Grand Circle Travel Reviews

We have just returned from a Great RIVERS OF EUROPE river cruise, and it was one of our best vacations ever. Although I had travelled to Europe many times, the historical knowledge gained, the extremely helpful daily port excursions, and personal friendship shown by our Program Director made this trip an outstanding one, and changed my perspective and appreciation for EuropeService was excellent both in terms of meals and room service was outstanding, and the catering was excellent, with multiple choices for every meal. The itinerary was well planned, absolutely on time, and very professional in its administration. This river cruise represented great value for money, and we look forward to seeking another river cruise with Grand Circle in the near future.

We have been on 2 Grand Circle tours and 1 OAT tour. I love this company for the personal experiences they give such as the home hosted meals. I think this company offers unique experiences you don't get elsewhere. Our guides have all been very knowledgeable and helpful. I also have food allergies and the guides and hotels were extremely helpful in making sure I was accommodated appropriately.

Good process throughout the cruise. Flexible. Lots of food with variety for all the meals staff. Helpful, energetic, and quick to act staff. Good agenda with optional participation is a plus. Knowledgeable program directors with good English.

My Grand Circle trip to Italy was fantastic! Not only did we see amazing sites, countryside, and sculptures, our tour guides at each location were local knowledgeable residents. But, Georgia, who was with us from day one until this special trip ended, hosted us to some memorable meals, cooking class, vineyard visit, olive oil factory visit and much more. 14 days flew by quickly and Georgia made it all the more memorable. She was so special and loved by all. I definitely recommend Grand Circle Travel and am thankful that a friend of mine told me about this trip.

The Normandy to Paris cruise on the Bizet was memorable and fantastic. I can't stop talking about the crew and staff on board. They catered to all our needs and requests. Our program director Amandine was excellent. A pleasure to have guiding and helping us w every detail. I highly recommend this tour w Grand Circle Cruise. We are looking forward to our next GCT trip!

We embarked on our first European river cruise this fall. We chose Grand Circle because of recommendations from friends who had taken many cruises with Grand Circle. It was a great trip! The food was excellent as were our cabins. I was surprised how big our bathroom was. Our cruise director was so very knowledgeable on all of our many tours that he shared with us while touring the many cities we stopped at. I would highly recommend Grand Circle tours to everyone.

Grand Circle Cruise Line (a Grand Circle Corp. company) FAILED US MISERABLY. And now they won't even talk to us. Yes, this was not our first trip with them. In fact, we are part of their inner circle club, The Sir Edmund Hillary Club. They issued us documents saying we had First class seats on a trip to France for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. When we got to Chicago, we were told we were in Premium Economy. We asked to have our return tickets adjusted to meet what we were promised. Two weeks on the trip and no joy. We came home in Premium Economy. We got home and sent a complaint eMail to them. The reply was that it had to be reviewed by the quality group - expect an answer in two weeks.

This was my second cruise with Grand Circle. Both were fabulous. The boat is well appointed, comfortable and very clean. The staff was amazing. From the hospitality manager to deck hands to housekeeping every member was pleasant helpful and well informed. The tour directors were fantastic and are really more like a personal concierge. They assist travelers to enjoy every minute of the trip. They are a font of information. We experienced a lost passport and Christine was irreplaceable in assisting us to resolve the issue which involved a bus, train and Uber commute. She supplied details that made everything go smoothly and went above and beyond to help us.

Where do I begin? I had a wonderful experience on this cruise that I may think twice before doing land travel. I have toured with a company where I changed out hotel rooms often and it was a more stressful way to travel and exhausting. I loved how the staff was friendly and welcoming and enjoyed their efforts at entertaining us. It brings a smile to my face thinking about it. I have to admit that I was having separation anxiety upon leaving and I will remember this trip for years to come and perhaps I will return in the future!

There are a number of reason why I chose only 3 stars for this, my 6th trip with Grand Circle/OAT.

We just returned from the Romance of the Rhine and Mosel river cruise. We also opted for the extra days in Lucerne, Switzerland. The entire trip was fantastic! We like the GCT has multiple Program Directors for a small group of about 45 people instead of one PD for the entire ship (like Viking). Our PD, Simone, was amazing. When our luggage did not arrive with us, she spoke directly to the airlines letting them know where to send the luggage as the ship was already on the move. The cities we visited were interesting and educational. The family shared so much information when we had our home visit in Germany.

The trip on the NORDIC Voyage was the BEST yet. The GCT program directors were superb, the ship travel was the best yet, the plane trip was nice and the walks throughout Finland and Norway and Denmark was a little tough but very informative and we saw a lot. Thank you all.

We recently returned from Grand Circle’s Cruising the Rhône: Lyon to Provence & the South of France, along with the extension to the Italian Riviera. This was my 8th trip with Grand Circle/Overseas Adventure Travel, and they all have been outstanding. Cruising the Rhone was no exception. Our Program Director, Garance, was the best. She was personable, knowledgeable, and spoke excellent English. She bent over backwards to accommodate everyone’s needs. The river cruise ship, the M/S Chanson, was stylish, well maintained with pleasant rooms. The crew were friendly, fun, professional and made everyone at home. We could not have asked for more.

Above Arctic Circle many days. Visited with the Sami, reindeer people, and first glimpse of northern lights. The Hurtigruten cruise was fabulous. Plenty of room in cabin. Great food. Crossing the Arctic Circle involved a spoon of cod liver oil. Never again! You did get to keep the commemorative spoon. Out of the deck it was blowing 50 mph. Bergen is such a charming city. Our guide, Ann, was organized. She was personable and approachable. Kept us up to date on WHATS APP and email. We lucked out with pretty warm weather. I brought too many warm clothes. Tip: pack some short sleeved tops. Let the cabin phone do announcements and jump up when Captain announces LIGHTS, run out on deck.

We had a great experience along the Rhine and Mosel. Bruges was awesome especially the Flanders Field option. Local food was excellent. Our group enjoyed outdoor restaurant before Last Call ceremony. Belgium waffles and mussels were a treat! Can't wait until our next GC trip.

We recently went on a cruise that went from Lyon to Toulouse, France. Because of the Olympics, we skipped Paris, which was great! The trip was so much better because we visited several quaint villages that we would never have seen if we had started in Paris. Our program director, Anastasia was amazing and made our trip so memorable. She was one of the best program directors we have ever had and we have been on 15 trips with GCT. Anastasia impressed me with her knowledge of every location we visited even though many of the places were new to her also. She never used notes but knew detailed history of all the towns we visited. It was obvious she really did her homework. The crew was exceptional and always there to help!

I will start with the positives of my Eastern Europe Cruise on the River Adagio ship from the Black Sea to Budapest Hungary that commenced on July 30, 2024. The itinerary was extensive and the program directors were amazing. I loved the educational component of the cruise which included local speakers from each of the five countries we visited. I have learned so much about these countries from the genuine people who live there. I found the food to be under-seasoned and bland. I enjoyed the entertainment in the lounge but it ended too soon. We were often nudged out of the lounge by 10 p.m. and most of the elderly guests would go to bed right after the entertainment.

Just returned from Eastern Danube cruise. Service was excellent, from wait and bar staff to front desk, room steward and all the folks behind the scenes. Tours, guides and Program Directors were all fantastic and informative. The food was varied and wonderful, and they were great at accommodating my food allergy. We did not do any of the optional tours, yet felt we had a full experience. We have been on Gate1 and Viking and felt this was a comparable experience. Although the ship was a little older, it was extremely clean, comfortable and well kept.

It is with immense gratitude that I express my sincere appreciation for the outstanding services rendered by the esteemed staff of Grand Circle Travel River Cruise. Their exceptional organizational capabilities and amiable disposition played a pivotal role in crafting an exceptionally delightful and unforgettable experience. We are truly fortunate to have such accomplished and dedicated Program Directors.

Grand Circle Travel kept me informed, via email, of any and everything related to my cruise. They sent email updates, payment reminders, and the final documents all in a timely manner. They met me at the airport as they said they would. The food was excellent. The program directors were fantastic, especially mine - Michel M from Slovakia. He is extremely knowledgeable about history in Europe and was able to answer every question thrown at him. The tours we did were wonderful but I wish we had more free time to explore or shop on our own.

The Great European River Cruise was delightful. The ship was small enough to enable me to get to know most of the fellow passengers. The service was excellent. The tour directors/guides were knowledgeable, supportive, helpful, and informative about the places and cultures we visited. I would recommend Grand Circle if you are considering a river cruise.

We just returned from the Great Rivers of Europe cruise. We had previously taken this same cruise on Viking and Vantage (Vantage went bankrupt, so I will compare the cruise to Viking). The ship was an older than the Viking ship but was in excellent condition. The staff were excellent, friendly and helpful. On this cruise we had four program directors as compared to one on Viking. Each program director is responsible for one fourth of the passengers for the entire journey and personally handled any questions or problems that we had. For the entire cruise, there was only one optional tour, all other tours were included in the cruise price.

This is my 4th River Cruise with GCCL, each one seemingly better than the last. The latest was Great Rivers of Europe. Wonderful Program Director, amazing food every day, so many great daily excursions. Can't wait to cruise with GCCL again!

The ship and crew were amazing as well as the food. Unfortunately the itinerary was so compressed that free time was minimal. It is suggested that the Provence option be avoided as the free time is far more valuable for exploring the town than the optional day trip.

This was the most incredible experience! Thank you so much for the great tour guides, the beautiful river trips and the exciting experience of going through the locus. The meals were exquisite. Thanks to everyone who made this trip a huge success for us.

I rate 5 stars because these trips are awesome. The program directors are topnotch and had to deal with a couple major emergencies and handled it all professionally. We learned about the local culture. Home hosted visits are my favorite thing to do. I am planning next trip.

We have just completed our 7th vacation with Grand Circle Travel taking the Great Rivers of Europe cruise. As usual, GCT provided us with an excellent vacation, plenty of education about the cities and areas we saw. We enjoyed everything and will be back again.

Grand Circle provides a wonderful experience full of adventure and delight! This was our 5th trip and we hope to make another one soon. The staff are all amazing - friendly, knowledgeable and ready to help in any way. The food on our River boat, Harmony, was excellent, too!

My first cruise with Grand Circle, Paris to Normandy on the Seine. The time on the ship was exemplary. Extremely well organized, food was beyond delicious, EVERY staff person seemed to be there to meet our every need with a smile. Our Program Director for the pre trip and cruise was well-informed, organized, and lovely. It seemed that they all wanted us to have the very best experience possible. Unfortunately, that was not true for the post trip. It was disorganized, we were moved to an old hotel in a less than savory area, with a guide that was unfamiliar with the area, and did not seem to care whether we were making our way or not. It was exactly the opposite of the cruise, and left a very bad taste in everyone's mouth for the last days of our trip. Such a sad way to end an otherwise lovely cruise.

This was my first cruise on Grand Circle which was recommended by friends who are former travelers as an educator's cruise line. Our ship River Harmony was extremely clean and nice size with 144 passengers. The staff on ship was amazing and attentive especially those in the dining rooms. But in general, all crew members would get 5 stars from me for friendliness and a job well done. Cuisine was quite delicious and interesting menus daily with choices at each meal.