"Avoid the Independent City Tours"

I will start with, We loved out Gate1 River Cruise in the Netherlands last year. Enough that we immediately booked an independent tour of Italy (They do transport, transfer, hotels and an overview tour and the rest is on our own) for this year.

We have had a total different experience in the run up to this tour. Gate1 has not been a partner in the prep and planning of this trip - Glad to take the money, but not interested in helping reduce the stress and providing proper advanced planning. We continual ask for rail information so that we can plan and book the "independent" portion of out time in each city - and we get blah blah - 21 days prior back from them. They have had our money for almost a year and can't tell us when our trains depart. The Travel Document deadline originally posted for late December has passed and now conveniently rolls forward to "tomorrow" every morning when I check. I have called and messaged; everything I can think of and nothing - happy blah blah voices, no action.

On Friday we received a note that our included Rome walking tour (of which we have received no prior information) would be starting 15 mins early because the tour operator has notified Gate1, "It's a busy time in Rome" NSS! That's why I need the information so I can book my independent tours and activities before they are full.

We looked to Gate1 to make this an stress-free vacation - in this case their inaction and incompetence is causing nothing but stress, frustration, and regret. Fortunately, my friends to whom I had recommended Gate1, haven't yet booked. Very disappointed on this. Save your money on this style of trip - it's not their forte

Gateway, In reference to your boilerplate comment below, I have already contacted you several time with no response. So nice try but I just is not true that you want to “fix” it.

Update: Still the same story now 21 days out and no useful information. Happy talk and apologies. I cannot make any further plans and I’ve lost all chance for 30 day discount pricing on activities. Gate1 has not made this stress-free. The response below is just for show. Believe me I didn’t start here to register my concerns, I ended up here.

"Good experience with tour company"

A tour by Gate 1 Travel called Discover Northern France that was booked for March 2024 was cancelled because of a lack of enough reservations to make this tour viable. A Customer Resolution Specialist for Gate 1, Donna Young, notified me that I could get a refund, Gate 1 travel credit, or book this tour later in the year at no additional cost. I chose to book this tour later in the year. Donna did an excellent job of offering me alternative dates and I chose a date in the fall 2024. I wish to thank Gate 1 for the options offered to me and to Donna for the superb job in booking an alternative tour date.

"Not really "making it right""

No follow up as promised. I gave a bad review of Gate 1 last week due to the bad customer service (and significant financial loss) from a recent Gate 1 trip. They immediately responded that they were sorry to hear this and would pass my information on to customer service so they could make it right. It's a week later and I have heard absolutely nothing. It's obviously just an automated response to make people think they are taking care of it, when in fact, they are blowing their customer off. Never thought I'd say this, but stay clear of Gate 1.

I checked with my agent and the last communication she had was 6 days ago when the Gate 1 agent said I would get my $600 deposit back and "only" a 90% cancellation fee instead of 100%. Not really "making it right" in my mind, but I'm done. We will take our final tour with Gate 1 this Aug. (our 8th) as it is already booked. They have lost my loyalty and trust.

"I'm thankful to my sweetheart for…"

I'm thankful to my sweetheart for choosing Gate1 small group discovery traveling Sri
Lanka now.
Our tour manager Heshan is the best in the industry, very knowledgeable practical and protective of our safety as the floods at Yala national parks we were lucky to have him arrange the safari and see all wildlife including wild elephants Leopards crocodile.
He took extraordinary pleasure in arranging my birthday celebration with balloon and cake.

"13 days Kasbahs desert of Morrocco"

Our guided tour experience was nothing short of phenomenal! Our tour guide - Zouhair A was an absolute gem, combining knowledge, passion, and a fantastic personality to make the excursion memorable. He navigated us through the sights effortlessly, providing intriguing historical and cultural insights at every turn. His storytelling skills were captivating, breathing life into the narratives of the places we visited. They managed the group skillfully, ensuring everyone felt engaged and included. The tour itself was well-organized, covering all the highlights while allowing enough time to absorb the surroundings. The attention to detail and the guide's commitment to making the experience enjoyable for everyone was commendable. Kudos to our Zouhair A tour guide and the team for delivering an enriching and delightful tour! Highly recommended for anyone seeking an enlightening and enjoyable exploration to North Africa and the Sahara desert .

"A well organized tour"

We went to Germany on the Essential Germany tour Dec. 3. Our tour guide was Asia and our bus driver was Konrad. They were a fantastic team. Asia was everything you could hope for in a tour guide and more. Everything was well organized. She left messages on our bulletin board every night to inform about the events of the following day. The seat rotation on the bus worked like clockwork. We met all our local guides without any delay or problem. During our bus rides, Asia gave us lots of well prepared and thoughtful background, history and other information. She played local music on the bus which we as a group enjoyed very much. After the official tour of the day had ended, she gave us handouts of things to do in our free time. She also took groups into the cities on public transportation outside the regular tour times. She was always accessible to answer questions with a smile. Asia really made our experience special and I would rate her as the most wonderful tour guide we have had on our Gate 1 travels so far.

"Poor customer service"

It has been about 7.5 years since I traveled with Gate 1 Travel. In the past, customer service was exceptionally great! Now I am appauded with the unprofessional and uncaring “attitude” demonstrated by Supervisors. What I surmised by the comments expressed is that it is my problem so do not bother me. Sure, I acknowledge that life is imperfect. However, where does empathy and compassion come into the professional world? When a customer states a concern and requests assistance, it soothes the complexion of the customer’s experience by possibly using statements such as “ I know you are stressed about the matter. Sorry that you are having to deal with this matter 8 days before departure. I will try to contact another person who can better help you.” These Supervisors present to be bothered by having to listen to my complaint and concern. They do not care if I am unable to go on my trip. Despite being advised that someone will call me today, I doubt that I will hear from someone. I was informed to contact them via Contact Us email. Well, I have tried that before but I only get a response 50% of the time. Then there are the representatives in the Philippines who do not know what they are doing. I end up calling back Gate 1 Travel and request to talk with a Supervisor. When I ask for the name of a person in management in order to write a letter about how Gate 1 Travel personnel has diminished the quality of service, not one Gate 1 employee will disclose the name of a professional in upper management. I find that odd.

"One star is way too many"

One star is way too many. I got a return ticket and wanted to change outbound one. Gate1 was nowhere to be found and there was no way of changing the flight. So I bought a new one on that day and did I no show on the old one. Surprise suprise happened when I tried to fly back. Was told at the airport that the agent froze the ticket bc I didnt show up on the outbound. Whats most ridiculous about it that they never notified me about it!!!! And as per my airline app nothing looked like there was anything wrong with my flight. Airline couldnt do anything about it and as a result I had to buy a new flight :)

"I already wrote a couple of bad reviews…"

I already wrote a couple of bad reviews during my last trip to Mexico with Gate 1 Discovery Tours—my aunt and her husband from Texas is currently doing the very same 13 Day Mexico Mayan and Aztec Illumination Tour two weeks after we did ours, and it was just confirmed based on the same Xochimilco tour that they took on their first day that alcoholic beverages and Mariachi Band was included in Gate 1 Budget during the boat tour but our tour manager and guide, MANUEL JURADO, decided it would be better for him to pocket the money that was supposed to be spent on our group to make our discovery tour with Gate 1 experience more enjoyable and memorable! This was based on the photographs provided by my aunt and uncle! Furthermore, I was just informed that water, coffee and tea were provided during lunch and dinner aside from one alcoholic beverages or juices.

The very bad experience we had on our most recent trip to Mexico was because of the third party tour company and tour manager that Gate 1 employed—for a big company like Gate 1, offering travels all over the world, this Mexico trip being our 9th with them, I expected more! The tour manager’s actions is a reflection of how bad Gate 1 was with regards to their travel quality control. They should check each hotels, restaurants, foods, and activities before going to any third party tour companies!

"Awesome Kenya Safari"

Christopher Musyoka was an outstanding tour guide, who went the extra mile for us. We saw all the animals we wanted to see. He was always concerned for our safety and comfort. The accommodations were outstanding! I only wish he would have been accessible during our stay the Ark! Thank you again, Gate 1, for a wonderful experience!