Loved our ride to and from Seattle. We left the Des Moines marina and had the best onboard service…read moreever. The crew was terrific. They even have identical twins working on board....couldn't tell them apart. It was so much fun. Have ridden the fast ferry a few times now because it was great.

We did this for my 50th birthday, and it was the perfect way to mark the occasion…read more It felt like a meaningful threshold-crossing experience--celebratory and memorable without feeling over-the-top. As more of my friends have crossed this age milestone, I've seen the full spectrum of responses: people who downplay it and later wish they'd done something special, people who throw huge parties and regret the stress and effort, and people who choose extreme adventures only to find the adrenaline crash leaves them feeling depleted afterward, bringing '50' home in a hard way. This struck exactly the right balance. It was special enough to feel like a true celebration, offered a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and created memories (and amazing photos) I'll carry with me for years. While it's certainly not inexpensive, once you see the amount of equipment, preparation, effort, infrastructure, expertise, and care that goes into each flight, the pricing feels more than reasonable. It's a significant experience without being financially out of reach. If you're looking for a memorable way to celebrate a milestone event--or simply want an extraordinary experience--I highly recommend it.

Be prepared to be cancelled on…read more.. We really wanted to do a sunset flight with Seattle Ballooning last year (Aug. 2025) for our 10 year anniversary, but our flight got cancelled on our way there due to high winds, which was quite the disappointment since it was on our anniversary but understandable for safety. We rescheduled for a few days later, made it out to the launching point for the rescheduled flight only to have it also cancelled... again due to wind. We were told we could reschedule again, but we decided to let Seattle Ballooning hold our tickets until the following summer (2026) so we could do a surprise sunrise flight (since we were told sunrise flights are much less likely to get cancelled) for our son's 10th birthday, which is also in August. And even though there wasn't a cloud in the sky and was a perfectly sunny day on Aug. 20th, we got cancelled on again for the 3rd time... due to fog (even though there was no fog and fog doesn't usually start in western WA until the fall). Needless to say, it's been a very disappointing experience all 3 times, especially since we keep seeing posts about all the flights happening and how now is the perfect time to schedule. While it has been a disappointing experience 2 summers in a row and was also quite the long process to get our money refunded, I can say that the balloon pilots we got to meet last year prior to our 2nd flight getting cancelled were very nice, and the office staff have been friendly. I just wish we could have actually gotten to fly since all the posts I've seen have looked so nice. So if you do book with this company, please be prepared to be cancelled on and maybe have a back-up plan if you're trying to celebrate a special occasion.

We stayed here one night at the beach campsites on 8/12/21. We had the best time! The kids joined…read morethe daycamp the next morning and absolutely loved the activities the camp had to offer. They offered archery, beachcombing, kayaking, visiting the farm animals, feeding them. And the director of the camp even let me stay at my site more than I was allowed just so I could be near them because they were anxious, being that it was their first camp experience. I cannot say enough great things about the staff! They were so wonderful! I can't wait to go back as a family and camp here more than one night! Thank you to all soundview staff!

We stayed at Sound View Camp this past weekend (13-15 of August) and had a great time! We were on…read moreone of the beach front campsite with a beautiful view from our tent. We visited the little farm and hiked around the campground and on the beach. The staff was really nice. Free coffee in the morning was the best! We didn't do any boating this time because our toddler is a bit young and afraid of the water but will make sure to do it next time (we will be back!)

A helicopter ride was on my bucket list. So, for my husband and my birthday (a day apart), I…read moresurprised him with a private tour. I booked Route C: The Cascade Mountains, Tiger Mountain, Cougar Mountain, Snoqualmie Falls, VMAC, Downtown Bellevue, Lake Washington, Medina Homes, the Space Needle, Downtown Seattle, Century Link Stadium, T-Mobile Park, and the Puget Sound. I asked him if he could take me to Auburn to get my hair blown out. He should have known something was up because I don't get my hair done....ever! When we drove near the Auburn Municipal Airport he said, "There's nothing back here but helicopters!". I told him, "Good thing because one of those is ours!" It was a great surprise and it just kept going up from there! Our pilot Nate, went through some safety measures and got us strapped in, and off we went. My husband had the biggest smile...and so did I. I was a little worried about motion sickness. I had taken a motion sickness pill about half an hour before, but it didn't feel like anything I imagined, dang anxieties! It was light and the only feeling I had was g-force every once in a while. The scenery was beautiful and the ride was smooth. Nate tried to give us information about the various places we were passing but my husband helped build most of everything he pointed out. We circled and hovered near the Space Needle and we could see the people inside pointing. It was awesome! We also had a really great shot of the mountain. Although I enjoyed flying over the buildings, the nature route was my favorite. The waterfall was breathtaking and we could see our shadow on the ground. It made for a cool photo. Zipping near the trees really gave us a sense of how fast we were going. I wish we could have gone further and flown for longer, but it had to come to an end. At least for now. This was a day we will never forget! Thank you for making our birthdays memorable, Nate! ​

10/10 Hands down the most fun I have ever had in my entire life!…read more I took the girl of my dreams here on a surprise second date, and Craig, our pilot, after a friendly dose of teasing me for choosing such an insane second date, gave us a flight that noone will ever truly comprehend. There is zero chance a cooler or better pilot exists! Imagine a combination of Pete Mitchell, Luke Skywalker, and your brother-in-law that the whole family loves, and that's Craig. His flying skills are UNBELIEVABLE!!!! I can't stress that enough.... UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! I have no idea how I got so lucky to be taken on such an incredible flight performance. Simply dazzling, I will tell this story for decades!! A helicopter ride in and of itself is incredible but Craig took us on a scene from an action movie. That was absolutely a highlight of my life. I can only speak for myself, but judging by my date's face the whole ride, I can confidently say she would say something similar. Thank you Craig, I appreciate that more than you will ever know!

The attitude of the people who work for Pierce county and HMS. The service can be so poor and the…read moreresponses to inquiry very lame.

Very easy to navigate website. Purchase tickets for walk-in or with vehicle. Vehicle ticket…read moreincludes the driver. You have to purchase tickets for passengers in the vehicle. We paid around $30 for the 3 of us, round trip. When you arrive, just get in a lane with your vehicle. Vehicles will enter in order of arrival. Fine for those who cut so please don't. If you don't make it on the ferry, then you'll have to wait for the next one. Have your tickets available, online or printed. While you're waiting, there's a cafe and eateries nearby. Once on Anderson island, there's a general store, museum, gift shop, sometimes garden market and other events, a couple of lakes, Air B&Bs. Definitely popular during the weekend so plan accordingly. When heading back on the ferry, line up the same way you arrived. If you're lucky an ice cream truck may stop by, otherwise not much to keep people occupied.

We had such a great time with the Tacoma ghost walking tour! It was about one hour, led by a young…read morewoman named Autumn. It was so fun to learn about the history of Tacoma with a ~spooky undertone~. We paid extra for the EMF detection device which made it extra fun. Absolutely recommend!

We did the Tacoma 2 tour with Andrew. It was a pretty good tour! The guide was informative and gave…read moregood information about the city's history along with some interesting historical pictures. Two things to know before going on the Tacoma 2 tour: 1) it's not creepy. Andrews stories are interesting and historical, but didn't scare me or give me that "ghosty" feeling. 2) this tour is not a loop. We got on the lite rail and ended up a ways away from where we parked our car. This problem is easily solved by taking the rail back or taking an Uber, but still something to know.

Easily found trail to start the walk to cross the narrow bridge. Nice walk and beautiful view of…read morethe lake. Nature at its best.

I have used Paula for my travels for the last 8 years. She books all my Hawaiian and U.S…read more vacations for us. She has been an advocate for us on several occasions where hotels or excursions try to change what we were promised. She takes the headache out of negotiating prices, finding the best place for our money to stay, and steps in when a problem arrives and SOLVES it. We don't even bother trying to self serve our vacations anymore, not worth the many problems and no help. It is a great benefit to have a knowledgeable and extremely helpful travel agent as Paula.