Grand Circle Travel Reviews

We cruised down the Danube from Budapest, Hungary to Constance/Bucharest, Romania on the Great Circle Cruise river vessel, MV Rio Adagio from June 19 until July 2, 2026. It was a wonderful experience. This was our third Overseas Adventures (OATS) travel and each of the guided trips have been striking successful. This was our first river cruise and we had been a bit cautious about trying one, but it was a great vacation. It gave us the chance to visit a part of the world we knew very little about and a very learning experience in all senses of the word. Thanks, Lukas and the Red Group!

This is my third trip to Finland. I had high hopes for what we would see and experience, like on my previous two trips. However, we spent a lot of time listening to the local guide about the places. It was a waste of time. Because we had no time to visit due to very limited free time. And on one trip, we spent quite some time in a fashionable library, where most travelers prefer to see other sights. We were told the best food in Helsinki was the Salmon soup. Fortunately, we made an effort to find a restaurant that makes this soup, and we thoroughly enjoyed the food. I was just wondering why GCT's local guide never introduced us to any nearby good restaurants or places.

I am home after a 21 day land tour through Italy, 5 days in Rome, 7 days in Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast, and 7 days in Montecatini in Tuscany. This was an ideal land tour. Not a lot of packing up and moving after 1 or 2 days. The cities we stayed in were charming and had a lot to offer for my tourist desires. We took bus tours out of those cities to the desired sites for history, culture, and entertainment. I visited so many of the places I read about for years.

My wife and I just returned home May 21st from GCT's "Spain & Portugal In Depth." We also did the pre-trip to Barcelona as well as the post-trip to Madeira. The trip was outstanding from beginning to end. We had not visited either country before, and weren't certain what to expect, but we were overwhelmed with the rich history and culture, and the beautiful eclectic architecture, from the modernism of Gaudi in Barcelona, to the Royal Palace of Madrid, to the Moorish architecture of Granada, etc. We also enjoyed our visit to Gibraltar to tour the tunnels and learn of their history, especially during WWII. If you take the trip we highly recommend both the pre and post trips.

I just returned from the GCT land tour Romantic Villages of Alpine Europe, my first trip with GCT, and it exceeded my expectations. I was initially concerned about traveling with a group of 40 people, but I quickly realized there was nothing to worry about. Everyone on the tour was warm, friendly, and fun to be around. We shared many laughs, spent a lot of time together, and truly enjoyed getting to know one another.

In July I booked a river cruise for me and my wife with Grand Circle Cruise line. The following day after authorizing a deposit for apx $2300 I rethought the value of the cruise details and called to cancel the trip. I was sent an email stating that my cruise was cancelled and that a full refund would be issued. It is now more than 2 1/2 weeks since my deposit was taken and the refund still hasn't been issued. I have spoken to Grand Circle twice and the best they could offer is a refund to my credit card sometime next week. They state the normal refund takes 30 days. Is this any way to keep customers satisfied? My first experience with Grand Circle is my last experience, there are other more responsive trip providers out there and they will get my business. I suggest anyone looking for a river cruise to look past Grand Circle as there are other providers which are more considerate of their passengers.

I've never been on River Cruise before so I was unsure as to what to expect. Let me tell you...it was a trip of a life time! Grand Circle Cruise Lines had so much to offer, very educational, great tours with a great tour guide (Yanne), lots of free time to explore on your own, great entertainment on board. Crew and staff were exceptional.

Our family of 18 took a trip with Grand Circle Cruise Lines. This was our it first time using them and honestly probably the first time they had a family of this size travel with them😁. We stayed a few days in Paris at the beginning of the trip and were able to do a lot on our own and at our own pace. There was tons to see and do there! We then spent about 10 days cruising down the Seine River with various stops throughout. The staff on the boat was amazing and they were always upbeat and their service was as top notch! You NEVER went hungry on this trip! We also had a guide named Chloe for the cruise portion of the trip, as well as for our post trip to Brittany. She was PHENOMENAL!!!! We couldn’t have asked for a better guide! She was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, fun, and ALWAYS helpful and always extremely helpful! Our family had a wonderful time!

Just returned from a river cruise on the Rhone River in France. The trip was excellent. The tour manager and the crew of the ship at all levels were highly accretive to a great journey. Interesting sites, excellent discussion of issues related to the area, good food and drink. However, the ship, River chanson, is clearly dated in my opinion. It needs a thorough update. With respect to Grand Circle itself, our experience revealed mediocre customer service. This was especially evident with respect to the air arrangements. If you choose to travel with them, which I would recommend, consider strongly making your own flight booking.

Very good trip. Well organized. At all stops on the river free city tour. Dining on the ship is amazing including local vine and beer 3 times a day. Good service and amazing staff. If you catch the lowest price of the season it will be steal. Highly recommended. That’s my second trip with Grand Circle travel and I will do next year again. Thanks.

This was our first tour with Grand Circle, and I can’t say enough good things about how we were treated, the staff, the knowledge of the guides and the wonderful food! Everything was great no complaints at all! It was very nice to have someone make all the plans for you. Everything operated so smoothly and timely. We will definitely be scheduling another cruise.

We took our first river cruise ever, based on our friends’ recommendation. They joined us on this trip as well. We went from Paris to Honfleur and did the extended trip to St. Malo and Chartres. Despite the heat wave, it was a wonderful trip. Our program directors were well versed in knowledge of France and the areas we visited. They made sure travelers kept hydrated in the heat and listened to their bodies in terms of what they felt capable of doing. The staff were absolutely amazing in their service.

My wife and I just went on a Grand Circle cruise in Eastern Europe from Budapest to Bucharest. The staff was excellent. The accommodations were poor. The cabins were very small. The single beds were uncomfortable and were at a slope. The beds folded out from the wall and when open, there was no place to sit and read or play games. Gate1 from a previous trip was far better.

Just returned June 11 from Spain and Portugal in depth. Juanjo was our trip leader and he was amazing. So knowledgeable and yet so personable. He had a great sense of humor. He established an easy pace with variations if needed. All went smoothly and thanks to Juanjo it was a great trip.

We were very pleased with our recent trip to the Canadian Maritimes. Our tour director was outstanding in every way. She made sure that everything fell in line so there was nothing to be concerned about. Everything from hotels, restaurants, excursions, bus and bus driver, and extra activities were absolutely without complaint. We will be looking into future tours with Grand Circle and will be recommending to friends and family.