Grand Circle Travel Review

I have been on 20 trips with Grand Circle/Oats. Every one has been great! I have gone with other well known tour companies when GC/Oats does not go to a certain place and have always been disappointed. I call frequently when I have a question and I never have a very long wait. If they don't have an answer they will find out the correct answer. It is so nice that they will take care of tips along the way so you don"t have to travel with a pocket full of $1.

Recently completed a Christmas Market cruise on the Danube. I cannot say enough positive things abour Grand Circle Travel. The agents who handled our reservations and airline itineraries went above and beyond to meet our needs in an expedient and efficient manner..
All cruise staff were exceptional in terms of friendliness, hospitality and accommodating can-do attitudes. We had a wonderful, knowledgeable tour guide named Stefan who made sure that we got the most from each venue we visited. The ship we sailed on was lovely, the food and dining room service were exceptional. Our every need was anticipated and met graciously by staff. Thank you, GCT, we have already booked our next cruise!

September 20, 2017

CUBA TRIP CANCELLED

The trip should have been cancelled long before. GC got to keep our dollars the longer they waited -- 20 in the group at $5000+ each.

We are so unhappy with GRAND CIRCLE/OAT the way they handled the Cuba cancellation. We took our full refund from them as we will go with another group for our next travel adventure. This was our first tour with GC/OAT. We have traveled with GoAhead and Tauck--never a problem. I realize the hurricane issue was unique. OAT had cancelled the Cuba tour before us.

Hurricane Irma was September 9, and I was reading all sorts of warnings not to travel to Cuba -- the Miami Hearld and the State Department. OAT did not communicate with us until they cancelled the trip September 18. We were to leave on the 26th. Several of us were calling and were told "we are working with this on a day to day basis. I wrote support several times but no answer. I wonder if on a day to day basis, they were looking at the photos and devastation I was looking at.

Now they will only credit our VISA account with our refund. As of 9/20 we do not have our refund.

Carla and Bill Mundt
Oregon

We just returned home from a fantastic tour of Chile, Argentina and Brasil. It was more than I ever expected. The local guides were very informative. The hotels were all beautiful. We had a room in Buenos Aires that had bad AC, so we were immediately given a new room. One woman fell and broke her shoulder. Our tour guide was great. Stayed with her at the clinic until 1am. The lecturers were so well spoken . This was our second trip with GC and we are already planning the next one.

We just returned from a Grand Circle trip in England ,Scotland and Wales.It exceeded our expectations primarily because of our excellent guide Jackie.We got more than we expected with additional perks and offerings.The hotels were very nice.It should be noted that AC is often not available and some may not have lifts.
We all felt safe and well cared for by Jackie.She is a true professional.

Grand circle cancelled our trip on march13th trip was on 17th. We were given the option that they would return our money. Today found out they changed their mind only option is to take another trip. When told that wasn t good for us ,they didn t care. By the way I am an inner circle member, but won t be any.more
Greta phila.

I've traveled with this company 4 times and find the value and service outstanding. If you are on a slim budget try the " last minute" opportunities. We got an incredible deal on a river cruise two months out.

We are scheduled for a trip in the fall of 2017 and hope we will love the river boat. However, we are feeling a bit uncertain about the trip as Customer Service seems impossible to contact.

Have taken 12 trips overseas with this company and each one has been wonderful.

I was in England when my upcoming cruise around the British Isles was cancelled. The company did not even notify me! They cancelled the tour and my flight back and told me nothing about it! I found out from friends, then had a terrible time trying to contact Grand Circle and get a flight back. I was put on hold and not called back for hours while I worried in my hotel room about what to do. I have done 7 trips with Grand Circle, with mixed results from good to terrible. All I have received so far is a cursory apology and no reply to the letter I wrote to the chairman, Alan Lewis.

We have been on 2 trips with Grand Circle and were impressed with the service we received aboard the boat as well as the depth of knowledge of the program directors. I would recommend Grand Circle to anyone who wants to be a traveler, not just a tourist. We are planning to go on the Baltic Sea cruise in October and are taking a friend with us.

This place is terrible. Do not book/work here. I wish I could give them negative stars.

This used to be a good company. We have been happy with many trips over the years. However, this pandemic has hurt them financially, and it appears that their new policy is to pass this financial strain onto their customers!! We booked trips for FOUR of our family members. They had to cancel them because of the worldwide crisis. HOWEVER, THEY NOW REFUSE TO REFUND ANY OF THE FUNDS, for TRIP, TRAVEL, INSURANCE, AND THEN -- WITHOUT OUR PERMISSION - THEY HAVE REBOOKED ALL OF US ON DIFFERENT TRIPS!! EVERY PHONE CALL IS A 90 MINUTE EXERCISE IN FRUSTRATION AND STRESS.....AND THEY ARE USING DECEPTIVE PRACTICES TO KEEP THE MONEY (ALMOST $40,000) AND ARE COMPLETELY REFUSING TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED REFUNDS. We now have to hire an attorney to take legal action and force them to do what they should have done. We have traveled with Grand Circle for TEN YEARS, but with this, they have ruined their reputation and lost our business forever. They do not understand that this attempt at deception and greed has cost them much more in reputation and repeat business. THIS ONCE GOOD COMPANY HAS RUINED THEIR REPUTATION BECAUSE THEY DON'T SEEM TO HAVE A LONG TERM VIEW

Katrina Reynolds and her company are SCAM ARTISTS!!! She took my 78 year old mothers hard earned money a year in advanced for a cruise. Katrina Reynolds then Cancels the cruise and refuses to refund my mother. Not only that; but refuses to Refund the entire Church Group that was going to take that cruise. Do Not do business with these evil thieves or it ll cost you!

Regarding OAT no single supplement policy. This is really a scam. They claim to have no single supplement policy, but then offer couples a $1500. to $2000. credit to book a trip. They offer singles nothing. This in effect charges singles a premium to travel. If there really was a no single supplement, they would offer singles 1/2 of the couples credit. Am I the only one to figure this out this scam. OAT charges a single supplement. They are depending on the stupidity of clients to not figure out their shell game.

Been on 6 trips with the best program directors. Have seen more of the world, customs, and people than any other company . Also, easy for a solo traveler and reasonable prices .

They are great when everything goes smoothly. They can't handle anything out of ther ordinary. They obviously canceled my May 6 trip to New York. First they promised me a full refund which makes sense especially since that's what the DOT is requiring. Then they changed their minds and said they booked me for a trip next year. [ without discussing it with me] I told them I would like the refund as promised since I can't commit to travel next year due to medical and personal issues. They refused. They did I have to travel during the year or lose the money. How absorb. You can't speak to a supervisor and they don't call you back. It's a disgrace.
I also had a problem in Peru. It was during hurracaine irene and flights were canceled. Thet couldn't help me get a flight home.
I.m very disappointed in the lack of professionalism and competency on their part.

Absolutely awful company, both for the clients and their employees. If I could give -5 I would. There is a high markup charged to clients on everything from flights to hotels. Where they totally rip people off is excursions, adding a crazy 40% on top of the actual cost.

We are on our 9th,10th, 11th? (we lost count) Trip with them. It is beyond fine sightseeing and accommodations. They take great care to give you true clear insight, understanding and feel of the people and places you visit. We wiil continue to better explore and understand the world with them. Not extragant, but very comfortable value.

Finally....exploring new countries is fun and stress free!

Avoid OAT and Grand Circle for your travel needs. When I canceled a pre paid trip on April 4, 2020 .... over a year before the trip was to begin in May 2021 .... OAT representatives indicated I would be getting my trip refunded, less $600 cancelation fee, in 2-4 weeks. When no refund was received, I contacted OAT reps and was informed that the refund policy had changed. We were NOT going to get our money back, that it would be credited to a future reservation.

Our cancelation was prior to their policy change. But that doesn t seem to matter to OAT/Grand Circle.

So .... I recommend avoiding this company completely. If you do decide to use them for travel, I recommend minimal down payments of money until the last possible date before the trip.

I traveled 10 trips with OAT. Probably spent $100k in travel with them in the past 9 years. Now they are stiffing me for $10k in an unethical manner. I do not recommend traveling with either OAT or their parent Grand Circle.

Grand Circle Travel always has great specials and last minute specials if you can go on short notice. You can request a roommate if you travel solo to save on the single supplement but if they can't match you, you keep your room all to yourself with no single supplement fee. Always request a roommate and you might luck out either way.

I went to Belgium and Holland on a 11 day cruise and saw all but three windmills in the country, actually walked inside one, went to a tulip farm and was allowed to pick tulips that the farm gave to us for free, went to a tulip auction where they auction every color, the stems, the leaves, and it all happens so quickly. After breakfast every morning there is a walking tour of the port city where we docked for the day. The tour brings you back for lunch and then you're free to explore on your own in the afternoon. Both Holland and Belgium were beautiful in the springtime with the flowers in full bloom. Bicycles are everywhere and is their main mode of transportation. You see them parked on the bridges over the canals, people riding them, families riding together, bike riders with groceries, and people walking them. The red light district was very interesting but you are not allowed to take pictures of the women. I waved to all of them as we were walking past their windows and some waved back. Plan your trip around the tulip blooming season and enjoy!

I have a trip planned w/ these guys and have been trying for 3 days to get through on the phone to upgrade my airline part. No luck - I put my phone on "speaker" and cleaned my office - up to 3 hours on hold now, one hour for each day - and still on hold. I would be careful about booking w/ this company despite their bragging about high reviews. No answers to my emails either. They seem quick to sell you expensive trips but slow in every other part of customer service.

Excellent service on ship, considerate of their clients, wonderful discovery trips.

My wife and I have used Grand Circle for three River Cruises. Service is 1st class, meals on the ship are fantastic! We are planning to take another Cruise in the next few months. Guides are experienced.

6 months ago, it would have been 5 stars but recent experiences have not been good. My trip was cancelled (not their fault) but I was in India so by the time I was able to review the information I only had one option or to wait over a year. I would have chosen another option. I am a 23 trip traveler and recently was given a cabin on a ship (not a single) that was up against a brick wall, another time under the dock. What I am saying is there is no such thing as a preferred traveler with this organization. They make no effort to make accommodations. The trips themselves have been great and the tour guides fantastic.

They're very friendly and supportive. Also they give back a lot to the community. I love this place

I worked there for one year and 6 months.. Grand Circle does not value the employee they overwork the employees and set unrealistic expectations. Mandatory weekly overtime from 4-8 hours... Overwhelming and hard to assist customers on call when everyone is breathing down your neck, timing how long you are in the bathroom to about how long you should talk to the customer (unrealistic goal) but find a way to assist them with why they called in and also get your metrics out of the way like asking for TPC etc etc. Very stressful environment. theirs a difference between a fast paced and GCT.

We ve been on 1 trip with OAT. It was very enjoyable. Recently booked another trip with them. I had a 5% credit with them which is being reduced to 3% because we ll be traveling 12 days after the deadline! I can t travel by the deadline because I need a treatment at Dana-Farmer in Boston 2 days before our travel date. The request for an exception was DENIED. We are paying over $13000 and apparently a $225 reduction cannot be negotiated.
How petty are these people!

We have taken many trips with GCT and OAT. My husband and I have been please with all aspects of planning, booking and taking trips with GCT and OAT! Their tour guides are the BEST!!!

Great river cruises when you know your cabin but BEWARE of land tours and the fine print about hotels "or similar". They are NOT similar. Just received final documents and two hotels were changed to a much lower standard hotels (just look at Trip Advisor reviews) in POOR locations in Prague and St. Petersburg Russia. 3 nights in a bad location in Russia with dinner and "free time" on my own is NOT similar. And we went from a lovely hotel in Prague near the river to an industrial area that I can get for $38 per night on line.

I will be very hesitant to ever book anything with GCT again that includes hotel stays.

Today, July 1, 2017, I was on hold on the phone for airline assistance for 70 minutes and then got an answering machine that said "Are u still there"? I never did get through to a service rep. This is not the 1st time I have had trouble with customer service. GCT is very understaffed. I do not recommend booking a trip with them.

March, 2016
The Great Rivers of Europe Grand Circle Cruise Line

We cruised on the Aria for 14 days. What a wonderful experience.
The river cruise ship captain, crew and our program directors were outstanding...especially Mihai our appointed Program Director for our group.We returned from our cruise with a greater knowledge of history, culture, architecture and music than we thought possible. The cabins were extremely clean...food was delicious with cultural dishes and a "bon appetit" from our servers every meal. The presentations by our program directors, guest speakers, music from a Shanty Mens choral group, glass blowing demonstration...never left of bored (Is it time for a short nap?).
Walking thru the cities using the earphones was perfect..We heard every word (and breath) of our Program Director...Mihai paced our daily walks over cobblestone streets always telling stories and historical information about our present location...Everything was extremely well planned and coordinated by the Program Director, including having the opportunity to speak with citizens from the city on the street (people Mihai knew). The cruise was 'smooth sailing' unlike anything we have experienced. As we passed villages, castles, ruins information was delivered over the speaker system while we sat in the lobby drinking hot chocolate, tea, coffees and cappuccinos. The upper outside deck provided for perfect photographing. The cruise was a nonstop GO but that is what we traveled through 4 countries to do. (I did go to bed early to re-energize.)
We extended our cruise for 3 days in Vienna and were happy we did. We had our past Program Director, Mihai, exploring the city by bus, day and night, learning the subway system and guiding us on endless walking tours (still the red flag in view). The early hour rising for the (Vienna Opera tour happened to be a personal tour for the 11 of us....) Thank you Mihai...what a fabulous experience..never to be forgotten! I experienced a health issue during the cruise and Mihai located a doctor for me to see and found a 'pharmacy' open on Good Friday and picked up my medication. THIS is Grand Circle. Guests are their top priority, as well as making it through the locks along the way with total ease!
Thank you Grand Circle...we will be back soon! 5 Stars and More!
Mary Ann Olson & Clayton Olson - Florida