Michelle Yaddaw

Michelle books all my travel but this was the first cruises she booked for us. As always, her attention and consideration to all details was noticed and appreciated. She let us know what to expect before and after we got on the ship and that proved to be very helpful. Also, Michelle had talked to me about the benefits of protecting my trip with travel insurance but I've gone many years traveling without it. This time, though, I heeded her advice and I am glad I did. Our flight occurred on the weekend of the FAA mandated flight reductions during the government shut down. Had our flight been cancelled or delayed and we missed boarding the ship, we would have lost all the money we had paid for the cruise. Glad I listened to Michelle.

Michelle is fabulous to work with! She checked in on us before our stay to see if we needed early or late check-ins! We will use Michelle again for our travels! Knowing there is someone just a phone call away in case of hiccups while on vacation was a great sense of comfort to us! Thank you Michelle!!

Michelle did an excellent job in listening to what I wanted to do in this very tailored (okay, nerdy!) trip. I wanted to add several visits to the main event, and Michelle was able to figure a way to travel and places to stay to fulfill this bucket-list trip. Every hotel was nice and all of the transportation right on time, friendly, and helpful. Michelle not only worked with me to develop the itinerary, but she reviewed the process before I left to make sure nothing had been overlooked, checked in on me during my travels, and was available to assist if anything went wrong. The fact that nothing went wrong even though I was travelling on my own is a testament to her sound planning and ability to explain the process clearly!

Michelle has been there for all my trips - even helping me with a medical emergency in Italy and during our Alaskan cruise with Silversea. She is always helpful and available (even at odd hours) and someone you can truly count on. We highly recommend her!

Michelle shepherded me through my first cruise experience with patience, knowledge and efficiency. She communicated via text, email, and phone as needed in a timely manner and kept ahead of required paperwork and payment reminders. She helped me choose the best available room and helped me navigate the excursion and restaurant bookings. She also handled my door to door transportation to and from the Silver Seas ship. With flight updates, drivers contacts and schedules, and all related communications my travel was seamless and relaxing. I felt I was I good hands throughout the process.

Before the cruise I spent 4 days in Vancouver on my own. For this, Michelle set up my itinerary on a special app that I constantly referred to and to which she could add and update as needed. She arranged for transportation, drivers, and tours and added every detail I need to make my experiences flow smoothly. This included contact numbers of tour operators in case anything went wrong, which it never did, but was reassuring to have. She booked a great hotel (15th floor view!), centrally located and surrounded by great restaurants within a 15 minute walk. The hotel also had a great restaurant where I had breakfast every day, with the staff knowing my order after the first day. Impressive!

She also arranged for two day-long tours, based on my interests, that were fabulous. The first day I took a tour bus with a lively guide first through the city and then on a ferry to Vancouver Island. There, we went to the rightly famous Butchart Gardens and then to the charming town of Victoria for lunch on our own. There were restaurants of all types, but I'd recommend the historic Fairmont Empress Hotel where you can (reserve ahead?) for High Tea, or just have lunch on the porch or in the lounge with a view of the water. I enjoyed one of their vintage cocktails and several light bite plates. A stroll though the downstairs hotel spaces including dining rooms and art gallery are a historic treat.

The second day I stayed local and had a private tour with a charming, local, knowledgeable guide. First we went to the Suspension Bridge/Treetops/Cliffwalk complex where the guide graciously accompanied me as I was worried about the heights. But the facilities were all well built and well maintained. There were nature demonstrations and my guide knew additional fun facts along the way. We then went to Grouse Mountain and took a gondola to the top for vast views, a delicious lunch and a surprise viewing of Grizzly Bears in an enormous natural habitat that I would have missed without the guide. After that, I was tired an so instead of the third stop, my guide took me on a local driving tour of little known Vancouver places filled with history and enough that made me want to return to see more!

For the last day Michelle recommended a self-guided e-bike tour of the famous Stanley Park. The bike path was a perimeter ride and took about an hour. A great adventure and well worth the time and effort.

I cannot recommend Michelle's services highly enough. Her attention to detail was astonishing and her demeanor was always friendly, helpful, and professional.