Kerry Seguin is the best! She saved our vacation!…read more Kerry helped us book a dream trip to the Caribbean, on Celebrity, and spent a ton of time helping us find just the right cabin. But a month later, we discovered that Celebrity had accidentally cancelled our reservation, and most of the cabins had been sold. The only ones available were for a much higher price. Kerry spent hours working with Celebrity, and was able to get a great cabin for us, at the original cost. If you need a terrific cruise consultant, who works for you, I highly recommend Kerry. Kerry Seguin (kseguin@expediacruises.com) Tel: 425-275-1178

I thought I had reviewed this place before - but I can't seem to find it…read more At any rate, they deserve the time to be reviewed!!!! My experiences have shown me that they can often get me as good of (or better than) a deal as doing it myself on a website. Plus, the service is unequalled. Do yourself a favor... next time you travel, call this place and get a quote and compare it to the one you found online. I bet you will be pleased. Plus, they are avid travelers as well, so they often have words of advise on the place you are going. Summary - Issaquah Travel is amazing, and I will always use them!

Disappointing Costco Travel Transportation Experience -- Do Not Recommend…read more We booked a travel package through Costco Travel for our honeymoon, which included transportation to and from the Cancun airport and our hotel. While the hotel itself was great, the transportation experience was absolutely horrible and put a damper on the start of our honeymoon. When we arrived at the Cancun airport, the transportation company was supposed to be displaying a Costco logo so we could easily identify them. They were not, which made it difficult to find our transportation. Unfortunately, things got much worse on the way to the hotel. Our shuttle broke down on the side of the road, leaving us stranded in another country in approximately 90° heat. The driver told us another vehicle would arrive in 5 minutes. Five minutes passed, and we were told it would be another 5 minutes. This continued, and we ultimately waited about an hour for another shuttle to arrive. Being stranded on the side of the road for an hour during what was supposed to be the beginning of our honeymoon was extremely stressful and unacceptable. This was a terrible way to start what should have been a special trip. After returning home, we contacted Costco Travel and were initially assured that they would make it up to us. After a lot of back-and-forth, however, the only compensation offered was $37 -- the amount that the transportation company had refunded to Costco. Costco did not provide any additional compensation, despite our request for a Costco gift card to acknowledge the poor experience. We expected much better from Costco, especially as loyal Executive members. The transportation company provided a terrible experience, and Costco's response afterward was equally disappointing. DO NOT BOOK TRANSPORTATION THROUGH COSTCO TRAVEL. The hotel was great, but the transportation service and Costco's handling of the situation were extremely disappointing.

I booked a car through Costco Travel with Budget and received a confirmation. But when it was time…read moreto pick up the car, Budget told me they had no cars available and canceled/refused the reservation. I called Costco Travel for help, but they only sent me back to Budget. In the end, I had to rent another car through Turo at the last minute and pay more. Very disappointing experience. A confirmed reservation should mean the car is available, or Costco Travel should help find a real solution.

I needed to get a visa to visit China quickly as it was a last minute work/vacation trip…read more I searched high and low as its not super clear online where to get a Visa for China and some sites masquerade as the official place to get one as if they were the embassy or govt approved. My Mom got her China Visa here and pointed me to go there. Nothing like a personal referral! We both worked with Addi, most likely the youngest female there and she spoke english which made it easier for since my mandarin is not pristine. Not very personable, though I am not saying she is unfriendly, just a kind of no nonsense, efficient, get my request/transaction done type of deal which is fine with me too. While the non rush Visa estimation takes ballpark 2-3 weeks, Addi got me my Visa in under 2 weeks which is much appreciated for somewhere around $400ish. Very happy as I am writing this review from Chongqing right now!

I was worried I had to jump through a bunch of obstacles but not only did they make the whole…read moreprocess simple but my visa came in like 2 weeks. I seriously highly recommend Lin, she was very kind and communicative, everyone else there is also very nice. Thank you Lin!!!!

Our family recently returned from a truly, Trip-of-a-Lifetime, in southern Africa…read more We began in Cape Town, then to Botswana for two safari camps, and then a short visit to Victoria Falls before heading home. The accommodations were lovely, the safaris were absolutely incredible, the staff were delightful, welcoming and helpful, and the food was so delicious! Khwai Leadwood was gorgeous, and every aspect (our Guide DT, host Nicco, chef CB, and all the staff, accommodation, food) was impeccable! Not to mention the amazing wildlife! We also loved our stay at Linynanti Bush Camp - we saw even MORE wildlife! Our Guide Joe, hostesses Jess and Selly, and all the staff were awesome and so down to earth. We loved how they ate meals with us, allowing us to get to know each other, and they were just SO MUCH FUN!! Truly, going to miss them all. We also met some lovely fellow travelers from all around the world. Ian and Lorna were fantastic! Their knowledge, guidance, attention to detail, and patience with us as first time travelers to Africa, made every aspect go so smoothly. We felt very well taken care of. I very highly recommend Ultimate Africa Safaris! ...and I can't wait to go again!!

I have used Ultimate Africa Safaris now for 2 trips to Africa and the first one to Botswana and…read moreZimbabwe with my family was magical. I never thought it could get better but we've just returned from an 11 day trip to Tanzania. And it was a grand slam. The Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti were jaw dropping with a display of nature at its finest. Ian and his team put together an itinerary that will be hard for anyone to beat. The facilities were beyond amazing, the food 5 star and the guides the best in the business. We will go back again and again, and I hope many generations to come will experience the beauty of Africa, its people, and its animals

My husband and I used Charan Vacations to help book our honeymoon and received excellent service…read more The travel experts were quick, responsive and always looked for the deals that fit in our budget. When we returned, they asked for feedback regarding the trip- you can see how important it is for them to know that we had a positive experience. We are also using Charan Vacations to book our anniversary trip this year! I would HIGHLY recommend them for your travel needs.

Excellent service. Charan was great with helping me plan my honeymoon. Very personalized service…read moreand quick response times! I will surely come back to book future trips and recommend to anyone.

First of all, if you have money to burn, Marquetta is your gal. We used her on a recommendation…read more We wanted a trip to Italy for two weeks. Her first quote was 30K. Yes, THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS. Then she got it down to 25K. That's when I started doing my research. I used several reputable companies for tours and hotels and my costs (with the EXACT same flights, hotels, tours) came in at TEN THOUSAND LESS. When I sent her the info and asked if she could look at it, because maybe I was doing something wrong, she wrote me a very interesting email. She said I wasn't comparing correctly because I used different hotels with different class ratings (uh, no, I used the EXACT same hotels). She also said I hadn't included transportation. I did - I went page by page of her quote and priced everything she included. She even went so far as to say she wasn't sure what company I used for a tour (even though I noted it on the spreadsheet). She said they were "some unknown company - good luck!" I've used Viator for dozens of tours, had a customer service issue once, and they have been fantastic. Her quote, "You cannot compare a high-end tour company with the likes of Viator." I did suggest a different hotel in my email but did not include it in my cost comparison. She told me it wasn't suitable and that it was a party hotel. Well she clearly didn't know her stuff there because that hotel came as a recommendation from a friend with two children! They loved it! Direct quote: "I can tell that the price point for the level of arrangements we do is not where you are comfortable spending. But I cannot delve into using random services of unvetted tour companies (Viator) and just booking the cheapest of everything- it never works out for our clients and in my experience only causes issues when in travel." Another, "In the end, I do want my clients' travels to be an unforgettable and memorable experience, and therefore, I cannot cut corners just to make it happen price wise." As a travel agent are you not supposed to get the best deal for your clients? You may warn them with your experiences but you don't make fun of them and tell your customer to basically F off! I asked her specifically if there was any markup because I was OK with something reasonable for her. She swore up-and-down there was no markup. Yes there is, it comes in kickbacks from the companies she uses. And again I am OK with a little something but not $10,000 and an F you attitude. Honestly if she had said so upfront - that she only uses certain companies - then I probably wouldn't have even engaged her for $400. But she never said that. And I POLITELY asked her to let me know why I was so far off. She could've told me all the same things - that she used more reputable companies and worked with the hotels themselves, without the attitude. Snotty and condescending. Unbelievable.

We recently completed a fabulous trip to Ireland and Scotland arranged by Marquetta Chambers. It…read morewas truly a very enjoyable, adventurous, informative and memorable experience. Marquetta began the planning process by interviewing us and listening very well to our desires and budget, allowing her to tailor a perfect match. She provided great input including pushing us to extend our trip a few days given our stated list of objectives. Her advice, which we followed, turned out to be very insightful. Marquetta also proved her flexibility and resourcefulness when she responded to a mid-trip request for another private tour addition on our last full day in Scotland. She responded quickly and fulfilled our request for what turned out to be a true highlight of our trip. All of the hotels recommended and booked were very good and all of the arranged tour guides were excellent. We also enjoyed several additional perks from our hotels given Marquetta's relationships with them. Another great tool provided by Marquetta was a phone app that captured our entire trip and also provided easy one-click access to important phone numbers and a variety of easily accessible resources describing our destinations, maps, tipping hints, etc. It was an excellent resource that also included an easy path to communicate with her during our trip. We are so glad that we utilized the very professional services of Marquetta Chambers of Hill Barrett Travel for our recent vacation. We are already thinking about the options for our next journey and look forward to using Marquetta's assistance again.

Excellent and quick customer service ! Would recommend my family and friend to contact the agent !read more

Beware if you receive a promo offer from PTP travel, Issaquah, WA, (a.k.a., Pennies To Paradise)…read more They send out postcards promising free airfares along with hotel stays if you call 1-888-639-6990 and mention their promo code AAIS-0104. You are then told, in order to claim the gifts, you and your spouse must attend their 90 minute sales presentation for a travel club, American Travel Planners (ATP). During the presentation, a PTP salesperson is assigned to each couple and pressures them to sign up for the ATP club at an exorbitant up front fee which starts at $11k and gradually goes down to $2k as you resist. And this up front fee does not even include the annual fee for belonging to ATP. If you resist till the end, they do not give you the promo gift as promised, but instead, give you a certificate you must exchange for the travel tickets. This certificate, issued by Millennium Travel & Promotions, is a scam in itself. If you do a Google search you will find several posts on how that scam works. A good description of how that scam works is at this site: ( http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_Millennium_Travel_and_Promotions_legit ). I suspect ATP is a scam as well, though I could not find very much information on them. It is probably because their internet web site has only been in existence since October 2012 (probably not enough time for people who have been suckered into the club to know it yet). Their web site is a slick presentation, but if you examine it closely you should notice there is no information as to who the corporate entity is, nor where physically it is located. But, by researching the internet, you soon find a connection with Andrew Wunder of Sea To Ski Vacations LLC, Broomfield, Colorado. If you do an internet search on Sea To Ski Vacations, you will find they are involved in several travel scams. Getting back to PTP, I suspect they are a scam operation as well. During their presentation (which is held at a local hotel/inn) they lie about their offices and how long they have been doing business in the area. If you ask for a business card, what you get is their address & phone crudely printed on a regular sheet of paper. It lists their address as being 4580 Klahanie Dr SE PMB 514, Issaquah, WA 98029 and phone as (425) 457-0449. Their address is nothing more than a postal mail box. I suspect all these people & businesses operating these travel scams just keep changing their names and identities as their scams are exposed. But, it is vital for the public to expose their scams on sites like Yelp as soon as they appear. It may prevent many people from becoming victims of the fraud. Please do your part in exposing these and similar scams by posting relevant information to internet sites that others can find during their search.