Ritz ToursReviews of ritztours.com

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.

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

Enjoyed every tour taken but had no idea that so much walking was involved. I would have loved the opportunity to refresh myself with a shower before going on tours. A magnificent experience.

Overall a great experience our guide in Bangkok was Alice and she was outstanding!! The Hyatt was beyond expectations as was the hotel in Phuket-I would not send people to the one in Chiang Mei, it really is subpar of your brand. Also our guide, cant remember his name was awful-please do not use again- One more thing when in Bangkok one buffet is okay but 3 too many-do a cooking class or a luncheon in someone's home a much more richer experience

This is our second tour with Ritz. The first one was in Kenya and it was well organized and well planned. Our second trip was in Bali and Singapore. Our tour was customized but based on the regular tour, we just added more days. Lillian was a great help as the relay with the people in Bali who organized our tour. The tour in Bali was not logistically planned though: for most of the trip, we were staying in hotels in the south tip of Bali (Uluwatu and Dusa Nua), except when we went to Ubud. So every day, we were leaving from the south point of the island to go in all directions and back south in our hotels. It meant spending a lot of time on the road. The day we went to the Lempuyang temple, located in the East, we left at 6 am because we were two and a half hours away from it. At the end of the day, with the very heavy holiday traffic and the rain, it was past 9:30 pm when we arrived at the hotel to check in, and we were exhausted and in a bad mood. It had been a very long day. All the hotels where we stayed in Bali were 5 stars and they were very nice. But we would gladly have stayed in a 3-star hotel if it had been closer to the places we were going to visit and if it had meant spending less time on the road. At the Lempuyang temple, when we arrived, we had to take a ticket to get in line. We did not realize that the number we received was to be photographed in front of the famous Gates of Heaven. After waiting for two and a half hours, they were only serving the number 90 and we had the number 153. When we understood that we were waiting just to take a few photos, we asked the guide to leave: we had other places to go to after and it was not worth waiting another 2 hours or more just for a photo. Again, staying closer to the temple would have saved us a lot of agony. And why not visit the Uluwatu temple while staying in Uluwatu instead of doing it while staying in Nusa Dua? It seems more logical to me. I believe the Bali tour needs to be reconsidered so less time is wasted on the road and the visits are more comfortable and not so rushed.

The tour director Nathan was so so just did his job but not dynamic, low key and not energetic and not ave us details He spoke with low voice. At time I was not sure of what he was talking. I have experienced more focus and energetic tour directors before that would make trip more enjoyable The office manager was very helpful I did not get what the money is worth for the tours Tour code REF When I first made inquiry about the $500 promotion I saw no limit and no expiration date. So I booked 8 and next day another 9 but the 9 was only $250 off. This is to bait customers in and this is not the right way to do business.You should have stated limit to 8 passengers with $500 discount and $250 for the next 10 The tour director Nathan was so so , low key and not dynamic and enthusiastic, low key hard to understand and spoke with a low tone. An enthusiastic director can make the tour more enjoyable and I have met others who are more details The office manager Lilian was with appreciation and helpful

I had the pleasure of visiting Bangkok, Chiang Mai, & Phuket Thailand and Overall, the trip was good. Of the three places, we enjoyed Phuket and Chiang Mai the best over Bangkok. Bangkok felt a lot like NYC so going on vacation, I really did not want to feel as though I was still in the hustle and bustle of daily life. We were not that impressed with the hotel in Phuket and had to change rooms due to noisy neighbors and a malfunctioned AC unit. Our hotel stay in Chiang Mai Did not have the best breakfast offerings but otherwise, a good trip. The trip was well planned out by Ritz Tours and if I had it to do all over again, I would prefer nicer hotel accommodations in Phuket. The tours to the different temples were informational and an experience to remember. The elephant sanctuary was one of the highlights of the trip that was a pleasure.

This was an excellent tour covering all of the major tourist sites and cities. We were fortunate to have only 6 travelers and Ritz still conducted the tour. Rather than having one guide with us for the entire itinerary Ritz arranged seperate guides in each city who picked us up, guided us for that city, and took us to check in for our next flight to the next city. It was was well organized and all the guides did a great job. One star is deducted for the food which was good when the choices were local cuisine, but some tourist restaurants on the itinerary served their version of American Chinese food was not to our liking. The Victoria Jenna was a fine riverboat ship and we upgraded to a larger King bed cabin but the Standard is ok. Included shore excursions were ok but you have to pay extra for the additional excursions which is an annoying feature and Ritz should include them. I should mention that I went to China with Ritz 20 years ago and went with them again, and was not disappointed. Their office staff is helpful and answers all of your questions before you depart. They can help with Visas as well. Recommend highly.