Travel

Sundance Vacations’ travelers often look for advice about the notorious sin city; is it appropriate for kids?  Yes.

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! Checklist

1. Turn off/down your heater or air conditioner
2. Turn off and unplug any unnecessary electronic items (e.g. - microwaves, coffee pots)
3. Arrange for the post office to hold your mail or ask a neighbor to collect it for you
4. Pay your bills ahead of time, or schedule their payments for after you get back
5. Turn off all lights or invest in programmable lights to make the house look occupied
6. Have a friend or family member keep an eye on the house while you’re away
7. Set your alarm and notify the security company that you’re leaving
8. Make sure your lawn and sidewalks are clear, well groomed before leaving
9. If you’re not driving, make sure your car has fuel for when you get back
10. Secure all of your valuables and important documents
11. Lock all doors and windows
12. If you have pets, arrange for a caretaker while you’re away
13. Turn down the hot water heater
14. Clean out your fridge and freezer
15.  Clean the house and make sure all trash is emptied (your nose will thank you!)

 Sundance Vacations employees are here to help. Got any other tried and true suggestions regarding prepping your home for travel?  Send a comment.

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. 

Recently my family and I vacationed at Arrington Woods on Fenwick Island, Delaware. Arrington was truly a vacationer’s paradise. We were only 7 miles away from the beach. The island offered many kinds of entertainment, from water sports to golfing and outlet shopping. My family and I ate at Harpoon Hannah’s, Secrets, Nicks Ribs, and Brass Balls. The food was absolutely delicious, and we had such a wide variety. Everything was just a short walk away from our unit. Our place was huge; you could probably fit 12 people. It had such a home setting, with a pull in garage, and the ability to cook outside. Cooking outside worked well for us, since we went crabbing at Assawoman Bay. My husband didn’t want to leave, it was so beautiful and comfortable, he wanted to stay inside and relax all day. Surprisingly the neighbors were all really friendly too! Right across the street there was a playground with a free Merry-Go-Round, which was perfect for our daughter. Another attraction that was great for kids was Assateague Island. The island was full of wild horses, deer, and many other types of animals that kids of all ages love.  Overall our vacation was phenomenal, thank you so much Sundance Vacations!!  

-Lizette Barrager

Sundance Vacations hosted their second customer service appreciation event on Saturday August 23^rd .  The event took place at the Esplanade Suites in Wildwood, New Jersey. Sundance Vacations wanted the opportunity to give back to their customers and say thank you. Many of the customers who were vacationing at the Esplanade were excited to see Sundance there to greet them. Frequent Sundance travelers staying at the hotel were treated to a lunch buffet, delicious desserts, and free Sundance gear. The children had fun with Customer Service Manager Judy Romanelli. Judy set up a cake eating contest as well as a hula-hoop contest. The winners received prizes varying from Sundance beach bags, to sand pails for the beach. Everyone had a great time sharing stories of their recent and past vacations. It was great meeting each customer and finally being able to put faces to the names over the phone. 

Tis’ the season for vacations, and most people are taking advantage. Sundance Vacations employees know the importance of vacations; after all we are working for a vacation company. We also work very hard to make vacations more affordable and memorable to numerous families across the nation.

This year, a popular spot for vacationing is the Jersey Shore. The main attraction you ask? Most people would say, the boardwalk. In South Jersey alone, three resort towns have them, Atlantic City, Ocean City, and the Wildwoods. The Wildwoods, which consists of Wildwood, North Wildwood, and Wildwood Crest, hold a plethora of activities. The towns are widely known to have some of the finest beaches in New Jersey. At the shore, you will find boardwalk standbys in multiple amounts. From t-shirt shops and jewelry stores, to arcade casinos the shore provides it all. In addition to the boardwalk and beaches, Wildwood also offers amusement and water parks to entertain the family. Pizza, hoagies, ice cream, fudge, soft pretzels, and the ever so famous saltwater taffy dominate the boardwalk menu. Just the thought makes your mouth salivate.

Sundance Vacations occupies 22 vacation properties for your convenience at the Jersey Shore. Some include: Surrey Beach House (Voted “Best Shore Motel” by Philadelphia Daily News), Wildwood By the Sea, and Mali Kai to just name a few. As the archway in North Wildwood boasts, the shore is home to “the happiest people in the world.”

Hopefully you’ll get a chance to vacation this summer, and if you do remember the Jersey Shore is waiting for your visit.

Have you visited the Jersey Shore? What was your favorite spot? What is your most memorable vacation?

I’ve just returned from my family’s annual vacation. This year we visited Ocean Village in West MD. Our unit was a beautiful three bedroom, 3 bath, two story, very clean and in a very peaceful and serene location. I was able to jog every morning around the resort without the fear of being mugged; this was a pleasant experience since I live in the hood. My five children, husband and I had a wonderful time. We all played tennis, poorly, but we played nonetheless. There was also a gym, an indoor and outdoor pool, a Jacuzzi and a basketball court.

We visited the beautiful MD beaches as well as Rehoboth beach and their boardwalks. We ate at the ever-popular Green Turtle, which was absolutely delicious whether your going for a light seafood fare or your heavy-duty sliders, I know because being the parent of five; it is my God given right to try everything they order. We also ate at Salvatore’s Italian restaurant that made all of their meals fresh and I mean from pasta to bread and pizza dough!! It was very good and we were told by our waitress that we were the happiest family she ever had the pleasure of waiting on…of course we were, we were on our Sundance Vacations vacation, together!! We ate at several other restaurants but these two were our favorites this year.

My four daughters were in heaven because they go to shop till’ my husband and I dropped at all of the outlets!! "But Mom, look how much money we saved you!!" How can you argue that?

As we packed to go back home, six sad faces were asking me, "can we take one more vacation this summer and if not, where are we going next year?" The six sad faces included my husbands, as usual! I can’t blame them I feel the same way!!

It’s a tough job to try out these resorts so we can better assist our clients, but someone’s gotta’ do it!!

Seriously, thank you Sundance Vacations for the opportunity and thank you TAN and Lani for the joy and ease in booking these vacations!!

-Judy Romanelli (Customer Service Manager for Sundance Vacations)

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 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