Jules Verne Reviews 70

I would not recommend this tour. The guides were mediocre at best. The guide in the Hanoi area did not say the truth about timings, etc. One guide spoke very poor English which made communication difficult. The bus in the Hanoi area was old with worn suspension. A 3 to 3.5 hour bus journey from Halong Bay to Ninh Binh turned into a 7.5 hour bouncy and shaky bus journey for no good reason - the detour and artificial stop had no obvious purpose. On this long journey and others there were not enough comfort breaks so we had to ask for them which the guides did not seem to appreciate. The tour was very regimented - it reminded me of a China tour I had done decades ago! - there was no free time other than in the evenings when we were too tired to do anything other than go to eat. The hotels were good but they were located a long way from anything and getting around in Vietnam is extremely difficult unless you take a taxi and then you have the problem of calling a taxi to take you back to the hotel. The sights did not compensate for these problems.

If you want to spend your holiday on a coach this is the one for you. We left the hotel generally at 8.00 am and arrived at next destination between 6.00 and 9.30 pm - often after the hotel restaurant had closed. Left San Cristobal (Mexico) at 5.30 am (lugging hand baggage through the streets in the rain for 1/4 mile to reach the coach) to spend 16 hours before getting to next hotel in Guatemala. Lots of padding to break up the long journeys (carpet factory, Mexicali distillery, “Mayan” meal [looked like a normal restaurant to me]). The archaeological sites were good but you might be only there for two hours and spend the rest of the day on the coach. Most of our group went down with colds, coughs and blocked noses / ears due to the long exposure to air conditioning on the bus. A number expressed the wish to be able to go home well before the three weeks were up. We survived but I would not repeat the process.
Journey times in the itinerary were hopelessly inaccurate. There must be a way to use internal flights to avoid 1000’s of kilometres on a bus.
Forced to fly from Cancun back to Mexico City when there are direct flights from Cancun to London.
It did not feel like the needs and comfort of the clients were taken into account. Little or no opportunity to rest and relax.
Three stars given only for the extraordinary archaeological sites.

We have recently returned from the bushveld and battlefields tour oct 2024. Life the guide and the driver were excellent. Life was outstanding from the start and nothing was too much trouble. He sorted any problems and was clear throughout on the tour. However, when we visited the battlefields lodge we were highly disappointed. Two sockets were damaged showing bare wires and loose connections, the wiring was downright dangerous!(see attached photos) The smoke detector wasn’t connected and lay on the counter. There was mould in the bathroom with cracked tiles. The bar shut at 9pm at night!. There was a blazing row amongst drivers from another company adding to the noise, which I had to intervene! We were told on day two at Kruger, that our included afternoon drive on safari had been cancelled. Thanks to one of our fellow travellers and Life our guide, this was thankfully remedied, for which we are grateful for your prompt action at your UK end. But this never should have arisen. The last hotel the cathedral peak was excellent, but we would suggest an extra day at the end of the holiday to relax and enjoy the facilities. The itinerary said we would have the last morning to relax but this wasn’t possible, as we all had to get to the airport that was over 5 hours away! That has no reflection on Life our guide or the driver as they rightly knew that it would take a long time to drive to the airport, esp with the state of some of the roads. The visit to Pilgrims rest was in ours (and others from the group) pointless, which put extra pressure on Life our guide and the driver. We nearly missed the visits to the other places that day. We also had time constraints which meant we could not get to the Talana battlefield and museum on time. Life our guide did manage to get the staff to hold on for us to look at a section of the museum, but that wasn’t really worth doing, despite their gallant efforts. (the interesting military section was closed.) This was perhaps a museum visit too far due to the time constraints, traffic and state of the roads. The visit to the lake takes some time, and we felt the trip on the boat on the lake could perhaps have been longer that an hour. It was fascinating, but we feel needs to be longer. Again we didn’t have time to visit the military museum in ladysmith which was disappointing again. Again not the guide or drivers faults, the roads were terrible and cost us a lot of time

My husband and I went on a Jules Verne Taj Tour earlier in the year. In essence the tour we experienced did not reflect what we were led to believe we would be doing.
When in the first few days my husband sustained an accident caused by the hotels lift we were not supported in the manner we expected from a Gold Standard Travel Company. On our return we had lengthy discussions with JV the result of which they apologised offered us standard compensation and advised us to go to ABTTA. Subsequently we lodged our complaint with them online as this is the only way they communicate with anyone. To date we have received no answer and feel totally impotent that we can not get anyone to listen to our concerns. It isn’t about financial compensation I just don’t want anyone else to take a trip of a lifetime and find it turns into a total nightmare. Think long and hard before you entrust Jules Verne with your dreams.

We have been home now for a week after our Classic Tour of Albania with Jules Verne. It was fabulous from start to finish. From booking on-line, to speaking with a customer service operator to the tour itself. We were met at the airport in Tirana by our Guide, Klodian, and our driver, Genti, and they stayed with us the whole week. They were both magnificent. Klodian was an exceptional guide. His knowledge on everything Albanian was above and beyond. He was extremely friendly and his English was fabulous. Everyone on our tour enjoyed his company and every question we asked, he answered. Our driver, Genti, lived up to his name and was a true gent. Always polite, friendly and we always felt safe in his hands - especially as the traffic was so busy in Tirana. Unfortunately he had to leave early due to a personal loss, but Dennis, his replacement was just as diligent.

The tour itself was amazing. We took in Kruja, Tirana, Berat, Llogara National Park, Gjirokastra and back to Tirana We stayed an extra 3 days in Durres to have an extension on the beach. All hotels were extremely clean with amazing staff, food and location. We saw a lot of castle, archeological sites and a lot of history. There was a lot of walking involved in this tour, with some steep steps and hills, but on the whole we all coped with this.

I truly couldn't recommend this tour highly enough, and we will definitely book again with this brilliant company. Just wish Klodian (Klodi) would be our Guide again.

It’s big fraud platform company in whole world fraud happened with me 16000 dollar with them and I am finding to contact their customer service they are saying can’t provide information of customer service guys let’s join me we need to raise sounds against them they are eating people money with lot of enjoy They are making fool to people. If you are not a fraud let me allow to contact you

Hi
Does anyone know the company rebate programe.agents to do the 36 tripflow tasks and get reward as rebate of 23% back.
Or a group of scamers reaching out for ponzi scheme.
Anyone heard about that please share your experience
Thanks

Hiodden Spain: guide had no communication or organisational skills. His English was poor. He lived in southern Spain, we were in the Basque country. He knew nothing about the area and talked about southern Spain all the time. We had all been to the south many times. He seemed completely unaware of this. He read notes off the net, which we could have done.

I have just come back from the Golden Road to Samarqand trip - 3-14 May 2024 - and want to give a review because it was a perfect experience. What made my experience perfect? Comfortable flight, beautiful hotels in perfect locations, the planning that our guide Shukhrat put into making sure the whole group (19 in total) felt looked after safely and with great good humour. The weather was mixed so Shukhrat made some changes to our itinerary to make sure we would get the best out of each of the places we visited. We experienced ancient cities, mosques, madrassas, minarets and mausoleums, brought to life by information and stories about all the places we visited. This brought everything into vivid life as we walked the streets, explored bazaars and workshops and met local people who made us feel so welcome. The local guides in Khiva and Bukhara and the coach drivers could not have done more for us. We experienced the Kyzylkum desert, stopping to view the Amu Darya (Oxus) and lunch in a yurt, the snow capped Zarafshan mountains, local cuisine, markets and met local craftsmen and women. The whole trip was a revelation and I thank Shukhrat from the bottom of my heart for all that he did.

Recently went to Mexico and Guatemala with this company. Awful holiday, expensive but done cheaply. Coming through immigration, we had to walk to our bus and the car barrier came down onto my husbands head, splitting the skin and causing him to collapse. We have been offered £300 as a goodwill gesture, because it was out with their control. I asked them if he had died which he could have done (he is 77) would they have said the same thing. Absolutely disgraceful.
Please don't book with this company, they do not have your safety as a priority. Their standards have dropped considerably over the last year. I first went with them 35 years ago but will never go with them again. No customer care. Our complaint was not resolved amicably. Unfortunately we are due to go with you to Transylvania, but will never travel with you again.

We have used VJV before had had a wonderful time so have booked the Nile cruise including Aswan. We've not travelled yet, but I just wanted to praise the exceptional service we have received from Tara who went above and beyond in sorting out some specific requests when her colleagues had told me it was impossible previously. She is a credit to VJV.

Just came back from JV Golden Triangle India 8 night tour. Fabulous hotels, lovely local guide who organized it faultlessly and small group of just 7 people.

The holiday booked was cancelled 3 weeks before departure. The replacement offered was appalling. It was a so called River Cruise from Stasbourg....No cruise that i know if is so bad. The boat rattles, creaks and bangs the 'cabins' are more akin to a prison cell. The Heath and Safety is dreadful with evacuation over 3 adjoining boats on narrow badly placed planks positively dangerous. During the night, it would be impossible to cross and anyone who is elderly or has mobility problems would simply be left behind. The quality is dire. Don't bother.
For a much lower cost I have booked P&O Stateroom for 2 people next December.
VJV did exactly the same to a consultant friend who has also provided the most dreadful reviews. They are not what they were and really couldn't care less.

Did VJV's Wild Namibia tour Sep 2023.
This was my third more recent tour with VJV having done tours with them in the past. Although the actual booking of the tour seemed well organized the after care was very poor. Slow response to emails, poor or incorrect information given and misrepresentation of the tour where the itinery given (and expected to get) did not match the experience on offer to us.
A larger than expected group (they added an extra group of six) so to accommodate the now group of 12 we were split into different accommodations. I enquired before the start of the tour, when I learned about the additions, if we would all have the same accommodation and was told yes. this was not the case. The address given for the lodge was incorrect, not even in the same area as stated in the itinery and NO game drives as stated in the itinery (which is what a safari in Africa is all about).
Other accommodation used on the tour were of an ok standard but a couple were awful with no air con and poorly maintained with flooding showers. The excuse used is that Africa is a relatively a basic country and these things happen but that's not the case. There were many better lodges nearby with much better facilities. Myself and other guests complained to the local guides used about our individual issues but heard nothing from VJV.
I took the privately guided option at an additional £1,300 and was told I would have that to end of the tour at Victoria falls. Then I was told would only have until Botswana, then told would have all the way and so on depending who I spoke to on the phone. It all seemed like the tour was being made up as it went along. I was supposed to have a private car/jeep to the end of the tour and other 11 split between to mini buses but all twelve of us had to squash into a small van to get us to the last hotel with the sorry apologies again. Seems there is not much communication between VJV and local agents used before and whilst on the tours.
On my return I approached VJV for compensation for the misrepresentations in there itinery and was offered £200. They admitted that they had issues with the holiday confirmations sent out and were very sorry. I refused the £200 and we finally settled on £400. Nothing can make up for the safari experienced promised but didn't get on this expensive tour.
I totally agree with one of the other comments that it's run by young girls that don't have any experience about the places they are selling and about travel in general.
Years ago VJV were excellent and I had every confidence in them but sadly not now. This is my third bad experience with them. Shame as they do have some lovely holidays
Would I go with them again......possibly but know from experience to take every thing they say with a pinch of salt and to check every thing out for myself....even flights.

A SUPER well organised Cruise down the 600 Mile Nile on a comfortable river cruiser MS Darakum Delightfulyl professional and helpful crew. Fantastic food with loads of choice. A knowledgeable guide enhanced the visits at all sites Avoiding the heat and crowds where possible Extra Vjv experiences were a bonus and fun. Cruise includes time to relax and enjoy the interesting river banks passing by.. Finishing in Cairo for the amazing Pyramids, Sphinx and City.
Good value for money as everything included, except the Balloon Ride over Valley of Kings.Definitly worth the extra !

The Golden Road to Samarkand - Ukbekistan. What a fantastic holiday. The country is culturally rich, very friendly and so much to see and do. Made all the better due to the exacting organisation and admin of VJV customer services team and the exceptional in country guide. He was exceptional. All over every detail, nothing was too much trouble and we were well informed at all times. He earned his tip and more. I can highly recommend this company and this tour. You may find cheaper versions, but having seen other companies whilst I was there, at times they appeared chaotic and disorganised. I having nothing but praise and good words for the the local guide and VJV.

Having travelled twice before with VJV, this time was one not to be repeated. I managed to get a bad cold after a few days and certain people in the group told me I couldn't eat with them and I should go back to my room. The tour manager did nothing to sort this out so I was ostracised for having a cold which I clearly caught whilst on holiday. The tour rep was very pleasant but age inappropriate (20) for the group who were from 64 to late 80s. Although food was served to me in the lounge bar by the time it came it was stone cold. I do not expect to go on holiday and be treated as if I have the plague when I and many other people on the Renoir riverboat were also coughing and sneezing.
My previous trip with VJV started badly as they booked flights from Heathrow that were too late to catch the riverboat in Lyon. The flight was delayed but even if it had been on time the boat had already sailed. We ended up wheeling our cases a long way to a hotel to eat, then getting in a small coach for a mad dash to catch up with the boat with a driver who drove extremely dangerously. £100 was given by way of compensation to spend on another holiday with them which I used for the holiday above. Even then they seemed reluctant to allow me to use the £100 having to check with managers even though it was on their records.

Went to uzbeckistan office staff useless I think they are working from home. Not told the printer had broken when I kept emailing. 16 days late receiving info
Tour guide young and arrogant
No whispers to hear the guide talking when you move away
Food repetitive
One lady going into dementia
One man nearky 90 I have elderly mum so wanted to be without the elderly and taking care of them
Photos taken guide gave us hats we provided emails still not received. !
Being used for marketing material. ?! Better not as I will be contacting them. Riveria travel for me !

Sadly since covid the company has lost site of any customer care. There is no loyalty for all the years of travelling with them, and the company feels as though its run by a group of youngsters with little knowledge of the holiday destinations they are selling.

I recently travelled to Sorrento with VJV and thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I’ve been on many previous trips (8) with this company and have always been happy with the service in the UK and when on holiday. The negative comments on here are puzzling. VJV trips typically have small numbers of people on them and a light touch when it comes to being guided. I really like this - I don’t want to be kept under close ‘supervision’, but maybe some people do!