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About Ritz Tours
Welcome to Ritz Tours.Your perfect vacation at heart.At Ritz Tours, we have been handcrafting escorted vacations for more than 40 years. Wherever you want to explore, we are experts in guided tours that show you the iconic sights of a destination while immersing you in its history and culture.A family-run business with an enduring passion for travel, our tours offer a variety of travel styles. We specialize in everything from escorted group tours through to custom-designed private tours for families, couples and friends, together with special interest journeys for groups of like-minded guests.Our destinations span the globe: jetting you to the world’s unmissable capitals or its most far-flung corners. Soak up the history of great cities like Rome or Paris on one of our tours to Europe. Witness the UNESCO-listed sites of ancient lands such as Egypt or Jordan. Or book one of our luxury tours to laze on a Bali or Maldives white-sand beach or enjoy a guided tour around the wonders of Brazil or the wildlife reserves of Kenya.Family values and personal service Wherever you travel with us, your tour reflects the traditional family values we have honored since our launch in 1980. We treat you as part of our Ritz family: providing personalized service from the start to the end of your vacation. Along with our attention to detail, professional integrity and first-hand knowledge of the destinations we offer, it means you can be confident of exploring and traveling without any stress or worry.Every one of our tours is designed with affordability and comfort in mind, too. As well as flexible booking, our vacations include international flights, luxury hotel accommodation and comprehensive sightseeing itineraries with expert guides—giving you excellent value and enabling you to explore at an unrushed pace. Each also comes with enriching cultural encounters and optional tours, letting you delve deeper into your destination than the average traveler.Whether it’s a thrilling safari
Ritz Tours (ritztours.com) has 284 customer reviews on Folks Told, with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5.
Natalie our tour guide was knowledgable and attended to minute details.The 12 days maximized to include so many amazing attractions. Highly recommend the tour.
Reply from Ritz ToursOct 10, 2023
Dear Gwendolyn,
We greatly appreciate your feedback about your experience with Ritz Tours. It's wonderful to hear that Natalie, your tour guide, was knowledgeable and paid close attention to even the smallest details. This kind of personalized service can truly enhance a travel experience.
We're delighted to know that the 12 days of your tour were maximized to include a multitude of amazing attractions. Your recommendation is a testament to the quality of our tours, and we're grateful for your trust in us.
If you ever have more to share or if you're considering another adventure, please feel free to reach out. We look forward to creating more fantastic memories with you in the future!
DE
Dee
A definite bucket list tour but must be able to endure lotsssssss of walking!!!!
There were many operational disappointments with the tour which included lack of communication of pertinent info from ritz rep (Olga) and the tour organizer (grace)….
Many of us had never been out of the country before and communication of pertinent info was only done when initiated by the traveler….
It took days once we arrived in europe to even know who ‘Grace’ was! She could have made herself more visible….
Many questions asked of Olga were pushed off to Grace who ghosted us!
This trip involved an EXTENSIVE Amt of walking and his disclosure should b shared in the tour description!
Overall the you itself was a chance of a lifetime!!!
Reply from Ritz ToursOct 13, 2023
Hi Diane,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on our recent tour. We're truly sorry to hear about the communication issues and the surprises you encountered during the trip.
It sounds like there were some gaps in relaying important details, especially for travelers like many of you who were heading out of the country for the first time. We want everyone to feel supported, and we'll be putting measures in place to improve our communication.
Arranging a group tour for a large group inherently comes with its complexities. From the division of the group into three buses to ensuring everyone was accommodated to the best of our abilities due to the group's size, these logistical nuances were keenly felt. We exerted our utmost effort to ensure the tour was enjoyable for all participants. However, there were some elements of the tour organization that were beyond our direct influence.
Regarding the walking during the tour: Europe has many beautiful sites that sometimes require a bit of a trek. But you're right, we should be more upfront about how much walking is involved, so everyone can be prepared.
I'm glad you saw the trip as a "chance of a lifetime." We'll take your feedback to heart and work on making the experience even better for future travelers.
EF
Evelyn F.
I enjoyed the tours
I enjoyed the tours. The trip was very well organized. We had an excellent tour guide.
Reply from Ritz ToursOct 10, 2023
Dear Evelyn,
We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the tours and found your trip to be very well organized. It's always a pleasure to know that our efforts to provide a seamless and enjoyable travel experience are appreciated.
Having an excellent tour guide can truly make a difference, and we're pleased to know that your guide added to your enjoyment.
If you ever have more feedback to share or if you're considering another adventure with us, please don't hesitate to reach out. We look forward to serving you again in the future!
BG
Barbara G.
Enjoyed places visited
Liked places visited
Disliked opportunities missed for rest, relaxation and exploration for shopping and tasting European cuisine
Reply from Ritz ToursOct 10, 2023
Dear Barbara,
Thank you for sharing your feedback about your experience with Ritz Tours. We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the places you visited during your journey.
Your comment about missed opportunities for rest, relaxation, and exploration for shopping and trying European cuisine is well noted. We understand the importance of balancing guided tours with free time for personal exploration and relaxation. We will take your feedback into consideration to provide a more well-rounded and satisfying experience for our travelers in the future.
Your insights are valued, and we hope to have the chance to serve you again on a more balanced and enjoyable journey in the future.
RR
Rickey R.
Poor planning for the excursions
Poor planning for the excursions. The time was too tight to enjoy the sights. Too many people were booked to feel comfortable when checking into the hotels. At one time we had to carry our luggage to the 2nd floor because the hotel only had 2 elevators and all tours were trying to check in. We spent a lot of time traveling on the bus and I was very disappointed that the bus driver was charging us for WATER!!! This was disturbing to me because we we told to give a mandatory tip and the tip instructions were mailed to my home… This was poor customer service from Ritz Tours. I also didn’t appreciate being booked in a room with double bed’s considering my wife and I never slept apart in 40ys. My wife and I vacation at least 2 times a year planning our trips. We decided to go with a tour vacation and we will never do the tour trips again. The tour sites were beautiful, our tour guide Natalie was great, but the tour organization, hotel booking and planning out the excursions timeline was poor.
Reply from Ritz ToursOct 13, 2023
Hi Rickey,
Thank you for taking a moment to share your experience. We're genuinely sorry that certain aspects of the tour fell short of your expectations.
Organizing a tour for a large group certainly presents its unique challenges. Dividing the group into three buses and striving to provide the best possible accommodations given the size of the group brought about some intricate logistical details. We gave our all to make sure everyone had a pleasant experience. Yet, there were certain aspects of the tour organization that weren't entirely within our control.
We understand the timeline for the excursions felt rushed, impacting your enjoyment. We always aim to give everyone enough time to soak in the sights, and we'll be revisiting our scheduling to find a better balance.
Hearing about the hotel check-in and room allocation issues, as well as the bus water charge, gives us clear areas to address. We want all our travelers to feel comfortable and valued, and it sounds like we missed the mark in a few areas on this tour.
On a positive note, We're glad you enjoyed the beauty of the tour sites and had a good experience with Natalie as your guide. Your feedback is invaluable, and we'll be using it to refine and improve our services.
We hope you'll give us the opportunity to make things right in the future.
BM
Bettye M.
Too much walking
Too much walking, you need to have mini vans to transport where the large buses are not allowed in city limits.
There needs to be more food choices or food selections at the dinners
Reply from Ritz ToursOct 10, 2023
Dear Bettye,
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us, and we appreciate your insights regarding your experience with Ritz Tours.
Your point about the amount of walking and the need for mini vans in city limits where large buses are restricted is well taken. We understand the importance of providing comfortable and convenient transportation for our travelers and will certainly consider this for future tours.
Additionally, your suggestion for more food choices or selections at dinners is valuable. We aim to offer a variety of dining options to cater to different preferences, and we'll work on enhancing this aspect for a more enjoyable dining experience.
Your input is important to us, and it helps us in our commitment to making our tours more enjoyable and accommodating. We hope to have the opportunity to serve you again in the future and provide an even better travel experience.
KS
Kay S.
Trip of a Lifetime
It was my trip of a lifetime. I think the tour guide (Lee), did an outstanding job. The other tour guide in Paris talked too much and too long. I was happy to see the arrangements made for those who had medical problems walking. I think they should have been told that a lot of walking would be involved before they went on the trip.
Reply from Ritz ToursOct 10, 2023
Dear Kay,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us, and we're delighted to hear that your trip with Ritz Tours was the trip of a lifetime.
We appreciate your kind words about your tour guide, Lee, and his outstanding work. It's always wonderful to have a knowledgeable and attentive guide during a journey.
Your feedback about the tour guide in Paris and their speaking duration is valuable, and we'll take this into consideration to provide an even more balanced and enjoyable experience for future travelers.
We also appreciate your recognition of the arrangements made for travelers with medical walking issues. Your suggestion about informing travelers in advance about the level of walking involved is a great point, and we'll certainly work on improving the communication in that regard.
We're thrilled that you had a fantastic experience, and we look forward to assisting you with any future travel adventures you may have in mind.
LI
Linda
Our First European Tour
Our first European Tour; I had read the itinerary and talked with Company Representative; so was somewhat prepared. A lot of walking was required - that is okay; our destinations were very walkable cities; wish we had more free afternoons to walk and explore on our own; am an Elder, but pace did not bother me. I will not choose this type of tour next time because (1) it was too large (100 people is too many) if we had proceeded with our own bus, it would have been much easier since every bus had their own tour guide; (2) we waited in the airport 5 hours to “wait” for other travelers who were late; this put us on a tour scheduled to leave at 10-11 am at 3 pm; too long for anyone to wait for anyone; when I contemplated other flights, Company Rep expressly told me if I arrived after the 10 am time, I would miss the tour - okay. So, based on that info, in my opinion and to my disappointment, we should not have to hold the majority of the travel group for those that are late; plus if there was time to relax and enjoy the site, that was ruined because we did not have time; (4) with the number of individuals with mobility issues, there should have been more alternate means of transport if needed; (5) maybe because of the aforementioned events, our afternoons to explore on our own were truncated to 2 hours or less, much less time than I thought we should have had (except for first destination). I admit traveling can take you out of your comfort zone; and you take it, adapt and continue or you don’t and it’s not a pleasurable trip. In the future, and for my travel pleasure, I will choose a trip with fewer destinations and thereby have a longer time to really enjoy the sites. Overall, I really enjoyed myself; I enjoyed the sites; I enjoyed meeting the people in the countries and my bus mates. An outstanding mention goes to our Tour Guide Liming Pang; she was knowledgeable, personable, professional and helped us navigate the cities. She looked out for us; made sure she kept us within her view (which was not easy); and let us explore if she was assured we could handle it. Would I travel with Ritz again? Definitely - the more I experience, the more I learn, the better I adapt.
Thank you/Sincerely
Reply from Ritz ToursOct 10, 2023
Dear Linda,
Thank you for sharing your detailed feedback and your first European tour experience with Ritz Tours. We greatly appreciate your insights, as they help us continually improve our services and offerings.
It's wonderful to hear that you were prepared for the amount of walking required during your trip and that the pace didn't bother you, even as an elder. Exploring walkable cities is a great experience, and we're glad you enjoyed it.
We understand your concerns about the tour size, airport waiting times, and the impact of late arrivals on the group. Your point of view is valuable, and it's something we'll take into consideration for future trips to ensure a more enjoyable experience for all travelers.
Your suggestions regarding more alternate means of transport for those with mobility issues and having more free time for exploration are duly noted, and we appreciate your understanding that travel can sometimes take you out of your comfort zone.
We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the sites, the people you met, and your fellow travelers. It's also wonderful to know that your tour guide, Liming Pang, played such a positive role in your experience.
Thank you for considering traveling with Ritz Tours again in the future. Your feedback is essential in our commitment to making your future travels even more pleasurable and enjoyable.
