ACIS Educational Tours Reviews

My students, another teacher, and I took a trip to Spain and France that started at the end of Feb. and went through the first week in March around the time Covid 19 was just beginning to become a news topic. We were very lucky that everything went beautifully and ACIS handled it all very well. It ended up being one of the greatest trips ever, especially in Paris because many people were staying home and the crowds in Versailles and the Louvre were so small that we were able to easily do both in record time on the same day. We got a wonderful picture of our group in the hall of mirrors with just our group in the room! Our hotels were wonderful and so was all the food as usual. All of the sites we visited were interesting and the kids enjoyed enough free time to explore and shop everywhere we went. Our guide was absolutely the greatest. She worked so hard to make it a good experience for us. I can't wait until we can all get back to traveling the way we want to. ACIS is a great company and I plan to use them again as soon as I can.

ACIS is an outstanding travel company. They truly have customer satisfaction at the forefront of their programs. They are especially responsive to the needs of the group. I have traveled with other companies in the past but have strictly only used ACIS for my last 8 trips with students and parents. ACIS is the best!

We were able to have our 19th annual spring break Europe Trip trip to Ireland and Paris last spring right before the Covid19 situation escalated. The numbers jumped up while we were in Europe but we were able to make changes to the itinerary--skip the Louvre, do the Musée D'Orsay at night after dinner when no one was there , we changed some things so the students could sleep in (more sleep to keep them well) Our fantastic Tour Manager Angélique did an amazing job while everything around us started to go crazy. Heidi met us in Boston at the airport with snacks during our layover which was perfect timing--Middle School kids seem to eat every hour! We had an amazing trip--everyone stayed well. We felt taken care of every part of the trip! ACIS checked in with us--we felt we were getting good information each day. Every airport was very nice about the amount of hand santizer each student and adult carried. We just had to x-ray. Our bus drivers cleaned the bus each day and were wiping down and providing santizing moments. Ireland and Paris is an awesome combination--Irish dancing and music, exploring castles and ruins..Paris for pastries and shopping!

ACIS consistently provides excellent transportation and hotel services. I always feel that I am well supported when I take groups of students to France.

I've traveled with them for several years and they continue to impress. Excellent quality and customer service. For those that are new or aren't familiar with student travel, don't be fooled by competitors who try to sway you with cheaper prices. You get what you pay for! There is literally no comparison, and ACIS is the best, hands down! Note - I've read many others reviews, and almost every negative review is centered on the current Coronavirus situation. It seems that every person is upset that they didn't get 100% of their money back even though everyone who read the terms and conditions knew that to be the case before they even signed up. Our school's trip in April was cancelled, and while we were disappointed, it was the right thing to do and our travelers got the vast majority of their money back. ACIS even improved their refund policy and returned more than what was originally stated. I feel most people are mad at Coronavirus and taking it out on ACIS. I've used them for years and will continue to do so.

I am so thankful that our group used ACIS to travel to France in March. We started off the trip apprehensive because of COVID-19, but there were no restrictions in place. Angelique our tour guide was incredible at explaining the history and culture of France to us. All of our accommodations were clean and comfortable, and always provided us with a delicious breakfast. Where my true gratitude comes in is after the a travel ban was enacted and was unclear as to whether or not American citizens would be allowed to re-enter the country. ACIS was quick to inform us of all our options and keep my group together for our return to the US not more than 36 hours after the announcement. Overall, I will continue to use ACIS for my groups because they have proven that they will take care of their customers.

It all went so smoothly. Our Iceland tour guide was amazing- made us feel like family that she took care of diligently. We saw places that blew our minds. As a teacher responsible for 25 students I felt the tour guide -manger - bus driver made it all safe and fun. We saw amazing things. Thank you

Run, don't walk away from this company. They do not honor their contracts. Buyer beware!!!!!!! (RESPONSE) The basic refund policy states that if you cancel your trip 130+ days before your "departure date" you are refunded your money less $350. Our departure date was moved to March 2021. We canceled 130+ days prior to our departure date and you withheld $1,000. There is no ambiguity in the contract. You claim the refunds apply to the "original departure date" but that wording is not in your contract. You still owe us $1,300 (two travelers).

I have taken students with them 6 times. Great hotels that are close to everything. Good restaurants. Very helpful pretrip. Quality and refund policy better than most student travel companies.

I was a bit worried about resolving an issue I had via email vs. live person. But that quickly disappeared when I received a response from Miss Jennifer V. Her response was quick and concise. She had patience with my endless questions. And cleared up the issues with missing information as well as next steps. So, thank you for your attention to my needs during this stressful time.

I paid $3071 for my daughter to be a part of a March 29 trip to Costa Rica with her Spanish classmates, all high school seniors. I paid the cost of the trip in full more than 6 months prior to travel and even bought the highest level of insurance in case the timing of the trip conflicted with my daughter's spring dance schedule. Never did I dream that insurance would be invoked as a reason to limit the refund we received when the trip was cancelled because of the pandemic. Since mid-March, when all travel worldwide came to a halt, rather than being transparent and forthcoming when dealing with my daughter’s group, ACIS has hidden behind ever-changing refund policies, small print clauses in their contracts, and postponements well beyond the graduation date of most of their travelers. After 4 months of chasing and seeking answers, I finally received a refund $800 short of the total amount. While I think I am due a full refund, I can accept that I won’t get it. But, I feel compelled to speak out about our experience. I can understand that these are "unprecedented times" and that travel companies, across the board, have experienced severe economic impacts from the shutdowns and quarantines. However, in such times, it becomes important to understand that "we are all in this together". ACIS has not acted in partnership with their travelers, but instead acted to protect themselves from their traveler’s needs. I prefer to give my loyalties to companies that put their customers first. That’s not ACIS.

My daughter had planned to join a HS trip to Germany this summer and it was canceled due to COVID-19. These are difficult times and I am sure this company is dealing with quite a few issues. I had the insurance and was promptly refunded all money including funds that were to added back to a cancelled credit card. I was pleasantly surprised not to have to call and email the company to get refunded.

Unbelievable company! We paid $4117 for our high school daughter to join a high school class trip to Germany on April 2. COVID hit &international flights were cancelled. This made it legally impossible to travel, hence force majeure. Instead of being noble during a pandemic, they decided to pocket $1,000. Below is the transcript of an online chat. I asked for a call to explain in detail what these fees are being applied towards. They declined to take a call. If anyone else experienced the same and cares to pursue ACIS, I will post the details online through a watchdog Facebook page "ACIS is a Ripoff." I intend to organize a class action lawsuit due to the lack of transparency for charging these penalties. FROM ACISTravelerSupport5 You paid $4117 toward the cost of the trip. Since the original trip was scheduled for April 2020 and you only had Basic insurance, the refund will $650 cash penalty, and you will also receive a $350 ACIS/AIFS voucher. Your cash refund will be $3117 and the $350 in the voucher. Our standard Terms & Conditions include a force majeure clause that says we aren’t responsible for loss or delay due to events like sickness, quarantine or government restrictions that are out of our control, and that in those circumstances our standard refund policies apply. Response to Laura Smart's reply - Please itemize exactly how the cancellation fees were applied to cover your costs. Legally, there can not be penalties. Fees must be applied towards covering liquidated damages after best efforts were made to mitigate the losses. We would like to see an itemized breakdown. The airlines and hotels have all maintained very flexible cancellation policies whereas your is gauging student travelers by taking 25% of our money without nay back-up whatsoever. We need transparency with how this money s being applied. Reporting you to the Federal Trade Commission for deceptive practices.

I was a group leader on a European trip which was scheduled for Spring Break, right in the middle of the uncertainty of the outbreak, but before shutdowns in the US. It was stressful, we were watching the news everyday, and parents were emailing all the time, but ACIS kept in touch almost daily about our travel plans leading up to departure. As various countries were closed they gave us options to reschedule, cancel, or reroute. When we decided to reroute to a safer destination, they were so responsive and helpful in getting a new trip set up. We got new hotels (Even nicer than our original ones!), and a full time tour guide to travel with us plus the tour manager. When a site we had planned to visit was closed to visitors midway through our trip, ACIS called and gave us three new options and made our choice happen. When we had trouble with our flights getting back home because of airlines cancelling flights, ACIS was able to get us on a new airline and we got home the same time as planned. When a few of our students decided they weren't comfortable going on the trip, they cancelled and got the full refund. I really can't say enough good things. As a group leader, I so appreciated the support in making decisions and making the trip smooth, fun, and memorable for the students. So many of them kept telling me throughout the trip how happy they were to have been able to do this despite the uncertainty and difficulties.

Don't use ACIS, their customer service is horrible. They hide behind the COVID 19, and will not speak to you in person. I requested multiple times to speak to a real person. The only person who did actually call me back was Jon Linker and he forwarded my emails to Laura Smart and requested she call me. Never got a call from her, got an email. She told me to be patient, it has been over a month since I received most, but not all of the money that I was supposed to receive. ACIS could have avoided aggrevation to both myself and them if they had just picked up the phone. I would strongly advise everyone to avoid travel with this company.. Wish i could have given them a 0!

My son had a trip to France in June. The trip was canceled 130 days prior to departure date. ACIS honored the agreement and a full refund(minus the insurance and 50$ deductible) was issued. Thank you!

I have been trying to reach a live person for months. No luck. I guess the phones in that state don't work! I have emailed to supervisors and done the chatbox. While 2 classmates booked on the same trip with the same insurance got refunds less $350. I was told I would get my money less $1300 plus a $350 travel voucher. My child has now graduated from high school. I can't use that!!!!! With all that the high school seniors and their families have lost with COVID-19, why would you do this to us? It is bad enough the trip had to be canceled. I had to change my plans to meet the group as well. At this point, we need our money! This is just cruel! It is like only more disappointment and punishment for the Class of 2020 who worked so hard.

I have triplets that are seniors from Bethpage that we’re suppose to go to Australia in July . The trip was canceled but the company and our group leader keeps saying postponed-to the summer of 2021! However it is not postponed but changed completely from Australia to Japan , my children have no interest in Japan and to be quite frank what college student knows what his or her summer will be like in 2021? I reached out to ACIS and Jon told me I should be happy I’m only loosing 380$ per child ! I did not cancel the trip, I understand if I did it would be my problem but to take the insurance money and the 50$ seems a bit much especially since it’s times 3 for me . I understand our leader has been using ACIS for 10 years maybe it’s time for a change to a more understanding company

My daughter and I, like many others, had our trips cancelled due to the travel restrictions imposed in March. ACIS policy states that "if a trip is cancelled by ACIS, a full refund will be made within 45 days," however, new language written by ACIS implies that the decision to cancel was made by participants. Like many others, my daughter will not be attending her current school next year and has no use for a voucher which is the only way for us to avoid a $2,000 loss (which is approximately 25% of what we paid ACIS). I understand that our trip was months in the planning and that some of those costs may be difficult to recoup, however, it seems that handling the bulk of them (flights, hotels, buses, dining, museum tickets) should be relatively straight forward. While we would love not to lose so much money, my first request would simply be for more transparency regarding those irrecoverable costs. They have surely been documented so we only ask that they share the information. I know that this is a difficult time for ACIS and its employees but it is also a difficult time for many of these families.

My HS daughter was planning to go with a school trip to Spain in April. At a meeting with the ACIS representative on 2/25, some parents voiced concerns about COVID. The ACIS rep said that ACIS has never cancelled a trip in the past and he wasn't concerned. A week later, we received an email from ACIS about an "enhanced" cancellation policy that would be given if we decided to cancel the trip. However, the details of the "enhanced" cancellation policy were not detailed. We were asked to make a decision immediately about the trip without knowing about our refund. ACIS didn't notify us of our refund until the end of March. We were losing $1,000 of almost $4,000. (They claim that we only lost $650 b/c they were giving us a $350 credit but I would never use ACIS so the credit is useless). I immediately tried to contact ACIS starting 3/24. I repeatedly asked to speak to a ACIS representative over the phone but each time I was denied. I exchanged texts/emails with many people at ACIS. James Glavin stated that he would pass my name and phone number on and ask for someone to speak to me. However, Jennifer Venti just emailed me and refused to speak to me over the phone. My daughter has been abroad with 2 other travel companies so I'm aware of the level of customer service that should be provided when a teen is travelling abroad without family. The customer service at ACIS is horrible, I would give 0 stars if I could. DO NOT GO ON A ACIS TRIP. Now looking back to the ACIS rep who told us on 2/25 that ACIS never has cancelled a trip makes sense. ACIS forced us to cancel the trip b/c if they canceled the trip then they would have had to given us a full refund. So I guess the ACIS streak still remains - they have never cancelled a trip.