Past and current clients of Sunstone Tours & Cruises are vocal on
their likes and dislikes. Following are recommendations made by clients on
both their trips and Sunstone Tours & Cruises.
Client Name: Tish
Lindblad Expeditions - Alaska on the Sea Lion (Family Departure)
July 31, 2004
Hi Linda, we had a wonderful trip, it was definitely geared for kids, there
were 30 of them! All ages, so they all had lots of company, from 20 to 4 months. Chris had a group of about 8 his age. We enjoyed the hiking and zodiacs,
Chris was not into the kayaking, so we did not do much of that. The kids leader did a fabulous job of keeping them interested and busy on board. The food was excellent, gained 5 pounds!
If I were doing it again I would plan on a couple of days in Seattle at the end. We had a 5 hour layover at the air port, no fun. It made for a long day. Also i suspect we could have added
Sitka onto our 1st class ticket if we had planned ahead better.
Thanks for your help. You were great to get us aboard on such short notice. Tish
Client Name: Diane
Cruise West Gold Rush Voyage Seattle to Juneau
aboard Spirit of '98
May 2004
Hello Linda. I am sorry it has taken so long for me to reply. Our trip to Alaska was truly wonderful. The exploration leaders, especially Ian, went out of their way to make the trip exciting by pointing out wildlife throughout much of the day. The meals were very enjoyable, and the crew could not have been nicer. The scenery was exceptional every moment of the trip, and we were blessed to have wonderful weather 90% of the time. Thank you for your help in reassuring me and assisting us to make our plans in such a short time. We came very well prepared because of your care. Thanks again, Diane
Diane Mizel
Client Name: J. and K. Commers
Alaska Inside Passage - Cruise West Spirit of
Columbia
May 29, 2004
Linda,
We can't thank you enough for all your help. We were so well prepared and educated before we stepped foot on the ship. The ship was small, cozy and we made friends the first night. Second night everyone knew everyone.
We saw brown bears, black bears, many eagles, whales, moose and so many different birds I can't remember the names. The food was delicious, the crew friendly, professional and informative. The crew all seem to love their job and many were veterans from years of Cruise West explorations.
We overall loved everything about our Alaska experience. I next want to visit Sea of Cortez on Cruise West. I understand we get a discount for a second cruise. You will be hearing from us.
J. and K. Commers
Client Name: Laura
Alaska - Sea Bird - Lindblad Expeditions
June 2004
We didn't know what to expect, we had high expectations at the same time. We were so pleased by everything on this trip. Linda, we can't thank you enough. We called you, we gave you some ideas of what were were looking for in our trip to Alaska. You took it from there. THANK YOU
The Sea Bird was wonderful, intimate, comfortable, just the right size and full of the most interesting fellow passengers. Our cabin 106 was our home away from home for the week.
The crew was knowledgeable and professional and full of enthusiasm. they Chef was very accommodating husbands need for sugarless options. We so appreciated that extra little service they provided to him.
Linda, I have already passed your card onto people in my office who have looked at my pictures. Our next sailing will be Sea of Cortez on Lindblad Expeditions. Thank you again.
Laura Titwole
Dallas, Texas
Client Name: The Morleys and the
McPhersons.
Alaska - Cruise West - Daylight Yacht Tour
July 2004
Hi Linda, we’ve been back a week now and it seems like we’ve never been away! We had a fabulous holiday with everything working smoothly. I must say the boat trip was one of the highlights and we are so pleased we choose to go on a smaller boat as we got to see far more. The weather was fantastic from day one and although it got fairly cold up in the icebergs we got right up into Le Conte Bay with fabulous views of the glacier and even the seals didn’t seem too concerned with us interrupting their peace. The crew was great and very obliging and I think it didn’t hurt that the McPhersons daughter is very attractive! Another highlight was a helicopter ride from Juneau up to the glacier and going dog sledding. Another beautiful day helped, but highly recommends it even though it isn’t cheap. Thanks very much for the smooth sailing your end and we have been giving the trip the thumbs up to all our friends. The Morleys and the
McPhersons.
Client Name: Carol
Alaska - Cruise West - Spirit of Endeavor
June 2004
Linda, Our Alaskan Cruise was wonderful.
I did take advise from a previous e-mail to take lots of film. I
took 13 rolls. The exploration leaders were great. I learned
so much, I wish I could remember everything that I learned. It was
so nice being on a small ship and going places less crowded. I
loved learning about the Alaskan Indian culture. I'm really glad I
had 2 days in Juneau. Another day in Ketchikan might have been
nice. There is nothing that could have made my trip any better.
Sorry it took so long for me to reply. Thank you for all your
help. -Carol
Client Name: Diane
Alaska - Clipper Odyssey
August 2003
The only thing is...we are probably spoiled for ever and will never enjoy taking
one of the large ships again!
Yes our trip was unbelievably great! Thanks for
your help in arranging it. The Denali part was lovely, Crow's Nest
has a beautiful view, and the staff was wonderful, their shuttle service
was fast and on time. The park was breathtaking, we need to go and spend
more time there. And the flyover was literally breathtaking. I'm
glad we did that instead of rafting, it gave us views of McKinley and
the park we couldn't have gotten any other way.
Then came the cruise: even though Tom got the flu
shortly after we left Seward, we can think of nothing negative about the
days on board. Every staff person was great, from the captain to
the housecleaning staff. We were especially impressed with the
knowledge of the expedition staff. And my concerns about being
able to participate in the expeditions were unnecessary. The staff
is so helpful and supportive, I did all the zodiac experiences and
enjoyed them immensely. The only thing is...we are probably
spoiled for ever and will never enjoy taking one of the large ships
again!
This is the first trip we've taken where we
haven't been eager to get home at the end of three weeks! Reality is
setting in however, so we are already thinking about what we will do
next. Please keep us in mind if some good deal comes up!
Aloha, Diana
Client Name: Geoff Sawyer
Linda,
The trip was wonderful Alaska is incredible, indescribable, beyond
words. The SPIRIT OF ENDEAVOUR was great food, staff, fellow
passengers, accommodations. We loved going to the little
villages and talking with the people, all so friendly and interesting.
It was a super trip thank you for making it all possible.
Spirit of Endeavour June 11, 2003
Geoff Sawyer
Client Name: Eileen Turner
Regading my cruise on
Cruise West, Spirit of 98' May 2003
Just a note to tell you that the trip that you
suggested with Cruise West on the "Spirit of 98' was totally
wonderful.
I was able to view lots of wildlife ie bears,
moose, eagles, whales, dolphins, sea lions and seals. Also, lots of
waterfalls and glaciers, birds and otters.
The crew was teriffic and made everyone feel
quite comfortable. The other passengers were interesting and fun.
I enjoyed the ports that we stopped at and the
shore excursions. The only complaint I could offer is that there is too
much good food available at frequent intervals.
I appreciate your good organized planning. Thank
you.
Sincerely
Eileen Turner
Client Name: Lynn
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Louise, Sam, Lynn, and Vic at the Kodiak Post Office.
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Both Louise & I thank you for all you did and
everything worked out fine.
Again, Linda thanks for everything...the trip was
well worth it...very educational both on board and touring...and am glad
you suggested the WE Line.
On Vancouver...
Lynn: Vancouver - wonderful city!!!!
-
Stayed at the Sheraton Wall Centre (on
Burrard Street) Just about midway between Granville Island and
Canada Place. If staying for only one night, would suggest a
hotel closer to Canada Place. Rooms at the Sheraton were wonderful -
floor to ceiling windows with view of water and mountains. Each
room had sitting area.
-
Starlight Dinner Train - 15 minute walk from
Sheraton - $10 per person. Dinner train was enjoyable, good
food, dome car a bit cramped - if guests are large this might be
somewhat uncomfortable. Return bus ride took us back to our
hotel.
-
Took the trolley tour of Vancouver. This
is a once around with as many stops as you want. The
double-decker tour allows for a full circle tour with an
on-again-off-again second day. Had read on AOL travel that the
trolley had better guides. We found this to be somewhat true -
first guide was terrific, others not quite as good.
-
Visited Granville Island (took Aquabus over -
5 minute ride). Walked the Gaslight area, spent time at the
Aquarium and Stanley Park, walked the downtown area, took the ferry
to North Vancouver and then the bus to the Capilano Suspension
Bridge.
-
Found the public transportation in Vancouver
quite good and reasonable.
Louise: No complaints.
-
Remind your customers that when they read the
menus & view prices it is in Canadian dollars which will be
greatly discounted whenever using credit cards, plus putting the
final cost rather reasonable. The Sheraton gave us full value when
converting American $ to Canadian.
Always handy to have a few Canadian Dollars to handle tipping, bus
fares, etc...The Granville Island, Stanley Park, Aquarium, &
Capilano Bridge are excellent takes.
On World Explorer Cruise...
Lynn:
-
Embarking and disembarking went extremely
smoothly.
-
Second seating ideal for us - dinner at 8
p.m. Some of the entertainment was performed prior to dinner
rather than after.
-
Entertainment consisted of two opera singers,
a violinist and pianist, country trio, and cabaret singer. All
were quite good and had good turnouts for their performances.
-
Lecturers were good - History, Biology,
Geology, and Anthropology.
-
Movies offered each afternoon and evening,
followed on the TV the next day. Free popcorn offered at the
movie theatre.
-
Church services offered for interfaith,
Protestant, and Jewish. No priest on board, hence no mass
offered.
-
Food was quite good - good variety,
satisfying portions. Only repeat was "Bananas Foster".
Breakfast was open seating in the dining room or buffet.
Lots of offerings although only one hot cereal each day, one
kind of pancake (no French toast or waffle offered in the dining
room).
-
Cocktails reasonable in price (average $3.95
with drink of the day $2.95); wines prices a bit high (average
$30.00 per bottle).
-
Good deal with laundry - fill a laundry bag
and have it washed and folded for $6.00. One-day turnaround.
-
Our cabin (474) was good size - three
closets. Louise and Sam's (468) smaller but very nice - they
had two portholes and a tub. Upper deck good choice of location -
walk one flight up to Promenade deck for shows, library, computers
etc. or walk down one for dining room.
-
Information provided on each port was good -
both in written form and via lecture. Bus transportation needs
improvement at Kodiak. Cruise Director acknowledged this and
promised that it was being worked on.
-
Native Americans that came on board or who
stayed on board (Wayne Hewson - carving a totem pole for the cruise
line in celebration of their 25th anniversary) were informative.
-
Shore Excursions:
-
Ketchikan: #7 Backcountry Jeep
& Canoe Safari - moderate exercise, lots of fun
despite the cold and rain. Purchased items at the Scanlon
Gallery - work by Barbara Lavallee. Also purchased Ulu
knives which are being sent home. Cruise staff alerts you
that the knives will be taken from you upon boarding the ship
and returned at disembarkation due to safety concerns.
-
Sitka: #2 Historic Russian America
& Alaska Raptor Center - tour did not start off well given
that the tour was held up for 25 minutes because one couple did
not come on time. I complained about this since I felt 32
people suffered because of two. Directions were quite
clear as to where and when to meet. Cruise staff did not
handle this problem well at all. Guide on this tour
(Carolyn MacArthur) was fabulous. Tour is informative and
worthwhile. Had hoped to have a famous milkshake at Lane 7
but they were closed in celebration of their daughter's high
school graduation. Did purchase Russian dolls that were
sent home by mail.
-
Skagway: #9 Glacier Point
Wilderness Safari was probably the highlight for us. Negative
side is that there is not time to see or shop in Skagway. By
the time we returned, most of the shops were closed.
-
Kodiak did not take a tour but did
the walking tour on our own.
-
Metlakatla was our least favorite
port. Really nothing to see.
-
Seward - trip to Anchorage that
you arranged. Would bypass the Marine Center and Exit
Glacier in exchange for the Wild Game Park and Anchorage City
tour. Sam and Louise purchased fur slippers which they had
shipped home.
-
Juneau - did walking tour and took
Mt. Robert's Tramway. Do not plan to eat on top of the
mountain - good food but we had to wait forever (according to
management this is the norm!). Lots of shops but I felt
the prices were higher there than in other ports.
-
Victoria - had afternoon tea at
the Empress Hotel - well worth the price. Took a Grayline
tour to Butchard Gardens
Staff did not pressure anyone to take an
on-shore excursions and were informative and helpful to those who
wanted to tour on their own..
-
Days visiting Glacier Bay, Hubbard Glacier,
and Misty Fjord were wonderful.
-
Computer usage: Ship had lots of
computers but only one play station was available to children under
the age of 16. Using the internet on board was extremely
expensive (75 cents per minute.) Vic used either a town
library for free (Kodiak for example) where we were able to download
our mail onto a floppy for reading later on board ship or he went to
an internet café in a town where the average cost was $6.00 per
hour.
Louise:
-
Our cabin selection was excellent...No
complaints...Ricardo, our cabin steward perfect...even took care of
one of our pieces of luggage that was torn.
-
Concur with Lynn with the synopsis of her
valuations.. The only time the sea was a bit choppy was crossing the
Alaska Gulf to Kodiak and back but it didn't appear to me that
passengers were uncomfortable...patches or mild sedative for those
prone to motion sickness would work.
-
I do NOT suggest those who want to develop
their 35MM film on board ship should do so. I developed 3 rolls,
which came out bluish/greenish, which they claimed was do to the
cloudy conditions...not so to photo developers on land which I
showed my pixs to],. They claim (3/4 times to different Kodax
stores) that this occurs because they did not properly clean their
fluids when processing, typical for 1 hour servicing.
-
HOWEVER, I do recommend those who have
digital camera, use their service to transfer their pixs from the
smart media cards and then burn them on the CD ROMs before leaving.
$2.50 for the Transfer....$10.50 for burning. They will also print
some on the pictures so you can see how you are doing.
-
Port calls were fine except for Metlakatla...which
was new on the list. The cruise line is apparently trying to build
up this port (I believe one of the crew members told me it cost the
Line $25,000 to port...helps their economy)....also that was the
port the Totem Pole Carver (Wayne Hewson) resides.
-
In Juneau, Victor & I stopped in a
lawyers office to admire his interesting collection of toy soldiers
(one of my interests), and without knowing who we were gave me his
complete file of Toy Soldiers to take home...(I mailed it from
Juneau). This little episode reflects how trustworthy &
friendly the people are. I've since communicated with the lawyer.
Speaking of mailing...recommend tourist do this from there...saves
packing and all our mailings have arrived safe & sound.
In conclusion, I feel any of your customers who
plan to go to Alaska are far better off with this educational tour than
the larger luxury liners. Yes, the ship is smaller but more intimate.
Client Name: Sharon
Linda, you had worked up some prices for me last year and you were so
helpful and friendly. I greatly appreciated all that you had done for
me! When we moved here to the Pittsburgh area, we had lost our travel
agent. Finding a new one was just as frustrating as finding new doctors.
But with you I think our looking is over! You remind me a lot of my
"old" travel agent.
Client Name: Carol
Thanks, Linda, for your professionalism and attention to detail. We
loved the information you sent about each of the ports we stopped at on
our Spirit of Alaska Cruise -- for those of us who prefer to explore on
our own, these pages were invaluable.
Client Name: Gayle
I need to stress how very much we all REALLY thank you for everything
you have done for us getting this trip and our cruise ready. You have
been so nice to work with...
Client Name: Lucy
We booked an Alaska cruise with Linda last May. Our sailing is this
July. Linda has been a wealth of information on every aspect of our
first cruise. From port information to tips on being on our first ship.
Even more importantly she has been able to get us a $200 price reduction
AND a two category upgrade. We are very happy with Linda and her
services as our travel agent. Feel free to contact me for any further
information. I look forward to writing again when we return from our
cruise.
Client Name: Sharon
Thank you for all your information. I can't wait for July and my
first cruise to Alaska. Thank you for all your answers to my millions of
questions.
Client Name: Roy
It is a joy working with you. Your knowledge of Alaska has made our
decisions so easy. We are very excited, and are reading
"Alaska", getting ready for our big trip. Thank you again.
Client Name: Roger
Wonderful cruise and all the arrangements were as promised. No
surprises. I appreciate your efforts and the service you provided. RD.
Client Name: Dorothy
We used Linda at Sunstone Tours for our 25th anniversary trip to
Hawaii. She is the best. We visited four islands in our 3 weeks. Four
car rentals, four hotels, and numerous flights. Everything went off
without a hitch. Take Linda's advice and go for the convertible. We
loved it. Linda we love you, we are ready to book for our 50th
anniversary now.
Client Name: Davina Goldburne
We returned last week from Alaska. We had a fabulous trip. This was
our second cruise. Last time we used a discounter and received nothing
but aggravation. Linda found us a good price and returned every phone
call, gave us personal port information, arranged for everything we
asked for during our land tour as well. I could not ask for a better
travel agent and new friend.
Client Name: Rose
Linda we love you, thank you again for a wonderful trip.
Client Name: Barry
Linda, You were right about the Hawaii package. The car and air
together does save us quite a bit of money. The wife wants to upgrade to
the convertible like you said. Can you change it for us? For anyone
reading Linda's guest book ... Linda knows Hawaii and how to get the
best deals out there.
Client Name: Betsy
Anyone booking a Cruise will be more than happy with the service
Linda provides.. can't wait for our 2nd Alaska cruise on July 14th...you
did a fantastic job on our last Alaska trip that I just know we will
have a wonderful time again....Thanks.
Client Name: Roger
Linda, Thank you for a wonderful experience. I just hope my pictures
are able to show the wildlife, sea life and glaciers. This was my best
cruise ever, thank you so much for all the personal service We really
appreciated all the port information you sent us. We shared it with our
tablemates. Their travel agents gave them nothing. I gave both couples
your card. I hope they call you for future cruises.
Client Name: Margaret
Linda, you are the greatest!! I truly appreciate the personal
attention you gave us. I will definitely use you again for all our
travel needs. Margaret.
Client Name: Arllye
Linda you're great. Best fares to Alaska and you sure know your
product. Can't wait for our cruise.
Client Name: Henry
Linda, Thanks for planning the golf vacation. Clients and myself had
a great time. Three courses in three days and still didn't have enough.
Wish our scores were a little better. Maybe next time. We will be
calling again soon.
Client Name: Roger
Thank you for the information on the Elation. Thank you for booking
us for July. My kids are so excited they can hardly wait. Yes I will
send you a picture when we get back. They will love to see themselves on
your web page. Thank you again Linda. We love you!
Client Name: Kathy
A quick note from Smilin Eyes... you did a GREAT job with your Web
Site and I'm very happy you'll keep me on your mailing list. I think I
MAY have talked my hubby into going on a cruise... :) :) :) :) He'll
love it.... I just have to hog tie him so that I can get him ON the
cruise... the rest will be easy :).
Client Name: Mr & Mrs Jenkins
Can't wait for my Alaska cruise. You have been wonderful. You find an
answer to all our small questions. I know we will enjoy our vacation.
Will contact you upon our return.
Name: Evan
We loved the trip you did for us to Hawaii. I will send you clients.
Everyone was happy with Classic Hawaii just like you said they would be.
Hotel was first class, beach beautiful. Thank you for all your help.
Kids had a ball. We will be back to you for our next vacation. Maybe
even a cruise next time.
Client Name: Sherry
Linda...Great site and great picture :) And, for anyone not familiar
with Linda, she's arranged a cruise for me and was able to get a super
deal at the best price around. Thanks Linda!
