Excellent pre trip planning, detailed daily sked, pleasant and experienced staff. Enjoyed Vacations by Rail trips for both Scotland and Ireland. read more

Their itinerary was what attracted us. The good... was the tour manager that accompanied us through out our trip. She was great. Every thing else was down hill. The bad... we requested and paid for upgraded hotels as we required a bit more space for medical reasons. Spoke with them several times to confirm, yet the first hotel had no record. As the room was too small, I paid out of pocket for the larger room as the assigned room was too small to navigate. The tour manager attempted to contact the main booking office several times and they did not reply. They have yet to reply to our requests either. They need to do a better job communicating as they provided us with train tickets to get to and from the start and end points of the tour, but very little information as to how to actually get there. They booked us and I paid for a post hotel stay near our departure airport . This hotel was supposed to have a shuttle to and from the airport/train station. When starting to arrange when we arrived at our departure airport, I contacted the hotel to arrange for the transfer to the hotel. They told me that the shuttle was not available for the next 4.5 hours and wished me luck to arrive there. The rest of this hotel issue is a separate issue, but as vacations by rail booked this for us, they have yet to respond to multiple requests to address the situation. Food provided by the tours at the hotel were mediocre at best. The saving grace was the onsite tour manager who went out of her way to assure a nice trip. Will not book with them again read more

Just over a week prior to our departure date, we were notified that our itinerary at Glacier National Park had changed. We had paid in full and received written confirmation in June for our September 15 departure date, to which we agreed. Now a few days prior to departure, we're told that the full day tour we had for September 17 (my birthday) had been changed to the 18th with no real explanation as to why. "Apparently it was overbooked". How is that my problem? I have written confirmation that our tour is scheduled on the 17th. Now the plans we had for the 18th have to be cancelled. This is a major disappointment. We leave in 5 days for this trip. I can only hope that VBR corrects their error. They need to do the right thing. If they do, I'll be more than happy to update this review with more stars and a happy ending. read more

Vacations By Rail - Reservation confirmation - Travel Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have been looking forward to a cross-Canada rail trip for years. My wife and I had discussed it, though I was more ardent than she. When she died unexpectedly last summer, I decided to go ahead and spent a couple of weeks researching options. I contacted Vacations by Rail and was put in touch with an agent who took down my information and gave me a quote. I agreed to the price. She put me on hold for a bit and came back to say that there were no more seats available in my "moderate" practice and did I wish to upgrade. I asked for the price. She said she would send me an invoice "in the next ten minutes." Ten minutes passed. Thirty. An hour. Disappointed, I began looking at other trips I might take to Canada. In desperation, i wrote that I was still awaiting the promised invoice and was considering other options. Half an hour later, my invoice arrived. I reviewed it, saw that the quote had increased a bit, but decided it was manageable. I called in, referenced the invoice, and paid my deposit. Satisfied, I bought trip insurance and began making other arrangements. This evening, I received a call from an agent telling me that the package I'd purchased was not available, that I would have to upgrade the Vancouver to Toronto trip. I explained that I already had, that I'd requested an invoice at the increased amount and paid it. Oh, no, I was told. That invoice was for the original package. I would have to pay what, to me, is a considerable amount to upgrade. When I declined, the agent gave me four options: pay the increase, change the travel date (which I'd already explained I could not do, as I was on the West Coast with my family to scatter my wife's ashes), keep the reservations and pray somone else backs out, or cancel. I again explained the situation, that I was on the West Coast on specific dates for a specific purpose, that I'd been considering this trip for years, and had my heart set on it. The agent was polite, but firm. Four choices--change dates, pay the difference, wait and see, or cancel. No offer to split the difference or any other consideration for what was their mistake. I canceled. I am not wealthy and live on a fixed income, but probably could have stretched my budget to take this trip. But I asked a question that my eight decades+ on this earth have taught me to consider: Do I trust these people? I do not, nor would you, so I canceled. Trip out the window. Travel insurance perhaps lost. But wiser and definitely older. My advice: Stay away. There are other Canadian options. I will explore them, and so should you. read more

Disappointed in the "prior to travel" communications. We booked a 6 day train tour in Switzerland. When I asked for train information for the first and last days (in order to plan other travel)- I did not receive the correct information. When I finally received the actual PDF with the train information- 1. it was not in my name, 2. it was not a reserved seat- but a ticket to be used any time on that day. 3. there was not any provided instructions for the use of the first day train tickets. First impressions were feelings of frustration and lost time! Please provide better communications to travelers. It would have been very easy to let me know what app to use for the trains. This tour group meet up with another group from Great Rails- all of the travelers with Great Rails had a wonderful pre-travel communications. I wish VBR would have done the same! read more

Sometimes, travel plans don't work out. When requesting refunds or changes, it's nice to work with a company that values customer service. I appreciated that VBR refunded my tour amount due to my mistake in not noticing the details of what i originally thought the itinerary included. They didn't have to refund the money but they did without question. This is the mark of an excellent business and how they treat their customers. Thank you for the excellent service you gave me. I highly recommend the Tours that VBR has on their website. The tours are well planned out throughout the world and the agents and sales managers helped me with my process. I hope to take one of the other tours at a later date. read more

If they gave me my money back because I could use the trains, maybe I would change the review!

Review of Vacations by Rail - Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands & Yellowstone Tour We recently completed the "Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, and Yellowstone" tour booked through Vacations by Rail. While much of the trip was truly enjoyable and well-organized, we encountered a significant issue on the Amtrak leg that we feel should have been addressed by the tour company. We had booked a sleeper car on the train from Chicago to Provo, Utah. Unfortunately, just two hours into the trip, the restroom facilities in our sleeper car stopped working. Despite assurances that the issue would be resolved in Denver, the toilets were never repaired for the duration of the journey. This meant having to walk two cars back anytime we needed to use the restroom--a serious inconvenience, especially on an overnight journey where we had paid for the added comfort of a private room. While we understand this was technically an Amtrak issue, we booked this tour through Vacations by Rail and therefore expected some level of advocacy or compensation for what was a major disruption to the travel experience. We reached out to customer service directly but have yet to receive any response. We're hopeful someone will follow up soon. We otherwise enjoyed the rest of the tour and would like to believe that this company stands behind the quality of its full travel experience. read more

This was our second family trip since the pandemic ended. Everything was arranged for us by Derek and there were no disappointments. The scenery on the train was exceptional as was the personal service provided by the hosts and servers. Meals on the train were wonderful and many options were provided. We were definitely impressed with how our every need and wish were accomodated with smiles and sincere effort. All the hotel lodgings were excellent as well. We were a little skeptical about the sightseeing company since we were unable, most of the time, to get a confirmation from them the day prior to a planned trip, but they all arrived on schedule. I would definitely consider using Vacations by Rail again. read more

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We went on Vacations by Rail Imperial Cities tour in May 2025. The tour was well organized from start to finish. Our tour guide Christine was excellent, informative and a delightful person to lead our group. It was comforting to know someone capable was in charge in anything went wrong. Which fortunately it did not. I enjoyed the other travelers as they were mostly from Britian. The hotels were good choices and well located. The balance of tours and free time was well organized. We would travel with Vacations by Rail again. read more

I booked a trip to Spain & Portugal with them and had to cancel due to wife's broken leg. I lost 50% of my trip cost but they told me on Sept 9 that they would refund the other 50% in 2 weeks. It is October 18 and I still have not received my refund! WTF! read more

Inquired about a trip to Eastern Canada in October. Was given a 7 day hold on the dates I wanted and a reference number. Called 4 days later to book the trip and was told sorry sold out. When mentioning the 7 day hold it was a mistake and basically tough luck, "sometimes mistakes are made". The attitude by the representative (Glen) was lousy. read more

I just want to say what a great experience I just had speaking with one of the Travel Specialists at Vacations by Rail! I talked with Aldo today, and I had several questions as I'm driving to the start point of the tour and needed to obtain specific departure times for the first day. I also needed fairly specific return times for the last day. Aldo was able to provide both departure and return times, and included additional information that will make it easier for me to determine the best place to house my vehicle while I'm on the tour. He was friendly, and patient, and incredibly helpful! He answered all my questions and was instrumental in providing information that will allow me to fully plan my travel. Thank you, Aldo, for your EXCELLENT customer service! read more

One of the worst trips I have ever had and there is no concern from Vacations by Rail. They don't care about you and we were so over charged for what we received. CHECK YOUR ITINERARY AND READ IT. There is a reason they don't send it out till the last minute. Never again. !! read more

We recently returned from the Vacations by Rail Majestic Rhine and the Glacier Express Tour. I want to end on the positive things so I will start with the not so positive. About 10 days prior to the trip starting, we were notified that the company was unable to get tickets on the Glacier Express at Chur. Interesting since the trip was advertised a year in advance. This meant we were no longer starting the trip in Chur but in Davos which reduced the amount of time on the Glacier Express from a full day to just 3 hours. Surprising since the Glacier Express appears in the title of the trip and was supposed to be a highlight of the journey. We later found out this only applied to those that selected the second-class train ticket. Those that selected first-class got the full Glacier Express experience. This also meant that the 1.5 hour trip from Zurich to Chur turned into a 3 hour trip to Davos with several train transfers that required carrying our luggage up several flights of stairs. Our tour guide Ken was very helpful with tips/instructions for getting from the Zurich Airport to Davos. When we met Ken in Davos, we were informed we would be boarding the Glacier Express at Andermatt. Getting from Davos to Andermatt required FIVE train transfers. Although our large luggage (One per person) was transported to Zermatt for us, we were required to hand transfer all other bags during these train transfers. A few were at a very fast walk just to make the next train. Some in our group had mobility impairments which required the use of a cane. They had extreme difficulty during these transfers and needed help from the travel group to carry their luggage. By the time we reached Zermatt we were hot and exhausted. Departing from Zermatt to Basel to start the River Cruise was a similar experience. We were required to handle all our own luggage on the 3.5 hour trip that required several train transfers. The same issues listed above for those with mobility issues pertained to this leg of the journey as well. Once we got all our bags on the train there was no place to store them which meant we had to put them in seats. This resulted in angry train riders that need seats that were occupied by our luggage. Throughout the rail portion of our trip Ken was key to getting us from train to train. I don't see how we could have done it without him. The last not so positive thing I will bring up is at the end of the trip we were required to find our own way to the airport. Although this was addressed in the pre-trip information, I just wanted to say we took a 6-person van to the airport that cost $50 per person with tip. That might be something you need to mention in the information packet. Had we known about all the issues/challenges there were with the train part of the journey we may not have booked this tour. If you have any type of mobility issue you may want to rethink this trip. Now for the positive. -Ken, the tour guide for the rail segment of the trip was fantastic. -The sights were unbelievable -Hotels were top-notch. Even though they did not have air conditioning but the weather was unseasonably hot. -The river cruise was memorable. the ship, staff and amenities surpassed our expectations. -Our cabin was spacious and had everything we needed. -We liked the option of just walking around or taking a shore excursion when the ship was docked. We did both and were happy with what we saw and did. -The Rhine River Valley portion of the cruise was outstanding. -Food on the ship was excellent -Although the cities we stopped at were touristy they were not overly crowded. read more

So many different travel options! My family and I had an amazing trip and we can't wait to plan a one in the future. There is certainly something for everyone! read more

Loved every minute with Vacations By Rail! This trip was amazing! Everything was so well planned, from the gorgeous train rides to the fun excursions. The views were breathtaking, the trains were super comfy, and I didn't have to worry about a thing--just sit back and enjoy the ride. Booking my text trip again soon! read more

I had an incredible experience with Vacations by Rail! The scenic routes, comfortable accommodations, and exceptional service made my journey unforgettable. Highly recommend for anyone looking to explore beautiful landscapes in a relaxed and enjoyable way. read more

They reduced my trip for over $800 and declined to apply the new price to my reservation, very disappointed.

DISAPPOINTED AND FEEL CHEATED!!! We booked the Glacier Park round trip Amtrak getaway for July 7the returning on July 12, 2024. This trip goes to East Glacier with lodging at The Glacier Park Lodge. Two tours are included since the stay at the hotel is for 2 days and 3 nights. There is the boat tour of Medicine Lake (east side of Glacier and the 2nd tour was the Big Sky Circle Tour. This tour was supposed to take you to West Glacier and drives through the entire park with several sightseeing stops. TODAY they canceled this tour and put us on the Sun Tours trip from East Glacier straight to Logan Pass and back to Medicine Lake. Called and got some ridiculous excuse and. now there's no remedy. Date of experience : April 23, 2024 Edit read more

My husband and I booked a train tour of Switzerland in 2019 for the summer of 2020. Bridget was our point of contact for this trip and she was EXCELLENT! She answered question after question with much patience, always being very kind and efficient. Of course, COVID changed everything. Vacations By Rail allowed us to change our trip to the fall of 2021. However, the Delta variant was quickly spreading at that time, so we requested to change to the fall of 2022. Vacations By Rail was very accommodating! We were finally able to go on that much anticipated train tour and it was AWESOME! We are so grateful to Vacations By Rail for planning such a wonderful trip and for being so accommodating. Most of all, we appreciate Bridget. Her prompt replies, as well as her kindness and patience made planning the trip so much better. We would highly recommend Bridget and Vacations By Rail for train travel. We are planning another trip for October 2024 and have been in contact with Bridget. Again, the service she has provided has been excellent. We have asked many questions and made some changes. Bridget has been as kind, patient and efficient as ever, and we are looking forward to another wonderful trip - this time using their Independent tour. read more

I have been working with Bridget planning our independent trip in Europe. Needless to say I have had numerous questions. Bridget and the team have answered my calls, emails and constant questions quickly and correctly. Thanks to the Vacations By Rail team for helping me plan the vacation of my dreams! read more

I booked the Highlights of Switzerland & Italy by rail. Despite booking and paying in full months in advance I did not receive my travel documents until the day before I left. I had to call several times to get them, when my original invoice stated I would receive them 2 weeks before the trip. This meant I wasn't able to book any excursions outside of the planned itinerary because I didn't know what free time I would have or what time the trains would depart/ arrive. I paid for the upgraded hotel package which was a joke. Our first hotel was in a bad area far away from any of the sights. I was on a trip with my husband and parents and the hotel appeared to be a swinger style resort with nude pictures of women, mosaics of people having sex, and sayings like "send nudes" and the elevator even said "my favorite moves are up and down". The hotel in Rome was also in a bad part of town. We saw many fights on the streets and heard sirens all throughout the night. When we asked for dinner recommendations from the front desk he said, "there's nothing to recommend in this area I would use the train to go to a different part of town". The toilet in our room did not work. In my parents room their air conditioning did not work. They also emailed me while on the trip stating they forgot to book our Lake Como Boat Cruise (for the next day). They recommended we buy the tickets when we got there. We waited in line for almost 3 hours just to find out they were sold out. I called the 24/7 1-800 number to see what our options were. She said she'd call me back in 10 minutes. I waited 30 minutes and didn't hear from her so I called back. I found my own replacement tour, paid for it and they said I'd be reimbursed. I haven't received the reimbursement yet. We also had our reservations booked with another couple. We were told all the tours and train times would be the same. This was not the case. They had different train times and times for tours. I could go on, but I think the point is made. This experience was stressful and terrible overall. I travel often but I'll be sure to never use this company again. read more

Vacations by Rail is the best way to travel when you go on a trip. The staff members, especially Bridget Allen, were always in contact with us before & after our trip to Italy. Every accommodation was 5+ stars & the cities we saw were exceptionally beautiful. This is our new way of taking a vacation & we can't wait for our next adventure!! read more

Really cannot recommend this company. This review is for Glacier Express, the Rhine & Moselle Cruise September 2024. As other's have stated we did not receive final travel documents until a few days before our departure to London. Also, they were not forthright on the number of trains we would take in a single day and what exactly would be entailed with hauling your luggage on and off trains, including up skinny stairs on trains to get to the upper birth -- and at times even over your head to put it in upper storage. On our first day out, in total, we lugged our luggage two miles through numerous train stations, including several blocks in downtown Paris where we had to walk to a shuttle bus to take us to another train station in Paris where we waited no less than 45 minutes outside for our shuttle bus to the next station. (Thank goodness it was not raining in Paris!) In Switzerland for some in-explicable reason, we did not stay in Chur (where we were to get on the Glacier Express), but instead stayed in Davos (over an hour away, and involving yet another train transfer), on arrival in Davos in the dark of night, our shuttle to the hotel did not arrive, so -- absolutely exhausted (we had started at 5 a.m. at the Pancras station in London) we had to take a public bus to our hotel, only to have to travel BACK to Chur the next day to get the Glacier express. Because of all of that, we took a later Glacier express that had us starting to eat "lunch" at 5 p.m. Also, the excursions on the Moselle / Rhine river cruise portion of the trip were beyond lame. Basically, just cheap walking tours. I travel quite a bit and this is possibly the worst organized travel tour I ever took. read more

I have left several replies and a couple of phone messages and no one has called me back since I first spoke to Paul.. The $150 gesture is laughable since I paid over $7000 for this vacation. Due to the strict rules I had to endure being dehydrated due to the toilets being locked on the buses. The hotels were dated and some dirty, we had to take care of our luggage with staircases and the itinerary was not met based on your brochure. it was not a rail trip but a motor coach trip with a few commuter lines that we had to scramble to secure seats. You mischaracterized the trip and I paid based on those mischaracterizations. read more

What a great vacation. The trip exceeded our expectations! Our Tour Manager, Roslyn Adley was awesome. Every request or issue was address quickly and with a smile. She was genuinely concerned that the entire group was enjoying themselves. When we book for future trips, we will definitely request a trip with Ros. ciao!! Troy Jones read more

Hillary was very professional and thorough when booking my trip. She answered all my questions and followed up as promised. This is the first rail trip we have planned. read more

Please note that we have emailed VBR direct with our concerns and have not had a reply. We also note that Great Rail Journeys has acquired VBR. We note that a lot of published reviews are about the booking experience and we had the same. However that is where a better rating stops. Through our VBR booking we understood our tour would be a small group, as did all the other members who booked through either VBR, Great Rail Journeys or some Australians through a third company travel Marvel. We were not notified of the group size until emailed by the tour manager the day before it started - 34 in total! Although we all got on well enough it was not the experience we all expected. We note the tour was actually operated by Great Rail Journeys as their Grand Tour of Scandinavia. VBR did not advise us of this change from their VBR operated Arctic Circle Express. We only found out inadvertently via a general information email from the GRL tour manager the day before the start of the tour. Unfortunately a number of rail journeys were cancelled due to severe weather conditions and on those legs we travelled with the luggage bus. Nothing anyone could do about that and our bus driver was amazing. Our tour manager was a very pleasant lady from England, with very little local knowledge or if so did not offer it up. Many of our group were experienced coach/rail group travellers and were very disappointed. The hotels used were reasonable with most of our rooms just adequate and clean. There was though inconsistency with what group members were appointed with some of these quite inadequate. Whilst the breakfasts were substantial Nordic style smorgasbords, the included dinners were woeful. No information was provided by the tour manager on recommended local dinner options. Many of the group contacted their booking company seeking a refund of the cancelled train trips. This mass complaint eventually prompted the companies to respond positively. We have provided a substandard rating based mostly on that we paid for a small group tour, the tour manager underperformance and the quality of the hotels. This was an expensive tour nonetheless. read more

Thank you, Vacations by Rail! We just returned from a fabulous trip to Montreal and Quebec City planned by Vacations by Rail. Our representative, Gwen, ensured that everything was handled without a glitch, from our airport transfers and hotels to the tours and train trip. We couldn't have asked for a better vacation! We definitely recommend Vacations by Rail to others. read more

I would give zero stars if that was an option! We have been strung along by this company for nearly 3 years now. Booked a 2020 trip in 2019, cancelled due to Covid 19, only offered a voucher, requested a refund when the 2021 trip was cancelled, twice! No refund, only another voucher, now the 2022 (sept) trip we learned today June 14, 2022, is cancelled and not only will they not refund, they are charging us additional funds they want now even though the trip is cancelled stating prices went up. This trip has been paid in full from the beginning which is suppose to guarantee the costs, but now they say we owe an Additional balance! Scam, scam & scam! Stay away from this company. We have contacted this company in writing that we want a refund, in full, and have contacted our attorney who will take legal action. JD read more

VBR is guilty of false advertising. Edinburgh Highlands and Islands by rail,is actually Highlands and Islands by bus. Over 8 days we spent about 12 hours on a train. The train from Glasgow to Ft. William on Scotsrail was a dingy diesel with filthy windows. You could barely see out. We stayed in adequate hotels, but ate dinner in the hotel every night. Very boring. The breakfast was always the same. It's important to hydrate while traveling but do so at your own risk as there are no regular potty breaks. Lunch breaks were few and far between with the guide actually saying, "You don't need lunch, you'll be having a big dinner." We were told to bring food with us as there would be none available or only a brief stop. I hope no one on the trip was diabetic or hypoglycemic. One day, we went 11 hours between meals. The last straw for me was when we returned to Edinburgh, three rooms were not ready and it was almost 4:00. Mine was one. The guide's solution: "Oh well, I'm sure they'll be ready soon," And she left for her room. We waited another half hour. Scotland is stunningly beautiful, and it's people warm and welcoming. Just don't go there with Vacations by Rail (they subcontract in the UK with Great Railway Journeys.) read more

Just completed booking a Vacation By Rail trip with Bridget. She was superb! She helped us customize our tour both in timing and cost to fit our schedule. And she did it quickly and cheerfully. If the trip is a smooth and pleasurable as the booking, we will be ecstatic! read more

We booked a train trip in 2021 for a 2022 vacation. We have paid for half of it. We just received an email stating we have to be vaccinated before we can go and show proof. If we had known this we would have never booked this trip. Now they refuse to give me a refund. I don't think that it's right that they changed the rules mid-game. read more

Made a reservation today for a 2024 trip to Switzerland. Bridget was outstanding in explaining all the differences in levels of service and why we might want either hotel or train service upgrades. She was able to clarify a lot that I didn't see on the web site -- can't tell you how much I appreciated that! We are on an independent tour so I'm a little nervous about how we will make connections, but since train excursions using a base city are part of most of our itinerary, it should all be fun! Now we just can't wait to make the trip! read more

We recently booked an international trip with Vacations by Rail, and we have been working with Gwen. As first timers on an extended tour and a visit to Italy, we have had many questions! Gwen has been very helpful and continues to answer all of our questions in a timely manner. Gwen also helped us secure a hotel stay for an additional night allowing us to arrive early in Rome. We appreciate the excellent communication Gwen has provided and we are looking forward to this awesome adventure! read more

I had sent a request asking that a representative reach out since I had some questions about the tour in which we were interested. A couple days later I received an email with just an invoice of how much it costs. So I responded and asked again stating I had questions. The second time I received another invoice on how to book my vacation and how pleasant it was speaking with me. I never spoke with this person and I have no intentions of spending $8,000 on this company. So glad I read the reviews before I booked! read more

I originally gave Vacations By Rail a one star rating due to their refund policy but after some consideration and conversation with Cole and Missy the situation has been resolved, I have yet to go on a vacation with them but look forward to it. read more

Dealt with Hilary during our booking and she was very thorough and professional. She was a pleasure to deal with.

I will never recommend Vacations by Rail. For a company recommended by AARP they are heartless when it comes to the elderly's welfare. My 83 year old mother booked a trip for herself and 3 other family members. Starting in Chicago and ending in LA. When the corona virus outbreak started her doctor and health navigator at her retirement community both advised her not to go and wrote letters stating this which were sent to Caroline at Vacations by Rail. This was the response, "I spoke with our operations team and they've confirmed nothing can be refunded at this time. These are our standard terms and conditions that we must enforce for all tours visiting areas that are considered safe for travel" Now my mother has to either go against her doctors orders, risks her health or lose $10000. We even just requested a postponement not a refund. read more

Vacations By Rail - Heartless Company for the elderly - Travel Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois