AAT Kings trips seem to have changed since the new owners have taken over. We have travelled numerous times with Insight, Trafalgar, Costsaver, and AAT Kings. There was no "Be My Guest" experience on this trip. Something we really enjoy on these trips. Also the new company has brought in a thing called Global Tour Rewards. One of the rewards is recognition from your Tour Director. We have traveled with Trafalgar and associated brands at least nine times. Since the new company took over our recognition was a pair of socks each on our tour of the Outback this year and a single tea towel between the two of us for going on Tasmanian Wonders. Last time we were in Australia on tour with AAT we were presented with two small original paintings and on our Croatia tour we received a couple of lovely water colour prints. Also on previous tours we had become accustomed to the Tour Director handing out a little treat associated to the area nearly every day. For example, Kendal mint cakes or Tunnocks caramel wafers in Great Britain, or Pasteis de Belem in Portugal. There was nothing like this on Tasmanian Wonders. Seems to me the new company is trying to wring out every extra tiny bit of profit they can get at the detriment of the tour experience. We enjoyed the tour, but it could have been so much better with these small additions that we had become used to receiving. Another thing that we got used to was having a transfer to the airport when the tour finished. On this tour we had to arrange our own.
So now back to the tour. The Tour Director was a native Tasmanian and knew a great deal about the areas that we visited and was very responsive and engaged with the guests. The coach driver did a great job and also was very sociable. Coach wasn't as nice as we have travelled on before. If you got the back seat in the rotation you couldn't see out the right window at all as the bathroom was there. Other coaches we have travelled on had the onboard toilet in the back stairwell so you could see out both sides of the coach. We saw lots of Tasmania although we didn't see quite as many of the native animals as we had hoped.
We will have to think long and hard whether we should travel with the Trafalgar brand again or if it is time to move on to another company. They have changed from a family owned company to an American asset management firm. I feel they are in it for shareholder return rather than to provide a great touring experience and a better understanding of the world.
