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Grand Circle Travel Reviews
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Reviewed Nov. 24, 2023
Recently cruised the Rhine and Mosel Rivers and had great service, great food, a great Tour Director, and lots of fun. Our cabin was always ship-shape. Our daily tours with Tim included lots of history and background and were delightfully not crowded at the beginning of November. We saw lots of Christmas decorations and booths going up for the coming Christmas Markets. We expected lots of rain, but had just a few showers with 1 day of rain.
This was my 11th GCT/OAT trip and they adjusted to the events wonderfully, as usual. On our really rainy day when we were up the Mosel, the good Captain left quickly when all were aboard from Luxembourg. We reached the Rhine before the river rose too high to get under bridges, tied up in Salzburg (bonus city) and they bussed us back to Cochem castle. In Bernkastel we happened to be there for a village fair with lots of costumes and music. If you didn't visit Marksburg Castle, several roamed around on electric bikes. As "mature" adults, a few passengers had health issues and were taken to nearby facilities as needed. Only one had to leave the trip. I enjoyed our morning walks with more steps to record.
I had taken the same trip 10 years ago and this was even better. They added a visit to Riquewihr, a 16th century medieval village outside Strasbourg, France. Interesting and great shops! We used to have a buffet breakfast and lunch, now it's a full lunch with a salad bar. The food and wine were excellent. The quizzes and evening music, skits, and talks were good after a long day. We dined on board most of the time. We had Afternoon Tea at a local home in Speyer; it's always interesting to see how Europeans homes and customs differ. Note the reservations staff is back to pre-covid levels, with fewer delays. Great time! Great trip!
Reviewed Nov. 11, 2023
You will not be disappointed using this tour company. I just completed on Friday my third trip down the great rivers of Europe 14 day tour. This was a river cruise and my 11th one with this company. I have recommended the company to other travelers for 13 different friends, who have all taken more than one trip after initially being exposed to an experience with GCT.
They have been voted and confirmed with three different reviewing companies as the number one most satisfied customer service company for river cruising. This is for 2023 and it’s not the only year that this has been awarded to them. I am traveling again next year, with my confidence that there will be one more memorable experience with them.
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Reviewed Nov. 10, 2023
We went on the "Romance of the Rhine and Mosel" River Cruise in Fall 2023. We were amazed by the quality of all our experiences -- the ship was pristine, the Grand Circle guides beyond top-notch, the River Harmony captain and crew were experienced, friendly, and helpful. The food was five star and thoughtfully planned to make each meal perfect. I wanted to bring the chef home with me. The wait staff was incredibly attentive and lots of fun. The activities at the ports-of-call were interesting and varied. I loved seeing and tasting how Black Forest cake was made (in the Black Forest). The lounge activities included kaoke, dancing, etc. and thoughtful talks on current European topics and Renaissance art! We are currently in the process of booking another trip with Grand Circle Cruise lines.
Reviewed Nov. 5, 2023
We saw and did so much in 3 weeks! Our tour guide, Anna B., was great. She was always willing to help with anything asked of her. Anna gave us suggestions of things to do, restaurants, and any assistance we needed for our free time. The hotels we stayed in were all very nice and nicely located. The tour had a good amount of activities and meals included. This was my third trip with Grand Circle, and I have been very pleased with all of them. With this trip, my only complaint is with the call center. I requested some minor clerical changes to my reservation several times, but everything was not corrected. The travel industry was affected so adversely with Covid, there are likely a lot of newer customer service people. Hopefully those type of issues will be addressed. Other than that, I was thrilled with my trip and hope to go on many more adventures with Grand Circle!
Reviewed Oct. 9, 2023
This is our 5th trip with Grand Circle Travel. Each trip, including this one, had been enjoyable and keeps us coming back. The Canadian Mountains were better than expected. Scenery, animal views, educational, fun to meet and interact other travelers and great leader, Jackie. Was it perfect, wait no it was not but either am I! A couple hotels were further from downtown areas but wait, after having fun all day, we were ready to rest and get ready for tomorrow.
I love food and everything that was included by GCT was super. We walked on a glacier, Athabasca Glacier, and drank glacier water that was 10,000+ years old…. WOW! Saw groups/herds of elks, mountain sheep but No Bears, maybe that is good. Today being Indigenous Day, we visited Kamloops School where children were misused, tortured and killed. Today means more to me than before taking this trip! We have lived GCT River Trips, OATS trip through Ireland and this trip through the Canadian Rocky Mountains. That GCT…. You are good!

Reviewed Nov. 13, 2023
The Italian Alps and the Dolomites are spectacular! This is a great trip in all ways. There was no downside to anything. Our trip leader was excellent! He was always with us, taking extreme care to tend to us. Due to weather issues a couple of times our plans had to be changed. Andy immediately found other wonderful things for us to do and we were never disappointed. He was always happy and eager to please us. We absolutely could not have been more pleased. He was meant to do the job as a guide!!!! Excellent guide skills and wonderful personality!!!!
Reviewed Nov. 12, 2023
Just finished my 5th cruise with Grand Circle, once again it was what I expected. Some of the staff had been on a cruise I had previously this year, and they remembered me. Heading on my next one 2 days.
Reviewed Oct. 31, 2023
This was my 12th trip with GCT. Had it been my first, I would not travel with them again. GCT has declined over the past few years. This was a land tour of Spain and Portugal. I was so disappointed in the hotels and food offered. The airline portion of the flight was a nightmare. The Program Director was great, the home-hosted meal was the best food provided/included. We spent two full days of bus travel with short stops every few hours. An all-over bad experience. I know they can, and should do better.
Reviewed Oct. 23, 2023
This was my wife & my fourth trip with GCT. Each of the trips was an experience we will treasure forever (Costa Rica, Greece, its Islands & Israel, The Rhine River Cruise). Taking nothing away from the others, we felt the service & shipboard performance of the staff from our group leader, waiters, front desk staff & room service was simply top shelf across the board on this trip. Very, very well done!!
Reviewed Oct. 7, 2023
I recently spent three weeks on a Grand Circle Tour, Ireland in Depth. It was everything I had hoped for and more. Plenty of interesting historical, political, and socio-economic information was provided by our knowledgeable Program Directors, the scenery was beautiful, the hotels were lovely, the food opportunities were great, and the Irish folk we encountered were just plain wonderful. The tour bus was quite comfortable and the two drivers were superb. My only issue was with the airline reservations that GCT made on my behalf - lots of long layovers and multiple legs; next time, I'll book my own flights. But I still give GCT a 5-Star rating for overall performance.
Grand Circle Travel Company Information
- Company Name:
- Grand Circle Travel
- Website:
- www.gct.com
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