Grand Circle Travel Reviews

Where they could improve and make some changes. The beds have been a source of complaint for the 20 years that we have been a customer. They are just plain worn out and tip toward the floor, making the occupant fight to stay in it and not be cast to the floor. They could consider placing full size bed as a option in some rooms. Many travelers would pay extra to have something resembling a real bed!

In only one instance did we endure a program director that had no social skill whatever and made our trip barely tolerable. In closing, the endless begging for tips on the last several days is demeaning and hardly the way to end an enjoyable adventure. Frequent travelers like myself have endured so many horrible pleas for gratuities we get nausea sitting through them. Those very special people that made your trip so special suddenly become nothing short of panhandlers when they pour on the tasteless guilt trips about tipping. Why not consider adding the tips into the charge for the trip as many fine restaurants do, and spare us the misery at the end?

The MS River Harmony was clean, well maintained and offered 24 hour coffee/tea with cookies. The bed was a bit hard, but extra pillows solved the issue. The ships crew was highly responsive to every request! They provided top notch service in every area such as the dining room, cleaning cabins, or answering questions at the front desk all hours of the day and night. We loved the crew interacting with the guests! We enjoyed them singing karaoke, dancing on disco night and sharing their personal life with us. They added to the fun!

The chef, captain, program directors and crew were always friendly and helpful. We were treated like family. The food was amazing - like 5 star restaurant amazing! The portions are quite generous (I requested ½ portions and that was just right for me). My daughter and I took all of the optional tours and it was money well spent! Johannes was always there on every tour to make sure we got back to the bus or ship on time. To sum it all up: wonderful, delightful memories were made!

All of our accommodations were very good. Upon arriving at the M/S River Chanson, we were impressed with the boat, the crew, staff, rooms and common areas. It is an older boat with an old-world charm and appeal. The capacity is 86 passengers. Meticulously clean, well-kept and with really great food at every meal. All members of the crew who we had daily interactions with were so friendly and helpful. At each stop along the Rhone, our tours were exceptional. All were included in the base price except for 2 optional tours, which were well worth the additional fees. Southern France, like much of the world was having a heatwave in July. Not under anyone's control, of course. Our guides did their best to keep us as cool as possible in extreme conditions. The cruise ended in Macon where we boarded a high-speed train to Paris. That was a great experience as well.

As with other trips with OAT/GC, it's a cultural learning experience with so much to offer. We traveled on Viking twice but find this experience on GC to be much more cost effective as well as a lot more culturally immersive. Local guides at each stop provided in-depth information, as well as personal and historical stories. When booking, we look for specials, which are usually time sensitive offers. We choose not to take advantage of their insurance, instead we have our own annual plan. We also pay up at the 90 day point instead of getting the "Good Buy" deal. That works for us.

We covered a lot of ground and learned a great deal about the people and cultures of the various locations. For example, the Anne of Green Gables fans enjoyed visiting the home of the author. We were able to go to a Maritime Museum in Halifax that had the story and artifacts from the Titanic, as well as a display and talk about the horrific explosion that occurred there when two ships collided. I did not know about this and it was a very sad and deadly explosion and the museum display was very well done. We visited the Mic Ma'Q Community Center (these are the First Nations people who have inhabited much of the Maritimes for thousands of years. We stopped at a maple sugar farm to learn about how it is farmed and produced--and to get a delicious sample. We enjoyed a number of outings on boats--a ferry ride, a lobster boat with a whole lobster for lunch, a fishing boat and a foray out to sea to look for puffins, whales and an ice berg. We explored the Cabot Trail, the Cape Breton Highlands, and the Bay of Fundy.

Our trip offered quite a lot of free time to do personal explorations or dining or shopping and that free time was well balanced with planned activities and excursions. One of my favorite things about traveling with Grand Circle or OAT is the confidence I have that they do things really well. I've now been on 14 trips and I have no plans to change. I get responsive service from the first time I call to my return. Things run seamlessly unless they are simply out of the control of the company, the tour leader or unusual circumstances, and when those things happen, there is usually a very good Plan B. I have had the best, most interesting, competent and fun tour leaders on every single trip. GCT and OAT are not "drive-by" tours. They are quite immersive and you come away with a deep appreciation for where you've been and for the people who made it such a good experience.

Once we stepped onto the boat, we were greeted by the guy at the desk. He took us to see the lounge, dining room then to our cabins. Each cabin door had a small Christmas stocking on the front. Then he brought each of us a sandwich & salad which was very much appreciated. We each settled into our cabin for the night. In the morning we walked to the dining room for breakfast. They have a really wonderful buffet, fresh fruit, an assortment of hot items, juices, cereals, danish and then there was a guy making fresh omelets which were yummy, Lunch was also a buffet of a guy making something different each day, fresh breads, salad fixings and specials on the menu which you order.

At dinner the table has a basket of bread or rolls with butter and your waiter will come over to take your order. Everything was plated so nicely and the flavors were perfect. Then there was dessert and coffee. After you walk over to the lounge where you will find fellow cruisers and music to enjoy. There are nights where the crew does a show with skits which were amazing, we had a children’s singing group come in to sing German Christmas songs to us, then 2 songs that we sang with them. There were walking tours, bus tours which were wonderful. They kept us very busy. Highly recommend. You won’t be sorry.