My husband and I have been on 11 trips with OAT, and for the most part they have been good, however when things go wrong they are not much help; we were in Peru on 9/11, I must tell you OAT did nothing to help, but we felt that was such an unusual situation it was forgivable. Then we booked to Turkey, bad weather caused a flight cancellation, OAT made us find our own way to Turkey then when we got there we had to find our own way and finance our trip to the hotel, now we had a trip to the Serengeti booked for Nov 24 2013 they just called us on Sept 13, and cancelled it, we had paid early march to get good buy plan, they did not offer to give us any credit for keeping our money so long, the credits they give you for taking a previous trip will even go down in value. My husband and I are not complainers, but I fail to see how this is good business sense, to treat your best customers this way

Well, as I said long ago, we went on 2 that were grand, and then the last one horrible., totally mismanaged..so with those odds, we have never tried it again.

Again my response on this outdated thread with GCT complaints...but on a positive note. We recently went on our eighth tour that was well run. This time to Maritime Provinces.
http://www.fodors.com/community/cana...-provinces.cfm

Bill in Boston

How can you really trust what is on the web? Anyone of whatever motivation can post. Why should complaints be dismissed simply because they are first time one time posters? At the same time there are certain posters who seem to be cheerleaders for some companies. My feeling is that there are a lot of companies offering travel, and if one gets bad marks from a couple of posters, why even consider it? Go with one with good reviews.

Tjoyfin - We apologize for any inconveniences you've experienced traveling with us. We regret that we had to unexpectedly cancel one of our Safari Serengeti departures. While our alternative offerings did not fit your schedule, we do hope that you will give us another opportunity to impress you in the future. Justwishin, if you would like to discuss your experience on your last trip, please contact us. -Michelle, GCC Web Community Manager

I find travel companies to be much like dating. Sometimes you have fun, sometimes you wish the guy offered more, sometimes you love the guy immediately, sometimes you don't like him at all. However, my mother gave me some good advise when I was young. Date everyone 3 times before you make a decision. We have enjoyed Grand Circle, OAT, Viking and Vantage. Honestly, in the dark they are pretty much all the same just like a date.

We have had good and less than good times on all 4 of them. Less than good memories often provide the most laughter when it's over.I try to keep the attitude,"It's about the journey, not the trip that you will remember."

Good travels!

I have traveled with OAT four times and with GCT once, and have signed up for OAT's Turkey's Magical Hideaways trip next October. I prefer OAT because the groups are smaller. There have been a couple of problems on two of my trips, which were beyond their control, but OAT issued refunds. I have found their trips exceptional, with wonderful guides and accommodations. I have traveled as a single and my rooms have always been as good as those with double accommodations. I have been to Peru, VietNam/Cambodia, India/Nepal, Italy and have just completed the Nepal and the Mystical Himalayas trip, which was incredible. In spite of OAT's warnings about how difficult this trip could be, I had no problems at all, and I will be 79 next March. The only trip I did not like was India, but that wasn't OAT's fault, it was India's. I just couldn't stomach the filth. I think you have to have an adventurous spirit to appreciate these trips. They're not like staying in Hiltons. By the way Travel and Leisure Magazine has rated them tops.

Why do people keep resurrecting this old thread from 2011? Strange to me...
It is best to start a new thread instead of compounding on top of one so old.

Because I just discovered it,SusieQQ, and felt it necessary to comment on what I consider disparaging remarks about what I consider an excellent tour copany.

>>Why do people keep resurrecting this old thread from 2011? Strange to me...
It is best to start a new thread instead of compounding on top of one so old.<<

Probably because OAT/GCT encourages their customers to post on-line reviews on travel sites. A sleazy policy by a reasonably good company . . .

(They mostly get deleted by the moderators because they are mostly one-time/only-time/hit and run members.)

Yes, these one time posters register just to defend a tour company... it does give the appearance of sleazy policy.

BobbieH, Hope you continue to participate on these forums and aren't a "one time wonder".

"Yes, these one time posters register just to defend a tour company... it does give the appearance of sleazy policy."

Why do you consider it an appearance of sleazy policy? I love reading reports of all companies-good and bad. That's how people gain information, help make decisions, etc. You have to take some with the grain of salt, snicker at some, be glad you weren't traveling with some individuals, etc. That is what travel sites are for- to learn.

Does being a first time poster immediately discount their creditability? First time posters also love to discredit too along with defending. I think most posters are intelligent enough to make their own decisions. Who cares how old a thread is if contains interesting information.

>>Does being a first time poster immediately discount their creditability? <<

No -- but there is a looooooong history of OAT/GCT customers registering to praise the company and their tours and then never ever come back. Hit-and-run. Some even have used the same wording/syntax. Some OAT guides must provide suggested reviews for their passengers to post on-line.

Really? And that's a absolute fact or hear say? My question is "Who really cares?"

OMG!

Does this never end...let's all agree, some people have had good experiences with OAT/GCT and some have had bad experiences with them (including myself).

But, there are just too many first time posters with exceptional praise.

Let's all stop this nonsense....

Yes, this is ridiculous so let's cease...from eight times travelers who have no complaints whatsoever. You know we are NOT from GCT as we are posting often here and there on Fodors.

Bill I have no issues with your post as I stated earlier, about 6 mos. ago but there are clearly at least 4-6 one timers who have shown up to defend GCT and then are never heard from again. If only most of the posters were as believable as you there would be no issues. However there clearly have been with many others. They too matter.

Yes southeastern, really . . .

>>>No -- but there is a looooooong history of OAT/GCT customers registering to praise the company and their tours and then never ever come back. Hit-and-run. Some even have used the same wording/syntax. Some OAT guides must provide suggested reviews for their passengers to post on-line.<<<

They aren't the only company that does this. I often think the one time hit-and-runs are actually employees required to post reviews as part of their job to drum up business. Gate 1 and a few other lower end package tours do the same thing. You can copy and paste those posts into Google and turn up the exact same wording across multiple travel forums.

Kybourbon as a bourbon fan I must ask if you have a favorite.
Thank you. Larry. .
Mine is Jeffersons Reserve BTW.