APT River Cruises & Tours specializes in providing luxury travel experiences through all-inclusive tours, cruises, and rail journeys tailored for Australian travelers. The company offers a diverse range of travel options, including small ship cruises, guided tours, and rail adventures across various global destinations. Customers can explore iconic landscapes in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as Australia and New Zealand’s unique attractions. The company focuses on creating seamless, comfortable travel experiences that allow guests to immerse themselves in different cultures and environments. APT River Cruises & Tours caters to discerning travelers seeking adventure and relaxation while ensuring high standards of service throughout their journeys. With an emphasis on unforgettable memories, APT's offerings are designed for those looking to discover new destinations with ease and luxury.
Reviewers consistently praise APT River Cruises & Tours for their excellent service and high-quality cruises. Many highlight the first-class organization and the dedication of staff, such as Rachel Mack and tour directors like Roneil and Spencer Scott, who go above and beyond to enhance the travel experience.
The boats are described as fabulous and well-maintained, with excellent food and informative itineraries that showcase beautiful destinations. However, some customers express disappointment regarding the limited bar hours and the need to switch ships due to low water levels, which affected their overall experience. Despite these minor complaints, the majority of feedback reflects a strong satisfaction with the overall cruise experience. Overall, APT River Cruises & Tours receives a positive sentiment from its customers.
Summary generated with AI from recent reviews
Each source counts by its number of reviews. Only reviews written by people are scored.
| Source | Rating | Reviews | Weight | 6-mo | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Trustpilot Imported Trustpilot reviews | 4.5 | 999 | 100% | -0.3 | ● Low |
Monthly average rating from reviews written by people · latest review Jul 2025.
| Month | Average | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 24 | 4.3 | 9 |
| Sep 24 | 4.3 | 11 |
| Oct 24 | 4.1 | 22 |
| Nov 24 | 5.0 | 9 |
| Dec 24 | — | 0 |
| Jan 25 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Feb 25 | 4.8 | 4 |
| Mar 25 | 4.8 | 27 |
| Apr 25 | 4.9 | 23 |
| May 25 | 4.5 | 62 |
| Jun 25 | 4.4 | 78 |
| Jul 25 | 4.6 | 25 |
Share of positive (4–5★) and negative (1–2★) reviews mentioning each topic · based on the 500 most recent reviews.
“I had many questions and requirements which she dealt with in a friendly, helpful manner whilst remaining professiona...”
“A cruise "on the cheap"”
Same method for every company: overall rating, legitimacy checks, the average rating of reviews mentioning each area and the 6-month trend · Cruise Lines.
| Company | Overall | Legit | Service | Booking | Value | Trend | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 4.5 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 4.6 out of 5 (good) | 4.5 out of 5 (good) | 4.1 out of 5 (good) | +3% | 999 |
| 4.8 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 4.8 out of 5 (good) | 4.7 out of 5 (good) | 3.0 out of 5 (fair) | — | 1,000 | |
| 4.9 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 5.0 out of 5 (good) | — | — | — | 1,109 | |
| 4.2 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 4.2 out of 5 (good) | 3.5 out of 5 (good) | 3.8 out of 5 (good) | — | 1,083 | |
| 4.6 out of 5 (good) | 100 out of 100 | 4.5 out of 5 (good) | 4.5 out of 5 (good) | 4.6 out of 5 (good) | — | 1,069 |
Bottom line: APT River Cruises & Tours is #4 of 5 on overall rating in this group. On value, Alfa Travel scores higher (4.6 vs 4.1).
500 reviews of APT River Cruises & Tours. Filter by what matters to you.
Thought the ending was unsatisfying Early exit from the boat understandable Transfer to Zargreb airport fine for those on a m fight but there should have been a night in the town (Hotel Dubrovnik ?) rather that the most inconvenient Pullman Very poor
We were on an APT holiday, but to be honest it seemed more like an APT Travelmarvel holiday. No Speciality dining, APT rep in Lisbon a waste of time, didn’t actually interact much with any of the guests. He arranged a meal at a local restaurant, mediocre at best. Douro staff lovely, rep. did well as it was her first week. Chaotic check-in at hotel in Madrid, APT not there to meet coaches. Been with APT 6 times, but this was the least organised and special holiday, definitely a Travelmarvel ship. Like some aspects, but not to usual APT standard.
We had an awful transfer from Munich, it was 1.30 mins late and we had already waited 5 hours. 7 customers had got up before 3.0 am ! We had to wait for 2 people! Then due to low water levels we were 20 hours behind schedule which meant getting buses to see the sites on our itinerary.. then due to logistical planning issues we missed one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.. this was disappointing. The Hotel side was still excellent.. but a lot of the food was bland.
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The bus journeys too long and the guides tended to walk on too fast and get too far ahead even though we could still hear the commentary. The food and company on board was excellent along with the crew and staff. Ship comfortable and clean. Felt the deck chairs and upper deck layout was average only. Perhaps a few deck games be available.
We had booked an Owner’s suite & were surprised that they was no stocking of free soft drinks in the fridge, not even water ( which was €2.60 a bottle when it was around 80 cents outside). It transpired that Travelmarvel are a budget version of APT, which we were completely unaware of. The staff were superb. On times, some of the included trips were a bit underwhelming & in the first week the food was not always great, but it did improve in the second week. Overall, I enjoyed the trip as I was going to places I hadn’t been to before. The entertainment that Sophia put on was really good. Just a bit disappointed that we didn’t know that this was a “budget” cruise.
The ship, the crew & food were excellent but I was put off by other guests: 1. They do not change for dinner. 2. They turned for dinner in shorts, t-shirts & flip flops, the same clothes they’ve been wearing all day. 3. They took off their footwear in the lounge after dinner & we’ve to put up with the foul smell. 4. They picked up food with their fingers at buffet, locked their fingers & then moved on to the next dish
Initially when I booked I assumed that it was actually on APT cruise and not travel marvel. The staff were great but the passengers were a bit scruffy . Fancy sitting next to passengers straggling in for dinner with shorts, sweaty T-Shirts and smelly feet with flip flops!!! Although already mentioned by the cruise director on dress code, it was still ignored Food for dinner were not great. On some evenings it was appalling especially the main course. .
Catering and cabin staff excellent. Cruise director and assistants leave the worst I have experienced. The fact that for 3 days the visits ashore were by rubber boats in windy choppy weather. In cruise details these were not mentioned. Arrived at departure airport 3 1/2 hours before flight. The Captain superb
1. All the staff were very good, lead by Captain & the Cruise Director Bernadett 2.There were too many passengers - 172 on this River Cruise APT Travel Marvel Capella Also the Travel Marvel seems lower class than just APT cruises 3. Food quality was not as good as expected
Three star rating as overall it was ok but no better than that. Cabin was noisy at night due to being sited under the air con main units and ear plugs were necessary. This is despite it being supposedly only second to the two 'owners suites' and was worse than cheaper alternatives. Food was ok but not up to previous trips with APT. Daily excursions were in much larger groups than on previous cruises and in some cases the time was poorly used. EG. in Salamanca (2 hours in a bus) then hang around for another hour waiting for a local guide to whizz us round in a group of 30+. The promised tour of Porto turned out to be just a coach ride round the city without actually stopping at any attractions. Without wishing to sound too 'sniffy' about this it all felt a bit downmarket bearing in mind the price paid. My advice to future travellers is don't pay the extra money for cabin 324 and book your own guides for Salamanca and Porto.
Clean modern ship was great and although staterooms are small and balcony not a true balcony there was plenty of storage space and a great shower. We felt the dining times were very restrictive. 7-9 breakfast. 12.30 lunch and 7pm dinner. Very Limited choice menus. Included tours leave far too early! We are on holiday and want to relax! The ships rarely dock in the centre of places visited whilst other lines have the prime spots we were often far away from where we wanted to be
We did the same trip with APT some 6/7 years ago.There are definitely cut backs in comparing the two cruises. The entertainment which had been varied and professional was now reduced to the same guitarist every night with his wife a supposed singer.The excursions were very much the same each day lacking imagination and variety. The highlight was the concert in Vienna. The food was good apart from the soup. The French onion soup-oh dear! All the staff were excellent
We booked with APT as we had been with them before, but, it turned out to be with Travel Marvel an inferior partner. We had booked a drinks package as we did previously but were told that certain items were not included. The other annoyance was that we were informed that APT did not do this cruise BUT at the end all the signs were changed from Travel Marvel to APT, so it was a lie and it's the last time we shall use them.
My first experience of APT on a Douro cruise and I was very disappointed as it didn't really meet expectations of a luxury brand. The location of the berth in Porto was very inconvenient with a long walk from the bus to the boat including along the sea wall, though a narrow gate, down a steep ramp which caused many people to feel unsafe and across a floating pontoon which disorientated many guests. The food was average and the dining room was very cramped. Cruise Director was vague almost to the point of unhelpful with a general lack of information. Definitely not what I was expecting for the money and I will not use APT again. What a disappointment.
The staff on the cruise were well trained and efficient, but the hotel stay in Lisbon was poor, and the tour Director was ‘fluffy’ in that whilst she told you the night before about the next destination she rambled, and did not give clear and concise information. The food on board was average, and a lot of fried food. We would not consider travelling with them again.
The balcony suites were just fairly small cabins with a large window the top half of which cd be lowered electronically. The Dining room was very noisy as so many people packed in at once. No real bar service, tea /coffee from machines and trips ashore usually involved over long “free” time hz going round waiting for buses to return.
The power cut in Portugal and Spain caused serious disruption to the cruise. Only three days of the cruise were completed according to the itinerary. While APT could not be blamed for this, the holiday we experienced was disappointing. Communication between passengers and staff broke down. The staff seemed unprepared for a problem of this type, unsure how to present information or keep the holiday spirit alive other than to keep glasses of wine full at meal times. A review of emergency procedures might help.
Just returned from Lisbon and the Duoro tour and found it disappointing. The hotel in Lisbon was good and within walking distance of the centre or €4.50 in a taxi. We were in 2 groups for the Lisbon tour and we definitely drew the short straw. Over a hour wait at the Belem tower for a supposed timed entrance, the other group had gone straight in. When I questioned the wait with Raphael he just shrugged his shoulders and said nothing to do with me. This cut down the time we had in the city which meant we saw little. Lots of information on the two buildings we saw but no information on the layout of the rest of the city. (The other group had a extensive tour.) We didn't do the optional Sintra trip choosing to go by train at a fraction of the cost. Our arrival in Porto was in heavy rain and thick fog and the boat was berthed quite a distance from the coach along a series of walkways. The ship was disappointing not the luxury vessel we expected. Dirty frayed carpets in the lounge not a good look for a ship on its 4th trip. Staff were lovely and hard working and always ready to help. Maria worked hard as the cruise director and was very knowledgeable. The weather and broken lock gates could not be accounted for but the itinerary seemed to have significant omissions with nothing in place to cover problems. We seemed to spend a lot of time docked at remote locations not at towns listed in the itinerary. The weather wasn't good but cushions were just left out in the rain so when it stopped there was nowhere dry to sit. The trip to Salamanca was good but it would have been better to have had the guided tour first followed by free time. I had looked forward to advertised visit to Mateus Palace only to find they hadn't managed to get tickets and the town of Entre-os-Rios was only viewed from the opposite bank while the ship was loaded. Stormy weather in Porto necessitated docking some distance away but the guided tour was a bit of non event. We saw the Cathedral and the station and chose not to spend longer time due to the wind and rain. Food on the ship was generally good lunch was a bit hit and miss. The dining room felt quite cramped not much room between tables which was a problem at breakfast time with people accessing the buffet. Again carpets showing fraying and wear. The wine was nice. Overall for the amount we paid I did not feel the cruise represented good value for money and would not recommend. Unlike our previous APT cruises.
We enjoyed the cruise and found the staff to be very helpful.The meals were also good. Our complaint was the Ship itself. The cabin was much smaller than the older ships that we have been on before .The shower area was very small and you had to open the door inward before entering and then had to manoeuvre the door past you to get it closed. The lounge area seating is not arranged very well and did not allow all the passengers to be able to get in when required. Regarding the upstairs area the seating was left out overnight so if it had been raining you were unable to sit. Overall the new design of the ship is very poor.
The Douro was spectacular and lived up to expectations. Alice in the dining room and Barbara as a guide were also exceptional. The coach service and visits away from the river were also very good. But, the food was just OK. The fish at most lunches/ diners was almost always the same, whatever the description. The vegetables were almost always under cooked. There was no welcome when we arrived. Tea had been cleared by 4.10, and no mention of the tea/ coffee machine. We would have enjoyed some small welcome drink (maybe a fruit tea?) on return to the ship. The boat was good, except the lounge was not large enough to seat all passengers.
APT River Cruises & Tours specializes in providing luxury travel experiences through all-inclusive tours, cruises, and rail journeys tailored for Australian travelers. The company offers a diverse range of travel options, including small ship cruises, guided tours, and rail adventures across various global destinations. Customers can explore iconic landscapes in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as Australia and New Zealand’s unique attractions. The company focuses on creating seamless, comfortable travel experiences that allow guests to immerse themselves in different cultures and environments. APT River Cruises & Tours caters to discerning travelers seeking adventure and relaxation while ensuring high standards of service throughout their journeys. With an emphasis on unforgettable memories, APT's offerings are designed for those looking to discover new destinations with ease and luxury.
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