At Cruise Specialists, we are lucky to work with amazing clients who are not only a joy to plan for, but generous with their feedback after a cruise!
They always let us know what could be better, so we can make adjustments, but our favorite is that little pat on the back which keeps us all focused on providing superior service. Here are some recent examples of how our Cruise Consultants have worked to exceed client expectations.
Gayle Takashima
We enjoy working with Gayle to help plan our cruises. She is competent, knowledgeable, kind, patient, reasonable, and understanding. Her advise has been extremely helpful in assisting us when making various decisions. Gayle Takashima is a gem!
Midge, May 2019
We’ve been working with Gayle for many years for our personal tours, group tours, college reunions/ anniversaries, family vacations and many more. We have recommended her to our classmates, relatives and friends. She is dedicated, knowledgeable, honest, efficient , courteous, flexible, reliable, dependable, up to date with travel issues, quick to respond to our concerns and very pleasant to talk to. We are very pleased for all you have done and continue to do. Thank you.
April 2019
I really like working with Gayle, she is always very helpful when I want to make reservations. She also helped me with the selection of our excursions. I appreciate all the help she gives me.
October 2018
Carol Terhune
It is always great working with Carol. She has helped plan several cruises for us. Keeps us informed particularly any possible or real changes in scheduling, insurance etc. She is available and always gets back to me via email and phone. We enjoy working with her!
Fritz, March 2019
I have already recommended Carol to friends of mine who will be cruising to the Baltic. Carol always returned calls and answered all questions. She suggested a new hotel which enamored me. It was really very nice. She was completely knowledgeable on most every question I had. If she did not have the answer at hand, it was forthcoming.
Jo, January 2019
We have booked several cruises on different lines with Carol, and she has always done a wonderful job in getting the best for us and our dollar. She helps with cruise information, cabin selection, dining time, perks, and travel insurance. Cruise Specialists will also send a lot of travel information, and send email reminders. Everything is clear and easily understandable. We have absolutely no problems when we deal with our personal friend and agent, Carol. We have already discussed our next European river cruise, which we plan for fall of 2019.
November 2018
Lynn Dee King
LynnDee is obviously looking out for your best interests with respect to all aspects of your travels. She is extremely knowledgeable and intuitive. She is a delight to work with.
Andy, June 2019
LynnDee is easy to work with, responsive, informative, professional. We were very pleased that we chose LynnDee to arrange the cruise for our family of 6.
Kathy, May 2019
Seamless and perfect she always does an amazing job and I am always thrilled that I have used her and Cruise Specialists. Thank you and I will continue to use your business because of the service and perfection I received.
Joann, February 2019
Joe Lucero
Joe Lucero is practically always available by phone. If he is not in when I call, he returns my calls promptly or there is someone else present who can help me. He remembers who I am from year to year and usually remembers my travel preferences. He is very careful to make sure everything is booked to our specifications and that we understand the costs. He checks with us before making any alternative bookings. On our last cruise, he knew we were traveling in Spain before embarking on our cruise. He successfully got a message to us in Barcelona of a last minute change in the place to meet our cruise ship and asked us to let him know that we got his message in time. Joe is always enjoyable to talk to and I feel that he cares about our vacation and appreciates our return business.
Tim, May 2019
Everything that Joe promised was delivered and we had a fantastic trip. We booked our next cruise while onboard and will be having that reservation transferred to Joe as well. In fact, I will be booking all future cruises through Joe.
Grant, May 2019
I have used Joe Lucero’s services since 2007 and have been very happy with all the many cruises that he has booked for me. I have nearly 600 days cruising with Holland America and many days with other cruise companies. All these cruises since 2007 have been booked with Joe. Joe has provided me with excellent advice on my bookings, especially when things did not go as expected. He is a good guy to have on your side.
Larry, January 2018
Diane Richey
I have used Diane for years and she has always been top notch agent. I can always depend on her to keep me advised and take care of all my requests.
Warren, May 2019
Diane was absolutely excellent! She was responsive, made great suggestions and helped us think through all of the elements of the trip. She became a very valued asset to our process, and became a friend. I have worked with other travel agents before and Diane surpassed all of my expectations in terms of service and going over and beyond. We will definitely use her again and recommend her to friends and family members.
Teri, March 2019
Diane Ritchey is a delight to work with. She helps select a cruise that matches your style. Diane pays attention to detail and follows up to ensure a seamless vacation. She is pleasant and takes the time to get to know you as a person. I highly recommend working with Diane on your next cruise vacation.
Cathy, November 2018
Bridgett Quinn Webber
Bridgett was very knowledgeable and a pleasure to work with. We enjoyed meeting and talking with her at the pre-cruise get together in Fort Lauderdale (before the 2019 Holland America world cruise). She kept in touch with us with cards and e-mails throughout the trip. We were very pleased with both Bridgett Quinn and Cruise Specialists. We will use them again.
Jim, May 2019
Bridgett is an excellent travel agent to work with. She has met our needs in every situation that we have encountered. My wife and I highly recommend her to other travelers that we meet.
Mike, April 2019
I highly recommend working with Bridgett. She responded quickly and patiently with the answers to all of my questions, even those which I asked twice because I hadn’t read all of her emails to me. We decided on a particular cruise just before we left the country. Since we were not available by phone, everything was arranged by email. This is the third cruise she has booked for us, and the first on this cruise line. We talked to other people who were on the cruise who used other travel agents or booked directly through the cruise and didn’t have the great experience we had with Bridgett. She knows her stuff.
Alisande, February 2019
Dan Twomey
Dan Twomey is a caring, attentive professional Travel Agent who follows through on my requests for information. I have booked 2 long tours with him this year & one for 2020 and one already for 2021. I am able to communicate with him while I am on a ship or at home. I feel loyal to him because of the assistance he has given to me and my husband in the past and for future travel. He is a credit to Cruise Specialists & I am certain is appreciated by his clients!
Frequent Traveler, May 2019
He is very knowledgeable and makes the process of setting up the perfect trip easy. Whenever I had a question (and there were many!), I would get an immediate response. No question was too silly. I have had the pleasure of working with Dan on several cruises and will ask for him again on my next trip.
Leslie, April 2019
Dan was very helpful to basically first time cruisers. It had been 19 yrs since we last took a cruise. His recommendations for staterooms was especially good. We loved having a private balcony were we could get away from the noise & the crowds on the other decks. Also, Marie, who is an assistant at Cruise Specialists, was great when I got a little panic stricken as our sailing date got closer. She did some hand holding & calmed me down. I definitely would be happy to work with Dan again in the future.
March 2019
Matt Caplinger
We could not recommend Matt Caplinger more highly. We booked our first world voyage at the last moment and he babied us through all the frantic last minute details, including visas and documents. He arranged a delivery for us at a port and held our hands throughout. Thank you, Matt.
Kay, May 2019
Matt was knowledgeable, professional and quickly responsive to our many questions and requests. He managed to deliver exactly what we wanted in terms of accommodations and stayed on top of the cruise line until ALL of the financial issues had been resolved. This was our second cruise with Cruise Specialists. The first time we were assigned to Matt. The second time I called and asked him to book our cruise. His assistant, Marie, was also invaluable in getting everything sorted. When we cruise again, and we will, Matt will receive the call to sort it all for us.
Judy, December 2018
Matt Caplinger was great to work with. Very responsive to any questions we had and proactive in checking on fare changes and any updates from the cruise line. He was very helpful in helping us choose both a cruise line [AmaWaterways] and itinerary [Danube] for our first European wine river cruise. I would highly recommend Matt and will work with him again on a future cruise.
JDCruiser, April 2018
Sharon Whiting
Certainly not one to ever push a client in any particular direction, Sharon has arranged four cruises for us over the past 15 years: two on Regent, one on Disney (our specific choice to be part of a family group) and one on Crystal (a river cruise). She has always handled the logistics flawlessly, and we have without exception loved the cruises that she booked for us. Her advice during the planning process is so gentle that one sometimes has the impression that she is not even offering any, but after the cruise is over we realize that we ended up with a perfect experience.
Michael, June 2019
Sharon is fantastic! Sharon is always looking out for us, often saving us money, and keeping us up to date in our trip planning. Sharon deserves a 20 out of a possible 10. We highly recommend her for your future cruises.
Ed and Susie, May 2019
Sharon Whiting was right on top of everything related to our 2 most recent trips through Cruise Specialists. They were a 10 day Silversea Western Caribbean cruise with my husband and 2 nieces, followed shortly thereafter by my solo 2 week Western Pacific Zegrahm expedition on the Caledonian Sky ship to Papua New Guinea, several Micronesian islands, ending in Palau. She took care of all the paperwork for both, checked regularly on details, and answered all my queries quickly and helpfully. When I realized a few weeks after I had returned home from the Caribbean cruise that I had left a favorite jacket in the hotel in Panama City, Sharon was especially helpful in communicating directly with the hotel personnel who quickly located the jacket and arranged to ship it back to our home in Maryland. Hats Off to Sharon!!!
Mary, March 2018
Cliff Bainum
Cliff and Annie were top notch. Everything from start to finish perfect! I would highly recommend Cruise Specialists. They and the people representing this company are a class act!!
Angel, May 2019
Teresa Skeim
Teresa was very helpful as my mother isn’t very tech savvy for on line reservations and planning. She was integral into coordinating for us and seemed quite happy to do so. She is also definitely not a high pressure sales person. Friendly, outgoing and easy to work with!
June 2019
Teresa has been terrific to work with. She always has, or finds answers to my most obscure questions. If cruise prices change, she has been able to get reduced fares or cruise credits for us. She is very knowledgeable about all the cruise lines and remembers our preferences, when making suggestions for current, or future cruises. Thank you Teresa!!
Deb, March 2019
I worked with Teresa on a big trip for me and she was prompt in all follow up that I requested. She kept in touch during the whole process, was always pleasant with a smile in her voice. I have already recommended to her to a couple of my friends, and will to more.
Clydie, January 2019
Gillian Clark
We have worked with Gillian Clark for several cruises. She has always work diligently to prepare us for and provide for us the best cruise experience possible. Our cruise on the Regent Seven Seas Explorer from Rome to Barcelona was the latest example of her excellent performance. She ensured that we were given the lowest price available and all the onboard credits and benefits we were entitled to. We had an extremely enjoyable cruise on the beautiful ship! While onboard, we booked another cruise and are looking forward to it. We are confident Gillian will help make it a great experience as well.
Longtime travelers with Cruise Specialists, June 2019
Gillian was terrific throughout the entire booking process. She kept us up to date for changes from Holland America and Cruise Specialists, and gave excellent advice when we upgraded our stateroom. Her recommendation was spot on. The stateroom was quiet and convenient to every section of the Koningsdam.
Will, November 2018
So grateful to Gillian for taking such good care of us as we prepared to travel, and even as we traveled! She was always available to answer my many questions, and was kind and professional. Great experience working with Gillian and Cruise Specialists for the first time!
JL, October 2018
No matter where your heart desires to travel our team has the experience and the dedication to create your perfect trip. From World Cruises to luxury cruising to river cruises, we do it all with professionalism!
