Pita was an excellent host and tour guide. Good experience and a very enjoyable time.

BUYER BEWARE! YMT is not a company that is customer focused & doesn't deliver what they promise! I received a written itinerary from them but they omitted two tours that were listed! I texted them & phoned them while on tour & received NO response. I gave them a poor internal review after returning, spoke to two associates & finally received a concluding email. YMT is NOT Customer focused, is not interested in honoring what they put in writing, & is NOT interested in making it right with customers when they don't deliver what they promised. I was extremely disappointed with my western tour that started in May 2026 & concluded in early June 2026. Look elsewhere because YMT isn't worth the frustration & not worth your time & money! Buyer Beware! read more

This was our second trip with YMT and my daughter's first trip for her graduation from high school. We had the most amazing time! The islands were beautiful, the food was amazing, the sites were fabulous and our tour director Pita Rakuita was the absolute best. He was so knowledgeable of the islands and was so helpful in assisting my parents who are older and needed some extra assistance. He went above and beyond to make this trip for our whole group wonderful. I would recommend him as a tour guide for any trip, any time. Thank you Pita!! read more

EVERYTHING was WONDERFUL! We had the time of our lives starting with our AMAZING TOUR GUIDE. Pita Rakuita is and was extremely exceptional in his compassion, his patience, his kindness, his understanding and his unquestionable knowledge of the islands and tour experiences. I've gone on tours prior but I've NEVER had a tour guide as efficient and effective as Pita Rakuita! He's a KEEPER, PLEASE treat him well read more

YMT Vacations - Pita, our EXTRAORDINARY TOUR GUIDE - Tours Near Me - Lynnwood, Washington

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We were guided from one amazing experience to the next for the whole week. Pita Rakuita did an excellent job of explaining what we were seeing and taking care of us along the way. He was especially knowledgeable about the Polynesian Cultural Center and gave us information above the standard "tourist" stuff. Plus we were able to see Kilauea erupt! The whole week was so wonderful! read more

Our vacation to Hawaii was fabulous! Pita Rakuita took great care of us, made it easy and effortless as we island hopped, and treated us just like Ohana! Truly a trip we will never forget! read more

Our land tour guide , Pita Rakuita was exceptionally knowledgeable and did a great job for us. true cruise was nice and we had a great time and saw some beautiful sights and learned many things we didn't know. I would recommend this trip for sure. read more

Loved Pita, Pita, Pita!!! all the excursions were fabulous . Tried not to eat too much, and didn't gain any extra weight!! Win! The pineapple was way better than home. Michigan here and we left bad weather. Weather so nice on the Islands. And the hotel was nice and close to the beach, shopping and nice places to eat. read more

our tour director, Pita Rakuita, made this a once in a lifetime trip for our family. he took such good care of us. every detail was checked and double checked. he is so knowledgeable about all the islands. he made us truly feel like ohana. read more

My mom booked a cruise many months ago for February. I was surprised when I called in early January asking for a credit for a future trip and was told that wasn't possible. The reason we were given was because the agency has already paid the cruise line. However, when I looked at the Norwegian website later I discovered they have a "peace of mind" policy which clearly states that a credit is possible. It seems that the travel agency could easily be credited for any payments, so I am disheartened that this was the explanation I was given. In addition, one of the group members called Norwegian the day after my phone conversation with YMT and was told she does not have a room yet because YMT has not paid. This is in direct contradiction with what we were told by YMT. It is clear that with the spread of the omnicron variant, it is an incredibly dangerous time to sail. This most recent article states that EVERY cruise ship sailing currently has COVID positive people. https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2022/01/05/every-cruise-ship-covid-cdc/ YMTs only response to written requests are verbal and that she doesn't have to sail if she doesn't want to, but she won't get a penny in refunds or future trip credits. read more

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/yourman.html I am having a bad experience with them. Don't get scammed people please !!!!!! read more

Purchased trip cancelation insurance and submitted claim after death in family. That was two months ago. First claim "lost" by YMT - second claim emailed and received, but has not resulted in a refund check yet. Promises made weekly - empty ones. Still no refund. Word to the wise, don't trust what YMT says. read more

I got very upset reading the negative posts when I have had nothing but wonderful dealings with YMT Tours. I and 3 friends took their Rockies and National Parks tour in September of 2018 and loved it so much that we booked again, now 6 of us , to take their Chrimson Caverns tour this September. The tour guide had been so much fun to travel with and our bus driver was a nice fellow who drove safely. The hotels were nice and they were clean. The parks they took us to were fabulous. We all loved all of it. Now, because of the virus and the fact that we are in our 70's, we are afraid to go in September. YMT customer service was understanding and sympathetic. Since our deposit is non refundable( we were due to pay our final payment soon), they offered to put our deposit toward the same tour next year.. Everyone is relieved and happy. We will feel a lot better traveling after a vaccine is available plus we still have this great tour to look forward to. read more

Lux Bus No. 4646 - Carmel, CA 10:00AM 1/5/18 This bus driver refused to utilize the turn signals on this tour. When I approached him, in my car, he pulled of the road (Second St) to my right, opened his window and after I asked him to PLEASE use the turn signals, he made a rude gesture and careened out onto the street. He made two more left turns, each time neglecting my request. When I parked next to him at the bus lanes in Carmel - Junipero b'tween Ocean & 7th - to get information, he, again, careened out of his spot and roared down Junipero (not even sure if busses are allowed to drive that very narrow road. I'm attempting to locate the actual bus company (Lux Bus) to file a formal complaint. read more

In October 2014 I booked a tour of China that was to take place in September 2015. On YMT's website they had information about the tour and pricing through April. They verbally gave me pricing for the trip in September and I gave them a $100 deposit and reserved the trip. Six weeks later I had never received any sort of confirmation from them. No email, letter or even a receipt showing that I had paid $100 on my credit card. I called and told them I was uncomfortable not have some sort of written confirmation of what I had paid and the prices I was quoted and asked for a confirmation letter. A month later when I had still not received anything from them I canceled the trip. Originally we were told we would not receive a refund of our deposits (and their website does say that the deposit is non-refundable) but they made an exception and refunded our deposits. read more

Stay away, they are unethical and refuse to do the right thing and refund our deposit! Also read their BBB reviews, they have left travelers stranded and have a poor reputation for customer service. With a group of friends, I booked a trip to China in October 2014 that was to take place in September 2015. On YMT's website they had information about the tour and pricing through April. They verbally gave me pricing for the trip in September and I have them a $100 deposit and reserved the trip. 6 weeks later I had never received any sort of confirmation from them. No email, letter or even a receipt showing that I had paid $100 on my credit card. I called and told them I was uncomfortable not have some sort of written confirmation of what I had paid and the prices I was quoted and asked for a confirmation letter. A month later when I had still not received anything from them I canceled the trip. Of course, they would not refund the deposit even though they were clearly the ones that had not held up their end of the agreement by doing the bare minimum of sending a confirmation. We had no confidence that they could actually deliver the trip that I had reserved. read more

Yes, their tours are cheap so they get 1 star. I could go on for hours. I went on the Grand European Tour in Europe. They were very unorganized. The worse thing that happened is they dropped a busload of people at a shopping center in Goteberg, Sweden. The shopping center had four entrances on 4 different streets. My two friends were not given the correct information on where to meet the bus and could not find the bus. They ended up taking a taxi to the boat, as suggested when lost. The tour directors were hostile and vindictive and blamed my friends when it was their lax attitude in giving directions. Then we were on another tour, the tour guide had no umbrella or sign so that we could find her. One of the directors said it was the guides fault. The tour directors need to do every thing to make it safe and secure for their passengers. Never again!! read more

Don't travel with a cruise company that dosen't own their ships! Treated as a second class tenant and their failure to be responsible for failing to meet commitments is unforgiveable. read more

Well, I am not in the habit of writing BAD reviews but this time I gotta say something. I was wondering how can YMT stay in business ...well they are CHEAP and people are trying to travel to nice places and save a few bucks especially me since I pay for my mom and I. I have even had other family members and friends travel with YMT [Sorry guys now I know better] I have been on several trips with YMT thinking it will get better, all I had to do was just keep an positive and open mind.. Like they say you get what you pay for and sometimes you can not do too CHEAP. I would REALLY like to see YMT up their game and customer service. OBSERVATIONS: 1. Staff in head office is syrupy sweet and you have to keep up on them regarding your paper work and deposits. 2. Field staff such as drivers and YMT tour guides unkempt, some unprofessional and really didn't give a rats ass. I was at the airport and overheard the YMT rep ,had to run him down and say hey we are with you care to check your list to see if you have everyone?.If I had not heard him say YMT I would have thought he was a bum off the street with an airport cart.YMT can at least provide a vest or something 3. Accomodations , I understand you are at some places for only one night and they were clean.. Breakfast was not always included but each hotel should have a resturant so you can at least buy your own. And not everyone was treated equal some busses assigned to hotels had resturants in them other had to walk five block to get food at 6 am. I took offense to this as everyone paid the same money . 4. Busses: Same tour had 4 busses. Why were some of the busses more comforatable than others??? One bus the one I was on was so cramped it was unbelievable and get this the other side of the same bus was smaller than the other side . How does that happen?How did I know the inequity of the busses? When bus # 3 out of 4 took us to the airport! Not a luxury coach at all I expect a bud TOUR to be comfortable and for EVERYONE CONTRACT WITH THE SAME COMPANY FOR THE BEST DEAL!!! .I been on school busses that were more comfortable. 5. Temperature COLD COLD and uncomfortable 50 % of the people got temperature induced bronchitis and sick. cold induced joint pain. YMT you average age passenger if over 65 yrs old. I even had blankets and thermal underwear plus why was the YMT tour guide the human windshield wiper and defroster? Was this bus not INSPECTED? 6.I think AARP needs to know also who they are allowing to advertise.I have heard from many now that YMT could care less and I now believe them .This is not my first review. I did email them good and bad issues. I was hoping they would take heed and correct. As with anything these days actions will be taken when there is a injury or a class action suit against them if there isn't already Very sad to see that the bottomline for YMT is MONEY and maybe folks need to reconsider where they spend their dollar votes!!!. It is my wish that YMT works on it's professionalism and reputation. May be this is needs to be an episode of "Undercover Boss" if the CEO /corporartion is being represented in the field. or maybe they really don't give a rats ass. Still very sad indeed read more

We have 3 days left on the "Fall Foliage" tour which is 3 too many. The foliage was breathtaking and the people on our bus were wonderful. BUT our tour director is a mess. She is snide, vindictive, unprofessional, uneducated and indecisive. You get what you pay for. Never again. The buses are very uncomfortable and that is where you spend 90% of your time. On a positive note our driver David was very professional and courteous. read more

A group of 25 Virginians booked the Wonders of Iceland including Prague and transatlantic cruise for September 2019. We booked this tour in August, 2018. When we booked we were promised a good many things; eating together on the ship, cabins together on the ship, etc. NONE of our requests were honored. Our invoices were incorrect, our extra excursions were not correct. We had to double check everything they sent us. One person sent payment by mail with proof of receipt but our group was held up until YMT could find the payment at their office. They cancelled one ladies air fare. When we discovered the problem they admitted it was their fault,but they would not book her airfare until she sent them money. We were limited on our luggage to one bag and when we asked for the reason we were told that was their policy and it would not be changed. I would not recommend this company if you are planning a group trip. We talked with a different person every time we called and when we asked to speak to the group coordinator we were told they did not talk to people on the phone. We asked for help from MSC Cruises. They talked with a representative from YMT and instructed us to call YMT and talk with this representative to resolve the issue. When we called YMT they refused to allow us to speak with that representative. Their prices are good but not worth the hassle. The are either irresponsible or inept. I never could decide which. read more

We had a great tour. Golden West tour. Great driver and agent who kept us laughing a lot of the time. He went over where we would stop next and many times showed us a video. We went by bus and we moved up two seats each day so everyone didn't get stuck in the rear. At each hotel our bags were taken up and brought down the next morning. Our guide many times would stop at places that were not scheduled but he wanted us to see. Sometimes we would stay at the same hotel which was nice. Water bottles were furnished daily and I liked being able to eat where we wanted to.(our choice) read more

We would like to give 5 stars-to our driver, Ian, who was an excellent driver and was able to handle our tour guide. If there was a way to give a NEGATIVE rating to Diana - tour guide nightmare, we would. We went on the Scotland tour in September 2017, starting with the welcome dinner at our hotel in Queensferry, no. of Edinburgh. At the dinner Diana announced that she had a list of name of all the people that had signed up for, as she called it, "the extra" touring the Royal yacht Britannia. After reading the list the of names we told her that we had not signed up for the tour, and we knew that because we had no interest in touring the yacht nor had we paid any monies to tour it. Diana insisted that we had because our names were on her list. Five other people in the room also said they had not paid for this extra tour. Again, Diana told us we had. At that point we turned to one another and said "I guess we are going to see the queen's yacht tomorrow". The following day we visited all the sites that were listed in the itinerary, ending with the Edinburgh Castle. All of our group boarded the bus and the driver drove for about 5-7 minutes to another part of the city. He stopped the bus and Diana announced that 7 people had to get off the bus because the remainder of the group was heading to the yacht tour. Everyone stayed seated. After saying several times that 7 of us had to get off, she became a bit angry and said she was going to call all the names of the people that were signed up to go to the yacht tour and anyone that didn't have their hand up was to get off the bus. The roll was called and lo and behold - everyone had their hand up. Surprise, surprise! Now Diana was really flustered & read the names again. Pray tell what was going to change from the 1st time she read off her list? Diana had trouble throughout the tour with making adjustments; with relating to people; with getting flustered and with communicating in a positive, friendly manner. Case in point, she announced that there were some of us that were free-loading a ride and if those that were going out to the yacht didn't mind that they had free loaders on the bus she guessed those not taking the tour could stay on the bus. No one objected. That flustered her even more. Now our thoughts were at that time was - Diana is taking a group of people out to see a yacht. Diana has pulled away from the Edinburgh Castle and no one knows where they are in this city. Diana could offer the option of staying on the bus while the yacht group did their tour, after all the driver would be with said bus. No, Diana was set that some people had to get off the bus. Diana was unable to be adaptable or flexible. At this point, she then turned to the driver (who by the way was our driver just for that day-bet he was happy!), and began to converse with him. Suddenly it dawned on her that she was reading the list with all the people on the entire tour, not a list with just the people who signed up for the yacht tour. She figured out who was to get off, and told us (the 7, who the night before had told her we didn't sign up) that we had to get off right now. Several ladies asked if the bus was coming back to pick them up, she said we would have to make our way back to the Edinburgh Castle by a certain time (be mindful we had no idea where we were in the city) and if we missed the coach pick up time we would have to take a cab back to the hotel, which would amount to over $80.00 US dollars. We will point out that during the trip Diana stated that if we had any suggestions or comments she would welcome any and all from our fellow travelers. We will also point out that Diana had a way of 'suggesting' what time she wanted everyone to return to the bus, but not giving a specific time. Example: "you can have about 20 - 30 minutes or so, for a bathroom break or to visit the gift shop. We had several ladies on our tour that liked to shop. In her eyes they were always holding up the tour. By happenstance, we happened to return to the coach a bit early one day and overhead our driver, Ian, tell Diana that if she wanted all the passengers to return by a certain time she would have to be specific in what she expected and needed. Diana got angry to which Ian interrupted her and said, you asked for suggestions and comments, I am giving you that. if you don't want to hear or listen to what might make the trip easier then don't ask for input. Diana then backed down and for the remainder of the trip she was specific in what time we needed to be back on the bus after visiting sites, etc. Diana had trouble with relating to others and taking much needed advise. We stayed at the Ben Nevus hotel in the Highlands-look it up on Trip Advisor. At around 12 am the fire alarm went off, apparently a frequent occurrence at this hotel. Scotland, the people, wonderful, Diana NO! YMT- BIG disappointment!!! read more

I decided to take a tour offered by a local radio station. It was run by YMT Vacations. The tour included a motor coach trip through the Canadian Rockies & then a cruise of the Inside Passage of Alaska. While the trip itself was wonderful, the aggravation of trying to deal with YMT before this trip was cause of a great deal of stress. They didn't return a number of my phone calls or emails. They didn't have answers to many of my questions and some of the answers they gave were incorrect. Next time, I plan on my own. read more

We went on the YMT Best of Ireland tour. After reading some of the previous reviews, we were wondering if we made the right decision to go with this company. It certainly was! We enjoyed the tour so much. Our tour guide Joe was exceptional and kept us entertained as we drove through Ireland and the beautiful Countryside. We made stops at all the popular tourist sites as well. Thank you YMT for a wonderful tour. We have many beautiful pics and memories to last. Would highly recommend this company. read more

So disappointed with this company after booking our Alaska cruise and land package. They lied to us that we had to take the red eye saying it was the only way to get home, there were a dozen flights, ALL day long! Once they got our final payment, our sales person, Cindy, wouldn't return any phone calls or emails. Minimal details were given on our land tour. Little did we know we would be getting on a bus all three days by 7am for 8-9 hours a day. Grueling schedule for lots of elderly people. All hotels booked were mediocre and far away from any decent place for dinner. Terrible company, terrible service. read more

The customer service was barely adequate up to time I made my final payment. After that, it became non-existent. I dread going on the actual tour now. Wish I hadn't booked with them. read more

Our 14 days Canadian Rockies Tour with YMT Vacation was amazing this tour is perfectly put together to see most important beautiful part of Canada, the tour director Camille was very knowledgeable very detailed on all aspects of the tour, our driver Gary was very friendly and helpful assist every single passengers as well as very knowledgeable of all the street, freeway's and beautiful hidden beautiful scenery which we stop for pictures, overall Canada is naturally Beautiful. read more

I went with YMT on the Best of Ireland trip. This was my first trip with YMT and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the trip. My guide was JJ, and he absolutely made the trip. Everything was handled seamlessly. I am travelling with YMT again on their Alaska and British Columbia trip. Their prices are the most reasonable, and I always do my research. read more

This review is for YMT Canadian Rockies tour, which was very poor compared to a previous tour in Europe. And the principal reason for the poor rating is the tour guide, the bus driver was great. But the tour guide complained constantly about having to set up our schedule-yet when we encountered bad situations, she blamed YMT. Her idea of breakfast and lunch stops was finding a grocery store. She deliberately passed up locations with restaurants and decent facilities in favor of eating on the bus and filthy outdoor pit toilets. We missed the two premier tours because, even though the weather forecasters said there was going to be heavy snow, we went up to the glacier anyway and spent the entire day waiting to get back down, all tours were cancelled. We did not receive refunds for either tour, even though the venue said they were refunding to YMT. Many problems at several of the hotels--dirty linen and rooms, equipment including windows and door locks in need of repair. All in all, it was a miserable experience, you may want to reconsider going on this tour unless you like roughing it and eating Safeway cold cuts most days for breakfast and lunch. Definitely not worth the money. read more

I went on the Sights of Scotland tour and was very disappointed. Our tour guide, Diana was unorganized and condescending. "I won't answer that today, you're too tired" REALLY! We spent way too much time on the bus backtracking as tour accomodations were not organized for the area of daily tours. Our Glasgow city tour left some of us stranded across town at a museum as we were not informed that this tour would not start and end at our hotel until we were at the destination! Miss Diana dismissed our dilemma as insignificant and told us to take a cab. There were many other incidents however, I must add, that when I called YMT upon my return they, YMT were not the least bit interested in any of this, told me to wait for my "survey" I've been home a month, no survey! I really think YMT should contact their sub contractor in Scotland but they don't seem interested in what their customers think. Scotland is a wonderful country but I would not recommend this YMT tour. read more

Went on YMT Best of Ireland May 2016. It was our first trip with YMT definitely not our last. Our guide/driver Mark Flynn was great and the country was beautiful. A must do and you can count on YMT for a wonderful experience. Already booked China for this fall. read more

My wife and I traveled to Ireland and Cuba with YMT. Both trips were terrific . We think they did a fine job, and both tours were a very good value. read more

We booked a Scotland tour starting Aug. 31, 2017. The itinerary looked great and we researched the hotels and they looked ok. However, YMT appears to like to put its tour members in places FAR away from most things. We had a lovely hotel in Dumferline, the Best Western Plus Keavil House Hotel. However, it was approximately a 40 minute ride to Edinburgh which was supposed to be one of the high points of the trip. We had one day there via coach and no real option for more because of distance. Then we headed North and ended up spending three nights at a hotel is Strathpeffer, approximately 30 minutes from Inverness, This was nonsensical because each day we headed back to Inverness to go to our destination that day. This made for very long days. Strathpeffer is a pretty little town, but options for food and entertainment and transportation were MINIMAL, Our hotel was totally unprepared for a tour of 40 plus people. The staff were great. They bent over backward to help us. The accommodations and food not so. The tour guide had never been to the hotel! That was appalling. If a hotel is going to be on the tour, YMT should have made an investment to spruce it up and make it at least more modern and fix the spa and pool we were told it had. Our tour guide was completely out of sync with anyone on the tour. She had just come off another tour, so she was tired, however, she was totally unprepared. While she knew her history, she seemed clueless when it came to accommodations and logistics and just how long people were willing to waste time riding on a bus. I would not go on a YMT tour again for numerous reasons, one being that the company sub-contracted our tour to another company and we were not informed. The bright spots of the tour: Scotland is someplace we would visit again; the people on the tour were great and troopers for sure; and our bus driver was a gem. read more