Just wanted to say that the Russian River Cruise was fantastic and that the Gate 1 organisation exceeded expectations. Having done a "Pacific Ocean Cruise" my wife and I were hesitant about this adventure but we need not have been. The smaller group allowed passengers to get to know each other and the tour leader and guides could really focus on our needs and information about locations visited. Cabins were comfortable (if a bit small) and the ever changing view from the cabin window added to the experience. Russia was spectacular, exciting and full of history. This particular cruise provided such a great insight into the country and allowed us to visit small but historic locations ( Uglich, Kirillov ) as well as St Petersburg and Moscow. Would absolutely recommend this tour and Gate 1 as a tour company.

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed the river cruise. Your staff was superb, the cities at which we stopped were charming and the guides at each stop were terrific. While we had "below deck" accommodations we were very pleasantly surprised on the amount of light that entered the room and the overall design and cleanliness. I am very much looking forward to another opportunity to river-cruising with Gate 1 again.

This trip to Russia was our 9th vacation with Gate 1 and has been one of the best we have taken. The organization was excellent and the guide, Nikita, was a superb leader. We were deeply impressed with the country, the people and their culture. We particularly enjoyed the spectacular old churches, traditional folk dances and the friendship of the people.

Fantastic, and so were all the guides and especially our tour manager, Kaysa. The river boat was very comfortable and our hotel accommodations were wonderful. Both my wife and I were pleasantly surprised how nice the Russian people were towards us.

Our river cruising experience with Gate 1 was excellent. It Far exceeded our expectations. The magnificence of the hotel Imperial in Prague, the comfort of our cabin, the Service from the ships crew, the first class meals and the general luxury of the boat. We enjoyed the towns that we visited, but would have appreciated a little more time to explore Melk. Overall, a wonderful experience where we have made many new friends. Now enjoying the beach and warmth of Montenegro.

We have come home in good shape. My wife and I enjoyed the Russian River Cruise very much. Russia and Russian people are simply beautiful. The tour manager Elena is fantastic. She is very helpful and looks after everything in great details. The two onboard guides and the ship's staff are friendly and courteous too. Thank you Gate 1 and we will come again.

We had the best time, couldn't have asked for me. Great service, interesting ports of call, delicious food and best of all wonderful staff. Will certainly travel with Gate 1 in the future.

Karen and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Russia. Your tour guide, Asya, is a wonderful ambassador for both Gate 1 and Russia. This was our fifth Gate 1 trip and, as always, Gate 1 came through for us providing a wonderful vacation.

We enjoyed it enormously and learnt a lot. The boat crew were charming and knowledgeable The food was wonderful. We will be looking at another trip with Gate 1 Travel.

Loved every minute of the River Cruise. The staff were lovely, very accommodating and fun to be with. Mike organised all our tour visits beautifully and Amir made the activities fun. We grew very fond of Peter the musician on board...such a lovely man and always with a smile on his face. I hope to see him again on another cruise. We loved the staff show they put on for us and we were stunned to see how well George played the guitar! All in all I will be looking forward to another cruise with Gate 1.

We had the most amazing time! We have talked to many friends about our experience and how wonderful it really was. We lacked for nothing on this trip. We were so well cared for and entertained that this made the whole trip memorable. I have to say that the staff was exceptional. Sunny the bartender was so personable and really did his job well. The others on the ship did all they could to accommodate us. I wish I could remember all their names because they left a lasting impression on both myself and my husband. I asked my friends who were traveling with us what they remember the most, she commented as well on the staff. We both thought they were exceptional. I would certainly travel Gate 1 again and look forward to it.

The river trip on the Monarch Queen from Amsterdam to Budapest surpassed our expectations. Our room was very nice, the bed comfortable. The food was out of this world. All of the tour guides were right on with their facts (I was a World History teacher), connected things to our present day situations and were amusing. You can't for any better cruise director than Mick (Miklos) nor piano player than Peter. What a bang for the buck! Thanks for a wonderful time. We look forward to more travels with Gate 1.

Our trip was excellent. The company, weather, food, scenery was all up to standard. We had an enjoyable time, and saw and ate a lot. Many thanks.

It was the trip of a lifetime. I can't believe how friendly, informative, comfortable and well organized it was. Miklos, our Cruise Director, provided a wealth of historical and technical (locks and dams) information all along the way, bringing to life the richness of each location with colorful descriptions and tips about what to see. He kept all things organized which is impressive given the number of local guides and logistics (busses, tickets etc) at hand. Each night he prepared us with a talk for the next day. In between, he responded to the interests and needs of individual passengers. Our Entertainment Director, Amir, offered morning yoga and evening dance, games, and group activities that helped everyone have fun. Maitre d, Ivan, and all the dining room staff were delightful, responsive to individual diets, and served lovely meals with classy presentation. Our Hotel Director made sure all were welcomed and comfortable. Housekeeping was thorough, quick, and friendly. During meals we enjoyed the company of a diverse, fun, and interesting group. We chatted about our countries, cultures, and families. Did I mention drinking lots of good wine and local beers? I cannot emphasize enough what great service all provided on this spectacular trip. My only regret is that we had too little time in Vienna and Budapest. Thanks for your help on the front end and keep those trip brochures coming!

OMG it was incredible! Tanya made the trip. She was everything and more. Lena was a quiet wonder. She made sure we were all accounted for a million times. There was not one local guide that was a slacker. They were all top notch and made sure we saw only the best at each place with as few crowds as possible. Best of all, each and every person told their personal stories along with the local lore. This was the first overseas trip my husband has made since the 1970's and I think we've created a traveling monster......where are we going next? Everyone felt so taken care of and we now love Russia. Who would have thought! Just FYI there was a single woman there who was making her 13th Gate 1 tour. That spoke volumes of your company. Thanks for asking!

We really enjoyed our trip to Russia!! We learned a lot, and every day was filled with new things. Gate 1 trips never disappoint!!

It was excellent, everything was first class and we were very well taken care of from start to finish. The hotels and tours were excellent, and the river cruise had excellent amenities, including great food and a comfortable lounge. We saw so many wonderful places. We definitely want to travel Gate 1 again and will recommend to all our friends.

Our trip was everything we were hoping for. Very impressed with crew, food and activities. We are looking forward to 2018 to go on another River Cruise with Gate 1. We have been talking you up to everyone we met especially aussie. We are now on a land tour of Country roads of Croatia then after that we are going to Rome.

Our trip was wonderful! Everything went exactly to plan, our accommodations were terrific, guides were extremely knowledgeable, helpful and friendly, and the staff on board the ship were incredible. Even the weather was perfect! All in all we could not have expected anything more and had a fantastic time.

Great trip. Wonderfully arranged. Good boat and great crew. Will take another with Gate 1 soon.

After completing the Gate 1 trip, my travelling companion and I extended our travel and we are now in Berlin airport awaiting the long flight home to Sydney. Everything about the Gate 1 package was fabulous! It's certainly a well-oiled machine that assists guests in every way possible. The Monarch Empress, ALL of the staff, the excursions and local tour guides and tour managers could not be faulted. I hope to travel again with Gate 1 and have already recommended the company to friends and family who ate likely to travel.

Our trip was fantastic! There is not one thing we could recommend that would have made our trip anymore enjoyable. Your attention to details was faultless. The crew and all Gate 1 travel personnel went out of their way to insure our every needs and desires were taken care of prior to our need to ask. The food was gourmet quality, the variety was appreciated and the service was excellent! The pace and organization of the trip was perfect. The included tours at each stop covered all the important highlights and then the free time we had to do as we wished were in perfect balance. Our days were full without being rushed and of course we could opt out of anything we didn't want to do. We very much appreciated the option to stay in town for lunch and added free time rather than having to go back to the boat and go back with the group. This was our first trip with Gate 1. We met other couples who have taken up to 9 previous Gate 1 tours. We now understand why they choose Gate 1 and we'll follow in their footsteps!

We had an awesome time thanks. Everything about the cruise was fantastic and we had an amazing holiday. We would definitely book through Gate 1 again.

The trip was excellent. The staff were friendly and helpful and the cruise was brilliant. We will be recommending Gate 1 to others.

We had a fantastic, relaxing and a memorable trip to Russia. Tour manager Asya and our coordinator Lina, were excellent and friendly. Thanks to both of them. They were always smiling and very helpful. They made our trip sail smooth.

We had a fantastic trip! We had previously done the 15-day land tour of (Romantic) Italy with Gate 1, but this was our first river cruise. The countryside along the Rhine is so beautiful, that any free time we spent viewing the scenery, whether from the upper deck or lounge, was a highlight of our cruise. We enjoyed sightseeing in the charming cities, villages, and towns, and the daily tour guides provided us with lots of information, each in their own unique style. The entire crew on the Monarch Baroness were outstanding and they all should be commended! They were friendly, cheerful, knowledgeable, extremely accommodating, and solicitous. They really helped to make our trip a memorable experience!! Our cabin was quite comfortable, despite its compact size; we thought it was great that there was actually room for a comfortable armchair near our French balcony, in addition to the desk chair. And, the public spaces on our river boat were kept immaculately clean. In short, we loved this trip - it was such a nice way to travel! In fact, I'm already starting to plan our next European river cruise for 2018 in my head! Thank you Gate 1 Travel. You never disappoint!!

It was wonderful! We loved the accommodation, food, service and Itinerary of the River Cruise and I would definitely recommend it to friends. It was great to have a day on board at Amsterdam so we could do some exploring. We look forward to taking other Gate 1 trips in the future.

Our trip was amazing and the gate1 folks were fantastic. We especially enjoyed the guides at each city, they were well informed about sites and history and gave us a different view of each city we visited. The boat crew was amazing. Thank you!

Great trip. Very well organized, excellent staff. We are ready for more trips with Gate 1.

We had a wonderful time. Very impressed with the tour guides and how smoothly all the arrangements went. Will definitely book a tour or cruise with Gate 1 again in the future!

We had a wonderful time!! Our trip was everything we hoped for and more. The Monarch Empress was a beautiful ship and the staff was so friendly and accommodating. We were very impressed with Gate 1 and will certainly book with you again.

Wonderful trip. Enjoyed the tours and loved the ship. Very nice. The staff and the crew were helpful and accommodating. Most of all, Adrien Kiss made the trip comfortable and pleasant. She is a caring and considerate person that is easy to approach with questions. She will always come back with an answer. Very helpful. Thank you.

We loved every minute and everyone from Gate 1 we had contact with on the River Cruise. The scenery was gorgeous and we had wonderful weather. The new ship was a dream. Everything went so well and was so enjoyable!

Fabulous! We enjoyed ourselves tremendously. Your staff was incredible. From the ship crew to the tour guides, we cannot say enough great things about them. Will definitely use Gate 1 again. You were recommended by friends and they were right.....

We absolutely loved our trip. The Monarch Empress was beautiful with well-planned spaces and an attentive, cheerful, well-trained crew. Our Tour Director, Mick, was exceptionally knowledgeable with regard to the ports we visited. The tours were well-planned. Both Mick and Adrien went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed. We are already looking forward to another Gate 1 vacation.

Just got home. It was a fabulous river cruise. Gate 1 delivered everything we expected. Great food, great service, great tour director. The number of guests on the boat made it very comfortable.

It was great! We enjoyed sailing the Danube on Sound of Music and the relaxed casual atmosphere. The ports were interesting and fun to visit. We will be looking forward to doing something like this again.

I highly recommend the Gate 1 Rhone River cruise. The boat, itinerary, tours, guides were all great. And the fact that we paid thousands less made it sweeter. The food was what I would expect on any cruise. So you can book it with confidence, and maybe even take it yourself!

It was well organized. Excellent tour director, Erika, interesting itinerary. We specially enjoyed the new ship with good service and delicious food. We will recommend this trip to our friends.

Just returned to Sydney. Everything went very well. Excellent trip. I believe I will be getting a letter from Gate 1 soon. At that time I will highlight the most impressive things about the trip - the crew. The guides, the food and the sights we saw.

The trip was great. We were very happy with every aspect of the cruise - particularly the tour directors (specially Herbert - a real champion!) who were outstanding. Peter, the Executive Chef and his team also produced superb meals and all the service and housekeeping staff were terrific - unfailingly friendly and incredibly helpful. Amelia's service and wine knowledge were impressive and Stefan's bar service (especially his bloody marys) was legendary. The Master and crew did a great job getting us through without falling prey to shallow and obstructed waterways. We'd happily very strongly recommend this cruise to anyone.

We enjoyed our Russia and Eastern Europe trip very much. Lots of rain & cold weather in Romania which we were told was unusual for this time of year. All in all, everyone made the best of it. Best guide we have ever had on any trip was Radu. Most caring, knowledgeable, humorous and everyone just loved him!! He made the trip an event to remember!!

Thank you for the trip of a lifetime. The entire staff on the boat made our trip exceptional and our tour directors were so knowledgeable and so helpful and organized. I cannot say enough good things from the meals to the rooms to the tours to the entertainment on board. Thank you thank you I will be recommending Gate 1 to all my friends, relatives, acquaintances and strangers.

The trip was great! Loved the itinerary. Our travel director Soma was the best. He was very knowledgeable and did a great job keeping us entertained. The Monarch Empress staff were great. The ship itself is beautiful and the food very good. Would do Gate 1 again.

The Russian River Cruise trip has absolutely highlighted the essence of Russia, introducing me to the country's history, beauty, and culture. The itinerary offered a great perspective in comparing and contrasting the uniqueness of Russia's major cities with the small villages/towns. The excursions, optional tours (especially the two folk dance shows: Bagatitsa in St. Petersburg and Kostroma in Moscow), and the special ship's activities (learning the country’s language, songs, and dance) have certainly been instrumental in authenticating the richness of the Russian culture. Furthermore, the local guides did a great job in giving tourists a detailed insight of their city/village--past and present. As for the MS Zosima Shashkov, the room was clean, the staff was friendly and accommodating, the food was fine, and the musicians were enjoyable, even though I felt that a variety of entertainment was needed. Hiring young on-board guides to assist the tour managers was a wonderful idea because these young personnel were personable, full of fun and energy, and established a positive rapport with the passengers. Overall, this trip was extremely educational and enjoyable. Thank you!