Client Testimonials
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Take a cruise next Christmas...here's a lady that experienced a great Christmas on a cruise with her family...

For Christmas this year, my family and I went on a small cruise out of Los Angeles for 3 nights on Royal Caribbean’s, Monarch of the Seas. We then stayed on in California for an extra night to enjoy Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. We found this trip to be an incredible value and a great way to spend the holidays with family. It was also my son’s 15th birthday aboard the ship which my son enjoyed very much. We were among the first passengers to arrive at the ship, about 11:00 a.m. Boarding doesn’t begin till 2:30 p.m. officially, but were pleased they were taking on passengers early. We were not allowed to go our rooms until 1:00 p.m. But they did have the Windjammer Café open and had a beautiful buffet available with plenty of seating and bar waiters. We were also able to get our pop cans, which I am glad to see are much bigger than last years. We took a small tour of the ship before going to our room and were a little disappointed to see the condition of the pool area. The carpet needs to be replaced as well as most of the deck chairs. Then I found out the ship was going into dry dock in a few weeks. So when I take my group in March, I hope to report that the soft refurbishment went well. We found our cabin as expected, but with an extra perk. My husband went on a RCL cruise the week before, that I didn’t go on. Therefore he received a credit on his Crown and Anchor Society account taking him to the Platinum level. But because our accounts are linked, I too received the credit and became a Platinum Member. I have to also say I really enjoyed the privileges of the Crown & Anchor Society more then ever after achieving this level. What particularly stood out were the coupon book, the cocktail party, and having those beautiful white tags to leave the ship first. Oh was that a delight. I also found out that once my children turn 18 and become members themselves, they will receive our level of benefits. When we set sail on Friday evening it was very foggy. It was awesome to sail into the darkness and not be able to see anything. Every few minutes throughout the night the fog horn would sound. I am sure it disturbed a few people, but I loved it. My husband and I took a romantic walk on deck that evening. We learned a very important thing. The foghorn does not sound very loud when you are behind it, but once you get in front, it will make you jump out of your skin. We are still laughing about that one. I had always wondered what a cruise a Christmas would be like. This one was lovely and elegant. The ship was nicely decorated but not overstated. The Centrum had a beautiful tree and the banisters were strung with evergreen garland and poinsettia. On Christmas morning Santa arrived and began a parade with marching band of toy soldiers, a Snow Queen and Ice Princess and of course Frosty and Rudolph. Santa sat in his chair and received each passenger for a photo. Also passengers between the ages of 0 thru 17 received a gift from Santa and Mrs. Clause. My 13 year old son received a magnetic bulletin board with the Adventure Ocean Logo. Pretty cool! The gifts were wrapped in different wrapping according to age appropriateness. As you exited the theatre, there were waiters with eggnog. I reached for a glass and so did my son. The waiter told my son he couldn’t have one from his tray so I asked why. He said they were spiked. Whoo Hoo we were starting Christmas off right. They did have unspiked eggnog for him, that waiter was just refilling his tray. They were also serving eggnog throughout the morning, in a few different places on the ship. They had a Christmas Carol sing-along and a special holiday show in the theatre. What we really enjoyed as a family were the Hanukkah festivities. They had a lovely cantor on board that had activities on two different evenings. We sang Hanukkah songs, made driedels, did word searches, etc. They had a lighting service at sunset along with a large menorah in the Centrum next to the Christmas tree. It was very nice. They also had a special dinner selection of brisket and latkes on the menu. What set this cruise apart from others with me was the level of service and friendliness of the crew. I love walking into the Schooner bar in the evening and the bartender remembering my name and drink. The assistant waiter that read my mind and I didn’t have to ask for anything after the first night. Or the head waiter that made my son’s 15th birthday special. This was my 3rd sailing on the Monarch of the Seas and my 4th with RCCL; consistently I have found the level of service to be excellent. I have no complaints. After a smooth departure from the ship and through customs, we enjoyed lunch in Huntington Beach and proceeded north to Knott’s Berry Farm. We stayed at the Best Western Inn and Suites in Buena Park. This was located about 1 mile north of Knott’s and adjacent to the 91 freeway. It is also right next to Movieland Wax Museum and across the street from the new Pirate Dinner Adventure theatre. We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite that was fantastic. The hotel is a bit older, but has been kept in good repair. They offer complimentary continental breakfast from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. daily. Have a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, BBQ’s for guest use, children’s playground and picnic area, laundry facility, meeting room for up to 75 people cable television, microwave refrigerator, iron and ironing board, free local calls and high speed internet access. There were vending machines with snacks, cokes, juice and water available. I walked around the facility late at night and felt safe and secure. Another perk is a noon check out time. The one thing that bothered me is that I feel that the front desk is under staffed. The lady who staffed it took everything in stride and dealt with everything with a smile, there just needs to be two of her. I found out that if you don’t enter Knott’s Berry Farm till after 4:00 p.m. there is a reduced rate of $22.50 per adult and $14.95 for children. Since the park doesn’t close till 9:00 p.m. we decided to see if this was enough time. Being the day after Christmas we were expecting a mob, but didn’t feel the park was over crowded at all. The most we waited in line was about 20 minutes. I found an all you can eat pizza and pasta buffet that will feed 2 adults and 2 children for $24.95. I thought this was an incredible deal for amusement park food. The five hours was more then enough to ride all the rides we wanted and see what we wanted to. The last thing I must mention is that their wooden roller coaster Ghostrider, is exceptional. I find myself home again, back to work...It will be a good new year.

Gwen sent this message after staying at the "Simply Paradise" home for one week with family from Europe!

Hi Marjorie, I've been so swamped here at work since I returned from my vacation -- and I'm sorry it has taken me so long to write you and thank you for facilitating our absolutely wonderful stay at the Simply Paradise home! While your website description very accurately describes the property, and the photos give a good idea about the rooms and general amenities, I have to say the home itself actually exceeds the expectations inspired by your website. Which of course isn't really a problem at all. :^) It's hard to capture exactly in words the sense of well-being that one experiences, lounging out on the veranda in the afternoon with a glass of wine and a great book. Or the pleasure one feels curling up on the leather chair in the very tastefully decorated living room in front of a crackling fire on a crisp chilly autumn evening. Or the deep restful sleep one experiences upon climbing under the luxurious down comforter in the master bedroom after a long soak in the outsized tub in the master bath. Or the joy of sitting down with family and friends to a hearty Mozambiquan curry prepared in the fully equipped gourmet kitchen. Or the pleasure of omelets and fresh-squeezed orange juice out on the lovely garden patio after a vigorous early morning hike... I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the picture! It was a week my husband and his family will remember for years to come! So, many, many thanks to you for introducing us to this special place, Marjorie! I've highly recommended your services to co-workers and friends, so if they ever decide to do something similar, I'm sure you'll hear from them! mil gracias! gwen

Hi Marjorie,

I wanted to thank you for all your special little touches to make our weekend so wonderful!! We absolutely LOVED the house, so much in fact that we cooked all our meals there!

We talked all weekend about our next trip to Santa Barbara and the house on Cliff Drive.

Thanks again for everything and I hope that you had a wonderful weekend as well.

Hope to work with you again soon!

All our Best, Marsha, Jamie, Laura, Christy and Stacy (the birthday girl)

Hi Marjorie, Just wanted to mention what a great time Michael and I had up north. What a great place the Kon- Tiki is and for SUCH a great price too!!! We spent the day tooling around San Luis Obispo and of course went to the Avila Hot springs which is always nice. I can't wait to do it again soon. Thanks for your help and for leading us in the right direction. We are hoping to make this a regular thing.

By the way, I did check out your web site and there is sure a lot of good stuff there. We are planning to take the boys to San Diego for a few days the week after Christmas and will use your service again then.

Best to you, Victoria

Hi Marjorie, We had a great time, and the place was great. We met Tom and he gave us some good advice for swimming in the mountains. Sorry we missed you at the Avocado Festival.

Thanks, Mike