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Tour Types
- Classic
- Exploration
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- River Cruise
- Spotlights
Enjoy a refined take on the art of group travel.
Experience true adventures on these Collette small group tours.
Set out on an inspiring journey on these faith-based travel experiences.
Explore the world's most beautiful waterways.
Come to know your destination during a single-hotel stay.
Your Tour at a Glance
Stay
Meals
Tour Activity Level
The activity level for this tour:
1
2
3
4
5
You’re a leisurely traveller. You like to discover the energy of a new place, but typically take it easy. You can handle at least one flight of stairs, board a coach, and walk for 15-30 minutes at a time with little difficulty.
You like a balanced approach to travel. You feel confident walking at least 30-45 minutes at a time over a variety of terrains – from cobblestones streets to easy straightaways to a couple hills or flights of stairs. You’re comfortable walking a few city blocks at a time, but need some time to unwind and relax.
You’re an on-the-go traveller. You don’t want to miss a thing, so walking and standing for longer periods of time (1-2 hours) isn’t a big deal. You can navigate hills and uneven ground, climb into various modes of transportation (tuk-tuk, cable car, zodiac, etc.), and could possibly anticipate changes in elevation. You can expect some longer days balanced with free time to recharge or set out on your own adventure.
You’re ready to seize the day, whatever it may bring. You lead an active life at home (walking, biking, and hiking are things you may enjoy) and few thousand steps a day isn’t out of the norm. You can handle longer walking tours (more than 90 minutes), traversing dusty or uneven terrain, standing for periods of time, varying altitudes and temperatures, and don’t mind being on the go with some early starts, late-night experiences, and full days. Unfortunately, this level is not appropriate for individuals who use wheelchairs or walkers.
This tour is very active, requiring participants to be physically fit to fully enjoy all the experiences. This itinerary has more strenuous activities which may include such things as: extensive walking tours, transfers over uneven and dusty terrain, high altitudes, early morning departures, late night activities, or extreme temperatures. All conditions do not apply to all days, so please read the itinerary carefully and speak to one of our travel counsellors to determine if this tour is right for you. We recommend this program to individuals who are physically fit. Unfortunately, this tour is not appropriate for individuals who use either walkers or wheelchairs. If this trip is not ideally suited for you, our travel counsellors can help determine the perfect trip for you.
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Use source code "JULYSAVE" for savings. Offer valid on new bookings only made between 2020-07-01 – 2020-07-31. Offer valid on new bookings only and can expire earlier due to space or inventory availability. Savings amount will vary by tour and departure date, and is only available on select departures. Space is on a first come, first served basis. Offers are not valid on group, existing bookings or combinable with any other offer. Other restrictions may apply. Promotional pricing may remain in effect after the expiration date.
See Our Collette Travelers on Tour
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Traveller Reviews
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Service
Our tour manager, Toni Ray-Ingram was excellent. The whole tour was a complete adventure and all transportation was on time and well organized. -
Tour
The whole tour was a once in a lifetime adventure.
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The Right Way!
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Service
I have planned large group tours before and I know what is involved and what it takes for the tour to be a success. Collette did it right!
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Tour
Would not have been able to see everything we got to see on our own!
Thanks for the great review! We're glad you had a great time. We'd appreciate if you could share your experience on our Facebook page as well: Facebook.com/GoCollette/Reviews We appreciate you and look forward to traveling with you again soon.
Collette Support -
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Adventures in Australia and New Zealand
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Service
Tour guide was outstanding as were the bus drivers. Sights were magnificent in New Zealand, different and fun in Australia. I could have missed Fiji. Did not enjoy all the buffets. -
Tour
All of New Zealand. Sydney opera house, penguin walk, koalas
Thanks for the great review! We're glad you had a great time in Australia and New Zealand. We'd appreciate if you could share your experience and any photos and videos from your tour on our Facebook page as well: Facebook.com/GoCollette/Reviews We appreciate you and look forward to traveling with you again soon.
Collette Support -
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Activities on certain portions of tour left a lot to be desired
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Service
Had very well informed guides and tour managers.
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Tour
If we did not sign up for upgraded excursions we felt forgotten. ie 9Great Barrier Reef there were not much for activities. A two minute excursion in a glass bottom boat you could barely see through. A short walking tour of the island with light house, No umbrella or lounge chair. Would of liked to do less bus rides and longer stays in certain areas.
Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Outback to the Glaciers tour. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with feedback on the itinerary. Your comments will be reviewed by the Product Design Team so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.
Collette Support -
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Service
Yes! I would recommend using Collette's tour services. It seemed a good experience traveling with your guide.
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Tour
Many great experiences throughout the tour. Cairns, Melboure, Alice Springs (minus the flies), Sydney. Queenstown, Fiji. All Good. Harbor Bridge Climb, Opera House, Penguins, Scenes of New Zealand were great. Food was always very good with variety.
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It was great experience. We have recommended Collette to others.
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Service
There is no way that we could have planned this trip better. The selection of places to visit was outstanding.
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Tour
The tour through the southern Alps in New Zealand provided many memorable experiences; majestic mountains with glaciers, cities with wonderful shopping opportunities, restaurants serving delicious and different food, great beaches and the people were very friendly.
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Service
Outstanding tours and guides; very well planned. Barry, our tour guide, was perfect.
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Tour
I loved all the tours, especially the early morning camel ride. The only downside was the return airline reservations Collette made from LAX to SEA (Fiji passengers). That reservation would have forced us to sit for hours in two airports with a return to the YMCA in Monroe after 1 a.m. on a freezing cold night with no way to get home. I think all or most of us made individual reservations at an extra cost to us. Sad we missed Milford Sound as well, but it couldn't be helped since the road was closed.
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Great tour but disappointed to miss Milford Sound. Still don't have refund.
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Service
Organized, on time and knowledable guides. Awaiting refund for missed part of trip.
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Tour
Would have given 5 stars but didn't get to Milford Sound, a highlight of the trip. Still waiting for reimbursement.
Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Discover the Outback to the Glaciers tour. We're sorry to hear your group was unable to tour Milford Sound due to weather. We have submitted a refund request to our accounting department and the refunds should be processed shortly.
Collette Support -
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Overall, A Great Experience
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Service
While we absolutely did have a great time and experienced the trip of a lifetime, there were several issues that detracted from our trip. In fairness, though, I am partly to blame for not paying closer attention to the details when we decided to go. That said: 1.) 12 flights on a compact timeline required a LOT of airport security and customs experiences! 2.) The pace required to see all the sights and check all the boxes was WAY too aggressive. Quite a few of the stops were just overnight, so we never really could unpack our suitcases and relax. There were lots of early morning wake up calls. Virtually all of the members of this tour felt they needed a little more downtime. 3.) Some of the flight schedules were illogical and could have been improved to better meet the needs of the participants. For example: Collette scheduled our flight home to Seattle so that following a 9 hour flight from Fiji it required an 8 hour layover in Los Angeles followed by a two hour layover in San Francisco. There were 7 tour participants this affected and virtually all of us rescheduled our flights at our own expense, even on the busiest travel day of the year, (which this was...) There are direct flights to Seattle leaving Los Angeles every hour.... 4.) While we DID meet some really great people who were on our tour from all over the US and Canada, 42 participants are too many. Long lines for the restrooms, restaurants, hotels, etc. were common. At no point in any of the pre-trip meetings or paperwork was the group size mentioned. There were 21,or so, of us that signed up and met prior to our trip from the same organization and geographical area, so we were all very surprised when our group size doubled. It's probably more profitable for Collette to maximize group size, but it's a dealbreaker for me and I won't be participating on any more tours unless maximum group size is disclosed. 5.) One of the major stops in New Zealand, Milford Sound, was unreachable due to a road closure. While this is obviously not Collette's fault, perhaps a small refund is justified? 6.) The Ayers Rock Outback champagne sunset experience with literally hundreds of other tour participants in a large parking lot needs to be re-examined..... 6.) Barry Kublin was an absolutely superior guide! He made our trip enjoyable, even with the large group size. He could NOT have been better. Ditto for our New Zealand driver, Wayne. What a wonderful combination of talent. 7) The food was unbelievably great. The hotel and restaurant choices were superior across the board.
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Tour
Any issues we had were previously detailed
Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Discover the Outback to the Glaciers tour. Thank you very much for taking the time to provide us with feedback from your tour. Please accept our sincere apology for the issues you experienced. Your comments will be reviewed by our internal department managers so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved. Our Classic Tours do have a maximum of 44 guests per departure however we also have our Exploration Tours which max out at 24 guests. We have submitted a refund request to accounting for the missed Milford Sound experience.
Collette Support -
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Service
We had some trouble connecting to our tour.. the staff did all they could to help us
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Tour
Can’t just pick one..every day there was something different
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Excellent!
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Service
This was our 4th Collette tour. As always, the tour manager was superb. Though he had done the tour many, many times, he was always enthusiastic about what we were seeing.
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Tour
The tour to Australia and New Zealand was great. The visit to Uluru was a highlight.
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Trip was very good. Australia and New Zealand good. Fiji hotel was not.
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Service
Tour manager and guides in Australia and New Zealand were very good. Fiji guide was good as well, but putting us in a resort ( Sofitel) that was under radical renovation was very poor form. Several other resorts nearby didn’t seem to be full (Hilton, Sheraton, Westin) and would have been less noise, dust and blocked off areas of the hotel and resort.
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Tour
New Zealand, especially Milford Sound and Mt. Cook were spectacular. Enjoyed Sydney and the Opera House did not disappoint. Location of hotel was close to many of the must see areas (harbor, etc). Very positive. Outback areas were also very special. Disappointed we didn’t get to see the Drum Atweme musical (and there was no replacement offered). Overall tour was very good except for the Fiji hotel construction as mentioned earlier.
Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Discover the Outback to the Glaciers tour with the Fiji extension. We're very sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with the hotel in Fiji. Your comments will be reviewed by our Product Design Team so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.
Collette Support -
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Service
Excellent tour guide.
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Tour
Excellent tour guide and several excellent meals.
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Fabulous trip!!
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Service
The trip was spectacular! Our tour guide was phenomenal. Kim Fields was professional, organized, informing, personable, polite and always on top of things. We would definitely take another trip with Kim!! On the other hand ..... customer service while planning our trip was unorganized, couldn’t answer our questions appropriately, were not professional and sometimes not polite, lacked personal experience with the trip, so could not explain optional excursions. Customer service reps should have personal experience with a trip so they can make appropriate recommendations and explain things from that experience. We were extremely disappointed with our pre- trip planning experience.
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Tour
Sunrise camel ride in the Outback. Champagne sunset gathering overlooking Uluru. Viewing and hiking near Mt. Cook.
Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Discover the Outback to the Glaciers tour. We're very sorry to hear about the issues you experienced prior to traveling on tour. Your feedback will be reviewed by our internal department managers so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.
Collette Support -
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Should work a airline carriers and reservstions.i. Always on the back the p
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Service
On the ground service. Airport arrival, timely day trip departures. Guides. Airport departures needs work. You wait too late to make sir carrier reservations . Results in sitting in the back of the plane, have ti check carry ons due to no overhead storage. Not always sitting with your spouse. Impossible to check in on-line, review seats or make changes. Once you pay for your trip, you should make the air reservation and communicate to customer. Multiple trip customer snd always the same issue.
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Tour
Milford Sound, Train excursion and barrier reef.
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Trip of a lifetime
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Service
The itinerary except for Melbourne was excellent. Preparation before the trip was very useful. Included excursions as well as the ones we chose to pay for were great. Hotels except for the one in Melbourne were good to very good. Included meals were very good. The menu for the dinner at the Sydney Opera excursion was not up to Collete’s standard especially since we paid for it. I would call this a trip of a lifetime.
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Tour
Just did this on previous screen.
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Service
Our tour manager, Barry, was fantastic. The local guides did a good job and the transportation was comfortable.
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Tour
Dinner in the outback and looking at the stars was one of my favorites. Loved Queenstown.
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The tour was excellent. Our guide and bus driver/guides were very knowledgeable and helpful. The accommodations were nice for the most part.
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Tour
the penguin parade and the outback
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Wonderful trip to Australia, New Zealand, & Figi.
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Service
Would definitely travel with Collette again. Very well organized tours. Excellent tour leader. Great accommodations!
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Tour
Enjoyed the entire trip but loved being able to hold Koala bear and ride a camel. Unique experiences!
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Had a wonderful, informative trip.
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Service
Everything was well planned and went like clock work. All were polite. Tour manager was very helpful, informative, had a good sense of humor, diplomatic, courteous and handled all situations good/bad well. Fun, helpful and informative bus drivers. Good local, polite and informative local guides.
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Tour
Last night dinner cruise in Sydney.
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Service
Good quality hotels in excellent locations. Interesting tours spots and additions to the tour. Very good tour assistant (Barry Kublin), and well informed and interesting bus drivers.
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Tour
Day on the Great Barrier Reef, experiences in Alice Springs and Uluru, Walter Peak excursion in New Zealand. Learning about the flora and fauna in both countries, and the ecological issues that they are dealing with.
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Great! Exhausting! Expensive!
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Service
Collette needs to consider the age of the people on the tour they offer. How exhausting this tour was going to be. The presenter at the Bozeman Senior Center should have discussed this, but seemed mostly interested in telling us about the trip insurance offered by Collette. We should have also been told how expensive it is in Australia and New Zealand, but I guess that was up to us to investigate on the internet. We missed a cruise and lunch because of a landslide which was disappointing. I see that I have a $150 voucher for my next tour with Collette, but if I never take another tour with Collette I will not see that money. Unfortunate that is was not returned in the from of a check. Also, at the end of the tour when I was flying home to Bozeman, Montana, I had to re-check my luggage at the LA airport and was charged $30. This was a glitch with Collette not doing its job with the tickets. I did enjoy the tour. fI did enjoy the road trips by bus as I would never have seen such scenery. Many people grumbled about the length and time on the buses, but not me. Out tour guide Barry, was great. I can’t say enough about how successful he made the tour. The bus drivers were OK, but the bus driver in New Zealand was the best. He had a great personality and kept us entertained with his stories. Also, the hotels were very nice and I appreciated that. I think I have probably told you more than you wanted to know.
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Tour
The trip to New Zealand was the best.
Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Discover the Outback to the Glaciers tour. We're very sorry to hear you felt the pace of the tour was too strenuous. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Product Design Team so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.
Collette Support -
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Good experience--air flights no so good
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Service
Good experience. Air flights not so good. I have a problem with tight spaces. Three of the flights, I was assigned window or middle seat. This happen on the 10 hour flight from Auckland to LAX. I had to ask the attendants to change my seat. They did. The front of the plane had passengers crammed together. The back of the flight most of the passengers were 1 or 2 in a row of three seats. I had specifically asked for an aisle seat. My wife had it worse because she has long legs. She could not get comfortable at all. The trip was well done. We saw most of the sites that Australia and New Zealand are famous for. A couple more of the optional experiences should be part of the regular schedule. For example, the march of the penguins.
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Tour
March of the penguins. Shopping in Melbourne-it could have been a longer stop at the bazaar. The great barrier reef was overrated-did not see much if you did not swim. The animal experience with the alligator, koalas,kangaroos was good. The breakfasts were excellent. The special meals were overrated. I am not a fancy guy. Most of the meals were overpriced and not that good.
Thank you for traveling with Collette on our Outback to the Glaciers tour. We're sorry to hear about the issues you experienced with your flights and some of the included meals. Your comments will be reviewed by the Air and Product Design Team's so that the overall touring experience for our guests can be improved.
Collette Support -
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The highlight of the trip was New Zealand.
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Service
New Zealand was the highlight of the
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Tour
New Zealand was the highlight of our trip. Australia and the Outback was second.
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Choose a different tour if your dates allow
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Service
Customer service on the U.S. end was not well informed about this trip. We were given incorrect information about the tour schedule and optional excursions.
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Tour
The tour was good, but not excellent. Our tour director was personable and knowledgeable. We did not like the fact that there were no local guides. It is hard for a coach driver to narrate a tour and drive at the same time. The optional excursions were over-priced. More time was needed in Melbourne and Sydney to explore on our own. The fact that a subpar hotel was chosen in Fiji over a 5 star resort was quite disconcerting.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to the South Pacific and Fiji. We're very sorry you had such a disappointing experience with us. Our notes do show that you've spoken with Guest Relations and we are sending out a letter of apology, refund check and travel vouchers. You can be assured your feedback will be reviewed by our internal department managers in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.
Collette Support -
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A well organized tour group that shows their experience
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Service
I would take another Collete Tour again. They are very good at itinerary organization. The events were chosen to provide the best local custom or culture. Several optional events were available for added benefit. Good hotel placement within the cities or locations to provide easy access to attractions.
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Tour
I did no thave one memorable experience but many. That is the reason that Collete is a leader in tour management.
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Need better customer services
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Service
Need better customer that answer questions besides reading information that you already have and solve problems .
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Tour
Customer services and some hotels not up to my standards.
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Very well organized and comprehensive tour.
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Service
Well-organized, fast-paced tour with a lot of enjoyable options. We saw much more than if we had tried to plan the vacation on our own.
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Tour
Exciting excursion options and a very enjoyable tour overall.
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An excellent tour. The guide and drivers were knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The hotel choices (except for one - the reason for four stars) were excellent. In fairness, the resort on Fiji that was less in quality than expected was new, created by a resort firm with a top reputation; but just not ready for prime time. Collette - without being asked by me - gave a generous cash return for that somewhat "off" room experience. I will not hesitate to use Collette again.
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Tour
The topography - the landscapes - of Australia and especially, New Zealand - stands out. We had the opportunity to see and experience the best.
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Great trip overall.
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Service
This rating is only for the booking of the tour, especially the airline booking. All of the customer service reps that answered the phone were great. The only thing I didn't like was not being able to speak with the team that books your flights. We had to wait several days twice to finally get an answer about the flights which made the international flight more expensive. We finally just booked our own international flight and let Collette do the internal flights. I would highly recommend the customer be able to deal directly with the team that books the flights and cut out the middle man. The trip itself was great. Everything went smooth and we really enjoyed the trip.
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Tour
Great trip. Seen lots of stuff and the tour guide, Michelle L, was fantastic. Some of the rooms were a little small for 2 people but were nice.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to the South Pacific and Fiji. We're happy to hear you enjoyed the tour but disappointed that your pre tour flight booking experience was not satisfactory. Your feedback will be shared with our Client Care Center and Air Reservations Team's in the hopes that situations such as this are handled more efficiently in the future.
Collette Support -
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Great experience!
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Service
Great service, well organized and very entertaining.
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Tour
all optional and included experience were well-planned, culturally oriented and fun
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Experiences in Australia were contrived and phony with no interactions with real native Australians. -
Tour
Australia was a huge disappointment in regards to cultural experiences
Thank you for traveling with Collette to Australia and New Zealand. A member of the Guest Relations Team will be reaching out to discuss your feedback.
Collette Support -
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Good trip. Educational. New Zealand esp. was beautiful.
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Service
The hotels selected by Collette in Australia were very small. With. 2 people in the room they were slightly bigger than a closet. I also disliked that some of the flights chosen were very early in the a.m. Getting up at 5:30 a.m. sort of ruined the day. The service we received was very good, but everything was rushed. New Zealand was a different story. Nice hotels, plenty of room picturesque towns. I grew up 3/4 of an hour from Manhattan and Australia reminded me of Manhattan. Melbourne was nice. Queensland was the best.
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Tour
I liked Queensland in NewZealand the best. Lovely small town. Not too crowded. The hotel was 1 block off the water. Lovely town to stroll through.
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Service excellent. Knowledgeable guides & good accommodations. Outstanding selection of natural wonders, museums, & animal parks. Would rate Collette higher except I believe there is always room for improvement.
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Tour
First professional tour ever so that I have no cost comparisons. From the literature, I know there are both more expensive & less expensive tours. But I believed I got the value I hoped for.
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"Outback to the Glaciers" was a perfection description of this tour.
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Service
Flights from Denver to LA were delayed twice. Sunshine was on the phone helping our group of six work through that, finding alternate plan in case we missed our flight from LA to Brisbane. (We did make it, but not without the help of a young man from Virgin Australia, who cut security lines for us, literally walked us to our gate, where boarding was in process.)
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Tour
Good variety of things to see and do. One favorite was the star gazing at the outback dinner provided. The couple doing the meal was great - he with a great sense of humor, she was very knowledgeable re: astronomy, and the musician was good as well. Note: it would have been great to know what items are unacceptable to transport as souvenirs. (Should we have known this ourselves?) Had packaged meat and honey that were confiscated at the NZ airport. We would either have not bought them, or consumed them ourselves if we had known.
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Awesome experience. Service average at best
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Service
It was OK. Had a nice group of travelers(29). The venues were great, except for the Outback. Pesky flies everywhere. The tour guide in Fiji was awesome. The one in Australia and New Zealand did not measure up to the standard that I enjoyed in my previous 3 trips with the company. The hotels were great, except for the one in Melbourne. Many of the first time travelers mentioned that they would not use the company again. I told them this experience was not usual with this company
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Tour
Milford Sound was extraordinary. Queenstown was delightful. Fiji was everything that I expected.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to Australia and New Zealand. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Tour Management and Product Design Teams in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.
Collette Support -
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Collette Australian trip
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Service
We had a very bad experience with Collette on the airline arrangements to and from Australia. First issue was a change in flight from Dallas to LAX, where the connection time was reduced from 1 1/2 hours to 40 minutes, which was unacceptable. We eventually got a later flight, but it cost us nearly $600 to make a change that should not have cost anything. We got no satisfaction from Collette when we complained about this. Secondly, we had to transfer our own luggage at LAX because we were booked on Virgin Australian and American does not have transfer arrangement. We were not advised of having to do this or why such a booking would have been made. Lastly we had an 11 hour layover on on return trip in LAX before we had a flight to ORD. No excuse for that at all. Our actual trip in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji was fantastic.
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Tour
Outstanding tour manager. We saw a huge amount of country and net some great friends.
Thank you for contacting us again concerning your trip to the South Pacific. Your feedback will be reviewed to enhance the overall touring experience for our guests.
Collette Support -
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Service
yes
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Tour
The trip was extremely nice and the our guide was very knowledgeable and pleasant. He definitely made this the great experience that it turned out to be. The bus driver in New Zealand was also terrific. The only down side was that the flight home was exceptionally exhausting and I was very fatigued. I then had over an hour and a half drive from the Rochester airport to Lockport, NY. I believe that Collette should have provided some transportation to and from the airport for safety reasons! I would definitely travel with Collette again on future trips!
Thank you for traveling with Collette to the South Pacific. Collette does offer a hometown transfer service when our airfare is purchased. Our records indicate the transfer was declined by your travel group and a $50 per person credit was issued.
Collette Support -
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Fun trip!
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Service
Very organized. Got to see so much of the countries. Love that you plan everything and we can sit back and enjoy. Did not like how our flights going and coming were done. Had to call and tell them we could leave at a later time rather then wait at LAX for 10 hours. It was changed and had a 4 hour lay over instead. Also, on the way home from LAX to EWR my husband and I were not seated together and were 4 aisles away. We booked this 10 months in advance and you can’t get us seats together. Will do my own flights from now on.
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Tour
Saw a lot of the countries we visited. Loved Sydney and Darling Harbor. Highlight was the tour of the Opera House. Fascinating. A true masterpiece. Loved our ride to Milford Sound on a rainy day and saw hundreds of waterfalls that were gorgeous. Queenstown was my favorite city. Beautiful on the lake, quaint town, lovely people. Highlight was taking the boat over to eat at the restaurant and then watch the sheep shearing afterwards. Restaurant was gorgeous, food fantastic. Fiji was wonderful. Beautiful hotel, fantastic people and gorgeous grounds. Alice Springs was a waste of time. Would rather have skipped that town. Would prefer an extra day in Melbourne. The Rendezvous Grand Hotel in Melbourne was not up to par. Needs to be renovated in the rooms. Great location, but would rather stay at a different hotel. Scenic Franz Josef Glacier Hotel was not good at all in the rooms. Everyone was complaining about their rooms. It was like an old dump. The reception area, restaurant and food were all very good.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to Australia & New Zealand. Your feedback will be reviewed by the Air department in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.
Collette Support -
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Poor air arrangements, great tour and tour manager
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Service
There were significant problems with the air arrangements. Originally we requested premium class air for the entire trip as offered in the brochure. Nothing was reserved when we received confirmation. After much calling, the premium fare was obtained 1 month before the trip but it was only for the LAX to Brisbane leg. Checking this we were told premium service was not available on any other flights. We took over 10 flights on this tour and every one had premium service. What gives with that? The brochure clearly offers Premium Economy for the trip. Very disappointing. Also an excursions was requested and never set up until we discovered it with the itinerary and agin had to call to get it corrected.
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Tour
Great tour and tour manager. Also on the go but got to see a lot
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amazing trip of my life! Never disappointed.
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Service
wonderful, always looking out for us and checking to make sure we know where we are going next. Making sure we are all on the same page.
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Tour
always on schedule, informative
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Trip of a lifetime!
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Service
You communicated well before the trip. My wife called several times with questions and you were patient and informed. We got the answers we needed. This was our first trip abroad, other than cruises. Everything was nice. Great hotels and transportation. Gillian was perfect. She knew just what to do and when to do it. She took personal charge of our well being and advised us on how to get the best out of our experiences. She even helped me with my camera, as she had a similar one.
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Tour
Seeing Milford Sound. The weather was perfect there and for Mt Cook, which I understand was very rare.
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Trip was great! Why cheap out on the return?
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Service
The flight home was ridiculously long with two red eye flights. I would have cheerfully paid more for better flights.
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Tour
Milford Sound was breathtaking.
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Service
Collette staff was available to help with all aspects of my recent tour.
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Tour
We had a wonderful tour leader and 2 great drivers who kept the tour running smoothly. I especially enjoyed seeing the stars after our dinner in the Outback-spectacular!
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Service
Tour director: Well organized, buses were clean and odor free, prompt, drivers entertaining as well as knowledgeable
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Tour
Accomodations were all good, great locations, had outstanding meals. A good overall tour- a little of everything Picture holding Koala and Sunrise Camel ride
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Smoothly run, well planned and coordinated.
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I thought that the arrangements and accommodations were well done. Hotels and meals were great and I especially liked the meals with the locals in both The Out Back and Christ Church. Our guide, Eddy, and all of the speakers were very knowledgeable and helpful. I truly enjoyed learning about the culture, but would like to hear much more.
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Seeing the animals but disappointed not to see kangaroos. I especially liked the Out Back dinner with Tom & Kathy and the star show.
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Would book with you again. Charlevoix, mi
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I feel Collette is a first class co. You guide Kim was wonderful, very helpful,cheerful and informative. The choice of hotels was very good.
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Experienced the March of the penguins. Held a koala. Land rover experience in Lord of the Rings.
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Great tour with Collette.
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The tour was well organized. Our tour manager did a wonderful job. She was always on top of things. She was interesting and knew considerable facts about the places we visited. The bus drivers we had were top notch. They also related facts of the area while driving. We stayed atbvery nice hotels. All the hotels had restaurants. Breakfast was included everyday. The only complaint I have is the choice of included tours in Sydney. We chose the hop on hop off ferry from the Sydney Harbor. Bad choice. It was very confusing. The schedules did not work. When asked, no one could give us the correct information. We actually were left stranded in Manly. There was no return hop on hop off ferry returning to Sydney. We had to pay to get back. Everyone on the tour got along well we definitely made some good friends on the trip. I would travel with Collette again.
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The tour was expensive but it was worth the price.
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Overall good. I had a problem with the office support before I left on my trip. I wanted to upgrade my airplane seats and I felt they did not even try. Horrible communication on this request too.
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Cairns, Outback, Sydney, Queenstown were my favorites.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to the South Pacific. Our notes indicate that both premium economy and business class were sold out at the time you requested upgraded seating. Your comments will be reviewed by our Air Department in order to improve the overall touring experience for our guests.
Collette Support -
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I wished that we had known how expensive food was and we would have been better prepared. So glad breakfasts and many suppers were included. Yes I would tell my friends and family about the trip.
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Everything was alright but why could some of the side trips been included instead of all the extra expense.
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Every thing went well ! Very happy with the tour. I will recommend them to my friends.
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We were busy touring and had no down time
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should have arranged for more of some kind of tours for the last 2 days there. Was too much down time.
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was too much down time....needed to add more tours of different places. We paid the big price...should have included more of other things/places to see.
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We had a wonderful trip with David as our group leader, it was very organized and easy as far as getting to places and loved that they got luggage We would of course use you again
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Penguins Outback cookout /stars All the beautiful scenery Queens town
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Amazing Australia & More
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Tour was a trip of what maybe the trip of a lifetime. Dave our tour guide was the greatest. The knowledge and experience was invaluable not only to myself and my wife but I believe wholeheartedly to the rest of the tour group. It definitely made the trip less stressful and more enjoyable. Even what I considered the end of the tour, we were still being guided through the last airport and customs we would have to negotiate when back in the States. I can't say enough about experience in Australia and New Zealand.
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Wonderful and beautiful countries to tour, excellent tour guide in Dave, and a fun loving group of people to tour with. I don't know how my experience could have been much better. Looking forward to the next experience with Collette.
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Service was excellent. Tour guide was very helpful and gave very good information. I would highly recommend Collette and would book again.
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Great tours and food. Loved the Great Barrier Reef
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Get a great tour with a lot of extras.
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Been on tour with Trafalgar. Collette throws in a lot of extras over the competition.
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Tour of lifetime. Saw Australia from rain forest (Cairns), to desert (Ayers Rock and Alice Springs), to Sydney, to penguins in Melbourne. South Island of New Zealand wS spectacular. A few days to rest in Fiji was the icing on the cake.
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The tour was great. Things happened when they should, without glitches.
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Collette gave great attention to detail. It started when I was picked up at home to be taken to the airport in Los Angeles, and it ended when I was brought home from that same airport at the end of the trip. Handling my suitcase was a real help. I have artificial legs, and provision was made for me when it was needed. The hotels, meals, and other things were done well without problems. David Cormier was great. I asked many weird questions about the places visited, and he had answers. I am a botanist, and I was able to see a great variety of vegetation. I and eight others went to Fiji on an extension of the tour. It was handled by Rosie tours. I went on some local tours there. One of the Fijians was assigned to show local plants to me on Tivua Island . I fell and cut myself outside the Rosie home. The people affiliated with Collette sent me to urgent care. Francis Fuata, and two women made sure that I was treated well and promptly. The damage was largely superficial. Francis took me back to the hotel, he arranged for some special things on the tours (including being shown he native plants on Tivua), and he took me and others to the airport when it was time to leave. He was great. I would like to go back to all of the places visited. I went thinking that this would be a trip of a lifetime. It was, but I am now thinking of another trip, though I am not yet sure where I want to go. South America? Europe?
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The facilities and meals were excellent. Everything happened when it should. Things went well in Australia and NewZealand. David Cormier was great. I fell and cut myself in Fiji, and those who are affiliated with Collette in Fiji stepped in and made sure that I was sent to urgent care.Two women guided me through the process, and Francis Fuata made sure that I was properly treated and sent back to the hotel. The damage was largely superficial. He made sure that the local tours I took in Fiji went well. Things went like clockwork on the tour everywhere I went.
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Good. I could make a suggestion that I feel would be an improvement.
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Planning and execution were excellent, the latter due to our tour director, Mark.
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well organized and executed.
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The trip was planned very well . The tour guide was excellent Mark Godin . The hotels were very nice . My only complain is that not all the baths did not have walk in showers. If there was a problem it was taken care right away .
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It was a good trip and the tour guide was excellent.
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Wonderful trip but could have been even better with a few changes.
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Flights, hotels, buses, meals were excellent. Most of the tour guides were fantastic. The schedule was hectic. I feel some of the excursions could have been scheduled better, or even eliminated. Lots of time riding a bus in countryside that doesn’t change.
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Experienced some wonderful things that I couldn’t have otherwise. Was great to have everything all planned and scheduled. Loved the camel ride!
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Every detail was covered...and with care and enthusiasm.
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Hit everything on my bucket list in Australia, but New Zeeland was spectacular.
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Well done.
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Guide was very involved. Good tours. Great bus drivers.
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Good sights. Great bust drivers. Well organized.
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very good guide very professional and helpful good locations
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loved tour guide tours were good
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Wonderful Trip!
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It was a trip of a lifetime and our tour manager deserves 5 stars! Everything was as good and well planned as possible and the only problem I had was with the coordination of flights to get to Australia. We had a 14 hour layover in LA and that was too long. The coordination of flights and airport guidance was also poorly planned and not communicated to us by Collette at all so we had a very stressful time making our way to our flight to Australia.
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Perfect balance of exciting sights and enough downtime to enjoy it. Hotels were very good and had everything we needed!
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Good itinerary. Excellent tour guide. I exerienced some health problems while on the trip an dhe really made sure I was taken care of.
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The lillte penguins on Phillip Island, Aus.
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Flight arrangements were mismanaged. Phone calls were not returned as requested to the correct number and times regarding air flights. Otherwise,satisfied.
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See the various wildlife and geographic diversity
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Everything was handled in an efficient and professional manner on our recent tour of Australia and New Zealand. Our tour guide was outstanding in every way.
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New Zealand! Great tour guide and group of fellow travelers.
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Services were terrific.
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Tour was fantastic. Unfortunately there were to many 1 day visits to area's/town's and to many early wakeups
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Great tour of Australia and New Zealand.
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They put together a great tour and get you around to see all of the major sites. This is the second one I have taken with them. I wish this latest one had been a bit more "active". For instance, after I booked the tour my travel agent advised that a walking tour day had been changed to a coach tour. I would have preferred the walking tour.
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Giving it 4 stars because I would have preferred a more active tour experience. Favorite memorable experience: Australia: Philips Island Little Penguin excursion New Zealand: Milford Sound. NZ is full of natural beauty
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Great logistics. Superior hotels and dining choices as well as a great tour manager
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Included all I expected on the tour
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I traveled alone and felt totally taken care of. I had a great tour manager who looked out for me. I loved the itinerary and felt we had time to ask questions and relax between activities.
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The tour took us to the places I wanted to see in Australia and New Zealand. We were busy but had time to relax and do things on our own. The tour manager was wonderful and truly "took care of us".
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Slow down the pace.
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In general, I enjoyed the tour & felt it lived up to everything advertised. The tour manager, Toni Ray-Ingram was fantastic & did an outstanding job. However, I think the tour is a bit too fast-paced. By the beginning of the third week I was feeling exhausted. My recommendation is to re-structure it slightly. Eliminate Melbourne & use that time to have one add’l “free” day in Sydney (where an optional day trip to some animal or marine life place could substitute for “the little penguins” option offered in Melbourne), and, one add’l night in Christchurch. The “home visit” with a NZ family was one of the best highlights of the tour, but it should NOT be left until the final night. By that time everyone’s thoughts were on leaving for home the following day ( some of us VERY early the following day) and most of us were VERY tired. I would have enjoyed the home visit much more if it was not left until the final night. So having one add’l night in Christchurch would allow for that. As currently structured, the tour leaves very little time to really enjoy Melbourne (& no free time there at all if you do the penguin option as most people do), so I don’t think it would adversely affect the tour if that was eliminated. Having an extra day each in Sydney & Christchurch would allow for a slightly slower paced tour & make it much more enjoyable. I would have given this tour five stars except for that.
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As I said earlier, it would have been better if the tour was a bit slower paced, which could be accomplished by eliminating Melbourne & using the time gained for an add’l day each in Sydney & Christchurch. Move the NZ home visit to some night OTHER THAN the final night! Can’t emphasize that one enough! My favorite experience was the Sydney Opera House tour.
Thank you for traveling with Collette to Australia & New Zealand. Your feedback has been forwarded to the Product Development Team. Your comments on the pacing and layout of the itinerary will be used to enhance this tour for our future guests.
Collette Support -
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Cross another trip off the bucket list
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Service
This was our second Collette tour, and it was very well planned and executed. Our tour manager, Denise, was extremely knowledgeable, well organized, and ensured that the group's needs were met by all of the local vendors. This trip was a "bucket list" item for us, and Collette did not disappoint.
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The tour hit the high points for us, and the most memorable were the Australian outback, the city of Sydney, and the south island of New Zealand. Getting up close and personal with Uluru (Ayers Rock), meeting a few aboriginal artists, and experiencing a "bush dinner" were especially fun. New Zealand's south island is simply stunning in its natural beauty and mountainscapes. The only downside was our final few days in Fiji. While a beautiful setting, the heat and humidity were oppressive. The resort was very accommodating and provided nice amenities, including a spacious guest room, but the only respite from the temperature and humidity were our guest room and the retail shops. The water on the "beach", which itself was very pebbly, was very cloudy, brown and unappealing. Because we had already checked out and did not leave for the airport until early evening, the hotel did provide the complimentary use of their spa to shower and change clothes, which we very much appreciated.
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Australia and New Zealand - a trip of a lifetime!
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Service
This tour encompassed such a variety of experiences! We had an excellent tour guide who was with us from our arrival in Cairns, Australia, until we left for home from Christchurch, New Zealand. She was very knowledgeable about the tour and kept all 40 of us up to speed and pretty much on schedule! We felt we could have stayed longer in a couple places, but understand one can't see everything!! We also had excellent bus drivers who explained a lot about our destinations.
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So many memorable things, but learning about the Aborigines of the Australian Outback was a real highlight.
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Wonderful tour manager and tour covered all the sights we wanted to see or experience. The optional trips helped to enhance our total experience. We made some wonderful new friends.
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Covered all things we wanted to see
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Highly recommend Collette tours.
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Collette did goodtours, a great guide, and we stayed in good hotels.
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Loved the Penguin Parade on Phillips Island.
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Answered my questions clearly and completely. Wish I would have gotten the pretour information sooner.
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Great experiences in Australia and beautiful scenery in New Zealand.
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Had a wonder guide who was on top of everything in her control. Loved the
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Did not receive flight information until about a month before we left and some of your notices about hotel changes were not true.
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Tour
It was a complete tour, a taste of the country, made you want to plan a return.
Thank you for taking the time to provide us with this feedback. This has been passed along to our Client Care Center to ensure our pre-tour communication processes are more accurate and efficient.
Collette Support -
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Service
Very disappointed in third party airline arrangements. Long delay (days/weeks) between time of request and response. Crazy airline routes on top of an already long journey.
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Tour
Miggi our tour guide did a great job handling our large group of 44 people through multiple airports and two countries. Travel route for this tour needs to be revamped. Traveling by air over 24 hours with no sleep and starting the first day of the tour with a long day of boating to the Great Barrier Reef is not the best way to start this three week tour. Group was too large for this type of hectic travel itinerary. Too many one night hotel stays in a three week tour. With the limited time in each place and very little non-group time, we were never able to enjoy the interesting places we visited.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback with us. \n
Collette Support
\nDue to Collette’s many tour packages which take place around the world, long plane flights are sometimes required. We understand that this aspect of the trip may be a bit challenging at times especially when there are connecting flights. Based on your origin and destination routes we had to work within the parameters of the program and airline flight schedules. -
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Very enjoyable although quite rigorous.
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Tour manager (***** ****) was excellent. Places we visited and saw were all really nice. Would have liked to stay longer at a couple of the stops (especially Mt Cook in New Zealand). The tour negatives were (1) size of the group - extra time needed on all stops to get on and off the coach added hours to the trip and (2) making airline arrangements when booking the trip was very aggravating - use of a third party and the many days in between trying to obtain the best flights was not a pleasant experience. Took several weeks of back and forth and even then couldn't get what we wanted. Much different a couple of years ago when we went to Italy with Collette and airline arrangements were made same day on the phone. Company needs to seriously considering going back to the 'old' way.
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New Zealand geography was spectacular.
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The organization of the trip was incredible. The travel from place to place worked exceptionally well.
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We loved the coral reef, the outback and the cities of Australia. We especially loved the contact with the aboriginal people and learning about their stories. Uluru was spectacular. A picture does not do it justice. New Zealand was also spectacular. We especially loved Milford Sound and all the waterfalls. Queenstown and all the adventures available made a memorable trip.
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Fantastic would definitely book with them again.
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The package they put together was fantastic. They optimized our time to see the maximum amount of the country visited, making the trip educational and enjoyable. They accommodated our requests.
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Tour
There was so much going on every day I cannot pick a specific experience. To me, it was all amazing and memorable. From the scenery to the nature to the explanations given about everything we were doing, it was so much more than I expected. This tour was really the experience of a lifetime. The tour manager was so good when we left I felt like we were leaving a friend. I would recommend this tour to anyone.
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Excellent tour to Australia & New Zealand
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Collette's service was very good. No issues there.
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All of New Zealand was beautiful.
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Enjoyable Tour
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In general, the whole trip was well planned with about the right amount of time spent in each area. I think doing assigned seating on bus tour days is an excellent idea. Our tour guide, *** ********, did and excellent job.
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Very enjoyable, varied experience.
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Excellent trip
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It was a fabulous trip--our tour guide *** was the BEST!!!!!. Everything went according to plan. No scheduling issues. A MOST excellent trip
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Everything about this tour was WOW, this was a trip of a lifetime
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A must see adventure
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You provided an excellent tour, with great highlights of the countries. You also provided an excellent tour guide that took great care of us and presented the highlights and other facts that made it great.
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To experience the out back and meet the natives, and also learn their history and experiences, was also an interesting point. Then to travel and see the glaciers, what a contrast, and to see what they have done in the country was great.
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luggage travails with collette....
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I travelled with Collette before. On this trip I was surprised/shocked that Collette's rep (she called herself a manager definitely not a guide!!) would emphasised almost daily that she was a manager... she didn't answer questions- she had drivers for that. and driving thru the narrow roads they did! they fumbled with microphone and narrated/guided winding thru the traffic.. rather dangerous if you ask me.. you can not talk to driver on public bus where I live.. go figure... we spent hours each day waiting in hotel lobbies waiting for our manager to "count" luggage...one day we waited even more when she couldn't find the owner of a small carry-on only to realize (half an hour later..) that it was her own! that was annoying,, the other time she kept counting people on the bus.. and one was missing,, so she re counted and counted again.. only to realize that she didn't count herself in the tally... no ,,, you cannot make this up... you had to be there... we had to carry our luggage from conveyor thru the street up with elevators then down again, to our bus???!! After spending all day in a bus, arriving in hotel just minutes before scheduled dinners, we were advised to .."porter" our luggage into rooms.. because it .."might take some time for hotel porters to get it to our rooms??!! I believed that I paid collet for luggage handling?? some hotels were outstanding! some rather mediocre!!
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carrying my luggage from a/port conveyors and hotel lobbies (after I paid Collette for this service??!!) looking from my hotel window , trying to see the famous mt cook.. and seeing just the brush, bushes. dump.. our rooms were all in the opposite wing in the basement area!!
Hello, thank you for your feedback. A representative from Collette will be reaching out to you directly to learn more about your experience.
Collette Support -
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Counting luggage with collette
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Service
extremely inefficient flight schedules with 40 people Collette could have made arrangements for charter flights! there were airports where we had to schlepp our luggage from conveyor across street up stairs than downstairs to our bus???!! there were some quite senior/immobile tourist just unable to handle the luggage over such a long distance! tour "manager" had a snarky advise...I quote.." people you can get a porter job .... our last porter quit so we are looking for replacement.. wow!! She ( i will not use her name- she knows who she is..) made very clear the first night that she is the " MANAGER - NOT A GUIDE" . she spent one hour in 30 C room (A/C broken!!) explaining the difference between guide and manager!! not a word on next day itinerary, just repeated her role as a manager and then wasted more time on 'Collette's tipping guidelines".... next day , in a bus, we all realized the difference between guide and manager.... All questions were answered with same answer,,,,, your bus driver is your guide, he will answer your questions.... She emphasized that she was responsible for our luggage.... so each and every day we waited in a hotel lobby and waited, and waited until she counted, re-counted, and again counted the luggage! one day (after she recounted all luggage three times, she kept asking whose luggage was the one WITHOUT COLLETTE GREEN TAG, After all people confessed that it was not their luggage.... SHE REALIZED THAT IT WAS HER OWN!!!! ONE CAN NOT MAKE UP THIS KIND OF A STORY.. YOU HAD TO BE THERE....... other than that ..she was witty, joyful, cracked jokes, told stories...
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too much time /whole days pent on travel
Hello,\n\nThank you for bringing this to our attention. We have passed this along to a member of our guest relations team who will be reaching out to you to learn more about your experience. If we can be of any more help, please feel free to reach out.
Collette Support -
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A very busy tour, some of the trips put us with too many other tourists
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Service
Overall Collette was a good choice for this tour, other than a few hick-ups, it went smoothly.
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Tour
It has to be the experience at Uluru just outside Alice Springs. Despite the rain at the rock(which had not had rain in 10 months) we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
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Very well organized with many unique opportunities. I especially enjoyed the experiences with Australians and New Zealanders.
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I enjoyed unique experiences and options available.
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Great Customer Service
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From the time we began planning, Collette and their customer support representatives were very helpful with their planning suggestions and advice. This continued all the way through our return home from a memory-filled trip.
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Tour
This was our first experience with international travel, and it was also our first experience with Collette. We were very happy with all aspects of the tour. There were only a few glitches that were handled very well by our tour manager.
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Wonderful tour! Would definitely do another Collette tour.
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Loved that the Tour Manager took care of everything and I didn’t have to worry about any of the logistics. Would have liked to have had our documents sooner to allow sufficient time to completely review them before our departure. We received them less than a week before the tour.
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Most aspects of the tour were great! Loved that the Tour Manager took care of everything and I didn’t have to worry about any of the logistics. The one thing that I didn’t like were the one-night stays in many places. With the one-night stays I felt like I didn’t get to experience the town at all. Would loved to have had more time at Mt. Cook and Phillips Island especially. I did feel like we got to experience a lot, and especially enjoyed time spent with the locals, ie., host dinner in NZ, outback dinner in Australia, and the farm visit for tea. Also really enjoyed the optional train ride to Frank Josef and the snow plane option at Mt. Cook.
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Top notch tour manager!
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Service
I appreciated having a driver service for airport transportation. Our tour manager, **** **********, was just a wealth of knowledge. The insight he could give to the countries were traveling to added a richness to the experience I never would of had traveling on my own. He was great at suggestions for free time and the directions he provided to get there, well as the Australians say "spot on"!
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We had a lot of country to travel in 19 days. Each day felt new and full of adventure. Up until the day to return home I kept saying it can't get better than this, but it did. I loved Alice Springs and Uluru. It was a part of Australia you never see much about. The culture and people were amazing. New Zealand was breathtaking. All the towns we stopped in were extremely friendly and so willing to talk about their home.
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Most of our trip was really very good, but I do have some suggestions. First, no one was at the airport to pick us up after 33 hours in transit. I finally reached a Collette representative and a man showed up in a car too small with poor personal hygeine. Once we arrived, the hotel was fine, but we learned that the remainder of our tour would be a day late due to a flight cancellation. I had arranged my own flights and arrived a day earlier. This change for our tour forced us to have a very rushed first day experience. We also lost a day due to another Virgin Australia cancellation en route to Alice Springs. Hiring an unreliable airline to save money resulted in an important piece of the tour lost. The hotel that put us up told us that this was VA's third cancellation that week. Quantas, which we finally flew was the better choice and should have been used in the first place. As for the tour itself, it was very rushed. I would have preferred more days in one place. Fly from Cairns to Alice Springs, have a couple of days there and in Uluru. I could have skipped Melbourne. Sydney was just right. Would have liked to have hiked at Franz Glacier and Mount Cook. Queenstown was just right. Do not have the home hosted dinner the last night, instead, let people say goodbye and have the last night together. All hotels were totally fine. For these reasons, I could only give this tour 3 stars.
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Sydney and Ayers Rock were my favorite experiences.
Hello, thank you for sharing this feedback with us about the tour. We have passed this along to members of our team for review. We appreciate you and value your insight as it helps us to improve our tours for future guests.
Collette Support -
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One of the best trips we have taken
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Trip was great, saw a lot did a lot and ever thing was set. Tour director and driver were excellent, both had a lot of knowledge of the area.
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Tour
Camel ride and ORV drive thru the mountain and river were a joy. Meals were excellent. NZ sights are unreal....perfect
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A GREAT "WOW" TRIP!
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Highly recommend Collette in every aspect of the trip from beginning to the end. The tour director **** was excellent in all aspects, very knowledgeable as was ***** the coach driver, personable and polite!! Both made the trip a "WOW" with all that we saw, did, options too, and the great new 44 now "friends" we met. Thanks.
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Tour
From the Metro Car, the flights, the places we visited, the things we did and even the options were all well worth this bucket list trip.Besides the tour itself the options well worth considering like our Camel Ride! and the 4 Wheel Drive! and more.
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**** was the best guide we've had on any of our trips. Trip needs a little more time in Melbourne as overnight with an AM drive around is a bit short. New Zealand was AWESOME!!!
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Enjoyed the "little penguins" and everything in New Zealand.
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Trip of a lifetime!
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Well organized, telephone reps were friendly and always able to help even when we had delays with our flight. Only tour we saw that includdd the Australian outback. Optional excursions we're fantastic!
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Tour
Everything was amazing! Hotels were clean and good quality, included activities, options, the other tour members all made this a trip of a lifetime! My favorite activity was climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I loved the blend of city and outback experiences. Only thing that could have been better was our tour manager. He was knowledgeable and organized and performed the basic requirements of his job, but his personality was sorely lacking. He was very controlling and got irritated when guests asked him to repeat directions or posed questions outside of his prepared agenda for the day. He was actually sarcastic and confrontational at times to some of the guests and to me personally. This is the only reason I'm not giving 5 stars. For the cost of this trip, guests should be able to ask questions at any point on the tour without incident and should never be made to feel like they are annoying. Fortunately the quality of the tour and the amazing experiences we had way overshadowed his shortcomings. Our coach driver in New Zealand more than made up for it with his narration and personal stories. With any other tour manager we would have had a five star experience! I would still travel with Collette again provided I had a different tour manager.
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Great information
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Information provided in advance detailed and helpful in planning for trip. Agent that assisted in making travel flights to and from home excellent.
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Tour
Great options, however, some included stops could have been excluded to provide more time in places that were too short.
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A Beautiful Taste of Two Wonderful Countries
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Service
It was quite an adventure to be on so many modes of transportation and to visit such a variety of places. There were so many choices for exhilarating experiences, and although the tour group consisted of mainly a 60-plus age group, it was never assumed -that we couldn't handle it. There was also the choice to lay back when needed or to not participate in certain things. I'm happy that my friend and I did try just about everything. We also had a nice glimpse into local cultures by visiting private homes, farms, wineries, and a venue in the Outback, among other things. Our tour guide, *Personal Details removed by Feefo* and the various drivers had a wealth of knowledge. Great job, Collette!
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I can't really pick one, but the sunset at Uluru, meeting the Aboriginal people,and buying their artwork stands out as an amazing experience. (I can't seem to attach a photo..the link just brings me to my camera)
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Service
Travel arrangements were generally excellent. The only problems we experienced were not within your ability to control, particularly the problems we had in LA, with the movement from domestic to international terminals. The tour itself was excellent. The only complaint we had was the frequent "one night stays" at various hotels, with the continuous packing and unpacking. Due to the distances between various events, this was understandable, but still an irritant. Our tour guide, *Personal details removed by Feefo* was an example of excellence, with her knowledge and attention to details involved in the tour. This was our second tour with Collette and both were truly outstanding. We'll certainly consider Collette when we decide on our next adventure.
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Tour
The tour, and the events included, were everything we had hoped for. Too many locations and events to really single out any particular one to mention.
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Enjoyable trip - saw so much!
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Service
Everything went without a hitch. No one lost luggage, everything was as scheduled. No problems. Only suggestion would be to travel in a more logical manner. We flew to Queenstown only to fly to Christchuch, then drive back to Queenstown. Seems like a waste.
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Tour
So many memorable experiences because we saw so much.
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Service
trip hit all of the necessary places to see. At times a little too much but we understand the regions dictate that. Excursions compiiment.
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Tour
excursions we took were good.
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Service
Not enough free time. Had to fly too much. Should have gone from Cairns to Alice Springs to Melbourne to Sydney. Should have charter flights for 40+ passengers. We had 42. I liked the Great Barrier Reef. I liked New Zealand better than Australia. Beautiful country. Needed to include drinks with the dinner on the Steamship to Dinner excursion. The sing-a-long on the way back from the dinner was fun. The best part of the trip was the Fiji extension. I do appreciate the late checkout at the hotel. Tour guide was good. She did let 1 couple get away with being late nearly every time. She had to "baby sit" them the whole trip.
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Tour
It was a good trip, but it did cost way too much for what we got. I really do think you should see if you can get charter flights in Australia. New Zealand was a really pretty country. Fiji was the best part.
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Service
The hotels were good. The boxed breakfast at the Sydney hotel was NOT GOOD. The one at Christchurch was better. I do appreciate having the boxed meals though. It would have been nice to have a hotel in Sydney in the harbor area although the other one was ok. I know it is necessary to fly to the different places in Australia, but maybe charter flights instead of commercial?? That was a very expensive trip and I think we spent too much time in airports. We also could have used a little more free time. The Flying Doctor and telegraph sites were good, but I would have enjoyed more time at the pool at the hotel.
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Tour
*Personal Details removed by Feefo* was an excellent tour guide. The drivers were pretty good. The driver in New Zealand was excellent. I enjoyed the dinner in the Hunt's home in Christchurch. I really enjoyed the Great Barrier Reef! I didn't know all that was below the ocean surface!!I It was a good trip. We didn't have much free time though. It would have been good to know that it was possible to get tickets to an event at the Sydney Opera House before we had purchased "A Night Out in Sydney" excursion. It was the date of the excursion when we found out we could get tickets to the performance and it was too late to cancel. Also in New Zealand at the excursion on the TSS Earnslaw Steamship to Dinner cost $105 per person. For that price, we should have been given at least 1 glass of wine and at least a soft drink for dinner! They were charging extra for them. We had to drink water or pay extra. For that price they should have been included. It was really good to go to extend our trip for the last 4 days to Fiji. I appreciate the late checkout Collette provided for us. That was so nice. Thank you. I did recommend this trip to a friend. She and her husband will be celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2 yrs. She said they are going to start saving for this trip.
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Airline Travel department is very poop
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Service
Their airline travel department is really poor. It was ok for booking but when changes had to be made at the last minute they were totally uninformed.
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Tour
Great destinations. Great barrier reef was great
Hello John,
Collette Support
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We have passed it along to our customer care team so we can improve the tour for future guests. Your feedback is important to us and we look forward to traveling with you again on a future tour. -
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Service
Local tours were very excellent. Our tour manager did an outstanding job! Everything was arranged and well-coordinated. He made the air travel in country very smooth. Some of the hotels were outstanding but there were a few that did not meet our expectations. The hotel in Sydney was too far away from the main attractions. Restaurants where Collette provided meals were mixed as far as satisfaction. The Greek restaurant in Sydney was not good at all. The lamb was extremely tough and fatty. No one in our group ate it. The hotel restaurant in Queenstown had good food but the service was worse than slow. All breakfast meals were terrific! We were very pleased with the number of attractions we were able to see in the 3 weeks but it did require being on the tour bus most mornings by 7 a.m. A couple of mornings we departed before daylight. It seemed we never had dinner before 7 or 7:30, which was late for us.
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Tour
Our favorites on the tour were: petting kangaroos and koalas, Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef, Penguin Parade, Journey through Middle Earth and Mt. Cook.
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Australia and NZ in 3 Weeks -Bucket List Happily Accomplished!
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Service
The tour guide, variety of experience, meal inclusions, and pace of the trip were excellent! We have already recommended Collette to several of our friends. This was a "bucket list" trip and didn't disappoint. We actually spent less money on meals than planned, since there were enough included meals in the tour. The hotels were centrally located, which gave us opportunity to explore on our own, and the tours started early enough in the day that we packed in plenty of sightseeing. 3 weeks sounds like a long time - but we were entertained and knew what to expect each day. This was largely due to our tour guide who had amazing attention to detail. Her transportation coordination of internal flights alone was amazing.
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Tour
The variety of available activities really made this a great trip. Here are a few of my favorite things: -Seeing an opera in the Sydney Opera house after learning about it on the morning tour was fantastic. We enjoyed having dinner at a cafe on the dock and the view of the bridge and opera house prior to the performance. -Toasting with champagne at Uluru rock at sunset was a treat. -Snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef was a highlight too. I never thought I'd be able to do something like that. -The aboriginal led hike through the rain forest in Cairns gave us insight into their way of life.The ruggedness of the trail made it more fun. -The view of Mt. Cook in the The Hermitage hotel was outstanding. -The tea and scones at the NZ farm was a treat and really getting to talk to the farmer after he sheared the sheep was fun. -Dinner with a NZ family on our last night really gave us insight into the way real people live. Our hosts were warm and friendly.
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Overall an excellent vaction with a wonderful organized tour manager Dave.
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Service
Very well organzed tour director, worry free travel. Good food and excellent accomodations. Good location of hotels.
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Tour
Excellent locations and good experience from Outback to the modern. Too much time was wasted in flying to the same locations over and over again. The tour lay out could be better organized.
Hello Pratap,
Collette Support
We're pleased to hear you had a great time touring the Outback! Thank you for sharing your feedback about the flights and organization of the itinerary. We will pass it along to our product team for review.
We appreciate you and look forward to travelling with you again soon. -
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Trip was great but the service prior was less than expected.
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Service
I talked to 5 different people and got 5 different answers about whether or not I would be able to scuba dive on this trip. if they don't know they should say so or find out. also, our flight was cancelled and I expected more help with finding other flights than what I received. in fact, I felt you should have known the flight was cancelled and notified me??
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Tour
Loved the camel ride at Uluru, Sydney, and all of New Zealand scenery.
Hello,
Collette Support
Thank you for your feedback, we’re going to pass it along to our Reservations and Air Teams to look into.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. -
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Wonderful!
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Service
We had a great trip, everything went very smoothly without any hitches. Our Guide, Michael Oghee was excellent! He was very knowledgeable and his attention to detail made our trip effortless.
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Tour
We love the unexpected, so when in Cairns the fruit bats were very unexpected and enjoyed. The optional tour for the Little Penguins was amazing, Milford Sound was magical.
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Overall the service was great. The only problem I had was getting detailed...
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Service
Overall the service was great. The only problem I had was getting detailed info for optional excursions. It was not available on line but my travel agent was able to get the info after direct contact with Collette. This just caused delays in decision making.
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Tour
Getting the opportunity to climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge. That's my kind of getting high.
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Trip of a lifetime
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Service
Trip of a lifetime! Well designed, comprehensive and well-paced. Loved it all fabulous tour manager ********** made the trip.
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Tour
The Daintree Rain Forest Dreamtime trip and all experiences in the Outback
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Knowledgeable when called for information. Sometimes lines were ******* an...
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Service
Knowledgeable when called for information. Sometimes lines were ******* and hard to get through to an agent. Printed travel guide was an excellent resource while on the trip.
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Tour
Overall a very rewarding excursion. Some included attractions were less than stellar.
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Would Like to do it again in a few years, New Zealand was Beautiful.......
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Service
Vacation of a Life Time, So Much to See. enjoyed every part of the Trip..
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Tour
All aspects of the Tour were Great, would recommend trip to everyone.......
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Great experience
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Service
Good tour guide, excellent itinerary, wonderful people to travel with
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Tour
We saw lots of great and interesting things for the time we had
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Great trip!
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Service
Our Tour manager was professional informative and fun. He helped us experience our trip as an adventure and handled any bumps that arose, like disappoint over cancellation of the Koala Park and not getting to see the youth at risk. I liked the small group - it allowed us to get to know our fellow travelers well.
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Tour
It is difficult to pinpoint to provide your favorite memorable experience, there were many from snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, experiencing Ayers Rock to sailing in Milford Sound. They were all great.
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Service
Service was good. Got us all the discounts available, got us room with view at our first stop, had expedited TSA pass at airport. Would recommend company and use again. Wish that we had known in advance that many hotels had laundry rooms for guests to use, that would have meant that we would not have had to take so many clothes.
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This was a trip of a lifetime for me and Collette could not have performed better.
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Service
Service was excellent from my first phone call, people very knowledgeable and willing to look into any request I had. I questioned the air schedule and people got back to me to answer my questions and give alternative flights. Showed me that the flights originally booked were indeed the best ones. Spoke with many different agents and each one was as considerate and knowledgeable as the other. Very good responses. I would absolutely recommend this company and already have. I had already booked my next trip with Collette Tours.
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Tour
This tour included the Outback which was one of the highlights for me. The tour of Sydney Opera house, Rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, Cook Mountain, Franz Joseph Glacier. Too many experiences. I can honestly say that each day brought something new and exciting. I took advantage of many extras offered and also went along with our tour guide, who walked with those of us who wanted to see it all! She made this trip an absolute joy with her knowledge, attention to all details of our tour, her enthusiasm and her willingness to show us extra sights in whatever free time we had.
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Notes
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Due to early arrival times into some cities, rooms may not always be available for immediate check-in.
Single accommodations are limited and are available on a first come, first served basis.
Due to changes in air schedules while on tour, the order of days in the itinerary may change.
The internal flights on this program are not included in the land price. All air including internal flights can be purchased through us.
Wildlife sightings cannot be guaranteed with the exception of visits to wildlife parks.
The internal flights on this program are not included in the land price of your vacation. All air including internal air can be purchased through us. Air inclusive rate is valid for guests who have purchased our air package for the full tour. Rate will vary for those who have purchased their own air.
To complete your tour, we include roundtrip airport-to-hotel transfers when purchasing our airfare with your tour. If you have arranged for your own air, we are pleased to provide you the option of purchasing these transfers. Please note that all transfers will leave at pre-scheduled times.
Please be advised many airlines do not provide advance seat assignments until check-in at the airport. Advance seating will be subject to the airline's terms and conditions.
Visa Requirements: US and Canadian citizens: ETA’s (Electronic Travel Authority) are required for this tour. For your Australia ETA: Travel Agents that have access to a CRS system can process your ETA at no charge or they may call the guest's airline no earlier than 30 days prior to departure (credit card is required). If you do not have access to a CRS system, you will be supplied with an ETA form and asked to fax this information back to us 45 days prior to departure. Please send the fax in care of the Australian ETA Coordinator at fax 401-727-4745. Please include the (required) Reservation Number, Passport Number, Nationality, Date of Birth, Gender, Country of Birth, Passport Expiration Date, Family or Last Name (as shown on passport), First and/or Middle Name Given (as shown on your passport) and Issuing Authority. For travel to New Zealand, your NZeTA must be processed in advance through the New Zealand Immigration online system by visiting https://nzeta.immigration.govt.nz/ (approximate cost of 12 NZD) or through their mobile app NZeTA (approximate cost of 9 NZD) in addition to Tourism Levy of 35 NZD. Rates are approximate and can be changed at any time based on governing authority.
The overall activity level of this tour is a level 3. This means you’re an on-the-go traveller. You don’t want to miss a thing, so walking and standing for longer periods of time (1-2 hours) isn’t a big deal. You can navigate hills and uneven ground, climb into various modes of transportation (tuk-tuk, cable car, Zodiac, etc.), and could possibly anticipate changes in elevation. You can expect some longer days balanced with free-time to recharge or set out on your own adventure.
