Poor customer service and communication. Save your money or find another hot air balloon.

I had the opportunity to take a balloon ride for our 15th anniversary. It was everything that I expected. When I was doing the research, it says that the activity would take 3-4 hours, with the flight time maxing out at an hour. I didn't really believe it, but it's the truth. The time they take to prepare once at the launch site made me feel safe. They even had a backup plan depending on the wind direction. Speaking of wind, it typically has to be around 5 mph or less. The weather is a big limiting factor. We had to call multiple times during the day to check in on the weather forecast. Originally we didn't think we were going to be able to go because of the wind, but it settled down for a great ride. A word to the wise; I asked about the odds of being able to go daily due to the weather, 60% chance of going in the morning and only 30% in the evening. Keep that in mind when booking. There are no refunds due to weather. You only have the ability to reschedule. The group that was supposed to be didn't have the flexibility so we were on the flight by ourselves. We were in contact with the chase van during the entire trip. Once we found a place to land, they were there to greet us, load up the balloon, and head back to our vehicles. I would not hesitate to do it again. read more

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Pretty good first hot air ballooning experience. We met in the parking lot by Walmart...and they were late a little bit. We were confused at first, but apparently they drive around with all the hot air materials and stuff! Crazy. We left our car in the lot and they drove us to this random field with busses... and that's where we set up. It was a sunset ride, so there were a lot of mosquitoes... but they let us help them set it up! We were holding the (excuse my lack of technical terms) balloon while they set the fan up, and then started fire thingy for the hot air to expand it more. Then we all had to hop into the basket (yay!), and it was a pretty good time. The man was very knowledgable in terms of air speed and everything about ballooning--we definitely learned a lot. We didn't go very high, though...it was high enough that you can see the houses and cows and stuff, but low enough that it wasn't that chilly. We didnt get a lot of air time because of the wind speed, either... X_x We had a sparkling cider toast at the end, and it was a good time overall--but it was in the parking lot of Walmart. Mm...not so much... read more

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We had purchased a groupon for a little trip on a hot air balloon. We had woke up around 3-4am because it was actually pretty far away from where we were in Arlington and got to the Walmart parking lot only to find that they were a running a little late. By the time everyone got together and started to get ready, we boarded a van with another couple to head to a location where we would lift off. Our pilot was a father and son duo. Don (the father) was the pilot where as his son (I forgot his name) was the chaser. We were the couple that was supposed to go first, however when we got to the designated site, it turns out that Don had left his burner. After he dropped us off, he must've been gone for about 20-30 minutes to grab his burner. In the meantime, there was another van also and they had already taken off into the sunrise. We were supposed to lift off around the same time, so we missed the sunrise because of the missing burner. Now, if you think a hot air balloon ride is where you just hop on and it lifts off, you're wrong. There's actually a little bit of manual work of trying to get the balloon inflated and then flipping it over and then hopping on. Then you have to weigh it down while you swap out and when both couples are finally finished, you have to help deflate the balloon. Mostly it's work for the guys while the girls can just stand around and watch. The hot air balloon ride is also roughly under 30 minutes. At the end of our trip, there was also some bubbly grape juice to commemorate the experience. It would've been better if Don hadn't forgotten his burner - for a professional where he does this for a living, it's rather unacceptable to have forgotten the main piece of equipment that is needed to lift the balloon. read more

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Like several other reviewers, I bought tickets on Groupon almost a year ago and finally scheduled our flight for today. Luckily, we did not run into any weather related issues, and were able to go on our flight on the first try. The online scheduling system is relatively easy to use, but just keep in mind that Groupon vouchers can't be used during October because that's their busy season. Expired vouchers can be used, but of course you'll have to pay additional fees. We met in a Walmart parking lot with Don and his crew. We had to drive around a few locations to determine the best launching site. I thought it was really cool that we were allowed to help with setting everything up. I would recommend wearing athletic clothing because you'll be doing some lifting/pushing in a field. Once it gets dark there are a lot of mosquitos as well. I wore a dress and sandals for a sunset flight, and it was not great for walking around a field (they did advise against this on the FAQ section of the website but I just didn't read it until afterwards) The only part I disliked was that it seemed kind of stressful to find a random field to land in. Of course, you can't really control what direction the balloon flies in due to the wind, but for a while it seemed like Don was extremely stressed about where to land. All in all it was still a great experience though! read more

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My girlfriend took me on this hot air balloon ride for my birthday. She went through Groupon so we had a full year to redeem it. We procrastinated a bit/wanted to see some Fall foliage. They're based out of Woodstock, VA which was about a two hour drive for us. We chose the 5:30PM sunset ride. Apparently it's pretty hit or miss on the weather, and rides are cancelled all the time but we were lucky and were able to go up on our first try. Don met us at 5:30 at the Walmart parking lot in Woodstock. Impossible to miss. We were grouped with two other couples and shuttled around to check out various potential take-off locations. We scoped out two before finally deciding on one behind a church. Don asks for some volunteers to help with preparations which is fun. It didn't take long before all 7 of us (including Don) were up in the air. The entire trip depends on the wind, we only had about 3MPH winds so it was a leisurely trip. Landing was a bit difficult and we were kind of off-course. This led to all of us having to pitch in (which we were totally okay with) and landing in a field riddled with thorny plants. We had to rush against the sunset to pack up too. All in all, Don did a great job and we got some good pictures. read more

Valley Ballooning - View from the hot air balloon - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Edinburg, Virginia

I, like many of the other reviewers, found out about Valley Ballooning through their Groupon deal. I thought the private flight would be an excellent way to propose to my wife. After purchasing, I immediately called to schedule a date. Scheduling was the most annoying issue. April, the owners daughter, wasn't the most professional (heard kids in the background) and took quite some time to return my calls. Based on my several attempts, it appeared she was not returning calls in the order they were received (it was more so luck). Nonetheless, I was able to schedule a flight and booked a celebration suite at the nearby Hampton Inn & Suites (which was fantastic and affordable, btw). The time finally came, and we were rained out (I ended up proposing on Skyline Drive instead). Rescheduling the second time around was easier, but we had to wait a few months due to the booked up schedule. That time it ended up being too windy, so we had to wait another few months (almost a year after I bought the deal). I do give the owner, Don, props for giving me accurate statuses each time so I didn't have to make the long 90 minute drive from DC again until our flight. I see some other reviewers got frustrated with their flights being "weathered out", but that just shows that the company values safety. I wouldn't want to risk my life in unsafe weather conditions. Valley Ballooning takes a financial hit whenever there's inclement weather, so they're obviously not trying to screw people over. Its just part of the "sport". When we finally had our evening flight, it was a fantastic experience! We met Don and his assistant in the Wal-Mart parking lot and drove to a nearby bus yard. My wife and I both enjoyed the interactive experience, helping set up and inflate the balloon with fans. Soon enough, we lifted off and enjoyed a 45 minute sunset flight. Don was very knowledgeable and was able to answer all our questions, take pictures, etc. My wife is afraid of heights, but this didn't affect her too badly. We would've preferred the Sparkling Cider toast when the balloon landed rather than the Wal-Mart lot, but I understand the balloon lands on a random person's land each time, which would not be appropriate. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Valley Ballooning, but if you're not a patient person, hot air ballooning probably isn't for you. read more

It isn't always easy to tell the difference between incompetence and deceptiveness. My experience with Valley Ballooning is that they are most certainly the former and perhaps sometimes the latter. But in the final analysis, it doesn't really matter does it? Because either way, you wind up in the same place: standing there with a sour taste in your mouth. Behind an opaque and unreliable customer service platform lies an even more opaque and unreliable management system. Who determines when balloons will go up? And according to what analysis do they make those determinations? What happens if you get canceled? Answers are hard to come by. The best I can describe trying to navigate this experience is "Kafkaesque." In business, one should not aim for this description. So, do you want the full details of my experience? What's the point? You can read the other one-star reviews to get an idea. I choose to mimic Valley Ballooning and will remain opaque in kind. But if you're on Yelp trying to schedule a ballooning outing, let me give you a piece of advice: don't bother. Ask Groupon for your money back and relish the peace of mind. Gregor Samsa would approve. read more

My husband and I recently visited with a Groupon we purchased. It was an AMAZING experience! Don and his family were so kind and helpful. The day we were supposed to fly was particularly cloudy and windy. Don did not give up on trying to get us up in the air and we were so thankful. The ride was very smooth and peaceful. The surrounding area you fly over is gorgeous, especially in the fall! When we landed, Don and his wife joined us for a cider toast and then we went on our way. This family is truly great and we look forward to visiting again. read more

Well, the ballooning experience itself was really neat. We had great weather and i loved being able to take pictures of the private balloon with the landscape . That said. They were late and I don't get why we have to wait around for them to set up and take down the balloon. Take us back to our cars please. This lack of courtesy costs the customers at least 90 minutes on either side of the ride and almost cost us the ability to get dinner afterwards. I'd recommend hot hair ballooning, but not with this company. read more

If anyone in this area is interested, do NOT use VALLEY BALLOONING!! To go hot air ballooning in the Blue Ridge. These people have NO clue how to run a business!!! It's been a year, my wife and I had an appointment to go ballooning. Per the "business" person who made the appointment, he said, yes weather is good, but we don't go out on holidays! WHAT!! YOU MADE THE APPT!!!! We are so po'd!!! I do not normally give bad reviews on businesses, but this one takes the cake!!! read more

My husband and I bought their Groupon a few months ago for fun and didn't end up scheduling it till the beginning of this month for today. I'm reading previous reviews and it looks like we were lucky in not buying it and trying to schedule a time immediately, but casually waited for a good time to use it and had zero problems with scheduling/being booked. The weather was great today, too, so there was no cancellation. My husband and I had never done anything like this and love trying new things, so we had a fantastic time. My husband gladly volunteered to help hold open the balloon while fans blew air in it and had a giant grin on his face as the whole thing started filling up and standing up straight. I was in awe of how big the balloon was and geeked out when we started slowly taking off from the ground. Before I knew it, we were really high and looking out across the gorgeous valley and the surrounding mountains. I was smiling the whole time because it was so beautiful and peaceful. Coming down wasn't as scary or rough as I thought it was going to be and my husband again volunteered to help packup the ballon back into its giant bag. Overall, we had an absolute blast and can't wait to show people photos and video. Don knew exactly what he was doing and was really pleasant to talk with. We also enjoyed talking with the other couple that went up in the balloon with us. Definitely try it and take your time on scheduling! read more

My mother and I had a gorgeous sunrise balloon ride! She purchased the Groupon deal, and although we had bad luck with the weather resulting in several reschedulings, it was well worth it. The staff was very helpful and friendly with all our scheduling concerns. Personally, I liked having the option to help inflate the balloons and see how everything works. Our pilot was very skilled and professional, which made me feel very safe. The wind condition was such that we had to stay somewhat close to the ground, which gave us unique and lovely just-above-the-treetop views. It was an unforgettable experience. I would go back! read more

Valley Ballooning - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Edinburg, Virginia

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This was really wonderful. I was given a flight as a Christmas gift, and as it is a 2 hour drive for me and I hate waking up early, scheduled only evening flights. It took 6 times before the weather cooperated (four were cancelled due to weather online before I left home, one we got out there and the winds weren't cooperating and the last we flew!). It is worth the wait! There are a lot of low reviews on here because of weather cancellations-- which I don't understand. Don doesn't control the weather, ballooning requires specific winds which you don't know until seconds before you fly and vary by location, and, forgive me for making insane assumptions- but you'd like to have someone taking you up 1,000 feet in a wicker basket be concerned about your safety. Don is friendly and professional and experienced. As the instructions on your Groupon and their website say- it can take numerous attempts before you can fly. There are also expiration dates (so do like I did and start early!). You meet near the WalMart. Don and the van show up as promised and you climb aboard. We scouted two locations before Don decided to launch from the high school. They asked for three volunteers to help set up the balloon, which is really pretty cool to be involved in. Then, Don explains safety and landing, each person climbs into the basket and you bounce up into the air. It was a PERFECT fall night. Warm with a gorgeous sunset. Don explains things and shows you sights as you fly. We cruised for a little over half an hour (longer than the other company who launched with us) before landing oh so gently in the lawn of a private residence. If ballooning is something you have wanted to try, GO HERE. Be ready to be patient and understand mother nature is in control. It is worth the wait! read more

We met pilot Don and his helpers in the WalMart parking lot early this morning. Weather has been hot and humid, and I'd phoned the night before to make sure the weather forecast was good. Don let a small helium balloon go up in the parking lot, in order to judge the winds aloft. Then we all got into his van for the drive to the launch site. Don meticulously checked the weather when we arrived. His weather app showed a thunderstorm developing over the border in West Virginia, which he watched for a while to make sure its winds wouldn't interfere with our flight. We all helped position the balloon and rig the basket and held the balloon mouth open while his fans filled it with air. Then we climbed aboard and he heated the air with his burners. No sensation of leaving the ground, at all. Just glanced down and we were already 50' off the ground. Our 5 mile trip was sometimes high for a good view, but mostly just above the treetops. Very smooth ride (although the burners were noisy). Great "tour" of the morning over Shenandoah Valley. Too soon, and we were coming in for a very soft landing. Then we all helped dump the air out of the balloon and pack things up for the ride back to the parking lot and a toast to our successful flight. I'd recommend this to anyone. read more

It's been a serious hassle trying to actually coordinate and get up in the air with them. Like K F pointed out, it is hard to schedule, and then flights get rescheduled frequently. And the customer service from Valley Ballooning isn't great. Update: The actual balloon ride was great. I'd love to do it again, but I'll never do it through groupon. Having an expiration date is just too much of a hassle with something that can be cancelled at any time. read more

This adventure is a lot of fun, but you will have to be patient with booking. The flight is very dependent on the weather conditions, which can change quite a bit due to the area that they fly in is between two mountain ranges. We had to book 3x before we could actually fly, because the weather conditions were not ideal to go out. If the winds are over 5mph, they don't fly, because it is way too unpredictable to control the balloon. Believe me, if they don't think it is safe to fly, that is ok with us, because safety comes first. We did the sunrise flight and it was awesome. It started out in the parking lot of the shopping center in Woodstock just of the interstate that has a Wal-Mart as the anchor store. We met Don (pilot) and Reo (spotter) and they took us out in a van towing a trailer containing the balloon and set up gear. We had to go to about 3 places until they could find somewhere we could launch from, which ended up being the town farm on the day we flew - They do this due to being able to find a launch spot with a wind direction that is best to determine a safe flight path. Once we got to the set up spot, both of us helped them set up the balloon by holding the lines while they turned on two fans and inflated it enough to turn on the blower and completely fill it up. Really cool to watch and participate in the set up process. After the set up, Don gave us a quick orientation on how to enter the basket and what to do when we land. There were only 4 of us flying with Don, so he brought the smaller balloon with the single burner. The ride was amazing and it was a beautiful day to fly. We got up just about 1,200-1,300 feet and crossed over I-81 and into some of the Woodstock area. We got to see the mountain ranges on both sides of the valley. Our flight was after the peak of the fall foliage, so there was not much color in the trees, but you still got to see a lot of cool stuff that you can't see on the ground. The winds differ between elevations, so Don would inflate the balloon within certain heights based on what direction the winds were blowing to stay within a flight path. During this time, he was in constant contact with Reo on the ground via 2-way radio. Reo would stop at possible landing sites and send up a test balloon to let Don know the wind directions and he would guide us around accordingly to where he wanted us to end up. Personally, I get kind of skirmish with heights, but I was ok for the duration of the flight and really, really enjoyed the entire time we were up. After we landed, about 59 minutes later, Don and Reo folded up the balloon and we helped them pack it in the bag and put it in the trailer. Then we headed back to the shopping center parking lot for the cider toast and to retrieve our cars. read more

I learned about Valley Ballooning when I got an email offer from Groupon. I've always wanted to go in a hot air balloon, and since the deal was so great, I bought 2 tickets in a private balloon. The experience was fantastic! We met Don and Chad in Woodstock VA, in the parking lot across from the Subway and Dominos on W Reservoir Road. They were both very friendly, and answered all of our questions. After going to a couple of sites to release a helium balloon into the air (to see which way the wind was blowing), they decided on the best take off point. They set up the balloon, with a little help from us (only a little), and then we climbed in and were off. At first, it was terrifying. We were shaking so badly that we had trouble taking pictures, but eventually we began to calm down and notice the scenery. The balloon flies over the Shenandoah Valley, and once you're up you can see all the way to West Virginia. We did the sunset tour, so we got some amazing pictures of the sunset. We flew all the way up to 5,500 feet! As we came back down, people followed the balloon and waved at us. It took a little while to find a spot to land, and when we did, all the neighbors came out to say hello and find out more about the balloons. Everyone was extremely friendly, and we chatted with them while Don and Chad (along with a couple helpful neighbors) packed up. When we got back to the parking lot, Don pulled out a bottle of sparkling cider to toast, which was a really nice end to the day. Overall it was a great experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the location was really far out. I'm in Bethesda for the summer, and it was about a 2 hour drive. Part of the 2 hours was due to traffic, which could have been avoided except the offer was only for weekdays (private balloons are always on weekdays). But it was an amazing experience and I would definitely recommend it! read more

I am extremely disappointed. I bought two vouchers through Groupon in July of 2015. I scheduled my ride right away, but due to the weather it was cancelled. This happened several times and I was never able to go because of the weather. Once they said that the flight was on, my husband and I drove 1 hour and half and when we got there they said that we would not be able to fly because of the weather. I am very sympathetic with the reason that we cannot fly, but now they want to charge us over $200 because our groupon voucher is expired. Seriously??? It was not our fault that the weather was not ideal. We should be able to reschedule as many times as we can! Now we are just going to lose the money! It is very unfortunate!! read more

Got the Groupon like everyone else it seems. As usual for me, a bullet point review: GOOD: - extremely professional / knowledgeable pilot. Don's a class act, knows his stuff and went out of the way to make sure we had an enjoyable yet safe flight. He kept very close tabs on wind / altitude, etc while we were in flight. Definitely vigilant to ensure safety. - local accomodations. You first start out in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and there are a few really nice / cheap hotels nearby in case you wanted to do a sunrise or stay after a sunset ride - the experience itself. First time I'd ever been in a hot air balloon! The lift, the wind, the quiet, the vistas...it's just great. Pretty romantic. BAD: - DIFFICULT to schedule...but I don't see this as too horrible of a thing. It took awhile to get scheduled, meaning you need to book far in advance. And, our first attempt (I took a day off work, booked a hotel and everything), got cancelled the *morning of* due to wind. You've gotta be flexible of mind and try not to get too upset if they cancel last minute. They're just doing their jobs. Like some of the other reviewers, we ended up going on the trip almost a year after I purchased the deal. So you need patience! The way I see it...a hot air balloon is a delicate / fragile thing, very much at the mercy of the wind. And if things aren't *just* right, there's not a lot a pilot can do up in the air to control things, not like they have an engine they can flip on or anything. So they have NO problem calling it off if the situation appears to be anything less than perfect. I actually appreciate that. - participation required. Some people might not like the idea that they'll ask you to help them inflate the balloon at first, fold it up towards the end, etc. If you're someone who likes everything done for you (or expects it because you paid), that might be unnerving. However, me.....I like to "get my hands dirty" when I experience something and I don't mind hard work so I loved it. Worked up a sweat helping them set up, take down, fold / pack / load the balloon; it was no big deal and got us moving faster. Overall, if you can stomach some degree of unpredictability and have no deadlines, I say go for it. When we finally got it together after a few tries, it was TOTALLY worth it. And I thought these guys (clearly a family business) were just the nicest, most down-to-earth folks. A great experience! I'd give it 5 stars but there are clearly some caveats which will hang up some folks... read more

After purchasing a 2 person balloon ride with Valley Ballooning as a birthday gift for a friend, I was cancelled on 3 times, was refused (by "April") the ability to redeem the 2 person ride- and was told we could only schedule a ride with 6-10 other people- but that I would still be charged the same amount that I had paid for a "Private 2 person ride." After 6-8 months of reschedules (with a 60-90 waiting period in between each one based on them being over-booked) my purchase "expired" and Valley Ballooning refused to honor the original amount, or to refund my money. Essentially they stole $300 from me, by allowing my purchase to expire based on their own cancellations and scheduling issues (twice because it was "too windy," once because their "2nd balloon had a hole in it" and I haven't heard from them since. On top of all of it, they were incredibly nasty and rude by phone (April was the scheduler) after cancelling on me multiple times. DON'T LOSE YOUR MONEY TO THESE PEOPLE. read more

Buyer beware!!! Valley Ballooning has been nothing but a hassle for me. I purchased a hot air balloon ride in Feb. of 2011. They were booked up through the summer and the fall and I had to schedule my flight for Feb 2012. I drove out to Woodstock on Feb 18 (4 hr round trip). My girlfriend and I waited close to an hour, only to have no one show up. I called the company 4 times and received no response. It took the company 4 days to get in touch with me, and when they did they tried to make it seem like the whole thing was my fault. There is little to no customer service at valley ballooning. They are very unorganized and irresponsible. I would highly suggest trying a different company if you're looking for a hot air balloon ride. read more

Just went this morning for a sunrise hot air balloon flight. Given that it was my first time going up in a balloon, it was quite a novelty. I enjoyed the experience, and I think so did my boyfriend. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express nearby because it would've taken us 1.5 hours to drive down from DC in the morning. We were told to meet at the Walmart parking lot at 5:50am, and if we had spent the night in DC it would've been miserable having to get up at 4. So the hotel stay was an unanticipated extra cost (it came out just over $100 for the two of us), but again I should've checked the location of the flight when I purchased the deal on Groupon almost a year ago. Overall the flight was fun, although I do wish we could've stayed in the air for longer. We were there for approximately half an hour, and there was another couple waiting on the ground to go after us. They were with the pilot's colleague chasing us in the car, and went after we landed. They wound up spending even less time in the air than we had, so at least I was slightly glad that we had gone first. Before and after the flight we (my boyfriend and the husband of the other couple) had to help set up and wrap the balloon. It was a just a bit of work, not too heavy. Throughout the flight we had a burner bursting fire into the balloon to provide hot air that kept us afloat, and it was a bit loud and scary (well, at least a little for me). We weren't flying that high, and at one point event touched the tip of a tree. The scenery was serene and bucolic, and amongst the numerous geese, cows, horses, we were even able to see some deer, dogs, and a raccoon. There was almost no one out yet when we were flying (approximately 6:20am-7am from takeoff to landing), except one guy who came out of his house and waved to us toward the end of our trip. The other couple landed near a vineyard, and the owner came out and helped us pack up a bit. There were a few vineyards and wineries nearby, and we would've loved to stay and explore the area a bit if we hadn't needed to get back to town immediately afterward. As for the flight, I was a bit scared and concerned about safety before takeoff, seeing that there were absolutely no precautionary measures (maybe because I fly so much and am so used to getting lectured routinely on safety measures on airplanes in case of accidents, but still, lectures aside, there was no equipment that could save our lives if something happened -- although I can't think of anything that would help, since the "basket" we stood in under the balloon was so small, and presumably there would be no time to open up a parachute when we're flying low, I was still a bit unnerved by the lack of accident preparation. Even on kayaks they make you wear life jackets!). The probability of something happening is most likely very small, and they do a test balloon flight beforehand to test the wind. I was a bit scared of the fire raging above my head (which also inadvertently kept us warm from the morning chills) and the height at first, but adjusted rather quickly. Overall, it was a pleasant quick flight without surprises (maybe except for the raccoon, which the pilot said was his first time to see one in the woods there -- but it was beyond cool! Ok, maybe that's mainly because I grew up and have always lived in a city and don't see animals that often, I tend to get excited when I see them. But still, raccoons are cute, and the one we saw was standing on its legs looking up at us before running away). read more

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Went right after Thanksgiving and finally after 4 to 5 attempts made it out. 1st time and it was a great experience. I would recommend this but you have to be patient as they value safety 1st. read more

First, I must comment on how AMAZING Groupon was. After emailing them about this experience, they refunded my money WITHOUT question. Unbelievable. That kind of customer service is so rare - definitely impressed. So, my one star is based on my experience with Valley Ballooning only. Don't really have much else to say than what I said before. And like the previous poster wrote, buyer beware! read more

Sunrise Flight was Perfect! We helped to inflate the balloon. Saw the Gorgeous Dawn in the clear skies. And the flight was about 1 hour 20 minutes, Unforgettable! Don, the Pilot was very professional, described the beautiful scenery of the Shenandoah valley. Landing was in the vineyard, everything was super smooth! Wonderful experience! Thank you so much! read more

What an experience! Incredible. The flight team was super friendly and informative and my safety being a priority is very appreciated. If you are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to experience hot air balloon flight, Valley Ballooning is a great choice for an expertly handled flight and amazing scenery. read more

First off, this may have been one of the more disappointing experiences my wife and I have had in quite some time considering our intial expectations/excitement level. What we thought would be a great day to see some beautiful country and just an overall fantastic way to spend a Sunday, turned into a nightmare -- completely at the expense of Valley Ballooning and their inability to run a professional operation. We had our reservation for a year ahead of time intially, and it initially got cancelled because of weather -- which, obviously, was completely understandable. So we changed to a new date. We drive two hours from DC to Woodstock, VA and suddenly get a call from the company. Since they "hadn't heard from us" they went ahead and legitimately said that they had just given our reservation to someone else. It was honestly pretty awful and appalling. I would give them a zero if I could. I'm sure the balloon ride would be great but the service behind how they do things was awful. Operate with caution when it comes to this company. read more

Short version: If I could give 0 stars, I would. They are absolutely impossible to deal with. I can't even rate my experience, since I never had one; my LivingSocial voucher expires this month and I'm eating the cost of it rather than dealing with April (the schedule "coordinator") any further. Long version: They put this LS deal up despite being booked for the entire fall season. I called the same day the deal ran - before I even had my voucher in hand [in email, technically] - to get a jump on scheduling, since I had intended to use it for my boyfriend's birthday. I was told at that point that they had nothing left for the entire fall. WHY WOULD YOU PUT OUT A DEAL when 1/4 of the valid time period was immediately unavailable?? There went the birthday idea. I should have requested a refund from LS at that point, but I figured we'd just go sometime in 2012 instead. Once early spring rolled around, a friend (who had also bought the deal for himself & his wife) took the lead on scheduling, with the hope that the 4 of us could go up together. After DOZENS of emails - April is not the stellar communicator one might hope for someone in this position - we learned that we could forgo our individual private rides in favor of going in a group balloon with Don, although we would likely/possibly have 1-2 other couples in the balloon with us. No problem. And then dozens more emails trying to schedule a date. April would provide a list of open dates. We would select one. April would inform us that date was not available. WHY OH WHY DID YOU PROVIDE IT TO US AN OPTION, dear April? After weeks of this, I got fed up. My friends opted to go for the private ride since April seemed more able to provide legitimate dates for those flights. Knowing I could use the value of my voucher toward a group flight, then, I took my time getting back to them. The value of the voucher is good until 2016, so what's the rush, right? I'm fine with the group option if I couldn't manage to find a private flight before that deal expired. My fault here for assuming all the previous statements were true. Alas, between those initial conversations & now, April has decided that I cannot "combine" my voucher with "another deal." The list price for 2 people in a group balloon is $378. I paid $389. I'm not sure what sort of "combining" of "deals" i'm doing to pay $11 MORE than list price to get up in their balloon, but she was adamant. I could pay them ANOTHER $260 to get the private ride, or ... well, there was no or. That is my option. (Oh wait: the other option is use the voucher before 8/31, on one of their open days... like a Tuesday. Not exactly an option for 2 adults with 9-5 jobs.) I'm definitely not throwing ANOTHER $260 at these incompetents, so I'm eating the cost. I am hopeful that they don't get their cut of what I paid LS unless I redeem the voucher, because I'd prefer to lose the cash than have any of it go to them. read more

This company is the reason I signed in Yelp. The WORST customer service and management experience I had so far! Be careful if you are not ready to get unprofessional and unacceptable service. The scheduling was not great, but it was not bad either. Our first flight was scheduled in December and got cancelled because of the weather. We completely understood that and worked with the company to reschedule the flight. After a few emails back and forth, we were able to get a sunset flight on my birthday in March due to a sudden opening in their schedule which was a nice surprise. The scheduling coordinator, April, asked us to call the pilot, Don, the morning of the flight for the weather check. On the day before, my fiancee emailed April to confirm the flight status and location, but there was no response. On the scheduled day, he called Don in the morning and, since no one picked up the phone, left a message with his number requesting a callback. He called both April and Don again before we left the area, leaving a message for April this time. Since we did not hear from anyone that the flight was canceled and the weather was good, we decided to drive to the location specified in the original email because we did not want to miss a fairly expensive deal. While we were driving, I called April and Don leaving both voice mails with my phone number and requesting a callback. We were supposed to meet up with Don at 4:10 p.m. When we got there, we called again. We waited for about an hour and decided to leave since there was no point to stay. Over all, we called both April and Don multiple times and left five voice mails with our contact numbers with no response. We wasted about four hours of driving and waiting. The day after there was still no response from them. My fiancee emailed April to talk about the situation. April emailed back that evening. She mentioned that Don said that he reached out to the group scheduled on that day to notify them about the cancellation. I am not sure how they run the operation, but we were scheduled for that night and did not get the notification, nor did we get any response for calls and voice mails we left during the day. In the email we received from April, we were told that passengers should never come out if they have not spoken to a pilot, which feels like they were trying to make the situation our fault. We were also given an option to reschedule or seek a refund on expired Groupon deal. The email specifically pointed out that the deal was expired. After the experience we had, I did not feel it was worth trying to reschedule the flight. We talked to Groupon and got a full refund due to vendor failing to show up. This experience is just unacceptable for me, but I agree with Kimberly that Groupon is amazing. read more

BUYER BEWARE!!! My husband surprised me for my 5 year wedding anniversary with a romantic hot air balloon ride... that never happened. We were in Virginia for 3 nights/4 days, and the guy gave us the run around. We were unable to go up in the air. He claims b/c the weather wasn't right. Since we live in SC, we will not be able to use gift certificate. He told us no refunds... no exceptions. My husband paid $400 that sadly will never be used. THe owner simply pocketed our hard earned money. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!! BAD EXPERIENCE. read more

DO NOT FILTER MY REVIEW - I AM A REAL PERSON WITH A REAL STORY. Do not try to do business with these people - it's a complete scam as underscored by the numerous complaints against this company. My story is nearly identical to the other poor people who were repeatedly given the run around by the idiots at Valley Ballooning and Living Social in trying to use their voucher. Long story short, in February 2011, I bought my then fiance (now, 2 years later, my husband) a balloon ride for Valentine's Day through the LS deal. They were booked through the entire term of the voucher when I tried to schedule the balloon ride. They acted like they were doing me a favor by extending the term of the voucher, which really didn't do anything, since they were never able to follow through with providing me with a balloon ride. Despite the repeated entertainment of dealing with April, who I speculate has been dropped one too many times on her head from the hot air balloon, we have now given up. Over the course of a year and a half, it was a nightmare to find a time where they actually had availability for a balloon ride. And then, when we took off of work, incurred the costs to stay in a hotel, and drove to Woodstock to redeem our voucher for the less-than-desireable 6am Tuesday morning balloon ride, they canceled on us at the last minute. We informed Valley Ballooning and LS that we were very annoyed by the repeated cancellations and poor customer service; Valley Ballooning then told us they would not honor our vouchers because I offended them with my criticism of their company. Seriously - I hurt their feelings, so they straight out said to stop calling them and just pocketed the money for my vouchers! And, LS just kept telling me that, notwithstanding the insane circumstances, "It's our policy not to reimburse vouchers..." What a joke! I obviously could sue both Valley Ballooning and LS, but I am precluded from doing anything due to an unfortunate conflict. (UGH!) My hope in posting this is that others will take legal action (which is really easy!) to get your money back for the voucher and reasonable related expenses (e.g., repeated hotel costs). There is a simple handbook published by the DC courts that walks you through this easy process to make you whole : http://www.dccourts.gov/internet/documents/SmallClaimsHandbook.pdf. Good luck, and safe flying to anyone who ever actually gets to take a hot air balloon ride! read more

If I could, I would leave zero stars. We bought vouchers in October of 2010 through a coupon website (like group on) and for MORE THAN TWO YEARS have tried to schedule a flight, but it has been cancelled EVERY TIME due to weather. We asked for a refund and were told no. THIS IS A SCAM AND A RIP OFF. They are incredibly disorganized and completely unable to deliver the product that you purchased. GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. read more

Highly recommend this! First let me tell you that it was my first ever hot air balloon ride, but I have dreamed of doing it since I was 5, and when I learned my dad also wanted to do it, I decided his October birthday would be the perfect time. And although it was perfect, it wasn't perfect enough because apparently winds were just a little too strong, and it got canceled. That was Saturday - and we had rented a place so we'd be nearby for the weekend. But we had to reschedule for today... Thursday... which meant we had to drive back there from No Va, but it was worth it. (Please note - we got the "groupon" price without buying the groupon; and that meant that the voucher is automatically good for a year... and they told me as long as you have tried to reschedule it once in the year, they'll honor it for 5 years. I believe that since one couple that road with us has been trying to get up for 3 years. I say that, but life is teaching me not to put things off because you never know what tomorrow will bring, or even if it will bring tomorrow.) I should also tell you I am afraid of heights. My desire to go in a hot air balloon started before my fear of heights, and the desire outweighed the fear - obviously - so I booked it. My dad, my brother and my kids went... ages 11 to 70. Take off is smooth... so smooth I was waiting for us to take off so I could begin filming and then realized we were well off the ground and I hadn't noticed. You feel landing, but it was not hard or anything. I didn't even feel like I had to be holding on (although you should... because it *can* be a rougher landing). Despite being afraid of heights, it only took me a few minutes before I was able to look straight down. Not really scary. I've been parasailing and that is scarier. I was shocked at how secure I felt... even more secure than standing on the balcony of a high rise. Another reviewer said they were 100 feet up?? We were at a cruising altitude of 1300 feet. WELL above the tree tops. It was overcast, and a little later in the foilage season then I would have liked to have gone, but it was still wonderful. The burner keeps it warmer in the balloon. No one complained of being hot or cold; so I say dress for the weather on the ground, or a few degrees warmer, and you'll be fine. The space is tight, but unless you're standing next to my dad who is like a 5 yr old trying to push his way from one side to the other, then you'll be fine. It's a lovely view; we took a ton of photos. As soon as we landed, and several times thereafter, my dad begged to do it again. I swear, he does act more like 7 than 70. I love that. I'd do it again, and I'd choose Valley Ballooning. I had complete confidence in Don, the pilot & owner of Valley Ballooning. I also liked that 2 other companies lifted off with us. The communication about winds, landing spots and being able to talk to the drivers on the ground, too, gave me added confidence that if there was an emergency there was at least some kind of support system out there. The only downer is that you can't really get a picture of YOU in the hot air balloon in the air. We had to ask for someone to take our photos while we were in the basket (before we took off)... and I would recommend Valley Ballooning consider offering this as a service; and add a few pics of the balloon in the air. They could even charge a little extra for that service, and I'd pay it. We did get photos of the other balloon in the air, so that's something. It's enough. PS - I think Valley Ballooning is the only - or one of the few - that offers larger baskets. He can put 12 in his basket, the others we saw only took 2 at a time. With 5 in our group, I wouldn't have wanted to have to break up the group... and even with only 2, it sounds better.. but I was thinking about it and I am not so sure. One poster said he was going to propose in the hot air balloon... sweet, but the pilot would have been right in their faces. Its probably better it didnt work out quite like that and they got engaged on Skyline Drive. Bottom line: Do it. read more

I purchased a groupon for this company. The Groupon expired one year from purchase so I booked a flight right when I got the certificate. I booked five trips that where all cancelled by the company. Within a year I was unable to book a trip that the company did not cancel. I understand situation with weather come up with hot air ballooning but the company was unwilling to work with me at all. The owner of the company admitted that they only flew 50% of the flights scheduled. I would rather work with a company that is willing to make accommodations and help you to receive the services. read more

Valley Ballooning was amazing. My boyfriend and I scheduled our flight about a month ago and then went up this morning for the sunrise flight. I was very impressed with the entire operation from when we arrived at 5:10AM through to when we were dropped back off at our cars. I especially want to say thanks to Jordan, April, and Don for making this day so special for us. Jordan flew our balloon and was super patient with us and really impressed us with the ease of the landing. He really put in a great effort to make sure our experience was fun. April was also so friendly and efficient in helping with setup and cleanup. I would highly recommend this business to others! read more

I bought 2 Groupons for flight in the month of June. I first tried to schedule a flight for a weekend in the month of October and it was declined citing that the Groupon was not valid for October which wasn't the case. It was valid for October, just that it was only valid for weekdays. I then rescheduled the flight for a weekday in Aug. The flight status page wasn't updted until 6:30 PM. I tried to call Dan and couldn't reach him. So as per instructions on their website, I decided to cancel my plans for next morning. He then calls me at 9:30 PM and tells me that they are on for flight next morning. So although, I had full right to say no, I went along with it and decided to drive 2 hours to the location. Only to find out that the flight would be cancelled due to fog. Extremely disappointed, we drove back 2 hours. I obviously don't know why he couldn't simply call us early in the morning and tell us that the weather didn't look good and should have left it on us whether we wanted to drive all the way there. Nevertheless, I then started looking for dates for Sept and when I couldn't find any, I thought I will wait for few months and possibly book a flight for next year. One fine day, I receieve an email from there system with a reminder for my flight on a Saturday in the month of Sept. I could not recall if I ever booked the flight for that Saturday in Sept as I had already booked one in August and it was canceled due to weather. So, I immediately called them, left a long clear message to confirm whether that was a mistake. Then I tried to contact them thru an email. 3 days passed and they finally call me back again at 9:00 the day prior to that. I argued with Don for few minutes, and at the end of our conversation, he said he is fine and I can try to book a flight for some other date (I assumed he meant I should be able to use the Groupon for a later date). An hour after I ended my conversation with him, I get an email from his partner saying that they are going to redeem the Groupon and I am going to basically lose my money as I didn't call them 72 hours prior to my scheduled flight. When I tried to ask them if they have indeed done that, I never got any response back. In all my years of using ANY business, this has possibly been my worse experience. I know people have been able to fly with them, but that should be a norm, and not an exception. They should not treat customers like hostage to their fine prints and should be prompt in returning calls/emails so that people are able to make plans for waking up at 4 AM in the morning to drive all the way to wookstock to make it there by 6 AM. I will update my review if I ever get to hear back from them, but I have given up any hopes. read more

I strongly recommend looking into other companies if you are considering a balloon ride. Valley Ballooning is incredibly unhelpful and a very poorly managed business. Their customer service is atrocious. It is impossible to schedule a flight with them and they treat you as if it's your fault. Ultimately I was forced to request a refund from Living Social for the vouchers I had purchased. Living Socials was amazingly (shockingly, really) understanding and responsive. I'm looking forward to taking my money elsewhere and I suggest you do to!! read more

This is truly a "buyer beware" situation. I, too, purchased Groupons for a balloon flight. Little did I know that when it states "weather permitting", it means that there can be no more than 5mph winds. If you live in Virginia, you know how rare that actually is. So basically what happens is you schedule your flight, it gets cancelled, you have to reschedule another six months down the road (because everyone else is rescheduling), and so forth. My Groupon expires in a year, and unless they extend the date, I doubt it will actually work out. As cool as I anticipated this experience to be, it's only turned out to be a major headache. read more

My friend and I had a really great experience with Valley Ballooning, and I recommend this experience. When we arrived at the launch site, we joined two other couples scheduled to fly separate balloons. I really enjoyed launching with other balloons because it was beautiful to see other balloons in the air. Our pilot had us participate in preparing our balloon for flight, which added to our experience. We had were assigned our own balloon, which personalized the experience. Don's son Jordan was our pilot, and both he and Don, his father, were thoughtful, skilled, and kind-hearted hosts. Scheduling was difficult due to weather conditions, and every person who decides to purchase a flight should know this in advance. However, once we were able to take off successfully, the ride was absolutely lovely, and I swore I would recommend it to all of my friends. It's been the nicest experience of my summer this year. read more