Family Friendly Tour & Trip Reviews

I am very much a city girl, so the hotels were a bit too much roughing it for me. Two of them had bugs in the room (Laguna Lodge in Tortuguero and Arenal Paraiso in La Fortuna). We couldn't put toilet paper in the toilet in either hotel. We had to put it in a little garbage can in the bathroom. The hotel in Tortuguero had no housekeeping and no ac and we couldn't drink the water in the room so I was afraid to even use it to brush my teeth (I used the filtered water on the grounds). In Arenal/La Fortuna it was the same thing but also, when we turned on the water in the sink, there was a strong odor of feces (not sure about their septic situation). However, the grounds of this hotel was beautiful and the view of the volcano from the room was gorgeous. The overall itinerary was well thought out. Every minute was accounted for and there were many "surprises" along the way that our wonderful guide set up for us. The only thing I would change, besides the hotel selection, is the long walk to the beach in Manuel Antonio. Also, I know this is a Monkeys, Jungles and Volcanoes tour but we could have used hotels that were a bit more upscale. Tortuguero could've been a day trip, not two days.

Yes you can let them see !!!

Tour itself was excellent but when the going got tough, Intrepid was nowhere to be found. We encountered a visa issue (mistake made by Vietnam Immigration) enroute on our way to meet up with our tour group and not only did Intrepid not respond in a timely fashion but when they did respond they chose to remind us of our cancellation policy instead of actually assisting us. It was all about covering their bases rather than helping us; their motivations were very apparent. Our family (2 adults, two kids) spent 24 hours in the Vancouver airport trying to solicit help from anyone we could think of. We got nothing from Intrepid, not even sympathy. Only 2 out of 4 of us ended up flying to Vietnam to join the tour and then on Day 2 Intrepid had the gall to offer us the assistance we needed 4.5 days before (which was much too late). As a result of their disorganization and inability to provide support in an emergency, only half of us were able to go on our family tour of Vietnam and the two of us that did go had a veil of sadness over our trip that we were unable to get over. A very disappointing family vacation overall. Buyer beware; should you encounter any obstacles, you will be on your own.

Tortuguera was one of the best places I've been to and would love to visit again.

You will visit three amazing national parks and will see lots of wildlife. up close! There is plenty of time and opportunity to speak one on one with your guide as you are observing wildlife and plant material. The banana processing plant was fascinating as was the side trip to the palm plantation. The tour bus was air conditioned and had a bathroom. They divided the tour group in half for some of the boating trips so at times you are in a smaller group.

Not really geared to the elderly or physically challenged

Tauck partners with Aon for travel insurance. We bought this insurance through Tauck specifically to cover us in case of a positive for test for Covid and could not go on the cruise. Three days before the trip, one of us tested positive with very mild symptoms. We contacted Tauck and they agreed to refund 1/2 of the tour cost and the insurance would pay for the other half. When we called the insurance they said they required a PCF test. The test was taken and came back positive. Two months later they denied the claim because we didn’t go to a doctor. That was not necessary or practical. We had proof of Covid. Tauck is not willing to help. This was the insurance they recommended and sold to customers. We have now read many reviews of terrible service from Aon. Why is Tauck a partner to this company and not willing to help their clients? BEWARE. Terrible customer service.

The trip was definitely a different type of travel adventure but the travel vouchers were confusing and didn’t receive all that was advertised. Information said a dinner in Chicago was included along with two breakfasts. After spending an hour on hold (called AV numerous times for information and clarification, an hour wait time was typical) I learned that the Chicago restaurant was no longer in service. Never received any information on included breakfasts.

This trip was the most poorly organized and executed trip I have ever been on. I have attended other trips by other companies in the past and always had a wonderful experience.

Prior to leaving on our trip we had researched rbe hotels listed and had some concerns about the one we would be using in London: the Copthorne Tara. Reviews mentioned blood in beds, floors, general uncleanliness and even MAGGOTS IN THE BEDS. We called EF with our concerns and were essentially dismissed. This was our first sign to run.

The flights on the way to the trip were just fine, but our accommodations in London were extremely subpar. We checked in at 1pm and our hotel room was not ready until almost 6pm. Other people from our trip arrived and checked in after us and had their rooms ready before us. Once we entered the room we were greeted with the smallest single beds I have ever seen. The room was a room with a adjoining door, this door was broken and did not lock, which is a major security concern for two young women alone. We found blood on our wall and in one bed as well as a curtain. When this information was shared with the front desk we were met with complete apathy. There was no urgency and no concern. A girl on our trip ended up with bedbugs from this hotel, and the rest of the trip we spent in fear that we too would become contaminated. The air conditioning in the room was broken and when we shared this with the front desk we were told someone would be up to address it which never happened. At once point the temperature in our room exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit when the weather outside did not go above 70. We shared this as a concern about the heat being activated and were told there was none in our room.

The girl that ended up with the bedbugs was told that they would contact a doctor for her l- they called a doctor once and he never arrived. She finally had to resort to calling back to the USA with a tele health appointment in order to be sure that the rash she had was bedbugs. She was confirmed with rjem and covered all over with bites. She had to miss most of her trip cleaning her belongings and the trip did nothing to assist.

Then we went to Paris. The hotel there was no better. Cleanliness and concern and consideration lacking. Each night from midnight to two am there was a intense clanking outside our bedroom that came from the GRAVEYARD we were next to. When we complained about the noise again we were met with zero concern. The beds were just as small, and I had an allergic reaction to something in their linens.

Amsterdam was the only hotel that was nearly worth our money, but on the way there my friends luggage was stolen. When this was reported to the THALYS employees they did absolutely nothing and did not even check the train to see if the luggage had been moved. We made a police report and reported it with EF but there was again no urgency.

The trip home was also a mess. We arrived at the Amsterdam airport 4 hours before our flight (as requested by the airport) and were told we were unable to check in or check our luggage for two more hours. We waited two hours in line and then checked in. We then waited over two and a half hours for security and almost missed our flight, which when we expressed this concern to the airline, and to the airport employees we were regarded with disinterest. We had to run to make it to our flight only to find out our plane had not arrived on time.

Our flight was then delayed over two hours on the tarmac and when we finally took off, we realized we would miss our next flight because we only had a two hour layover. The only reason we managed to make our flight was because the wonderful employees of Dublin airport and their assistance. We ran to our flight again and made it with less than a minute to spare, the doors closing behind us and the plane taking off minutes after we sat down. The travel time that was estimate to take a total of 17 hours for the two flights and all the in between times turned into close to 24 by the end of the time when we arrived home.

Through all of these issues our tour guide was downplaying the seriousness of all these issues. She refused to believe that our friend was actually infested with bedbugs, and did not get a doctor involved, making them call an emergency service in the United States. In addition she told our friend with this affliction to lie to the rest of the trip and not tell us that she had the bedbugs because she did not want to cause a panic. This is a violation of medical codes and could cause serious harm to others. When we had our issue with the stolen luggage she did not want to accompany us to make a police report and only did so after I asked her to come with us.

For a company charging for an “upgraded trip experience” and for the additional money we paid, we did not receive any of the upgraded “4-5 star accommodations”. I want my money back. I look forward to receiving a refund for the “upgraded” part of the experience, and will be sharing the service I received widely throughout my networks.

In May, 2021 I booked Amtrak Vacation tour from Seattle, WA to East Glacier & back for myself and my 13 year old grandson. Booking the trip was the only easy thing to occur. The trip was to leave Seattle at 4:40 pm and arrive in East Glacier at 9:40 am the next day. Dinner & breakfast were included since we had a sleeper compartment. The meals were horrible! They were microwave meals that were tasteless! The best food was the breakfast muffin, which they were out of on the return trip. We were also told there would be an observation car. Unfortunately we did not have it when we boarded and could not enjoy the views at all! We were told onboard that we would not pick up the observation car until Spokane, which for us was the middle of the night! When I booked the trip we were also told the shuttle would enable us to visit Glacier, take a boat cruise on Two Medicine Lake, etc. A car was not needed.
Unfortunately less than two weeks prior to the trip, I received an email that the shuttle was not running and the boat tour was canceled. I immediately tried calling, but they were closed for the weekend. On Monday morning I was on hold for 1 hour 45 minutes and finally hung up. In the afternoon I tried again; I was on hold for 2 hours and when I explained my needs, she said I had to talk to customer relations and proceeded to put me on another hold. When I finally got connected, I immediately asked for their direct number in case we were disconnected and - big surprise - there is no direct line! This is the poorest customer relations in the world! I should have guessed at that point that the company really does not care once they have your money. They were absolutely no help at all. They could not help me rent a car, offer solutions of how to get around, etc. I asked what were we going to do at the lodge, the agent said they do have a pool. When we arrived the pool was not open! The Amtrak representative just apologized, she could not connect me to a supervisor. When I suggested the supervisor could call me back within 24 hours, she took my name & number, but you guessed it - no one called. Customer Service is nonexistent. It was only when I called the Glacier Park Lodge that I learned they had known the shuttle was not running since at least April. Amtrak Vacations lied to me and sold the trip under false pretenses and made no attempt to help me. The Lodge was also able to give me the local name of the car rental and I was finally able to secure a car. To add insult to injury, Amtrak gave me a $100 voucher to use on a future trip with them. I will never go on another Amtrak Vacation! Frank Marini is the CEO of both Yankee Leisure Group (travel company) and Amtrak Vacations. He has worked in the travel industry for many years including Collette Vacations. He is familiar with travel companies and knows they offer great customer relations; and many offer refunds when things go wrong - why is so adamant about the "no refund" policy? I would question any company affiliated with him. Beware and do not book with Amtrak Vacations.

I booked a trip with EF Ultimate Break in October for a trip leaving in May. Of course, that trip was rightfully cancelled because of COVID19. What isn’t right is that this company refuses to give refunds for the trip they themselves cancelled. Our options are an expiring trip voucher or to take a refund minus a thousand dollars. I even paid for their insurance and they’re refusing to give a full refund. They’re taking advantage of a pandemic to steal money from young travelers who trusted them with thousands of dollars. They don’t care about their customers and they are not to be trusted with anyone’s money.

Recently completed Intrepid’s Essential Japan tour for 18-29 year olds. Absolutely loved it. Had an amazing and knowledgeable guide, who always went above and beyond to make sure guests were having a great time. Intrepid believe in supporting local businesses, staying in local hostels as well as eating at small, local restaurants. It was great exploring Japan as a local and knowing that Intrepid believes in supporting the small guys as well as sustainable travel. Would definitely book my next tour with them again!

We just wrapped up a Tanzania family safari. It was an incredible experience!

Even the cook made sure my picky teenager would like his breakfast by fixing him his scrambled eggs the way he likes them.

I’ve been dreaming of this trip with my son for a long time and I’m glad I booked it with you guys! We’ll cherish the memories we made for ever

If you’re looking for a real adventure kinda trip then go with Intrepid!

Thank you Thank you Thank you
Johan & Maxime

In July 2018 I booked a trip for 2 to GNP in July 2019. My husband and I are both older with some mobility issues, so I made sure to book a bedroom. I paid in full in January. 2.5 weeks before we were to depart, Amtrak notified my agent that they didn't have a bedroom and would give us two roomettes (room too small, bunks too small, no toilet for old people who need to pee a million times at night). My agent tried for a week to get them to give me a bedroom, but they kept saying "the trains were rearranged and we don't have a bedroom. But we'll keep trying to get one for them." Needless to say, we cancelled the trip (had to cancel or lose money on hotels) and figure out something else to do with our airline tickets. NEVER NEVER EVER WILL I USE AMTRAK; AND I WILL WARN ALL MY FRIENDS, RELATIVES, AND ACQUAINTANCES TO AVOID IT AS WELL. STAY AWAY!!!!!!

This is an excellent jam packed tour of Costa Rica & Panama. The stops are excellent, particularly Corcovado and san Gerardo de Dota. Andres is a brilliant guide and you would be extremely lucky to have him as your group leader.