Anyone tried the MVC-linked Guided Tours (by Collette)?

[acal]

Any of them, but the China tour in particular?

 

[TravelTime]

I am also interested in this topic. I am interested in South Africa, Kenya and Israel for 2020, possibly. I look forward to learning more.

 

[Steve Fatula]

I am also interested in this topic. I am interested in South Africa, Kenya and Israel for 2020, possibly. I look forward to learning more.

Kenya? Sounds nice! I am planning Uganda for 2020.

 

[Luvtoride]

I am also interested in this topic. I am interested in South Africa, Kenya and Israel for 2020, possibly. I look forward to learning more.

TT, we are booked for the Iconic Israel tour with Collette in September 2019. I can tell you so far that they have been extremely helpful and pleasant to deal with in making the arrangements. Very patient answering all of our questions.

We booked our own premium (business class) airfare from NYC to Israel as we found better pricing thru AMEX platinum travel services.

Also, we weren’t aware til booking the tour that as Chairman’s Club members we get a $200 credit (per couple) to use for any add ons, extra hotel nights or options for the tour. Our initial bill from Collette was actually a credit!

They have their own tour insurance which is very comprehensive and I would recommend considering. The MVC trip insurance does not cover the Collette tours.

Will keep you posted as to our experience as we leave in a bit over 8 months!
Happy new year!


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[Dean]

Any of them, but the China tour in particular?

I haven't done any but have looked at them quite extensively. There are a few that are interesting both for Collette and cruises esp river cruises. I have 3 or 4 trips that I have slated to do at some point that fit in with the points exchange options including 14-15 night Amsterdam-Budapet river cruises, circle Great Britain tour, another Alaska cruise, plus a couple of others less well defined. When the time comes I'll look at my available points, my options, cash prices of similar choices, etc and decide. I've also done a fair amount of research online about Collette and I must say that gives me some hesitation but not enough to rule them out at this time.

 

[TravelTime]

TT, we are booked for the Iconic Israel tour with Collette in September 2019. I can tell you so far that they have been extremely helpful and pleasant to deal with in making the arrangements. Very patient answering all of our questions.

We booked our own premium (business class) airfare from NYC to Israel as we found better pricing thru AMEX platinum travel services.

Also, we weren’t aware til booking the tour that as Chairman’s Club members we get a $200 credit (per couple) to use for any add ons, extra hotel nights or options for the tour. Our initial bill from Collette was actually a credit!

They have their own tour insurance which is very comprehensive and I would recommend considering. The MVC trip insurance does not cover the Collette tours.

Will keep you posted as to our experience as we leave in a bit over 8 months!
Happy new year!


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Thank you for your input. Please post about your Israel trip when you get back. I am considering Israel in 2020 and if it is good, perhaps an African safari in a few years after that. Those are 2 places on my bucket list.

 

[VacationForever]

The part that I struggle with most with the Explorer Collection, and in this case Collette tours and cruises, is that the points required to book are inflated by 25% (Collette) to 50% (cruises) of cash value. I am vacillating between trying to rent out my points and take the cash to book directly through Collette or cruise lines or for simplicity, let MVC skim off the points and use MVC points to book them.

 

[acal]

Have you rented your pts out before (we never have). It'd have to be quite easy for me to bother vs using them.

Very interested in hearing how the Israel tour goes. Please do let everyone know.

The online feedback for the collette trips are mixed, hence my hesitation, but there's enough good feedback that I can't decide if it's just dependent on who your guide is or some people just can't be made happy, or what.

 

[Dean]

The part that I struggle with most with the Explorer Collection, and in this case Collette tours and cruises, is that the points required to book are inflated by 25% (Collette) to 50% (cruises) of cash value. I am vacillating between trying to rent out my points and take the cash to book directly through Collette or cruise lines or for simplicity, let MVC skim off the points and use MVC points to book them.

That's because there is a drain on the cash as it goes through the steps. Marriott contracts a price with them, likely a discount off rack rates. Then they have to rent out time based on points and I suspect that the reservation system gets a cut. I know with DVC it was a full 50% at one point, not sure if it still is or not.

 

[TravelTime]

I noticed that only certain dates with Collette made sense vs the cash rate.

 

[VacationForever]

Have you rented your pts out before (we never have). It'd have to be quite easy for me to bother vs using them.

Very interested in hearing how the Israel tour goes. Please do let everyone know.

The online feedback for the collette trips are mixed, hence my hesitation, but there's enough good feedback that I can't decide if it's just dependent on who your guide is or some people just can't be made happy, or what.

I have not, hence the reservation. I have registered an account that matches my name here on TUG with Steven Ting's site. There are lot of things that I am not set up to handle like accepting of money via Paypal etc. I know I am smart enough to understand all of these if I were to put time into it, but boy am I lazy! LOL. So for the price of laziness, I may end up letting MVC skim off my Collette / cruise bookings.

 

[acal]

So for the price of laziness, I may end up letting MVC skim off my Collette / cruise bookings.

It's all about maximizing the ROI of laziness. You can be lazy here and pay for it, or be lazy at work and earn less, or be lazy at home and hire a housekeeper. It all works out to be the same thing, just at different exchange rates.

 

[Luvtoride]

TT, we are booked for the Iconic Israel tour with Collette in September 2019. I can tell you so far that they have been extremely helpful and pleasant to deal with in making the arrangements. Very patient answering all of our questions.

We booked our own premium (business class) airfare from NYC to Israel as we found better pricing thru AMEX platinum travel services.

Also, we weren’t aware til booking the tour that as Chairman’s Club members we get a $200 credit (per couple) to use for any add ons, extra hotel nights or options for the tour. Our initial bill from Collette was actually a credit!

They have their own tour insurance which is very comprehensive and I would recommend considering. The MVC trip insurance does not cover the Collette tours.

Will keep you posted as to our experience as we leave in a bit over 8 months!
Happy new year!


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[Luvtoride]

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Hi all, we are just back from our Collette Tour, Iconic Israel booked through MVC using points. Here are my comments observations about the tour and the experience as well as my overall assessment.
- the tour itinerary was very good and comprehensive. We did a lot of things and covered a tremendous amount of ground in seeing the places promised.
- the activity level of “4” (very active) was accurate and the pace was exhausting. Wake up calls at 6am just about every day, in order to gather luggage (on days changing hotels) and to have breakfast and leave for touring by 7:30 most days.
- tour guide was awesome. Knowledgeable, engaging and really added local color to everything we saw and did...BUT guide followed Collettes guidelines for meals, which I will explain below...
- overall the food was terrible. “Included meals” as stated on the tour were primarily buffet breakfasts and dinners at the hotels we stayed at. These are large hotels that cater primarily to tour groups. We dislike buffets and although the choices were varied the quality of the food was not to our liking and NOT what we expected.
- these included meals were at assigned tables to the group, which was fine but sometimes we felt crowded. The times were set as they wanted the group to eat meals together. We found The Times were a rush after returning to the hotel from touring, wanting a bit more down time to relax and get ready for dinner. One day on the bus when the tour guide “asked” if 7 pm was good for dinner nobody spoke up until my wife finally called out, no, that’s too soon. He then said 7:30 and everyone enthusiastically agreed!
- on days when meals were not included such as most lunches, we stopped at pre selected restaurants where they were set up to serve the group with 2 or 3 entree choices, at our expense. We didn’t like the choices and frankly these restaurants weren’t very good except for one in the city of Bethlehem. “Not included” meals didn’t mean we got to decide about lunch, only that we had to pay separately.
- the hotels were all disappointing and certainly were not up to Marriott standards! I could go on in much detail but I won’t.
- there were also some logistic issues with the start of the tour in Tel Aviv, that required me to make 2 calls at my expense to Collette in Rhode Island.
- the final night Farewell dinner was the best meal of the trip. We ate at a very popular restaurant in Jerusalem and had our choice of several entrees all of which were excellent. If they were trying to get a better survey response from us it didn’t work as the guide had handed the survey forms out to complete and return before dinner that night.
- BTW, the tour bus was very nice, comfortable and had charger outlets at every seat (no bathroom on the bus). Our driver was excellent and the transportation logistics throughout were very good, including airport transfers.

We had never done a group tour before so maybe our expectations were different than the reality. In any case If our tour was indicative of the quality of Collette tours I don’t think that MVC is doing a service to its loyal members in offering these tours. They should look into different tour groups, maybe overall or maybe by country to offer for using DC points.

If anyone has any more specific questions, I’d be happy to respond.


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[bazzap]

Hi all, we are just back from our Collette Tour, Iconic Israel booked through MVC using points. Here are my comments observations about the tour and the experience as well as my overall assessment.
- the tour itinerary was very good and comprehensive. We did a lot of things and covered a tremendous amount of ground in seeing the places promised.
- the activity level of “4” (very active) was accurate and the pace was exhausting. Wake up calls at 6am just about every day, in order to gather luggage (on days changing hotels) and to have breakfast and leave for touring by 7:30 most days.
- tour guide was awesome. Knowledgeable, engaging and really added local color to everything we saw and did...BUT guide followed Collettes guidelines for meals, which I will explain below...
- overall the food was terrible. “Included meals” as stated on the tour were primarily buffet breakfasts and dinners at the hotels we stayed at. These are large hotels that cater primarily to tour groups. We dislike buffets and although the choices were varied the quality of the food was not to our liking and NOT what we expected.
- these included meals were at assigned tables to the group, which was fine but sometimes we felt crowded. The times were set as they wanted the group to eat meals together. We found The Times were a rush after returning to the hotel from touring, wanting a bit more down time to relax and get ready for dinner. One day on the bus when the tour guide “asked” if 7 pm was good for dinner nobody spoke up until my wife finally called out, no, that’s too soon. He then said 7:30 and everyone enthusiastically agreed!
- on days when meals were not included such as most lunches, we stopped at pre selected restaurants where they were set up to serve the group with 2 or 3 entree choices, at our expense. We didn’t like the choices and frankly these restaurants weren’t very good except for one in the city of Bethlehem. “Not included” meals didn’t mean we got to decide about lunch, only that we had to pay separately.
- the hotels were all disappointing and certainly were not up to Marriott standards! I could go on in much detail but I won’t.
- there were also some logistic issues with the start of the tour in Tel Aviv, that required me to make 2 calls at my expense to Collette in Rhode Island.
- the final night Farewell dinner was the best meal of the trip. We ate at a very popular restaurant in Jerusalem and had our choice of several entrees all of which were excellent. If they were trying to get a better survey response from us it didn’t work as the guide had handed the survey forms out to complete and return before dinner that night.
- BTW, the tour bus was very nice, comfortable and had charger outlets at every seat (no bathroom on the bus). Our driver was excellent and the transportation logistics throughout were very good, including airport transfers.

We had never done a group tour before so maybe our expectations were different than the reality. In any case If our tour was indicative of the quality of Collette tours I don’t think that MVC is doing a service to its loyal members in offering these tours. They should look into different tour groups, maybe overall or maybe by country to offer for using DC points.

If anyone has any more specific questions, I’d be happy to respond.


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Good to know.
Was this an MVC exclusive Collette Tour or a generic Collette Tour which MVC owners can also book on?
I have wondered if / how these may differ.

 

[Luvtoride]

Barry, it was a generic (non Marriott exclusive) tour. I did talk to some of the others on the tour and a few are MVC owners that used points for the tour (and have booked several tours using points with Collette). I guess we all have different standards and expectations.

 

[ilene13]

Any of them, but the China tour in particular?

We looked into their China tour. I looked at the hotels they were using on TripAdvisor and Europeans and Russians said that the hotels were dirty and not great. I felt that if they felt that way I would hate it. After more investigation I found 2 tours through Viking River Cruises to China. They are similar to the Collette tour as you are on the Yangtze River only 5 days. The rest of the tour is land and you fly from city to city or take the bullet train. We are booked on the 19 day one for 9/2020. We used DP to book. If you have any specific questions send me a PM.
Also, from my investigations Collette is NOT a top tier tour company, there are far better ones, Tauck tours for one.

 

[2boysmom]

Brian thanks for your detailed assessment of your experience with Collette. We're visiting Ireland next spring with a corporate outing and looked at extending our trip, looking at the Collette tour of the UK that hits England, Scotland, and Wales. The negatives you sited were specifically areas we had questions about. I think we'll just use Bonvoy to book various hotels and tour on our own. It's easy enough to pick up an individual site tour for the big 'must see's' without being involved with a tour group for the entire trip. FYI I have friends who have also used Tauck for an Alaskan trip and could not say enough terrific things about them.

 

[markbernstein]

We're taking the Costa Rica tour late next year. It'll be our first time on a Collette tour, so any info from people who've been would be welcome. Thanks!

 

[jonmaiman]

While I personally haven't used Tauck tours, my father has used them extensively. He has probably been on at least a dozen of their tours. They are not cheap. What you get in return is top accommodations including the best rooms in a hotel, good restaurants, nice pacing of the tour, and very good guides. My wife and I are more the do it yourself type with occasionally using tours for a day in a specific location or for a specific activity. Each to their own...

--Jon

 

[Swice]

Also, from my investigations Collette is NOT a top tier tour company, there are far better ones, Tauck tours for one.

Generally, I've found the "value" of using points on cruises/tours varies widely. For example, a cash price of an Alaskan cruise (on the same ship/same cabin) varies from $900-$2300. It all depends on the date (are there a lot of cabins available that week or few). Same thing at any Marriott Hotel -- the same room can vary in price based on demand on any given week (is there a convention in town or is it a week when the hotel is empty). But this thread is really about Collette.

We have taken Trafalgar and Tauck Tours. There is some truth to the adage, "you get what you pay for." Based on what I understand, Collette is considered mid-level. Trafalgar is upper-mid level and Tauck is high end. We liked Trafalgar's hotels on two tours. We also liked the fact that they gave us a "tour" in each city each morning and then time to explore/eat on our own each afternoon. Trafalgar also offered "optional excursions" much like a cruise for afternoon tours or evening activities (dinner at a palace for instance). Our Trafalgar tour guides would often post themselves at one spot for a couple of hours (like a town square) and hang out for us to come back and ask directions/suggestions and restaurant recommendations. We took a tour of Italy with Trafalgar that will never be topped. Of course I think a lot has to do with the mix of the group. Tauck -- we took a river cruise on the Danube and an African Safari. Both were expensive but worth every penny. Tauck is all inclusive, meaning every meal and tips. We did not have to open our wallet except for a couple of gifts to bring home. The Tauck River cruise cabin was superior to any ocean cruise we've been on (we normally get a balcony) so hotels were not an issue. The Tauck hotels in Africa were a bit different-- it was Africa, so conditions varied-- we were in tents, cottages and The Four Seasons. The tents were fun for two nights and had bathrooms, but were somewhat primitive. Our food was mostly confined to the hotels for safety/sanitation reasons. It varied from good to excellent.

We looked at using MVC points, but decided to rent our weeks and use the proceeds to do the tours we really wanted. Most people at work call me "cheap." I prefer to say, "I know how to manage money." We don't have the money to just throw it around. But I would say based on our experiences, I would not be quick to try anything other than Trafalgar and Tauck (depending on the tour location and dates). I would never say "never" to Collette... who knows, I may end up one year with VAC points/weeks that I can't use or rent and are about to expire.