Dec 9, 2008
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “wanderlust” as a “strong longing for or impulse toward wandering”. All of us at Sundance Vacations have quite a bit of wanderlust in us, and we want to help you indulge in your own wanderlust, too! Here’s where we want to send you:
Dec 3, 2008
Sundance Vacations was selected as one of the best places to work in Pennsylvania on December 2nd, 2008. This was the second year the company participated in the program. Sundance Vacations placed twelfth in a statewide poll for the top 50 large companies. Competition was fierce as employees anxiously awaited the ranking alongside Sundance Vacations founders John and Tina Dowd. Nearly 45,000 Pennsylvania employees (a 100% increase over last year) filled out the survey. The combined scores determined the top company’s final ranking. The ceremony was held at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, PA. The attendance at the dinner topped over 1,100 people from 100 companies throughout Pennsylvania. “There are many companies who are disappointed, because they did not make the list,” said Acting Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, John Blake. Sundance Vacations is pleased with their ranking, but let’s keep striving for the number one spot!!
What do you think would improve our ranking for next year? We would love to hear some of your suggestions!
Nov 18, 2008
Sundance Vacations’ travelers often look for advice about the notorious sin city; is it appropriate for kids? Yes.
I took my kids to Las Vegas several years ago. Although my daughter’s elementary school teacher made a negative comment about Las Vegas being inappropriate for kids. She was wrong. Sightseeing Las Vegas with your kids allows you to see the city in a whole new way.
Sundance Vacations suggests the following activities for kids in Las Vegas:
Flyaway Indoor Skydiving is located on Convention Center drive. Following some brief instructions and an introduction about crash positions your kids enjoy suiting up in a wind suit and jumping on a giant fan. The fan allows you to hover in the air similar to skydiving.
The Wet N’ Wild waterpark was a favorite for my kids in Las Vegas. However, this park closed in 2004. Plans are underway for LasVegas Wet which will open in 2011. The project will include one of the largest indoor water parks in North America plus an Indoor Snow Dome. Kids visiting Vegas will be able to ski and snowboard on man made snow. An indoor snow play area is also being planned for younger children.
The rising torrents of the Excalibur castle are a definite draw for every young prince and princess. My kids enjoy the Tournament of Kings jousting dinner show. Be prepared to eat with your fingers and remind yourself that five star restaurants are overrated and stuffy anyway. Arrive early so the kids can enjoy the carnival games on the Fantasy Faire midway. Excalibur also has a Sponge Bob Square Pants 4 D ride. Kids must be 42” to ride.
Our favorite free entertainment for Kids in Las Vegas is the lion habitat in MGM Grande. The giant glass enclosure guarantees a great view for kids. Watching the lions interact with the animal handler is an extra special treat.
Don’t worry parents we haven’t covered a lot of distance….yet. Excalibur, MGM Grande and NewYork New York Casino are all on the same corner of the strip. Adventurous kids in Las Vegas will love the Roller Coaster on top of the New York Casino. The extra elevation really adds to the thrill.
The Adventuredome at Circus Circus is another kid favorite. It’s five acres of Indoor Theme Park fun including the Canyon Blaster an indoor double loop roller coaster. Adventuredome also hosts several family friendly rides including a carousel and a mini Himalayan ride just to name a few. Circus Circus also has a midway filled with carnival games. Center stage at the carnival midway is home to the largest permanent circus. Performances take place daily and best of all, they are free!
The rides on top of the Stratosphere are truly terrifying. At one hundred stories in the air, these thrill rides are not for the timid. X-Scream is a giant teeter-totter that takes riders over the edge of the tower and 866 feet from the ground. Insantiy, the Ride, is a giant arm that extends over the edge and spins riders at a force of 3 G’s. Even my daredevil daughter declined. The tower itself is worth the trip. The Stratosphere is the tallest observation tower in the US. You and your kids will have a great view of the Las Vegas skyline.
Bring your little shark lovers to The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay. It is a 1.6 million gallon aquarium with 14 exhibits. Guests experience two walk-through tunnels that give a divers view of 15 different species of shark, including some of the most dangerous predators in the world.
The list of things to do with your kids in Las Vegas can go on and on. Bodies The Exhibit resides at the Luxor Casino. The exhibit has 13 whole body specimens and over 260 organs. After days of thrill rides and carnival games, the Bodies exhibit is a nice opportunity for education. Don’t tell them it’s educational of course, your kids will just think it’s cool and gross to see real “plastinated” bodies. The diseased smoker’s lung next to a healthy lung makes a great, albeit gross, point about the dangers of smoking. Check to make sure the show hasn’t moved on to a new location, before planning your visit.
Fountains, a botanical garden and a gallery of fine art await Kids at Bellagio. Mature kids will enjoy the sophisticated offerings at Bellagio. The choreographed dancing fountains can be viewed from sidewalk but you’ll need to step inside to see the beautiful themed display in the botanical garden. The Bellagio artists and “gardeners” change the display at least each season.
The Sundance Vacations Client Blog is an excellent resource for travel advice. This is just the tip of the iceberg of the many great things to enjoy with your children while visiting Las Vegas. Check back as we discuss evening entertainment and shows for kids in Las Vegas.
Nov 17, 2008
Traveling, especially internationally, can be a stressful time. Sundance Vacations offers the following tips for our cruise guests. Knowing the government requirements is the first step to hassle free international travel. Although we highly recommend all travelers to obtain a passport, currently, passports are not required for cruise travel to the Caribbean. However, the full homeland security requirements will go into effect on June 1, 2009.
This is important information for Sundance Vacations Cruise Guests. If you are considering or are scheduled for a Sundance Vacations cruise after June 1, 2009 you will be required to present a valid passport. The US government requirements can be found at the US government website.
A valid passport can save you a lot of time and hassle on your trip, giving you more time to enjoy your vacation.
In addition to being aware of passport requirements, we also offer the following tips for hassle free international travel. Before leaving for your Sundance Vacations Cruise make sure that you have several copies of your passport, your driver’s license, any credit or debit cards, or any other important documents you’ll need to travel internationally. By coming prepared, you can easily solve a problem (if one arises) on your vacation, whether it’s a reservation or a passport issue. Also, remember to leave a copy of this information with a trusted friend or family member in case of an emergency! While you’re out enjoying the sights of the city, lock your important documents in the in-room safe for security.
Your vacation is supposed to be a time for enjoyment, laughter, and fun. Don’t spend it worrying about passports and immigration. Get your forms in line before you leave! Trust us, you’ll feel safer and more secure knowing that you’ve covered all the bases in planning your trip.
Nov 10, 2008
Prepping your home for travel is an important part of planning. So before you depart on your Dream Getaway from Sundance Vacations make sure that you’ve taken care of some of these last minute home preparations. When you’ve completed the list, you’ll feel much more confident and secure while on your Dream Getaway. Don’t be stressed over your home…you’re on vacation, so enjoy it!
Nov 4, 2008
Sundance Vacations successfully raised $2830 for Habitat for Humanity during our participation in Make a Difference Day. Several Sundance Vacations’ employee volunteered to build a home in downtown Wilkes Barre. In addition to the volunteers who dug ditches and carried construction debris, many employees made a difference by selling tickets for $5 to win an excess inventory vacation.
The funds raised in each office will be sent directly to the Habitat for Humanity that is local to that area. The winner of the excess inventory week was Leona Dworchaek from the Shamokin area. The employee who sold the most tickets was Pam Fantaskey. Pam also won an excess inventory vacation for raising the most funds.
We also want to express our gratitude to the entire staff who helped make this charity event a big success. We will enroll our “event” in the Make a Difference contest. If our charity event is chosen as the winner, we will get $10,000 from Newman’s Own Salad Dressing to donate to Habitat for Humanity.
We will participate in the Make a Difference Day again next year. We will be looking for bigger volunteer opportunities for next year. Send in your ideas.
Oct 28, 2008
I found the following post from a user named Sue.
“We received the infamous call from Sundance Vacations and the telemarketers ARE very polite but they start out with a brazen lie by saying they’re not trying to “sell” anything.They’re trying to “sell” a vacation membership. You’re NOT obligated to buy but they ARE trying to “sell” something.
When a company lies from the get go that’s a Red flag. Sundance Vacations is spending money on telemarketing salaries and other marketing costs but they’re not trying to “sell” anything? C’mon, get real!
Sundance Vacations is in the business of selling vacations, why don’t they just be honest about it? What are they trying to hide?
Do most customers understand that they are indeed attending a sales presentation? I think so.
But what do you think? Do we need to be more in your face, “this is a sales presentation” in order to achieve total transparency. Why don’t we just use the term, “sales presentation”….Umm, because “attending a sales presentation” sounds about as much fun as getting a root canal. “A brief introduction” is a much better choice of words and our introduction is upbeat, fun and informative; not at all like a root canal. Is presenting an idea in the brightest most positive way good advertising or intentionally misleading?
Does the fact that there is no obligation to purchase anything properly indicate that there is something to purchase?
Is a professionally packaged message bad? We want to hear from you.
Oct 23, 2008
Interested in FREE TICKETS to the WORLD SERIES? Please visit our corporate blog by clicking on the link below to find out more information!
Oct 23, 2008
Need to score a pair of free World Series tickets? Call Sundance Vacations today to ask how you can qualify to get two free World Series tickets; 1-800-309-7000.
As a corporate sponsor of the Philadelphia Phillies Sundance Vacations has the distinct privilege of interacting with the fans during regular season home games. As you may guess, many Sundance Vacations customers are die hard Phillies fans. So, when we had the opportunity to purchase a pair of World Series tickets, we jumped on it.
One lucky customer who visits a Sundance Vacations office in Rockaway, Princeton, King of Prussia, Harrisburg or Wilkes Barre office between Wednesday October 22 and Saturday October 25th will be randomly chosen to receive a pair of World Series tickets for the 8pm Sunday game at Citizens Bank Park! No purchase is necessary to get a pair of free World Series tickets, so what are you waiting for, call 1-800-309-7000.
The response has already been amazing from both customers and employees. Many staff members are begging to be eligible….sorry gang, two lower level World Series tickets are worth $500-$700 each, so this giveaway is just for customers.
Sep 29, 2008
I enjoyed the opportunity to talk one-on-one with several Sundance Vacations travelers during the third Sundance Vacations customer appreciation party held at Woodfield Manor last week. If you want to know how real travelers and customers feel about purchasing vacations from Sundance then I highly recommend checking out the customer comments and reactions on the blog post for the event. http://corporateblog.sundancevacations.com/travel/sundance-appreciation-event-at-the-woodfield-manor/trackback/
As individuals and as a company we are never so perfect that we can’t learn to be better. The company can always improve to make sure vacationers are satisfied with their trips. Here’s what I learned from a traveler at the event.
We are very proud of our commitment and Travel Advantage Network’s commitment to procuring enough vacation inventory for the influx of vacationers who want to travel during the summer time. I’ve always seen the additional seasonal inventory as a benefit for customers. But, one of the customers I met at the customer appreciation party sees the seasonal inventory in a different light.
She likes to travel to Cape Cod in the off season when the beach is quiet and the tourists are gone. But the seasonal inventory that we add to cover peak demand is not denoted as seasonal on the website list. She was unhappy because there was no way for her to discern during her purchase that some of the inventory would never benefit her because she doesn’t travel during peak summer times.
I think she has made a very valid point. This is a simple request to improve the customer experience. I’ll forward her suggestion to have seasonal inventory specifically denoted to the reservation division, TAN. But we don’t have to wait for TAN to change the reservation website to make a positive change on this issue. All staff members can help by remembering to mention that some of the inventory on the list may be seasonal. This small change can eliminate a potentially dissatisfied customer; something we are all committed to doing.
