Pilgrim
Customers Speak Out
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Dear Tim:
Re: Arcadia Tour to Rome - Dec. 30 to Jan 6, 2008
This is to let you know how much Rosemarie Benya and I enjoyed the
subject trip to Roma, Italy.
The connecting flights were well planned and the weather cooperated in
keeping us on time as scheduled. All of the optional tours of
which we both took advantage were worthwhile and affordable. The Pompeii
and Assisi trips allowed us to view some of the Italian countryside away
from the crowded and congested city of Rome itself. Since Rome has
literally hundreds of churches and dozens of museums, it was wise of our
tour guides in Rome itself to choose the Vatican, St. Peter's, the
Forum, the Coliseum, Spanish steps, Trevi fountain, Borghese Museum etc.
as major points of interest. In addition they were able to give us much
historical information plus explain works of art in detail. The
people who made up our touring group were delightful with a nice mix of
young and old. It was easy to become acquainted with them and to share
information about ourselves and our other travels which helped us to
form a close bond in such a short time. But the most important
thing I wanted to mention about the trip was the amazing competence
and availability of our Pilgrim tour guide Dan Bergey and his
lovely wife. They were great about keeping us informed about the
schedule for each day and in making things run smoothly. None of us
became "lost sheep" because of the expert care by our "shepherd" Dan.
Finally, congratulations on a job well done in planning and coordinating
the tour. Lots of behind the scenes work was performed professionally to
ensure a memorable adventure.
Sincerely,
Justine L. Jaklitsch
Seven Hills, OH |
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Dear Steve,
We
returned from an interesting tour of Israel about a week ago. We were in
the north in time to be uncomfortably close to the military action that
struck Haifa, Nazareth and Tiberius.
In spite of the
unrest, we had a great time and your company and our guide, Nicola, are to
be commended. They juggled the dual responsibilities of
keeping us safe and
ensuring we got to see as much of the Holy Land as was possible.
I can truly say that
I never felt threatened during our time there. I think our families back
home were more concerned than we were as CNN, FOX, etc.
ran non-stop stories on
the conflict and painted a pretty grim picture.
The
hotel
accommodations were
excellent at every stop.
And the travel to and
from Israel from Chicago was flawless. We flew Alitalia and everything
was very smooth.
As an aside…I had
e-mailed you before our trip about jogging in Israel. You said Sea of
Galilee area and Dead Sea would likely be the best. You were absolutely
correct. Tel Aviv could have been a jogging site had I not be recovering
from jet lag, but the other two locations had
wonderful areas to take
a run.
Thanks for helping
coordinate a great vacation
for us.
Chris Lofgren,
Peoria, Ill. |
Dear Steve,
We're back in
Orange County,
California after a great trip to
Budapest,
Linz,
Salzburg,
Prague,
Leipzig, and Rothenburg. Pilgrim did a
remarkable job taking my itinerary and making it a reality. The folks who
traveled are giving me great reviews. I asked one choir member yesterday if
she had a chance to go back, where would she go and she said 'the same
cities...but especially the small towns like where we stayed outside
Rothenburg, like Bad Windscheim, Germany'. She indicated that she could
stay there several days to get a feel of the small towns. Her 13-year-old
grand daughter also traveled and said the trip exceeded her dreams.
I usually break up the trip into 3 sections for
review...food, hotels and everything else. The dinners served all looked
like a chef prepared them, where they would sprinkle seasonings and such
around the plate. The food was great! To be honest, I usually expect
wienerschnitzle, peas and French fries but was blown away meal after meal
with different foods. The hotels provided a great nights rest night after
night. It was great to have the porter service Pilgrim provided. Where A/C
was not included, fans were provided to the guests.
Europe is fairly quickly moving towards the western
form of accommodation, which includes A/C, which we were thankful for in
several cities. Hotel staff were always helpful and we were happy that
various train tickets were available in the hotels. Good job.
Our tour guide became family right from the get-go. He
was willing to take small groups after a busy day of travel, into the
various cities to further enhance the trip. He educated the group on sub-way
use and such. He allowed each traveler to experience the trip in his or her
own way. The same goes for the bus driver. These folks will be forever
endeared to our group. And the Mercedes bus was great.
My personal highlight was perhaps the first venue Pilgrim
was able to secure for a concert. Pilgrim indicated that they were able to
secure St Stevens Basilica in
Budapest. This church is on the top ten
sights to visit in
Budapest. We approached the church in the
morning of the concert and there was the placard advertising our group.
Further, our group encountered people handing out fliers in different parts
of the city advertising the concert. Needless to say, our choir members were
very pleased. There were 550 people in attendance and the audience was very
receptive to the choir. The gentleman handling the concert was very
appreciative and handed me one of each of the various publications where the
choir was advertised. What a delight.
Thank you Steve Fiddler and all the associates at
Pilgrim. You have gained our trust and future tour opportunities.
Mike Kutzle
Minister of Music
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Dear David and Tim,
I have now completed my
second trip with Pilgrim Tours and can say I could not be more pleased.
On both trips, the first to Athens, Patmos, Rhodes, Ephesus, and Rome, and
now our trip to Israel, I have been extremely pleased with the
professional help I have received from you and your entire staff.
Our
groups have been well cared for and the trips have be thoroughly planned.
Your suppliers overseas have given excellent attention to every detail.
On the trip we have just
completed to Israel there were some who worried about our safety…I assure
you we felt completely safe everywhere we went. Our trip to Bethlehem was
a wonderful and pleasant addition to our trip.
If anyone is wanting to
plan a trip to Israel I would highly recommend they do so right away while
the crowds are smaller and the service is excellent. If anyone would like
to talk to me personally about the trip or safety concerns I would be glad
to talk to them.
Thanks for your help… I
look forward to traveling with Pilgrim Tours again in the future.
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Raines, Pastor
Dear Cathy,
I've had you on my "List of Things To Do" and I'm just catching up now! I wanted to tell you that
we Malta! and we wanted to thank you for all your help and
insight. Eight days was most certainly not enough!
Thanks again, we really loved it
Regards,
Mary - New York
Dear Tim,
About
the China trip: it
was incredible. I had
no idea you could pack that much sightseeing into a day.
It was such a wonderful surprise when we would be able to
see something that was not on the itinerary because we had the
time rather than just being taken back to the hotel.
The guides were excellent and for most of them their
English was better than mine!
The food was fantastic and plentiful.
It was more than I dreamed my trip would be.
Before we left I thanked you for helping to make our dream come
true and now I would like to thank you for making the dream
complete. There is no
doubt I will use your company’s services again and often.
In fact, we discussed where we would go next with your
company while we were on this trip!
Your company provides a wonderful product and you provide
excellent service. Thank you again for making this
experience possible.
Cynthia Blechl
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Dear Steve and Tim,
We got back last night from the
Holy Land tour you set up for us and, I've got to say, it was just about
as perfect as it could possibly have been. My family enjoyed the tour we
took in 1999 with another company thoroughly, but if we put the two side
by side, there is virtually no comparison. We had an amazing guide, the
hotels were superb, the agenda was exactly the right pace, EVERY detail
was taken care of such that there was virtually nothing for me to do but
enjoy the tour along with my people. I can't thank you enough for the
experience you afforded us. Please feel free to use me as a
reference for anyone considering leading a group. I WILL be a repeat
customer at Pilgrim Tours.
Blessings,
Pastor Steve Schafer
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Dear Pilgrim Friends,
I just want to say Thank you, for a wonderfully spiritual
trip to Israel. We returned with a whole new appreciation for the
wondrous word of God. The bible has become color to me now rather than
black and white, it is truly alive. I want to specially thank our
tour guide Shmulik. He was the "most knowledgeable" man of scripture I
have ever met. I have talked with lots of people but never have I met
anyone with more biblical knowledge than him. He makes the stories
come alive. I would also like to add a big Thank you to our bus driver Khader Farrj. I would tell anyone who is going on the Christian tour to
request him as he is kind, patient and understanding of our beliefs as he
is a Christian himself. This is truly a life changing experience
that I would advise everyone to take. We never felt threatened or in harm
by any means. We were sheltered in the loving arms of God and Pilgrim
tours. You have some very wonderful capable staff who you should be quite
proud of. Thank you again.
Annette
Maine |
I wanted
to drop you a note to thank you for a WONDERFUL tour to Israel. We were
able to get a group together and combine with some others you put with
us to make for a most enjoyable time. Our guide and driver were
superb! Our guide wove the Biblical importance into the sites we
visited. He included much of the modern history of Israel as well. He
was balanced, Biblical, and personal. He quickly learned our group and
adjusted himself to our "personality." He was full of information and
fun! Our trip was not boring or dry. It was alive and fresh.
Our
accommodations were good. The food buffets were more than adequate.
Having lunch at some local spot was refreshing. It gave us a chance to
taste local delicacies. The porters were very helpful as well as the
hotel staffs. Our hotel at Masada was super. It was so invigorating
to float in the Dead Sea, relax in the hot tub, and then swim in the
pool.
I know
each and everyone who went has returned with a very positive experience
and would go back again. We never felt any uneasiness while in Israel.
We knew we were safe in the hands of the Lord and the security of
Israel.
Thanks
for all your hard work and care.
I look
forward to working together again.
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Dear Steve,
I wanted to thank you
for the superior trip that you planned for us. Not
only was this my 14th trip to Israel, it was probably the best
one I have taken.
Your service was
excellent during the preparation time, no matter what question I had you
took the time to explain it to me. When our group began to travel, we
were met in the airport by a man who helped us through customs. As we
journeyed through the land of Israel we had a kind, helpful, and
knowledgeable guide. Accommodations in the country of Israel and in
Switzerland were always clean and comfortable. Overall it was a great
trip that was spiritually beneficial to my people, and an experience that
would be worth repeating.
Thank you so much for
all of your work, and may the Lord use the time that our people enjoyed in
Israel to draw them closer to Him.
In His Service,
Richard E. Riley, Pastor |
I just returned from
the Best of Israel/10 day package with the add-on to Egypt. I must tell
you this was the most sensational/packed tour I have ever taken.
It would be my
privilege and honor to be a reference for Pilgrim Tours. It was the
best vacation of my life. Not only did I learn allot about religion and
history but I met the finest people on the tour which I'm sure will
become life-long friends. Since I've been back, only two days, several
of us have already emailed each other and plan on making a newsletter to
keep up.
There are no accolades
that can do it justice. Simply awesome. Great organization and usage
of time. Thank you for a wonderful time along with great value for the
money.
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Dear Ben,
I wanted to commend you and Pilgrim Tours for such a wonderful
itinerary in Malta & Gozo. I was looking for a vacation where we wouldn't have to be
traveling from city to city every two days and this package was perfect.
Malta & Gozo are the "Jewel of the Mediterranean." We had a
wonderful time. Malta is certainly a beautiful island country with
an extensive rich history. Everything went smoothly and what we liked most
is that there were so many choices of places to visit or you could just
spend the day relaxing and enjoying a walk in the sun along the bay. The
sun, the beautiful architecture of historic buildings, awe-inspiring
scenery, and incredible history-making events - what's not to love about
this little island!! Thanks again for your help and reassurance - it was
well worth it!!
Israel
"We
were very, very pleased with our tour. The meals and hotels were
excellent, the guides were magnificent and the tour buses extremely
comfortable."
Chester Bratcher, Protection, KS
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"I
have always been happy with the knowledgeable and friendly staff at
Pilgrim. The tours my group has taken to Hawaii, Switzerland, Ireland and
Scotland have all been most enjoyable. Paris is next."
Millie Mattson, Denver, PA
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"I
always enjoy working with the staff at Pilgrim who are pleasant and work
extra hard to make our trips memorable."
Kay Smith, Ewing Township, NJ
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"The
highlight of the tour was the chorus performance and other performances we
attended. I especially enjoyed lunch at the apple orchard. It was a great
trip.
"Ruth Schroeder, Lenhartsville, PA
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"My
trip went very well across the board. Everyone involved from the driver to
the guides offered a wealth of information. "
Pastor Jim Stevanus, Wabash, IN
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"Everything
about my tour to Italy was very pleasant - the restaurants, hotels and
guides."
Eileen Spinelli, West Chester, PA
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"All
thirty-six of us loved our trip to Paris and the Riviera. Our French guide
was spectacular. I'm looking forward to Scandinavia and Iceland."
Howard Smith, Atlanta GA
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"My
group is always very impressed with the great prices, accommodations and
friendly personnel at Pilgrim. Our tour coordinator always comes up with
some really amazing, educational, custom made itineraries!"
Professor Jean-Paul Benowitz, Elizabethtown,
PA
Pilgrim has many other group leader
references from University, Performing Arts Groups, Alumni, Bank Club, Senior Citizen,
Language Study, and Trade Association travel groups. For
tour ideas and information, call our Group Department today
at 800.322.0788 or after hours, click
here for a "no obligation" quotation.
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