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Zicasso’s trip planner did an excellent job. Communication and the quality of the experiences were everything we'd expected and more, especially in New Zealand. The accommodations were first rate; the highlight was the lodge in Queenstown. The guides and drivers were professional and knowledgeable, especially those in Queenstown and Auckland. We loved the dedicated website for reference, as well as the detailed booklet and maps for both countries. 

For future itineraries, I would add another day in Queenstown and a full day in Christchurch. If days were limited, I would recommend one less day in Auckland and/or skipping the drive/train from Franz Josef. 

The only complication was the day we spent 10 hours going to and coming from Milford Sound.  I recommend doing Milford Sound by plane/helicopter from Queenstown, which would also permit seeing the glaciers/southern alps from the air. The only things we missed were the zoo in Auckland and the Blue Mountain day tour in Sydney. Next trip!

I did not generally think this tour agent was as good as others I have used through your services. They did not seem as willing to arrange a first-class trip, particularly designed for me and my partner. Our favorite part of the trip was our overnight in Doubtful Sound, which I felt I had to arrange. Several of the views of the city (Queenstown and the Needle in Auckland ) were fine, but just the usual tourist deal and expensive. I would have preferred a half-day private tour of Auckland, for example. We wanted a half- or full-day fishing trip, which was kind of an add-on.

Iceland is beautiful and makes for the most unique and amazing vacation! Zicasso’s travel company arranged a breathtaking and comprehensive itinerary for our vacation. It included all the big, important stops like the Blue Lagoon, Northern Lights boat tour, and Hallgrimskirkja church. But our trip also took us all the way to the east side of the country to see Diamond Beach, a blue ice-cave tour, and a glacier hike. Our itinerary included all of the beautiful stops in between, so we saw waterfalls, volcanic formations, and museums.

We stayed in our lodge in Iceland to see the Northern Lights. Every hotel selected was cozy, comfortable, and welcoming. And the food was delicious everywhere. A surprising highlight was a tomato farm—a delicious meal in a beautiful restaurant inside the greenhouse! Their wine bar was even more beautiful!

This was our second trip through Zicasso and we are already starting to dream up the next destination...

Overall, my recent trip to New Zealand, organized by this travel agency, had some truly unforgettable highlights. The agent's hotel picks were consistently great, perfectly suiting my preferences.

Most Enjoyable/Memorable Parts: The most memorable parts of the journey included an incredible experience seeing the Akaroa dolphins, delightful vineyard stays, and a breathtaking helicopter tour that showcased the stunning landscapes. Touring the incredibly beautiful country was a constant joy. Even though we had to reschedule, Milford Sound was absolutely spectacular. Paroa Bay and Lindis were lovely places to stay, and their staff were incredibly attentive. The hotel and our stay in Christchurch were wonderful surprises; we wished we had spent another night there and one less night in Queenstown. All of our drivers were great, and we had the best time with them, especially our drivers in Christchurch – I would highly recommend keeping that company for future bookings.

Areas for Improvement / Things I Noticed: Compared to other agents I've used with Zicasso, there was a noticeable lack of personalized touches. Usually, there would be a welcome letter or a fun gesture upon arrival, and little notes at different locations highlighting the travel agent's favorite spots or things not to miss.

A significant point of friction was the communication, or rather, the lack thereof. There was no WhatsApp group for the group to communicate once we arrived in the country. There was a complete lack of proactive communication from the ground team; I only heard from them if I reached out with a problem. Typically, there's a "welcome to the country, here's our WhatsApp chat in case you need anything" message, with the team constantly monitoring it.

I also found myself having to check in for flights and activities myself. This has always been confirmed and taken care of by the agent in my previous experiences, with updates provided via WhatsApp or email.

The mandatory app download was also problematic. The app itself wasn't great as it didn't allow for back-and-forth messaging and lacked quick-link calling, forcing me to copy and paste numbers when I needed to contact the tour operator. It was also frustrating that I couldn't add my own bookings or places I wanted to check out, meaning I constantly had to switch between apps.

Finally, there was a booking discrepancy in Christchurch. After I specifically asked to confirm the correct number of people, and the team assured me the correct number was confirmed, the penguin tour operator stated only three people were booked. I had to instruct them to contact the booking agent directly to sort it out.

Things We Would Have Avoided: Staying in Queenstown was a bit of a disappointment as it felt overly touristy. Even though the hotel had a shuttle, its location was quite far from everything, making it inconvenient.

Despite these points, the trip provided many fantastic experiences and showcased the agent's ability to select excellent accommodations and plan exciting activities.

The trip was fantastic. Zicasso's trip expert did a wonderful job. The only suggestion would be to warn off senior citizens about the Blarney Stone stop. We informed them of our ages. The attraction involved an hour and 20 minutes wait, then climbing to the top of the castle via a very narrow circular stone staircase. My wife, being 71 years of age, had a bad time with this, but we still did it. The only other issue was having to pay for parking in Galway. The cost was 30 euros a night. We did tell the agent about our experience in New Zealand and having to pay for parking as an add-on, and that we didn't want that.

Zicasso’s travel specialists were excellent to work with, as we adjusted our itinerary many times from initial contact to the time of travel. Our travel party significantly reduced in number and they worked with us to put together a great tour of Scotland (Edinburgh, including the castle, Royal Holyrood Palace, and a day trip to Stirling Castle with a great chauffeur/guide) and Ireland, arranging our flight to Dublin with transportation to Galway, then return via train for activities in Dublin. We had a wonderful trip and would highly recommend the travel company.