Spotlight on Washington, D.C. Exploring America's Capital

01/18/2019

A very enjoyable, well-planned excursion to the nation's capitol.

Service

Hotel, tour guide, choice of restaurants, & included tours were all very good. Our group had 1 very big problem at the start: there was NO ONE at the airport to greet us nor any transportation waiting outside when we arrived in DC. It took several phone calls before I reached a Collette employee, who then arranged transportation for us. After an hour, a small bus arrived but the driver was poorly trained and a very poor driver. Otherwise, everything was great & my husband & I would definitely use your service again.
Tour

National Cathedral, Capital, Arlington (especially the timing of visit) & Williamsberg. There were political demonstrations going on; however, our tour guide ensured that we did NOT encounter any.

01/18/2019

It was a really nice tour; I was very impressed by DC, glad we saw it.

Service

The limousine provided as part of the trip package arrived at the airport 10 minutes late for our flight. It was EXTREMELY difficult to get re-booked on a flight to Washington, DC. After flying from SFO to LAX, we ended up on a red-eye flight from LA to Baltimore (and had the most uncomfortable seats I've ever had on a flight). Immediately upon arrival we started the tour! The tour was very interesting - I enjoyed it very much. The hotel (with breakfast) was very nice; dinners were OK (last meal was very good). Our guide was excellent.
Tour

Washington, DC is a fascinating city but takes more than 5 days to do it justice; our guide was excellent.

01/18/2019

Inadequate ,

Service

Good: A very knowledgeable and organized tour guide Bad: One guide for a coach full of travelers cannot possibly cover the tour’s many stops and sites.
Tour

Inadequate number of Collette guides starting with failure to meet group at airport as we expected. Transportation and driver were there but no one in airport and no one to tell driver where to meet group. side airport

01/05/2019

I would seriously consider taking the same trip again with the same guide.

Service

The best and the most enjoyable part of the Spotlight on Washington DC trip is the vast knowledge of American and Washington DC history of the tour manager/guide.
Tour

The story of President Lincoln's assassination and the subsequent hunt for the conspirators.

11/08/2018

It was a great trip.

Service

The tour guide was fantastic, hotel accommodations were very good. A wonderful trip.
Tour

I enjoyed it all very much. The museums were very interesting, war memorials, White House tour and all the history.

10/14/2018

We were totally pleased with our tour and our tour guide, who made the tour

Service

Yes we will travel with Collette again. We loved the tour detail, the tour Guide, who was the TOPS. This was a great experience! Collette made everything happen!
Tour

We loved our tour, it was a super experience with an outstanding guide, who gave us a great historic informational overview and we had a lot of fun and interaction

09/27/2018

Service

Very organized tour. Went very smoothly. In spite of the pouring down rain.
Tour

Was disappointed with the Twilight Tour. Couldn’t see the Vietnam Wall or the Korean Memorial. Would have liked to see that area in daylight.

09/27/2018

We came from San Diego, CA and were not disappointed.

Service

Our tour guide was great. We did have one day that was too long. We got back to our rooms at 10:30pm and for our age that was too late considering our get up time the next day. We should have visited the war memorials during the day and not at night. It was too dark to see anything. The places we ate were great as well. Enjoyed the hotel although my wife was injured there. Joel did a great job.
Tour

See notes from prior page.

08/12/2018

Had a great time!

Service

Everything went great. Out tour guide was personable and extremely knowledgeable of all the sites and the history. The planning left nothing to be desired. The food was great and the restaurant’s were very interesting with great service. We saw more than I would have if we had tried to do this trip on our own.
Tour

See comments in last box.

06/30/2018

Service

Tour manager was excellent at giving information and ensuring that everything ran smoothly. It was a very relaxed way of seeing a city. Would recommend to others.
Tour

Overall the tour was excellent but we could have had more time at some of the sights, Arlington Cemetery in particular, there was barely time to see the changing of the guard. My highlight I think was the twilight tour it was great value and the meal was excellent.

06/14/2018

Service

Always happy with Collette. The hotels, the tours, the guide...everything was great !
Tour

We saw a lot in the 4 days.

05/09/2018

Service

Very courteous and helpful
Tour

Driver and tour guide were informative and ensured we knew agenda

04/27/2018

Service

Well organized, excellent tour guide and driver
Tour

good value including airfare

04/26/2018

Amazing experience, nice not to be worrying about the plans.

Service

Loved the service. Very dependable well taken care of. Just show up on time and the perfect day is planned for you.
Tour

The Capital and the Cherry blossoms.

11/07/2017

Great all empassing educational and entertaining tour of Washington DC

Service

Not my first time with Collette. Their tours are always jam packed, organized well and almost always the tour guides are exceptional.
Tour

The tour was exceptional in terms of the sites and the guidance, but it was marred by many terrible meals and the hotel was in ownership transition and not up to par, had no A/C in room the entire week. Food was so bad, we are supposed to get a partial refund I've yet to receive.

10/26/2017

Michael gets 10 stars

Service

Tour Guide was excellent. Very knowledgeable and a fantastic storyteller. All travel aspects were great also.
Tour

Great tour stops at top attrections

10/19/2017

Excellent!!!

Service

I loved that I did not have to drive and fight Washington, D.C. traffic. I loved the knowledgeable guide and friendly driver.
Tour

The night tour with dinner was marvelous!!

10/19/2017

Great experience, Well organized, Excellent tour guide - will travel again

Service

We had a great experience on our Spotlight on Washington DC tour. It could not have been better...well organized, information and facts were greatly appreciated and the tour guide, ****** *****, was excellent. We plan to travel with Collette again and can't wait for another exciting tour. Thank you for a wonderful trip!
Tour

A price was quoted on line when i signed up. Once the final details were being made I was told we would be charged an additional $2,000. to cover the hotel. There were not enough rooms at the hotel blocked off to accommodate us, only enough room for us on the bus. I would rather have been given the correct amount from the beginning.

10/14/2017

Not that great of a trip for the price we paid!!!

Service

Yes, we had a good time - the beds were not comfortable. We understand that (overnight) the hotel went from Loews to Hilton. Everyday, the breakfasts were HORRIBLE! The buffets were ALWAYS cold (how about lighting the sterno?) When we could order from the menu-we had no table service, no coffee or water, & had to ask for everything. Our room door didn't lock unless we slammed it- ice was only available on 2 floors. And, to top it off, we had a view of the HVAC and dumpster... Is that what my travel dollars are worth? The door and desk service were helpful. TOUR GUIDE: *************** was so full of himself it got VERY OLD VERY QUICK! All he talked about was himself, people he knows in DC & Hollywood & his career- he's a nice man-but this was not what we PAID for. We loved the sights-the history, the dinners were all very good and we did enjoy the sights we saw. Our bus driver, *******, was Excellent with his driving & parking skills- were great- he was very polite! Overall, not the most enjoyable Bus Trip that we have had. Don't think that we would recommend this trip - based on what we paid for and what we got. We've been on a few bus trips & thoroughly enjoyed them - but NOT this one.
Tour

I just provided a lengthy review - what's wrong with that? If you need me to re-do this, please advise. We WERE NOT IMPRESSED AT ALL - & THIS IS NOT OUR FIRST BUS TRIP!

10/12/2017

Excellent Experience

Service

The tour guide was excellent, very knowledgeable, personable and professional. The hotel and choice of restaurants was excellent. The stops of interest were excellent. This was my first touring vacation and I thoroughly enjoyed it, would certainly do it again and recommend Collette without hesitation.
Tour

Visiting the National Cathedral of Washington.

05/18/2017

aok

Service

already did
Tour

seeing all the monuments and the tour guide was great wesly

05/11/2017

Service

Wonderful service in setting up trip and answering questions.
Tour

The sites, food and hotel were great.

11/12/2016

we had a good trip

Service

The trip was nice we got to see a lot of things the travel guide was very informed but kind of stand offish or not very friendly. I know he has a lot to do having 40 plus people to keep track of but was very distant with everyone. one of the other ladies on the trip ate supper with us that last night and she ask me what I thought of him and she had the same thoughts.Our bus driver was great had water for us every day helped the older ladies off the bus he was great talked and joked with all of us

11/10/2016

The tour director was excellent. The trip was will planned except for the a...

Service

The tour director was excellent. The trip was will planned except for the air service.

09/29/2016

Over all disappointed.

Service

My husband passed away unexpectedly 3 months before the trip. Collette charged me $250 to change the name on the reservation from my husband's name to my sister. We had purchased our own airfare so that was handled separate from Collette. It took longer for the customer service rep to talk about the additional $250 charge than to go in to the reservation and delete 1 name and add 1 name. I was disappointed in the hotel. It was undergoing renovation so the lobby was gloomy and draped in sheets of plastic. Our room had not been remodeled. If Collette has the "buying" power, the trip should have been moved to a more hospitable hotel. The trip had several people who were not physically able to handle the walking and high heat. As a consequence, much time was spent catering to the minority. There was a lot of wait time. Several times it was suggested that we cut activities or the day short since the whole group could not handle what was on the schedule when we signed up for the tour. Food was OK, however every meal felt rushed. I am used to enjoying my evening meal at a leisurely pace and chatting with others on the tour. I did not get each course finished before the next coarse was in front of me. This was my first trip with Collette. Although I have done numerous bus tours over the years, I have never experienced some of the issues that I encountered on this trip.

Hello Susan,
We're incredibly sorry for your loss, please accept our sincere condolences. We apologize for your experience with the hotel accommodations and pace of the tour. We have passed along your feedback to members of our tour manager and product development for this team. They will be reviewing this feedback and using it to enhance this tour for our future guests.
Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Collette Support

09/29/2016

Excellent, educational tour.

Service

Excellent. Great tour director. Saw the most popular sights. They made it very helpful for others who had mobility problems. Unfortunately our group ran into so e extreme heat part of the trip but they did everything they could to help folks handle.

08/19/2016

Service

When calling in to ask a few questions the person answering was nice and had my answers without having to ask someone else.
Tour

It said the tour was 6 days and really only 4. the 1st and last day was travel time, I think if we had the full 6 days to view things we wouldn't have Felt rushed at times. Seeing the city at night, thought it would be more.

08/19/2016

Great trip to DC. To make your trip really "hot", go in August!

Service

Enjoyed the tour. Was first one I've been on, so nothing to compare it to. Leader, was very good and informational. Sights were good, but not enough time on the National Mall. Free time was given, but in order to see all the sites, not enough time, especially for an older, slower couple. Meals were all good, but at the stop on the last night, felt we were being "hurried" along by the staff and the "family style serving" didn't really cover the whole table with enough food. Would go on another (plan to) in the future. Would have enjoyed lower humidity and a cooler sun, but don't think you can do much about that!
Tour

Great time. Enjoyed the historical aspect of DC. As a citizen and a vet, it was inspiring to see how our country developed, and how far we've come. It's been a tough road at times, but God has really blessed us. Not only do we live with many freedoms, we also can worship God, and His Son Jesus Christ as our Savior. Don't let another day go by without asking Him into your life and pick up a good history book to see the story of the building of America.

08/19/2016

Service

Washington D.C. tour. We were welcomed at the hotel by our tour guide. given our packets and we were off to dinner on our own. Gave us an opportunity to get the lay of the land. Our Tour guide was very informative with lots of info on each of our tours. He made sure we were all on the bus each time we moved. I could not ask for a more caring and informative guide. Our tour quide made the tour one you would want to do again. He was in the lobby and helped with our luggage to the shuttle on departure day.

05/08/2016

Service

Well planed out. Great trip
Tour

Well done. Our tour quide was fabulous !!!!!

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Spotlight on Washington, D.C. Exploring America's Capital