Archive for June, 2008

My family and I were fortunate enough to spend a week in Ocean City, MD at the Club Ocean Villa II. We started by attending the Sundance Vacations company picnic at Dorney Park and Wild Water Kingdom. It was a SPLASH! Now it was time to head down to the beach. I have two small children, ages four and five, who were very excited to be going on our first family vacation. The weather prediction was calling for warm to hot temperatures and sunshine all week. The kids usually dictate our plans around how long they can stay in the sun and stay awake, but we did more activities that we thought. Our unit overlooked the lagoon; we were on the second floor so the view was absolutely amazing. There was a private dock at the bottom of the stairs with a patio area where we chose a night to bar-b-que while doing some fishing and crabbing. With full kitchen available to us, I prepared a few meals at home. The private indoor/ outdoor pools were a lifesaver the first two days because the weather did get a bit hot, but the breeze from the water kept us cool at night. With the beach just a short walk away, we were able to enjoy making beautiful sand castles, swimming, and the hot sun every morning. We could see tons of people enjoying many water activities such as parasailing, fishing, riding jet ski’s, wave runners, and boating. The only thing that was a must do on my to-do list for the week was to rent/ charter a boat and get my girls out onto the water and do some fishing, and have a nice family-style lunch.

We rented an affordable pontoon boat from Macky’s on the Waterfront. We set sail at 10:00am and went out for a four-hour cruise with some fishing and crabbing. My girlfriend and I ate a late lunch at Sandals "Jamaica USA" where we were able to enjoy Mojito’s as we dangled our feet in the ocean at the tiki area. We visited Jolly Rodgers Water and Amusement Park; and started that day in the water park. Once we entered the amusement park we discovered two of the major attractions were closed. A wonderful park attendant gladly reimbursed us with passes to their pier park.

We planned to spend our last day cruising along the shops of the boardwalk and indulging in a nice dinner at Melvin’s Steakhouse. However, the free pier passes held our attention as we spent the day along the beach and the boardwalk. We did devour a delicious meal at Melvin’s that evening. To sum it up, we had a wonderful week with great weather, great food, great company, and great family experiences. It is a vacation never to be forgotten! Our utmost thanks you to Sundance Vacations for bringing my family that much closer!

-Dyan McCarthy (Sundance Vacations Employee)

Sundance Vacations is slowly nestling into their new home, located at 264 Highland Park Blvd, Wilkes-Barre PA 18702. The building is HUGE, and was a bit overwhelming the first day. It was similar to the first day of school, after getting lost a few times, I finally found my way around. I was glad I knew everyone; otherwise it would have been a nightmare. After all of the unpacking, we faced a few minor problems. Sundance Vacations had a glitch in their “network” system due to a problem with the company’s server. We’re always being told, “save everything you do to the network, and not to “my” documents.” Well, just about everything that I have ever worked on was saved to the network. As most people, I freaked out, which was an expected and normal response to the problem. However, I have a tendency to overreact and I’m almost positive, I did that day. After asking IT a few questions, I was told the problem should be corrected, and anything saved to the network in the past week might not be recovered. WHEW! That was the best news, I’d heard in a long time.

I want to thank the whole IT Team and those who helped with the set up of computers and repairing the network, Tom Berger, Jenny Yuhas, David Wehr, Courtney Long, Chris Woodside, and Sundance Vacations owner, Tina Dowd. Without these people, we wouldn’t be operating, and I certainly wouldn’t be writing this blog! Please salute IT and their helpers as they completed an almost impossible mission!

Tell us about your first day at the new office? What were your malfunctions?

-Amanda Miller

Sundance Vacations has a new home. The company will move their corporate headquarters on June 13^th. The new corporate address is 264 Highland Park Boulevard, Wilkes-Barre, Pa 18702. The new office is actually a hop, skip and a jump away from the previous Sundance Vacations office. All phone numbers will remain the same, so don’t worry there isn’t any extra work for you. Just make sure you take notice to the new address. Sundance Vacations is proud to be moving into a bigger building. The company is growing rapidly, hiring more and more employees each day, so as you can imagine we needed more space. The new office is 47,000 sq. ft and Sundance Vacations will occupy about 17,000 sq. ft. The company plans to lease out the other remaining space. Sundance Vacations founders, John and Tina Dowd are sad to leave Kidder St, but happy that they are finally going to settle into an office that provides more room for growth and expansion if needed

What will you miss about the old Sundance Vacations office? Do you have any memories you would like to share?

Sundance Vacations has a new home. The company will move their corporate headquarters on June 13^th. The new corporate address is 264 Highland Park Boulevard, Wilkes-Barre, Pa 18702. The new office is actually a hop, skip and a jump away from the previous Sundance Vacations office. All phone numbers will remain the same, so don’t worry there isn’t any extra work for you. Just make sure you take notice to the new address. Sundance Vacations is proud to be moving into a bigger building. The company is growing rapidly, hiring more and more employees each day, so as you can imagine we needed more space. The new office is 47,000 sq. ft and Sundance Vacations will occupy about 17,000 sq. ft. The company plans to lease out the other remaining space. Sundance Vacations founders, John and Tina Dowd are sad to leave Kidder St, but happy that they are finally going to settle into an office that provides more room for growth and expansion if needed.

What will you miss about the old Sundance Vacations office? Do you have any memories you would like to share?

Sundance Vacations employee Abby Wheeler just returned from a trip to Panama City Beach, Florida. If you’re looking for a great time Panama City Beach, FL is the place to go. I enjoyed my first vacation of the year there and had an unbelievable time. The nights were an experience of their own. My friends and I enjoyed the Shaggy Marlin on our Saturday night where we rocked out to a band from Atlanta, Ga and danced to an amazing DJ. Also, for all you non-smokers the majority of the bars in Panama City Beach are non-smoking including the Shaggy Marlin.

We enjoyed the authentic Mexican restaurant for Cinco de Mayo where we enjoyed top shelf margaritas, quesadillas, nachos, and salsa. Panama City Beach is also a spot for Spring Breakers and bikers. I was amazed by the "Thunder Beach" rally while there I saw hundreds of bikers lining the main road. I missed out on the Spring Break festivities, but I heard it was one crazy time. MTV is also known for hosting one of their Spring Break spots in Panama City Beach, so you know its a good time! But, If you’re looking for the kind of action I would recommend not planning your vacation during the months of April or May.

The beach was beautiful. (White sand, teal-green water) what more could you ask for? The peaceful, calm water was a relaxing experience especially after our crazy night at the Shaggy Marlin. The atmosphere coupled with the people in Panama City Beach was yet another unexpected experience.

Everyone was laid back and friendly. I enjoyed conversation with people from London, Boston, and Atlanta. I enjoyed myself so much I’m planning to go back this summer. So if you’re looking for a relaxing, yet eventful time, Panama City Beach, FL is the place to go!

Abby Wheeler-Harrisburg, Pa-Sales Office

Sundance Vacations will hold their annual company picnic on Sunday June 8^th. Hundereds of employees have been competing to claim a prize during the annual event. The picnic will be held at Dorney Park; in Allentown Pa. Sundance Vacations is expected to have a large attendance topping 800 people. The park opens at 10am, and closes at 10pm. Food will be available from noon until 5pm, remember to come back to the pavilion at 3pm for the prize drawing. There are tons of great prizes to be given away. Good Luck!  Make sure to bring your bathing suit and beach towel, as the temperature should reach a sweltering 90 degrees for the day.  Hope to see you there and don’t forget to wear your SUNDANCE VACATIONS T-SHIRT!!!

We would love to know what your favorite company event was. Where have you had the most fun with Sundance Vacations?