Collette Tours Reviews

I just returned from a trip to Jerusalem...I had waited my whole life to go! Had it not been for our wonderful guide, I would have left on the second day. The whole trip was a hectic mess...it had been advertised as a pilgrimage, but there was very little spiritual benefit or activities. The bus rides were so long, and then we had only a very brief time to visit a site...we were even thrown out of a major church after only five minutes. I agree with others on this site, that the transportation issues were horrendous. Collette canceled an all-important trip to Mount Carmel with no notice which was a disappointment to many as we came from a Carmelite national shrine. Again, I wish to say had it not been for our guide (Rami) the whole thing would have been beyond horrible. Two people were injured, one requiring surgery upon his return to the states. We were rushed, exhausted, and led about by a time table that was close to twelve hours a day. There was no time to sit and savor the sites or to pray. At this point, most of the trip was a blur.

I do have to say that the hotels were fine, and the food was passable. Myself and a few others backed out of two bus trips and set out on our own...because we couldn't take the frantic pace anymore. At this point, I am planning to return to Jerusalem on my own to complete the objectives of my pilgrimage. It is a terrible thing to take money from people and leave us so frustrated and unhappy. Most people will never be able to return. For shame.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I just came back from Germany: Romantic Rd/cities tour every day, the entire trip my friend and I were aggravated and so bored. Up 5:30 am daily for 11 days, we wanted to literally go home, the trip was absolutely boring and you're on the go to a little cute area that’s as big as baseball field for hours with boring tours of the cities with a guided tour before you're back on the bus for hours continuing your trip like this boring for 8 days. The only nice place was Rothenburg, which you don’t need two nights there just one, but it was for two, and Munich with Bavaria to Ludwig’s castle was nice. This was a disaster trip. I used Collette twice before had no problem but this trip is making me stop taking tours with them.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I just wanted to say that the tour we took to Spain was horrible. Collette markets themselves as "first class." Wrong...

Example: The tour bus we had was cramped, absolutely NO legroom, we were told not to use the onboard bathroom as then we would have to spend time driving around Spain looking for a receptacle to dump it. We ate at "TRUCK STOPS," yes, truck stops! There were 45 people in this tour and we had absolutely NO TIME to do anything but stand in lines - a line for the bathroom, a line for food, and with our guide telling us we had TEN minutes, hurry up. We had ZERO time to shop, we spent the time, that's right, in "touring lines," forming lines to walk through the town, touring one church after another church. We came home with NOTHING purchased from Spain...and the meals that were covered in the tour package? Never included a good variety of fish. If you were lucky you had "hake fish" to choose as one and only fish option, the rest was pasta, lots of bread...very sad.

If you have had this kind of experience with them, the only thing I say that will call their attention to this, is to demand your money back for the price of the tour. Complaints alone just don't do it.

But here's an update: I sent in my letter complaining above and received a phone call from Collette rep. I demanded 1/2 minimum of my tour package price back...Today he called back to say "they do not refund for reviews of this nature." What? How bad does a tour have to be in order to get a refund....

All I can say to you out there, let the buyer beware.

Not worth the money we paid, for our 27th Wedding Anniversary! Yep, that's right. I don't know how they are getting more than two stars overall.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

We booked this tour through Ohio AAA Members Choice. It was never represented to us that it was a Collette Tour. We were told we would have afternoons free, which was untrue. The tour guides and coach driver were excellent, and we saw much of the United Kingdom, but it was too rushed. The hotel in York was a smelly cheap Holiday Inn. The rest of the hotels were 4-star. Although we enjoyed our time, we would not go on another Collette Tour, too much with not enough time spent anywhere. Too rushed.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Left for guided tour 10 days. Destination Israel. Flight on El Al was direct but I was told I did not need to upgrade because El Al had extra leg room...not so.

From day one, my wife and I were hurried to the bus, lunch, and back on the bus. The trip was a nightmare, even when the bus ran over a piece of luggage in their haste to keep on schedule.

I can go on and on, but I feel it would be futile to warn people of such tours.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I booked a tour to France, was to receive documents three weeks prior to departure, but I never received them. I called, they then said 14 days prior, I was to receive the documents no later than today, but I never received them. I called again and they said they never sent them and will send sometime next week, maybe Tuesday, and everyone is gone for the weekend, so no manager was available to help until Monday. That leaves if mailed Tuesday, maybe received by Friday or Saturday or later, if received at all. Find a company that cares and is not just taking your money and giving you the runaround. It is not worth it when there are so many other, better companies who care.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

This tour to the UK and Ireland was our first with Collette and certainly will not be our last. It was a wonderful experienced. There is a lot packed into two weeks, but we were fortunate to be lead by Norman Greene. What a treat! Poor guy had a coach full of seniors with varying degrees of temperament, but he never showed any signs of frustration or ill temper. He had a wealth of information and in general, a very nice man. We would tour with him anytime!

We saw everything from sheep herding in Ireland to the Edinburgh Scottish Tattoo in Scotland. I can't wait for our next trip! Highly recommend this tour! Collette also did a great job with pre-trip readiness.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I convinced my husband to go to Ireland, I looked at many tours but decided on Collette. Fiona was wonderful, well organized, and very nice. Nick was our excellent driver and Jaimie filled in one day with a very scary ride down from the Ring of Kerry, but he did a great job, nothing was better than this trip.

Limerick was probably my least favorite and Killarney was my favorite, it was such a beautiful buggy ride over the island by a boat. It was a beautiful area, wish we could have stayed one more day and two days at Cabra Castle. It was so beautiful and would be a relaxing day before we got home. We enjoyed how beautiful it was. We had a bus with 43 wonderful people all so congenial and friendly.

Thank you Collette tour, Fiona, Nick, and Jaimie for making us have such a wonderful tour. Hopefully, I can convince my husband to "cross the pond again!"

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

My son Steven and I went on a Collette tour and cruise on the 4th of October 2017. We were the only two from England, the rest of the party came from America and Canada. One person from Canada was a doctor and another a lady called Evelyn, also a lady who was a midwife from the USA. Many of the passengers whilst on Victoria cruise were taken very poorly, me in particular, and I had to be taken to the hospital, transferred from the boat to hospital in China by ambulance suffering from salmonella, septicemia, etc.

We had a photo taken and many people had the booklet signed, with email addresses by other passengers but unfortunately, we did not get ours signed. I would be very happy to hear from some of the other passengers regarding the holiday experiences, particularly the outbreak.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I am very dissatisfied with Collette and its tour director. This company only offers panoramic tours. In our case, people in our tour had to pay to get into the Alhambra and the arts and science museum in Valencia, even though Collette said we were going to get inside those places. The tour director is not qualified. Lacks empathy, promised we were going to Montjuic to see the water fountain color and sound show and just took us back to the hotel.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I had the opportunity to go on a tour of South Africa with friends planned by Collette Tours. I found that during the planning process that there were a few mishaps with Collette, including not being able to identify the group when I called Collette to answer a question, canceling not once but twice, an informative session with the group and failure of Collette to follow-up with concerns that came up with the trip on our return.

Things Collette did well: picking wonderful hotels for us to stay in, sending a beautiful package prior to our leaving and before leaving a willingness to correct problems (I haven't seen this on our return). I would like to see Collette improve on activities and places we visited while in South Africa. Our tour was 14 days and we visited a winery for 3 days, a riverfront hotel for 3 days and though they were beautiful places, we really did not have an opportunity to visit surrounding areas as the hotels were off the beaten path and we didn't have evening transportation, missing museums, art galleries, nightlife, etc., for us to get a taste of the different cities of South Africa.

In 14 days, we had a one-day safari, visited a diamond "factory" that was actually a diamond store in downtown Cape Town where we were greeted with champagne and cappuccino, with the goal for us to spend money. I actually was encouraged and previewed diamond earrings on sale for $13500, a diamond bracelet for $100000! We visited an aloe "factory" to buy aloe products and with the exception of going to the Apartheid museum, the ostrich farm and paying to have dinner with a local family, we never visited something that was for the purpose of seeing what made South Africa special.

We spent many hours on the bus and given the opportunity to see many Dutch buildings and churches in most of the cities we visited, the beautiful coastline of South Africa and the winery. All nice, but not what I think about when I think of South Africa. If we had visited these places for a few hours and not spent days, I believe my trip would have been more enjoyable. On return, I have compared my trip with other South African tours online and I feel cheated.

I suggest before booking this tour that you compare. I can't blame anyone but myself for not checking out Collette and their idea of what should be seen on a visit to South Africa!

Happy travels.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

We had booked a trip to Costa Rica in March but had to cancel due to a no flying order after emergency eye surgery. I had declined trip insurance due to the high cost (over $800). We lost $1100 due to the 30% penalty on the land portion. The airfare was nonrefundable.

I called American Airlines looking for a future travel credit. AA said that Collette had not paid them and there was no value on the tickets. This means Collette gets to keep all $1660 for airfare portion! This is theft by any other name.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Collette uses Trip Mate travel insurance, which may or may not be a subsidiary of Collette. Collecting $700.00 up front months in advance (6 months plus) and refusing to refund when the trip is canceled 6 plus months ahead of time is dishonest, theft and criminal. When you steal from senior citizens 75+ years of age, the world needs to stop doing business with this dishonest business. All Christian organizations need to boycott these people.

I expect this review, which is totally true and honest, will be deleted from public view. If this happens, their public relation problems will be just beginning and not ruling out Class Action filings at the Federal Level.

Shame on these dishonest crooks.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I booked a trip to Iceland to see the Northern Lights dance before I died. It was Collette's tour called ICELAND'S MAGICAL NORTHERN LIGHTS TOUR (October 14, 2017). I had gone through a few bad years and needed to find some peace in my heart, so I maxed out my Visa and sold a lot of personal possessions to do this.

On the second day I was sick with a lung infection. I told the tour manager and he blew it off. The next day he asked people not to wear scents. I was extremely ill, and on the 4th day went to get on the bus and the strong smell of disinfectant and perfume made me so ill I left the bus bawling my eyes out and telling the tour manager that I needed help, I was sick and just could not do this anymore. His solution was to put me on another bus when I could barely hold my head up. I had a fever and chills and was non stop coughing. He told me before I got on the other bus that I could grab a taxi if I wanted, from the Blue Lagoon (when we got there) to the hospital in Reykjavik. I did not have the $200 cash the cab would have cost, and I was scared going by myself, so I did not go. Because of this tour managers neglect, I lost my whole trip.

This tour manager also neglected to make alternate arrangements to see the Northern Lights, and because of his neglect we missed seeing the lights dance, the only night they were visible.

I had purchased almost $400.00 worth of insurance. I called the insurance company when I came home and asked if there could have been a reason Collette did not get me help. I thought that maybe it was because we were a fair distance for medical help. The insurance company told me I was insured for $100,000.00 medical and that even if I had to take an ambulance that cost five thousand dollars, it would have been covered. His negligence also cost most of the other 40 people on that bus to get sick.

Besides that, they boast 4-star hotels and food. Well at the Katla Hotel, I had to clean both pubic hair and hair off the bathroom floor, and my bed sheets were dirty and I found a hair and dirt inside the bed. The food we were served for two days were leftovers and disgusting. I tried to work this out with the General Manager at Collette and the way he skirted around what happened was disheartening. He did not care at all; it was all about the money.

Well, now I am taking them to Small Claims where I hope to recoup some of my losses, but I have been left traumatized by the whole experience. Do not use this company; your life is at stake.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

We recently concluded a tour with Collette seeing their highlights of Morocco. The itinerary that appeared on paper seemed to be great. The food described sounded incredible and places used for accommodations as well seemed terrific.

DISAPPOINTMENT.

First and foremost, I'm a practicing physician. I know how to avoid situations where hygiene and safety pose potential problems. I deal daily with children experiencing diarrhea and vomiting, as well as other infectious childhood illnesses.

This trip made it impossible unless you brought your own food in sealed packages to prevent acute gastroenteritis disease. The restaurants chosen (one exception) and the hotels/riad (one exception) were breeding grounds for disease.

We were a group of 24 guests, and 20-21 were acutely ill with acute GI symptoms. This was in no small part due to lack of hygiene at the establishments we ate in, including where we had our breakfasts daily. The 3 worse offenders were at the 2 Xaluca Hotels we were using and their buffets for dinner.

However, in my opinion, by far the biggest offender was at the Opera Plaza Resort in Marrakech. I was wittiness to the person preparing our omelets doing so without any gloves while also handling raw eggs. This same person, having the same raw egg on the hand, while then picking up just cooked crepes to then give to a guest. The raw egg then dripped onto the prepared crepes as well. It was then given to this unsuspecting hotel guest. As I then walked past this station, another person was at the buffet area touching almost every roll on the table with his bare fingers checking to see if they were soft (no gloves).

No wonder we all had illnesses, if this were in any other country, I believe the health department would have shut them down.

What we paid for was purported to be a "trip of a lifetime," it was as far from that as possible. No one expects to get sick when away on vacation, precautions are definitely made by oneself to prevent such occurrences, but in the case of this tour, whoever or whomever is responsible for quality control of the establishments chosen for their guests to use, is at fault. They missed the mark.

My wife and I are definitely world travelers, we have been to 6 of the 7 continents, used everything from very basic tour companies to truly 5-star super luxury. Never have we been so disappointed, nor experienced so many persons ill while on tours. I can absolutely pinpoint by the onset of symptoms when and where these illnesses began.

It is the responsibility of Collette to ensure that this doesn't happen ever again. Until I can be guaranteed this, Collette is not an option for us for travel, and I would advise others to do their homework before they plan this vacation.

Morocco should have been as described, "a trip of a lifetime,"until fixed, AVOID Collette as the vehicle to get you there.

P.S. Kudos to Rick's Cafe in Casablanca for a fine welcoming dinner and the Riad Yacout in Fez; exceptional food, cleanliness and accommodations fit for royalty. You were the only true shining stars on this trip.

Also disappointed that Collette does not offer a forum on their website to post a current review by a guest who has used their company. Shame on them.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

From beginning to the end, it was not organized. I was forced to stand in line every place we went, waiting to be fed, but the guide didn't make reservations. The guide lost people, forcing us to stand in the hot sun for hours. We went to a Broadway show where my wife and I were forced to sit on opposite sides of the room. When I complained to the main offices, I was told 70% of the people were ok with the trip and that was fine with them. Sorry, a refund of two meals will not do it.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

My husband and I are seasoned travelers. We decided to do a bus tour for the first time. Unfortunately, Tauck (friends gave me glowing recommendations) was totally booked for the America's Music Tour, so we ended up with Collette.

The guides/bus driver were wonderful. The hotel in Nashville was awful! The rooms were not properly cleaned, especially the bathroom. We came in late and were exhausted. Housekeeping came and cleaned a bit and they offered to come in the following morning to steam clean and sterilize the bathroom while we were out.

Probably as a result of the aggressive attempt to clean the facilities, the toilet was broken. They made 4 different attempts to repair it over a 4-day period. Finally, they called in a master plumber the night before we checked out. The hotel was unable to change our room.

Collette was aware of the issue while we were in Nashville. I contacted them upon our return and spoke to a supervisor named Ryan. He offered to send me a letter of apology. I said, "not acceptable."

Next I was told they would give us $150 towards our next trip with them, but it had to be within the one year period. Really? That is what they offer all their customers who have traveled on one of their tours if they sign up again.

Finally, they send us their customer satisfaction policy. Apparently, they don't care if you are dissatisfied. Isn't that nice! So why travel and spend your hard earned dollars with Collette?

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I have booked tours with Collette eight times. We booked America's music city into New Orleans on the 8th of October. Hurricane Nate affected this tour. Collette refuses to cancel when my airlines has already done so due to safety. We have travel insurance that Collette will not refund the cost even though this is a natural disaster. Is money more important than safety? This is the last time I book with them or encourage anyone to use their service.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

My husband Joe and I went on a music tour of New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville. It was an amazing trip, and we would highly recommend it to our friends and family. Our tour guide, Clinton Scott, was first class. He was so knowledgeable about every area we were traveling too, as well as being very entertaining; he looked after us all so well. Our driver Alvin drove us to every destination safely, he was a true gentleman. The tour covered all the best places to see in each location, as well as some free time to explore on our own. Our hotels were very good, and the food was excellent.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Collette Tours is only interested in your money.

I am flying from New York to Sydney, Australia. My sister requested a window seat, and I requested an aisle seat. We were advised that we were in a center seat for over 19 hours. I spoke to Delta Airlines, but the seats could not be changed. Delta advised that they had seats in the Delta Comfort section but it would cost more money, and the agency would need to request the change. I was advised to make the change as soon as possible.

Collette Tours was called and given the information. I had my credit card ready to pay for the seats, but the agent advised she could not guarantee the seats. I told the agent to call Delta because the seats were available. The agent took five days to contact the airlines, and the seats were taken by then. I paid over $8,000 for my trip and was willing to pay additional money for the seats.

In addition, we were told that we would leave out of the airport in New Jersey, but we have to travel to New York. The tours begin in Cairns, Australia and we are flying into Sydney with a 5-hour layover. We should have flown directly into Cairns. We are wasting an entire day flying into Sydney, or the tour should have started in Sydney.

BEWARE of this agency!

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

We booked an Italian Vista tour through Marriott Vacation Club. The tour was for May 24 - June 4, 2016. Since we were on a seven-day cruise, we didn't join the tour until the second morning, in Rome. All we really missed was the evening get-acquainted dinner the night before. Our cruise arrived at 6:00 AM. A car was waiting that took us right to the hotel. When we arrived they had our room keys ready, and we checked in and had time for breakfast. We were able to join the morning tour of Rome. I was in touch with the tour leader, Jose, by email and cell phone prior to joining the group. The tour itself was a great experience, and we will definitely use Collette again. They stay in nice hotels right near the places you want to be. The meals are very good, and the coach is comfortable. Jose, our guide was fabulous, and constantly provided helpful tips where ever we stopped. I became ill with bronchitis and Jose helped me get the medicine I needed. I celebrated a birthday during the tour, and he also provided a special birthday torte in recognition of my birthday. My wife and I stayed in Italy for another week after the tour, and Jose provided us with helpful information regarding train travel and sight-seeing. It was the best vacation of our lives (and we have had many).

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I had a great experience with Collette. If you don't like buses choose a spotlight tour. Otherwise, how else are you supposed to get to all of those places? The tour guide I had was great. Flights were fine, food was what you would expect for Germany and Austria locale. I don't know what other people expect but I found this tour to be absolutely wonderful!

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

September 2015 I went on a UK, Scotland, Wales tour with Collette. We spent an inordinate amount of time sitting on a bus getting to your next destination.

Our time at Stonehenge was too short. We did not have time need to appropriately explore the site.

At the Cotswolds we were given 1 1/2 hours to site see and eat lunch. In order to see the sites at this location I was unable to eat lunch.

In the towns that had museums we arrived too late in the day for them to be open and left too early in the morning to visit them.

In Costa Rica we spent 2 days at a luxury resort instead of visiting cacao farms, pineapple plantations, banana plantations, or national parks.

In NYC our time at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island were very short. The tour manager lacked communication skills.

On the three trips I have been on (UK, Costa Rica, and NYC), flight arrangements have been terrible. We fly in around midnight, it is another hour to the hotel, luggage has to be delivered, then we are expected to be ready to go and enjoy the day touring after 3 hours sleep.

The tours I have been on have been poorly planned and put together by Collette. The choice of sites visited need review and certainly do not justify the miles traveled.

Not knowing what to expect we relied on and trusted that Collette Tours would provide a meaningful and enjoyable tour. We were so wrong. I will not be recommending Collette to any of my friends.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Went on the Bella Italia tour April 16-April 24: Venice, Florence, and Rome.

The trip was fantastic! I had never been on a guided tour before so didn't know what to expect.

From start to finish our tour director did an excellent job of creating a real community feeling with our group.

There was a great blending and balance of walking tours, shopping opportunities, and free time.

The hotels we stayed in were very good, I think 4 star. The daily tour guides were excellent.

I really enjoyed myself and so did my sister. We are already checking out trips for next year.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

In October 2015, my husband and I took a bus tour of Ireland. This tour was offered through Marriott Vacation Club and provided by Collette Tours. What a rip off. What a waste of our Marriott points, time and money.

It was advertised as a ten day tour when in actuality it was 6 and a half days. Your personal travel days, getting to and from the tour, are counted as tour days. Collette transfers getting you to and from the tour were $50 per person one way. We later learned that a taxi would have costs approximately $30 one way for your entire party. Quite a mark-up.

The accommodations were three star at best; the tour guide seemed to have minimal personal knowledge of the tour/country, and in fact "read" her entire 6 day tour from her iPad. (Boring!) She often deflected questions she could not answer. At one point along the tour I looked to the back of the bus and found all other tour goers asleep or with their eyes shut.

One day we spent 2+ hours traveling to what was highlighted as a working farm. Except for the chained up dog, there were no animals at this property, no sheep, no cows, no nothing! Further, there was no farm activity of any type, nor scent of farm. According to the owner of the property, the farm had not been operating for quite sometime.

Another highlight of the tour was to visit a whiskey distillery and become "engaged in the process" of whiskey making. Well, no whiskey was made at the distillery. The operation, rather making of whiskey, had been moved to a different site many years prior. The only process you become engaged in is what you can imagine the process being from information disseminated by a distillery representative.

You spend an inordinate amount of time sitting on a bus getting to your next destination. You fly by numerous sites and castles that you would have loved to see and perhaps take a photo.

This tour was poorly planned and put together by Collette. The choice of sites visited need review and certainly do not justify the miles traveled.

Not knowing what to expect we relied on and trusted that Collette Tours together with Marriott would provide a five star tour. We were so wrong.

Upon our return we advised both Marriott and Collette management of our comments and concerns. Collette has taken a defensive position leaving one to assume they have no interest in change or improvement. Marriott is investigating our claims of misrepresentations, comments, and concerns.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

If you're planning an upscale vacation, you can avoid this company. We just finished a "drive by" tour of UK and Ireland. All 42 of us were jammed into a BUS with an American guide who just regurgitated what she had read or she just read the info from her iPad. It was obvious she had little experience and only minimal local knowledge. We like to experience little local culture, humor, etc. When we travel we enjoy meeting local tour guides to enrich the experience. This almost never happened. The hotels were 3 stars with the most uncomfortable beds.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend