Anonymous
map-marker Fort Washington, Pennsylvania

Unprofessional customer service representative

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On June 14, 2017 at around 11:30am, AZ time, I contacted Gate1 travel concerning the 11 day Affordable China with 4 Yangtze River cruise (LA) special. I talked to Edward (number for agent provided upon request). I inquired if I could pay the whole price of this tour including land and air, can I book the tour and not use the flights from L AX and back since I will already be in Hong Kong. He truly never let me finish, he had to talk over me. Then he apologized and said, "Oh sorry I didnt let you finish. So I said again that I am willing to pay the whole fare, I didnt want to take the air amount off. He stated that they didnt advice that and I asked "Who doesn't advice that and is there a reason? Was it a Visa requirement with flight, or what? He stated it was just what the package is and you cannot change it (of course speaking over me again). Then I asked him if there was someone else that could answer my question and he said that there was no one there that could answer that question. (Of course speaking over me again). I said I just truly want to know why they say it is not advisable and he said, in very unprofessional manner and in a raised voice, "I just told you why we cant do it", that is when I asked for his employee number so I can pass his unprofessional behavior to whomever might be in charge of your travel representatives. I have only been on one tour with your company and the last tour my travel agent worked with your company reps, and she was put on hold disconnected, etc., and truly doesn't like to work with your company, now I truly understand why. I unfortunately already booked a tour in March through your company, because if I was treated like this from that customer service representative, I would never have booked the tour with you. I travel a lot and will not recommend this tour company, unless you book directly online and have no questions. I am sure you have some representatives that are professional; especially your actual tour guides, but some new training needs to be done with this particular customer service representative.
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Reason of review:
Poor customer service
5 comments
Gate1Travel

Hello,We sincerely apologize for any lapse in service when contacting us with your questions. Please know that we have reviewed and shared the concerns you have outlined with our management team. Please dont hesitate to call us and request to speak with a supervisor as we do want to be able to assist you.

Guest

When in doubt and not getting an answer you want than ask for a supervisor. But they are human too.

The CSR (customer service representative) will go the extra mile for the customer that isn't passive aggressive towards them and is patient and calm with them. Even if they aren't the best with us then we can try to change the course of attitude.

If that doesn't work.... "Supervisor name and number and I will wait for him/her please".

Guest

Even though the rep was rude, your question makes no sense. Why would you book land and air if you're NOT going to use the air?

You always have the option to just book land and do what you want with your own air bookings. Weird.

Guest

I too spoke to Edward unfortunately 2 times. He does not represent Gate1 in my opinion.

He is very rude and answers questions very abruptly. If I ever got him again I would simply hang up. But I have had other good experiences. The reason why he spoke this way to you is they do get commissions.

Edward doesn't deserve my time at all.

What I do is when I like the agent I get their extensions and call them directly even if I have to leave a message. I do also think that most of these agents work from their homes (?).

Guest

Kind of confused about your request, so I may be providing wrong info. Why don't you just purchase the land portion only?

Then purchase outside of Gate 1 the flights you need, if any. If there is an intra flight on the tour, it comes with the land portion.

Of course by doing this you risk your outside purchased flights if they cancel the tour. I normally purchase land/air together through Gate 1, for this reason, but once used miles for the air purchase and took the chance.

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Anonymous

2nd Gate1 European trip and it was Fantastic and well organized

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Airflight was fine. Upon arrival to Rome ,our deiver was there waiting with Gate 1 sign (easy to spot).

Immediately upon drip off at Hotel Genova. Our Tour Guide Mr. Ignazio Billera was there asisting others in our group . He gave us overview and got us checked in 1,2,3.

Day 1 Ignazio has us on our way. He was knowledgeable about so much related to the scheduled tours but also the cities historical preseperspective as well. He was easy to talk to and ask questions. Florence was out next major tour then on to Venice.

Ignazio Billera encouraged us to stay close to the group and he kept that sign visable at all times. He consistently communicated through the headsets so we knew where he was and what we were viewing.

I felt he went abive and beyond with us. I didnt see this man eat , he was always checking on us and our needs.Gate 1 BRAVO, for a excellent well organized trip and a extra BRAVO for IGNAZIO BILLERA....

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Reason of review:
Good quality
Anonymous
map-marker Cleveland, Ohio

I love Gate 1

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I have had wonderful experiences with Gate 1. Having traveled with them at least 10 times, I can't say that I ever had a bad experience. The guides have always been good; the hotels for the most part have been centrally located and the optional excursions have always been worth the money - as opposed to a cruise that I recently took where the excursions were very pricey and hardly worth it. The best Gate 1 trip I ever took was the small group discovery to Morocco. It was wonderful with boutique hotels and great meals. I recommend Gate 1 to all of my friends and am planning a trip for July and the fall with them.
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Pros:
  • Every trip i have taken has been great
Reason of review:
Fair pricing
Anonymous

India and Nepal

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Customer: Thaddee and Suzanne Gaudette. Trip Date: March 13 Kaleidoscope with Nepal 16 days The trip was very worth while and well organized even down to the days you had free time, for extra touring or just some rest.

The trip took place at good pace and our Gate 1 guide, Kapil Deval was excellent, which makes the difference between a good trip and a poor one. Kapil is personal, well educated, humorous and patient, everything needed in guide. From a trip standpoint some hotels, Eros, JP Place and Novatel were excellent. All hotels offered good breakfast and were quick to please.

Lunch and Dinner ... all Indian is hard on American diets. The Dream Garden Restaurant was excellent and we highly recommend that you keep it in the tour. Bus Drivers should be given a medal for their abilities driving in Indian traffic and on Indian roads in general.

India is no place to rent a car and do it on your own. Sights: For us the highlights of the trip included the Red Fort and Elephant Ride, Taj Mahal, Crematorium on the Ganges, Erotic temples (but they all look alike after a while). Durbar square was good but one was enough. One attraction the intrigued me was the Mega Sundial and it accuracy.

Nepal was interesting but heavy construction really delayed traffic. Would like to have had time to go to other sections of town (walk around) as part of the tour. The grand Stuppa area was very interesting. Shopping: When American travel they enjoy seeing monuments etc.

but also want time to shop as your walking thru areas. Kapil was pretty good at stopping for a few minutes if an area of interest to the woman and he would also comment that we will be seeing a larger shopping area. This comment brings me to the local guide, Vivek. He does not have Kapil's attributes.

Although educated on the subject he does not have the polish that Kapil has. He also seemed to be always rushing us along and not looking back if folks got separated. At one point in one historical square with alleys to go thru we lost a few folks and had to send one ahead to stop Vivek. He also basically refused to slow down in shopping areas for the woman to shop.

At one point several woman just stopped to buy bracelets, one lady had been looking for a specific type since she started the trip. I commented to him at that point that woman need time to shop for souvenir's so slow down. I know Kapil spoke with him at that point. We think Vivek was trying to be a good guide trying to get in more sites.

I hate complaining about Vivek but he is young and he needs to understand what tourist look for in a trip and that's shopping for unique stuff or just T shirts. We feel he has the making of a good guide but needs a mentor like Kapil. One other disappoint was the Everest Trip, Vivek got tickets and then said "I am just going to do a lottery" and had everyone pick one ... well that does not work.

Couples need to have tickets for each side. He said, just ask the person across from you to allow you to take a picture. If you're a husband an wife across from each other that works but if the person across is a non English speaking person it doesn't and I am sure when he bought tickets he could have got rights and lefts and then hand them out that way. Out tickets were on the same side.

That was a $560 side trip that in my opinion wasn't worth it. Upon leaving New Delhi a young man picked us up at the Novatel, got us pass all terminal entry checkpoints and delivered us to our airline check in. I wish I had saved his name but; I am sure you can get it from Kapil. He was excellent!

Getting out of India is harder than getting in. All in all we enjoyed the vacation and plan to do more with Gate 1.

Good product for the money. Respectfully, Ted and Sue Gaudette

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Reason of review:
Good customer service
Anonymous

Signature series not yet to par

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Although the hotels and scheduled experiences on the signature series tour of East Asia were similar to tauck, the attitude of Gate 1 customer service is still budget-minded. The last day of my tour stated "trip home" and my flight is at 20 minutes of midnight. this is an escorted tour and I am a single female. They made no plans or arrangements for 24 hours for me. When I emailed I got a one-sentence reply and no offer of any assistance or intervention or ideas of what to do by myself in Bangkok for 24 hours. The attitude was dismissive and rude. this would never happen on Tauck.
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Pros:
  • Hotels tour guides excursions
Cons:
  • Useless customer service
Reason of review:
Poor customer service

Preferred solution: Apologize and learn from mistake

1 comment
Gate1Travel

Hello,

We do regret if your tour was not up to expectations or if you felt there was any lapse in service. We will review how this handled for the future.

Besse Zpb

Italy in 8 days

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My daughter and I took a trip to Italy using Gate1 for our travel agent. Our trip took us from Rome, to Florence, to Venice.

Overall it was an excellent experience. All of the travel vouchers were accepted with no problems. Our shuttles to and from our hotels and airports arrived on time. Gate1 help desk people were easy to access when we had questions before we left the United States.

8 days in Italy for less than $1300 a person, including airfare from Minnesota, was an unbelievable bargain. The one thing that Gate1 could have done better was to reserve us a better hotel in Rome. The hotel was the Donatello. Guest services were very friendly and nice but the hotel was terrible.

It was in what I thought was a sketchy part of town, the 'continental' breakfast consisted of old, dry croissants and biscuits with jam and coffee and that was it. The noise level at the hotel was awful. The front door was locked 24/7 and guests had to use a buzzer to get in. We could hear the grating noise of the buzzer from our room every time it went off as people wanted back in.

We could hear water gurgling in the pipes. People were constantly traipsing past our room on old noisy wooden stores all hours of the night and into early morning. People were laughing and yelling and talking loud. We could hear kids screaming at the top of their lungs.

I got almost no sleep the two nights we were there. It was exhausting. In fairness, another couple who we met and were staying at the Donatello, were on the third floor and said that they did not experience the noise problem. So it could have been the location of our room that was the problem.

Our second hotel (Miridiana in Florence) and third hotel (Olimpia in Venice) were much better. Especially our last hotel, which was very nice with a lovely breakfast and excellent service all around. One thing that did trouble me was that we tried to call Gate1 when we first arrived in Rome because our shuttle driver was not there to greet us. My daughter called the 800 number and the local number but no one ever answered the phone.

That was worrisome but it could have been a problem with using our cell phone so I'm not sure where the difficulty was in getting through to Gate1 at that point. (Our shuttle driver arrived shortly after we tried to make the call as it turned out that our flight arrived a little early). So, overall, it was a great trip at a very low price. I would use Gate1 again in the future.

Some glitches in overseas travel are just part of the experience - especially if you are traveling on the cheap.

Perhaps the one thing I would do is try to upgrade all hotels. Just to avoid the hotel experience we had in Rome.

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Cons:
  • Our first hotel
Reason of review:
I am happy for all of the above.
1 comment
Gate1Travel

Hello,

We are glad to know that overall you had an excellent trip. We certainly regret however, if the hotel accommodations caused you any disappointment or if you had any trouble reaching us by phone. Please be assured that we will share your comments with the appropriate individuals for review for the future.

Anonymous

Gate1travel - 10 Day Greek Islander Tour Review

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We took Gate 1's Greek Islands tour and it was fantastic! Customer service was excellent. Our Gate 1 "hosts" would magically appear at just the right times and locations to make sure all in our group were cared for and everything went smoothly. This was our first Gate 1 trip but most of the travelers we were with had made several trips with them and highly recommended every trip they had taken. We were offered several optional trips but also had plenty of time to explore on our own. Can not wait for our next trip!
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Reason of review:
Good customer service
Anonymous
map-marker Hummelstown, Pennsylvania

Iceland Northern Lights Tour 5Dec - 10 Dec 2016

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As a first time traveller with Gate 1, I feel compelled to write this review. I have been on many trips ( Europe , Asia, South America, Central America) with another agency but decided to go with Gate 1 this time . I feel this was a mistake. Let me first go over the positives of the trip. The hotels were fine. They were clean and the food was great. The hotels were positioned well for the activities of the area. What we saw in the short time we were there was great. I feel we experienced Iceland. However, there were problems. Logistics was not readily observable. When we arrived at the airport we were told we had to wait for two guests who were late. this was after an all night flight with no food. Our guide was not at the airport but a "greeter" with a gate 1 sign who informed us of the wait.. After an hour plus sitting with no information and no other guests arriving the driver indicated we should go to van. i feel that NO ONE had a plan. We were taken to a hotel in Reykjavik. Told to get our luggage, sit in the lobby and wait. No refreshments-- no coffee, tea. water!! We inquired at the desk about breakfast. We were told that it was not available to us. About 9:15 am, after arriving 3 hours earlier, a bus pulls up with guests on it. Our tour guide can in, told us to get our luggage and board. No explanations. When then started our city tour. At the Pearl, "breakfast" was provided. It was juice, coffee, tea,and a croissant with a piece of ham and cheese rolled into it. No considerations of dietary difference!!! Some just had the liquids. We toured the Pearl with a very good guide. From there we completed our city tour. At the church with the pipe organ we went in, walked around and left. No information from our guide. That was how the rest of the tour went. We finally went to Hotel Hella. Our guide passed around the welcoming and departure letter. I received none since I was traveling with a friend and we received only one copy!!! Our guide was not personable. Her English was fair. She was abrupt. When we went to a site she walked somewhere by herself. In the hotel we did not have her room number in case of emergency. A standard practice with the other tour group I have travelled with. The guide had little information to share We had to dig for answers to our questions. It was not a great learning experience. She also did not try to coalesce the group.. No email list, etc. During the excursions she was lax about leaving on time, thereby creating a situation where people were often late. I must say our tour guide for the Northern Lights tour was great. In retrospect, I should have called the office in Fort Washington and insisted on a new guide. Please respond.
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Pros:
  • Tour destination
Cons:
  • Read my review
Reason of review:
Poor customer service
Anonymous
map-marker Hayden, Alabama

17 day tour of Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Budapest with Danube cruise

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Gate1Travel - 17 day tour of Warsaw, Krakow, Prague, Budapest with Danube cruise
We have just returned from 17 days with Gate1travel and loved it. We spent 2 nights in Warsaw, 2 nights in Krakow, 3 nights in Prague, 7 nights onboard their new ship the MS Monarch Empress and 1 night in Budapest. All the hotels were top of the line. This ship was the best river cruise ship we have been on and its our third. We cannot say enough about our main tour guide Kristina, she was wonderful. All the local guides were very good also. The crew on the ship could not have done more for us if they had been family. This is our 2nd trip this year with Gate1travel and have loved both. If I have one suggestion it is to more prominently show the suggested tip amounts so travelers will not be shocked when it comes time to pay them because they do add up quickly.
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Pros:
  • Optional excursions were very good
  • Hotels were fabulous
  • Tour guides were fantastic
Cons:
  • Additional tipping amounts
Reason of review:
Good quality
Mindel Ckz
map-marker South Hadley, Massachusetts

Italy in April

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Upon landing in Venice we were greeted immediately by Gate1 reps. They than directed and led us to a beautiful mahogany speed boat which sped us to our Grand Canal hotel. It was a spectacular beginning to a spectacular trip. Our tour guide, Vivi, was spot on,entertaining, informative, resourceful and willing to correct any problems that arose on the trip. Vivi, had the ability to get the entire group to gel into one big family and upon departing we felt like we had life long friends. The trip itself was beyond my expectations, the hotels were located in safe, entertaining districts that beckoned you to explore the area. I can't state one negative aspect of the trip, the driver was spot on,the tours were informative with plenty of time where we never felt rushed. The Tuscan feast was located in such a beautiful location with a great selection of food and music, the vineyard tour was just a lot of fun shared by the tour group and the opera in Rome the perfect way to end our time there. I would choose Gate 1 again without hesitation and would hope if you go to Italy with Gate 1 you have Vivi as your guide.
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Reason of review:
Good quality
Anonymous
map-marker Dyer, Indiana

Scandinavia

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This was our fourth trip w/Gate 1 Travel and we like their organized tours. While I enjoyed our Scandinavian trip and our guide, Marie Lucey, was wonderful, I wasn't especially pleased with many of our hotels on this trip. Granted, many of them do not have A/C (the only place that did was in Oslo), but we were in Scandinavia at the end of June and our rooms were quite uncomfortably warm. In some of them, even the fans did not work! As American travelers, we're used to this amenity and, perhaps, you can look into finding some hotels that do have A/C in this region. The highlighted places we saw were wonderful, but I felt we spent a lot of wasted time driving on the bus (more so than any other trip we've taken w/Gate 1). I was disappointed we didn't see more of Sweden on this trip; we only went to Gotenburg and never toured Stockholm. I think this was a mistake in the plans. Also, it would be helpful if, after arriving at our destination in the foreign countries, the transport from airport to the hotel could be made more obvious...it seems everytime we arrive at our destination, Gate 1 does not have an apparent sign awaiting our arrival and we always have to seek out the driver. I noticed other tour companies do a better job at this for their passengers. Albeit, we were pleased with our trip, but I think a few tweeks to the tour could make it so much more pleasant. Thank you.
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Reason of review:
Overall, a wonderful tour company for the money.
Anonymous
map-marker North Branford, Connecticut

Greece trip and the CRoatia trip were great

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Gate1Travel - Greece trip and the CRoatia trip were great
I have taken two trips with Gate1 and they were both well planned and whereas described. The guides were knowledgeable and the food was ok. We do not book additional trips until we arrive as this way you can do your own thing or tour depending upon how you feel that day. Greece and thebIslandscwas incredible and not rushed at all.mthe Croatia trip was quite a bit of traveling but that we what we signed up for. We are leaving for a Gate 1 South Africa trip in October. All in all,Gate 1 is a bargain. We can take 2 trips for the price of one with the competition. The only recommendation have is that the buses need to be equipped with restrooms.
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Reason of review:
Good quality
Anonymous
map-marker Omaha, Nebraska

Travelers beware, would not recommend Gate 1 Travel

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We had a similar experience with Gate 1 in May 2016. We booked a 15 day trip to Turkey and Greece that would include touring on land and a cruise to the Greek Isles. Less than 24 hours before leaving home, we found out our flight from Rome to Istanbul was gone. NO schedule change was posted by Gate 1, nor were we notified by them. When I called them Gate 1's response was "work it out when you get to Rome?" Seriously? We were suppose to fly Omaha - Chicago - Rome and then try to find a flight to Istanbul? I spent 3 hours on the phone with Gate 1, first off advising them that the flight was not there. They pointed the finger at the airlines, and made me call them, who in turn made me call Gate 1 back. This all caused us a great deal of stress and anxiety. They finally got us on a flight, but we would have to spend 14 hours in the Rome airport. Then I had to fight with them to get the transfer from the airport to the hotel, especially since we would arrive in Istanbul at 2:30 am. By the time we got to our hotel in Istanbul it was 4:30 am and we had been traveling 40 hours. Our wake up call was 6:30 am for a full day of walking tours. We asked Gate 1 about providing meal vouchers or putting us up in a hotel during our 14 hours in the airport, but they declined. We missed our first day of the tour in Istanbul and the opportunity "to rest, relax and acclimate". We missed orientation, meeting our guide, Q & A time, meeting others on the tour and getting a full nights sleep in a bed. NOT the way to start a tour. We had other issues during the tour where we made decisions based on what we were told by Gate 1. Example: We called then to find out which port we were landing in on one of the Greek Isles. Based on their answer we booked a land tour. When we got on the ship we found out we don't go into that port. Paid for the land tour, could not go on it, could not cancel, could not get a refund. When we returned home we contacted Gate 1 and were told to send them a letter detailing our problems. No one in would discuss it with us on the phone. A month after sending our letter we called and were told they have to send our comments to the various departments and offices to look into it further. It can take up to 8 weeks to get a response. We travel a great deal, both domestic and international. I doubt we will ever travel with Gate 1 again. There is always some anxiety traveling to another country where you deal with language and currency barriers. One of the reasons you book with a travel company is so they set up and take care of getting you there and back. Don't count on Gate 1 to do it.
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Pros:
  • Local guides were great
Cons:
  • Problem resolution
  • Customer service
  • 14 hour flight layover
Reason of review:
Poor customer service
1 comment
Gate1Travel

We sincerely regret if you felt there was any lapse in service. It seems that you have been in communication with a customer service representative who has addressed your concerns. Should you have any further questions you wish to discuss, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Demari Ifj

Review of the June 2016 China and Tibet Discovery Tour by Gate 1

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Gate1Travel - Review of the June 2016 China and Tibet Discovery Tour by Gate 1
Gate1Travel - Review of the June 2016 China and Tibet Discovery Tour by Gate 1  - Image 2

Gate 1 Tours did an excellent job of organizing the Discovery Tour to China and Tibet in June 2016. I gladly recommend Gate 1 Tours as one of the best out of the half a dozen tour companies and cruise lines I have dealt with in visiting more than 35 countries in the world.

There are however a few points I like to lay down that would enhance the value of the itinerary and the tour.

1. Guides. The different local tour guides lacked training in different specialties of guiding. Though they all were very courteous, some lacked knowledge of the locality, some were not adequately conversant in English, some did not use the Whispers Communicator prompting participants to elbow their way to her proximity to hear the commentary. The Tour Manager did an excellent job, when called upon, surpassing all the deficiencies of the local guides. However, his statement that he had been trained “not to say that he did not know the answer to any question”, left an uneasy feeling whether all his answers were accurate.

2. Meals. All the breakfasts and most of the lunches and dinners were generously provided by Gate 1. According to the Tour Manager the Gate 1 Beijing Management had laid out a monotonous menu for all the meals supplied not only by the restaurants, but also by the two homes the Tour Group visited. Typically, the Lazy Susan would sequentially carry dishes of; Soup, Peanut Chicken, Beef with Potato, unshelled Shrimp, twice cooked Pork, Bok Choi, Egg Plant, Beans, Broccoli, Rice and of course different kinds of noodles. By the time the dishes reached the last clockwise diner, there was hardly any protein left. Larger quantities of proteins, lesser number or dishes and a variety of different dishes at the different venues would have been much more satisfying. The Tour Group was told that Chengdu was the Capital of the Sichuan Province and eagerly waited for highly spiced dishes. The meals the Tour Group received had been watered down to satisfy the so called Western Palate.

3. Itinerary.

a. It was rather disappointing that there wasn’t at least an option to pay $7.50 and take the Maglev Train to enjoy the lifetime experience of travelling at 270 mph by the fastest train on the planet.

b. What gainful experience did the Tour Group receive from the diversion along the Goddess Tributary?

c. The Tour Group received $10 worth of cultural entertainment in Lhasa for the $65 each paid. Immediately dispatch a Cultural Theater Director to Lhasa for six months or instruct the local guide to interpret the movements through Whispers.

d. Cameras failed to focus on the second tallest building in the world from half a mile away, due to thick fog. No attempt was made to lay out the policy of the Peoples Republic of China on this dilemma. Perhaps in a few more years the PRC would achieve economic supremacy in the world and would then strictly enforce environmental regulations. The American Republic took 194 years 4 months and 28 days to achieve economic supremacy in the world and then promulgated the EPA. It took many more years for USA to arm the EPA with the necessary regulations of CAA, CWA, CERCLA, RCRA & TSCA and attempt to purify the environment.

e. What did the Tour Group gain by attending a lecture in a hotel near the Jin Ang Hotel in Shanghai? The narrator summarized his life story and concluded the lecture by stating that Mao Zedong did ‘70% bad’ and ‘30%’ good during the cultural revolution. Was this an accepted policy of the People’s Republic of China?

f. The English Professor from the University of Tibet failed to distinguish the difference between the Tibetan Buddhism and the South East Asian Buddhism, the concepts of which have taken root the West.

g. The Tour Group members planted Pine Tree seedlings that would grow up to say 50 feet, at five foot intervals. This exercise was carried out amidst low growing trees similar to weeping willow. How was this deemed environmentally and economically desirable?

h. Visits to two homes of common citizens in two big cities was superfluous. A single visit to a city home and one to a rural farm home would have been much more desirable.

4. Emergencies. The flight from Xansia, the five gate airport to the Shanghai International airport was cancelled just before the boarding time, late in the evening. The Tour Manager immediately contacted the Gate 1 Office in Beijing 850 miles away. A tour bus was rented out from the nearby 750,000 population city of Yichang and the Tour Group was transported comfortably to Wuhan the Provincial Capital of Hubei Province. Gate 1 also supplied a complementary dinner of Chicken Burghers. The Tour Group was relived to enjoy a typical American Meal after days of monotonous Chinese Meals. The accommodation in Wuhan was in a plush modern hotel with suites larger than 500 ft2. Wuhan had several daily flights to Shanghai and the Tour Group took one early next morning. Would any other travel agency have had that familiarity with the 750,000 population city of Yichang and the expertise and connectivity to reserve rooms in Wuhan and flights from Wuhan to Shanghai within a few minutes?

With best wished to Gate 1 Tours and Jason Liu the Tour Director.

Suranjith [Suran] Peiris

10403 Church Road

Dallas, TX 75238

Home: 214 245 ****

Mobile: 972 974 ****

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Pros:
  • Everythibg
Reason of review:
Over all satisfaction with comments
1 comment
Guest

I traveled on my own to China in 2013 and found the food extremely monotonous.

The air quality around ALL the big cities is horrifying!

On our way out of Beijing, we sat on the tarmac for 6 hours before they took us off the plane and put us in a hotel over night. One of the stewardesses told us that Beijing Airport has a 7% on-time departure record!

Anonymous
map-marker Arlington, Massachusetts

Single supplement increases

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I have taken 9 trips with Gate1 Travel, & I have enjoyed them all very much. All but two of these trips I have taken alone, and paid the single supplement charges with no complaint.

However, when I booked my two upcoming trips for the fall & found the supplement cost is now about $1,000, I instantly became unhappy. That is simply an untenable amount, with no justification whatsoever. My trip to Equador in September is one of those trips...a place where hotels are not all that expensive. I feel that Gate 1 is exploiting the single traveler with these fees.

If they had stayed in the ballpark of where they have been over the past two years, I would have had no complaint. Part II of my issues is that you supposedly get $100 for referring someone to Gate 1, but the catch is that you can't use it on any of the "deals", which is of course what most people book when they receive the emails. I think you should be able to redeem the $100 on any trip. I have spent a lot of money over the past two years, & have been a big promoter of the company to friends & acquaintances along the way, many of whom have also traveled with Gate 1 due to my rave reviews.

These, too, will have to stop based on the "trick" reward which is virtually impossible to redeem. Sonja

View full review
Pros:
  • Every trip has thus far been exceptional
Cons:
  • Recent hikes in single supplement charges
  • Difficulty in redeeming awards for referrals
Reason of review:
as described in my note

Preferred solution: Let the company propose a solution

2 comments
Gate1Travel

We can understand your frustration in paying a single supplement. However, this supplement is based on costs provided by our suppliers as well as contractual agreements.

Additionally, please know that we do try to offer several different ways to save, our referral program being one of many. We do include the terms of the program on our website and of course, please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any further questions.

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Gate1Travel

The only cost affected is the hotel. Hotels are cheap there. You are gouging.

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