Travelmarvel Tour & Cruise Reviews
The 411 Travelmarvel Tour & Cruise reviews listed below are from past clients of Global Journeys that have traveled with Travelmarvel. Each review has been individually verified by our team.
River cruise Budapest to Amsterdam plus Prague and Paris 7
European Gems - Prague to Paris
Frank & Ros, NSW, Australia, Nov 2018
Had a great time on the cruise, Xmas Markets were amazing. The organisation and information supplied by our guides was second to none.
New Zealand Rail Experience - mostly coach unfortunately! 1
New Zealand Rail Adventure
Richard & Toni, VIC, Australia, Nov 2018
We thoroughly enjoyed this trip. New Zealand is an amazing country and the scenery, especially within the mountainous and volcanic regions, is just mind-blowing. We were very fortunate with the weather, snow and ice in the South Island mountains and whilst we were on the North Island the rain seemed to be mostly a couple of days behind us, leaving us read more with mostly sunny skies and low 20s.
The description of the trip was misleading and we expected far more train and a lot less coach. On the positive side the coach driver (Trent) was exceptional and also kept us entertained with his commentary and jokes. We were however disappointed that on two occasions we were given a short train ride experience and then spent hours on the bus following the train line rather than riding the train. That said the TranzAlpine and other train experiences were in general exceptional.
On the negative side we felt somehow excluded from the rest of the group which significantly detracted from our holiday. On more than one occasion we did not receive the tour communication that all the others in the group did, and we even spoke to the Tour Director (Sharon) and suggested she should make certain that all the group paperwork was received by all the tour participants.
Sharon should really have been more communicative with her commentary also, frequently advising the coach of objects and places well before they were visible and also talking far too much about herself and her own circumstances rather than the more generic explanation. She also abandoned the standard coach seat rotation after the first 2 days leading to the same people seated in the front part of the coach and others in the rear part. Not important except that photo opportunities are much better through the front than the side windows. We also felt that on two occasions Sharon changed the tour itinerary largely to suit her own purposes, resulting in an afternoon free in Dunedin, and much reduced time at Mt. Cook exchanged for over 3 hours walking around Christchurch waiting for our hotel to be ready. These changes were made without consultation and, we suspect, so that Sharon could meet with her contractors and other friends.
Described as 4 star accommodation most of the hotels were of a reasonable to good standard with the notable exception of two. The Rydges Rotorua was abysmal. Our room was really dirty and with furniture that simply did not work. Filthy carpets and broken fittings were also a feature. Old, we can live with, but there is no excuse for dirty! The food was not good either and far from the standard expected. We experienced similar, although not so obvious at Te Anau where the hotel room had cobwebs in the corners and the bed sheets were not clean (hairs in bed- yuk!). Again the breakfast was very poor and the dinner the previous evening was also a big disappointment. We were asked to stagger our mealtimes to allow the chef to better cater so we chose to go a little later, however the food was the same as at the start of service, just now congealed and cold.
I have already conveyed these comments to APT/Travelmarvel and I believe they will take them on board, however it is clear that if you advertise a rail tour it should not be 80% by coach! To leave the entire group to fend for itself in Christchurch on the last afternoon for 2-3 hours is not acceptable. Fortunately it was not raining but there were less able individuals in the group who were less than impressed. Finally to ask for a donation to the coach driver's expenses was not in my view acceptable. We had already decided to have a whip-round for a tip for both of them anyway without a subtly disguised hint!
We will likely tour again with APT/Travelmarvel as they did a good job generally, next time we will be more world wise and careful however.
The description of the trip was misleading and we expected far more train and a lot less coach. On the positive side the coach driver (Trent) was exceptional and also kept us entertained with his commentary and jokes. We were however disappointed that on two occasions we were given a short train ride experience and then spent hours on the bus following the train line rather than riding the train. That said the TranzAlpine and other train experiences were in general exceptional.
On the negative side we felt somehow excluded from the rest of the group which significantly detracted from our holiday. On more than one occasion we did not receive the tour communication that all the others in the group did, and we even spoke to the Tour Director (Sharon) and suggested she should make certain that all the group paperwork was received by all the tour participants.
Sharon should really have been more communicative with her commentary also, frequently advising the coach of objects and places well before they were visible and also talking far too much about herself and her own circumstances rather than the more generic explanation. She also abandoned the standard coach seat rotation after the first 2 days leading to the same people seated in the front part of the coach and others in the rear part. Not important except that photo opportunities are much better through the front than the side windows. We also felt that on two occasions Sharon changed the tour itinerary largely to suit her own purposes, resulting in an afternoon free in Dunedin, and much reduced time at Mt. Cook exchanged for over 3 hours walking around Christchurch waiting for our hotel to be ready. These changes were made without consultation and, we suspect, so that Sharon could meet with her contractors and other friends.
Described as 4 star accommodation most of the hotels were of a reasonable to good standard with the notable exception of two. The Rydges Rotorua was abysmal. Our room was really dirty and with furniture that simply did not work. Filthy carpets and broken fittings were also a feature. Old, we can live with, but there is no excuse for dirty! The food was not good either and far from the standard expected. We experienced similar, although not so obvious at Te Anau where the hotel room had cobwebs in the corners and the bed sheets were not clean (hairs in bed- yuk!). Again the breakfast was very poor and the dinner the previous evening was also a big disappointment. We were asked to stagger our mealtimes to allow the chef to better cater so we chose to go a little later, however the food was the same as at the start of service, just now congealed and cold.
I have already conveyed these comments to APT/Travelmarvel and I believe they will take them on board, however it is clear that if you advertise a rail tour it should not be 80% by coach! To leave the entire group to fend for itself in Christchurch on the last afternoon for 2-3 hours is not acceptable. Fortunately it was not raining but there were less able individuals in the group who were less than impressed. Finally to ask for a donation to the coach driver's expenses was not in my view acceptable. We had already decided to have a whip-round for a tip for both of them anyway without a subtly disguised hint!
We will likely tour again with APT/Travelmarvel as they did a good job generally, next time we will be more world wise and careful however.
Fascinating country really worth a visit 4
Robert & Caroline, QLD, Australia, Nov 2018
The whole trip was spectacular and the Travelmarvel guides were terrific, knowledgeable and always helpful. If you have ever considered going to Burma as it was known it is still a beautiful country and well worth the visit. The negative press that it receives is seriously impacting the tourism and as usual the press has put their spin on the situation. read more We felt completely safe where we travelled to and have wonderful memories of the friendly happy people. If you do go make sure you add the Inle Lake extension it is really worth it.
Southbound Irrawaddy cruise 2
William, WA, Australia, Nov 2018
This was a wonderful cruise and both the crew and staff were wonderful, the boat was luxurious and very comfortable. It was extremely relaxing, most of the excursions were very informative, and overall the trip was great value for money. I would truly recommend using Travelmarvel and visiting Myanmar anytime, don't believe the bad press about the country, read more the people are very warm and friendly.
But there were a couple of downsides to this trip along with criticisms, if I had been informed;
In Mandalay I would not be visiting the Royal Palace and the Mandalay Hill Su Taung Pyae Pagoda, I would have arranged to visit there off my own back on the Saturday. Also it would have been worth Travelmarvel actually offering this excursion to the early arrivals on the Saturday joining the boat rather than waste all afternoon doing nothing.
The teams of Blue, Orange and Yellow should have been split up into peoples physical ability, you ended up with people who were reasonably fit being slowed down and missing out out on things because of this issue.
And further a trip to the Mandalay Jade market early on the Sunday morning would have been better than visiting the workshops we visited on the Sunday, as most travellers we have seen loads of silver, gold and silk workshops previously.
Sometimes the lack of information and different versions of the same story didn't help e.g. In AVA/Amarapura we did a horse cart ride, there was still visible the old brick castle wall and moat to be seen as we drove past it for some distance, our guides didn't even think to point out that we could see it as we passed through the old gates.
In Bagan we should have visited the world famous five sided Dhammayazika Pagoda in the afternoon excursion, rather than the ones on offer. When questioned about this we were told it's too far to travel and having flown over the pagoda on the morning balloon ride it was clearly not more than 30 minutes from where the boat was moored. Additionally in Bagan we visited a brick pagoda whose mural was stolen in the 19th century by a German explorer, I noticed there was still an early depiction of Buddha shown in an early Egyptian style, sadly our guide didn't even think it was worth pointing out.
I really disagreed with the school visit, I don't mind supporting or visiting the school but disagree with the children been disrupted often regularly by travel excursions (and to be taught the birdy song, really). If I had this happening in my child's school in Australia regularly by a busload of Myanmar visitors I would be making huge complaints.
The visit to the burial site of General Mahaa Bandula was sadly lacking in detail about one of Myanmar's great Generals, apart from there he is by our guide, when his life story was fascinating. The evening entertainment l felt let the boat down, the putting on of any movies from documentary and historical was pointless after 9pm, most passengers went to bed after the evening meal at 8.30pm. They would have been better shown in the afternoon on days with one excursion in the morning when we were sailing for 5-6 hours in the afternoon. More people would have watched and then they could have offered something else in the evening with passenger participation.
Additionally as a solo traveller to find out that some passengers had been given generous discounts and also the two for one deals with couples paying half of what I paid for myself really left me feeling ripped off, especially considering what I got hit in a single supplement. I feel Travelmarvel should have offered a free laundry and local drinks package as compensation to solo travellers or better still scrapped the solo supplement, please pass my feedback to Travelmarvel.
Lastly Global Journeys were wonderful from the day I contacted them to when I returned, nothing was too much trouble and I am very happy with the service Jemma gave me and would use you again.
But there were a couple of downsides to this trip along with criticisms, if I had been informed;
In Mandalay I would not be visiting the Royal Palace and the Mandalay Hill Su Taung Pyae Pagoda, I would have arranged to visit there off my own back on the Saturday. Also it would have been worth Travelmarvel actually offering this excursion to the early arrivals on the Saturday joining the boat rather than waste all afternoon doing nothing.
The teams of Blue, Orange and Yellow should have been split up into peoples physical ability, you ended up with people who were reasonably fit being slowed down and missing out out on things because of this issue.
And further a trip to the Mandalay Jade market early on the Sunday morning would have been better than visiting the workshops we visited on the Sunday, as most travellers we have seen loads of silver, gold and silk workshops previously.
Sometimes the lack of information and different versions of the same story didn't help e.g. In AVA/Amarapura we did a horse cart ride, there was still visible the old brick castle wall and moat to be seen as we drove past it for some distance, our guides didn't even think to point out that we could see it as we passed through the old gates.
In Bagan we should have visited the world famous five sided Dhammayazika Pagoda in the afternoon excursion, rather than the ones on offer. When questioned about this we were told it's too far to travel and having flown over the pagoda on the morning balloon ride it was clearly not more than 30 minutes from where the boat was moored. Additionally in Bagan we visited a brick pagoda whose mural was stolen in the 19th century by a German explorer, I noticed there was still an early depiction of Buddha shown in an early Egyptian style, sadly our guide didn't even think it was worth pointing out.
I really disagreed with the school visit, I don't mind supporting or visiting the school but disagree with the children been disrupted often regularly by travel excursions (and to be taught the birdy song, really). If I had this happening in my child's school in Australia regularly by a busload of Myanmar visitors I would be making huge complaints.
The visit to the burial site of General Mahaa Bandula was sadly lacking in detail about one of Myanmar's great Generals, apart from there he is by our guide, when his life story was fascinating. The evening entertainment l felt let the boat down, the putting on of any movies from documentary and historical was pointless after 9pm, most passengers went to bed after the evening meal at 8.30pm. They would have been better shown in the afternoon on days with one excursion in the morning when we were sailing for 5-6 hours in the afternoon. More people would have watched and then they could have offered something else in the evening with passenger participation.
Additionally as a solo traveller to find out that some passengers had been given generous discounts and also the two for one deals with couples paying half of what I paid for myself really left me feeling ripped off, especially considering what I got hit in a single supplement. I feel Travelmarvel should have offered a free laundry and local drinks package as compensation to solo travellers or better still scrapped the solo supplement, please pass my feedback to Travelmarvel.
Lastly Global Journeys were wonderful from the day I contacted them to when I returned, nothing was too much trouble and I am very happy with the service Jemma gave me and would use you again.
Fantastic tour of South America 2
Highlights of South America
Veronica & Maryke, WA, Australia, Nov 2018
This was a fantastic tour with a very friendly and informative tour director and knowledgeable local guides. All the included meals were excellent as was the accommodation.
I found the Ha Long Bay cruise the best part of our 11 day Vietnam holiday. The guides were excellent, very informative and Son, the head guide, was wonderful. As I had my birthday while away they went all out to give me a wonderful day. They were very attentive and I have no hesitation in recommending Travelmarvel.
Overall a good trip. 1
Kay, Anne, Karen & Lyn, QLD, Australia, Oct 2018
Overall a good trip. My biggest complaint was the last two days free time - we would rather have been dropped off at a location & then picked up after certain amount of time. Also on the last day, dinner wasn't an included so there was no chance to say farewell to fellow passengers.
10 day South West Explorer (Travelmarvel) 3
Kay, Anne, Karen & Lyn, QLD, Australia, Oct 2018
Really enjoyed our trip with Travelmarvel. Accommodation and food were excellent. Our coach driver Andrew was a wealth of information and Louise our tour director was always helpful. We saw lots of interesting things. Our last day in Freemantle could have been organised a little better. An optional extra could have been added to our itinerary to visit read more Rottnest Island if it was organised earlier. Was also disappointed that there wasn't a departure last night dinner to say goodbye to other fellow passengers. Would travel with Travelmarvel again as the trip was well organised otherwise.
A genuinely great holiday where every effort is made to ensure a good outcome 22
European Gems
Geoff , QLD, Australia, Oct 2018
This was an exceptional cruise in the very literal sense. I have fortunately had the luck to experience quite a diverse & varied presentation of holidays by various cruise/holiday organisations - this would have to have been THE BEST!
Now, granted, not everything went according to plan, but I hasten to add that in my experience, Travelmarvel made read more exceptional effort to minimise inconveniences & maximise experience. I pay ultimate respect to Cruise Director - Sue Obermoser, she did an outstanding job to ensure everyone’s situation was the best, under some pretty adverse situations, namely prevailing river conditions. Very well done to her and the entire crew.
Now, granted, not everything went according to plan, but I hasten to add that in my experience, Travelmarvel made read more exceptional effort to minimise inconveniences & maximise experience. I pay ultimate respect to Cruise Director - Sue Obermoser, she did an outstanding job to ensure everyone’s situation was the best, under some pretty adverse situations, namely prevailing river conditions. Very well done to her and the entire crew.
Our tour with a difference! 14
European Gems - Budapest to Amsterdam
John & Suzie, QLD, Australia, Oct 2018
We set off for a 15 Day European River Cruise aboard the Travelmarvel Diamond with great expectations. What we actually got was a 15 Day European Tour on the Travelmarvel Jewel, Sapphire & the Diamond, plus 2 luxury hotels in Budapest & Regensberg & many entertaining kilometers aboard comfortable coaches. Due to the unprecedented lack of water, a once read more in one hundred year event, we were able to do what no Travelmarvel group has yet to do, i.e. travel on each one of its fabulous fleet.
We saw much of the countryside as well as the rivers, so it was all an added bonus! Extra tours were added for us & the care & consideration shown to all by our tireless Cruise Director Hedleigh Emberson was excellent. Many thanks go to the crews of all the vessels in a very trying situation for all, & our local tour guides aboard our coaches were so knowledgeable & entertaining. Our first Travelmarvel adventure, but certainly not our last.
We saw much of the countryside as well as the rivers, so it was all an added bonus! Extra tours were added for us & the care & consideration shown to all by our tireless Cruise Director Hedleigh Emberson was excellent. Many thanks go to the crews of all the vessels in a very trying situation for all, & our local tour guides aboard our coaches were so knowledgeable & entertaining. Our first Travelmarvel adventure, but certainly not our last.
From Budapest to Amsterdam 9
European Gems - Budapest to Amsterdam
Wayne & Amanda, Nsw, Australia, Oct 2018
This is the best value European holiday ever. Great food, great company. Travelmarvel were great, we had a few hiccups, such as the low river levels and using 3 ships instead of one. Minimal interruptions, but the logistics Travelmarvel had to take care of to get us through the trip was nothing short of amazing. Cannot speak highly enough of Global read more Journeys, we dealt with Jemma who kept us informed of the low river situation all the time. Best ever.
All did not however go as smoothly as expected with this October India and Nepal tour which was run by Great Railway Journeys in conjunction with APT/Travelmarvel in Australia. We finished up only doing two train journeys. When one 7.00am train which we were booked on did not turn up after an hour they got the bus which had all our luggage to take us read more to Varanasi. It had waited just in case, since our efficient English tour leader had experienced such delays in the past! The excellent Indian tour leader later found out that the train ran well over 4 hours late. Apparently that is common; a fact which Great Rail Journeys in York should have known.
I’ve done 34 organised tours and the company really didn’t give sufficiently detailed information which I consider was deliberate. The final tour booklet given to the Australians when the tour leader arrived was not the same as what we received in Australia. They misled us on the timing of much travel giving the impression that we would reach places in time to do certain things or have free time. It would have been good to know in advance that a journey of just over 200km from Kathmandu to Pokhara [a very pleasant location] would take 9.5 hours and another 9 hours to return three days later! Fortunately the hotels were all excellent and the English tour director was a gem. A previous tour I did in India a few years ago - mainly in Rajasthan - was much better.
Due to a flight change about 3 weeks before the tour I did not have sufficient time [85 mins] at Delhi airport to go through Immigration, collect my case and get to domestic check-in which closed 45 minutes prior to the flight to Amritsar. A flight later in the day was full however I was prepared to wait at the airport for the first flight the next day [Monday]. I rang APT/Travelmarvel and was told by a lady that I had to be there on Sunday since the tour started early on Monday. The airline had met their requirements by offering to send me on the next day so I had had no option but to completely forget about that booking and look for new flights. I finished up booking with Thai Airways however finished up $1400 out of pocket. As it happened, getting to Amritsar, it was discovered that the English Tour Director and the UK tour members were not due to arrive in Amritsa until Monday afternoon so I would have been OK. Travelmarvel's information was totally incorrect. [It actually took two and a half hours to get through the formalities at Delhi airport; something that is well worth knowing!]
I’ve done 34 organised tours and the company really didn’t give sufficiently detailed information which I consider was deliberate. The final tour booklet given to the Australians when the tour leader arrived was not the same as what we received in Australia. They misled us on the timing of much travel giving the impression that we would reach places in time to do certain things or have free time. It would have been good to know in advance that a journey of just over 200km from Kathmandu to Pokhara [a very pleasant location] would take 9.5 hours and another 9 hours to return three days later! Fortunately the hotels were all excellent and the English tour director was a gem. A previous tour I did in India a few years ago - mainly in Rajasthan - was much better.
Due to a flight change about 3 weeks before the tour I did not have sufficient time [85 mins] at Delhi airport to go through Immigration, collect my case and get to domestic check-in which closed 45 minutes prior to the flight to Amritsar. A flight later in the day was full however I was prepared to wait at the airport for the first flight the next day [Monday]. I rang APT/Travelmarvel and was told by a lady that I had to be there on Sunday since the tour started early on Monday. The airline had met their requirements by offering to send me on the next day so I had had no option but to completely forget about that booking and look for new flights. I finished up booking with Thai Airways however finished up $1400 out of pocket. As it happened, getting to Amritsar, it was discovered that the English Tour Director and the UK tour members were not due to arrive in Amritsa until Monday afternoon so I would have been OK. Travelmarvel's information was totally incorrect. [It actually took two and a half hours to get through the formalities at Delhi airport; something that is well worth knowing!]
Marvellous Travelmarvel cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest 19
European Gems
Rosemary & Deborah, NSW, Australia, Oct 2018
My best friend and I did this cruise to celebrate 50 years of being best friends and what a way to celebrate! Fabulous weather and scenery and unforgettable special experiences like a Mozart and Strauss concert in Vienna and watching an incredible demonstration of glass blowing by a master artisan. Our ship and its crew were magnificent and the food read more was fabulous. Definitely not the last river cruise we will do.
Danube - Rhine Experience 14
European Gems - Budapest to Amsterdam
Margaret, QLD, Australia, Oct 2018
A thoroughly enjoyable river journey. After 4 weeks prior travelling independently "back packing" around Croatia this was absolute luxury. The cabin was fantastic. The bed so comfortable plus a 'balcony' view. The food was amazing. I was conscious to eat healthily. I avoided the pastries and bread but still had 3 'big' meals a day. I had sparkling wine read more with breakfast and wine with lunch and dinner. Why not indulge a little. I would also walk for 1 to 1.5 h each morning before breakfast whenever the ship was docked. Amazingly when I got home and weighed myself I hadn't put on weight. Which goes to show with healthy eating (and some drinking) plus exercise you don't have to put on those kilos on a 'cruise'.
Marion our Tour Director was fantastic. The excursions were great except for Vienna. We only had a very short 'guided tour', then were left at St Stephens for 1/2 h which was not long enough to do anything. We then went (and wasted 1h) to the Nasch Market to sample a piece of cheese, a mini" pancake" and glass of wine. This was a complete waste of time! With so much food/wine on the the 'ship' no one needed more food. This component should be dropped. There is so much else to see in Vienna. Fortunately I have lived there so know! Entertainment: because I got up at 6.30am each morning to go for my walks I was always too tired after dinner to partake in the evening entertainment. I did enjoy the very informative afternoon talk by the professor about the Danube-Rhine Canal.
Marion our Tour Director was fantastic. The excursions were great except for Vienna. We only had a very short 'guided tour', then were left at St Stephens for 1/2 h which was not long enough to do anything. We then went (and wasted 1h) to the Nasch Market to sample a piece of cheese, a mini" pancake" and glass of wine. This was a complete waste of time! With so much food/wine on the the 'ship' no one needed more food. This component should be dropped. There is so much else to see in Vienna. Fortunately I have lived there so know! Entertainment: because I got up at 6.30am each morning to go for my walks I was always too tired after dinner to partake in the evening entertainment. I did enjoy the very informative afternoon talk by the professor about the Danube-Rhine Canal.
Wonderful river cruise experience 7
European Gems - Amsterdam to Prague
Linda & Kai, NSW, Australia, Oct 2018
This was our first cruise trip and we'll definitely have more in the future. I wasn't aware of the dependency of European river cruise on weather before I booked this trip. It turned out the journey could have been ruined by the water level in the Rhine, Main and Danube. When the water level is too low due to drought, the tour company has to use coaches read more to transport passengers along the river. This will be accompanied by a daily check-in and check-out of hotels instead of staying in the same cabin throughout the whole trip. The water level indeed was too low in part of our cruise. Luckily Travelmarvel had a good contingency plan. They had two ships start from both ends at the same time. We had a ship swap in the middle where the water level was too low that the ships could not pass. We just packed our luggage on that day and it was moved to the same cabin on the other ship after our day excursion. It all happened seamlessly. I couldn't image if we had to finish the rest of our journey by coaches.
Edinburgh, the Highlands and Islands 6
Edinburgh, the Highlands and Islands
Graham & Narelle, NSW, Australia, Sep 2018
On our first night there was a little confusion in that we were on a Great Rail Journeys tour rather than with Travelmarvel. That was soon sorted and we could not fault the organisation, even with a cancellation due to the weather. The alternative in that case was well received.
The highlight of the tour was the Scottish Dinner on the last night read more with piper, dancer and an excellent meal with the whole tour group really enjoying themselves. If you want to see autumn colours then this trip was a week too early as only a few trees had started to change. There was a good mix of nationalities which helped the cohesion of the group.
A few negatives. There was more coach travel than we expected and the coaches never seemed to have enough fresh air coming in even after we asked for the flow to be increased. Some of the coach sections would have been improved by playing of familiar Scottish tunes/songs to entertain the passengers.
The highlight of the tour was the Scottish Dinner on the last night read more with piper, dancer and an excellent meal with the whole tour group really enjoying themselves. If you want to see autumn colours then this trip was a week too early as only a few trees had started to change. There was a good mix of nationalities which helped the cohesion of the group.
A few negatives. There was more coach travel than we expected and the coaches never seemed to have enough fresh air coming in even after we asked for the flow to be increased. Some of the coach sections would have been improved by playing of familiar Scottish tunes/songs to entertain the passengers.
Extremely happy with the services provided by Yvonne and the Global Journeys team. The trip to China was great, the small group [12] got along with everyone, the accommodation was premium and very comfortable and clean, the food was very delicious with lots of variety and plenty of food.
The Yangtze River Cruise was great, having our meals at the read more Executive Lounge was a great idea with a choice of European or Chinese food. It was nice to have tea, coffee, juices, soft drinks and cookies all day at the Executive Lounge on level 6. The cabin was very nice and clean. All the excursions were very interesting, lots of walking though but it was worth it. Travelmarvel provided bottled water with every excursion. Fred the tour director was very nice and helpful, the local tour guides were very good too. Some of the restaurant staff at the hotels did not speak English very well but using Google translate helped.
Overall we really enjoyed this trip and we highly recommend Travelmarvel to our family and friends. Optional tours we highly recommend include the Summer Palace in Beijing and the river cruise in Shanghai. For souvenir shopping we would recommend to do it in Beijing and Xian as in Shanghai it is very limited.
The Yangtze River Cruise was great, having our meals at the read more Executive Lounge was a great idea with a choice of European or Chinese food. It was nice to have tea, coffee, juices, soft drinks and cookies all day at the Executive Lounge on level 6. The cabin was very nice and clean. All the excursions were very interesting, lots of walking though but it was worth it. Travelmarvel provided bottled water with every excursion. Fred the tour director was very nice and helpful, the local tour guides were very good too. Some of the restaurant staff at the hotels did not speak English very well but using Google translate helped.
Overall we really enjoyed this trip and we highly recommend Travelmarvel to our family and friends. Optional tours we highly recommend include the Summer Palace in Beijing and the river cruise in Shanghai. For souvenir shopping we would recommend to do it in Beijing and Xian as in Shanghai it is very limited.
Thank you Yvonne and Travelmarvel for organising this fantastic trip for me. I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. The included activities were great and were at a good pace. We travelled a great distance and saw a lot. All the hotels were excellent and centrally located. There were only 12 people in my group and everyone got along really well. I was a solo read more traveller but never felt alone thanks to the lovely people in my group. Weather wise it was a good time to travel in September as it wasn't hot at all. The only negative for me was the farewell dinner in Shanghai. I think the tour director should take a bit more care for people with special dietary requirements. However I do like to say that the food was really good in other places.
Amazing Canada & Alaska 11
Enchanting Rockies and Alaska Cruise
Jim & Jennifer, QLD, Australia, Sep 2018
What an amazing journey. The 2 days on the Rocky Mountaineer lived up to every expectation and it snowed in Banff and Lake Louise. That was a touch of "Christmas" magic in September. On the coach leg, the scenery was majestic and beautiful and it was awesome to stand on the Icefields. The cruise to Alaska on the "Volandam" was a special highlight. The read more weather was amazing. Our float plane flight over the glaciers out of Juneau was picture postcard perfect; the train up to White Pass from Shagway was awe inspiring - incredible landscape coupled with the history of the Klondike and Yukon gold rush. Wow! But "the highlight" was Glacier Bay. A memorable day of soaking the majesty of God's creation and the calving of Margerie Glacier.
20 Day Wonders of Vietnam and Cambodia 6
Wonders of Vietnam and Cambodia
Jackie & Michael, QLD, Australia, Sep 2018
First time traveling with Travelmarvel and would definitely do it again. Guides were excellent as was accommodation, meals and transport. Highlights of the trip for us were Halong Bay and visiting the small villages along the Mekong, where we got to talk to the children learning English at a school. We went in Sept at the end of the wet season and were read more very lucky because it only drizzled once through the day during our three weeks. Sunsets and night time storms were spectacular.
