"Do not have very high expectations about certain experiences."

In general, we liked our "9 Days Classic Alaska" tour, but going to Alaska we, I'm sure like many others, were expecting to see the major attraction, a glacier. And it was planned but didn't happen due to the weather. Yes, the captain was right to turn the ship because of the storm, but Gate One should have planned it better and made another attempt to show a glacier on the next day if the first one fails, instead, we had a half-day bus ride to the next city and half day was just waisted. Our Tour Director, accommodations, and pretty much everything else was great, but not seeing one of the miracles of the world, which pretty much was the purpose of our trip to Alaska was a HUGE disappointment.

"Pop-up Purgatory"

Had to log out of Gate 1 twice because of pop-up ads. Very unprofessional.

"Hidden gem!"

We've done 4 Gate 1 trips in the past and this recent trip to Azores was our first independent one. Our tour guides, Phillip and Hugo were FANTASTIC, making the optional trip experiences amazing. We have always given Gate 1 a 5 star rating, but this time it seems the hotel and hotel breakfasts were just ok... below the usual standards for our previous Gate 1 trips. Guess we should have upgraded.

"Morocco Great trip, exceeded expectations"

We just returned from a 12 day Morocco trip. Our first and definetley not the last. The hotels were all clean and in good locations. Loved the medinas and the highlight was the Camel ride in the Sahara. We extended our stay in Casablanca for 2 nights, and our guide Mohamad, verified the driver would pick us up at 4 am, and asked the hotel have a to go breakfast for us.. beyond the customer service experience.
Our flights luckily were all fine, so that is the luck of the draw these days.. We enjoyed exploring a lot of places in morocco. Yes the bus rides can be long, but the stops were frequent, and prearrange stops with good restrooms. Always had plenty of water available on the bus. Our trip included folks who had been on more that 10 gate one trips, so that was good to know since our first. So next year we are planning another trip.

"Just completed the 11 day Essential…"

Just completed the 11 day Essential South Africa tour. I had decided that I would never book with Gate 1 again before I left for the trip. This was due to the number of times that I and the others in my group made phone calls regarding our reservation. We got agents who didn’t follow through, did not return calls, provided incorrect information and a manager who told me we should have gone through a travel agent. The agent was very accommodating when we booked. Having questions and looking for answers, feeling you were a problem was awful. Colleen our tour guide was excellent. She took excellent care of us and only because of her, I would give Gate 1 another chance. Patience is a virtue, and it doesn’t stop when you get a customer’s money.
Sandra Green

"Got $ finally. Originally Money not refunded Arch Travel Insurance and/or Gate one"

Edit: 6/15
I received my air fare from Arch Insurance.
The process was unnecessarily convoluted.
Here I am with a potential illness, and I am unable to talk directly to anyone, at either company. This would have been fine if the receptionist or travel agent, had asked the 'back office' the correct questions. They come back with an answer to a question you didn't ask. So you go round and round. Bits and pieces of money are sent with no explanation. I felt unheard, and that they were unconcerned about me.
Summary. All is pretty well , fiscally, still looking for $121.57.
I will travel with gate 1 again, because the guides nd managers are wonderful and extremely knowledgeable about their culture history etc.
I will look into other travel insurance companies and consider booking my own flights.
As long as you go on trip as planned all is good.

ORIGINAL:
I have been traveling with gate 1 off and on for many years. I usually get the insurance for most trips. In April we would due to go to Fiji. I was diagnosed with the heart condition And told not to fly travel or exert myself in anyway until after I was cleared by my doctor. I had to cancel the trip of course so I filed an insurance claim the trip was approximately $1,500 per person. We canceled it Under the 30 day mark so gate 1 would only give us 10% of our money back. However, Arch insurance Only gave us $475 back. The indicated Gate one would refund the rest. Odd, bot ok. 6/2/23 I called gate 1 and advised them of conversations with Arch..they said no, call arch and ask if they refund airfare in their policy. They were closed, so I called American Airlines, to find out that $776 had been credited back to GATE 1??!!? The cost of the airfare was 776. Why did Gate One take my air credit and why did arch travel insurance send me $475+/- and CLOSE MY CASE? Gate one has my and traveling partners airfare, and I paid $149 for Arch insurance travel policy through Gate one, only to get $475 back from Arch in Total??? Now I have to call again and find out who has the .money.

"Exciting and Rewarding"

I would like to say for most of this trip to Brazil and Argentina it was amazing but there were some hiccups,sometimes it seems as if we were push for time to leave, I miss something i would like to have seen. Seeing the city of Rio deJaneiro from the statue of Christ The Remeemer and take pictures was a very exciting moment. The Iguazu Falls was a fall to remember I though Niagara Falls was a exciting Fall this is something else. I enjoy the Tradition Gaucho Party the ranch was very nice place the entertainment was, I didn't get to see the museum, i did go to the general store. Here one problem i had at the ranch i told the guide that i did eat farm animal but i did eat fish so I though I would get a fish dinner, even though there were farmers, it has always been notice that there were stream, ponds, creeks and rivers near the farms that had fish in them. Watching them do the Samba and Tango was a a delightful experience. In all it was an enjoyable trip.

"European River Cruise on Monarch Queen…"

European River Cruise on Monarch Queen from Amsterdam to Budapest. Queen offered great accommodations from cabins, reception, lounges, dining room to sundeck. Staff was professional and went above and beyond, always pleasant, always smiling. Our cruise director Soma and activities director Danielle were the best ever.
Booking was easy, the only negative was when we asked to change cabins in the same category I was put on hold a very long time, could see on line the cabin was changed, but still kept on hold over a half hour to confirm.
Airfare and travel insurance is ALWAYS something we book separate from any travel company. This seems to be the biggest issue travelers have so it's best to book it yourself so you have control.
We will definitely use Gate 1 Travel again....but book our own airfare and insurance.

"France April 27- May 9"

France April 27 - May 9. We have had several Gale One tours that were Great, but not this one. Basically the accommodations and land travel were not acceptable. Sights were wonderful.

First, the Bus was too small for such a long trip. When sitting, my knees hit back of seat in front of me. No space for legs or anything else. Very cramped. Could not use pouch on back of seat in front of me. Overhead bin was very tiny.

Secondly, Most Hotels, especially Mercure hotel chain were terrible. No air or windows in the rooms. Asked for fan but not always available. Hotel in Bordeaux was the worst. 1 of 2 elevators not working; very hot in room; no relief in sight; meals too sparse. The only decent hotel was in Lourdes where we could open the window. We understand that air-conditioning is infrequent in Europe, but for the price we pay, Gate One can find better places to stay and still be in center of cities.

Tour guide was very nice but seemed uninformed. Gate One tour guides for Greece, Morocco and Sicily were tremendous comparably. Some of her facts about castles etc. differ from most tour books. She needs to use a script as her English is too halted for being a guide. She seemed to often pause mid-sentence thinking for the next word. She frequently asked tourists for the correct word to use.
Poor idea to show two 50-year-old irrelevant movies in the bus. Could not see subtitles unless sitting in first 2-3 rows near the screens. We were looking for more history about the country, artists, music, Resistance movement during WWII, French influence around the world, why Paris selected for so many international treaties, etc.

Several lunch rest stops were at gas stations. We were captive for expensive, lousy food. It would have been nice to know this a day or two in advance so that we could purchase food elsewhere & bring it with us on those days.

In closing, we like Gate One generally and have several friends who used them per our recommendation. Not sure I would suggest it again.
Thank you for your opportunity to reply here.

"Need help and cannot get it"

I booked with Gate1 because I had heard good things but my reservation is a mess and I cannot reach anyone who can help - will not transfer me to a supervisor - instead putting me in hold and coming back w incorrect info. They tell me it will be at least 48 hours to reach a supervisor. In meantime I am fully paid but cannot get my flights ticketed and phone agents don’t know why.


Pleased to hear back from Gate1 a couple of days after posting this - my booking has been corrected - hoping that I can now relax and enjoy the trip.