Geoff and I have over 14 years of experience in the travel industry and have dedicated our careers to helping people create the perfect vacations. As proud owners of a Cruise Planners franchise, we have the privilege of selling all kinds of travel experiences, from luxury cruises to exciting international adventures.
Our passion for travel extends beyond our professional lives – we are avid travelers ourselves and strive to bring our firsthand knowledge and experiences to our clients. We understand the importance of creating unforgettable memories and take great joy in curating personalized itineraries that cater to the unique needs and desires of each individual.
Above all else, we prioritize the relationships we build with our clients. We treat each person we work with like family, and we go to great lengths to ensure that every vacation we plan is nothing short of perfect. From the moment our clients express interest in a destination to the moment they return home, we are dedicated to providing unparalleled customer service and support.
Our goal is simple: to help our clients embark on the journeys of their dreams. Whether it’s a romantic getaway, a fun-filled family vacation, or an adventure into the unknown, we are committed to delivering unforgettable experiences that exceed expectations. We are honored to be a part of our clients’ vacation memories and look forward to helping even more people make their travel dreams a reality.
Hours of Operation
Monday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Tuesday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Wednesday
9:00am - 4:00pm
Thursday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Friday
9:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Testimonials
Thank you, Alice! Just a quick note to thank you for all the help on our trip. We were picked up at the airport with no problem. The trip was fun. The ship was great, and the rooms we had, which you were able to secure for us, were perfect. I look forward to another trip.
I have used Cheryl Darnell-Bolton in the past and will continue to do so in the future. She is always there for me.- Lawrence O.
This was the smoothest, streamlined and well executed vacation I have ever been on! Norwegian's crew and staff were excellent and accommodating on every level! - Shawn B.
Sharon was the best! She guided us through every step and responded to all of our questions. She was fantastic to work with!- Ann M.
As always, Cheryl did a fabulous job for us!- Thomas S.
Alice and Geoff, thank you so much for being so instrumental in helping us with our cruise. It was absolutely awesome down to every detail! We were definitely pampered and spoiled!- Colleen B.
Geoff - Just following up here to say thank you for all of the great work you and Alice did for this trip. We had a wonderful week and it was definitely easy to navigate! I think you even ordered up some spectacular weather.
Alice went above and beyond to make sure everything went easily for us-even called me on a Sunday when she checked to see if I had checked in for my flight. Thank goodness because I had spent hours trying to do it to no avail.- Martha T.
The AMABella has been renovated since our last cruise on it and significantly improved. Best food ever on an AMA cruise.- James L.
The AMABella has been renovated since our last cruise on it and significantly improved. Best food ever on an AMA cruise.- James L.
Alice was great! We enjoyed working with her.- Amanda W.
Good times at Discovery Cove and on board the Utopia. Thank you Alice Davis Ormston at Cruise Planners - CruisePassages.com for handling everything with Royal Caribbean.- Russell A.
Our first comment is that you need more than five stars to rate our advisor, Cheryl Darwell! This is our third travel experience with Cheryl and the first two included family members from around the country to Ireland (10) and the Danube (6) that all went off without a hitch. We have selected Viking as our preferential cruise line because they run such a professional operation. But even professionals can have a 'bad day' and some close-in glitches with Viking's medical clearance process and the selection of cold weather gear was worrying us. Cheryl got on the phone and the email circuit and resolved each within about three days leaving everything 'ship shape' well before our departure time. She continued to follow up with us until we were airborne for Argentina and had a warm 'welcome home' for us upon our return...on Christmas morning!!
We are still working our way through 800+ photos and videos of Antarctica.- Lawrence G.
Our first comment is that you need more than five stars to rate our advisor, Cheryl Darwell! This is our third travel experience with Cheryl and the first two included family members from around the country to Ireland (10) and the Danube (6) that all went off without a hitch. We have selected Viking as our preferential cruise line because they run such a professional operation. But even professionals can have a 'bad day' and some close-in glitches with Viking's medical clearance process and the selection of cold weather gear was worrying us. Cheryl got on the phone and the email circuit and resolved each within about three days leaving everything 'ship shape' well before our departure time. She continued to follow up with us until we were airborne for Argentina and had a warm 'welcome home' for us upon our return...on Christmas morning!!
We are still working our way through 800+ photos and videos of Antarctica.- Lawrence G.
Our first comment is that you need more than five stars to rate our advisor, Cheryl Darwell! This is our third travel experience with Cheryl and the first two included family members from around the country to Ireland (10) and the Danube (6) that all went off without a hitch. We have selected Viking as our preferential cruise line because they run such a professional operation. But even professionals can have a 'bad day' and some close-in glitches with Viking's medical clearance process and the selection of cold weather gear was worrying us. Cheryl got on the phone and the email circuit and resolved each within about three days leaving everything 'ship shape' well before our departure time. She continued to follow up with us until we were airborne for Argentina and had a warm 'welcome home' for us upon our return...on Christmas morning!!
We are still working our way through 800+ photos and videos of Antarctica.- Lawrence G.
Alice Ormston and Cheryl Darwell are so attentive and always open to any and all questions we have. We wouldn’t use any other travel agent!- Carla C.
Alice Ormston and Cheryl Darwell are so attentive and always open to any and all questions we have. We wouldn’t use any other travel agent!- Carla C.
It helps to know you have a travel agent you can trust.- James L.
It helps to know you have a travel agent you can trust.- James L.
Very professional and knowledgeable of the cruise. Helped us with the many questions I had as first time cruisers. Alice, went over and above helping us through the whole process and even through some changes.- Sherri K.
Very professional and knowledgeable of the cruise. Helped us with the many questions I had as first time cruisers. Alice, went over and above helping us through the whole process and even through some changes.- Sherri K.
You guys made it incredibly easy and fun to plan our trip! We will be reaching back out in the future for our next one!- Steven S.
Alice, you guys made it incredibly easy and fun to plan our trip! We will be reaching back out in the future for our next one!- Steven S.
We had a wonderful time, we were well taken care of and all the travel details were perfect- Morand B.
We had a wonderful time, we were well taken care of and all the travel details were perfect- Morand B.
- Laura F.
Wonderful journey on the Riviera Dreams and Historic Scenes Regent Cruise. May 6 to May 17, 2924. With all thanks to our marvelous cruise planner Cheryl Darwell
who made it all happen for my beautiful daughter and myself. Cheryl is just “The Best”!!!!- Patricia M.
I contacted Cruise Planners in Pinehurst early last year. I spoke with Alice, and she answered all of my questions and helped us book our very first cruise for April 2024. We actually booked another cruise because we didn’t want to wait a whole year. Alice was amazing! She did everything for us, and I will continue to have Alice book our cruises for us! Our cruise was amazing, it was the ideal vacation!- Rachel T.
Cheryl was the best! Held our hand through the entire planning process, which was not easy with a large group from ages 15 to 80! Took care of all the details and was there throughout for any questions. Very highly recommend!!- Kerri P.
Alice Ormston was extremely helpful in planning our cruise. From our initial merry, Alice not only offered great information and suggestions, but did all of the planning, booking, updating for the cruise and the pre and post cruise stays. Her communication was wonderful from start to finish. She made our experience stress-free and greatly enjoyable. A+++ . Many thanks!
Just a note to thank Cheryl and Alice for the great service handling our recent Viking river cruise and associated travel. This was a 'family affair' with travelers coming from Phoenix and San Francisco in addition to our personal trip from Raleigh. After Alice's frantic efforts to fix our own return itninerary, everything worked smoothly. The Viking experience was everything we had been led to expect and is a great value for the dollar. The European weather was uncharacteristically beautiful with warm days and sunny skies the entire trip. The excursions were well organized and thoroughly enjoyable as well as educational. Our 'add on' in the Salzburg area was a wonderful experience as the rest of the family had not seen this part of Europe before and two 'movie fans' were intrigued with the "Sound of Music" tour. This was set up by your booking Tours by Locals and we can only say that was a great choice. Our driver was very knowledgeable and provided everyone with an enjoyable experience.- Larry & Wendy G.
Having rescheduled this trip back from the covid days, Cheryl and I have spoken many, many times. I feel like we've been friends for years and, yet, we've never met face to face! Cheryl is tremendously efficient and works quickly to answer all questions and provide timely answers. She's a joy to work with and I can't imagine having or ever using any other travel agent. Love her!!!
We couldn’t had a better trip all because of cruise planners they did a great job !
Cruise Planners (Alice) booked my bucket list cruise to Alaska. She suggested a balcony room and in a certain location on the ship. Alice also gave me excellent advise on how to plan for an Alaskan cruise, things not to miss onboard and provided excellent excursion suggestions. The trip was everything I hoped it would be and I will be using Alice to book a Caribbean cruise in the early fall of 2023! If customer service is important to you, you must book with Alice!
Our first time booking with Cheryl and first cruise on Celebrity. Both are awesome ! Thank you Cheryl for all your recommendations, advice and help before and during our cruise. We will definitely book through you again. Thank you again !!
Alice Ormston is the ultimate travel source. She is very knowledgeable about all the major cruise lines and destinations. I have booked several cruises with Alice. Her customer service and attention to detail is unmatched! Do yourself a favor and contact Alice for help planning your next trip.
Cheryl is the BEST! She knows how to help before we know what we need! She is quick to respond and makes traveling easy for us!
Alice is always extremely helpful with our cruise planning and it would be a lot more stressful without her professional help!
We have booked two cruises through Alice and will use her for all future cruises because she makes the process so easy! We never realized the many benefits of using a travel agent until we began using Alice and Cruise Planners. We highly recommend her and her team to anyone who wants to book a cruise.- Tammy M.
Cheryl is great. She answers every question is a timely manner. Great planner.
Our trip to Scotland was amazing !
I have already referred friends and they are thrilled with Cheryl.
We were very pleased with Cheryl, she kept updated and informed on everything. She was very professional!!
God morning
We had a good trip overall mostly sun warm days a bit of rain but we were prepared. Jack loved the captain memo pirate cruise we went on, the aquarium where he did mining for shark teeth, and ate his fair share of fried shrimp. We enjoyed for dining Frenchys, clear sky (dinner and breakfast) island way grill, Salty crab and crabby's. All meals were great most places in walking distance. Hotel was just OK. Had a problem with air conditioner, which got fixed after second attempt. Bathroom lighting is that reverse mirror light so not great. Hotel has been updated but rooms a bit old. What it lacks it gains from great location on beach and nice pool. Sand pearl looked really nice but I'm sure was probably our hotel cost doubled. Great walk around family friendly city. Exactly what we needed. We connected with friends in Dunedin what cool trendy city.
Thanks for your help. The extra leg room on flights was really great. I'll be reaching out soon to discuss our November trip, we are thinking Bahamas. Not sure if Atlantis paradise island or baha mar.
Best Michelle
Cheryl stayed on top of all everything to make this trip a wonderful experience. She was especially alert to airline equipment changes and worked to get us the best seats available on the new planes, She handled everything perfectly. She was also available when a small problem arose during the vacation and handled the paperwork immediately. It was a perfect vacation because of all her hard work. We've already booked our vacation for next year with her and the information is below in the "Where2next".
Cheryl is the best she’s always on time and very patient
We had a blast and laugh uncontrollably reading the name of our waiter in one of the restaurants.
The service was absolutely fantastic and our cabin was double the size of the regular ones. It was a handicap access with push switches to open doors.. if we ever go on that ship again, it’s #8241 and for sure we want that room if you can get it.
The food was incredibly good with the exception of the Petite Chef’s which was not really worth the money unless you have never seen the show which is an interesting concept.
The buffet offers mountains of shrimp, steaks of your choice (delicious), all kinds of Indian, Latin and American food. Breads of all kinds and beautifully decorated desserts with a chocolate fountain and many more goodies.
All in all a great trip.
I belie that what they are trying to do at Celebrity with these ships is to offer a competition to the higher lines.
I didn’t like the way they had prepared the escargot and they quickly removed it from the table and brought me one with the original recipe.
French fries are the frozen kind and I told them I could get that at McDonalds and quickly prepared fresh cut and fried potatoes. They are very accommodating.
A couple of the shows for sure were not for the older audience, which was 90%. Too much shooting (my perception) and you couldn’t understand a word they sang. Barbara felt the same.
But the shows, although not Broadway quality, they were fine. There should have been more variety but they felt singing and singing was OK.
The acrobatics were graceful but there wasn’t enough of it.
On one day, we made reservations to the Steak restaurant for the evening. Then at lunch time we figured we could venture to the buffet for a bite of fruit or a light lunch. Ha ha ha ha, it was the surprise we didn’t expect. One of the counters had every possible cut of steak you could imagine (check the picture) and Barbara and I selected our choice. They had from filet Mignone to whatever possible cut existed.
Then we had it cooked the way each liked it. It was FABULOUS and delicious. Then we cancelled the dinner reservation.
On the last night I ordered a NY strip at the Normandy and then they overcooked it. I complained and they brought me another that must have been frozen and then cooked.. could not eat it. That was the only bad meal.
Ok, I now stop boring you with our story.
Cruise Planners has provided the most amazing vacation cruises fulfilling all our dreams. They listen to all our needs, wishes and financial desires. We tried other agents but will only book with Cruise Planners from now on. Thank you for making dreams come true.
Great experience in Punta Cana. Cheryl set up the trip
Cheryl has always taken care of us whether the trip was trouble free or otherwise
ey Cheryl,
We had a great time. Both passed the covid, as Terry said yeah we are not pregnant, lmao what a goof. So beautiful here. ,not wanting to leave today. Here is a few of my favorite pics. Thank you so much, for all you have gone through getting us to this point, and yet more to come., and again can't wait to get back on the ship.
I write this as a draft first as internet availability is limited aboard our ship as we float around off the coast of Valparaiso, Chile. I previously wrote of our trip being interrupted while in Puerto Chacabucho, Chile. We were denied landing because the government could not decide to let us do so. We were told then that we could we could dock in Valparaiso and proceed directly to the airport in Santiago and catch our flight to Miami.
That was then.
To those of you that did not know, we are on a cruise that started in Buenos Aires(where we arrived early to take a side trip up to Iguazu Falls which was spectacular!) and would end in Lima then on to Machu Pichu by land. When Chile decided to change our plans for no apparent reason since we are certified to be 100% healthy ship, the adventure took and different direction.
Back to the present, we have been told many different plans as to how and when we would be allowed to dock to take on fuel and provisions so we can continue on. The government is either totally incompetent or corrupt, many of us think they wanted a bribe from the cruise line before landing or letting us off, but here we are.
The Captain just announced we would be docking only to take on fuel sometime after 6 PM, provisions will be taken out to us by barge. The Captain said he will be treating the supplies with much caution since he wants no unwanted visitors with the stuff. So here we float, high, dry, and very well fed until we proceed on to Miami this evening(we hope).
A word about the Captain and crew of the Azamara Pursuit and the main office of Royal Caribbean. They have been magnificent throughout this experience!! The Captain informs us constantly with every change and current information. The crew is so helpful and professional constantly asking if there is something they can do for us. The main office in Miami in formed us that we will receive a 50% return of our fare for the interruption plus a 50% credit for our next cruise which we had already scheduled. They have opened up the internet for our use for free plus allowed us to make phone calls to change arrangements, etc. We can not say enough about how well we have been treated.
We had. An unusual event happen yesterday, a passenger had a serious illness and was evacuated by helicopter by the Chilean Navy. There is no space to land on our ship since we are 700 passengers so the patient was recovered from the deck by a basket lowered from the aircraft, a very professional operation by the crews.
Hopefully we will be on our way direct through the Panama Canal, which was on my bucket list, tomorrow.
The very best news is we are all healthy on board, everyone had been screened before we tried to go ashore in Puerto Chacabucho so we are probably the healthiest society on earth right now. The crew has gone to great lengths to constantly clean surfaces on board. The worst news is we are gaining weight as you might expect, the food aboard is fabulous!
We now think of our friends back in the states, the Pearson’s in Newcastle, UK, and my very old friend Mehmet and Semra in Ankara, Turkey. With the virus going around the world please be careful and stay safe until we see you all again soon. We have been out of touch and had problems getting our mail and answering, so I will try to update when something significant happens. We are scheduled to dock in Miami on March 30, keep your fingers crossed! Ron and Denise
Was great, loved the resort! Great meals at all local restaurants. Just perfect
Cheryl! We certainly appreciated your help in setting up this cruise. It made everything much easier and perfect. I will try to call when we get caught up since I could not type a full report of the pluses and minuses of our experience!
Cheryl,
I wish to thank you on behalf of me, Wesley and Whitney. Reflect in Cancun was amazing. They loved every minute of it. Great food, service, entertainment and accommodations. We highly recommend it and you. We will use your services again when we recover from this one. Again, we appreciate all you did. Everything was easy, on time, organized.
Best,
Cindy
Hi Cheryl,
We really enjoyed the cruise. It’s a great ship. We even got a special tour of the engine and all such technical equipment. Passage through the canal was truly memorable.
Thank you so much for all your help and advice.
I wore the pretty necklace you gave me with a white and silver sequined top to one of our special dinners. Perfect! Thanks again.
Carolyn
Cheryl, The Sheraton Hotel was a nice choice, within easy walking distance to Times Square and to Rockefeller Center. We probably could have walked to some other things in the area, but it was hard to get oriented as to exactly where we were in relation to being on the street in a throng of other people! It was a nice hotel, clean and contemporary in style, we were on the 32nd floor. We even saw a whole flight crew from Emirates Airlines checking in Friday evening as we were returning from our day venture. The flight attendants were in the most beautiful uniforms…they truly stood out. If we had not been standing in a hotel lobby where they were checking in (and going up the elevator with us), I would have taken a picture of them, but they deserved their own privacy there.
BTW, we asked at the Reception Desk when we were first checking in about the 2 complimentary breakfasts, whether we could make it for all 4 of us on one day, instead of only 2 for each day. He did some magic for us, and we were given 4 complimentary breakfasts for both days!!! Just goes to show---it never hurts to ask!
Thanks for everything, Merry Christmas! Fay
Hi Cheryl,
We had a fabulous time in New York! I'm attaching a couple of pictures from the trip. Thanks for all your help, you are the best!!
I'll be contacting you soon to start making plans for Miranda to go to England, and me and David to go visit her. :)
Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Kay
Aloha Cheryl. We had a great time. Our suite on the ship was more than I ever imagined. And the balcony was a good size too.
We enjoyed the nightly entertainment and our days were filled with planned excursions and our own adventures via rented cars. The first day in Hawaii Bud had an attack of vertigo, so we stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian resort, which was a beautiful place. Then on our last day in Ohua, before boarding plane back to the mainland, we rented a car and toured the island on our own.
All our flights went like clockwork. Good seats, no delays, and no snow storms. We are tired ????!!
Oh, we used the night light every night. Mahalo!
And, Mahalo for everything you did for us to make this a very special cruise ????????????
Pat and Bud
Hello Cheryl,
Thank you very much for helping us put together our thanksgiving trip. We had so much fun. We enjoyed it so much that we were thinking of next year Christmas 2020. I wanted to see if you had any current offers, like the ones below. We would like to continue sailing away from Galveston.
I wanted to share some pictures! Thank you we had soo much fun !!
Cheryl. Thank you so much. We had an awesome time. Wish we were still on the ship. The crew members we dealt with on a daily basis, Amazing Grace and Doug our food servers, Amet our drink server and Morvin our cabin boy and Bernardo our morning food server was just that amazing, funny, and helpful, couldn't have asked for better crew members. We will be keeping in contact with a few of them. Liked most of the Islands but a little disappointed in some ways with others but for the most part WOW and AMAZING. For our first cruising experience it was great and looking forward to future cruises, thank you so much for helping us make this a life time experience we won't forget. Look me up on Facebook, I will be posting some great pics.
Good Morning Cheryl, I was looking at a new brochure for canadian maritimes a & st. lawrence seaway with Pearl seas cruise lines. I would like to know the price of this for next year on may 22, 2020. It looks like a great trip with a lot of interesting stops. Does the cruise include the places of interest side trips or does it work like the large cruise ships with extra payment for these. Just curious if this could be possible for me. I know this single staterooms are few and think a reservation early would be beneficial . They mention reservations savings by the 31st. of Oct. in the brochures .
The trip to Australia was wonderful and I enjoyed everything. It was a lot of days at sea.Thank you again for all your help in planning the trip for us. You did a great job. the side trips we booked on line were great. I called the Blue Mountain from the hotel and got the pickup taken care of. the next travel plans I will take my laptop which I needed this time. When we were in ports, we took a hop on hop off bus to see the sights in comfort. that works great in most places, or we took a bus offered at the island ports. the people on the islands really depend of tourist. One of the greatest highlights was the helicopter tour in Hilo. The others were good but this was the greatest excitement . We got to see all the volcanoes destruction of the island of Hilo. The people were also friendly in all the tours we took and very knowledgeable of the areas we visited.
Talk again soon. I hope you and your hubby are well. I am still unpacking and getting back into the swing of things here. there has been no one to rock my bed, so sleep is difficult.
Betty
Yes. Thank you we are home. An excellent trip. We had 5 tour guides while we were in Rome. I wanted you to know David, a driving tour guide and Alicia (?) the Vatican museum tour guide were definitely the best. The Hotel Artemide was well located and excellent care by staff. The room was well appointed though small. Thank you for all your help. Of course I continue to be partial to the Windstar fleet. With gratitude, Jeanne
Sent from my iPhone
Cheryl,
A belated thank you for the Birthday card last week. It's been busy, busy around the Ganse household since our return from Ireland.
So busy, in fact, that I do not recall if I had the time to send a big THANK YOU for all the help you provided in organizing the family trip but, more importantly, the continuous follow up until we were safely home. Along those lines, I have done reviews for Trip Advisor and would happily provide one for you if you'd like. The only hesitance on my part is that they do not have a category for professional trip planners like yourself.
Just let me know what you'd like.
Best regards,
Larry Ganse (and clan!)
Hi Cheryl,
Our Canada/New England cruise went great. The ship size was just about perfect. The room you found for us worked out very well, just a few steps to the deck or elevator. HAL was a good choice as well.
We are thinking seriously about a cruise to Alaska next year and wanted to get your recommendation so we can start looking at the different options. We were very satisfied with HAL, but wanted to get your input if think there is another line we should look at also. Any recommendation on any aspect of the cruise you may have would be very welcome. We know you are pro with a wealth of knowledge.
Thanks again for the great job you did for us as well as the dinner upgrade for our anniversary.
Best regard,
Tom
Good morning,
We made it home with no hassles on Sunday and landed only a few minutes late. Everything went just perfect. You did a great job planning things for us. We will fill you in on everything when we start finishing up the Italy trip plans in a few months.
Hope the weather stays clear and you have an "easier" week this week.
Thanks again for everything. Talk with you soon.
Mary Jo
Cheryl, We had a wonderful trip and you were incredible about keeping us up to date on everything. Thanks so much. Will take next trip with you too.- Charlotte O.
Hi Cheryl,
It’s me again. But this time I’m giving you some feedback on the absolutely fabulous trip. We were totally exhausted in a good way and I think we have finally recovered.
AMA is sensational. Yes, we had our fill of wonderful wine since it was a wine cruise. What a great experience. Learning and enjoying good wine with two spectacular friends.
We are happy that AMA had a “Sip ’n’ Sail” each evening. It was a plus and I hope they keep it up.
On one of the first excursions with the Gentle Walkers, we met Stan. He was the only other Gentle Walker so when we were going to eat near Sacre Couer we asked him to join us. What a great old guy. I’m guessing he was in his early 80’s so I asked if he was retired. He said “no” that he as “an incognito priest”. What a neat fellow. Not sure if it’s protocol, but as we were passing all the castles, AMA allowed him a small room and six of us attended Mass on Sunday. He obviously travels with his vestments and chalice, etc. A truly remarkable experience.
The hotels in Lucerne and Zurich were exceptional. The one is Paris was OK, but maybe that’s just Paris. We had a broken pipe in our room and the plumber fixed it right away and came back to check on us. However, we had to ask twice to get the bathroom cleaned up. It wasn’t a terrible mess, but the towels were wet from the pipe, etc.
We did have some “angels” that we met along the way who were very kind, like the cabbie who didn’t charge us because he couldn’t get us close enough to the Orangerie (which was awesome, by the way), or the people who googled locations for us when I looked completely lost, or the strangers who helped Chuck down the stairs that had no railing, or the other stranger who offered to carry his walker down the stairs so I didn’t have to. What can I say? There are wonderful people out there!
I don’t mean to bore you, so this is my last comment! SONJA LODEWIJKX is incredible. She was our Cruise Manager and, believe it or not, the same one we had in Portugal! I can only describe her as enthusiastic, professional, knowledgeable, OK, I think you get it. She was a great help in directing our excursions since Chuck had the walker.
That’s it. Thanks for your attention and thanks for all you’ve done.
Ann
This was the best wine cruise we have ever been on. The Winery sponsoring the tastings was amazing. They provided wine every day at lunch and evening at dinner and they held 3 tastings. It was truly incredible.
I mentioned to Sonia our cruise director that AMA should do more of these types of cruises. She said it’s not likely as this was an exceptional cruise. The Winery booked 111 cabins for their wine club members and some of their staff. It was delicious.
We’re on our way home today and should be in around 10:00 tonight.
Let’s catch up when I get back. Hope all is well with you and Dave. ????????
Omg. Listen to this. We got on the ship and the crew noticed that Chuck’s walker was bent. We sat down to dinner and in about 10 seconds, the captain came by and asked what he could do. He had the engineer with him. In about seven minutes he returned the walker and it was no longer bent. Kudos to AMA and Their magnificent crew.
Cheryl,
Just wanted to let you know that Allianz paid my claim for missing the train in Paris. It was easy to submit the claim on line and they direct deposited the money into my bank account.
Our entire trip was really great. AMA is a great cruise line that we would highly recommend.
You also did a fantastic job working with us and Kathryn and Tom to help put all of the pieces together. Good job!
Jerry
Not impressed with SAS and prefer not to fly with them again., Exception was excellent gluten free dinner on way home. Snack was inedible – same for Jill. No gluten free on way over. Had to ask at ship to go to HQ to get things changed.
Not impressed with some things about Silver Seas
We had a double bed three times. First time at Radisson. AGAIN at second time at Radisson – same coordinating staff person. She bumped us up to 21st floor – same as restaurant so our view of Oslo was stupendous in recompense. AGAIN on ship. So poor staff, who had just made these beds – had to unmake and do it differently. We just wanted separate beds.
Wait staff dining room excellent as was butler and maid service. People did give gratuities to some folks. We did. ESp guy who served me foie gras at least 9 times in restaurant – 4-6 servings per meal yummy
Expedition leader was superb. Jill and I invited to share a table with him and 4 other guests for dinner. Lovely evening. A surprise for us.
A smaller cabin would have been tough for two.
Security and safety and crew competence getting us on and off those zodiacs was amazing. felt very secure. STaff very physically helpful on tough hills and then down again.
They were excellent with a gluten free menu for restaurant and chef available for lunch and to ask questions.
Busy trip – physically demanding.
While Jill at lunch, I took a long nap so I could keep going. We went to bed early most every night – 8 ish. Worked well for us. Wish I could sleep like she does.
We saw the polar bear at about 40 years for over 20 min – amazing experience.
lectures were good
wine was plentiful and of good quality.
so there you have it
They also gave us a USB that I can download and send to you if you want to use it for any advertising for potential customers. It is a truly magnificent part of the world.
Thank you
Jennie – I think I am nearly back to being me today
Cheryl,
Indeed, we are all safely back home after a really great experience in Ireland. Everything went off without a hitch and even Mother Nature was pretty cooperative with only a rainy afternoon in Galway spoiling the local art fair. The trip went like clockwork, all UA flights operated on time, our transfer driver was waiting for us on arrival and we were down town in Dublin just past 1100.
Our group (final total of 42) was mostly U.S., but we also had a few Aussies and three South Africans so the kids got a little 'extra' cultural exposure. More importantly, they were all punctual and we never had a delay on the schedule waiting for anyone which, I'm sure, took a lot of pressure off the Director and the Driver.
If I could pick one small nit, the issue of Irish hotels not having air conditioning was a little problematic on a few warm nights. The windows, of course, do open. However, in Sligo our window opened on to the roof of the main service floor of the hotel and we were treated to the noise of a large air conditioning unit (the irony!) keeping the lobby and restaurants cool. For the others a fan would have been something nice to have.
The 'kids' got most of the photos and I'm sure they'll get some to your Facebook page.
Wendy & I thank you (again) for your efforts that made this a trip to remember and we'll certainly be pleased to recommend you to any friends contemplating travel.
Best regards,
Larry
Good morning Cheryl,
OK, you’re spoiling us. Last night, over cocktails, Chris and I finally took the opportunity to open the travel package you sent us. Wow, great job! We were amazed how you took time to mark the appropriate pages, highlighted the important areas and included the groups assigned rooms. I’m not sure if you actually do it or a staff member does it, but thank you. Obviously you must deal with a large number of “seniors”, like Chris and I, who will eat an orange but call it an apple. It’s pretty impressive, considering the number of clients you must be dealing with every day, how you can pay such close attention to detail(s) on simple things like sending out a travel package. Nice job, thank you again.
Bob and Chris.
Cheryl,
We have returned safely from our adventures. Everything went smoothly and we had a wonderful time. What a pleasant surprise to have a gift card waiting in our ship cabin. Thank you so much for the $50 account credit, it was put to good use.
The driver from Pinetree was standing there waiting for us once we got thru customs at RDU. Another wonderful driver named John. Apparently Pinetree is owned by one gentleman who owns the eight vehicles used. He employees 7 or 8 different drivers. I would highly recommend his services.
Thanks again for your efforts in making our 35th anniversary cruise a special one.
Sincerely,
Mary Ellen
Can I tell you about how AMAZING the ship was !!!
OMG! Phenomenal! Cannot say enough! So much better than Holland! Holland was good but Celebrity beats them hands down. Everything was perfect.
Just one thing----no one could help me with the $200.00 Birthday credit I received from them!
And we are already home and I'm doing laundry.
Disembarked at 8:00 am and it's 10:45 now
Hi Cheryl,
We had a grand time. AMA exceeded our expectations. The boat, crew, cabin, food and excursions were all 5-star.
With so much to see and do, the days flew by. We thought the Cruise Director, Ioana Dulcea, was particularly good.
The trip to St Malo before and Paris after were great too, and we are glad we did them.
The hotel you booked for us in Paris was fun and in a good neighborhood. We spent time at the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and several other places. Love the cafes! We also got pretty good with the subway.
The only real issue is we missed the train to St. Malo. The problem was the bus from the airport took over two hours to get to the train station. That was twice as long as we expected and we missed the train by just a few minutes. We were able to get on a later train. I need to apply for a reimbursement either from RailEurope or the travel insurance.
Thank you so much for helping put together this fantastic trip.
Jerry & Jan
Sent from my iPad
Thanks Cheryl.
This is a cruise ship I would take again. Nice staff and nice ship.
The food was amazing and that's from a foodie and a cook.
They had a mix of activities that would be welcomed by age diversity and physical diversity.
I felt like part of their family. The cruise director was is a saint.
Kathryn
The cruise has been very pleasant surprise. Let me go through all assessment areas:
Cabin: there are no inside cabins and all have balconies. Ours was quite spacious -- easily accommodating the two of us on chairs with a table. The room and bath are quite spacious. Best equivalent is our cruise on Seabourn. The room and bath are spacious and comfortable. I could get used to this; the room is easily double the square footage of our "aquarium class" rver cruises. Same for the bath; shower was like Seaborne's in that it was quite spacious.
Amenities: there is a "cooler" in the desk which includes complimentary soft drinks and candy snacks. I would not classify it as a refrigerator. Again, more like Seaborne than other cruise lines we have been on: Princess, Holland America. Royal Carib, NCL, and Celebrity.
Food: dinner has been quite good. Diversity of menu items and quality at least as good as any other cruise line (except maybe Seaborne where we could order what we wanted 24 hrs in advance to include specifically lobster or caviar.) Breakfast and lunch have typically been "Lido Deck" buffets which is annoying. We have been spoiled by AMA Waterways river cruises and their breakfasts and lunches in the dining room.
Service: we have been pleasently surprised. The bar and wait staff have been exceptionally accommodating and interested in pleasing us. Every request seems to be given attention and the crew inculcated with a "please the traveler" ethos. They got Sharon warm butter for her crabs when it was not available with the meal for anyone else. They also made a point of having the red wine she liked available for her at every dinner even when not served each day as the house wine for the passengers in general. They beat AMAWaterways which has been my bench mark. They are in a class with Seaborne -- the best I have ever seen.
Tours & Included Itineraries: as you know I was miffed at the difficulty I had booking "included tours" on line a month before we left. I was pleasantly surprised how it worked aboard ship. No lines at Guest Services to change tours. I canceled one we paid for with no problems and scheduled a tour to "Olympia" that was an "included" tour but came up "sold out" when I was trying to book on line before we left home. Then we figured out that they did not hold us to the times we booked for our included tours. Instead they herded everyone to the next available departing bus regardless of scheduled time. For example, today we had a 1300 tour time to Corfu -- the last available tour since we had to be back aboard by 1600. We had met another couple who had a morning tour time so we walked out together and were directed to the next available bus tour and were off to Corfu at 0923! No hassle no problems! Very efficient.
Paid tours: we paid for a boat tour and guided hike up the active volcano in the Santorini Caldera. When we booked it it was because the included tour was "sold out." As it worked out, we were lucky. The tour was great: good boat ride aboard a sail boat (under power) to the volcanic island, a scenic hike to the top, followed by a scenic transit back by boat. We enjoyed our excursion a lot more than those we talked to who had the included Santorini tour (scary bus trip up the switchbacks awesome scenary, but boring commercialism with seemingly endless T-shirt stores, before long lines at the cable car back to the tender to return to ship.
Tours: the ship manages their tours with professional efficiency. I have been. Impressed. The quality of the guides and bus drivers has been on a par with others I have been on.
Entertainment: this is a 900 passenger shop so it is not competing with those of 3000+ passengers. Yet its classical combo and guitar player are quite good and the ship's band -- the "Viking Band" -- absolutely exceptional. It is a Philippino band with both a male and female vocalists and five exceptional musicians. We try not to miss performances; the band is capable of singing Whitney Houston songs followed by Mo-Town, and then climaxing with Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" -- you may recall that even Queen did not perform this song live since they did it using all the technical magic of a studio! We are talking Vegas-class, here!
Bottom line: I am impressed. Well managed from arrival at the airport through this our fourth day of the trip. Rooms are on a par with Seaborne and better than any other ocean or river cruise we have taken. Food is good enough. Entertainment is very good--not as elaborate as what we have seen on 3000 passenger cruise ships but certainly quite good overall.
I will have to consider Viking in my future plans.
Hope this helps.
Jim
Hey Cheryl!
Just got back to Atlanta from Ireland. Our trip was absolutely fantastic. Thank you so much for your help. All accommodations were great! Especially Dromoland Castle and Lyrath Estate. And everyone took extra special care of us since you marked honeymoon. A totally different experience than Italy but both were so great! And that’s what traveling is all about. People in Ireland are astonishingly friendly and helpful. We are literally already scheming about next year’s trip ????
Go ahead and let us know what you think about a trip to Spain/Portugal for 2020. We saw that monograms does that area as well. Tentative dates would probably be 4/9-4/19 but likely won’t be confirmed by our work til around December. It will either be the two of us or potentially a total of four if we can convince Burt’s brother and wife to join us!
Thanks again!
Jen
Cheryl:
We enjoyed our cruise on Oceania. If we did not, we would not have tendered a future cruise open reservation. We gave that because we're re interested in two cruises, but for 2021, for which dates have not yet been announced. One is the 7-day cruise around Cuba in either January,february or march, the second is the 31-day cruise Eastern Africa, going to Sri Lanka among others. Arlene will send you more information as soon as we get ourselves back in order. What we discovered on our cruise is that many of the people book multiple cruises and have sailed almost exclusively with Oceania, and many are sold out even before they are actually available. For that reason, as soon as you have ANY information, even if it is rumor before the actual dates are announced, please let us know. Arlene will also be in touch, as we are planning a family cruise in 2020, that will take some organizing. Se we’ll need some advice on that one; Arlene will be in touch.
As to our cruise, we found the age groups to our liking, and the size of the ship( 684 max ) even better. the food on Oceania is superb and we can understand why people keep coming back. We thought the hype. for Toscana was more than the experience( it wasn’t bad, though ), but the Polo Grill was out of this world. The shore excursions you booked for us through the company you recommended were excellent and half the cost of the ship’s excursions. In fact, the ship even contracted with the very same company you used for their excursion to the Mud Pool, and we found it interesting that we were paying half the amount those from the ship were paying from the very same company, but our group had only four people, while the ships tour had close to 60.
Sadly, we didn’t feel the concierge level was worth the money. The additional amenities they provided, we felt were given grudgingly. The complimentary laundry service had a three-day turnaround time, but if we took their offer to have our laundry done for $24.95, we’d get it back the next day. There’s no reason to have this discrepancy. We could have paid $300 less pp to have a veranda suite cabin and have gotten our laundry back sooner. the difference between being on deck six or deck seven is negligible. In fact, we met a couple of people who had a lot of frequent flyer miles with oceania who say they take veranda suites instead of concierge level for just those reasons. The cabins are the same size. Also, the cabin service was not up to even what we had on Celebrity. We had to hunt sown our cabin attendants, or call housekeeping. Amenities were not replaced daily, and we had to call and get them replaced. Then, after we complained, we would have a knock on our door and be handed 6-8 bottles of body lotion, shampoo or vanity kits, or 6-8 bars of soap. I didn’t need bulk delivery; all I needed was to have the cabin steward check daily and replace just what had been used. I told them that and they agreed, but nothing changed. Otherwise, the other service, dining room and other staff was excellent.
We were disappointed with the activities on sea days. Essentially, there were none. Bago bean bag toss and contrived golf putting were what they had as well as Trivia and Bingo. they did have port talks combined with cultural information about the region, and they were interesting. That person also did wildlife viewing, however, beyond an occasional sea bird, that was a dud. We dance, and this is the first cruise we had were there were NO ballroom dancing lessons. I requested this from the cruise director and was told there was no space, but that wasn’t really true. When he finally relented and had two of his staff give a lesson over 30 people showed up. That should have told him something, but it obviously didn’t. And that lesson occurred when there were only three days left to the cruise. But I understand why there were no lessons. the production entertainment staff was small and they probably lacked the personnel to give those lessons. But Arlene and I could have and would have given those lessons for free. Maybe i should contact Oceania and offer our services.
A word about dancing. their show band was terrible. they were unsuitable for dancing. All their beats were jazz beat versions of a fast fox trot that morphed into a Lindy and were ten minutes long. Totally unsuitable for dancing. their string quartet, however, had an excellent repertoire of dances including Viennese waltzes, rumbas, cha-chas and quicksteps, but unfortunately they played on carpet and not adjacent to a floor for dancing. they should have been used for ballroom dancing instead of the show band. The show band, however, did finally play a tango for us, which we danced several nights and since no one the ship really danced, we had the floor to ourselves, and we got ovations from those who watched us, that we knew were for us and not necessarily for the music. All the more reason to offer lessons to the guests, because many people told us that after watching us, they were motivated to go home and take dance lessons. e’d take another Oceania cruise only because we had the dance floor to ourselves. But I say this only in context to the activities which should have been offered. Another standard activity that could have been offered is photography lessons. Again, most ships have one or two of those lessons on sea days, and neophytes, which are most guests, take advantage of those. A also noted this is the first cruise line where photographs were not taken by professionals for purchase. That could be bothersome, one doesn’t have to purchase.
Regardless, we enjoyed the cruise, and are glad you recommended Oceania. A couple of people we met had also sailed on Azamara, and have suggested we should try that line as well. Maybe we will, but for right now, we have a future cruise booked for oceania. Look forward to hearing from you regarding that.
Alan
Cheryl,
THANK YOU seems so trite to say, but THANK YOU. We had a fantastic time. The room was perfect (great placement on the cruise, loved the verandah). Amelia loved her pillow—she slept on it every night. Of course, Disney always does things very well but even this exceeded our expectations. The Halloween night was great (and the Pirate night and the formal night...). Amanda and I entered the adult costume contest and got in the top 4, but lost the title—so my wife is naturally still bitter about that. :)
I am deeply thankful for you. Until next time...
we are thinking about doing some educational type trips next either around the US or taking my daughter and wife to Europe (i lived in Germany for 4 years...and visited there as a teenager and in college).
Of course my daughter wants another cruise for her birthday next year—HA!!!
Russ
Hi Cheryl
REasons I liked Viking:
1. Spacious
2. Quiet
3. No stupid announcements over and over
4.4 excellent lecturers with numerous presentations
5. Well planned sea days – even on the fly
6. Stupendous food – so many gluten free choices – unbelievable
7. Incredible service and staff
8.Embarkation a breeze...disembarkation orderly, timely, no whining and not enough seats and busses left on time – lots of good information
9. Truly superior entertainment except the magic show
10. decent quality wines at meals
11. tours good
12. no long lines anywhere, anytime, orderly processing
Maybe the guests were adults?????
Would have booked another cruise except they are not going anywhere I have not already been.
Cheryl
We arrived home early Tuesday 9/11 am.
Both of us are fighting head colds. We had an AMAZING trip to Alaska. Thank you for all of your help planning, Booking, all the extras and transfers. Everything went smoothly. Weather was great ???? in Alaska. We are in top 12% to see Denali for 3 full days. We got great pictures from every side. Only day that rained was in Victoria. Thank you so much for the champagne breakfast on balcony, Crown Grill voucher and the pretty scarf. Your the BEST!
Rick and Debbie
Hi Cheryl!
We have had a very special experience and we have you to thank for holding our hands through the entire process!
Thank you so much for all the “special” extras. We certainly enjoyed our in room breakfast and scrumptious dinner!
Would you be able to give me my airline itinerary for tomorrow? I can’t seem to find it in my emails.
We ran into Rita and her grandson only once...we tried to arrange meet ups with her, but no response. She never got back with us. Hope she had a great time!
Again, thank you for everything - we were in very good hands!
Helen
Cheryl, I apologize for my delay in getting back with you about our Alaska vacation and cruise. We had a WONDERFUL time, thank you so much for all the great assistance and time you took to make our experience so special.
Our time in the Anchorage area worked out fine, except we wish that we could have had another day or two there. The My Place Hotel had nice rooms, was clean and new. Its location in the Mid-Town university area was convenient for getting onto the main highways, and local shopping. There was a great local restaurant close to the hotel, Moose Tooth Pub & Pizzeria, that had really fantastic pizza. The hotel was a little further from the downtown area than I realized it would be (because of some quirky one-way streets and street connections to get there), but our family is not really part of the downtown crowd anyway! We rented 2 cars at the airport, from Wednesday night until Saturday morning. We drove to Denali State Park (both the South View and the North View locations) on Thursday, unfortunately Denali was immersed in clouds that day, could not see the actual mountain. But nevertheless, it was a fun drive and beautiful scenery getting there. On Friday, Michael, Mom and I drove south of Anchorage, on the Seward Highway, to Turnagain Arm, Beluga Point, Alyeska Ski Resort and Tram (BEAUTIFUL SCENERY from the top of the ski mountain), and then to Kenai Peninsula and Kenai Lake. This was a beautiful day trip! We also went to Earthquake Park in Anchorage—short time there, but very impressive to see depictions of the 1964 Alaska Good Friday Earthquake. Kay and David, and David Jr. and Miranda, drove back up to the Wasilla/Palmer area, then drove east into the mountains there, to Reflection Lake, and then on to a glacier (I don’t remember the name). They were able to walk out on the glacier—beautiful!
We picked up Lee at the airport on Saturday morning, had time to go out for breakfast, then return back to the airport to meet our Princess Cruise shuttle. Beautiful drive down, but once we turned onto the Portage Highway, it was starting to get cloudier. When we exited the tunnel (which was pretty neat), it was very foggy in Whittier.
The Golden Princess ship was beautiful, and our rooms were truly larger than I expected them to be (based on some of my previous cruises). We had a wonderful Room Steward, as were our Donatello Dining Room Wait Staff. You can really get spoiled very quickly being on a cruise, with all the personal service offered! All of our meals were absolutely delicious, with an extensive menu to choose from. And of course the buffet was delicious also. The shows were excellent, and all of the different venues were fun and beautiful.
The Captain made the decision not to navigate in to see the Hubbard Glaciers, due to the foggy conditions. He got us as close as he could to one glacier, but…no one wanted us to be the next Titanic. We did get to see the Glacier Bay National Park glaciers the next day, enjoyed very much listening to the National Park Rangers who were on board that day. It was another cloudy day, but still very impressive to see, and to hear some of the glacier calving into the water…sounded like thunder cracking!
Our bus/train excursion (White Pass and Yukon Trail) from Skagway to Frasier, BC and Carcross, Yukon Territory was FANTASTIC! This excursion was on all of our “must do” list, and it was well worth it!
Kay’s family and Mom did a Princess dog-sledding excursion in Juneau, and they LOVED it! Lee, Mike and I enjoyed spending the day around the Juneau water front and shopping district.
Mike and I booked a Princess salmon-fishing excursion for Ketchikan, and both of us caught a salmon. Mike caught a nice Pink Salmon, and I caught a huge Silver Coho Salmon! We had my Coho taken back to the ship, where the Chef grilled it and served our table of 8 the next evening, with fish left over (hopefully our waiters were able to share also). This was really a personal highlight of the trip for me!
Vancouver was a beautiful city, we enjoyed our Hop On/Hop Off with Airport Transfer excursion. We loved that our bags were sent on to the airport ahead of us (except for the valuable items that we kept with us), we just needed to claim them once we got there. Lee had to leave us early to get to the airport for his earlier flight. It was a very long day for the rest of us, as our flight did not leave until 11 pm. We actually got to the airport about 6 pm, but we could not do anything early there except eat…we had to wait until 8 pm before we could actually check in. For that reason, we could not go through Customs in Vancouver, because the Customs Office closed at 7 pm. So that meant that we had to claim our bags in Chicago when we arrived there Sunday morning at 5 am, then go through Customs in Chicago, re-check them, then go back through Security to get to our gate in time to catch our 6:55 am flight back to Charlotte!
Cheryl, again, thank you so much for all of your assistance in planning our great family vacation/cruise. Is there a Facebook page where we can share some of our photos?
Take care, Michael & Fay
Cheryl everything is great. Thank you for the breakfast for two which we did yesterday. Also thank you for Sabatini’s which is Monday. We saw Rita and Kevin in Denali. I am going to contact her. I love the suite and will have a hard time having anything else in the Future. I will contact you when I get home.
I so enjoyed the Alaska cruise I just returned from. I have never had so great vacation. Alaska was beautiful. I would love to go again!! Thank you for all your help
Hello Cheryl,
Our vacation was absolutely wonderful! The kids had a great time, my husband and I had a great time. It was truly grand!
Thank you for all that you did to make this so memorable! The next time we have a "grand" vacation, I will be sure to contact you.
????
Renee
Hi Cheryl,
Thank you so much for treating us to a fabulous lunch at Ironwood.. I had no idea that you had plans to treat us, and was so surprised and delighted by your offer. I guess, third time was a charm. ????
I am so grateful for your expertise in travel and your friendship. It has been a delight working with you and I know I am in good hands every time I book a trip. Just you mentioning taking a tour in Asheville, was an example of you always wanting everyone to have the best trip ever. I thank you again and again.
My best,
Carolyn
I would just like to add a few more things to Donna's email
1. The hotels in Athens and Barcelona were centrally located, making it
easy to see the sights in each city.
2. Renting a car in Santorini was a great way to see all of the island.
3. Jeff and I went on our own walking tour of Messina. The streets are
very confusing, and the map provided by the city is as equally confusing.
We were lost several times and noticed many other tourists were as lost as
we were. However, the citizens of Messina were very helpful and friendly.
Great food!
4. Kotor-beautiful!!
5. Amalfi coast and Pompeii were extraordinary! The time spent in Amalfi
was perfect, we shopped a little and ate some pastries-perfect! Pompeii was
amazing, the walk wasn't as strenuous as the Parthenon. The lunch that was
provided was exceptional!
6. I loved Barcelona! We should have planned ahead to get tickets to some
of the attractions that sell out quickly. The Barcelona Sailing Experience
made up for any missteps. That was a wonderful experience.
All in all, a wonderful, memorable vacation.
Thank you,
Tina Ringo
Cheryl -- thanks again for sll the legwork in making our cruise work. It came off without a hitch.
-- The cruise was one of our best. We were on the Amadolce once before for a Rhein cruise but thought the food and service was much improved this time around.
-- We only spent one night in our booked "aquarium class" cabin after which our cruise director upgraded us for the last six nights to level 2.
-- Beyond a doubt this was our best cruise director. Native born English speaker quality English (though she was French) helped a lot for language and hearing challenged like me. But what really made her stand out was how out in front she was in anticipating problems and in supervising all the moving parts. She really was superior.
-- The way AMA conducts their wine cruises from regular cruises is interesting. The only real difference is they have a US winery representative ride the boat and give wine lectures and conduct one wine dinner with their wines. It is a little weird because when we were on the Rhone we listened to explanations about Gloria Ferrar Napa wines and on this one in Bordeaux we heard about Oregon, Schmidt Family wines even while in Bordeaux. I am not complaining! I just don't think it is what one might expect from a wine cruise in a world famous wine producing region -- which is to hear and focus on that region's wines.
-- The Loire Valley extension was magnificent! It would have been a travesty to have cut it off after the cruise. The Chateaus in the region are magnificent and were a high point of the trip.
-- I did make one tactical error. I know I told you I would take care of my own transfer but in retrospect I should have accepted Ama's offer of free transfers for Gold members. As it was the Ama rep at the airport walked us to a cab and got us off to the boat quite painlessly but for €45 I made it to the boat about 10 minutes before the Ama shuttle bus did. For our cruise in December, and hereafter, I would like to avail myself of the free transfers if schedules permit.
Bottom line: great cruise, great agent service, painless travel. Thanks.
Jim
Dear Cheryl,
We wanted to thank you- We loved Alaska so much and enjoyed every moment!! We had pure sunshine and warm temps- only one hour of a spritzy rain that hardly damped our spirits!!
Our land tour was great- We loved the flight ( Delta was incredible- I think it was a 737- with TVs above the tray table in front of you- could watch TV series like HGTV or Movies on demand for free- food was good and cheerful. ( United was ok- no TVs or offers for snacks on the night flight home and we missed our connection ( we understand that it happens)- but they did not really seem to bend over backwards or let us know that they were sorry. ( Ended up re-routing to Greensboro) - they lost one bag, but they researched it and it was delivered to our door midnight of the day we got home!
Fairbanks- Yes! We loved there river paddleboat! Fun, educational, relaxing, the “cruise director” explained everything throughout the time and he was very funny. It had heat on which we needed on and off and clean and very nice! Loved learning of the indians and the sled dogs and watching them run by!!
The gift shop where you get on and off boat is huge and they have a 40* below zero freezer you can go into and we had our picture taken. Cold!!! I am sure you have seen all of this!!
We took a taxi to North Pole, Alaska- 15 min or so- Huge gift shop- kind of a tourist trap but fun with reindeer and a HUGE Santa out front!!
Loved the 3 hr ride to next Lodge- Denali. You know how beautiful the scenery and with such sunshine. The drivers were good about explaining things on the way. We loved all the multiple gift shops in the Princess Denali property. So varied and interesting…Loved the Denali Park bus tour. There had been snow 10 days before so we had snow on all the peaks and it make it just stunning. Did not see the top of Denali that day- cloudy…Great tour guide and saw Moose- no bears.
Enjoyed the next trip onto Mt McKinley Lodge- the bridges/gulches/more mountains…loved it!! We took the covered wagon/gold panning/s’mores excursion which was fun- low key. We each got a few specks of gold and loved the s’mores!!! We took advantage of the $5 shuttle to and from Talkeetna (hour each way). It is such a cute town and I had seen it on TV. Ate a a yummy dinner at a cafe whose chef used to cook for George Bush. It was so yummy… When we got back to the lodge the top of Denali was visible!!!! I am sure you know this but how excited we were to find out that this lodge has a treehouse built by “Treehouse Builders” from the TV show!!!We love that show and we hiked to it ( 5 min from lodge). The had the TV episode playing in the treehouse of how that treehouse was built. So cool!!!!
OK…That train was awesome!!!!!!! First when they said 5 hrs- the kids looked at us and I know they were thinking - 5 hours- you have got to be kidding!!! Once it started and we saw beauty, animals, cities , lakes, mountains, glaciers, tunnels- I was wishing it would be 5 days- How fun and we had a great train car with a fun conductor . So awesome. Then, with the Customs ladies that came on and did all that work on the train so we only had to walk through security in Whittier- how incredible and organized… :) Whittier was so quaint with our ship in harbor with the little town. I felt like it was in Europe. Such a change from Miami or Ft Lauderdale or the port closer to Disney…so neat and much easier.
Now 22 hrs of sunlight is amazing- I felt like I had so much energy!! 60* and clear for Yacutat Bay and Glacier Bay. Beautiful. Wildlife…
Loved the White Pass RR and Skagway again- could do that over and over.
Our BEST DAY EVER was with our excursion - Helicoptor to Sled dog camp and then going Sledding with the Sled Dogs- Loved the helicopter- beautiful weather- very nice staff. We all took turns in the 3 different seats or the back of the sled where you stand. They took great pictures of us, let us play with the dogs and meet the puppies. The snow on the glacier was perfect and the scenery was amazing. Will have to email those pics to you!!!! Well worth the $!!!
We enjoyed the Lumberjack show in Ketchikan. Very Alaskanish-
Vancouver- We took the Post crusade North Shore Capilano and GrouseMountain Tour which was well worth it!! Very nice tour guide and yes they kept our luggage in the back of the little tour bus and after drove us all the way to the airport( 20+ minutes). Grouse Mtn has so much to do- Get on a huge gondola tram up to the top- 50-60 people inside- up top beautiful panoramic views of Vancourver and port area. Able to see 2 rescued bears, and they have a ski lift that you can go up and down on . I think this is where they held the Olympics. Awesome. Saw salmon ladder/beatiful lakes and then at last the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. Incredible,fun and very popular. Lots of people but so much to do- no lines waiting. They have a beautiful suspension bridge over the canyon, pathways all around, ramps up into the trees and the walkways within the trees. We had such a blast just wandering around. They had a part on one side of the canyon where there was a walkway permanently secured to the canyon and a walkout made of glass- I would guess like Grand Canyon. We did not have time to do that part but it looked great too. A great day to be active before the long ride home.
Just wanted to thank you and let you know we loved it!!
Take care and hope to see you around town!!
Judy, Barry, Liz and Paul
We had a terrific vacation. Want to thank you for the dinner on board the ship. It was a real treat. Saw lots of wild life in Denali. The places Les and I went to 50 years ago have changed. No more dirt roads and developed alot. Liked Dawson City the best. Still the way you would picture Alaska to be like. Thanks again for all your help in planning this vacation.
Joanne
Hi Cheryl!!
We're home and we had a great time!!! Victor loved it and can't wait to cruise again! A plus was the port offered free parking for disabled veterans, that was nice.
Well life is back to normal now (crazy and busy) lol. Destiny is preparing for the Air Force and may be gone by the end of the summer so thank you for helping me make her last big family event and her graduation a success!!!
Have a great weekend!
Tanya
Dear Cheryl,
Just wanted to say thank you so much for our very successful cruise. As far as I was concerned, there were no glitches or problems. Jim and I had a great time with all our old and
new friends. I personally loved Amsterdam!! The people at Uniworld were just fabulous and the wait staff was so much fun. The food was fabulous.
I have worked with other travel agents but you far exceed anything they have ever done. I pretty much left all the planning to the Seitz sisters but I was following what was
planned and you were fabulous with your communication and timeliness. I hope we may get to meet you the next time we visit Tom and Nancy.
Again, thank you for a superior job!
Gail
Cheryl,
Our cruise was awesome we had a wonderful time. I loved all the places we went. It was very very hot and had to be in the water. Thanks for everything hoping to go next year. Also loved where we stayed (the cove balcony) it was like the same floor as the last cruise, and I had no sea sickness. That is my favorite floor with balcony
Hey lady!!!
I wanted to thank you for helping us SO much in picking out the best trip ever! For our anniversary, we were sang to at our dinner table with a heart shaped chocolate dessert. Everyone was super nice, learned our names the night we got there. The steward was great! Very friendly and did a great job. I have NO complaints at all with our trip. Thank you again for all of your help. We will definitely be booking another one (when we save up some $$$)
I wanted to send a few highlight pics...
Brandon and Janice
Greetings Cheryl!
We have had a terrific time in Germany and France and if all your good planning and our continued good luck holds, we will be back in Cleveland late on Tuesday evening! Diana and Tim are visiting friends for a few more days and will be the last of our travel group to return home later this week.
Let me know if you hear anything less than rave reviews about the cruise from anyone - I can attest to the fact that everyone had a fabulous time and that includes the time in Amsterdam and Basel!
I’ll check in with you later in the week just to be sure there are no loose ends...
Thanks for everything!
Nancy
Cheryl
As always you were above & beyond in your help to keep things going when they went awry. That fact was not overlooked by other Barefoot Contessa photo workshop participants who will follow Drew’s recommendation to use you for their own travel plans in the future. Of course, Margo & Arnie think that the sun rises & sets on Sharon who has done such a great job for their company destination trips. You both deserve a hearty toast.
The barge company was wonderful in all respects - a perfect 10 in cleanliness, friendliness, food, assistance, you name it. The women were given long stem roses for Mother’s Day in France, a week after ours in the US. There was even an impromptu bocce ball game one night next to the barge. Both crew & guests wept at parting.
So it was a wonderful vacation for us and I thank you so much for your part in making it so. I think of you when I wear my Darwell bracelet or earrings.
Next up - Vietnam. I look forward to that one too.
Love, Anne
Thanks Cheryl,
I had such a great time and Oceania is excellent!
You did such a wonderful job. Irene and I are already starting to think about our next trip.
Ronie
Cheryl: My family always wants to see my photos of the trip. I have included you on the distribution list. Hope you enjoy the photos.
Also, I am going to send you another set of photos of the christening at Vilshofen that I thought you would enjoy.
The locals turned out with bands and raised a May Pole for us. AMA went all out for the event, as you would expect.
The Godmother for the AMALEA is Filomena Andre, a VP with the Southern Calif. Automobile Association. She and her husband were with us all week and I really enjoyed meeting her. I also got a chance to meet Kristin on the boat as she joined us for a toast to the people who had sailed with AMA on an earlier cruise.
Great trip.
Dave
Hi Cheryl,
We are in Seattle. Everyone said to tell you what a great time we have had. It was a super cruise. In fact they want to do another in two years. So I guess we will plan another with you later. They sure like your service. Be in touch.
Thanks so much!
Jim
Cheryl: We got home from our cruise last night and I wanted to tell you it was a fantastic trip. I am even more a fan of AMA Waterways because they were fantastic.
I will send you some photos as soon as I get my computer repaired.
Thank you again for all you do to make traveling better and easier.
Will be in touch
Dave
Thank you Cheryl for going above and beyond on assigning our air seats. I will get with you on our return to pay the extra charge.
I had the pleasure of meeting the co-owner, Christine, tonight. The Amalia is being christened Sat so she is here for that. I shared with her our original conversation about your (and her) collaboration with a wheelchair bound client and that made the difference in us choosing AMA. She spoke very highly of you as do Cheryl and I. Thank you again for being such a true professional.
Dave
Thank you Cheryl:
Despite our luggage arriving the night before we were to embark and Ronnie having to go to the on board doctor, the trip was unbelievable.
All went according to plan. The seats on the planes for the long haul flights were perfect. I would never do it any other way. Our hotel in Barcelona was great. It was located within walking distance of La Rambla and our hop on hop off bus without the noise.
The ship was wonderful. The food unbelievable, the crew at your beckoning call and size of the ship was just right. La Reserva was beyond all expections. In fact all the restaurants on board were wonderful. To be honest with you the only one I was a bit disappointed with was Jacque’s. I ordered the Bouillabaisse and was very disappointed. There were many on the ship that did not care for Jacque’s. I did however manage to have superb Bouillabaisse at a restaurant located on the old port in Marseille.
We ended up extending our side excursion to Pisa to include Lucca which was our of a story book. Beauty beyond reproach.
All in all the trip was superb. Our choice of the hop on hop off was perfect. We saw more of the city’s with them than with the ship arranged excursions.
I will email you with other bits and pieces that I think will be beneficial to you and your staff as I go through compiling pictures, brochures, etc.
Thank you again for all your hard work in making this vacation memorable.
Irene
Hi Cheryl, thank you so much for the beautiful scarfs! What a pleasant surprise!! I think they are scarfs as I haven't opened them yet. They are mine and Pats favorite colors! I know we are going to have a blast!!! I have my brother and his wife your name and number for their vacation planning. Their names are Allen and Rita. She is originally from Malta just to let you know. Thank you for being my travel agent!! I always feel safe in planning my vacations with you!!! Debra
Thank you so much for your hard work on our trip we all three had the most amazing time. It was truly the best trip we have ever taken. We would love to work with you again to plan another cruise for our next spring break. Just let me know when would be the best time to talk to you about it we want to go ahead and get started on it and my mom and stepdad want to go with us. Thank you again for everything you did a fantastic job for us. Tiffani, Robert and Kierstin.
Dear Cheryl - so sorry about the confusion -Ed apparently did not check invoices properly!! (Don't tell him I said that!). Yes we did get the $300 credit. All is O.K. and thank you Dear.
We had a wonderful time and believe it or not - we ran into a couple from Alabama that we have cruised with before on Celebrity. This is our third trip together and each time we did not know they were going .We enjoy their company and like to play trivia together. Weather wonderful, food wonderful - EVEYTHING wonderful.
Thank you again Cheryl for your hard work and we hope to be in touch again. Love, Ed and Dorothy
Hi Cheryl!
We had a great time, loved the panoramic balcony view upgrade - can see why it’s an upgrade, and remain very appreciative of your kindness in extending that to us!! Mom and Dad and Clay and Hazel - we collectively call them, “Clayzel!” - had a good time as well. Laura and I snorkeled, swam, and ride horses on excursions through Princess, and we got taxi/bus tours through local folks when we got off the ship. Lovely trip on Princess, and hope to have another vacay like that before too long. A friend of ours may want to take a European river cruise next year and we’ll let you know if we plan to do that - you probably know a thing or two about that as well ????
Thx again and hope you are doing well!
Kellie and Laura
Hi Cheryl,
We had a wonderful time. Everything went smoothly for us. As for the group, the only snafu that I am aware of was that Patti and Jim were without their luggage during the Denali trip. I think HAL could have done more to get their luggage to them sooner, but I am not aware of how difficult that might have been.
Thanks for everything,
Jerry and Bernadette
Cheryl~
Just wanted to thank you for all your work on our Alaska trip. It was an incredible bucket list trip. This was my first cruise experience and you've set the bar pretty high for any future trips. I think you are awesome!
~Alicia
Hi Cheryl!
It was a great trip! Just the glitch of not having clean clothes for 3 1/2 days.
We did not make any big clothing purchases, just a heavy coat for me and a few tee shirts for Jim. I'm sure we could have bought more, but we did not want to take advantage of the service. Plus, friends helped out. The submission for reimbursement was about $45.00. What us the typical resolution time for these?
Thanks for everything!
We are exhausted!
Patti and Jim
We had a very good time--with an excellent tour director and driver. A highlight for Paul was seeing Mount Rushmore. The highlight for me was seeing Yellowstone. which I have visited before, but not with 8 inches of snow. It was magical--almost unbelievably beautiful.
Paul and I were talking about this trip, and he lauded the guide's knowledge. We learned a great deal about the area, the Natives who lived there and the animals that live there now. I would recommend the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, WY. The guide and driver took 6 of us there, and it was a remarkable place. The Rustic Inn in Jackson was very nice--lovely little cabins facing a nature walk, and a bar, bistro, and breakfast buffet room in the main lodge. The inn is also just a short walk into town which made sightseeing and shopping easy.
More soon.
KarinÂ
Cheryl,
The trip was perfect. Highly recommend the Chicago to Portland train ride. It was delightful. The Benson Hotel is the best. Thank you, thank you. Jeanne
Sent from my iPhone
Hello Cheryl,
Here is my review of the cruise, excursion and beach I visited while in Bermuda.
From,
Kyle Bredin
Norwegian Dawn Cruise Review:
Overall I was very satisfied with my first cruising experience with NCL. The food was excellent both in the buffet cafeteria and complimentary restaurants and there was some variation in what was being served each day. However, you should plan for a long wait when getting dinner at a complimentary restaurant. The ship staff was very friendly and the housekeeping staff was consistently good in maintaining the room and regularly making new towel animals. The pool area was crowded during the day and it was difficult to get into the hot tubs during the day because of this. Also, the pool water seems to be a mixture of chlorine and salt water which tastes pretty bad if you get it in your mouth and is very irritating to the eyes. However, most of the young children hang out at the kids pool area and the pool area is much less crowded at night and seems to stay open until midnight. Also, there was regular music and entertainment at the pool area and during the day all you can eat lunch was served there as well as hard ice cream. They advertise an indoor pool, but you must pay ~200 bucks to use it for the entire trip, you must pay for a pass to use the mandarin spa which the pool is a part of. The shows I saw were all excellent with the Elements show being my favorite, as it was a combination of all of their show acts. For most shows you should arrive 15-20 minutes early if you want a decent seat as all shows I went to were packed. The casino had a good variety of games and slot machines, in my case I stuck to the smallest bet penny slots, however the smell of tobacco was quite intense here. The gift shops had reasonable prices and decent stock including Bermuda rum and T-shirts, they also had special deal events for $10 shirts and on the last full cruise day they had an all $10 item sale. Personally I would have preferred at least 1 more day in Bermuda to more thoroughly explore what the island has to offer as at times it was a bit rushed to squeeze in the activities we wanted to do, but this was a very good first cruise and has given an excuse to cruise to Bermuda again in the future.
Restless Native Snorkel Excursion Review:
Very friendly crew and a very relaxed snorkel excursion. The bright pink catamaran drops anchor in a sandy patch in a secluded area near small undeveloped land patches. The catamaran seemed to hold about 30-40 passengers with a crew of 4 and people of all ages were on this excursion. There were more than enough snorkels for everyone and each snorkeler had a choice of pool noodle or snorkel vest for a floatation device. There were also paddleboards and kayaks in sufficient enough number that everyone could have the opportunity to use them at some point during the long 2 hour time allowed for water activities. The freshly baked cookies and complimentary endless, water, juice or my favorite the rum swizzles were provided upon dropping anchor. The crew was also good about offering the cookies to everyone to prevent the children on board from devouring them all and would even refill your swizzle as you floated in the water with your cup. The location was a decent snorkel destination with a variety of corals and I also saw about 5-6 different species of fish and you can snorkel and shallow or deeper areas, wherever you feel most comfortable. The location selected for dropping anchor is no horse shoe bay in appearance but was clean and met the needs for snorkeling and other water activities. Overall I was very satisfied with this excursion and would consider doing it again, although if you want to see more exotic fish and even larger corals you may want to consider an excursion that goes into deeper water or ocean.
Horse Shoe Beach Review:
Most picturesque location visited during the trip. It has clean, soft, cool pink sand and warm turquoise water. The best way to reach this beach from the docks is by mini-bus for $7 each way. Snorkeling is decent, there is a calm pool on one side where 5-6 species of fish (including fairly large fish) live and you can see the same fish each day in addition to visiting fish, and there are porous rocks where small crabs live. Also if you want to snorkel in other areas of the beach to see even more fish and brain coral you can swim out towards the rocks (ideally during low tide and calm water). Even though this is one of the most popular beaches I found the crows fairly small and manageable compared to what I am used to. There are opportunities to eat though I did not try the food, but the free bathrooms are clean and you can rent an umbrellas for $15 for better sun protection all day.
Thank you so much for all you did for us. We all love the boat and the food it was great. We loved loved the cruise director; he made the ship, he was great. Thanks again we can't wait to go on another carnival cruise the boys are already talking about it
Thanks again
Lisa
Hi Cheryl,
I'm now home in Pinehurst after the most wonderful trip I've ever had. Â
We can't thank you enough for all of your hard work in assisting us with our travel plans. Everything was superb-I only wish I stayed at least a few more days. Praiano was beyond our expectations and we were quite happy we stayed there rather than Positano or even Sorrento.
My daughter's book comes out August 15th called: Â NOTES FROM A FOREIGN COUNTRY by Suzy Hansen.
I hope you enjoy the rest of the summer and look forward to working with you in the future.
Carol
Cheryl:
We received a wonderful plate of fruit & bottle of Chardonnay wine (which I think we will save for Sunday night our last night here). There was a lovely note about being " return guests" so we must have you to thank for this nice gift!! We've been enjoying the fruit for breakfast. Â The gift arrived Wednesday but we were tardy in sending you a note so we apologize. Drove to National Park yesterday. Howard went snorkeling Wednesday. The Fairmont resort is first class, room is wonderful. My mom said it sounds bigger than her 1 bedroom apartment! All the workers are very friendly and always asking "how your stay is going." Â Orchids in pots all over the lobby and hallways. The grounds are impeccable. Nice adults only pool. Only complaint in the clouds have gotten in way of sunsets last 3 nights. Don't ever hesitate to send any client here. Upscale shopping just down street with Gucci, Prada, Tiffany, etc. 2 floors of shops. Wailea is very nice. We drove up to Kapalua also and walked around Lahaina. Sorry for rambling. Thanks again for everything. It has been very nice. You did a GREAT job. We appreciate you very much.
Dawn and Howard
Cheryl,
Just wanted to thank you again for setting up our wonderful trip to Universal. We had a great time. Emily was so tickled with the Harry Potter sections of the parks, and I have to admit I loved them too. The hotel was grand, and we enjoyed the water taxis to the parks. Emily used her backpack you sent her the entire time. We appreciate everything.
Best regards and Happy Easter,
Rusty
Hard to describe unless you do it yourself. Not hard for me as I lived in Europe so long – using other languages was my challenge when I was so rusty or forgetful of so many words.
Â
quieter...great service
Â
amenities to me with Black Status:
1 bottle champagne per week, chocolate covered strawberries, bowl of fruit,chocolate ship replica,priority boarding and disembarkation, 2 parties extra a week with music and booze,2 free photos from those parties and free Sushi dinner for 2 each week....not bad at all
Â
wine and booze costs less than RC. dinner wine $7 or so a glass. RC ends up at about $14
Â
entertainment – very good to ok. Their OZ was like Wicked and I did not like that play.
Â
Food was quite good.
Hi Cheryl,
Â
We had a very nice cruise.
Â
We had good weather and our travel plans worked on schedule.
Â
Viking is a very good cruise line and the Viking Star is an excellent ship. The on-board food and guest services were the best we have had on any of our cruises.
Â
I would not hesitate to recommend Viking Ocean Cruises and the West Indies cruise that we took on the Viking Star to anyone.
Â
Thanks for all your help.
Jim
Cheryl,
Thank you so much for all you did! We had a fantastic time and enjoyed every minute. We (the NC contingent) came home with a bug so we've extended our "vacation" a bit as we work on getting everyone healthy.
The kids had a great time - they were so independent and responsible. Kate took advantage of nearly everything I think and the boys had a great time too - we all rode the aquaduck :) and enjoyed our ports. We didn't make it into Grand Cayman because of rough surf, but the savings on our excursions let the kids have a little shopping spree in the stores on board :)
Kate and Luke both participated in the talent show - we were really proud of them. Luke showed off his Karate kata and Kate did her ballet routine!
It was good unplugged time together and everyone really enjoyed it.
Thank you again for you hard work in taking such good care of us!
Kirsty
Greetings Cheryl,
It was so nice to speak to you yesterday. I am so very happy that we called you to book our trip. I had been looking into a trip to St. Maarten after reading a piece in the Sunday travel section a couple of weeks ago.
We are very happy that we decided to give you a call regarding our getaway. You are amazingly efficient at what you do. What's more, very personable. It's so nice to have someone you trust to take care of the all the details.
I see by the email you sent us that the seats have already been assigned for our flights. I forgot to remind Patty that I prefer the aisle seat as I need to get up often to keep my legs and back happy. Per the info you sent, it would appear that I have an aisle seat for every flight.
Thank you for all of your help,
Stephen
Cheryl. The cruise was amazing and we had such a great time. It was tough coming back to cold weather, nonetheless reality is a tough thing. Lol.
They are ready to start searching for the next one. We would like a Royal Carribean cruise to Cozumel in August possibly. Be watching for a good deal for us. Leigh Ann and her 2 girls want to get in on this as well.
Thanks for all your help and guidance.
Daniel.
Hey Cheryl,
   Made it home around noon yesterday in time to get our dog out of the pet sitting service.  Had a great trip.  Food was superb and wines excellent.  Thanks for arranging it for us.  Only downside was the room was up high and "rocked and rolled" a lot, which is not good for people like Ellen who get queasy at sea.  Next trip we will try and book down a few decks, especially on the smaller ships.
   Meet a lot of nice people and had a great time.  Again, thanks for the great service that you and your crew provide.  I can't tell you how much we appreciate it.  SF Randy
P.S. Â Merry Christmas. Â
Cheryl
The cruise was fantastic, but, most of all, thank you for the wonderful job you did in making preparations for all of us. It was extremely nice having reservations for each night's performances. We were extremely happy with the room choice. We were even able to watch the water show from our balcony. We certainly appreciated the onboard credits which you supplied to us also. That was like an early Christmas present. Once again, thank you so much for taking such good care of all of us.â¤ï¸â¤ï¸ï¸ðŸ‘
Pat
Cheryl,
Victoria & I are back home from our trip. Overall, we both had a great time and agreed it is one of the best vacation experiences we’ve ever had. Highlights included:
· Oceania experience – generally excellent. Beautiful ship. Extremely good service. The best dining we’ve ever had on a cruise. Our Vista Suite was fabulous. Our butler was personable, cheerful & always accommodating. The excursions through the cruise line were good too, with one exception they were better than we expected.
· Driver in Rome – both the driver & the guide for our Vatican tour were outstanding. Made the day a real highlight.
· Arrangements & transfers – went pretty well throughout (which helped my stress level a lot)
Although minor in the scheme of things, there were a few aspects of the trip that were less satisfying to disappointing.
· Internet service on the ship – Poor, sporadic, & although it works on all of your devices, only one person can be logged in on one device at any time. In other words, Victoria and I could never be connected at the same time. We heard from other passengers & crew that the internet service is a big source of irritation.
· Entertainment on the ship – Definitely not a “party shipâ€, the lounges & casinos were pretty empty most of the time; ½ the slot machines in the casino didn’t work
· Residenza de Ripetta – lovely common areas & cordial staff. Our room was disappointing. One or two of the wall sockets did not work. The walls were stained & carpets had spots and ground in dirt. Victoria wore slippers she got on board the ship to keep her feet from touching the carpet & she wanted to throw the slippers away because they had touched the carpet. (Note: We would have complained or asked for another room, but we literally dropped off our bags between stops on our tour so didn’t notice much then. After our tour we both were exhausted & passed out as soon as we got back to our room. It was only after we woke up that the room was not so good.)
There you have it. We appreciate all of your help & guidance. We would definitely do an Oceania cruise again & would recommend Driver in Rome very highly.
Sure we’ll be back to you again when we plan our next get away.
Best regards,
Ira
Thanks Cheryl. I hope you are doing well and getting some rest. I keep thinking back on Mongolia and how perfect it was. Only bad part was I'm finally getting over Bronchitis I got that started from a cold at the end of the trip. Our tour guide was sick so I don't know if it was from him and or the plane home. Oh well. Thanks for finding the tour.
We drove through the desert where there weren't roads. Slept in Gers. First night was freezing and miserable but great food. After that they kept the fires lit often enough and temperatures were warmer plus we had warmer blankets so it was good.
Most memorable was eating lunch with a nomad couple at their Ger They had only met one other westerner and gave us an ankle bone of a sheep. Knuckle bones from some animal and a statue off their alter. We shared eating bowls and utensils. They asked about Trump. It was a great experience. To find them we drove out in the middle of the desert. Then asked directions at another Ger. I have no idea how we located them.
Thanks again. I'd really recommend the tour company. Two days before the end of the trip when I asked about leaving for 0800 flights it turned out we couldn't stay in the Ger and find our way out of the desert. They rearranged the last two days to bring us back to the city the last night and took us out for a special dinner. That was better anyway because we had a warm room and warm showers before flying out. I'd recommend the last night he in a hotel always.
Sent from my iPhone
Thanks Cheryl! Just flying home now from Chicago...fabulous trip and you made it that way!! I did make the two tours but couldn't get email or text out to you...last few days had difficulty finding any wifi.
Thanks again!
Val
Sharon and Cheryl, just a quick run down on our trip. I can't say enough good things about Tauk Cruise lines. I love that it is all inclusive.
The trip was a wonderful and delightful experience. I loved every moment. Tauk is pricey, but worth every penny. We toured a Habsburg Castle in Prague, then the residing "Princess" gave us a fascinating talk on the history of the castle and how her husband was notified that all their Castles, lands and estate would be returned to them. She was a Boston girl and met the Prince in college. The family had immigrated there and lost all their rights and properties until the 90's when the courts gave them back. Once they had them, the job to restore and maintain them, took over their lives. Millions of dollars had to be raised and then the overseeing of the restoration was overwhelming. Fascinating stuff. This talk was then followed by an elegant dinner at the Castle. A memorable evening. We were also treated to a dinner at the Castle in Vienna along with Opera Singers, Ballet and Classical music. A trip to the Opera house with another treat of an Opera performance for Tauk guests only. When we hit Budapest, they put us up at the Four Seasons, which was probably one of the nicest hotels we ever stayed in. Every stop in between was filled with history and beauty. I can't say enough about the company as they pay attention to even the smallest details making guest really feel special. I will look forward to another trip with Tauk. If not, at least I have the memories from this trip.
Hugs,
Ellen
We had an absolutely fabulous, but strenuous, trip to Alaska. I’d recommend the trip to anyone, Alaska is a stunning place. We rode on planes, trains, ATVS, steamboats, buses, everything But a car for 2 weeks. Matt generously shared the cold he caught, with us too.
Since I got home on Tuesday, I’ve only been out for groceries once, otherwise laying low and recuperating. Did manage to vacuum up the drifts of cat hair, do the laundry, pay the bills and hug the cats.. Had a credit card hacked, just the thing you need thousands of miles from home, but it was a coincidence, had nothing to do with the trip.
So I’m tucked in, watching the rain of a tropical storm and the tennis matches. Life is good.
Donna
We made it home o.k., and it was a truly amazing 'journey'..... The cabin, was great, they have a different idea of 'suite'.... than we did, but all was well, until the first morning at sea, it was rehearsal time, so we realized why the 'placement'.... was not going to be quiet. We spoke to the 'hotel mgr. who had no alternative cabins, until the break between cruises, when we moved into another cabin, same category, but smaller, and no tub, (SOB :( ...) Anyway we took #104, which worked out fine. The new cabin was little more "worn out"... but he gave us each $200.00 OBC for our inconvenience. Ship is beautiful, and food was superior to any I'd experienced.... on any ship, or restaurant, for that matter. Subtle flavors, and seasoning was amazing, as well as presentation.
I will call you today, I'm totally off my personal "clock".... and do my best thinking at......2-3 A.M.!!!!!
Hope all is well with you, I cannot wait to travel again.... talk to you soon.
me, anne
Hi Cheryl,
Dawn and I want to thank you again for working with us to plan an incredible vacation and celebration for Dawn's Birthday next year.
We are blessed the Jim and Rita shared your name and experience with us. You have become so much more than a travel expert to us and for that we are truly thankful. One of highlights of this year for us was coming to Pinehurst meeting you and spending time with you.
Have a wonderful weekend we will look forward to our next conversation !
Your northern friends,
Dawn and Howard
Having a fabulous time. The cruise was great. Can't wait to tell you about it. We are at Denali lodge and we have a suite because of our anniversary. I'm not sure if you told us about that but I think you might have had something to do with it.
Ann & Chuck
Cheryl,
This is probably the BEST cruise we have ever been on in terms of the ship and tours. The food has been absolutely amazing. It has far exceeded our expectations. The Wood's said the same!! The upper cabin w/French balcony is also very nice. That may be our new norm. ??
Sent from my iPhone
Thank you for helping us achieve the trip of a lifetime. We had such an experience seeing more of the real Alaska.
Love the cabins with food provided.
Especially fell in love with Fox Island.
There was lots of clouds and some rain but it was still a wonderful, insightful trip.
Gail & Neil
ello Cheryl,
I had not forgotten to contact you about the trip to Alaska. It was a great trip and we really did see a lot of wildlife (which made Neil very happy)
We had quite a bit of cloudy days and rain but it did not stop our plans. We quickly learned to keep our sunglasses and poncho handy!
Actually I believe we saw more animals due to the cloudy weather.
The only activity we did not get to do was the air taxi over Denali. The company called us that morning to say it was too rough and visibility would be zero. Bummer because we got up at 6 am and were trying to think positive for this adventure. :-)
If you have some time next week, we would love to meet you wherever you might choose.
Thanks for helping us with a great trip.
Gail & Neil
Greetings from London!
We stayed a couple days, home Friday.
Cruise was fantastic!!!!! Thanks for the complimentary dining at one of the specialty restaurants!
Ed and Liz
Hi Cheryl, The trip was fantastic! We totally had a blast!!!!!! Best vacation ever!! Bermuda was soo beautiful!!! WE had outstanding service on the ship except for a couple minor things. Thinking seriously about doing an all inclusive land vacation there for next year. Let me know what's available on that line. Thanks, Debra
Hi Cheryl,
Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I had a wonderful time on the cruise with my kids. The grandchildren were surprised to see me! Weather was perfect and everything went very smoothly.
One thing Royal Carib. Offered this time which I was very pleased with. It was called luggage valet; I paid $20 and they printed my boarding passes for Southwest, transferred my luggage from outside my room to Raleigh. I did have go through customs, but did not have to worry about my luggage or checking it at the airport, etc. Just went right to security at the airport. I was very pleased with that, sure saved a lot of hassle. I did not know if you knew about this feature or not.
Thanks for all you have done for me and look forward to going somewhere soon!
SO
Good morning, Cheryl,
Avalon River Cruise Line is the way to go! Someone asked me last week what we liked least and most...could not think of a negative—only positives. Our room was just wonderful with plenty of room and the bathroom...we could not believe how attractive it was! Loved looking out our French balcony...certainly will recommend Avalon to others. Motels, lovely!
The itinerary was also good. So many lovely places and so much history—our guides—terrific! Not one was unacceptable and oh, so patient with passengers.
Food—very good—from breakfast to dinner...and Mark, our cruise director...very professional and had all details under control.
Thank you, Cheryl, for all your hard work. YOU are the best.
Betty
Martha and I had a great time. We enjoyed the tours that were set up for us and the ones we chose. There beautiful sights and learning the history of the islands was impressive. Observing the lava beaches helped me to appreciate the Carolina beaches that much more. We enjoyed the trip. Our next bucket list is to see Alaska. Thank you for setting this adventure for us..
Jim and Martha
Hi Cheryl,
We are home from Hawaii. We have unpacked and are getting back on right time schedule.
It was a very good trip. We had nice weather and our flights and tour activities. were right on schedule. We only had a few light showers that did not interfere with any events. We made our circle of the 4 islands and we saw and did a lot of things on each island.
This tour is a good way to visit the 4 major islands on one trip. There were a few hic-cups as there are with any extended trip but overall we had a good time. We provided our feedback and suggestions on the survey form.
Thanks for all your help in putting our trip together.
Thanks,
Jim and Pat
Food was delicious! Had breakfast in the Windjammer each morning ... and lunch a few times but it was too much food so most days I just got a hot dog or bratwurst at the Hot dog stand on Boardwalk. Then dinner in the main dining room .. it was awesome and our waiter was wonderful. Thursday night was second formal night and they gave us lobster tails (our waiter came back & put another lobster tail on each of our plates so I ate 2 that night)
I think I managed to see most of the shows .. that's one of the fun parts to me -- they were all great. An ice skating show, several different entertainers, the aqua show, CATS, and Come fly with Me. And movies a couple nights on the big screens at the Aqua theater on Boardwalk. Went to Dazzles a few night to listen to the band and have drinks .. although no one in our group wanted to dance ...
Loved the snorkeling at St Maarten. And loved loved the shopping on the islands .. bought a beautiful tanzanite & diamond ring at Diamonds International on St Maarten ... dropped it off the next morning at St Kitts to be sized and ended up buying the necklace to match when I went back to pick it up. Added the island Pandora charms to my bracelet at each port!
Several folks were extending their trip and going out Saturday afternoon for the Western Caribbean cruise ... if I was retired -- I would have gone along too!
Hugs sherri
Everything was perfect Cheryl. As you know we had very low expectations. But it really did exceed what we expected. The ship was beautiful. The wait staff was very slow no matter where you ate.
The entertainment was probably the best we've ever had.
The excursion you arranged was perfect. We had no trouble find our meeting location.
Thanks so much for everything Cheryl. Once again another fab trip.
Hugs,
Sharon
Hi Cheryl - we had a wonderful time. Met a couple that were on the Equinox with us last year. They are signed up on the same cruise next year on the Eclipse. We really like Celebrity cruise lines. Food is great and staff are so helpful.
Hope all is well with you and thank you again for all your help. Dot and Ed.
Hi! to All,
Our small-ship cruise to Panama and Costa Rica was wonderful! This was my first time being on a small ship other than the 38' sail boats that we rented in the British Virgin Island during the 1980s. Our seas were pretty calm, on only two occasions did we have a bit of rocking. The tour directors, Tim and Elise Lentz, were the best we have experienced. Their attention to detail coupled with their high energy and enthusiasm made every occasion special.
We saw the Panama Canal up close from the land side and then we did a full transit through the canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It took us nearly six hour to transit, including the time we spent "in line" to make passage. There were many amazing details related to the expansion project which we witnessed. The small book that we purchased gives the history of the canal, including the new expansion project which is nearly complete.
The ship's staff was great! Everyone worked as a team, for example the pianist also helped get people aboard the zodiac boats for shore excursions as well as helping load equipment and supplies needed for a beach picnic on a pristine tropical island where there were both swimming and snorkeling opportunities. There were four naturalists on board who gave lectures and were present on shore excursions to answer questions and point out animals and plants, in addition to helping people in transfers from the ship. An evening program by staff reveal a good bit of musical talent, as well.
We visited Panama's San Blas Islands as well as the Darien Province where we had the opportunity to interact with the native peoples, see their way of life and share in activities and dances with them.
Dale quickly made an appointment to visit the bridge and became a regular guest. This was a relatively large ship for the number of passengers (74 with a crew of 68). He even secured permission to visit he engine room which is an "off limits" destination without a special appointment! Most of the crew is from the Philippines and according to the receptionist, "We are like family."
We now know why a tropical rain forest is called a rain forest! We spent one afternoon seeing the La Paz Waterfall Gardens while the rain was falling heavily! The butterflies and humming birds were amazing! In San Jose we had a big flock green parrots spending the night in the palm trees just outside the hotel windows. We were amazed by the many skyscrapers in Panama City. One of the guides told us that there are another 18 on the drawing board, but not under construction yet.
We ate much too well so we will be paying the price as we embark on a life with "diet food" consisting of vegetables, lean meats, lettuce and water.
Dale and JoAnn
Oh yea...I think you could say it was a big success:
We are at the airport in San Jose at 5:30 am. Whee !
Cathy, Judy and Sue say hi and a big thank you!
We had no hitches to speak of and the most delightful guide ever.
Will send pics later.
Hugs,
Sandy et al
Cheryl Ann,
A summation of the trip can be said in one word; terrific!
The one contributing item which made it a terrific trip was the competency of the tour directors. Tim and Elise Lentz far exceeded the leadership of the directors which we experienced with Uniworld. JoAnn and I plan to keep track of the Lentz's, and hopefully meet-up with them again.
The food was between "good" and "excellent", and was probably not as fancy as Uniworld. But, we had as much as we could eat, and the wine and drinks kept coming.
Tauck leased the boat, and we discovered it had just been sold to a tour group. At first blush I was overwhelmed with the size of the vessel, but the more I became familiar with the design, I noticed many faults. It basically was not very "customer friendly" as there were no readily-accessible forward deck areas, the space for evening dining was not very cheerful, and the space for breakfast and lunch did not provide good visibility. The boat is going into dry-dock this summer for a much-needed facelift, but it still won't be conducive to visitors who want good visibility and a positive atmosphere.
The crew was "good", but weren't as personable as Uniworld. However, I became a familiar face to the Captain and first officer and other officers, and spent much time in the bridge and also had an opportunity to visit the engine room.
We began transiting the canal at 3:00 PM and left the East Locks just as the daylight faded. I roamed around during the entire transit, and participated in a "toast" as we exited the west locks during the early hours the following day.
Panama City was very impressive with all the new buildings (has some similar
characteristics to Seoul), but San Jose needs some work.
We met many good people with similar interests, and we've already exchanged some pictures.
Tauck lived up to it's word; it was a classy trip, and we'd do it again!
I also learned two neat phrases; "If you don't fly first class, your kids will", and this was a SKI trip ("spending kids inheritance").
Ireland and Scotland are on the far horizon (perhaps 2017), but much will depend upon the election, the economy. and the terrorists.
Best regards,
Dale
WE had a Wonderful time!!!!!Thank you sooo much for all your help!
I've already shared your name, and bragged about what a good job you did for us, messaged you a picture, Dana
Well, my dear, it was wonderful! I had the time of my life. Thank you for finding the perfect tour for me. I'm exhausted, but so happy. I guess you'd like a critique, so here we go.
The hotel was spectacular, the service, the food, the ambiance.
The bus was very comfortable and I was accommodated in the front seat. The driver was always smiling and our tour director so helpful.
The sites were more than expected. I loved them all.
The parade was breathtaking with excellent seats.
It's a very busy tour. I wouldn't recommend it for those with physical issues. We visited many places every day, which made for being pretty tired at night.
It was pretty much 95% couples. There were only 2 other single ladies, who I hooked up with and we enjoyed each others company. The couples were very friendly and I had fun experiences with them also.
Until my next adventure!
Cheryl:
Thank you so much for arranging our family trip on the Disney cruise to
Nassau. It was really quite good and the arrangements were highly
satisfactory. You did an excellent job.
Atlantis, which was my selection, was probably the least satisfactory part
of the trip but it was still quite good. To crowded and complex for our
grandchildren. The Disney private island was superb - the high point of the
trip.
Also, the upgraded restaurants for the adults were an excellent value,
particularly the French one. Because there were seven of us, we were the
largest group and were placed in the private dining room with two highly
trained servers. A wonderful experience.
Check in and check out, all these things went well. The room was the best
cruise ship design that I have experienced. Much better design and spacious
than most, the bathroom configuration was a marvelous plus.
On the negative, I felt the ship was too big and too crowded and somebody
was barking at you all the time trying to sell something or holding their
hand out for a tip. Food was good, service was good.
Also, the arrangements in Cocoa Beach were good. Marriott was satisfactory
to excellent. The two bedroom suites were superb.
Kennedy Space Center was another high light- big complex, takes a full day.
You even get a simulated rocket blastoff into space with all the noise and
shaking! It seemed appropriate since we had all just seen Star Wars on the
boat.
Thank you so much and a happy new year to you.
Cheryl,
Just had to tell you that we had soooooo much fun on our Atlantis trip. As I told you, it would not have been something that Randy would have planned, but once there he had a blast. We went down all the big slides. I went down once each, screaming in terror, with eyes shut all the way down, while he went down repeatedly just like a little kid.
I am also glad we signed up for the deep water Dolphin swim. It was very interesting and the Dolphins were just amazing, playful and a delight to be around. Randy was grinning from ear to ear. We are both glad we did it while we still could. Even so, I think we were to oldest people to go down those slides and don't know if I could repeat it in another year or two! So thank you once again for helping make a home run for Randy's birthday!
Ellen
Cheryl,
Wrapping up our stay at Atlantis, the slides were fantastic and Swimming with the Dolphins was a unique thrill.
Thanks for helping Ellen put it together and double thanks for the Fodor Bahamas.
Now the countdown begins for the "big" trip in December. s/f R
Cheryl,
It was awesome, everything was great. Food, drink and people were so very nice
Hugh thing of balloons in our room
First day
Second day two layer cake with fresh whip cream and
On the third day another same cake
All was great
We will be going back
Thanks so much for everything
We want to thank you Cheryl. It was a very nice presentation. Even though we are familiar with AMA we really enjoyed hearing and seeing Kathy's presentation. The food was delicious.
What a nice job. Thank you for inviting us. There is a reason you have an excellent rating "you are the best". 😘
Good morning,
Thank you for such a nice and informative evening. I felt it was Christmas leaving with the gorgeous scarf and all the brochures and booklets. Speaking with the other travelers regarding their trips, was a real bonus.
It is a pleasure dealing with an agent who is professional and makes every effort to make all your trips an experience of a lifetime. Your attention to detail does not go unnoticed and I truly appreciate all your efforts.
Thanks again for everything,
Carolyn
Cheryl,
Sorry it has taken so long to email after our arrival one. Had a bad cold at end of cruise and long, unhealthy plane ride home just did me in. Just getting back on my feet.
Our trip was great. Loved St. Pancreas hotel. Not all marriott's do, but they gave complimentary full English breakfast to gold members which really helped and in the early evening gave a complimentary glass of beer or wine. We took the 11/2 hour tour which was very interesting.
Room accommodations were excellent.
Our plane over was 2 or so hours late. Car services keep track, and we actually had to wait for them. We had called them also.
Small mix up with car to port. We waited in lobby as they had said but driver was waiting by entrance of train station. We started out about 40 minutes late, but had no trouble with time and ship.
Oceania was great. Bedding, service ,cleanliness all good !
Food was great. Had never been on the Marina and we found we liked the size of the ship. Passengers felt Oceania is about the best.
Thanks again for planning our British Isles trip!
Alice
We had a fabulous time. Everything was perfect, even the weather. Thanks for the on-board credit for both rooms. Our rooms were great, very convenient. If there was any negative for Wayne and I, it was the number of people on the ship (over 4000). We're old farts remember!! The kids all loved it.
Thanks again
Gay
Hi Cheryl,
The Banks Mansion Hotel was wonderful. They were so accommodating. The breakfast, wine and cheese bar in the afternoon and the central location was perfect. The rooms were very comfortable.
What a surprise we had upon our arrival!!! A delicious bottle of chilled Resiling wine, complements of our wonderful travel agent. 😘 That was so nice Cheryl. We took it to the lounge and enjoyed it with Paige and Jim's mom. It was so good we ordered another one! 😊
Everything has been perfect so far - anther job well done Cheryl. You are the best. Thanks so much. We will see you when we get home. 😊
Hugs
Sharon
Cheryl,
We arrived home late last night, slept late this morning, and are now washing mounds of laundry.
We enjoyed LA, seeing the sights and watching EVERYONE taking selfie photos.
The cruise was fine--not as nice as Holland America or Royal Caribbean. But the service was good, and we enjoyed the people who shared our dinner table.
We loved San Diego--great weather, much to do, good restaurants everywhere. And Paul reconnected with a college buddy who took us to his favorite places and was a wonderful host. We already are talking about a return trip.
Thank you for everything.
Hi Cheryl, Returned home late yesterday. Wanted to let you know that all went well. all fights were on time, the hotel in Amsterdam was just what I wanted. Loved the city. Did many of the cool tourist things -- esp appreciated the Rijk. Especially I want you to know that the tour of the national parks in Tanzania was the best. Please add this fellow to your list of contacts. Joseph is an excellent guide. He knows all the roads (paths) throughout the parks. He has an unusually good eye for photography which is demonstrated by his ability to drive forward 18 inches or back up 2 feet to get the perfect photo. His manners are without question. the accommodations at the Serena Lodges were above average. Individual rooms were actually well sized and appointed bungelows. All staff is very service oriented. Thanks for you your help. The trip was a great success. with gratitude. jeanne- Jeanne H.
Cheryl Ann,
Yes, Uniworld is a great cruise line, and we'd probably go with them again. Thank
goodness, the meal servings (size) were noticeably cut-back on this cruise (which we complimented to the Executive Chef at several occasions), and the food and spirit selections were very satisfactory. But, you still have to watch yourself and consciously monitor your intake!
We really liked the on-shore tours. They were well planned, and were appropriately
chosen for the general interest of the group.
However, you can't beat personal excursions! On the onset, we found Bucharest of
particular interest by our own investigations; the Symphony Hall (which Dale talked this way into a private tour), a contemporary art museum (where we met a very interesting docent who gave us an insight into some Bucharest action including two terrific night spots where we enjoyed local food and local patrons), and a chance meeting with an art restorer at an historic small church where we were given two organ CD's.
The overall river cruise was very good, and the local entertainment (brought on-board) was truly outstanding. This was a "memorable experience".
Some of the scheduled stops were a disappoint because of the limited available time
allotted.
Dale took several bike trips (I don't ride), and he really enjoyed the 18+ mile bike ride along the Danube (going parallel to the boat) into Passau.
Uniworld's activity in Nuremburg was "OK", but was marred by a previous rock concert, which left the grounds around the WWII Museum in a real mess. However, Dale has previously been in Nuremburg on several occasions on business, and he speaks highly of the city.
A highlight was our personal time in Prague. A "Beer Tour" on Thursday night placed us in contact with younger individuals who quickly overlooked our age! We had a blast and lots of beer!
Friday contained a great personal tour to Kutna Hora followed by a Vivaldi Chamber
Orchestra concert in the Municipal Hall , and a then a dedicated Mozart concert at the Mirror Chapel.
Saturday was a city walking tour, a classical chamber musical group at the Prague Castle, and a Jazz Diner Cruise on the River Vltava.
We attended church service Sunday morning, a tour of the Jewish area, and then followed by "very choice seats" and the National Theater for the opera presentation of "The Bartered Bride".
We also did find time for local food and fun!
Looking forward to hearing about the Panama Cruise.
Best regards,
JoAnn
Hi, Cheryl,
We had a great trip and my parents were fairly well behaved too - well, at least my mom was :) Kenai lodge and that area was my favorite spot, really beautiful and great lodge. Cruise was fun, as always, with new types of scenery instead of warmer climates.
Thank you very much for the dinner at the Crown Grill! That was very thoughtful and generous, and we had delicious steaks and seafood! A nice surprise indeed!
Laura and I put a future cruise deposit down, so will let you know when we are ready to go again!
Thx again,
Kellie and all of us
Cheryl, just to let you know we had a great time in Europe. The cruise was great, and the weather was also perfect. Paris was OK, but Prague was great. Thanks for all your help. Look forward to next time.
Dear Cheryl,
I just want to let you know that our cruise and land tour was great. Everything went very smoothly, no problems or delays. We had perfect weather, sunny and warm, and just a little drizzle one morning.
Thank you for arranging everything for us and hope to be using you again sometime in the near future. I sure will recommend you to anyone who needs help with their travels.
Sally Olson
Hi, Cheryl,
I just wanted to thank you specifically for the $50 credit I won at the planning meeting. I was shopping around for something, and behold, I found my favorite fragrance that I had run out of recently. It is Vera Wang Princess. The regular price is $98, but it was on sale for $49! Is that serendipity or what??!!
I had already bought an infinity scarf, two tees, and a jacket. Also sunglasses because I had left mine home, and a sunglasses case from Panana. (That's okay because I've been to Panama. :)
Muriel and I were glad we had pre-booked the trolley excursion (one hour) and the homes and hideaways, especially the latter. It was a good two hours, and our pilot actually sang a couple of Bermuda songs.
I saw two excellent movies while Muriel enjoyed pool time. We both enjoyed our veranda a lot.
The food was very good. I had the best escargots I ever ate! Everybody loved the breads and now we want it at Penick.
Please forward this to Sharyne. I don't have her email address.
Roberta
"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future." ----- FDR
Hi Cheryl,
Just a quick e-mail to thank you again for all of your help planning our Disney vacation. We rarely vacation, so this was a huge treat for us. Liam was an absolute trooper. No stroller required and he loved all of the rides, including the Tower of Terror. Terry’s Fitbit said we walked almost 30 miles between Sunday and Friday, which helped offset all of the delicious food we ate. The weather was perfect and the crowds were tolerable. I don’t think we could’ve asked for more! Thanks again for everything!
Greg
The entire trip was wonderful. All of our tours were great and of course we did a lot of shopping.They had a lot of special events for elite and above-a wine testing seminar, a backstage tour, and an elegant high tea. I made a lot of new friends including a lady who lives in Hilton Head Island who invited me to visit her when I go next winter.
Almost everyone complained about the slow service in the dining room. It seems like they eliminated a lot of the assistant waiters. Our waiter did everything. Since Janet R is now going I hope we can get my time dining sometime after 7:00.
Thanks again for all your help. We had such a great time.
Janet
It was a really good trip. The Sheraton was just fine and had a $10 shuttle to the port so that worry (with the music festival ) was a non-issue.
Celebrity was amazing...we really loved the Reflection. The 1-2-3 Go package rocks! Met lots of nice people, ate too much good food...you know the routine...haha. I did go to Tulum and am glad I did, though I was so tired that night, I went to sleep around 8 and slept until 8:30 next morning!
Emma enjoyed everything, although she is limited in what she can do. I got her on a trolley tour around Grand Cayman, the shoreline cruise around Labadee, and the Everglades Tour in Miami.
She liked all of those. In Jamaica, I did the Dolphin Touch and the Falls...didn't climb it but walked down and back up lol. Another tired me in the evening.
Thanks again for your assistance with the trip! Great fun.
Sandy
The price reduction on our Disney trip was a wonderful surprise! I can’t thank you enough for all of your help throughout this process. You’ve been awesome!
Cheryl,
Yes the weather did not cooperate, but my parents survived the riggers of travel so it was a success. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and of the service. The steamboat is quite unique. It has more the feel of a small ocean going cruise ship than an European river cruise boat.
Thank you,
Carl
Cheryl, the cruise was wonderful. The first two days we had rain, but the last two days, lots of sun and fun. We still had fun in the rain at Princess Cays. A bunch of us went to the beach and went swimming in the rain. The party on Friday afternoon was wonderful and my Aunt really enjoyed it. Thanks again for all of your assistance with this special trip.
George
Thanks. This was an exceptional adventure. We could not have planned for better weather, better director, and driver. We enjoyed every minute. Thanks for arranging this trip. I would recommend this outing to all.
Thanks, Jim
Hi Cheryl,
Thanks for the welcome home.
We had a great trip. The weather was good for the whole trip and
everything went as scheduled. Globus is an excellent tour company. Our
guide and driver did their jobs in a courteous and professional
manner. The itinerary was well planned and had many highlights.
We were well pleased with our tour and would highly recommend it to
other travelers.
Anyone who takes the trip should be sure to take the optional float
trip on the Snake River in Jackson Hole. There are some spectacular
views of the Great Teton mountains.
Overall an excellent travel experience.
Thanks for your work in putting this trip together for us,
Jim D
Dear Cheryl,
Well, where to begin. It was truly the trip of a lifetime. Anne and I had a wonderful time, I'm home and hungover today. So, here are my observations and recommendations:
US Airlines - One star. Philadelphia to Athens flight, sat on tarmac 1 and 1/2 hours with no A/C - 90 degrees with no air exchange. 330 passengers getting sick. Arrived Fort Myers airport last night - no luggage. They put it on the wrong plane in Philadelphia.
Athens:
Royal Olympic Hotel - recommend this hotel to all your clients - definitely a 5 star hotel. Perfect location, great staff. We had dinner at their roof-top restaurant, which was one of the highlights of our trip.
The Plaka was a true Greek experience with little cafes in which to grab a snack, shopping in tiny little shops. The Acropolis was a mountain climbing experience - I didn't make it to the top, but Anne did. Terribly hot - in the 90's.
We enjoyed the Greek people so much.
Santorini:
Santorin, for me, was the trips biggest disappointment. It seemed like a Mexican border town - crowded, hot, terrible roads. The picture-perfect white buildings and blue roofs were few. We were glad we chose Perissa, away from the crowed of Thira and Oia. We loved the Ireigenia Hotel on Perissa Beach. It was a small boutique hotel run by a delightful couple. The beach was hot black sand.
Steer your clients away from the cheap boat trips - overcrowded, HOT, little sun cover. Spend a little more for a tour with fewer people. We rented a car and what an experience. The roads are terrifying, winding, dark, unmarked with quad cycles and scooters popping out of everywhere. We drove all over the island and saw
> some beautiful sunsets and had great food. The capital of Thira should be avoided, if possible.....thousands of tourists, no place to park, tiny, winding streets are up hill. The Greek people outside of Thira are delightful, engaging and friendly. The highlight of Santorini was the last night when we drove to Pyrgos. Anne wanted to climb to the top of a series of blue-roofed buildings built on the side of the mountain. I wasn't so sure I could make it, but by taking our time, we found the El-Franco Restaurant at the top. There were STEEP stone steps to navigate to get to the tables, which waiters had to help me up. One said, "you're very brave,
madam." It overlooked the the entire island at sunset and was just magical.
Rome:
We loved Rome - it's a visual overload. Taxi from the airport to the Victoria Hotel was 50 Euros ($65) The hotel was just OK. They spent the $$ on the lobby and cosmetic exterior - the room was dark and functional - shortage of hot water. Staff was not so helpful. It's located a bit off Rome Centre, but close to Via Veneta - where all the high-end stores are. Great restaurants close by. The
breakfast, which was included, was excellent. Steer your clients away from any of the hop-on, hop-off buses - terrible, no signage, rude, overcrowded, no AC. We bought a Vatican pkg with them to "skip the line." What a joke - they let us off at least a mile away from the entrance and we walked uphill in the heat. The Trevi
Fountain is closed for renovations - completely covered with scaffolding and no water in it - a disappointment. The crowds in Rome were overwhelming.
Observations:
People my age should not attempt to do what I did. There were no travelers my age who were not on tours. I pretty much kept up with Anne and she was wonderful help, but all the walking was tiring. After 60, seniors should take tour packages and cruises.
The Greeks and Italians are friendly if you get away from the tourist traps. When we walked around and found out-of-the way places, it was beautiful.
Teen-agers should be banned from travel.
I'm so happy I took my bucket list trip. I'll re-live it over and over with my pictures. Thank you dear Cheryl for your help. I surely recommend you to all my friends.
Pat
Thanks Cheryl for the Dubai/UAE trip.
Well done.
Thanks so much for all your attention to detail and all your emails and messages and all of that.
Feel really good about these upcoming trips.
I think I will visit 18 countries between now and next Oct, so waaaay ahead of schedule due to these unexpected opportunities.
Thanks lots
Love ya
Jennie
Cheryl
Thanks for all you do. The trip was wonderful. We arrived home last evening. Everything you did was perfect. By the way, loved the Brussels Air flight to Dulles. Wonderful!
Ed
Hi Cheryl
It was great - thanks! We loved the restuarants, walking around, Ft Sumtner, carriage ride, ghost tour, aquarium, plantations - was a great weekend thanks! Hotel was nice - clean no issues - a bit further from the action than i would have preffered but - we walked further and got even more exercise. I highly recommend - Husk, Virginia's on King (breakfast amazing and cheap), Hall's chop house, and Circa 1886 - fantastic food city!
Michelle & Dennis
Hi!
We had a great time.
The weather was beautiful but not as hot as we expected, the room was good (much smaller than last year's Rotterdam ship but we enjoyed). All the Excursions we took were good.
We took Amtrack instead of driving..... researced a hotel, transfer to hotel and ship...etc,
We had a taxi($20)to Marriot hotel and hotel had transfer to ship, it turned out great.
We got a package before we left but changed our minds at the last minute which made us busy.
It is a beautiful necklace that I like very much, Thank you so much for all you sent.
It was a very enjoyable cruise.
Thank you so much.
Seungok & Leo
Hi Cheryl, just wanted to say thank you for ALL you did for Dorothy and I. Sorry we had to be so much trouble. Please forgive us for having to call you on Sunday. We had a great time and if ever I need someone to plan a trip you will be #1 on the list. Thanks again.
Barbara O
Dear Cheryl,
You are an angel and excellent at what you do. Thank you so much for taking care of 4 very special ladies in every way!!
Have a beautiful evening ,
Sharon
(Dorothy's daughter)
Cheryl, this hotel was perfect!! Taxi less than $20 and 5-10 min drive to ship. Worked very well for us. I can recommend it. More convenient and no more, probably cheaper, than parking deck plus cheaper hotel further out. Perfect for our needs! Big Fat Thx!!!!!
- Shirley H.
We had the finest hen party ever!! Thx for all ur good hard work!! Barbara n I will call soon to have a hen party lunch soon. Thx again for helping us all have a wonderful trip!! Blessings, Shirley
Cheryl:
We had a great trip to Florida. The Hyatt in Savannah and the Plantation at
Crystal River were excellent choices. I will describe them to you when we
return. Thank you.
Hi friends
Well, the food on Oceania is the absolute best!
There is almost NO self service. They carry your plate for you in the Terrace Dining Room and serve you in the other restaurants. They get you another glass of OJ and all that sort of stuff. Possibly they waste less food this way – though I am not sure.
Specialty Restaurants need to be booked in advance some evenings – especially those at sea.
Red Ginger – Asian food – best Sea Bass I have ever eaten in my life
Polo Grill – surf and turf, some wonderful concoction of foie gras and mushrooms to go with a perfect filet mignon
Jacques – French and wonderful
Toscana – Italian – grilled garlic with fresh bread,parmesan cheese and olive oil....yummy
Wine package = $40 per person per day. I cannot drink that much wine. So we bought some wines and opened them in the cabin and sat on the balcony and had a glass or so. Cabin attendant brought us in some wine glasses on request. Average for a bottle of wine was about $40 and up plus the %15 I think. Some bars have the two for one from 5-6 for Happy Hour. Average for a glass of wine is $13 – so when butler brings you two drinks each plus some pretzels you can do the math.
Because I was not feeling well, I did not attend many shows. For me the issue was because they started at 9:45 and I am not a night owl. Heard good reviews of the shows and those I saw were good.
Tours were ok – expensive. Vehicles were not well adapted to the crowd many of whom travelled with canes for support and had issues with knees or hips or whatevers. Steps were high and vehicles were small. Once seated in the back of the smaller vehicles on the islands, some slightly oversize folks could literally not get OUT of the vehicle. Tours were not quite as advertised in some cases. One was truly bad. Guide closed the bus door and told us he could not speak English and he was right. It went downhill from there. Most of us wrote out complaints and I give Oceania credit – all guests were given refund credits on the shipboard accounts within 24 hours.
Mid cruise survey comments were responded to in person by senior staff as appropriate.
Oceania does not care if it wastes resources. They put some sort of towel on the floor by the bed to put your feet on every night? Towels are changed at least once and sometimes twice a day. The napkins on the tables are in white and then they ask you if you want a black one. Bathrooms have rolled towels for your hands.
I get some of this....I shudder at the waste of some of this. I wrote my preferences – to not change the sheets except once on the trip. I change my sheets once every two weeks at home and did likewise on the trip. I put it in writing to protect the housekeeping staff. They told me I was the first person in 10 years who had ever done that. Management called me to see if I was serious. My written answer from the was that this was the standard of Oceania. Fine 0 in the countries we were visiting – no one had water in some places unless it was rain water. Why does the cruise ship population get to be so wasteful? Anyway ...this is my deal
Ship beautifully appointed. Smaller dining rooms a bit quieter. Can book a table for two or book a shared table. Fun way to meet new folks and easier to talk around a smaller table. Larger tables in Grand Dining Room have assorted table sizes. Could eat at 6:30 for earliest seating in all restaurants as I recall.
Enjoyed Terrace Grill fro breakfast more than Grand Dining room as we could sit out on the deck to eat.
Walkers will need to walk part on one deck and part on another as one deck area does not go all the way around the ship as on other cruise lines.
Gym looked nice. Not visited by me.
Spa – not too sure about Canyon Ranch deal. Very pricey. Hardly saw anyone in there when I was walking around. Did have two acupuncture treatments due to my sinusitis and he was very helpful. Friend had manicure and polish did not even last two days $45. Repeated upon her request (no charge)and same outcome.
Did use outside jacuzzis – not hot enough for me. Location good.
Library lovely.
Ruth really enjoyed the bingo games and gambling. I do neither of these. Folks got excited about the trivia events.
Bars were very nice. Interesting music venues and performers were quite good.
Professional Lecturer was excellent. I attended all his talks. Especially great as we were entering or leaving a harbour/port.
Tendering program was very efficient. Process to give local maps to folks not efficient. Shuttle services ok in ports where town was a bit distant. Some ports were very primitive and facilities dockside reflected this. Rio was one of these. folks tripped over rebar sticking out of the ground and there were no step stools to get folks on and off busses to get to where you got your luggage.
I would not recommend getting to the ship early at all. Rooms are NOT ready and you need to drag your carry on around with you until after 3. Yes there is free food and all of that. If weather is good, folks were sleeping on chairs in the sun. Others curled up all over the library. Not comfortable at all. Suggest you take a tour of the town you are disembarking from or something instead. I would have eaten lunch in Barcelona or gone to a museum or whatever instead of taking the bus at $89 to the ship at 11:30 AM.
VERY CAREFULLY CHECK THE FREE AIR ON OCEANIA. It is NOT to your convenience or advantage in many cases. We had to be out of the cabin at 8 and off the ship with luggage at 9. Airport had NO chairs, NO shops, NO restaurants and NO bars. US Air counter did not open till 8:55 PM. Before that it was Lufthansa. We are talking the most primitive and worst airport I have ever experienced. Sat on suitcases on the luggage carts for nearly 6 hours. Yes I mean 9 AM until 11:55 PM when the flights depart from that part of the world.
With prior advice, I had booked a cab for the day so we got to see the beaches and ate on Cococabana Beach. Lovely. So we got to the airport at 6. Could have done a Samba show and gotten there at 9 and then at least had had dinner and something to do other than stand in line from 6-9 and then 9-to nearly 12.– there were chairs outside the departure gates but we did not know this about the airport. Security was a bit of a joke and primitive.
So – overall – lovely experience. Hard to go from ship luxury to being dumped in Rio in such an airport without any prior knowledge. How Rio will manage the World Cup and the Olympics will b very interesting as they cannot now manage what they have for tourists.
Carefully check your Itinerary and what sort of port you are visiting. If it is primitive, the local infrastructure will be too and roads will be bad and crime will be up and all of that. Just wise to be prepared.
Wearing jewelry attracted thieves and some ship folks were robbed in the towns. Folks were warned to wear no good stuff. One lady had necklace of small diamonds and something else torn off her neck exiting a church on one of the tours. So be advised. This can happen in any poor country....be wise in what you wear to avoid being robbed. A waist wallet is always a good way to secure money, credit card, ships card and all of that.
Ship personnel were trained to a VERY high level of service and spoke excellent English making it easy for all of us.. I recommend Oceania with the above information and awarenesses.
So – there you are
Thank you - we had a fantastic time - loved the hotel. restaurants were awesome.
weather great, water very blue - excursions were nice - overall two thumbs up.
Michelle and Dennis
You are truly FABULOUS!!!! I must tell you. Since we have retired and living in South Florida, we have been travelling a lot. I am usually a "hands on" type and like to deal with travel consultants person to person. I ask questions and pride myself in never really having a "bad" trip. I have "gone through" about 10 different agents. You must figure, there must be something wrong with me. (Trust me. It's a South Florida thing). At this point I am more than happy to give it up . According to Shelly and your fantastic "communications" with me, I am totally pleased !!!! A "breath of fresh air".
“My friends and I had a fantastic time on our Windstar cruise from Istanbul to Athens. Thanks, Cheryl, for helping us make this a trip of a lifetime! We really appreciate your patience and attention to detail. Windstar is a fabulous cruiseline. The unfurling of the sails complete with goosebumps music as we did sailaway from each port was so special. All of our transfers were perfect, much to the dismay of some of our fellow cruisers who were having to find their own way back to the airport. Kudos to Cruise Planners!â€
- Sandra S.
Thanks Cheryl. Sandy being the more wordy person, will likely not only share wonderful stories but photos as well. I do plan to be in Fayetteville the week of Oct 14th and would like to meet with you at that time. Maybe you, Sandy and I could have lunch. The Wind Star is an excellent experience. Due to the size of the yacht (as they refer to it), if one chooses it is easy to interact with other passengers. I came away with actually a feeling of connectedness with quite a few others on the ship. The islands, towns, villages visited were excellent. It will take me a while to physically recover, but I do so with a smile on my face. What a wonderful way to spend a week and create a life time of memories. thanks for all you did. The entire trip with all connections went smoothly including the lack of rain. with gratitude, jeanne
Woo hoo! We are having a fabulous time...the ship is wonderful. So relaxing. Will send a photo in a minte. Good job, girl friend!
Sandy
Sent from my iPad
It was totally awesome!! Perfect weather and so much fun. Thanks for everything you done for us and we really appreciate it.
James and Angela
Cheryl,
We had a wonderful trip with absolutely beautiful weather. Everything went well. Both of us gained 5 pounds, but it was worth it. Thank you so much for all your work.
Gay
All I can say was what our youngest says when asked what did you do this summer:
"We went on a dream!!!!!"
It was wonderful!
The Alaska trip was just as great as everyone said it would be. We are still on the road for another two weeks. We will call when we get home to tell you all about it. Jim & Rita
Thanks Cheryl! We had a blast! We will definitely cruise again! The girls also loved their trip! It could have been a major disaster if you hadn't helped us so much! So, that being said, THANK YOU!!!! You helped make it the best it could possibly be! We will be in touch! It could very possibly be another cruise for graduation! :-)
Thanks, Cheryl, for helping us plan a wonderful cruise to Alaska! Princess outdid themselves as well. We had execs from another cruise ship come aboard to see why Coral Princess always receives such good reviews about their food and kitchen staff. The whole cruise was just wonderful and we so appreciate your attentiveness with our questions, your promptness in getting back to me, and your patience. Well done, Cruise Planners!- Sandra S.
Thank you Cheryl. You gave us some great options and we really appreciate all your assistance! You are very thorough and respond so quickly, your the best ! Many thanks
Michelle and Dennis
Well, we are just now in the Anchorage airport, so it will be a while...haha. But we did indeed have a wonderful time! Emma just called her sister and was raving about how great it was :)
I plan to put together a Picassa album in a few days, after I have relaxed a bit. I will give you the link as soon as I do that.
Thanks for all your assistance and great advice. Where can I give you kudos that others can see? will be glad to help you win a free cruise..haha!
sandy
- Sandra S.
Fabulous, wonderful, beautiful, God's country. I will tell you about it over lunch. I must of taken 4 or 500 pictures. The boat was surperb, the staff outstanding........I want to GO BACK. Cruising is the way to go!!!!!
Love you....Thanks for all you did. I can mark this one off my bucket list. Sandy was great. I really couldn't ask for a better friend. Love her to death.
Love you
Lolo.....let's go to lunch sometime.
Cheryl,
We had rain in Ft. Lauderdale, intermittent rain the day we set sail, overcast skies on Sunday and rain when we were in St. Thomas. The other days were overcast and quite humid. In short, it was the first week of hurricane season in the Caribbean! But we saw birds and iguanas, and now we know a little about the appeal of the islands. The ship is remarkable, with a skating rink, diving pool, zip line, flow rider, and rock climbing wall. The food was very good, the service was terrific, and the nighttime entertainment was extremely good.
I am glad we had the chance to go, and I want to thank you again for all of your efforts to help us re-book and avoid a large extra expense. We are quite tired, so I will stop now. I will be in touch soon.
Karin
Hi Cheryl...
The trip in one word....FABULOUS! The room was immaculate, the staff was so accommodating and helpful, the food was very good, any of the entertainment that we saw was awesome and the whole ship just sparkled in general. Plus being with Lois for the nine days was even better........you have NO idea how much I care about her and our friendship. I am truly blessed to have her in my life.
Was kind of disappointed about a couple things. From all the brochures and commercials, I really expected more grandeur than was on the ship. Not the ship itself which was beautiful but was looking forward to a last night midnight buffet resplendent with ice carvings and massive displays of elaborately carved fruit and tables on the buffet filled with scattered vanda orchids throughout. You know, the ones people wait in line to take pictures of before opening to actual serving to capture in photos the presentation of the evening. Also the directions about carrying home liquor purchased onboard were very unclear. Asked 6 personnel on the ship about how to handle it and got 6 different answers. Finally told to keep all liquor purchased onboard with me but TSA agents said no go about going through the security checkpoint so checked it. One of the bottles exploded but that was no fault of the cruise lines...........however, had I known earlier, I could have packed it in my valet checked bag prior to it being picked up. Oh, and I don't have that bag. They missed getting it to my flight but United did find that it was on a later flight so are delivering it to me later today.
All in all, could not have asked for a better time and the weather cooperated totally. No rain except one evening and warm temps and sun every day.
Thanks again for putting it all together. Oh, and would I cruise again? YOU BETCHA!!!!!!!!!!
Sincerely,
Sandy
We're back. As you know, we had a great time. The weather was just ok, a couple of days were little cold, a couple days were rain,but the rest of days were so beautiful. Every country we went to was so pretty, and we really enjoyed. The room was good(goodthing we upgraded, thank you) and the food was delicious. Everything was really great.
Thank you so much your hard work.
Seungok
Thanks, Cheryl. We had a fabulous time – the ship is gorgeous and they took great care of us. I miss those breakfast buffets and gourmet dinners . . . but my waistline doesn’t!
Marilyn
Best cruise we've ever been on! I'm telling anyone who is interested! Thank you for all you did to make this trip so spectacular.
BG
Cheryl,
You had a great time. We have been on ten cruises with the large cruise ships and this was by far the BEST cruise we have ever taken. I don't know where to begin --- the food, the accommodations, the staff, the tours and the guides, the wine, the transportation and transfers -- everything was just perfect. It is the first time Jim and I have come back from a cruise and could honestly say we didn't have a single complaint - not even a small one.
Thanks so much Cheryl for all your hard work to make this trip a success. You're the best!!!!
Sharon
Cheryl,
Great Trip! Everyone had a great time. AMA Waterways was superb! Thanks
for all your assistance.
Pete & Marilyn
Cheryl...............It was absolutely WONDERFUL! The Riverboat, crew, food, sights, etc. were awesome, and we had soooo much fun with our friends and neighbors.
Terrific Memories and Talk to you soon.
Kaye
Recharging my body battery today!!!!!!!!
Cheryl,
We had a beautiful swan with rose petals and a Happy Anniversary note on our bed.
This has been the BEST cruise we have ever taken! Thanks for a job well done Cheryl!!!!
Hi Cheryl,
We wanted to tell you our trip has been wonderful so far. Our connections were smooth without problems.
The ship is lovely, the food is excellent and the staff is super. The weather has been on our side so far - no rain. Everyone loved the Segway Tour we took in Budapest.
Karen and Clark had swan towels, rose petals, and a note saying Happy Anniversary on their bed. And last night they brought them a cake at dinner.
We are looking forward to the rest of the trip.
Great job Cheryl, thank you!!!!!Sharon and Jim
Thanks Cheryl, you have been a great cruise planner. I appreciate all that you have done us. I am looking forward to a wonderful week.
Best Regards,
G
Hi Cheryl
Happy new year. Yes all was terrific. Hotels and tours were all great. Will send some pics once I get them all uploaded. Was an amazing trip. Thank you for all your help.
MI
Hi Cheryl,
We had a wonderful time and can't wait to take the kids next time. Thank you soo much for all your help and we will definitely be in touch:)
TM
Thank you so much for the package. We are really looking forward to the trip. You have been terrific to work with. We greatly appreciate your help and patience with all my questions! I look forward to receiving the package from fedex. Again the travel items and book were really thoughtful thank you.
The flights down and back were a little frightening but the stay was wonderful! We recommend staying at the Morning Star Marriott but face the ocean if possible. Be sure to rent a car! I reverted to driving on the right side briefly only once. It also helps to have a copilot in the car and a GPS is a must until you get the lay-of-the-land. Even with the GPS, I still had to have help from a local friend and a cop.
There is an obvious difference in the north side of the island and the south. The roads are much better for one thing and there seems to be more expensive real estate.
We loved visiting Corral World, petting the sharks, feeding the sting rays and the Lorakeets and snorkeling with the fish next door at Cokie Point.
Since everything is imported, everything is expensive but we didn't miss a meal and had absolutely wonderful dishes. Even the veggie burgers at Corral World were good!
Friday and a good amount of Saturday were taken up by family business. I didn't get everything done that I had wanted to but accomplished the most important with the help of a family friend.
Even though I had no data service in St. Thomas to receive your emails about the flights back Monday, your expertise minimizes my stress and allowed us to have some fun on our mini vacation. We'll go again! Thank you for all of your hard work and attention!
We loved every minute. We loved the freestyle concept of NCL. We loved all the ports we went to....Berlin was our favourite but Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Helsinki not to far behind. Made lots of friends.
Cheryl, you went 'above and beyond' helping us get home. It is much appreciated! We actually got home 5 hours earlier than the original schedule (LOL). Liz took about a thousand pictures; many are incredible. It was a "living history" tour of Europe
Thank you again...so much !!
Thanks Cheryl for all your hard work. You are wonderful. By the way you have made such an impression on the group of eight people we made friends with that they wanted your contact info. They travel a lot. So I hope you get some additional customers out of this.Â
We are boarding united 903/lh 9280 in Munich now. Thanks to the best travel agent ever!!!
Cheryl,
We had a FUN trip and GREAT time with Fred and Phyllis and Don and Nancy as had lots of laughs and really enjoyed their company so many thanks for getting us all together for everything!! Jim was lucky one afternoon and won $400 playing bingo and I was only 2 numbers from winning the jackpot on the final day of our cruise which would have been worth $1,750, which would have been nice!! The views were SPECTACULAR but disappointed that we didn't see more wildlife in the Denali National Park but those are such vast lands, that it's not unusual to see more wildlife as know the bears come out when the salmon starts running which would be by now!!!
Many thanks again for everything, Cheryl, as you did a GREAT job for us and we appreciate you taking good care of us!!!
Cheryl, you & Dave did exemplary work organizing our Caribbean Cruise - a well desrved 10! We will never book with any other agent! Congratulations & Thank you so much for a worry free vacation.
Thanks a bunch, Cheryl. We are very excited about our upcoming cruise--especially my grandsons! Again, many thanks for all your help and guidance.
Jo
Cheryl,
The trip was great. We really apperciate all the hard work you put in to this to make it our dream vacation. Brooks and I were so pleased with everything about Disney. The people who worked on the boat were excellent. We really liked Castaway Cay the best. Brooks and I were actually talking on the way home and said that if he and I could ever get some time where we could just go that we would probably go on a Disney cruise ourselves. The service was just out of this world. Thank you again for helping us we really had a great time.
Jenny T
Hi Cheryl,
Thank you so much for delivering the package of information about our trip. This information and the vouchers will make navigating in Denali so much easier for us. I have also received a copy of the trip insurance from Access America. You have been so kind and helpful in guiding us through our vacation plans. I will certainly heartily recommend you and your services to anyone I know who wants to venture forth. I promise we will take you plenty of pictures and have a showing for you and Dave when we both return. It has been a real pleasure working with you on this project.
Most gratefully,
Mary and Prem
Cheryl,
Thank you for being so thorough and in helping Jim & Ann to join us on our Alaska cruisetour. Last evening I took my gift binoculars to the NC Symphony concert and they were wonderful. Undoubtedly, these small and high quality binoculars will be a part of many of the most enjoyable moments of my life hereafter. Thank you for such a useful and thoughtful gift.
Fred Y
Thanks so much Cheryl, you are so efficient and helpful, and it has been a real pleasure working with you!
Kindest Regards,
Ann E
Cheryl,
A long overdue thank you for the lovely cruise you arranged for us. Ron says he will never travel without a balcony again. The only other time we had a balcony was when we went to Alaska and it was half the size of this one. The cabin was wonderful and, to top it off, we enjoyed 30 days of perfect weather from the day we left home until the day we returned.
The ship was a beauty and everything was perfect. Thanks again, and to coin an old phrase, “It was a pleasure doing business with you!â€
Carole B
Dear Cheryl,
Thank you for all of your efforts in arranging our 60th anniversary cruise for our group of 25. Little did either of us know how difficult all this would be! You have done a fantastic job keeping it all straight. I can never thank you enough.
Audrey B
