YMT Vacations Reviews
El Segundo, CA
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About YMT Vacations
We started in 1967 in Michigan as “Your Man Tours” arranging tours to Hawaii for Veterans of Foreign Wars. The “Your Man” was referenced to our Polynesian guides who greeted guests at the Honolulu airport with beautiful and fragrant flower leis. Our guides created a warm and engaging atmosphere as they introduced YMT guests to their beautiful island paradise.
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Reviewed Nov. 6, 2017
A recent flyer from YMT was a reminder of our recent experiences on a YMT excursion on the MSC Magnifica from Copenhagen to Genoa. From our perspective, there was room for improvement on the part of YMT. More specifically: Language skills - At least 1 of the 3 YMT reps should have been fluent in Italian in order to avoid some of the missed communication while on board, i.e. Coordinated first day activities would have avoided the ship's lifeboat drills being held simultaneously with a required YMT orientation.
YMT would have known that the ships excursion-goers would be allowed off the ship first, thus avoiding: every excursion group boarding buses at the same time, going to the same places, wasting time in traffic instead of touring (Lisbon). Delays that kept disappointed YMT tourists from reaching the top of Gibraltar a much-anticipated highlight. Neither water nor coffee was negotiated as part of the food/beverage package provided. YMT reps English fluency was effective for England and Gibraltar: not Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Italy.
Preparation - The reps were not familiar with the ship or the cruise line. The reps were not familiar with the countries being visited culture, geography, customs, etc. Ideally, the reps would have known: transportation from the airport to the Copenhagen hotel would be difficult on a Friday because of the many taxi drivers did not work on their religious holiday. There was a national holiday being celebrated in Copenhagen on the day we were to board, snarling traffic and causing guides and buses to improvise substantially. The Hamburg tour was scheduled on a holiday. By law, bus drivers in some countries must have hour breaks a major impact on tour scheduling. Although the ship's daily newsletter reminded passengers of the several time changes, there was no temperature conversion chart, nor did the reps respond positively to a suggestion to post one.
Tours - Tours began only after a wait of to 1 hours after the posted meeting time. Stragglers were accommodated at the expense of the group's tour time. The lengthy wait to disembark at Gibraltar resulted in YMT tourists missing the deadline to go to the top of the Rock by 15 minutes: the ships tours enjoyed the once-in-a-lifetime views. Tour Guides - We had good guides in Copenhagen (bus #8)**, London, Amsterdam*, Gibraltar***, and Milan*. In our opinion, 5 out of 10 is not adequate for a tour of this scope.
In Sweden, the former teacher had us follow her from location to location for lectures. Friends on the ship's boat excursion learned Swedish drinking songs. Others had enough free time to explore the interesting waterfront. In Hamburg, the guide was unable to improvise (due to the holiday closures). We drove past many converted warehouses, caught only a glimpse of their famous opera house, and listened to commentary such as this is the end of the lake as we drove around the end of a lake. The highlight of the Hamburg tour was a young college student. He was personable, knowledgeable, and kept everyone informed and entertained during the long bus rides to/from the city.
In LaCoruna, the young guides seemed to run out of material, allowed much more time than necessary to visit a small shopping area off the main square, and did not know anything about the large public military gathering we witnessed. In Lisbon, the woman would not wait even pause when she crossed a street or entered a building that cut off the sound. She had us sit down in a church to tell us about it in front of signs that asked for silence. Later, when she led the group on a fast walk around the square, we said we were going back to the bus (which was still within sight). She then warned us that we would be on our own and it would be our fault if we missed the ship. Authoritative would be a nice word for her attitude.
In Barcelona, the bus circled and circled: we saw the same glimpses of the Gaudi church several times, but got no closer. The guide ran out of things to say. When asked about the many flags flying from balconies, her answers were evasive and vague. In our opinion, she missed an opportunity to educate visitors about Spanish history, culture, etc. At the least, all 3 YMT reps should have been fluent in at least 1 other European language, traveled to at least 2 of the countries visited, received an orientation from/with the Italian cruise line, been prepared to fill in the blanks for flummoxed native tour guides.
Reviewed Nov. 3, 2017
I decided to write this review because I almost didn't book the Hawaii tour with YMT Vacations because of some of the negative reviews I saw. My experience was very positive. The hotel in Oahu was a block away from the beach, the hotel staff very helpful and friendly, hotel room clean. The same was true of the other hotels except they were on the ocean. I won't say they were five-star hotels, but honestly for the $1,299 price for 12 days I would have been naive to think they would have been, but definitely 3-4 stars and no complaints. Didn't sign up for many optional tours because there were five of us so we rented cars and did our own thing. The YMT host was very helpful about places to go on our own. I would give YMT tours two thumbs up on the Hawaii vacation.
Reviewed Oct. 11, 2017
Due to death in family, cancelled trip. YMT lost first claim four weeks after submitted. Since then there has been weekly delays and excuses for not refunding our claim. Impossible to get action - lots of promises made and missed. What is integrity to this company - unacceptably low priority. Pass the word - don't trust YMT.
Reviewed Oct. 9, 2017
My husband and I took the National Parks of the Golden West tour on 9/5/17. Having never taken a bus tour before, we didn't quite know what to expect and I can honestly say it exceeded our expectations. Our tour guide, Garrett, was very knowledge and extremely organized (which is a necessity in this business). The bus driver, Ron, was a true professional. His driving skills were impeccable and he was extremely safety conscious. The sights were spectacular; photos certainly don't do them justice. We were provided with the opportunity to have several "picnics" on the tour; which we enjoyed. Everyone on the tour got along well; in that we all had at least one common interest - travel. Our seats on the bus were rotated on a daily basis; which enabled us to visit with, and thus get to know pretty much everyone on the bus over the course of the two weeks.
One of our favorite experiences on this tour (which meant getting up at 3:30 AM) was a sunrise walk along the southern rim of the Grand Canyon; followed by a wonderful breakfast at the El Tovar Hotel. Life simply doesn't get better than this. In my opinion, this is simply the best way to travel. I look forward to booking another vacation with YMT.
Reviewed Oct. 2, 2017
National Parks tour - The bus had very uncomfortable seats. You slid off unless you braced yourself on the footrest. This was for over 2000 miles. Three days before the tour was over the bathroom went out of order and was not fixed. Many times this meant over two hours with no access to a bathroom. One time we were told we would get in at 4:30 and did not get in til 10 pm. Must have been lost, but no explanation was given. Often only food was three blocks from motel and was fast food. One 1/3 mile loop was over a mile long and I don’t walk well. We did see all the sights promised and the motels were clean, but too many other frustrations.
Reviewed Sept. 29, 2017
Recently returned from a 10 day trip to England with this company. While the hotels were disappointing (in the middle of nowhere, mediocre food), the frightening part was to become quite ill in a strange country and get NO support or help from the tour guide. This while having a severe asthma attack (and having used all prescribed medications). The tour guide suggested I take a £35 taxi to an unknown town rather than seek medical help or call an ambulance. Furthermore when I complained upon my return home I was informed that I repeatedly refused medical assistance... A complete lie. DON'T TAKE THE CHANCE, do not travel with YMT. It's not worth risking your health over.
Reviewed Sept. 19, 2017
Tour - Rocky Mountains and Western Frontier 6/28 - 7/11 2017: As part of this trip we were to stay in downtown Salt Lake City where one can easily walk to the Mormon Tabernacle concerts for free. Other interests and food are also in walking distance. When I received the final documents the hotel listed was not even in downtown. I called and I was told that they could substitute hotels, which I understand, but surely not advertise downtown and use a hotel which is not even in Salt Lake City. I was then told that there was a mistake on the itinerary and that we were downtown. I called again but the customer rep would not even speak with me - she was rude and put the phone down.
On the actual trip we were a 25 minute drive from downtown and there was nowhere to buy food for one and a half miles from the hotel. If you wanted to hear the choir you either had to make your own way or pay for an optional. Had we stayed downtown as the brochure and website stated there would have been no need for an optional - to pay for something that was free. Also the hotel we stayed in was less than half the price of the original hotel. We stayed two nights. I understand that sometimes one hotel has to be substituted for another but surely a downtown hotel should be substituted by another downtown hotel. The paying clients need to be informed of such a huge change and not be misled.
Also the customer rep who told me that we were actually staying downtown was either incompetent or lying. What happened to truth in advertising? What happened to customer service reps who listen and try to deal with an issue rather than just do their best to quickly get off the line? The tour itself was fine but this is obviously not an honest approach and who benefited from the money that YMT saved on the two nights in a "downtown" hotel?
Reviewed Aug. 24, 2017
Alaska tour: I will not be booking with YMT again. Very inconsiderate for the older people. Rooms were not what I thought we would have with what we paid for the tour. Nowhere to eat. (Food truck only) at one of our rooms. Too long in between some stops. Our guide was hard to find when needed. Way too much ON YOUR OWN TIME... and darn near all the meals were ON OUR OWN. What exactly did all our money pay for? First and last trip with YMT.
Reviewed Aug. 7, 2017
Because our first time with YMT in 9/15 Cruise & Tour - Barcelona to Paris was so wonderful we booked another vacation for next year (9/16) Four Island tour in Hawaii. Except for 2 of 4 hotels and 2 included tours, the rest was 1 star at best.
A. 2 hours late picking 20 of us up on arrival at the airport. B. Stranded our entire group after a Luau (Not included, expensive & dreadful) until a tour guide from a different company let all of us on his bus & dropped us at our hotel. No apology and No responsibility for it. C. A lazy tour guide who was more interested in trying to be funny than doing his job. D. On the final day we had to be out of our rooms by 11 am with nothing planned by YMT, so everybody sat in the lobby until the bus arrived at 6 pm. Except for the incompetent Guide who stayed in his room until after 5 pm. Then 3 more hours until the flight left and more for others. Tried to complain to YMT, but they wouldn't accept any reviews even though the tour guide begged for an excellent one. VERY DISAPPOINTED!
Reviewed July 19, 2017
I booked my tour in February of this year, in June I find that the same tour is $400.00 less. Had I known the price would be lower I would have been happy to change my dates to take advantage of the savings. I understand that there are times when companies will lower their cost when time is short to fill it up, but 3 months before is hardly the last minute. I do not feel I should be penalized because I booked far in advance and did not have the opportunity to book at another time at a lower cost. I could then decide if the timing was worth the difference. If I travel again with YMT I will not book my trip that far in advance.
Reviewed July 12, 2017
We went on a bus tour to the National Parks of the Golden West. I was told (the tour guide) Monica ** said a very insulting comment about me. She also rushed everyone on the tour. Considering that we were paying a fairly good amount, she should have allowed more time for us to eat and also more time at the parks. I will not go through this company again.
Reviewed May 11, 2017
I was a bit afraid when booking this trip, having never traveled with YMT, but I had the best time of any trip I have ever taken to Europe! The Irish "guide" was also the porter and bus driver... but if you think that was to save money you're wrong. What a delight and wealth of information he was! We laughed to his various stories and we drove from place to place, we wrote limericks (bus driver did too), and the sights we saw were fantastic! Waterford was wonderful, the Giant's Causeway is unbelievable, and Belfast was awesome. I found out so much about the Titanic... where it was built, who was on it, and of course what happened to it. And if you love beer and pubs, this is the place to be. Only complaint was in Dublin... our hotel was outside the city and a bit of a walk into Dublin. But we made it just fine. If you are looking to travel to Ireland, please take a look at all YMT trip has to offer.
Reviewed April 11, 2017
I traveled with YMT last year for the first time on the Southwest Balloon Festival trip. Our guide, Tim, was fantastic! He was very informative and made the trip interesting and fun. We saw numerous sights other than those mentioned on the tour itinerary. Most of the accommodations were adequate. This was a fantastic trip for a budget minded person. Travelers with disabilities were accommodated to the best extent possible.
Reviewed March 31, 2017
I have been on four different trips with YMT. All have been memorable vacations. As always there were a few ups and downs, but overall a great experience and I have recommended YMT to many people. I will be going on my fifth YMT Vacation in June of 2017.
Reviewed March 17, 2017
We booked a vacation titled "Romantic Rhine, Dutch Windmills, and Germany Highlights" through YMT Vacations in October 2016, tour beginning in April 2017. All the paperwork indicates this tour, and it was paid for, in full, in January 2017. We received an e-mail, last week (1 month from the beginning of trip), to choose our excursions. Many were to places we were not scheduled to go to.
We've since been told this tour was "discontinued because of lack of interest in September 2016" before we made the purchase! I believe it's fraud to sell something and take the money, for something you don't have. If we decided to take the "replacement trip" we are now losing time to have the excursions we would be interested in. We've asked to have all of our money returned since this trip wasn't even available when we booked it. The last person we talked to was a supervisor named "Janeen" and was told she would call us back within an hour. Three hours later they were closed, and now, into the next day, we're still waiting for her call. She could have, at the very least, called back (like she said she would). Still waiting for the final information to arrive, including flight information, that they told us was mailed out March 8. All the written information we've received, for this trip say Romantic Rhine, Dutch Windmills, and Germany Highlights.
Reviewed Sept. 25, 2016
Though the YMT representatives take care of about 95% of travel details, the 5% they do not take care of leads to an unexpectedly poor experience. For instance, we requested a quiet balcony room NOT directly under a noisy area such as a Lido Deck on the cruise ship, the Norwegian Pride Of America. The request was totally ignored, either by YMT or Norwegian, and we were given a balcony room directly under a popular sports and entertainment bar which had chair thumping into wee hours of the morning, causing loss of sleep. Upon notifying YMT, I was told a YMT Representative would "reach out to me," which never happened.
Additional complications arose because YMT will not make air flight reservations until about 2 weeks before travel, even though we had paid trip reservations several months in advance. We requested adjacent air flight trips, which was also ignored. For a nine hour flight from Atlanta to Honolulu, our seats were several aisles apart. We had to pay an additional $138.00 in order to sit together on the flight. Several other couples in our group also were unable to sit together and were unable or unwilling to pay the extra $138.00 fee to Delta in order to sit together. I fault YMT 100% for not making reservations earlier.
Other trip complications arose as we were unable to visit Alcatraz Island as a side trip on our way back home because reservations could not be made due to YMT not making flight reservations until last minute. Without a specific schedule, it is impossible to know when we would arrive stateside, and when we could make concrete reservations for hotels and excursions.
Not only that, YMT charged us each $200.00 total ($400.00) for not flying directly back to Atlanta and stopping off in Los Angeles for a few days spent on the west coast. We were told that this is their standard fee to make any changes in flight schedules. Result? A lot of extra money in unadvertised charges totaling $568 for flight change and seat arrangement.
Reviewed Aug. 10, 2016
My wife and I recently took a YMT vacation tour to Scotland and then to Ireland. The Scotland leg was awful. First, YMT brokered to direct the Scotland portion of the trip to JacTravel, JacTravel dropped the ball immediately by thinking the trip started a day early, then did a reschedule which impacted the entire trip. We personally had planned on going to St. Andrews when we had free time in Edinburgh, but couldn’t do it because of the screw up. It should be noted, we did go to S/A, from Glasgow however, but had to give up a day of the revised scheduled trip.
Second, if it were not for the Scotland coach driver, the tour guide would have been lost. On numerous occasions without the bus drivers input, the tour guide “Barbara” would have been totally ineffective. She would start a thought and just drop it because she did not have the facts to finish the thought, and followed it up by telling us she would have to look up the factoid on “Google”. She was totally impersonal, never saying “Good Morning” at the start of the day, and distanced herself from us whenever possible. In my assessment, she should not be allowed to continue in this capacity. In closing, we have taken two trips with YMT, the first and last. Please in the future, do not send us any of your promotional literature, because I will not use your services again, plus inform my friends considering your services, of the horrible experience, you’re a total rip off.
Reviewed July 19, 2016
We book this tour about 2 weeks ago and paid in full for my wife and I. We also paid for cancellation insurance. Last week I sent in the cancellation information because my wife got sick and we would not be able to travel. I was told that the $198.00 we paid for the insurance would not be refunded. Then I called today to see that they received the signed letter and a doctor's note stating her condition would not allow the travel. I was told that in addition to the $198.00 there would also be a nonrefundable amount of $350.00 each deducted from what we already paid. That the refund was being processed. I don't remember being told that there was a nonrefundable deposit. This is because we paid the whole thing the same day by credit card. They might have told us in some very fast speaking, but was too fast to catch. What a sham. I am but done just yet.
Reviewed May 13, 2016
YMT VACATIONS – The Best of France and Switzerland was not the best!! Let me start by saying that my husband and I have taken 25 ocean cruises and 3 other river cruises. Our experience with YMT was riddled with incomplete, inaccurate and misleading information. The travel experience was our worst ever! We did our research online and then called YMT to book the reservation. Their website indicated to click here to see deck plans. Prior to finalizing the booking we explored the deck plans to determine a cabin category. On the deck plan page was information stating that all Stella Rosa cruises include the following and went on to list gratuities, wine with meals, side trips and several other items. This was what we had experienced on our other river cruises so we felt we had confirmation that the perks would be the same. We booked the trip based on this information.
Imagine our surprise when we received our travel documents 10 days prior to departure stating a suggested amount for gratuities, side trips we could pay extra for and recommending that if we wanted more than water and coffee with meals we would need to purchase a beverage package for $299 a person! I immediately called and questioned the misinformation on the website. I was told by a supervisor that the deck plan page I had been directed to was in fact not a YMT website and therefore did not pertain to our trip. Nowhere on the link did the words "you are now leaving the YMT website" appear. I expressed my concern that this was bait and switch. I was told that another supervisor would call me back to discuss the miscommunication. I am still waiting.
The documentation we received was full of incorrect information. The hotel in Bern, Switzerland was listed as being in the Czech Republic which is 2 countries away from Switzerland. The last line of the travel documents stated "We are looking forward to greeting you in beautiful Germany." The trip was the Best of France and Switzerland. We never set foot in Germany! We did not embark on our trip with a very good feeling about YMT. The tour directors were very nice but not well prepared. On previous river cruises the tour guides had maps of the city and pamphlets for all of the sights that we would be seeing prior to arrival. All we had was one map that the tour guide passed through the bus so everyone could glance at it prior to arrival. We were then given directions to the Tourist Information office in each town so we could get our own maps and pamphlets. Not very professional.
I will say that in several cities, the tour guide at least walked with us to the Tourist Information city. Although the bus drivers were skilled at navigating the narrow streets, they weren't always well prepared to find our final destination. The day we arrived in Lyon to board the boat, we drove around Lyon for 20 minutes trying to find the access ramp to get to the boat. We could see the boat, but the driver could not find the ramp. Again, not very professional. This trip ended up being very much self guided which is not what we thought we were signing up for. This was a 50th wedding anniversary trip. Our travel confirmation stated that fact. At no time during the trip was there any acknowledgement of our special occasion. Very disappointing. Even cruise ships deliver a cake to your table when you have note a special event! The internet is not existent. I paid for access on board, as did most of the passengers.
Many days, no one could get online. We were told that we could go into town and access WiFi at McDonald's. Unfortunately, McDonald's as well as the small towns that have city WiFi require that you register your phone number and they will send you an access code by text. None of the passengers had cell phone voice or text therefore, we could not get access codes. The good news was that all of the hotels had free WiFi so for the 13 day trip there were only about 5 days that we had not access. The ship staff acknowledged that their internet was extremely poor. The passengers could pick up signals from all the river cruise boats we passed but not for the boat we were on and paying for WiFi access. We had airline miles so we booked our own air which meant we were on our own for transfers to and from the airports.
When we booked our trip, we were told that based on what the YMT agent was seeing, there was a shuttle from our final hotel to the airport. When we checked in to our hotel in Zurich we asked about booking the shuttle and were told they did not have a shuttle. Only their airport hotel had a shuttle. Apparently, the YMT agent was not looking at the correct Holiday Inn and therefore gave us incorrect information. Yet another surprise! We cannot recommend YMT due to misinformation, lack of information, poorly informed staff and poorly prepared drivers and guides.
Reviewed April 30, 2016
My husband and I just returned from our Hawaiian Cruise through YMT. This is the second time we have used this company and have had fantastic experiences on both occasions. First on the National Park tour and this Hawaiian tour. Our Guide Vetti was awesome on this tour and the entire trip was well planned from beginning to end. I would highly recommend this company to anyone and we are looking forward to travelling with YMT again in the future.
Reviewed April 22, 2016
6 older ladies travel together on a special trip each year. Last year we went with YMT to the 4 island tour of Hawaii. Loved the tour! Couldn't have been better. Each of us was to get a YMT luggage strap and weight. 5 did. The 6th one called and was told that it had been mailed. Never showed up. Like I said the Hawaiian trip and guides were AWESOME. This year we booked the New Orleans, Mahogany Bay, Belize and Cozumel cruise. We booked our tour in September and made our final payment in January. From the very beginning we requested that our rooms, both on the ship and in hotels be close as in next door or across the hall. Repeatedly we were told that would not be a problem. And again luggage straps don't arrive. I called Customer service only to be told that I already had mine. Rep stopped just short of calling me a liar.
Also in my package, I received someone else's name tag. I asked her to send me my name tag by email. Still waiting. Finally got our cabin numbers for the cruise and we are 63 cabins apart. Called customer service. They blamed it on Carnival. Called Carnival customer service. Even though our final payment was due in January, YMT did not book our cabins until March 26. Our cruise left on April 9. Again our guide in New Orleans, Don, was wonderful. I felt sorry for him when our bus load of passengers pulled up to the Holiday Inn and not enough rooms were booked for everyone. YMT customer service is the worst. I would rather have them tell me the ugly truth than a pretty lie.
Reviewed March 9, 2016
Canadian Rockies and Inside Passage Trip - We were treated wonderfully well and looked after the entire coach trip. Our accommodations were excellent. We stopped at all the places I would have if I had been driving. In short, we missed nothing and had an experienced guide to inform us. The cruise portion on the trip was excellent. Thank you so much for the experience. I'm looking forward to another trip!
Reviewed Feb. 15, 2016
This is our 3rd trip with YMT Vacations. We had previously taken 1 trip with your man tours. We can honestly say each trip with YMT Vacations has been great. They are there to help with any issue. They should not be compared to your man tours, that trip was very a nightmare. Thank you Jerry for all that you and your staff have done. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, accommodations great and trip enjoyable. Keep up the good work.
Reviewed Feb. 14, 2016
We had a wonderful time in September 2015 on the Elegant Danube River Cruise. We most liked that the tour included both river and land travel. The hotels chosen for the land portion were great. The boat we travelled on (A-Rose Bella) was wonderful. Room was good sized, clean, bed comfortable. The food was plentiful and daily tailored to the area/city we were travelling to. Staff on the A-Rosa was attentive and courteous. Our cruise director Walter was great. Always smiling, giving out good info, coordinating excursion groups and walking us into town if we didn't have a planned excursion. YMT takes care of everything in a timely fashion. All luggage delivered and picked up from hotel room on time. The cities we visited were beautiful. Would highly recommend this trip with YMT to friends.
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2016
In June of 2015 I did the 12 day tour Best of Ireland from Southern and Northern including Dublin, Waterford, Killarney, Galway, Sligo and Belfast. I had booked through YMT Vacations. From the start my itinerary was setup without hitch. I was impressed by the staff in El Segundo, California. They were very professional and courteous in responding to my needs and requests. Upon arrival in Dublin I was greeted by the tour guide and bus driver assigned to 44 of us from different parts to the USA. The 12 day tour of the different parts of Ireland was well planned. The hotels were very clean and the food was very good. Our tour guide/bus driver was very professional, patient, and as a matter of fact he waited on us and made sure all our needs were met and that we were all very happy.
To me the money I paid for the trip was well worth it and then some. I enjoyed Waterford, driving along the coast to the Causeways and Blarney Castles even though I chose to walk the gardens. I enjoyed the shops and did purchase quite a few items. I heard no complaints from the folks that traveled with me. I highly recommend this trip. In 2014 I also went to Western Parks and Hawaii. For 2016 I am booked for South America and Alaska. In all honesty I plan to do my travels with YMT. All aboard!!!
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2016
My wife and I went on YMT's bus tour of Ireland during late August 2015. We had a great time and would recommend it to anyone. Our bus driver, Joe **, was very personable and had an excellent sense of humor. Strange (or maybe not), but most everyone we met in Ireland had a good sense of humor. The motels we stayed in were good to excellent, although the ones in Belfast and Dublin were older and not quite as nice as the others. The tour sites selected by YMT to visit were anywhere from interesting to outstanding. If you like scenery, you can't go wrong selecting this trip.
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2016
Having experienced YMT through the 2015 Hawaii tour relative to your involvement in add-on trips, we are surprised and disappointed that YMT is "hands off" on the cruise. The comradery built through "add-ons" with the YMT group was a huge factor in the enjoyment of the Hawaii experience. Compounding this New Orleans plan was my phone call on Feb. 11th. To schedule the Dinner Jazz Cruise only to be told that it was sold out. As a Canadian, we are paying a 40% premium and we are now questioning the value. I would like to add that Bea has been "top drawer" in coordinating all of our communication for this trip.
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2016
This was the second trip we took with YMT. The first one was National Parks of the Golden West. We thoroughly enjoyed both trips equally. The cost, tour guide, bus and driver, and hotels met or exceeded our expectations. Hawaii is scheduled already for May. Of course nothing is perfect and less time could have been spent at visitor centers and more time at places of interest; maybe more input from the group as a whole in some instances as to where they would rather spend more time. Overall an affordable fun experience for my husband and me. Would like to see more dates for the Mexican Riviera Cruise.
Reviewed Feb. 13, 2016
We have travelled with YMT to both Hawaii and Ireland. Both trips were amazing. Tours were well paced and the guides were friendly, full of information, and had great personalities. Hotels were very nice. My only minor complaint was a few too many root vegetables for dinners in Ireland!!
Reviewed Feb. 12, 2016
So far, my husband and I have made four trips with YMT. We've done both National Park tours. One leaving out of Denver and the other out of Las Vegas. Then we went on the Autumn Leaves tour out of Philadelphia and last year we did the Canadian Rockies tour out of Seattle. All the trips have been very enjoyable. We have stayed at clean hotels and the cost of these tours has been more reasonable than a lot of other travel companies. Each tour has had a very knowledgeable tour guide which has made our trip experience extra special. So now we are looking forward to a transatlantic cruise which will end up in Italy, where we finish with a four day bus tour before we fly back home. We have other friends traveling with us on this cruise and we are very excited making plans for all 14 of us. Kudos to YMT for the job done on our previous trips. We look forward to continued traveling with them in the future.
Reviewed Feb. 10, 2016
I have been traveling with YMT since 2011, from a pilgrimage to Europe, tours of England/Scotland, Ireland, China to Canada/US tours of National Parks. All have been my favorite because each one has each own unique ambiance only YMT can provide for folks like me. I'm very much interested in history, sightseeing and above all sharing adventures with others. Each trip is very reasonable and can be purchased at discounts/installments. The joy and satisfaction that I have experienced make the places truly alive with the help of very knowledgeable tour directors, drivers and the expertise of all involved in planning trips. This year I'm going back to Alaska in May and will also be enjoying the New England and Canadian Maritimes Tour/Cruise in Sept. I appreciate how YMT adds new tours yearly and makes trips attractive with discount benefits. Thanks YMT!!!
Reviewed Feb. 9, 2016
Reviewed Feb. 8, 2016
I cannot stress enough how wonderful our trip to Hawaii was with YMT - they take such good care of you, you would think you alone were their only guest. The itinerary was perfect and I am thinking of doing the same trip again!
Reviewed Feb. 8, 2016
Outstanding! Courteous! Friendly! Helpful! Professional! FUN! These are only a few superlatives I use to describe my experiences with YMT staff and vacations. From my first inquiry in 2011 about their Rhine River trip to my latest request for information about my 2016 trip to France and Switzerland (my fifth YMT vacation in five consecutive years), I am totally pleased and satisfied! Each trip has been a pleasurable adventure filled with great experiences and happy memories!
I am greatly impressed with the way YMT takes care of every detail! I could never plan, arrange and organize the way YMT does! Once the phone call was made for the Rhine River trip in 2012, the bus tour of Italy and Austria with our great tour manager Sonja in 2013, the Danube River cruise and tour in 2014, the Holland America cruise from Barcelona to Copenhagen in 2015, and the upcoming cruise and tour of France and Switzerland in 2016, YMT staff and executives have professionally made traveling an easy, relaxing, stress-free experience!
I never expected to be able to afford one trip, but YMT offers their tours at very reasonable and affordable prices without sacrificing anything - and I'll soon be on my fifth! Accommodations and meals are fantastic! And, oh, the sights on the tours are so awesome! The tour guides provide so many insights and so much information that I marvel at their knowledge! I highly recommend YMT VACATIONS! I get so very excited when discussing and recommending these YMT trips and YMT VACATIONS with family, friends, and even strangers! Yes! I'm a YMT MAINIAC (note the spelling... I live in MAINE!) They are the best!
Reviewed Feb. 7, 2016
We are going on a trip with YMT on 21 April 16. It will be our fifth such trip with you. The last four turned out great. Each one was to a different location. So the various trips one can choose from makes each adventure interesting. We have met some very interesting and pleasant fellow travelers along the way. The YMT experience has been 5 star beginning with your sales staff and your trip guides have been 1st class. Any information or questions we have had have been taken care of quickly and in a friendly manner. We have had some good fun and good memories from our vacations with you. I believe that as we are on our 5th trip that would be a testament that you are doing a great job. Continue with the good work.
Reviewed Feb. 6, 2016
On our first trip in Jan, 2015 with YMT, it was the four island tour in Hawaii. We couldn't have been more pleased with the whole experience. Our tour guide was so informative, with all of the islands' history. We didn't have to worry about a thing, and the accommodations were great. The second YMT tour was Sept. 2015, and this was to Barcelona, Lisbon, and then to London and Paris. Our trip was wonderful because of the expertise from our YMT guides, who took care of everything. We just had time to enjoy the trip without hassles or worries. Thank you YMT!
Reviewed Feb. 5, 2016
I have had nice travel experiences with YMT. However, I do not believe their letters are always trustworthy. For example, they said "If you refer a new customer you would receive an award." They fail to say that if the new customer is your roommate, you do not receive anything. This is misleading advertisement.
Reviewed Feb. 4, 2016
The move from one island/hotel to another was great. But the best thing about my experience is travel consultant, Tammy **. I have recommended her to many follower travelers, and even those who didn't sign up with YMT said she was good.
Reviewed Feb. 4, 2016
I have been on three trips with YMT. The first was to Italy. The second was to the National Parks of the Golden West. The third was to Ireland. Our trips were excellent thanks to our superb guides and drivers. Sonja in Italy was on top of everything, remembered all her guests and their likes and needs - and handled an unexpected medical situation like a professional (which she is). She had 3 guests whose inability to walk well made it a real challenge. The medical situation was a toe caught in a train doorway, resulting in an emergency room visit. The western states trip was beautiful but too much bus time made it a real challenge. One more overnight stop would have made it more comfortable.
The last trip was to Ireland. That was fantastic. Our guide/driver was Barry ** and the group was small enough (21 total) that he had extra time to visit with each guest frequently. I liked Italy but it was crowded. Ireland was magnificent because it was for the most part not crowded. I would return to both of these places and add Scotland to the list. Our next major adventure will probably be to Germany - and hopefully with YMT. My only criticism is the sometimes excessively long airport waits. Forget Newark, NJ airport. The best airline you put us on was Lufthansa - the worst was United. The best part of YMT is the guides and drivers. The cost factor is very good too.
Reviewed Feb. 4, 2016
We have NEVER regretted choosing to tour with YMT. We have been on three tours with this company: China, Ireland and National Parks. All of our guides were knowledgeable, friendly and had senses of humor. They were also caring meaning that when someone needed help they were right there - without any resentment. There are way too many positive things to say about YMT to put in this review.
YMT Vacations Company Information
- Company Name:
- YMT Vacations
- Year Founded:
- 1967
- Formerly Named:
- Your Man Tours
- Address:
- 100 N. Sepulveda Blvd
- City:
- El Segundo
- State/Province:
- CA
- Postal Code:
- 90245
- Country:
- United States
- Fax:
- 310-649-2118
- Website:
- www.ymtvacations.com