Film, TV, and Popular Culture Tours & Vacations

We enjoyed our trip and got to see and experience everything we set out to do. However, our itinerary lacked attention to detail. When we arrived in London, we were on our own to catch the Express to Paddington and our 5-hour ride to Penzance. This is what was designed and expected, although our itinerary still showed a "meet and greet". First class train tickets were provided by the contractor, but not reserved seats. My wife and I started the trip sitting separately. The contractor reported that reserved seats were not available, although three-quarters of the passengers in first class had tickets with reserve seat numbers.

The next day, the itinerary showed us starting and ending in St. Ives, although we were booked in a Penzance hotel, and did not get to St. Ives until the next day. The itinerary stated that the Penzance hotel was only 500 meters from the train station, so we walked with our luggage to discover the last 100 meters were up a very steep hill with almost no sidewalk. We are both 75.

Day four included three stops that included two national parks. Our guide said that would be impossible to cover, so we saw one of the parks listed in the day four itinerary. The third location was Wells Cathedral. Our guide dropped us at a small old neighborhood church that we discovered was the wrong location, but we only had a 7-minute walk to the correct location. Not a big problem, but we only had an hour total to tour. At pickup the guide stated, "if you seen one church, you have seen them all".

On day six, we were booked to tour Criccieth Castle, and upon arrival, we found it was closed on Tuesdays. These are details we would expect the travel company to know. We went to another castle instead.

On day seven, the itinerary stated that we had a free day until our Mountain Cog Railway at 11:30. We discovered on our own that the railway required us to be there 30 minutes ahead of time. That did not leave time to do anything before. We went early and changed our time so that we had the afternoon.

Overall, we enjoyed our trip, but it was different from our previous Zicasso trips. With the exception of the railway, we were responsible for all of our admissions, unlike other trips, while this was probably the most expensive of the trips. As experienced travelers, we were able to deal with the blips in the itinerary, but it was not at the level we have had previously with Zicasso.

The emerald green hills, mist-shrouded castles, and joyful people captured our hearts.

Our family journey across the Emerald Isle felt like stepping directly into a living fairy tale. Beyond the magical settings, the execution behind the scenes was flawless. We came looking forward to a driver and walked away with a lifelong friend. The seamless care, ideas, and nimble adjustments from Zicasso’s travel specialists and the team transformed our itinerary into pure magic.

The Most Magical Chapters of Our Journey

The Crown Jewels: Three experiences stood out above all. Our off-road adventure on the rugged shores of Inishmore with our guide felt like visiting another planet. An unforgettable horseback-riding trek through Killarney National Park was pure poetry. Finally, our coastal foraging tour with our guide in Kinsale gave us a wonderfully immersive connection to the wild seashore.

A Culinary Fairy Tale: The dining was extraordinary. We indulged in afternoon tea at our hotel in Cashel, exceptional seafood at a restaurant in Dublin and a restaurant in Killarney, and a world-class meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Galway. Best of all was celebrating our son's birthday at a restaurant in Galway, making his day unforgettable.

Dublin: History came alive on a captivating walking tour, at Croke Park, and during a deeply immersive Viking experience at Dublinia. The city wrapped us in lively energy, from the fun of the Viking tour to the panoramic views at the top of the Guinness Storehouse.

Belfast: A powerful day trip that felt like opening a history book. We listened to deeply moving local stories on a private black cab tour before exploring the majestic halls of Titanic Belfast.

The Ring of Kerry: The dramatic Rock of Cashel welcomed us into a countryside that enchanted us at every turn. We loved the sheepdog demonstration, the thatched cottages of the Kerry Bog Village, and the raw majesty of the Kerry Cliffs on Valentia Island.

Cork: Our day trip to Blarney Castle was exquisite. The vibrant, otherworldly gardens felt like stepping directly into a storybook, featuring unique plant displays unlike anything we have ever seen before.

Killarney: We loved a peaceful woodland walk to the sun-dappled waters of Torc Waterfall, unlocking mysteries at an escape room, and the fiery rhythm of an Irish dance show.

Galway: After crossing on the car ferry via the staggering Cliffs of Moher and the limestone moonscape of The Burren, we enjoyed high-octane sports fun at an indoor sports experience.

Connemara and Beyond: A grand finale defined by the lakeside beauty of Kylemore Abbey and forest ziplining at an adventure park. We beautifully closed our loop wandering the ancient grounds of Birr Castle and the peaceful paths of the National Stud and Japanese Gardens.

We didn’t just visit Ireland, we left with deep family connections, lifelong memories, and amazing new friends.

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.

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!

What an absolute trip of a lifetime! Still can't believe I got to swim along the Great Barrier Reef and also see Milford Sound only weeks apart. Although I tried to pack a lot in, transfers were seamless, hotels were next level, and my wife and I were able to relax through the trip (which included two massages). Plus, all of our private tour guides were genuinely fun to hang out with.

Planning the trip with Zicasso's travel specialist was easy. He provided a lot of options and allowed us to tweak things to our hearts' delight. He also catered to our love for good food, spas, and wine to set up some memorable excursions.

Our travel company also uses an app that kept our itinerary, tickets, and phone numbers in one place with no worries. We literally just had to wake up, show up in the lobby of our hotel, and the rest of the day was taken care of.

Can't say enough great things! Australia and New Zealand may be a world away from the US, but they have the warmest and kindest people in the world, with some of the most spectacular landscapes to enjoy!

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...