Travel Talk

A Popular Vacation Spot

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?

Sundance Vacations Employee visits Ocean Village in West MD

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)

Sundance Vacations Employee visits Ocean City, Maryland

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 on the Move

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? 

My Sundance Vacations Trip to Florida

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

The Truth about Sundance Vacations

This is a sampling from our first blog post several years ago.  We can’t expect customers to dig around in years of archived posts to find this very important information so we have decided to repost the content.

Hello!

Welcome to the Sundance Vacations corporate blog!  Now that the blog is up and running, I sit-rubbing my palms together in anticipation…why?  I am very eager to write about the company I know and love. 

Blog Goal

Joining me in this blogging endeavor is my friend, Tina Dowd.  Tina and her husband, John, are the founders of Sundance Vacations.  Tina and I are “blogging virgins” but that won’t stop us from jumping in with two feet!  In addition to writing for the corporate blog, we are organizing a client blog where three to four travelers will be featured each month.  The purpose of the corporate blog is to reveal the truth about Sundance and to hopefully enlighten those of you who have questions or concerns about the company.  Our goal is to post new content weekly.  There are many things we want to address.  At this time, we feel it’s most important for you, our clients, that we address the many misleading rumors about Sundance Vacations floating on the Internet.

So, who am I?

Please indulge me while I qualify myself as someone who can speak honestly and knowledgably about the company.  My name is Kathy O’Mara; I am the Communications Director for Sundance Vacations, and have worked here in several different capacities for almost eleven years.  I began as a marketer, and after time was promoted to mid-level management.  As the company and our client base grew, I was offered and accepted the position of New Client Services Manager; there I stayed for eight and a half years.  I left the company last September to work in the hotel industry; it was fun, but for me, not satisfying.  I made the decision to leave my position, and called John to let him know I was entering the job market, “You better move fast,” I joked, “Or some other incredibly fortunate company will scoop me up!”  The timing was perfect all involved, and viola! Here I am, the new Communications Director.  It feels like I’ve come home and am back  where I belong, working for Sundance and its clients.

Work History/BBB Award

It’s been my pleasure over the years, to work side by side with people who truly care about providing their clients with the best possible product. Sundance Vacations holds high ethical standards for their employees.  “Try to see things from the client’s point of view,” and, always approach each situation with clients, “in the interest of customer service,” are attitudes all employees are taught to embrace.  When I was the New Client Services manager, it was my responsibility to make sure we took whatever steps were necessary to ensure clients were satisfied (and usually pleasantly surprised) by the way we resolved their concerns.  Because of its high standards, I chose to nominate Sundance Vacations for the 2005 Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania Better Business Torch Award.  The competition was tough, but our values and principles won the award for Sundance Vacations.   

Why Listen to Me?

I’ve worked here a long time and know how much thought, time and effort the owners and the employees put into this company.  I can’t help but take it personally when the business I know to be honest and ethical is wrongly attacked.  But, why should you listen to me instead of an anonymous posting?  Because, I am telling you the truth of whom I am, someone with genuine first hand knowledge of Sundance Vacations. 

Disgruntled employees, competitors, litigious public, and of course, actual clients

Damaging posts come from a variety of sources: disgruntled employees, competitors, litigious public, and of course, actual clients.  Because it’s difficult to know which posts are fabricated and which are factual, we are creating the corporate blog to reveal the truth about Sundance Vacations.  We are 100% committed to the satisfaction of our clients. Any person who truly needs assistance is encouraged to call customer service at 1-800-264-3802, or you may e-mail me at komara@vacmail.com. 

What to Look for in the Coming Weeks

We look forward to showing you the Sundance you don’t know, and within the next few weeks, we’ll be adding to the blog.  We’ll talk about the differences between our product and a traditional timeshare product.  We’ll dedicate a week to discussing the fee structure.  We’ll reveal future expansion plans for Sundance Vacations.  Talk about exciting sponsorships.  Share information about important community involvement and charitable endeavors and unveil new resort properties as we acquire them.   

Of course we’ll talk about all of the popular destinations where Sundance Vacations (with the assistance of Travel Advantage Network) excels, like: Orlando, Myrtle Beach, the Poconos, Colorado, Hawaii, South Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Wisconsin Dells, Williamsburg and so on.  We will reveal our favorite restaurants, our favorite activities, some tried and true tips and some major blunders. 

Please Share

If you’d like to share on the corporate blog, please send me your comments.  Posts with inappropriate language will not be published, and posts not related to the subject being discussed will not be posted.  If you have ideas for discussion topics, bring them on.  We welcome criticism and praise (not necessarily in that order!).  If you are interested in writing for our client blog (don’t get scared it just means sharing your personal vacation experiences with other Sundance travelers) please email me at komara@vacmail.com or call me at 800-220-9400 x 130.

Happy Blogging!

Kathy O’Mara   

Kathy is no longer with the company but you can reach Communications Director Amanda Miller at pr@vacmail.com

I hope you enjoyed re-reading our original post.

Wildwood By the Sea

Sundance Vacations employee Heather Henning visits Wildwood by the Sea. See post below.

A co-worker and I recently stayed at the Wildwood By the Sea in Wildwood, NJ. The condo was very clean, comfortable, nicely decorated, and located only half a block from the boardwalk and beach. Since we were so close to the boardwalk and the beach, we were able to leave our vehicle sit because everything was in walking distance. WE SAVED A LOT OF MONEY ON GASOLINE!

It was a great time browsing through all of the nifty shops. We went crazy buying clothes for ourselves and other unique gifts for our families. We found the boardwalk shoppes to be well stocked with fun beach apparel and a ton of other items that were very inexpensive.

We had unlimited choices of great restaurants within walking distance. We also have the option to cook meals if we wanted. We drove only 10 minutes to Cape May to have dinner at the Lobster House. The food was excellent! Every dish was fresh and perfectly prepared. The service was just as good as the food, absolutely outstanding! I highly recommend the Lobster House while visiting the Jersey Shore.

All in all we had a great experience. I cannot wait to visit again at the end of the summer. I might even take my fiance along this time!! 

-Heather Henning - Sundance Vacations, Harrisburg, Pa

Sundance Vacation’s uncovers possible ticket scam

The word scam is tossed around a lot.  What is a scam?  According to dictionary.com- scam means a fraudulent scheme to make a quick profit.

I think the phrase intentional should be part of the definition.

We recently visited Universal Studios Islands of Adventure.  The popular Orlando theme park offers an upgraded ticket for avoiding long lines, Express Pass Plus. In addition to their admission, thrill seekers spend up to $45.99 to have the Express Pass Plus option added to their admission.

We found the wait times to be grossly exaggerated at each attraction.  Could it be that you can’ t sell expensive extras if the wait time is only 5-10 minutes?  That’s where I think the phrase “intentional” is important.  I don’t know if Universal execs are trying to under promise and over deliver or if there is an intentional exaggeration of wait times in order to “make a quick profit” on the Express Pass Plus sale.

Even though the wait was posted as 10 minutes we walked right on the Flying Unicorn.  But the peculiar event that raised my suspicion was that the line was so short we were tempted to ask the attendant if we could stay on and ride again.  We chose to exit and walk around because there were a handful of people(about 10)  waiting to get on.  When we got around to the posted wait time it was being changed to 25 minutes!  We knew it was bogus so we entered the queue and walked back on.  We experienced a similar exaggeration at Spiderman.

In closing, while visiting the Disney theme parks (where they do not charge extra for the Fast Pass option) we found the wait times to be very accurate.  We were asked on two occasions to carry timer cards to the ride attendant so wait times could be measured accurately.

 

So you decide, intentional scam or inept measurement.  Either way, enjoy your next Sundance Vacations’ trip to the Orlando area.

A relaxing stay in Daytona Beach, Florida

I have just experienced one of the most relaxing, stress-free vacations that I have ever been on. We stayed at Sierra Suites in Daytona Beach. We arrived late for check-in on Saturday evening. The best part of check-in was, there was no check-in, just a simple lockbox.  No need to wait impatiently for someone to assign you to a room. You just park the car, go directly to your unit, key in a pre-assigned code and take your keys. It was the first step in our "no hassle" adventure.

Oceanfront View

We were extremely pleased with the location of our 1 bedroom unit.  Sierra Suites sits directly on the beach. Our room faced the ocean and the pool, both of which were just steps away from our front door. It was fantastic. We dropped off our bags and took a short ride down Atlantic Ave.

We stopped at "Tailgators" http://tailgatersdaytona.com/ to get a bite to eat and to have a few cocktails before retiring for the evening. The service was fast, the food was good and the drinks were cold. Upon returning to our room for the evening, we agreed not to set the alarm clock the entire trip.

Crashing Waves

The next day we awoke to sounds of crashing waves. It was very calming. We strolled along the beach for an hour and stopped for breakfast at Daytona's famous "Starlite Diner". We took a slow walk back to spend the rest of our afternoon relaxing by the pool and meeting some other travelers. We met some very nice people from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Atlanta and Wisconsin. Everyone was enjoying themselves and commenting on how nice their rooms were. We all agreed how peaceful it was to sit by the pool and listen to the ocean. The only complaint that I heard is that there were no garbage cans in the pool area.

Welcome gathering place

The pool area is a friendly, welcoming gathering place. It was never too crowded or too loud. At any time of day there was a small handful of people chatting about their plans or recalling their adventures and recent vacations.   Everyone got to know each other and enjoyed each other’s company while floating around in the pool. There are five gas grills available and guests took advantage of grilling burgers and fish. There were plenty of lounge chairs and also several patio tables with umbrellas incase you needed some shade. And, if you had the urge to get up and actually do something, shuffleboard was an option.

Ice Cream Truck

We spent the entire afternoon either floating in the pool or wading in the ocean to cool off. And, as a bonus... every once in a while the ice cream truck would drive right down the beach and make a pit stop at Sierra Suites.  Everything seemed to be right at our fingertips.

Nesting Turtles

A great part about Sierra Suites is that is the ideal location for when you want peace and quiet, yet only minutes away from the action. Later that evening, we headed out for dinner at the "Oyster Pub"and then stopped at a friendly Irish tavern called "Robbie O'Connell's" http://robbieoconnellspub.com/. When we returned to the resort, we took a stroll on the beach in the moonlight and came across large holes in the sand. We learned that the giant holes are made by turtles who dig in the sand to lay their eggs and then return back to the ocean. It was very interesting, but too dark to take pictures.

Best Hash Browns on the East Coast

Sierra Suites is conveniently positioned to reach several other tourist attractions outside of Daytona Beach without any hassle or headache. One morning, we unexpectedly woke early up to watch the sunrise and decided to head to Universal Studios in Orlando. We stopped at a nearby restaurant named "Sherry's" which offered an all you can eat breakfast buffet for 4.99 before heading out of Daytona. It was delicious!! I can confirm that "Sherry" makes the best hash browns on the east coast. It was only about an hour drive to Universal. Just jump on Rt.4 West and look for the Universal signs. It couldn't be any easier. We spent the entire day at both parks and enjoyed lunch at Margaritaville at City Walk. After returning to Daytona we picked up a Greek Pizza from a local pizza shop and had a few drinks by pool.

St. Augustine

Our short trip to Orlando was so comforting without having to fumble around with awkward maps or confusing directions that the next day we decided to venture out again. This time we drove north along the coast. We took the scenic Rt. 1 to St. Augustine where we stopped for lunch. Again, no need for maps or directions...just sit back, relax and follow the road. St. Augustine has beautiful beaches and a quaint historical district with cobble stone streets and many choices for shopping or dinning. Be sure to visit the fort and the lighthouse while you are there. We continued north to Jacksonville to visit a friend and enjoyed dinner at a local micro brewery. It was only about an hour drive back on 95 South to Daytona.

The entire experience at Sierra Suites was very tranquil and serene. Yet, the vacation was filled with excitement and adventure. I was saddened when we had to leave what became our home away home for a few days. On the last day, after catching a little bit more sun at the pool and beach, we packed our bags and said good-bye to the other sun-worshipers at Sierra. We placed the keys back in the lock box and away we went to the airport. It was a very relaxing, hassle-free vacation. So, what are you waiting for? You deserve it!! I'm already planning my next one. I'm thinking about Myrtle Beach!!

How to see the Grand Canyon in one day!

Sundance Vacations’ travelers have a wide variety of choices including Arizona.  The Pointe Resort in Phoenix is a favorite.  So, if anyone is traveling to Arizona in the near future, read on for my recommendation on the absolute best way to see the Grand Canyon in one day.

We booked a tour with Westwind Airlines out of Scottsdale.  We took a short 1 ½ hour sight seeing flight over the Sonoran desert to the South Rim of the canyon where we landed at the Hualapai airport.  Within minutes we were weighed and escorted to the waiting helicopter. We took a thrilling ride above the ground and then dipped down below the rim where we landed on a small round flat patch next to the Colorado River.  A pontoon boat was waiting to take us on a short float on the brown murky river.

Seeing the canyon from the bottom looking up is an amazing experience (for one thing you can’t fall off) that many travelers don’t get the opportunity to do.  Our river guide told us about the age of the layers and the height of the world’s largest drainage ditch.  Five Stratosphere hotels would need to be stacked on top of each other to reach the rim.  We touched the river for good luck and returned to the chopper.

 

Skywalk

Back up on the rim we efficiently boarded a tour bus for the very short ride (about 5 minutes) to the Skywalk.  It’s a glass structure that extends out over the edge of the canyon.  All belongings are put in a locker and everyone wears booty’s to protect the glass from scratches.  It was scary and creepy and unnerving and scary and scary.   But my four year old reassured me, “It’s OK mommy, there’s glass to walk on, see.”  We posed for pictures that you have to buy, watched Native American dancers from the visiting Navajo tribe and took some additional photos of the canyon from the area.

Guano Point

We boarded another bus (they run about every 5 minutes) to Guano Point.  Yes, Guano- bat dung.  The point got it’s name from a cave at the base that was used to harvest guano for dynamite and women’s lipstick. The guano operation has been abandoned and the Hualapai tribe now operates a tourist point (probably much more profitable!!). I haven’t seen the entire 277 miles of the Grand Canyon but Guano point has to be the most amazing.  The point is very prominent so views of the canyon are almost 360°.  There are no railings and 1-3 people fall to their death at the Grand Canyon each year (mostly 20 year old males).  There is a safe road that goes out to the point and a café/restaurant that is operated by the tribe.  We enjoyed pulled beef on tortillas, corn bread, mac and cheese, corn on the cob and cinnamon apples at a picnic table under a large tent.

Show me the Money

The excursion cost about $500 per person but that includes the round trip sight seeing from Scottsdale, the helicopter, the Pontoon boat ride, the Skywalk entrance fee, clean and convenient bus transfers and all you can eat lunch at Guano Point.  You can see the canyon for a lot less but you’ll be disappointed!

The Alternative

We did it the “other”way several years ago.  We drove for hours in a car from Vegas (with my mother in law).  We visited the government owned National Park side instead of the capitalist Indian Reservation side.  At this time, private cars were still permitted to drive to the rim parking area.  I believe the government has nixed this because of excessive traffic- I think you board a bus now. We walked out to a railing and read a few small descriptive signs.  Yup, it’s a big hole in the ground.  It was so disappointing I was convinced that I didn’t need to see it again.  Luckily, my husband is quite the salesman because our second trip was awesome!  So, I recommend the splurge.  Come on, that’s why you save money on accommodations, so you can get out there and do stuff!

Re-inspired

I’m so re-inspired that I’m now considering a 6-10 day raft trip on the Colorado.  Those of you who have been reading the blog know that I’ve tumbled out the back of a raft twice on the Lehigh River.  So, John’s going to compare the drowning deaths on the Colorado with the 1-3 fatalities from falling per year to determine if I’m safer up on the rim or tumbling out the back of the raft on class x rapids.   Can you guess that he’s not as excited as I am about roughing it for 6-10 days?