WHAT OUR CLIENTS ARE SAYING

From an Amtrak customer:

Ted,

Thanks for the excellent job of putting my trip together. I am saving both time and money and going to exactly the places I want to see in the most efficient way.

I am through with trying to do this kind of planning by myself and hope to get back in touch with you when the urge to travel by train strikes again.

Wayne

Ted,

Congratulations on a speedy, efficient, and personalized job that looks to meet all the requirements we had requested. Peter will contact you tomorrow with finalizing payment and any other pertinent details. I will let you know what dates to make Toronto/NYC train reservations when I hear back from our daughter.

Conde Nast should be pleased to know you've lived up to your reputation one more time!

Sincerely,

Jean

Sylvia -- Thank you for the update on the VIA Deluxe Sleeping Car for 2013. Please keep us posted personally.

FYI, Ted has booked us next year on ROVOS Rail and we're enthusiastic about that journey. Also, Ted did a wonderful job with our booking last year on the Orient Express. Your service is exemplary!

angelo figone and laurence brenner, san francisco

Dear Sylvia & Ted:

Thanks so much for your prompt work on this. We truly appreciate all of your efforts and have told all of our friends what a wonderful train trip you arranged for us!!! If you ever need a reference or positive critique, let us know!

Bob and Barb Singer

Dear Friends:

We have just returned home from our trip to Vancouver and Victoria, B.C., the Rocky Mountaineer, Banff and Jasper, Alberta. It was a wonderful trip and we are deeply grateful for the way in which you put it together. Everything worked right on schedule, the accommmodations were outstanding, all that we needed was readily available to us. It exceeded our expectations.

Thanks especially for encouraging us to take the Gold Leaf section instead of the Red Leaf on the Rocky Mountaineer. All in all it was a fabulous experience and we thank you for your very able help! We have already recommended you to some of our friends.

Howard & Eleanor Vanderwell

Dear Ted & Sylvia:

Our train trip from Chicago to Seattle and then Vancouver to Toronto was fantastic. Everything went well. Thanks for all your assistance! The scenery, meals and staff on the trains were wonderful.
So nice to leave the details to the "pros". What a nice feeling to know you were as clase as a phone call away if we had any questions.

Roger Merideth

July 28, 2010

Hi Sylvia and Ted,

What a fabulous trip you put together for us.  It was first class all the way. Everything went according to the itinerary and the transfers made it so easy to get around. We had great weather for the entire 11 days, and had a big rain in the mts. west of Jasper which was something to see.  

Have a few comments:  The train experience was fun, 19 cars, 4 domes. 2 diners and a lounge car, the food was excellent, the attendants and crew were so friendly and accomodating.  We were so tired when we finally got on board, and the drawing room was perfect... just the right size.  Mary would do it again tomorrow.

The Fairmonts were elegant, and services at them were wonderful.  We missed Queen Liz by two days at the York, but ran into the Lady Gaga crowd, World Cup festivities and baseball game on the same day. Toronto was teeming with people. The walkway to from the York Union Station was very convenient. Jasper was great, the hotel is a jewel, got into town for a bit too, but the glacier tour was once in a lifetime. The weather was bright and clear and the pictures are great. We saw everything but a bear.

Vancouver!  Our favorite was the Hotel Vancouver, a wondeful staff, helpful, and nice.  Just love the Vancouver area. We could easily live there. People are so nice. We took tours, went everywhere from the harbor, Granville Isle, downtown, saw a lot of the area.

Thank you for planning such a great vacation for us.  There was a lot of experience and thought behind the finished product. I  would recommend you to anyone thinking of that type of vacation, your service was outstanding.

Mary and Bob Foley

July 10, 2010

Hi.

Thanks for everything. This will be a trip to remember. For our 50th, we wanted something special. The Fairmonts are wonderful, and we definitely will get back to you when we return. You two did very well by us. You must expand your advertising effort particularly in the eastern US, and will get more business. Accept this from an old automotive marketing guy. Thanks again Ted and Sylvia.

Mary & Bob Foley

May 14, 2010

Ted:

Ken and I thank you for orchestrating a flawless trip. Your attention to detail made the logistics of seven trains, three buses and four hotels easy. Add close to perfect weather, interesting sightseeing and excellent restaurants, and the result was a memorable adventure.

Please let us know if you would like any detailed feedback, and feel free to have prospective clients contact us for positive comments on your service.

Deborah Menke

July 20, 2009

Just got back from a trip. SWA to BWI the Capital Ltd to Chicago and SWA back to Columbus. I was talking with my sleeper room attendant. I mentioned my up coming Via Rail Canada trip. He interrupted to say he arranged a trip on Via for his parents and they had a great trip. I should be sure to use a couple he knows that books great Canadian trips...air, rail, hotels and transfers. Before I could respond he said their names are Ted and Sylvia!

Fred Rea

June 29, 2009

Ted and Sylvia -

I received the Amtrak tickets a few weeks ago and have just checked to make sure my plans dovetail each other for the third time.

I wanted to say thanks very much for helping me set up my trip to Seattle via Amtrak. It is a big deal for me to go to the Pacific NW for the first time, and I am looking forward to it! I really appreciate your help and advice in pulling all the different elements together so that I can visit two National Parks (I've never even been to one before now) and finally see the Pacific Ocean. Business first, then some serious "me" time!

The information you have sent regarding Amtrak and the arrangements for the car rental are very valuable for me.

I am so looking forward to this trip! I intend to let you know how things go when I get back. I might even share a photo or ten!

Julie Gildemeister

June 19, 2009

Hi Sylvia,

You asked for a post card after our trip-this is easier.

Everything you and your husband planned for us went like clockwork. We were pleased with everything you folks did. What did not please us was the Renaissance sleeper seating/bed. Much too narrow and hard. Bob and I are both over six feet and the berth was not comfortable. The train itself was immaculate and the lounge and dining facilities were excellent. Also the bedroom itself was fine with ample room to move around and the separate bathroom was ideal. Having slept on the Canadian we couldn't help but make the comparison with the Canadian equipment winning.

The only other hiccup we had, and certainly beyond your control, was the cab strike in Windsor. We were concerned about getting back to Detroit on our return and were lucky enough to find a cabbie to accommodate us(for a nominal fee I might add).

We did complain to Via about what I discussed above in a survey we were asked to participate in. The Via Rail person told us we were by no means the first.

Thanks again,
Davis Cangalosi

Dear Sylvia,

The Canadian was a wonderful train: the crew was beyond expectation. We saw Frazer Canyon by daylight on account of the train being 10 hours late due to derailment the day before we left and freight trains were stacked up.  Pacific Palisades hotel in Vancouver is upscale -- in a good area. Everything worked well so far, so we thank you.

Walter Gehring

Vancouver BC, June 25 2008

Dear Sylvia and Ted:

Just wanted to give you some feedback on our fantastic Grand Circle tour. Everything on the trip went perfectly well, almost. The Rock Mountaineer was fantastic. The breakfast and lunch meal service in the Gold Leaf Dome was outstanding.  The RM crew members were so attentive and helpful. Of course, the views from the Gold Leaf Dome cars were wonderful; and we actually spent quite a bit of time on the open-air observation platform (a separate car on the Whistler train). RM’s practice of running at "Kodak" speed along the most scenic parts of the route is a big selling point for good photography and spotting wildlife. 

One problem is that all of the trains except the Whistler arrived late.  We arrived in Quesnel one hour late, Jasper three hours late, Kamloops two plus hours late and Vancouver one hour late.  All of the delays were beyond RM’s control: track construction and maintenance, traffic congestion due to lack of adequate capacity, and a major CTC signal failure. 

All of the hotels exceeded our expectations.  At the Château Lake Louise we had a beautiful room overlooking the lake, and we were assigned the Business Suite at the Mount Royal. I guess that’s all they had left. Worked fine for us.  Thanks again for all your help.

Clyde & Mary Ann Anderson

July 5, 2007

Dear Sylvia,

We really appreciate your quick response and professional customer service. The documents are in hand! As I look over the trip package I am impressed by the neat and organized note book, the helpful hints about dinner reservations, and general information.  We will send you a post card.

Thank you for all you have done.

Best Regards,

Stephen St. Denis and James Izatt