We had a lovely, quick getaway to the Caribbean. We usually travel more exotically, but since I love to cruise, this seemed like an easy, short trip.

Silversea Dawn is beautiful. We had some issues with our cabin and Management was very responsive, with great customer care. The crew was wonderful and the food was very good.

My husband and I travel a lot, and although we have had many wonderful trips, I never understood the phrase “trip of a lifetime.” Now, I do.

Gavin Crawford in Mary Jean’s office planned the most amazing trip to Africa for us and another couple. We originally had booked a Cape Town-to-Cape Town cruise, but worries about Covid made us reconsider. We cancelled the cruise, but had non-refundable air. We had also booked, and paid for, pre-cruise safari camps in Zimbabwe and Botswana. Gavin pivoted with us and planned a whole new land trip.

We relied entirely (with our own due diligence) on Gavin’s suggestions, which were spot-on! The only hiccup was that the temperatures in Botswana were in the 90s and humid, so we opted out of the last three nights in a safari camp, as they were not air-conditioned. We were not able to get our payment back (which is understandable) and instead suggested a luxury hotel in South Africa, which Gavin booked for us.

For those who might be interested, here was our trip. Flew to Cape Town and stayed in the wonderful Cape Grace. (In my next life, I’m going to LIVE there!). Then we flew to Kasane, Zimbabwe and stayed at the Old Drift Lodge, where we saw every animal imaginable and the most terrific guide, Vusa. We also went to Victoria Falls, which is unimaginable. Period. Then we crossed into Botswana and flew, by small plane, to Camp Moremi. I can’t say enough good things about the staff there. They felt like friends when we left. Then, we pivoted to fly from Maun, Botswana to Cape Town and were driven to Grootbos, a luxurious South Africa hotel with ocean views, five-star food, and views to die for. Then, onto Franshoek Hotel and Villas in Franschoek, another lovely hotel. Also with Monneaux, its superb restaurant. Finally, we spent another five nights at the Cape Grace, where Tully’s connections got us upgraded.

Aside from picking all of the hotels and camps (with the exception of Grootbos), Gavin and his Africa team planned and executed VIP meets at the airports, drivers to all locations, and—in Cape Town—a guide, Tabby, to whom we gave our emails so she can visit us in the States. I have NEVER done that with a guide before.

I can’t say enough good things about how perfectly planned and executed this trip was. It was so good that we have just booked a Cape Town-to-Cape Town cruise for 2024 and, of course, will ask Gavin to plan the land part.

We had a wonderful cruise this September aboard the Viking Sky, traveling from Athens, Greece, up the Adriatic Sea coastline to Venice, Italy. We booked our cruise with Mary Jean Tully’s office, and worked with both Halina and Melissa to finalize the details of our trip. They both were very helpful, responsive and efficient in their help. We were especially grateful for their assistance with our transfers after the cruise. We knew that the original cruise docking at Venice had been changed to the nearby port of Fusina, as the cruise ships no longer dock in Venice (rightfully so!). But while onboard, we learned that we would NOT be docking there either, but instead at the port of Chioggia. It was good to know that these changes were smoothly attended to, and our driver was waiting for us in Chioggia to take us to the train station without a problem.

We did not have many concerns about COVID on this trip. We had travel insurance as recommended by Mary Jean’s team. We are both fully vaccinated and have each had two booster shots as well. We also isolated in the weeks before travel, knowing that we would need to have a negative COVID test in order to board the ship. We worked with Melissa to schedule a test at our hotel in Athens. All went smoothly, and our paperwork was completed and in order for embarkation. It was a pleasure working with both Melissa and Halina.

My husband Marvin and I booked a cruise on Oceania Riviera, September 26-October 5, with the assistance of trip planner Cheri Ozimac. I had attempted to start the booking process myself, but very quickly became overwhelmed with all of the details. I reached out through Wendy Perrin’s website and was connected with Cheri and her team. Lesson learned—always use a trip planner!

The trip was fabulous! We purposely decided to travel in the fall, thinking that the travel surge of the summer would die down. For the most part that was true. (Still pretty crowded in Barcelona, but I am sure not as bad as the summer.) The weather was very nice at the ports. We did have a couple of rough sea days resulting in port changes.

Cheri’s colleague Martha Jacobs arranged our pre- and post-cruise hotel stays, as well as transfers. Everything went very smoothly. This was definitely a value-added service.

Cheri arranged our air transport and walked and talked me through all of the tedious details of travel. I am forever grateful. We had a couple of glitches: luggage arrived at our hotel in Rome the day after we arrived (which was actually pretty good considering what others have been through), not being able to dock in Livorno or Montecarlo due to weather issues—missed the Leaning Tower and Monaco. But maybe someday….

That being said, we thoroughly enjoyed the trip and would do it again in a heartbeat! The Riviera is beautiful, the food delicious, and the crew very attentive.

Hats off to Cheri, Martha, and team for helping to make our trip one to cherish and remember.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We had a long wish list—Côte d’Azur, Provence, a Rhône River cruise, Normandy and Paris—and Mary Jean’s office fulfilled it all. We wanted to focus on art and they set us up with guides who could teach college courses in art history and theory! Museum highlights included the Maeght Foundation, Musee D’Orsay, Rodin, Jacquemart and Giverny.

We enjoyed stunning Mediterranean views from the Chateau Saint-Martin Hotel & Spa and had a fabulous lunch at the Michelin two-star Chateau de La Chèvre d’Or. We varied our art immersion with visits to the charming hilltop villages of Eze, Tourettes-sur-Loup and Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Before heading to Normandy, we took a week-long Scenic river cruise on the Rhône, seamlessly coordinated with our land travels. Our Normandy guide had a knowledge of WWII that astounded us and made our visit to the D-Day beaches emotional and memorable. We finished our trip in Paris with a stay at the luxurious Hotel Bristol (the epitome of European excellence in service) and our WOW Moment, a private cellar tasting of exclusive champagnes and a bottle to take home.

Gavin’s land itinerary exceeded our expectations for variety, quality and guides, and Cheri’s river cruise recommendation fit our wishes perfectly. Their team kept us apprised of Covid protocols and we felt that our travels were as safe as travel can be at this time. As always, we purchased travel insurance recommended by them and were thus insured against any financial risk.

Although the champagne tasting was our official WOW Moment, we consider the entire trip a WOW experience, something we could not have created without the expertise of Gavin, Cheri and the rest of the Mary Jean’s staff.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  Our trip to Spain was absolutely fantastic. We toured for about 21 days, ten of which were on a Regent cruise taking in all the Spain ports we wanted to see. Our remaining days were spent on a customized tour of the interior of Spain. Cheri made sure we were aware of all the Covid cruise requirements and that everything was taken care of. We love Regent! The interior trip was planned by Gavin Crawford and while Gavin had his challenges working with their Spain contact, he was spectacular as he resolved each issue that came up. He made sure we toured every city we wanted to visit (nine cities) and had some of the best drivers, guides and hotels. He did not miss anything and was absolutely amazing! He was further challenged as inflation kept creeping up and he tried hard to stay within our budget. He even arranged for us to have our pre-cruise Covid testing done at our hotel in Barcelona! I understand Tully generally arranges two- to three-day side trips…but never one as long as ours with so many details. Kudos to everyone involved and thanks for a great trip.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL Before the Covid-19 Pandemic, we booked a cruise with Mary Jean Tully (who is on The WOW List) and then had to cancel, then re-book, then cancel then re-book and then cancel. Mary Jean and Cheri Ozimac handled all the changes, including hotels and transportation, deposits and refunds. They were in constant communication with us for all of the changes in our plans. When restrictions were lifted in Ireland, we knew that we could count on Tully to handle our tour reservations and future cruises. We had a very successful two week tour, May 10th-25th and fortunately we did not have to rely on help for the Covid test, since our tour handled the testing and we all tested negative. During our tour through the entire island of Ireland, we felt safe and only felt the stress on the last day, wondering about our test results. I would definitely recommend Ireland as a destination and Mary Jean’s company.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  Cheri guided us with our first foray back to cruising. Our friends had decided to cruise in December in Europe on Viking, contracted Covid after 3 days aboard, and spent 12 days isolating in a (beautiful) villa in Greece until she FINALLY tested negative. With that misadventure in mind, I did not want to need to isolate on a Caribbean island!
We found out that Regent isolates you on board, and brings you to your final destination, Miami-Miami in our case. With that reassurance, we were comfortable taking the chance.
As well, the ship had 490 passengers vs. 700 capacity.
Cheri guided us to an insurance agent for our Cancel-for-any-reason insurance, in case we were not comfortable going at the last minute.
Cheri guided us with our cabin choice; it was fabulous.
I was so happy to be back on a ship. It was perfect. Cheri said we would love Regent and we did!

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  We were very nervous about traveling during the pandemic, but Gavin, on Mary Jean’s team, made it easy. And, frankly, Silversea was incredible. Silversea was simply amazing! I can’t wait to travel with them again.

Gavin answered every one of my numerous and frequent questions about testing requirements and protocols. No matter what I threw at him, he responded quickly and knowledgeably.

He also planned the two nights in Lisbon, pre and post-cruise flawlessly. He gave us a choice of three hotels, at different price points, and we were lucky enough to choose the One Palacio, which I cannot recommend highly enough. It will be our go to hotel in Lisbon.

Cheri, also on Mary Jean’s team, was patient with my many cruise bookings and cancellations. When we finally settled on the Silversea cruise to the Azores and Canaries, she picked a very well located suite.

We are anxiously awaiting next December’s Regent cruise from Capetown, and especially the pre-cruise safari and land trip that Gavin has planned.

So glad we went with Mary Jean and her team.

Mary Jean’s colleagues Cheri Ozimac and Ralph Crawford helped keep me sane as Viking Sun found itself sailing literally and figuratively through the coronavirus pandemic during its 2019-2020 world cruise. I boarded the ship in LA in January 2020, so excited to be on a four-month trip of a lifetime, and flew home early from Bali Indonesia when it became clear that the cruise’s itinerary was severely compromised. I cannot thank Ralph enough for getting me maximum refunds at the last minute for planned overlands. And Cheri, in addition to working with me when it became clear I needed to leave the ship, also intervened with Viking Customer Relations/Guest Services early on when I expressed concerns about being constantly ignored by staff in favor of couples and larger groups, and subjected to condescending treatment from several Viking Sun onboard staff that once literally left me, an experienced world traveller, in tears. Customer Service changed dramatically with the arrival of a wonderful new General Manager for the ship in Auckland NZ but Cheri’s intervention saved me from jumping overboard much earlier and swimming home. I was very lucky to have both Cheri and Ralph in my corner when my dream cruise turned into something quite different. I cannot thank them and all of Mary Jean’s staff enough.

Western Caribbean cruise December 28, 2019 – January 4, 2020
Celebrity Equinox

After a very stressful fall work schedule, my husband and I decided last minute that we needed a cruise to a warm location to welcome in 2020 and melt away our cares. Mary Jean’s team is simply top notch! I worked with Cheri Ozimac, who made the entire process seamless and easy. She was in touch with us from start to finish. She checked in with us afterwards to make sure we had a wonderful trip. And she’s even helped us book our next cruise with Celebrity (coming up in March)!
We had the vacation we were needing and hoping for…no worries, no problems, just fun and relaxation!

Cheri’s greatest accomplishment for us on this trip was that we had booked an already low special rate, and she was able to get us 3 price reductions as they were published by the cruise line, even a couple of them AFTER the cancellation period, which apparently is not normally done. WE ended up having a great trip on a luxury line at a bargain price, thanks to Cheri on Mary Jean’s team!

1. Preplanning was fabulous. We worked with teleconferences to include other travelers, their (outstanding) land specialist Ralph & cruise specialist Cheri.
2. We did have a tour guide problem which we worked to solve as it was an immediate issue (a substituted tour guide in Germany spoke Spanish, so we used my daughter as translator that day). Ralph was on it when we notified him, and he was proactive in making sure remaining destinations were well coordinated & had no problems.
3. Cheri did an outstanding job with our cruise rooms, meeting the individual needs of each traveler. I brag about her work and have recommended her to my friends looking to create a cruise experience.
4. This team was responsive to each of our questions, desires in the trip, provided outstanding local tour guides who enhanced our knowledge & enjoyment of each city and were a pleasure to work with.

This was our first luxury cruise and I wanted to do it right. I contact Mary Jean for help. She and Cheri were wonderful. They answered all of my questions and had more than a few suggestions. I followed their lead and we ended up on the Queen Mary 2 booking a Queen’s Grill room.

The cruise was exceptional. We loved the room they selected for us. The ship was rocking and rolling as we skirted three hurricanes. Our cabin was mid ship we had no issues. I thought the bonus was being close to the concierge. When we docked in NYC and the Statue of Liberty was outside our window. I was speechless.

I chose Mary Jean Tully because of Wendy’s WOW list and I’m so pleased I did. I’ve used other agencies in the past and ended up doing much of the work myself, with Mary Jean’s team I have felt like I have a much more knowledgeable partner who really cares. Most of our interactions have been via email, which you might think would be cold and remote…not so! My contacts have allowed their personalities to show, making the contacts more personalized and getting to know us. This was the second trip I have used Mary Jean’s team, and yes, I’ve already booked another cruise which I will look to Mary Jean to manage for us.

Cheri Ozimac, on Mary Jean Tully’s team, was extremely responsive to our travel needs. She worked with us to secure a rebate when the price of our cruise went down, saving us considerable money. She also helped us with a cabin change that offered a significant improvement in comfort for our family. Tully’s inside track with the cruise lines shows in the results of getting the best experience for their clients. We traveled with a group of 9 in four staterooms and all of us were pleased.

Cruise to Alaska on Crystal went as planned so no need to contact Cheri Ozimac during trip. Cheri knows our preferences and makes sure staterooms are where we like to be. Made sure my birthday was made special by Crystal crew.

Cheri Ozimac (in Mary Jean Tully’s office ) was incredibly helpful in assisting us to choose exactly the right cruise for our interests. She’s very knowledgeable about various cruise lines and itineraries and she matched our needs perfectly when she booked us on the Crystal Esprit.

We’re very interested in good food and good wine and we like maximum flexibility in choosing dining times. We also like a sophisticated environment where we don’t feel as though we’re in a group summer camp situation with ongoing activities and entertainments. The idea of frequent announcements highlighting multiple activities has no appeal. Cheri assured us that the Crystal Esprit would provide us with the kind of experience and service we might find in a high end boutique hotel and she was absolutely correct. Without her assurances we might have hesitated because of the price tag. We’re glad that, with Cheri’s advice, we made the decision we did.

Based on our itinerary, she chose a suite for us on the port side of the ship: a small detail but something I wouldn’t have thought of and further evidence of Cheri’s valuable experience and understandings of the ins and outs of cruising.

From the time of booking to the time we embarked I had ongoing questions about excursions and details about life onboard. Cheri unfailingly responded promptly with up-to-date information and encouraged me to continue to use her as a resource. I didn’t ever feel as though anything was too insignificant to ask about.

Fortunately, there were no issues on our travels which required us to contact Cheri for assistance after we left home. I’m confident that, had there been a need, she would have responded immediately with a fix.

We’ve recommended Cheri to friends and will certainly use her services for our own future cruise planning. We spend a considerable amount of money on travel and don’t want to make an expensive mistake. It just makes sense to work with someone who has the knowledge and the connections to insure that there are no nasty surprises. For us, Cheri is that person.

We booked a cruise with Mary Jean Tully’s team to parts of the Orient to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. What made this trip spectacular was the customized pre-cruise tour in Beijing. Arranged by Cheri Ozimac and Ralph Crawford, our two days in Beijing were everything we expected and then some. We were able to visit the highlights, and especially the Great Wall, timed to avoid the crowds. Our guide was awesome, and included unexpected treats such as a local Chinese meal and some artists in residence. Further, a separate guide in Shanghai took us on a most fun shopping experience and ended with an evening of spectacular views of the harbor. After 21 days of being on the road, we were not yet ready to return home. Awesome job!

Cheri Ozimac (of Mary Jean’s team) has helped me plan several cruise voyages. There is typically an 11 to 12-hour time difference between where I live and where she is located, but she is incredibly responsive to my emailed questions throughout the process. During our most recent cruise from Sydney to Auckland, Cheri planned a WOW moment for us that was simply spectacular. A driver in a private Jaguar sedan took my wife and me for a tour of Dunedin, NZ, out to a protected Yellow-eyed Penguin hatchery and finally to the Royal Albatross Centre.

My trip was excellent, and I was very pleased to work with Mary Jean’s deputy, Cheri. I had ordered a rollator thru her, but the one that was delivered to my stateroom was not the one I requested; too large and heavy. Because we were departing on a Sunday, the rental agency was of no help. I was very upset. Cheri contacted the Crystal ship and Medical had 3 wheel rollator that they let me use on the cruise. Cheri also arranged for a refund for the rollator that I did not use. In addition, Cheri recommended Shore Excursions so we were able to go on an excursion that was not snorkeling or scuba.

We were delighted with Mary Jean’s team and we worked with Cheri Ozimac, a delightful individual. She gave us excellent advice and was very prompt with her responses to all of our ongoing questions. Cheri secured generous onboard ship credits and provided a last minute opportunity for a suite upgrade of which we took advantage…and we are so glad that we did. We have booked a second cruise with her. Would definitely recommend.

Mary Jean’s associate, Cheri Ozimac, planned our trip. She provided a generous amenity, as well as securing us an additional discount after the cruise was booked. She also got us a rate at our NY hotel that I could not duplicate myself. We had special instructions as to how our cruise tickets were to be sent, which she followed to the letter. Since this was primarily a cruise, there weren’t too many additional things that she had the opportunity to provide for us during the trip, but I would say she performed very professionally and I would not hesitate to use her services again.

I have wanted to do a “re-positioning” cruise for many years, and we finally had the opportunity to do that on the Viking Sea, as it moved from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. We booked our voyage with Mary Jean and her team, and our primary contacts were Halina Melerowicz and Rebecca Lampert. They did a wonderful job advising us on our cabin selection and helped us keep track of deadlines as the date for our sailing approached. They were especially helpful in arranging shore excursions in places where we wanted something just a little different. For example, in Cadiz, we had a wonderful and informative tour of the Museo Archeologico, before driving on to Jerez for a private soak in the Hammam Andalusi Baths. In Valencia, we joined a fabulous cooking class to learn the art of making classic paella, and then had a private tour of the city on bikes. They also arranged our post-cruise tours in Barcelona and booked our reservations at The Majestic Hotel (which included a lovely room upgrade!) They were very attentive and responsive as we worked to put everything together.

Cheri Ozimac, on Mary Jean’s team, was amazing. I knew we wanted to go on a Baltic Cruise and she helped me decide which cruise line to book on — we had an initial conversation which helped us select a Cruise line. Then we had several back and forth emails on options of the cruise line that we selected…all while she was in and out of the hospital! I knew that she was having a medical procedure but she was literally on top of everything, which was totally unexpected considering the circumstance. Cheri was very helpful in selecting the right cruise line for us and we had a fantastic time.

We took a tour/cruise from Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap that began with two days in the Park Hyatt Saigon, then seven nights on the Mekong, and finally three days at the Park Hyatt in Siem Reap. Cheri on Mary Jean’s team was great to work with — very helpful and incredibly responsive to our requests. We live in Thailand, so there is a 12 hour time difference with the Cheri who is in Toronto. Nevertheless, Cheri responded to my emails very quickly and I never felt that I was being ignored. Since Scenic Cruises included all airport transportation and five-star hotels in HCMC and SR, we did not need Cheri’s help for those portions of the trip.

My travel specialist (Cheri) did not do much planning because I have already decided which cruise line, date, and itinerary I want to book. However, Cheri has always been very pleasant to work with and she answers your e-mail very promptly. She helped me in deciding which category of a cabin to book and that is very helpful. Thank Wendy for another wonderful vacation.

I chose Mary Jean and Cheri Ozimac on her team, because of their experience with Crystal Cruises. They helped me book the Crystal Serenity New York to Canada cruise in September 2017. As a first time cruiser with accessibility issues, Cheri reserved a mid-ship port side cabin for me at a good price. She worked with Crystal to make sure my cabin was prepared for my needs, and it was. She rented a rolling walker for my use during the cruise that was delivered to my cabin and made early dining reservations when the cruise website said early dining was waitlisted. She recommended several restaurants in Montreal and offered to make our reservations. During the cruise, she recommended Luggage Free to ship my luggage home post-cruise at a rate half the price of Crystal’s luggage shipper. Any questions I had were promptly answered. I look forward to having Cheri arrange my next cruise.

Our travel specialist arranged a 5-day Canada-New England sailing on Cunard.  She was back to me to answer any question I might have within minutes!  We received an onboard credit to use as we wished – very nice – as well as found a bottle of sparkling wine, well iced in our cabin. The trip was absolutely seamless and the ship beautiful. I have every confidence that, had I needed their help at any time, it would have been available.

Mary Jean Tully exemplifies everything luxury—or, shall I say, over the top.  The level of service and the experience we had with her company were exceptional. Cruise and land experiences were simply over the top. Note that this firm is not for the couple traveling in coach but, rather, a six-star team that goes over and above to ensure your holiday expectations are exceeded. As an example: She flew into Beijing, met our ship (Crystal Cruises’ Serenity), and invited the 44 guests they’d booked on the Serenity to join her at the #1 restaurant as a thank-you for our business.  PLUS, if that wasn’t enough, they created a separate itinerary for those same 44 guests the next day to travel with her privately to the GREAT WALL, to a more secluded and spectacular spot—and, once at the top of the wall, we got a catered lunch complete with white tablecloths and great wines. How does one do that??  Then after two days of ensuring her clients were happy, she flew back to North America. I’ve never seen anything like it before!

Things could not have gone any smoother with our trip. Everything from being picked up at the airport, to being greeted on the ship , the room location on the ship everything was top-notch.

My voyage booked through Mary Jean Tully and Cheri Ozimac was a great introduction to Crystal Cruises. The agency had made it possible for me to have some great cabin credits and my cabin was better than I had hoped for. They are very informative and made my trip seamless. I have already booked another Crystal voyage through them. The Crystal product was exceptional and the Symphony was immaculate and all decorated for the Christmas holidays. Mary Jean and Cheri cover all the bases and will not let you down.

Very proactive and responsive. Took the time to understand why I wanted to travel, and gave me excellent options and specific recommendations for what would work and why in the cities we visited. I was able to relax and enjoy my trip without worrying whether the details would be taken care of.

Even though we live in Brisbane, Australia, we only ever use Mary Jean and her team to book our cruises. Lore makes it so easy to do everything by email and I always get a timely response to questions regardless of time differences! They certainly do an excellent job of pricing and getting the best deal and are always happy to offer suggestions for individual port exploring. We wouldn’t use anyone else! Thanks Mary Jean, Lore, Salpy and the rest of the experienced and informed team. :-)