I only have a singular data point to add, but its a positive one.

I took a Friendly Planet tour with my sister back in 2006 to New Zealand and Tahiti. The folks were great. The hotels were much nicer than I could've found for the same prices, especially in Tahiti and Moorea. In Queenstown, we even lost our original hotel and they managed to find us another one even closer to the water. And if you don't like what they're doing that day, you're free to roam about on your own. No complaints from me.