on what was covered in the extensive itinerary, and we were not disappointed. It ticked all the “must do” points of interest in a Canadian west coast tour, and the 7 night cruise and additional few days overland in Alaska were well worth it. We were travelling at the end of the season, with a number of tourist venues and experiences... read more actually closing down for the winter within days of our trip. This was not entirely a disadvantage, as we were rewarded with a smattering of snow on some mountain peaks as well as tree foliage turning into autumn yellow. We were slightly disappointed that we did not see a lot of wildlife - bears in particular - but the weather was kind to us and allowed us to see spectacular scenery without it being shrouded in rain, mist or cloud. We had not been on a ship as large as Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam before (2,100 pax) but we were impressed by the quality of staterooms and dining, and the helpfulness and efficiency of the crew.

One disadvantage of the tour was the large group size (49), which is larger than we prefer, but at least the whole group was punctual for the entire trip, which allowed time for some little “extras” along the way. The Travelmarvel tour guide, Ben, was absolutely fantastic – a young 30-something Queenslander who had been living in Canada for 10+ years. He was extremely hard-working, thorough, always cheerful, and with a smile, patiently answered questions from those who should have listened to his briefings in the first place! His quirky sense of humour had the whole bus laughing and added significantly to our enjoyment of the tour.

Georgie Walpole managed my booking very well and special thanks go to her. Ben Direen was an excellent tour guide and made every member of the group feel special. He had a wonderful sense of humour and kept the very busy tour on time. The accommodation was comfortable and well placed. Staffing for breakfast at a couple of the hotels was limited but... read more this may have been because of the end of the tourist season and early departure of some of those staff. I would not choose to cruise on such a large ship in the future as my preference is for smaller ships and fewer passengers. Otherwise, everything went as scheduled.