Tauck River Cruise: Eastern Europe on the Danube
My husband and I recently returned from our first river cruise—a two-week Tauck journey along the Danube through Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, and Hungary. We chose this style of travel to explore a large region without the constant packing and unpacking of a land tour. Our mid-sized ship (49 cabins, three decks, plus a sundeck) offered comfortable accommodations and seamless logistics. The biggest advantage? Effortless movement between countries without long border waits or multiple hotel check-ins. The biggest drawback? Many excursions involved long coach rides—sometimes several hours each way.

Planning and Preparation: Overwhelmed by the sheer number of cruise lines, vessels, and itineraries, we turned to WOW List travel advisor Tom. His experience with virtually every cruise line proved invaluable, helping us select excursions, restaurants, travel insurance, and even the best travel apps.

The Itinerary: Fascinating but Sobering
We chose Eastern Europe for its complex history and culture, and because it’s a region neither of us had visited. This section of the Danube is not particularly scenic, and outside of Budapest, many stops felt stark and subdued. Tauck added memorable touches:
• A private performance by the Vidin Symphony
• Dinner at Belgrade’s Royal Palace hosted by HRH Crown Prince Alexander II
• An intimate visit with a Croatian family who lived through the 1990s war
Highlights also included Peles Castle in the Carpathians, Roman ruins in Constanța, and Budapest’s Hospital in the Rock.

Onboard Experience: Service was Tauck’s strong suit—attentive, warm, and proactive. Special events like an Oyster & Champagne hour, Ice Cream Social, and gourmet chef’s dinner elevated the experience. Shipboard dining was generally good, while on-land meals were more hit-or-miss. Excursions were well-organized but paced for an older demographic.

Challenges and Cautions: River cruising here skews to a senior audience, and the slower pace may not suit travelers seeking active exploration. Pickpocketing is a real risk—my phone was stolen in Old Belgrade despite taking precautions. Tauck handled the situation professionally, but it’s a reminder to keep valuables secured at all times.
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Conclusions
A Danube river cruise through Eastern Europe offers rich history, cultural immersion, and seamless travel logistics. However, it’s not a trip for those seeking dramatic scenery or fast-paced, high-activity adventures.
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Recommendations for Future Travelers
• Know your pace preference – If you like to move quickly and pack in activities, this itinerary may feel slow.
• Assess your interest in history – Much of the value here is cultural and historical, not visual.
• Work with an expert – An experienced travel advisor can cut through choice overload.
• Prepare for theft prevention – Use slash-proof bags, keep phones zipped inside, and be alert in busy areas.
• Consider the season – Off-peak times may reduce crowds but also affect weather and scenery.

In Walvis Bay, Namibia, two pelicans and a sea lion boarded the Eastons’ boat.

We’ve been struggling to figure out the best way to review our recent 136-day World Cruise on Silversea’s Silver Dawn, which embarked from Tokyo on January 13th and disembarked in New York on May 29th. During that time, we visited 30 countries and took over 80 shore excursions. Tom was our travel agent. Rather than detailing what we did in every port—each worthy of its own review—we thought it might be more helpful to highlight some of the best moments and reflect on what makes a world cruise special to us, and how this one differed from our 2023 world cruise on the Silver Shadow.
First, it’s important to acknowledge that not everyone likes to cruise. Many people worry about seasickness, claustrophobia, or the idea of being surrounded by miles of deep water filled with sea creatures. And among those who do enjoy cruises, many can’t imagine spending more than a couple of weeks at sea. They fear boredom, can’t leave their pets, jobs, or families for that long, or simply prefer exploring by land. All perfectly understandable.

Freedom from daily chores.
Cruisers are liberated from nearly all domestic responsibilities—laundry, grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning. Instead, we were able to enjoy outstanding food and beverage service, all included, with exceptional variety, quality, and attention to detail that was just as good as our favorite restaurants on land. Ironically, seafood lovers should be aware that—just as on land—getting freshly caught fish every day in the middle of the ocean is a challenge.

Effortless exploration.
We can see the world for months without the constant packing and unpacking of luggage or dragging bags from hotel to airport.

Time as our own.
At sea, we’re free to engage in any activity we choose, at our own pace—or none at all.

Flexibility in port.
We can join ship-arranged tours or create our own adventures. If we want to explore inland longer, we can meet the ship later at another port. On this cruise, we left Bordeaux for three days to explore the castles of the Loire Valley and rejoined the ship in Saint-Malo. We visited Leonardo da Vinci’s Château du Clos Lucé, including his workshop, and also saw Château d’Amboise, Château Royal de Blois, Château de Chenonceau, and Château de Chambord. These architectural masterpieces defy description. The double-helix staircase at Chambord, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, was especially breathtaking.

The ocean’s vastness.
The open horizon and sky create a visceral sensation of freedom—far from the confines of buildings and four walls. Though some fear a ship will feel claustrophobic, we rarely spend much time in our cabin, but when we do, we still have a view of the sea that helps make everything feel more open.

Special world cruise events.
Silversea hosts unique events for the world cruise. The highlight this year was a private dinner at Château de Versailles. Being able to visit and dine in the palace after hours, when it was quiet, felt surreal—something we never imagined we’d be lucky enough to experience.

We’ll admit, before our first world cruise, we were a little apprehensive. We weren’t sure what kind of people we’d meet and worried it might feel formal, exclusive, or even a bit snobby. But those fears turned out to be completely unfounded. The community we found was warm, down-to-earth, generous, and genuinely fun. Far from being aloof, our fellow travelers were welcoming, humble, and quick to laugh—many have since become lifelong friends.

What made the 2025 world cruise aboard Silver Dawn different from our 2023 cruise on Silver Shadow came down to several key factors. Most notably, Silversea shifted the world cruise from the smaller Silver Shadow (28,258 GT, 392 passengers) to the larger Silver Dawn (40,855 GT, 596 passengers). Compounding the change, the war in the Middle East forced the rerouting of the most anticipated segment—through the Red Sea and Mediterranean—around Africa instead. That prompted at least 80 world cruise passengers to cancel, making those of us who remained a small minority onboard. With hundreds of passengers coming and going every segment, it no longer had the feel of a stable, close-knit community like it did in 2023 on the Shadow, where almost everyone was on the full world cruise. Because of that, we were able to meet most of the other passengers and learn about their interesting and varied lives. Thankfully, the 2028 world cruise is returning to the smaller Silver Shadow. That said, the larger ship did offer significant benefits—greater stability in rough seas and more specialty dining options.

Going through thousands of photos reminded us that almost every day brought a highlight. As animal lovers, we were deeply moved by the wildlife and also saddened by how threatened many species are due to human activity. One unforgettable moment occurred in Walvis Bay, Namibia, when two pelicans and a sea lion (Cape fur seal) boarded our boat. Though wild and not fond of being touched, they’re accustomed to people and have learned to beg for food. One pelican stood calmly next to us before hopping in front of us and locking eyes. The sea lion waddled up soaking wet, leaned against Conrad’s legs, and stared into his eyes. It was amazing.

As history lovers, we were awestruck to see both the Magna Carta and Stonehenge on the same day in Salisbury, UK. That’s hard to top.

We love being at sea and seeing the world. Some people join country clubs and play golf. Not us—though we do seem to have inadvertently become part of what could be considered a club (we joke that it may even be a cult) at sea. Even with all of these wonderful sights and services, the most memorable and enjoyable aspect of cruising is the fun time we have with the lifelong friends that we make.

Tom planned an Alaskan cruise for my family and my sister’s family, 22 in all. We had the larger balconies, which was great for viewing. For my WOW Moment Tom arranged a dinner for all of us at Tamarind. Food was delicious and service was great. The ship messed up the reservation, but after 90 minutes with the HAL staff we made it work. Eleven in my party wanted to eat at the Pinnacle, and Tom was a great asset in getting this done. It took 3 months and many phone calls to ship services and corporate, but he got it done and they had a great meal. Alaska was beautiful, excursions were great, we all loved the dueling piano bar and you could find most of us there at night. Thanks Tom for a great trip, hoping we could do another one soon.

“My mom wanted to see a new country that she had never visited.”

Tom is a magic maker! I contacted Tom around April 24, 2025 to book a cruise for a mother-daughter-sister trip. We wanted a small ship, adults only, and my mom wanted to see a new country that she had never visited. Further, given I was already planning to be in Ireland for a golf trip, I wanted a trip that coincided with my travels, as flying back to California and visiting Scotland later in the summer was too much.

To Tom’s credit, within 4 days of contacting me, we had a cruise booked on the Windstar line departing Dublin for Scotland, which was on my mom’s bucket list. All this happened while Tom was on his honeymoon! Tom’s attention to our needs, and most especially my mom’s, were exceeded. We visited beautiful islands, had amazing excursions, and encountered the most marvelous and caring crew. My mother, sister, and I hope to make this an annual tradition and will certainly use Tom again. He truly made all of our dreams come true on such a special family trip.

We had a wonderful adventurous trip. We enjoyed the long “double” cruise, from Bucharest to Budapest and then to Amsterdam, but found it long. We also found it felt busier than we anticipated with all the excursions, though we mostly did one per day. We found the food surprisingly bland. We were pleased with the recommendation of Avalon, as they handled a boat switch due to low water levels quite smoothly (we were lucky another ship was on its way in the other direction and at the right port to make the switch with minimal disruption).

We had a wonderful river cruise aboard the AmaWaterways AmaDolce, cruising from Bordeaux and sampling wines on the right and left banks. Our cruise was booked by Tom’s colleague Kathy. The cruise is a wonderful mix of culture and history, focused on food and wine but including visits to historic sites. We were very pleased with our onboard accommodations and the included excursions, plus Kathy provided us with some onboard ship credits to make our trip extra special.

We also planned before and after activities, deciding to fly into Madrid, staying there for a couple of days, then took the train to San Sebastián, where we enjoyed pintxos and the incredible Michelin 3-star Arzak before getting a private car to Bordeaux to meet the ship. After our cruise, we returned to Madrid via air and took a couple of day trips, the first to Segovia, Ávila and Toledo, then the next day a wine tour of the Ribera del Duero region of Spain. All-in-all a fantastic vacation—and we can’t wait to get back to Spain!

Heather Brandeburg’s river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest included the Danube.

Thank you, Wendy for referring me to Tom. I couldn’t be happier with the expertise, advice and excellent service Tom provided. His first-hand knowledge with cruise lines and hotels in the areas we traveled made our trip a truly awesome and amazing experience. We wanted a 14-day European River Cruise in May. Tom recommended SCENIC for our River Cruise and we loved the entire experience. It was first class all the way. In fact, I couldn’t consider another cruise line after the SCENIC experience.

Tom recommended a wonderful hotel in London—The Montague at the Gardens—which was a beautiful boutique hotel with a really nice restaurant and bar. The service was impressive and the staff were very attentive and personable. Our river cruise began in Amsterdam and ended in Budapest. Tom also recommended the Anantara Grand Hotel in Amsterdam, which was lovely. The Concierge worked their magic to help us obtain a prescription medication and delivered it to our room within 3 hours so we were able to boars the cruise ship without delay.

The SCENIC river cruise experience was beyond our expectations. The excursion choices offered something for everyone. The Cruise Director was extremely skilled at his job—very knowledgeable, entertaining and funny. The food was excellent and the staff were warm and engaging. Our travels included Amsterdam, Cologne, Bonn, Rudesheim, Wurzburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Vilshofen, Passau, Durnstein, Vienna, and Budapest. My favorites were Bamberg, Regensburg and Durnstein for their quaintness and ageless charm and Vienna for everything!!! Most memorable is the unbelievable scenery we passed while cruising the rivers, and the history of each and every town we visited.

SCENIC is an Australian company and there were many Australians on the ship who were interesting, engaging and funny, which made the experience even more delightful. This was a fabulous, fantastic trip. Tom booked the end of our stay at the Anantara New York Budapest Hotel, where we were afforded early check-in, an upgraded room and late check-out to accommodate our afternoon flight to London. Tom also recommended the Aerotel in London Heathrow Airport, which allowed us to arrive from Budapest in the evening, stay overnight in Terminal 3, and fly back to the US in the morning—making the end of the trip so much easier.

I highly recommend Tom Baker and see why he is on your WOW List. Thank you, again for referring me to Tom and for your extensive travel knowledge.

This was the third time we have used Tom for a cruise type of trip. Tom is the best. He is so responsive and is often in some other part of the world when you hear back from him so quickly. Great advice on what level of cabin to reserve (my friends who booked with someone else and chose smaller cabins agreed). I had already chosen the boat and sailing because friends invited us so he was not involved in that guidance, but we did decide to do a few days on our own at the starting and ending points of our cruise. Tom led us to great hotels, secured surprising amenities (large $$ credits to apply towards dinner at each hotel, upgrades, wine) and in addition, recommended terrific tour guides in each location. There is no substitution for the connections he has built over time. Tom is our guy on the water.

My daughter and I just returned from a wonderful trip to Europe to experience the Christmas Markets. We wanted to do a river cruise, so we contacted Tom from Wendy’s WOW List and we are very pleased with all of his recommendations and arrangements. We went with Scenic Cruise Line and loved it! Truly all inclusive, the ship was very nice and comfortable, the food was fantastic and the staff outstanding! We started in Nuremburg and ended in Budapest, with daily stops in a variety of places. Everywhere had fantastic Christmas markets, and my daughter and I had lots of fun wandering the stalls and buying Christmas presents to bring home. I took Wendy’s advice and packed an extra duffle bag to bring everything home!

While in Europe, we wanted to do and see as much as we could, so we asked Tom to help us with arrangements prior to our cruise and for the day we returned. He set us up with a local guide in Prague—Dasha—who was wonderful. Very knowledgeable and fun! Our first day with Dasha was our WOW Moment, which was actually a full day of touring the old city and Jewish quarter. What a wonderful WOW surprise! She took us all over Prague while we were there, and on a day trip to Cesky Krumlov—a beautiful small medieval city with interesting history and great little local shops/restaurants. She arranged for a driver to take us from Prague to Nuremberg to meet our ship, which was terrific and hassle free.

We stayed an extra day in Budapest at the end of our cruise and Tom arranged another lovely local guide, Gabriella, to pick us up from the ship and show us around Budapest. She took us to her home for a traditional Hungarian lunch and then to the natural mineral springs baths, which was perfect for the end of a busy cruise.

I highly recommend Tom for any of your cruise needs as well as the pre and post excursions you may want to do. He was very easy to work with and listened to everything we wanted to do. It was a very memorable trip with my daughter and one I will always cherish.

Just back from Prague and Danube River Cruise. My wife and I, along with another couple, contacted Tom, recommended on Wendy’s WOW List, to investigate a river cruise in Europe. Having done a Rhine River cruise, where we had had some concerns, a few years back, we wanted to try another cruise line and turned to Tom for his help.

Tom was quick to reply and we had a telephone conversation shortly after submitting our request. After determining what we were after, Tom recommended a couple of cruise lines and we chose to do the Scenic “Danube in Depth with Prague” cruise scheduled from September 20, 2024 to October 2, 2024. The vacation consisted of a pre-cruise 3-night stay in Prague, followed by a 10-day river cruise, from Nuremberg to Budapest.

Five days prior to our departure from Toronto, we got news that Central Europe had experienced heavy rain and flooding. We were advised by both Tom and the cruise line that, due to the flooding, high water levels on the Danube might prevent our ship from sailing under the bridges at first. We were told that we might be put up in a hotel for a night or two at the beginning of our cruise.

When we arrived at the Prague airport, Scenic reps met us and transferred us to a very nice, centrally located hotel. Our rooms were ready upon our arrival and guided tours were arranged for the three days of our stay. We had an orientation meeting on the first night and were advised that we would be able to board our ship, however, rather than starting in Nuremberg, we would be transferred to Budapest and sail back to as close to Nuremberg as possible. While the waters had subsided to some degree, we would end up missing the first two stops on our trip and Scenic advised us that we would be receiving an email upon our return offering some compensation for this.

Our cruise director went above and beyond in making the best of a bad situation, arranging for a second alternate shore excursion on the second day when the first one couldn’t be accommodated.

From that point on, we kept to our original itinerary. All of the tours were worthwhile and made all that much better because of the quality of the local guides Scenic used. The onboard experience with Scenic was terrific as all expenses are covered, including tips, alcoholic beverages, transfers to and from the airports, etc. We found the breakfast and lunch buffets to be excellent while some of the dinner entrees were a little disappointing. Staff was friendly and eager to please. Each cabin has a butler and, while we didn’t use ours, our friends had coffee delivered to their cabin every morning and enjoyed it.

Our trip planner, Tom, was quick to respond to any enquiries we had and kept us up to date with the changing situation due to the flooding. When booking the original trip, he gave us good guidance on what cabins to book and saved us some money by recommending cabins that were a category lower than we had been considering, saying that these were just as good.

All in all, we would recommend Scenic as well as Tom if you are considering a European river cruise.

Travelers about to board a paddlewheeler to take a scenic cruise up the Chena River.

My husband and I, along with our long-time friends from Istanbul, had a wonderful August Alaskan cruisetour (land & sea) skillfully handled by Tom Baker. Although this was my second time to Alaska, it was my husband and friends’ first time. Watching their reactions to the rugged beauty, vast expanses of wilderness, and variety of wildlife made the trip extra special.

There were many cruise lines, ports of call, and land options to choose from, which was a bit overwhelming and tricky to decipher what was worth the time and what wasn’t. Tom has a wealth of knowledge, and personal experience, with the different cruise lines, accommodations, and excursions, which was extremely helpful in honing in on the right company, ship and itinerary that would work best with our time restrictions and vacation goals. My husband and I are quieter types and our friends from Istanbul are used to the hustle and bustle of a big city, with all its people and activity. Being able to travel in a way that could satisfy both those disparate needs was tricky. We picked a larger cruise ship which had plenty of quiet spots for my husband and I, yet plenty of activities and people for our friends.

Tom suggested we start with the land portion first and the cruise second as this would be a more relaxing experience, which was spot on. Tom managed to secure 2 cabins side by side in the perfect location and side of the ship so as to enjoy the most scenic view, which was also quiet yet easy to access the rest of the ship.

We enjoyed all of our shore excursions, from taking a scenic train ride to a bear walk to hiking, rafting, cruising the inlets to see the glaciers, to simply walking around the ports. The cruisetour is an easy, well organized, beautiful and relaxing way to see Alaska. It is a destination for all ages, temperaments, and vacation goals. It is also a unique place on the planet with its immense amount of wilderness and wildlife. I recommend putting it on your travel list.

This is the second time we have used Tom’s services. We are so glad we did and will not hesitate to use him the next time we are looking at booking a cruise.

“We did the hiking tours with the Activity Host in Cochem and Bernkastel and were rewarded with beautiful views.” Photo: Traveler Ruth Reading.

Tom Baker did an outstanding job assisting my husband and I select a European river cruise. We knew we wanted to cruise the Moselle River and Tom expertly steered us to Avalon Cruises. We initially planned the trip pre-COVID and had to bump the date forward multiple times. Tom helped with this, and we ultimately selected the mid-September 2024 “The Rhine & Moselle Canals, Vineyards & Castles” cruise.

Avalon was a perfect fit for us, and we enjoyed everything about the cruise—ease of getting on the ship, the wonderful staff, excellent food and the fun happy hour every evening! The Avalon Tranquility II is a beautiful ship, and our cabin was nicely decorated and very comfortable. Multiple excursions, included in the cruise fare, were offered at each stop. All were wonderful!

We enjoyed the city walk in Cologne and took the Cruise Director’s recommendation and had afternoon coffee and cake at the delightful Cafe Reichard. The Rhine Gorge was beautiful, and the Cruise Director offered interesting commentary as we cruised it. In Rudesheim we enjoyed a tram ride to the monument, walked down through the vineyards, tasted the season’s first wine, and had a delicious Rudesheimer Coffee. We did the hiking tours with the Activity Host in Cochem and Bernkastel and were rewarded with beautiful views. In Remich we did the wine walk and ended with an amazing wine tasting at the Kox Winery. So lovely!

We had a wonderful, memorable trip. Thank you, Tom for your help in planning this amazing trip!

This was our first time using Tom as our cruise specialist. Right from the beginning he was very responsive and so helpful. He answered all of our questions immediately. We had heard about Windstar and wanted to try this boutique line. We were not disappointed. A small ship, which we wanted, with great amenities. Tom secured one of the last rooms for us and added a credit which we used for our shore excursions. He was helpful about recommending both local guides and hotels for our pre and post cruise trip. We are considering another cruise in the future and will not hesitate in using Tom again. It was a delight to work with him.

Tom suggested we take Scenic even though I wasn’t familiar with the line. It was our first river cruise. We had an issue with the cabin I chose because, after the reservation was accepted, they said it had already been taken, and the category was no longer available. I asked to be on the waiting list for the upgraded cabin. Unfortunately, Tom did not inform me that the cabin I received was on the docked side of the cruise for each stop except for one.

I do think the cruise line did a great job. The food was really high quality, the service was great, and the excursions were well done. Entertainment on the ship was good and we especially appreciated the opportunity to have lunch in a local home. The room was comfortable. I appreciate that Tom recommended the cruise line.

We’ve just returned from a delightful Crystal Cruise to Alaska. It was our first Crystal voyage and it exceeded expectations. The spacious rooms, crew and food were all excellent. The weather did not always cooperate but the views and journey were still spectacular. The service was amazing — they could not do enough to help us, no lines and no nickel-and-diming — drinks plentiful and specialty restaurants were excellent and included in the price.

Tom was easy to work with. He gave us confidence in our itinerary choice and room selection. All of his coaching was spot-on. We booked our own excursions through Crystal and other providers. Thank you!

Christine Young and James Voris departing Flam on their Norway cruise.

My husband and I contacted Tom for advice on our first cruise together. We wanted to experience Norway by cruising, but I was a bit apprehensive after having problems with seasickness in the past. Tom steered us away from a cruise leaving from Southampton due to potentially rough seas and made sure we got a midship cabin on a lower deck for less motion.

We were very happy with our Silversea experience. Wonderful small ship that never felt crowded. Great itinerary focusing on the deep fjords to Geiranger and Flam. We had a great time (and no seasickness!). We highly recommend Tom. He was a pleasure to work with and his guidance was spot-on.

My husband and I just returned from a wonderful 12 day Mediterranean cruise on Celebrity Ascent. Tom guided us with cabin selection and pre- and post-cruise stays. The hotels in Barcelona and Athens that Tom booked for us were perfect, in convenient and excellent locations. Tom was generous in adding value to our trip with transfers to and from airport and cruise ports with drivers who were all very prompt, friendly and professional. Thank you Tom for another well planned trip, we truly appreciate all the surprises you arranged for us that made our vacation quite memorable.

Just back from a fantastic Alaskan cruise. We used Wendy’s WOW List to find Tom Baker to help us plan and book our cruise. Tom’s service was impeccable and his advice in choosing the right cruise line and booking the cruise for us was invaluable. I had no idea that there were so many different cruise line “personalities” and options for booking. Tom skillfully navigated us through that whole process and booked us a suite on the Silver Nova from Silversea. Tom also helped us choose excursions at each port and shared with us several local tips for each port that we never would have known if we didn’t have his help.

The trip itself was fantastic! The ship itself was an incredible feat of engineering and luxury; the service provided by the Silversea crew was top-notch. The ship and the crew far exceeded my expectations. With respect to the trip itself, Alaska is a wonder to behold. I underappreciated how unspoiled the state is and the fact that you can only visit much of it by ship or plane — a cruise is realistically the only way to see several beautiful places in Alaska in a relatively short amount of time. I highly recommend this trip for anyone who has never seen the state, and I provide my enthusiastic recommendation for both Tom Baker and Silversea cruise lines. We enjoyed it so much, we’ve already booked another cruise for next year!

We took a Viking ocean cruise in search of the northern lights from 2/29/2024-3/12/2024. Although we did not officially “see” the aurora borealis our camera did, being much more sensitive than the naked eye. We decided early on that we would not “hang” the success of the cruise on one thing.

We had two shore excursions that were totally unique to us. One was in Tromso, feeding a reindeer herd, eating reindeer stew, and listening to a member of the indigenous tribe “the Sami.” The second one was in Alta, doing a snowmobile tour to the plateau of Finnmarksvidda. Only one in our group of 12 had previously been on a snowmobile. The leader of the group of 7 snowmobiles was very kind and attentive.

These tours were booked through Viator since they tend to be much less expensive and smaller groups than the tours from the ship, but you really have to make sure they will get you back to your ship on time. We have never had a problem, but it could happen. Since we are in our late 70s, I’m not sure we will do another cold-weather cruise, but we really enjoyed this one. And I have to give thanks to Tom Baker, who responded to my call for help with a problem with our final payment. He was able to work it out—and to our advantage! Thanks Tom.

My husband and I just returned from a trip to France and England, neither of which we had visited. Our initial goal was to visit the Normandy beaches. When I reached out to Wendy about the logistics of the trip, she recommended we go through her WOW expert Tom Baker who specializes in cruises of all types, as this would be a great way to see the French countryside and get us to our destination with ease. Little did we know this year is the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasions and river cruises were mostly booked! But Tom was able to find us a cabin on an Avalon river cruise ship in early May, which we highly preferred due to crowds and better weather.

We decided to take a three-day extension to London, via the Eurostar train after the cruise, all booked through Avalon which made every transfer seamless. While many may not be interested in a river cruise, we absolutely loved it. The boat held 130 people and we were able to meet and mingle with so many wonderful people from all over the US, Canada, and Australia. The daily excursions were well planned and educational, the scenery from the Seine River was breathtaking and gave me exactly what I wanted — a true feel of the French countryside. While we spent three great days in Paris on the front end, I always love the countryside of any place I visit. One of my favorite spots occurred after a steep hike to the former fortress of King Richard the Lionheart. The views were spectacular and one can see why the fortress on the bluff was a strategic location with expansive views of the river valley below. Our local, expert guides were absolutely spectacular and I enjoyed every one of them immensely. I highly recommend a river cruise, or “floating hotel” as I like to describe it, as an efficient way to see new sites, cities, and countries. Tom Baker is the guy for you if you want to look into it. He has a wealth of knowledge about cruising and will help facilitate almost anything you dream of. He is such a pleasure to work with.

We have loved food tours ever since our first experience in Rome, when another of Wendy’s WOW experts arranged a private, walking, food tasting. We have always been impressed with the historical education we get, not to mention tasty, local treats. In London, we were treated to a special walking, historical food tasting with Doris. Doris was so knowledgeable and took us to the famous Fortnum and Mason to start the tour — I would never have even known about this place if it weren’t for Doris. We then wandered around Piccadilly Square and SOHO for over three hours, with stops at various shops that were all established over 100-300 years ago! We tasted local cheeses, meat pies, charcuterie, chocolate, gelato and coffees, all of which are English-established.

Thank you to Wendy and Tom for arranging a truly memorable trip.

Our cruise on the Atlas World Navigator was a great experience. We visited Morocco. Spain, France, Gibraltar and Portugal, enjoying visits to ports which large cruise ships cannot access. Tom Baker did a terrific job of liaison with Atlas to ensure we received and responded fully to all preliminaries as well as advising us on pre- and post-cruise travel arrangements.

Tom Baker planned the perfect trip to Egypt and Jordan for my husband and me. We started in Cairo where we felt perfectly safe and well looked after from the moment we landed at the airport. After 2 days in Cairo enjoying the sites we flew to Luxor to board our ship, the Historia, for our 4-day Nile River Cruise. When we made stops along the way we were so happy to not be in the group tours but to have our own private guide greet us each morning. We had the same guide so he learned our preferences and since it was just my husband and I we could go at our own pace. The food and service on the Historia were wonderful and it felt like an authentic experience. We never would have known about the Historia if not for Tom. One of my favorite trip memories is celebrating our 31st wedding anniversary having dinner on the deck of the Historia while we sailed away seeing the Temple of Kom Ombo lit up at night. What a special anniversary celebration complete with cake from the Historia staff.

Upon completion of our cruise we flew back to Cairo and enjoyed a day trip to Alexandria. It was a long day of driving but visiting the library and having lunch looking at the Mediterranean was worth the drive.

After Egypt we flew to Amman, Jordan. Again we were met at the airport and our visas were available with our airport rep. Hearing others talk about the process they had to follow to obtain their visas made me even more appreciative of Tom and the services he obtained in Jordan. We had the same driver/guide the four days we were in Jordan and again we felt perfectly safe. Walking through Petra and riding a jeep through Wadi Rum were highlights of our time in Jordan. We found the people in both Egypt and Jordan very happy to have us as visitors in their countries. Our trip ended with our resort at the Dead Sea. It was a great location just like our other hotels but with the added benefit of walking out from our hotel to float in the Dead Sea.

Once the war began Tom was good to send updates regarding safety for our trip. He also sent detailed guides for both Egypt and Jordan that included historical and cultural info, suggested tipping guides and packing lists. All of the info we received was very beneficial.

Thanks Tom for planning such a wonderful trip with individuals who truly cared about us and our safety.

My husband and I just returned from a New Year’s cruise on Virgin Voyages which we thoroughly enjoyed. Tom Baker helped us plan our trip from beginning to end. He guided us on cabin selection, made pre-cruise hotel bookings and kept us informed as to when we needed to book excursions and dinner reservations. While on board we had questions for Tom and got immediate responses even though he was on an expedition in Antarctica.

We have used Tom for previous cruises and will continue to work with him because he is a delight to work with and very knowledgeable. He answers all questions, concerns or requests quickly and efficiently. Tom always makes us feel as though we are very important travelers regardless of his busy schedule and other travelers he has to attend to.

Tom added value to our trip with onboard cruise credits and added amenities at the pre-cruise hotel. We are looking forward to our next planned trip with Tom because he makes it effortless!!

My husband and I have recently returned from our Scenic River Cruise, “Jewels of Europe,” 15 nights from Amsterdam to Budapest. Our WOW trip planner was Tom Baker. Let me say first that this trip exceeded our expectations in every way possible. We decided to take this, our first River Cruise, fairly late in the availability range (booked in late May) for an Oct. 4-22 sailing. After our initial lengthy and thorough phone conversation Tom went to work right away for us. Not only did he find this cruise for us…which was exactly what we were dreaming of, he was also able to secure a perfect suite location onboard. His advice and apparent expertise put us at complete ease that we had made a perfect vacation decision. From booking to departure and beyond Tom was readily available to answer every question we sent to him. We extended our stay in Budapest and Tom put us in touch with a fabulous guide who made our extra days in Budapest extra-special. Since our return I have already recommended Tom Baker to several friends and fully offer my highest recommendations to all of Wendy’s followers!

Tom Baker organized a great cruise off Barcelona, Spanish coast, Canary Islands, Tangier and Lisbon. His private guide contacts were great in Barcelona and Lisbon! He recommended Oceania for the cruise line and it was a wonderful ship. I would recommend travelers think twice about doing a cruise ship’s tour in Tangier, it was an awful experience for everyone, guides yelling at everyone like we were cattle, their coordinating stops so their vendor friends could accost us with their wares and then demanding a tip! The Tangier experience was not Tom Baker’s fault, I blame the cruise line for this awful experience, it was their tour. Private guides in Barcelona and Lisbon were key, it is a great way to get to know a city in a small amount of time. Tom Baker did add value to our trip, he provided us with discounts on the cruise and recommendation of great guides.

My husband and I booked the longest cruise we have ever taken—21 days, and, everything considered, we loved it! We flew one day early to Buenos Aires. While our trip planner recommended a couple of hotels that were Viking favorites, he was quick to give us guidance when we felt those were out of our price range. We ended up at the Tango del Mayo and I feel I can highly recommend this hotel to anyone seeking a midrange hotel. While it was not in a touristy section of the city, we did not have to go out at night since they had a pleasant restaurant on site. Our room was large and clean. The price included a very good breakfast.

Check in on Viking was a breeze. The room we booked: 3097-aft. We were surprised it was available, so we decided to take a chance and see if we liked it. Maybe because it is on the 3rd deck, the noise from the engines was so loud that we couldn’t talk with each other on the deck. So we never really sat out on the deck. So, if you like to sit out on your deck, think twice about an aft room–at least on the third deck.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: We loved the Tango Experience in MONTEVIDEO, in spite of the bus breaking down twice. While we booked the shore excursion in RIO DE JANEIRO that Tom had recommended, the ship was arriving in the Rio Port later than the tour could accommodate—no fault of anyone. SENEGAL—cancelled due to civic unrest with one of the CAPE VERDE ISLANDS replacing it. (Not the same). CASABLANCA—since the included tour was fully booked as was the “Rick’s Place” tour, the only thing left was the tour of the Hassan II Temple. It turned out to be absolutely the highlight of our cruise! BARCELONA—We took a tour that included only the outside of La Sagrada Familia (we had seen the inside and outside 7 years previous). Since not much seems to have changed we left the tour and walked back to the meeting point and had tapas and beer at a sidewalk café!

ENTERTAINERS—Singer and Magician/comedian were excellent. Onboard entertainers were a mixed bag.

LECTURERS—I learned so much about Eva Peron! Most were very good with a lot of good information.

TAKEAWAY: Assume not everything will go as planned. There is too much unrest and unexpected climate interference in the world today. ENJOY EVERYTHING. MANY DO NOT GET THIS LUXURY.

We went on an Alaskan cruise with a pre-cruise Denali land tour in July, 2023. Tom Baker helped us immensely throughout the entire planning stages and even during our trip. When we began this process, I had no idea what cruise line we wanted to use. Tom’s thoughtful guidance led us to Silversea (which by the way was also fabulous). He spent at least 2 hours on the telephone with us before we actually made a decision. He stayed in close contact with us, often calling in person, even up to the day before we left. He emailed us upon our return and was instrumental in dealing with the occasional (small) trip hiccups. We discovered that we hadn’t received our promised shipboard credit, and Tom assured that a check was issued as soon as he was able to confirm this.

Because Tom was so attentive and thoughtful, we have recommended him and his company to multiple friends and family.

We decided to take a river boat cruise pre-COVID. Tom Baker was recommended to us by Wendy Perrin. Tom booked our cruise on Scenic after discussions with us about what we were looking for and then it was cancelled due to COVID—2 times. Finally last May we actually sailed on the Danube! The ship is beautiful and the service is excellent. The staff couldn’t do enough for us. The food was gourmet and the ship is all-inclusive—including tips. Our only complaint is that there is very little to do after dinner. The boats don’t dock near the cities so you can’t go into town at night. It was a very relaxing cruise.

Tom was extremely helpful and accessible. He was able to get us a cabin on Scenic Amber for less than our friends who used a relative/travel agent for the same cabin. All of our transfers were seamless and his recommendations for guides, etc. were great.

Would def. use him again!

Tom Baker is great. He knows cruising. We like small-ship cruises and were working with Tom on a Windstar cruise from Barcelona to Venice. Tom was able to add another leg to include Lisbon to Barcelona. So we had a three-week cruise on the Mediterranean. He always made it seem easy. Tom always answered emails quickly, even when he was out of town. He also helped us with pre- and post-cruise hotels. It was a great vacation. The next time we are considering a cruise we will definitely contact Tom Baker again.

Our Tulip Time cruise on AmaLucia was perfectly timed and the boat was lovely. Tom Baker was as responsive a travel expert as I’ve ever worked with. He answered questions and took care of things from points all over the world, and typically answered within a few hours at most. He helped us choose the boat and cabin from among several options. We also added a few days at the front and one at the back and he helped us with locations for hotels. We went to see the tulips in the Netherlands and that’s exactly what we saw. Cruises are pretty predictable and there were no big surprises, but one pleasant surprise was the health-and-fitness ambassador on board. There were several classes offered every day and a gym, so there was no excuse for not keeping up with fitness if you wanted to. We really enjoyed all the Dutch and Belgian stops on this cruise and wished we had more time for wandering on our own in each of them.

I would definitely recommend a few days in Amsterdam at either the front or back end, since you start and end there. There is so much to do and see in Amsterdam—just make sure that you make reservations in advance for the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh museum, and the Anne Frank Haus. All of them require advance reservations and there are so many tourists around who have secured their tickets in advance, I think it’s virtually impossible that you can just walk in.

I would not hesitate to use Tom again. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of everything out there in the cruise world, and very practical approaches to which choices to make and why.

Our trip was wonderful.

We began in Nice and spent 4 nights there before leaving for our cruise with Scenic Sapphire. We LOVED Nice. Very easy to navigate. We were in a great location so pretty much stayed there and walked around. Even got to bathe on the French Rivera. Would definitely return!

We met our group at the Nice airport and took a bus to the ship.

We loved the French countryside and watching it from a ship was amazing. We really lucked out with weather. In the 60’s or 70’s every day. I spent a lot of time on the upper balcony. I was actually a little surprised when I found myself at times the only one up there!

The ship was great. It’s like a food and wine orgy! Food was well above par. Wine was never ending. And of course there were cocktails. Staff were wonderful. The excursions were all in the morning with kind of a rush to get back for lunch. Would have preferred to have more time in each place.
I would choose Scenic again, just wish they had a swimming pool!

My husband and I are 75. We were surprised to see so many people in their 70’s and 80’s really enjoying their life!

Our trip planner was Tom Baker. Tom was great. Our 1st contact was October 21st. We were kind of just exploring the idea of a river cruise. By October 29th our contract was signed with Scenic for a 6-night cruise on the Rhone for April 28th. Within another few weeks we had hotel reservations in Nice and Paris. Tom was so helpful in advising us about what to do. I definitely recommend Tom to anyone looking for someone to help plan a vacation.

So overall everything went smoothly, no hitches. When we left the ship we took a train to Paris. We really only had 2 1/2 days there before our flight home. So I found Paris overwhelming for such a short stay. We happened to be in a great location in Montmartre, so we just did a hop-on/hop-off bus tour of Paris. So we at least got to see everything and then just walked around Montmarte.

It was a different travel style for us and we really appreciated being able to do it.

Way back in 2020, we used Tom Baker to book a cruise to Alaska. When that voyage was cancelled due to COVID, Tom and his team were very helpful working with Oceania to rebook another trip for us. It was rather complicated. We have FINALLY completed our travels with Oceania, and we were quite pleased with everything. We sailed from Tahiti to Hawaii, with stops in several ports of call in French Polynesia. From there we sailed to the Port of Los Angeles and returned home. It was a lovely trip — we really enjoyed our cabin. We appreciated the various email reminders from Tom in the run-up to embarkation, to make our specialty restaurant reservations, and to book any shore excursions. A delicious welcome basket from Tom was waiting for us, plus additional on-board cruise credits which was a nice touch! All in all, I think Tom and his team helped make for smooth and easy travels.

Tom Baker is the best! While what we did was just ask Tom to book a cruise starting in Athens and ending in Venice, April 28-May 7, he helped us navigate and solve each and every problem we had with the cruise line. While our cruise was delightful and just what we wanted, trying to problem-solve on our own with the cruise line before the trip was incredibly difficult. It was only because of Tom’s assistance and interventions that everything was resolved to our satisfaction.

Tom’s work helped us reschedule our trip to add my sister as an additional passenger, got us the flights we needed and which were most practical, and totally solved a technical issue with the cruise line’s website which blocked my sister from accessing her records for more than three weeks. We never expected to have to reach out to Tom time and time again over such a simple thing as a booked cruise; when we could not solve it on our own we called on awesome Tom. Thank you so much, Tom.

Tom Baker makes cruising effortless; he and his team are extremely helpful with pre- and post-cruise accommodations and activities, as well as offering excursion information. They keep you up-to-date with all travel requirements and documents. Tom is always available to answer questions by email or phone call, even if he is traveling as well. This was my second cruise that Tom and his team helped me with and I will be using them for future cruises without hesitation!

We enjoyed Scenic overall — outstanding service. Small ship. Were expecting just a bit more decorated for Christmas. I would rate the food a step below what we are used to on a Celebrity ocean cruise. The Christmas markets were nice, but after many, many markets, they started to become redundant. Weather was also not the best — cold and gray. Great cabin, lots of space, again great service and employees. That part could not have been better!

I had a great trip to Rome, then a transatlantic cruise on Celebrity Edge back home. I left the U.S. the 16th of October, returning the 7th of November. The Edge Villa was incredible and I recommend it to anyone who wants to try out the Celebrity Retreat. Tom Baker is my go-to for cruising but also handles all my travel needs.

Let me start by saying that being sick for most of my trip (no immunity, so a nasty cold/sore throat really knocked me down…it was all over the ship) slants my perspective quite a bit.

That said, I would not have taken action to book a solo riverboat cruise with Uniworld in Europe from 10/12/2022 to 10/19/2022 without my trip planner, Tom Baker. He made it seamless. I had only a few decisions to make, and he made those pretty easy.

He was like my safety blanket I could call on if needed. That made a big difference to my venturing out alone. Despite his being on his own trip with family, I knew I could reach him, and he’d respond.

Now I know I want a full window if I cruise again (it was nasty being sick without a view…). And many other things I’ve learned I can do, including traveling by myself as a senior woman, traveling using a backpack, locating customs, and the like.

There was a conference in Nuremberg when Tom tried to book a hotel (I went a day early), and it was pretty full-up, and rates were inflated. He found me a great place within walking distance of Nuremberg’s Old Town.

Things I would have wanted to know: Uber/Lyft doesn’t work in many European cities. You have to find cab stands. It would have been easier to know that upfront. It was also challenging being without cellular service when out and about.

I had asked for a cabin upgrade when I arrived on the ship and again twice later and was ignored. No one even got back to me to say “yeah” or “nay.” And I later heard others did get upgraded, and that was disappointing. The ship was not full.

I wish I had reached out to Tom for help, but I did not.

Uniworld was all-inclusive, and at 67, I was pretty much in the center of the age group. Everyone returned to their cabins, even after ship-arranged “parties,” by 10 pm, which was also a bummer. The entertainment on the ship didn’t wow. The food was hotel quality, but the head of the dining room manager made a point to walk me through the menu or buffet to point out the gluten-free options. That was truly kind.

The cabin staff was great, but the bartender had an attitude toward the end of the cruise when a few new friends I met chose to stay at the bar later. We were gone by 11:30 pm, but you would think it was 2:30 am by how he responded to us. Remarkably rude to a pretty happy, easy-going group he was attending to.

The entire boat is also geared toward the tours, (particularly paid additions) which, being sick (and coughing…horrible in the time of COVID…) I missed most of them. So that meant that breakfast stopped some days at 8:30 am, leaving nothing but pastries (again, no gluten). There was no exception made.

The massage therapist was great, and luckily, I had booked several treatments with him. It was a great experience when not feeling top-notch. He really made the trip for me.

Uniworld was all-inclusive, which is why Tom suggested it. Now I know what the luxury end of European riverboat cruising looks like.

I would prefer a larger ship once it is a bit safer to travel, which isn’t really available on river cruises. One dining room and one living space were available on this cruise. And they had closed off most of the outdoor deck on the main level to create more inside space. This meant that as the upper deck was often closed, there were very limited places to enjoy the view out of doors. This space the smokers took up.

I also was the only solo traveler on the ship, so be aware if you are traveling by yourself. However, people were friendly for the most part, and it was easy to socialize.

Despite the illness, most of my personal goals were achieved by this trip.

Thank you, Tom!

I had been dreaming of a river cruise for over ten years. To make a long story short, instead of pre-planning a year or two in advance, I decided to look into it two weeks (often how I do things) before the departing itinerary I was interested in. I stumbled upon Wendy’s website and therefore Tom Baker. I worried that he would say it was too close to departure to help me. He did not. In fact, he was at an important event and answered my calls through it all. Tom listened to what I was interested in, answered all my questions, made suggestions, and finally, made it happen. I was stuck on which cruise line, which river, etc. I wanted October because I don’t do well in the heat. Tom completely understood and within a few days, we were booked on a cruise along the Danube. In addition, Tom arranged for a private guide (with whom I still stay in touch with because we hit it off so well) to take us around Prague as we flew in a few days early. I would like to add that the cruise line threw us a curve ball and changed the itinerary, but I must say that Tom handled it without a blink and made sure we were on the trip with the same expectations. I can’t say enough about him. I’ve already recommended him to all of my friends and colleagues that travel. You have a gem in Tom. I can’t wait to see what’s next with him. With regard to Covid issues, none of the countries we visited had requirements, but Tom did go over all of that with us. I had no worries at all.

Tom Baker is simply the best agent I have worked with for cruising. Tom planned a cruise on the Mekong for my wife and I. It was cancelled due to Covid. Then an opportunity came up to pivot to a different cruise line in the Mediterranean. Tom got the package put together, along with an upgraded cabin. He was spot-on with dining reservations, as well as activities for each port. We loved the line and the itinerary.

Thanks again to Tom and we are looking forward to the next cruise (Iceland) Tom puts together for us.

We have just returned from another wonderful adventure on a Uniworld riverboat. The Joie De Vivre is a relatively new boat and, as such, was equipped with numerous improvements. Tom Baker procured a great suite for us that was ideally located. Since we were traveling with a wheelchair (hip surgery scheduled), we wanted to ensure we would be able to fully enjoy the ship, and Tom was always available to respond to our queries. He arranged for airport transportation, which was much appreciated. The cabin credit was put to good use…thank you Tom. This was our third trip with Uniworld and based on the outstanding crew, excellent food & drink, wonderful accommodations and well planned land excursions, we hope to be sailing again with them in the near future.

We just returned from the most AMAZING trip! Our travel specialist was Tom Baker and he was excellent! He answered our hundreds of questions with expert knowledge and patience. We booked about 18 months ago, the first time we thought Covid would be over and long before Ukraine was attacked. We worried about travel during that, but thankfully everything was just fine. Tom helped us pick the right cruise line and itinerary for our desired trip, along with making excellent excursion recommendations. He even connected us with a private tour guide for the parts we wanted to do on our own. It was all flawless and ended up being the trip of a lifetime! I can’t say enouhg good things about it all!!

We have returned from our wonderful 8-day Viking ocean cruise around Italy. All the arrangements were handled by Tom and his staff. I know many people choose to go through Viking directly but I am a big believer in using a cruise expert. Tom has so much inside knowledge about the sailing vessels; when and where to sail, which cabins are preferable, package suggestions, etc. I really appreciated being able to drop Tom an email when we encountered a hiccup with some bookings. He was always so prompt to respond and was always able to call the cruise line to try to sort out the issue. We also were thrilled to enjoy the thank-you gift Tom gave us on the ship. I will always go through Tom when booking a future cruise. There is no additional cost to use his services and the rewards are priceless.

The Alaska cruise was one of our bucket list trips and Seabourn was amazing. We did notice that Seabourn made a room change that was not to our liking. We contacted Tom when we noticed the change (less than 48 hours before embarking) and he was able to get the error corrected with Seabourn, so kudos to Tom for his excellent response.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  Paris, River Cruise Lyon to Arles, Aix en Provence Aug. 15-31
We relied on Tom Baker’s advice for line and ship selection as this was our first river cruise. He steered us to the Emerald line, one with which we were not familiar but came to see as ideal for us. With an adult daughter joining us, the Liberte offered a few single cabins; that helped us all enjoy the trip even more. Tom was always responsive and had answers for almost all our many questions. He and his office handled the details very well.
Because we were adding time in Paris and Aix before and after the cruise, he advised us that we were responsible for getting ourselves to the ship in Lyon. But when we received our documents two weeks before the trip, we learned that the company was picking some folks up at the train station where we were arriving. Tom said he didn’t know that they did that and, to his credit, took responsibility for altering our file with the company so that we could get picked up, too. This saved us having to phone upon arrival to learn where exactly the ship was docked and then taking an Uber there. Much appreciated. Tom even surprised us by treating us to train tickets from Paris to Lyon!
My caution would be that he was not as helpful with suggestions for our time in Paris but that may have been due to the heavy influx of tourists there and the busy schedules of his usual guides.
We enjoyed working with him and recommend him.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  Our Silversea Alaskan cruise was fantastic. We were very pleased with Tom Baker and the timing was perfect.

Tom Baker was very patient with all my questions and offered solutions to any dilemmas I was having. He knew we were taking our granddaughter for her high-school graduation and he was very helpful in finding the right fit for us. He was helpful with the trip insurance and dealt with Silversea and Silversky on our behalf. He also offered us compensation for a mistake that Silversea made.

Tom was pretty much available 7 days a week. I spoke with him several times on the weekend which was very helpful if I needed to get something done by Monday. He always answered his phone or got promptly back with me.

At the end of the day, we were very pleased with our service from Tom. He has many years experience and I would consider it a pleasure to do business with him again.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL We recently returned from a Danube cruise on the Scenic Amber from Nuremberg to Budapest. We had a wonderful time. I can’t say enough about the onboard experience, from the staff to the food to the accommodations. We had a larger aft-facing cabin, which we enjoyed very much. We spent the previous 10 days in Switzerland and it was so nice to have the extra space to relax and a tub to soak in. The other cabins looked wonderful and spacious, as well. The food was superb and we really appreciated that the portion sizes were small, so that we could try everything and avoid a lot of food waste. We really enjoyed the dinner at Portobellos as well as the Table La Rive dinner. The concert night in Vienna was outstanding and a lot of fun. On board, all the staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The cruise director, JJ, was excellent and really made sure everyone had the experience they desired. The water was low on the Danube, which meant we weren’t able to dock in Nuremberg and Regensberg. However, Scenic arranged for us to bus to those locations so we didn’t miss any cities. We were docked in Passau during those days. Passau is a charming, very scenic town, so we really didn’t feel like our experience was impacted negatively. We enjoyed hiking around Passau, as well as seeing the twinkling town lights in the evening. We participated in Scenic’s Prague extension for 3 days and we loved Prague. Our guide, Petr, in Prague was the best guide we had on the trip with so much information about 20th century Czechia. He offered a dawn tour of the city, which was well worth it, just to avoid the crowds and to see the lovely city at such a beautiful time of day. Due to the usual docking procedures, we often had the opportunity to walk through other cruise ships on our way off the boat. The public spaces of two of Scenic’s primary competitors seemed more tired and less appealing than those of the Scenic ship. Overall, I would definitely recommend Scenic river cruises.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL Tom Baker was helpful, prompt and professional as usual and we would definitely book with him again.

I’m so glad our family of six decided to travel to Europe and take a Scandinavian cruise in late May and early June on Windstar’s Star Legend. We had a few glitches with our air travel, but that was not the fault of anyone but Delta. We sailed from Amsterdam to Stockholm and were in the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Estonia. People there are living their lives freely and without any COVID restrictions. At one point, the cruise director was diagnosed with COVID and in isolation, but he was fine a few days later and back at work. And I’m not aware of anyone else on the ship being ill.

We loved the Norwegian Fjords – a wonderful cool break from a hot summer here in the U.S. and I have never seen so many waterfalls!

Since you asked for tips, here are a few random ones:

• I did learn that late May and early June are best there as the crowds in July can overwhelm the small villages where the ships dock.

• Mariehamm is an unusual stop for a Scandinavia cruise, but is lovely and another good reason to choose a smaller ship for this cruise.

• I will NEVER again use Trip Advisor / Viator to book a tour/excursion. While in Stockholm, we used a lovely Viator guide to see Drottningholm Palace. The price of the excursion was changed after the booking. When I tried to pay for the additional cost with a VISA, I was told by Viator (not our individual guide) that I would be charged an extra 24 percent for simply using a credit card. When I politely protested about this exorbitant extra fee, the Viator manager by phone accused me of trying to cheat him!!! Viator, never again.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL My wife and I just returned from a Scenic river cruise—Normandy & Gems of the Seine with Highlights of Paris (5/22/2022 – 6/4/2022)—we scheduled through Tom Baker. Tom and his staff did their usual excellent job and responded quickly to our questions and concerns, and there were many due to COVID. At Tom Baker’s recommendation we scheduled our own flights on Air France MIA to CDG non stop and return premium economy which were uneventful and on time. Scenic picked us up at CDG and took us to the Hilton Opera House in Paris for two nights before transfer to the Scenic Gem. The ship was at about 70% capacity; staff may have been a little less than our previous cruise but the room, service, food, drinks, entertainment and excursions etc. were all top-shelf. Staff led by Mandy, Mitch, Mikai were excellent. This was a great trip and is highly recommended.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  We did a Viking river cruise on the Seine from Paris to Normandy and back. Then took a bullet train to another Viking ship to go down the Rhone starting in Lyon to Avignon. We did a three-day pre-trip excursion in Paris and planned a three-day post-trip in Nice. Unfortunately, on the second day on the second ship, we tested positive for Covid and were kicked off the ship. More about that later. Our entire trip was scheduled from May 21, 2022 to June 10, 2022.
Our three days pre-river cruise in Paris were wonderful. We walked and took the metro everywhere. We saw the Louvre, Tuileries Gardens, Luxembourg Gardens, Pantheon, Arche de Triomphe, Arche de Defense and numerous churches including Notre Dame, as well as Versailles. It was marvelous and we will be back.
The trip down the Seine was beautiful. We stopped at villages along the way to Normandy and on the way back. Tour guides were very good if a little difficult to understand sometimes because of their accents. Normandy beach tour was very moving.
The Viking staff was excellent. They did everything in their power to accommodate whatever one needed.
Some concerns were the venues chosen for a movie and lunch while in Normandy. The crowds were very large and unmasked for the most part. We opted out of the movie because of the packed crowd going and coming into the theater. The lunch restaurant was so overcrowded you could hardly get out the door when leaving. Again, not much mask wearing.
We also were concerned about our treatment once we tested positive for Covid. We had no choices. Viking told us what to do, when to do it, and where to go. They put us in a car for a 6 hour ride to Paris to quarantine at the hotel of their choice. Then canceled the rest of our trip. The quarantine was terrible. Room service was was below par. We will not be traveling abroad until covid is gone. The inconvenience is not worth it. We probably will never do another tour.
We definitely will be back to France because the country is so beautiful and we still have much to see. The French people were very welcoming and warm. Paris was absolutely stunning with all the gardens and monuments. Just breathtaking.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  Before the pandemic we had planned a few cruises with Tom Baker through Wendy Perrin’s advice. When all the cruises were cancelled due to COVID-19 Tom kept us well informed and handled all the cancellations and rebooks.
We just returned from a long awaited cruise on Virgin Voyages April 10-15 that was originally booked for June 2020. Tom was helpful in making sure we got our cruise credits that were offered due to the pandemic and helped us with updated pricing and upgrades. He rebooked us in an upgraded suite that was stunning, putting our credits to good use!!
We had one hiccup while on board and I immediately got in touch with Tom from the ship. We had remaining credits that we wanted to use on board but couldn’t due to a discrepancy with Virgin Voyages. Tom answered our call and immediately started contacting the people at Virgin and was able to get the issue resolved within hours.
I highly recommend working with Tom because he is kind, patient and very knowledgeable in the travel industry. He always responds to your calls and emails quickly no matter where he is in the world. When Tom is not available to speak to you directly he makes sure to have one of his team members available to handle any of your questions or travel needs.
I have other cruises booked with Tom and am looking forward to working with him with confidence and excitement for future fantastic vacations.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  At the advice of Wendy Perrin, we started working with Tom Baker on March 10, 2021 on planning cruises because, after being on self-imposed Covid lockdown for over a year, we wanted to begin enjoying life again when we felt it safe to do so which we guessed would be in another year. The first cruise Tom planned was on the Celebrity Apex, April 2, 2022 – April 9, 2022. Tom handled the reservation with ease and when pricing suddenly became more favorable in an upgraded suite, he was able to act immediately and be the first to secure the cabin. Dealing with Tom is a joy and we feel he adds great value. We are particularly impressed with his profound and up to date knowledge of the cruise industry, its personnel, and its procedures, and with his response time. No matter where in the world Tom happens to be located, he will respond promptly and fully to any inquiry. Now that’s service! Planning a one week Caribbean cruise is a relatively simple matter perhaps but we can also say based on working with Tom on a 2023 World Cruise, that he possesses a unique skill set. We clearly love working with Tom.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  Uniworld European River Cruise (Amsterdam to Basel)

When half of our existing travel plans fell through due to high rates of Covid at our intended destination, we decided to replace them with a European river cruise. We had always wanted to do a cruise like that, and it seemed a good, relatively safe option during the pandemic. It was pretty easy to search on our own to identify the leading European river cruise lines. What proved much more difficult however was identifying cruises that fit with the dates of the remaining part of our trip, which had relatively little flexibility. Further, we had little means to distinguish between the top cruise lines.

We reached out to Tom Baker for assistance with choosing and booking our river cruise. Tom and his staff were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. They recommended Uniworld based on our preferences and identified two cruises that met our scheduling needs. They answered all of our questions rapidly and thoroughly and helped us to negotiate an exception with the cruise company to get us a two-category upgrade.

The cruise itself was wonderful. Excellent food and wine, amazing staff. The daily tours (all included in the price) were fun. At ages 61 and 59, we were probably 10-15 years below the median on the cruise. As a result, it was not as physical as we would have liked and we will probably do other activities on our next river cruise to make it more physical.

All in all, a wonderful trip. Thanks to Tom and team for making it so easy.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  We just returned from a long-awaited (postponed from last year due to pandemic) trip to Egypt. I have booked many trips (mostly cruises) with Tom Baker, but this was the first group trip that I had gone on with him attending as a host.
Tom has always been very responsive to any requests, questions, etc, and during this trip it was no different. Tom was always around and available if anybody had any issues. He was constantly in touch with the tour operator as well as the hotel and cruise line staff to make sure that our group stayed safe, followed Covid protocols, had appropriate wake up calls, bottled water, etc.
They also worked together to make sure that we got to the tombs, temples, and other tourist sites at optimal times. Altho the crowds were very low compared to years past, the team worked so that we would get optimal viewing and picture taking.
In person I found Tom as personable and helpful as I have when I’ve communicated over phone or email, and I enjoyed spending time talking with him and learning about his vast travel experiences.
A bonus during the trip was my WOW Moment which was an upgrade to a suite on our Nile riverboat (the Mayflower). What a nice surprise that made our week-long river cruise much more comfortable!
I appreciate that Tom put together a comprehensive and affordable trip to Cairo and the Nile, and I look forward to traveling with him again in the future.
As of now, I am already booked through Tom for an NCL cruise with my family.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL Working with Tom on our last minute Alaska cruise booking was a breeze. He helped guide us to the best cruise line option that would help ease my COVID fears but also provide a comfortable and fun experience for my husband and I.

He provided immediate and helpful feedback regarding excursion bookings and other tips on the cruise.

This was our 1st time cruising and so happy I utilized Wendy’s list and Tom Baker. Definitely recommend.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL Our family of five adults finally got to take our trip. It wasn’t the one we originally booked. It wasn’t even the second or third iteration, but the fourth!

Several months before the COVID pandemic hit, Tom Baker helped me book a Windstar cruise. A few months later, we were informed that our cruise was cancelled due to delays in the ship’s construction updates. Would we like to book another cruise? We did. This time to the Norwegian fjords leaving from Edinburgh. That cruise was later cancelled in 2020 due to COVID restrictions. Again, would we like to reschedule? With incentives? We did and planned to sail the same itinerary in 2021. A few months into 2021, because of shutdowns in the UK, we learned our cruise was cancelled. Again. But Greece was open. Would we like to sail the ship the Wind Star in the Greek Isles? Yes! So, although I wouldn’t usually recommend a cruise round trip from Athens in July (the hottest time of the year), we were able to travel and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. There were hiccups: our stop in Kusadasi/Ephesus was changed to Syros (gorgeous!) when Turkey shut its border, the breakdown of one of the ships engines made sailing a little slower and prevented our stop in Santorini (Windstar bent over backwards to accommodate stopping in Paros instead and chartering a last-minute ferry to Santorini from there.)

We loved the ship Wind Star. With only 97 passengers on this cruise, we experienced no lines and excellent, personal service. And Tom was patient and adept with all our cancellations and rescheduling. My adult children loved the experience and are already hoping to cruise with Windstar next year.

PANDEMIC TRAVEL  We were so happy to hear from Tom about Crystal Cruises’ Bahamas itinerary. Like many, we have not taken any vacation since the pandemic, but felt completely safe with the required vaccinations and pre-testing requirements on this trip. We understood from Tom that this was essentially a trip to nowhere, which actually sounded pretty perfect for just getting out of our own living room! So glad that we took advantage of the offer and had a wonderful and relaxing time onboard Crystal Serenity. The restaurants, spa treatments and all onboard amenities were great, and in spite of the “small” ship, we kept wondering where all the other people were! My husband wanted to stay on board for another week, but alas, other obligations prevented it. Tom was available and in contact throughout the trip, and I always felt like there was someone to call in the event of any issue, which happily there were none.

We engaged Tom Baker to find a river cruise as we had not done this before. He found a great priced trip from Vienna to Nuernberg which was a Christmas Market tour. Tom was able to find a fantastic price on a superb river cruise line! We had a couple of other quotes and I discussed this with Tom. His selection was an excellent choice. Amadeus lines is without a doubt an unknown jewel.

Tom combines deep knowledge and professional experience with a very personal touch. He helped us review and decide on an itinerary and cruise company that was a high quality experience but a very good value. He educated us on details we needed to know and followed up with us regularly. He was very easy to get in touch with and always patient with questions. We’ve just returned from our trip and it was perfect in every way thanks to Tom.

We decided to plan a river cruise for our 30th anniversary. I read so many great reviews of Wendy and her WOW team, so I decided to reach out for planning help. We were NOT disappointed! Tom Baker and Ian Lazarus did an outstanding job guiding us and planning our cruise on Viking down the Danube. This was our first river cruise, but will definitely not be our last.

The cruise was an amazing experience, but we also decided to spend additional time in Budapest before the cruise, and in Prague after the cruise. Tom encouraged us to do this because these two cities require additional touring time. And he was right! Tom recommended two fabulous hotels in Budapest and Prague. He also set up personal tour guides in each city. Both guides were knowledgeable and a joy to spend time with, exploring their beloved cities.

We have planned trips on our own, but the service Tom and Ian provided far exceeded any planning we could have accomplished. A big thanks, and we look forward to planning more cruises with you.

This was our first river cruise and we were a little bit unsure of how it would go. We generally travel with private guides and like to have control over our itinerary and activities; we expressed these concerns to Tom and he was terrific. He helped us pick our cruise itinerary and the cruise line that he felt would best match our travel style and he was right on! We traveled with 2 other couples and all of us thought it was one of our best vacations – Tom was super attentive before, during and after our trip and was always available for the smallest question. He hooked us up with a guide for a pre-cruise visit to Prague which was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Would highly recommend Tom Baker for all of your cruising questions and plans!

Our travel specialist, Tom Baker, helped to guide us through each and every question I had as a first time river cruiser. We travel with Crystal Cruises on the Rhine River. While on my trip he helped me decide on a future ocean cruise as well!! I probably drove him crazy with all my questions, but he answered quickly and patiently! I would use Tom Baker and his team for any of my future cruising needs. He gave us a fantastic experience!!

Tom and Ian are what all service providers should strive to be. Before speaking with Tom the first time we thought we had some ideas about what we were looking for in a European river cruise but as first timers we were open to suggestions. Tom took the time to listen to us and then made some recommendations we hadn’t considered. Long story short…we had a trip that exceeded our expectations in every way! Tom and Ian follow up very promptly and are tremendously responsive and helpful. As someone who works in a service industry myself, I have very high expectations when it comes to other service providers and Tom and Ian exceeded every one. The Scenic Amber cruise, Gems of the Danube that they recommended to us was a reflection of their commitment to customer service and also receives my highest recommendation. We would have never heard of Scenic if it hadnt been for Tom; he made sure to pick a tour for us that played to our desire to be adventurous and get immersed in cultures. As I said this was our first ever cruise (definitely won’t be the last) but over the course of our tour we had the chance to speak with many veteran cruisers and without exception they all commented on how amazing their experience was on our cruise. And to think if we had planned this ourselves we wouldn’t have even known what we would have missed. Thanks Wendy for putting us in touch with Tom.

I can’t recommend Tom and Ian highly enough, especially for first time cruisers. They patiently listened and educated us in what to look for and gave us options based on what they heard us telling them, our budget, and wanting us to have the best experience possible. They are willing to handle as much or as little as you want to put on their plate. The tour guide they recommended to us for Budapest was first rate!

Given the financial outlay, we thought this cruise might be a once in a lifetime experience. The experience was definitely worthy of being one but because of the planning efforts of Tom and Ian and the exceptional experience aboard Scenic Amber we have already started saving for what we hope will be a series of future adventures and we most definitely will be using Tom and Ian to plan another great journey down a river!

Our river trip titled the Treasure of Burgundy and Provence on Amadeus river cruises was awesome. Our travel planner, Tom Baker, was very helpful and answered all of our questions. We decided to spend 3 nights in Paris before the river cruise so Tom helped in finding us a hotel, bought our train tickets to Lyon for us and in general helped us to understand what we would need to do, if anything, during the trip. All you have to do is ask for his help and he was more than willing to do so. Even if he was away on a trip and I left a message with the office, his assistant got back to us to make sure everything was okay.

We had done many ocean cruises but never a river cruise so Tom suggested the Danube River cruise with Uniworld as a change of pace. Everything worked to perfection with great weather, scenery, nice excursions, and wonderful food.

We just returned from a magical trip to Alaska with my son and his family, which included our two grandsons ages 10 and 12. About a year before the trip, we contacted Tom Baker. He spoke to us at length about our vision for this multi-generational trip. We took his advice and booked on Holland America’s Westerdam. It turned out to be a excellent choice providing a newly refurbished suite for my husband and me, and adjoining rooms for my son’s family. This was all at a good value which was a concern as Mom and Dad were paying for the entire family’s trip.

At the end of the cruise, my husband and I wanted to stay in Alaska longer with our grandsons while their parents flew home to return to work. Tom suggested Aleyska Resort which turned out to be a wonderful choice. It was only about an hour’s drive from Anchorage, but getting there proved to be challenging. Tom worked hard to come up with the best possible transportation solution. The resort had fun activities, including a blueberry festival the day we arrived. But, the best was an introduction to rock climbing. Our grandsons were the only two in the group, so had a private guide. He worked with them on a rock face that was only about a 10 minute hike from the resort. They could have climbed up only 10 feet, if they were feeling uncomfortable. But, with the help and encouragement of the guide, they were able to go all the way to top, about 50 feet. We were absolutely shocked. My husband and my contribution was to keep a forest log warm.

But, Tom really shined when it came to shore excursions. Again, we had a conversation, and he recommended the shore excursions he thought were best for us. He described the helicopter ride to the top of the glacier in Juneau as “the bomb”, and he was right. It was an otherworldly experience that thrilled every member of our family. He even arranged for all 6 of us to go in one helicopter, which is out of the ordinary. Tom also recommended a small zodiac tour in Ketchikan. We were divided 3 and 3 with my husband and son each driving a zodiac following the guide. We saw wonderful things. The best was when the guide waved a dead fish in the air, threw it into the water about 100 feet away, and an eagle swooped right over us to pick it up. Everyone was so excited to see this grand bird hunting for its food. Then the eagle took the fish back to its nest where we had just seen the fuzzy head of an eaglet. So memorable. Tom arranged all our shore excursions with a private company. They were very professional; each excursion was better than the description and a good value compared to what the ship was offering.

But, the absolute best was the WOW moment that was planned for us. It was in 2 parts, both centered around food which is what we love. The first part was during our 3 days in Vancouver before the cruise at Granville Island Market. Our guide was Vicky who I think has sampled every food offering at the market. We sampled salmon with wine at Edible Canada Bistro, cheese and specialty meats at Benton Brothers Fine Cheese, light-as-air donuts at Lees donuts, and much more. It truly was a moveable feast.

Then, for the 2nd part of our WOW moment, our whole family was treated to a very special meal on board the Westerdam at Rudy’s Sea de Mer. The restaurant is in a beautiful space with a softly elegant French feel. The service was top notch with special attention given to our two grandsons. They got a real lesson in fine dining right down to the amuse bouche. I had the duck cassoulet which is a real delicacy for me as it is impossible to find on our California menus. The ambience, service, and food all worked together to provide a true WOW moment.

I would recommend Tom Baker without hesitation. His personal attention and knowledge of cruising in Alaska helped to create exactly the kind of trip we had envisioned. The only thing he wasn’t able to deliver were the narwhal patterned pajamas we all wore on deck for family pictures. I should have collected tips for the entertainment we provided the other passengers.

Tom Baker was wonderful in helping us plan our Danube cruise. We started working on it a year ago, and he was able to book us into one of the few remaining cabins on the AmaWaterways AmaCerto for the dates we chose. He was very helpful also in guiding us to choose a cabin, based on his own experience, and we are very glad we followed his advice. I usually plan our trips myself, but in this case, I was most grateful to have the help of a professional.

My wife and I wanted to go on a dream trip for our tenth anniversary. Heidi always wanted to go to Alaska and we had used the fine services of Tom Baker in the past. He suggested that we splurge a little a take a cruise on the Crystal Symphony. We have never taken an ocean cruise before so we were nervous about going on the world’s best cruise line. He reassured us that it would be an experience that we would never forget. He was correct, we loved everything about the staff and service. He suggested that we get a balcony room in the center of the ship 8th floor. It was a perfect location. We got a shipboard credit of 500.00 too, which helped pay for the spa. Most people we spoke to on the ship only received 125.00 shipboard. Tom is the only person that I would book a cruise with.

Our group of four couples had completed ocean cruises but wanted to experience a river cruise. With no knowledge we turned to Wendy’s WOW list and was connected to Tom Baker. Tom learned about our group travel preferences and matched us to the perfect ship and route – Sailing the Danube on the Crystal River Boat. Over the course of a full year of planning Tom promptly (and patiently) answered numerous questions and provided so many details – all resulting in an incredible travel experience. Tom and Crystal exceed our expectations.

Tom was excellent to work with. From the moment I contacted Tom he was quick to respond to help me plan our fabulous family cruise to Alaska. He helped me select Crystal Cruises. It was the trip of our dreams and more! We started out as a family of 7. Then later had to cancel 3 because my daughter became pregnant with her second child. He was extremely helpful with getting our refund for that portion of our trip.

Tom also gave us excellent excursion advice as well. We loved everyone of them!

The Sunday of our departure when my son’s flight was running late and was going to miss his flight, he guided us calmly through what to do and how to get the airline to work with us. We all arrived on time in Alaska!

Our trip was all and more than we had hoped for. We look forward to using Tom again on our next cruise! Using WOW experts is definitely the way to go, this is the second time we have used your travel experts and will again.

My daughter and son-in-law asked me to join them on a river cruise. I emailed Tom Baker and he immediately emailed back setting up a time for a telephone conversation. I told him the choice of ships and destinations were entirely his as we were all novices about cruising.

He immediately chose the Danube River cruise, from Budapest to Passau, and selected the Amadeus Queen as our ship. There was a bit of confusion about availability on the dates we wanted. He actually called the president of Amadeus and they sorted it out!
He chose that ship for us because it is new and the single supplement was nowhere near that of some of the other cruise lines. Also the fare reflected the fact that we could choose our own tours, and pay for just what we wanted.

Everything about our cruise was first class, the ship was beautiful and the staff incredibly warm and welcoming.

He also contacted the manager at his favorite hotel in Prague, where we stayed after the cruise, who gave us wonderful rooms and top service.

I would absolutely choose Tom Baker for any future travels.

Tom Baker and his staff helped us plan a fabulous, once-in-a-lifetime family cruise for my in-laws 50th wedding anniversary. His knowledge of cruise lines and their vessels helped us pick the right ship and itinerary, and his assistance with cabin selection was vital to ensuring our family was able to spend the most amount of quality time together during our trip. Tom’s recommendations regarding excursions, and his recommendation that we take advantage of certain excursions in each port, really made the trip. On the trip, we appreciated the extras – the onboard per couple credit, beverage package, and dinner in one of the premium restaurants – that we received because we booked through Tom.

When we had minor hiccups with a couple of excursions due to schedules/extenuating circumstances, Tom and his staff helped us make the most of the situations and reschedule. When one particular excursion (on the anniversary night) was cancelled due to another event being planned at the venue that night, Tom helped me plan a private excursion with a local tour operator so we could avoid the big bus experience and travel in a private vehicle with our own tour guide/photographer to Butchart Gardens, along with a special anniversary dinner. He also waived his commission (which was above and beyond) and spent extra time with me planning the event to ensure it went off without a hitch. His customer service, including incredibly timely response times, was outstanding.

I wouldn’t hesitate to use Tom again for future cruise travels. I don’t know if we could have made it through the planning stages without him, but I’m certainly glad we didn’t have to. I’d highly recommend him to others.

We always wanted to take an Alaskan cruise but at the same time are not fans of the very large ships. We were looking for a little adventure but rejected the smaller ships such as Nat Geo as we were hoping for a bit more luxury and space than they offer.

So we went back to Tom Baker who just last year picked the ideal Danube River Cruise, one that matched us perfectly. Tom recommended the 11 day Seabourn Sojourn cruise from Vancouver to Anchorage mid-July and it went…..well, simply perfectly. The Sojourn has just 450 passengers with a crew of 335.

After a bit of trying Tom was able to get us on a non-stop flight to Vancouver and still use the credit Seabourn offered. He obtained a perfectly located suite midships for us. Frankly, from when we took off to Vancouver to when the cruise ended in Anchorage nothing went wrong. I attribute that to Tom and Seabourn. The ship and its wonderful crew were just right for us. The cabin was large, had a good sized deck which we used frequently. The food was plentiful enough (we are not all you can eat types) but most importantly high quality and served but the most freindly and congenial staff. The restaurants and public spaces made it feel never crowded, you could be as private as you could possibly want on this cruise or join everyone for the on board activities – Gallery lunch and tour, caviar and champagne afternoon, lectures, entertainment. It’s all inclusive so my only worry was to remember to pull out the credit card when we got home.

We wanted small group activities, another reason we think Tom’s Seabourn recommendation was right on. Each activity we were on never, never, had more than 10 others. These included seeing Black Bears up close in their habitat, 4×4 riding, wilderness riverboat cruising with sightings of several eagles, a moose and young Brown Bear. We also took three zodiac tours. The Seabourn Sojourn is able to get deep into out of the way fjords, where large ships cannot. Our final Zodiac in the Inian islands was a highlight sighting dozens of sea lions, otters, humpback whales and the first sightings of the year of Orcas.

Our other two Zodiac activities were actually WOW Moments. We had pre-booked all of our ship tours, at least one every day which must have made coming up with a surprise WOW Moment a huge challenge for Tom. But he worked with the Seabourn Ventures team and rearranged two of our standard booked tours, one into beautiful Misty Fjords and the other Endicott Arm where we were up close and personal with Waterfalls and Glaciers and harbor seals.

These group tours became private WOW moment ones for us. There was just the two of us, plus the ship’s photographer and another team member just to pour our early morning champagne and caviar! Really!

Tom and the Ventures team also made sure that the Zodiac drivers were their best which means that they are highly qualified Naturalists and Geologists and love what they do, not just driving the boat but getting you to understand the real Alaska Inner Passage.

We would strongly recommend Tom Baker for any type of cruising someone may want, and also Seabourn Sojourn and the Ventures team for moderate sized cruising.

Tom was very helpful in choosing the ship, the rooms and their location and shore excursions and spa appointments prior to the cruise. We were exceptionally pleased with our stateroom, its location and the lounge and concierge that were included with it in that category.

I think when I contacted Tom Baker, he was a little dubious of my request to use HURTIGRUTEN for a Norwegian cruise. My husband and I were planning a trip solely based in Norway and we did not want to use any other line or start in any other country. Because Hurtigruten is more “ferry” than cruise, it was very hard to make a cabin choice. But Tom worked quickly and efficiently to make sure my room quirks/needs were met. I am very grateful for his expertise. He and his staff were a delight to work with and communication was easy and prompt.

European River Cruise (Amsterdam to Budapest) June 25th – July 9th.

Tom Baker gave us information on several different cruise lines as we were trying to decide which one we would go with. Being a first time river cruiser, what I would have appreciated is a heads up on things they don’t tell you in the brochures, i.e., all the locks that are on the rivers and the possibility of a broken lock. The possible necessity of lowering the sundeck to allow them to pass under low bridges-consequentially eliminating use of the entire top deck. None of these issues reflect on Tom Baker, except that he could have supplied more information on this. Otherwise, our documents were delivered on time, the flights went well, so we had no need to contact Tom after we departed.

Thanks to Tom Baker, it was smooth sailing for a great trip on our first cruise on a large ship. Based on the WOW List, we contacted Tom about cruising in the Mediterranean. Tom began by speaking with us on the phone to understand what we were looking for in a cruise and to answer our questions about cruising. He seemed familiar with all the cruise lines and itineraries so he could zero in on those that would best meet our needs. His website’s cruise search function was also helpful in comparing cruise dates, itineraries and prices.

Tom worked within our constraints and schedule to identify a moderate-sized ship (Seabourn Odyssey), itinerary (Rome to Athens) and time of year (June) to afford us a great experience. The Odyssey was elegant, the service outstanding, the food excellent and the ports terrific. The ship, with about 450 passengers, never felt crowded, just as Tom had described.

For the pre- and post-cruise land portion of our trip, Tom identified beautiful hotels in great locations in Rome and Athens. In addition to helping select the cruise and hotels, Tom provided excellent guidance on timing and deadlines for booking the cruise, airfare, hotels and tours. He was always prompt in returning emails, even when he was travelling, and Ian was also very helpful handling details of the trip. We would definitely consult with Tom for any future cruising needs and gladly recommend him to others.

Tom Baker is a consummate professional who insured that the 40th anniversary European River Cruise that three couples wanted to plan was achieved to perfection. Tom gave us the proper advice about the best river, the right cruise company, and the optimal ship. Tom’s advice lead to the most memorable trip for the three couples in our group. From precruise planning, to providing the last minute details, to emails checking up on how things were going on the cruise, Tom stayed on top of things from start to finish. The final tour packet details mailed to us included a set of nice luggage organizers, which was a class addition. You cannot go wrong by having Tom Baker help plan your European River Cruise. Besides the top tier service, the best pricing I could find for our Crystal Danube River cruise after an exhaustive search was from him. Four thumbs up! We will be repeat customers of Tom Baker. And I sincerely appreciate the guidance from the Wendy Perrin web site that led to our contact with Tom, who definitely deserves the WOW explicative!

Quickly provided necessary information throughout the trip. Recommend private guide for our visit to Budapest. The guide (Gabriella) was excellent and hit all the spots we wanted to see. Highly recommend Tom Baker and his staff. Scenic Cruise line was excellent.

Tom Baker was wonderful! He helped with all the details and we were very happy with the hotels and the cruise he recommended. He got us Vatican tickets when I was having trouble getting them and was able to get us a cabin upgrade, cruise credit, and ship credit with Windstar. Awesome! I have already highly recommended the WOW list and Tom Baker to some friends.
Cannot say enough about the experience. Thank you!

Tom Baker is a cruise specialist, but he and Ian also do an excellent job of finding expert guides, transportation and hotels in locations adjacent to the cruise. Our cruise was on the Danube. While we had already decided on using Scenic for the cruise, Tom selected the specific cabins and his choice was great. We wanted extra days in locations before and after, plus private guides and transportation in Prague, Budapest and Vienna. The guides Tom recommended were fabulous: knowledgeable and friendly and communicated in English flawlessly. They developed an itinerary that was exactly what we wanted to see. Absolutely perfect! Tom also arranged transportation for our party of 4 before and after the cruise and that was a huge help. We planned this trip nearly a year in advance and during that time, any questions we had (and there were many) were always answered promptly – usually the same day. We would definitely use Tom again for a future trip.

I’ve planned many trips on my own in the past. In this case, I probably could have reserved the Scenic cruise without help. BUT, I’m not sure that I would have been able to find the hotels in such perfect locations for visiting the sites in Prague, Budapest and Vienna and I doubt that I would have found such great guides in those cities. Our days spent with the private guides were the highlight of the trip and that was due to Tom’s knowledge of and relationship with those experts. They all mentioned that they’ve worked with Tom before and they treated us like royalty. Tom specializes in cruises and the next time we decide on a cruise for a vacation, Tom will be our choice to make the arrangements.

Let me start by the beginning when I asked my children and grandchildren where they would go if they could go anywhere… Most of the answers were in the vicinity of the Mediterranean but how to plan a trip for 10 people in multiple countries was daunting. This was to be a one and only trip as I was blowing my mom’s inheritance on the trip. I could never afford to do so otherwise.

In my first email with Wendy Perrin and staff, I mulled over the idea of a cruise and she thus sent me to Tom. That was, in hindsight, a great idea!

So, I told Tom our story and noted that the 4 grandchildren’s experience was crucial to the success of this trip. The grandchildren were between 9 and 14 on the trip; three boys and one girl. I also noted that coming from Charlottetown airport in Prince Edward Island, I didn’t want more complicated connections that necessary. We discussed landing in Barcelona and Rome but settled on Barcelona.

Tom suggested the MSC cruise line as it had a new ship, the Bellissima, with lots for of amenities for the kids. I checked the ship out online and it was stunning. We went ahead and booked the cruise with the spa package. My husband and I were the only ones that had cruised before so we thought this would be good for everyone. We planned on staying in Barcelona for a few days before and after the cruise.

Over the course of the following months, as I read reviews about the cruise line, I became a bit apprehensive. As our family has been in the hospitality business all our lives, I know how to read through the lines of reviews, but these were getting to be constantly mediocre. Tom reassured me and I just went with the flow. I am glad I did because the cruise was excellent. My husband and I had cruised a few times before and this ship was every bit as good or better with regards to food, quality and service as any we had taken before.

Here are some tips for Tom to pass on to future guests if need be, especially for groups:

· The MSC app is fantastic especially the chat feature with fellow passengers. With so many of us, it made communicating on the ship so much easier. I bought the Internet package which allows for 4 devices. Each of the other two families each had one phone connected to our plan and we had two phones connected. We never ran out of data and everything was flawless. We booked shows and meals through the app without a glitch.

· The GPS locator bracelets for the two youngest ones were great. However, they found their way around the ship faster than anyone else and since they are great kids, they followed all the rules to a T so we never had problems finding them anyway.

· For the people who find the buffet breakfast too busy (and it can be busy) I would remind them that one of the dining rooms serves a great breakfast every morning. My husband and I generally went there while the kids did the buffet.

· The steakhouse, the bistro, the Japanese restaurant are all fine. However, I would never recommend the dinner with the Cirque du Soleil show. It was awful. Just do the show.

· If you have kids, make sure to go to the front desk and block all charging privileges on their room key or bracelet. We did that on the first day and had NO issues, but some other families were getting saddled with huge bills.

All the transfers organized by Tom between airports, train station, cruise terminal, etc. were flawless. Kudos to Tom and that company! Our only glitch was that the driver that was to take us to the cruise terminal did not speak a single word of English and he thought we were going to the airport. We did manage to get our destination understood after a few laughs.

We booked our own tour guides instead of using cruise tours as we wanted to be together without a huge big group and I specifically wanted guides that understood that we had children with us. Tom hooked me up with guides in every destination except one where we decide to go on our own.

In Barcelona, Tom hooked us up with Margo at Hi, this is Barcelona. The cooking class Margo booked was excellent, above average. Nuria, the chef was very organized and had planned in advance for the children. It was a great introduction to food from the Catalan region.

When we hit Naples, Tom had arranged for Gaetano Manfredi to tour us around Pompeii. Unanimously voted the best tour and learning experience of the trip by all 10 of us. From the minute we got there, he took the four kids under his wing and he always managed to capture their attention if they drifted off. I can’t say enough about that day. We managed to even figure out a way for him to take the guys to red light district while we kept the kids occupied. Then he topped it off by an incredible meal. I would recommend him in a heartbeat.

To conclude, Tom (and Ian) were extremely helpful. I got responses to my questions quickly. It was always a pleasure speaking with him. If I was ever to book a cruise again, especially one that had a special itinerary, I wouldn’t hesitate to contact Tom again.

Thank you, Tom!

Our experience planning our vacation with Tom Baker was excellent. we knew that we wanted a European experience, yet didn’t known where, what cruise itinerary, or services. In addition one of us has celiac disease that makes planning more difficult.

Throughout the planning, Tom asked appropriate questions, followed up quickly and was responsive to our needs. He helped plan extra days, hotels, restaurants, and transportation so that our vacation was seamless and we didn’t have to worry about logistics.

We are suitably impressive so we are planning another vacation with tom for spring 2020.

From our first phone conversation, it was obvious to me that Tom could help us plan a great trip to Southeast Asia.

We had traveled on Uniworld before, so I was interested in a Mekong River cruise with them. Tom was immediately able to tell me all about the cruise and the ship, especially noting ways the trip might differ from other Uniworld trips we’d taken. His comments were very helpful in managing our expectations and making sure we were booked in the right cabin for us.

He guided us every step of the way through the process of getting necessary visas. Since we had not been to this part of the world before, I had many questions. He was always readily available to provide answers and help me with our planning.

Tom helped us book good business class fares that we never could have found on our own. We had a brief period of panic when one of our outbound flights was cancelled 10 days before departure. Even though Tom was out of the country at the time, it was no problem for his able staff. Ian came to the rescue and worked with the vendor to secure good replacement flights and book a necessary airport hotel for our long layover. Tom was overseeing the process from afar and worked to make sure our new seats were together and that all arrangements were satisfactory.

That experience solidified my knowledge that we were working with the right agent. I knew that if we had any problems while on the trip, help was only a phone call away. That’s what I hope for on a trip – especially when it’s to a part of the world that’s unfamiliar.

I have no hesitation to recommend Tom Baker. We’ve already booked another cruise with him for next year.

First, there was the challenge of arranging a river boat cruise for a group of 16 aged 19 to 78. AmaWaterways was the suggested line to use, and it was perfect. There were at least a half dozen college aged travelers on board, as well as many middle aged and older people. There were fun bike rides that the younger ones participated in and slow walker groups that a couple of our group joined. Most of us did the normal activities.

The real challenge was when, at the last minute, 2 people could not go do to spouses becoming seriously ill (one actually passed away on the trip). Tom and Ian managed to get AmaWaterways to allow two substitutions at no charge! I know I would not have been able to accomplish this on my own!

They were helpful from beginning to end and I felt that I could always call with questions problems and know that they would immediately work on resolving the issues.

All in all, a very great trip!

Tom and his team were a great resource in planning our recent cruise. Our son had his heart set on cruising on one of the biggest cruise ships in the world and Tom alleviated all of the concerns of these reluctant parents! Harmony of the Seas was an incredible ship for our family and Tom helped us select an amazing cabin, steered us toward great activities and dining, and made planning a breeze. We will absolutely seek out Tom’s assistance for any future cruises.

Tom and Ian were very helpful during our last-minute search for the perfect Christmas cruise, and we’d certainly book through them again. Tom is definitely an expert — it sounds like he’s been on every cruise line available — and Ian is very good with the booking details. Together, we narrowed down our search to Uniworld and Crystal because we wanted a fairly high-end experience. Tom told us he liked both lines a lot as the food and service were equally excellent, but for the same price, the rooms on Crystal would be larger, with a butler for every room. In the end, we liked Uniworld’s itinerary better, and figured we were used to smaller European hotel rooms, so we’d manage fine with a mid-tier room on Uniworld. And as nice as a butler would be, we questioned why we would really need one. Well, turns out it would have been very nice to have had both! In our room, there was a dresser as well as drawers under the bed, but if the drawers at the foot of the bed were open, there was no walking around the bed. Also, we came back every day with soaked coats and shoes from the rain and snow, so often, our room resembled a laundry facility — while other guests just handed their wet items to their butlers. We also visited the laundry room a couple of times, and while it was fairly well equipped with a good iron and two good washers/dryers (a small steamer would have been a good addition), we were required to stand in line and wait our turn.

I will add that as Tom had said, Uniworld’s interior of the SS Beatrice was lovely, and the service and food were indeed exceptional — and we are pretty particular women. The only thing we didn’t like was the rushed feeling on all but one morning, given the 7 a.m. breakfast and follow-on excursion schedule. We understood why this was the case, but consider yourself forewarned if you’re looking at any river cruise and you’re not an early riser.

One detail that could have been better in our planning process, as alluded to earlier: on the day our final decision was due, we realized we hadn’t truly compared itineraries in detail — with Tom and Ian, or on our own. We just assumed that since the routing was almost identical for Crystal/Uniworld, the excursions would be the same. But no. Fortunately, something caught our eye, and we realized that Uniworld had a few more excursions that we really liked. For instance, it offered a glass-blowing factory tour combined with a sleigh ride in the Bavarian forest, and Crystal didn’t. That drew us in, for sure. And even though the sleigh turned out to be a horse-drawn covered wagon in the snow, we and our new friends felt that this outing, along with the best tour guide ever (Eva!), made it the most memorable day of our trip.

A couple other random thoughts, perhaps worth mentioning:

There were a lot of holiday movies on our in-room TV that we didn’t discover until our third night. Given the time difference, we were awake until midnight or later each night. So from then on, we watched a movie each night, which was a great way to top off each day.

And re: the Christmas markets…if you see an item at one of them that you really like, don’t assume that the next market will have that item as well. Yes, you can find knit hats in every market, but the old fashioned glass ornaments in Germany’s markets (especially Nuremberg) were never to be seen again. So grab them while you can!

Tom went out of his way to get in touch with a personal contact at the cruise line to book the cruise before it was open to the public so that we were able to book a specific suite. He was helpful in determining which suite would meet our needs. Tom is extremely knowledgeable about the different cruise lines, ships, and specific cabins. Using information he receives from his clients he helps them make an informed decision as to what cruise will most suit them. His expertise helps his clients surpass the experience they are looking for.

My wife and I were in Regensburg, Germany on our cruise. We did a day excursion and the nice folks at Viking miscalculated the number of people left in the city. The ship had sailed to the next port (Kelheim). We volunteered to stay behind with the guide to wait for a taxi so that family members could remain together. Unfortunately, that taxi did not appear for nearly an hour and a half. We honestly thought someone on board the ship would at least apologize for the inconvenience, but instead, my wife was told, “it happens.” That night I emailed Tom and he emailed me back stating that he would contact senior management at Viking. Within one day of our return, I had received a phone call from Viking regarding the issue. They gave us large credit toward a future cruise.

Also, Tom and his team were very patient with us during the planning phase of our trip. We had many questions and they were very helpful.

There were 4 travel agents on this cruise. I watched how they reacted to the situation with their clients who were also on the trip. They were very negative in response to the issues and didn’t represent their clients very well.

When asked why we chose this particular trip, we told them about your experience with your family and that you were a consumer travel editor. We told them that we chose Tom because you said he was the best in the world and I believe he proved that.

Our specialist Tom was able to find us a cabin on the tour we wanted in spite of us not being able to book the tour ourselves because the tour was sold out. We had been contemplating a river cruise in France in October. By the time we decided which tour we wanted, we were told the tour was sold out! But Tom Baker found the tour we wanted on the boat we wanted in the month we wanted!

The travel specialist added value to our trip by giving us $300 onboard credit.

I just completed with my husband and another couple a Viking Danube River Cruise—from Budapest to Nuremberg with a Prague extension—that was planned by Tom Baker. I could use all those adjectives that others have/will use to describe him….but I’ll just use one. BEST. And that should say it all.

From the moment I first started talking to Tom about a Viking Tour for my husband …and our two friends that accompanied us…..he was personable, professional, patient, knowledgeable… all that the things that an employer would want their employee to be when representing their company. Quite simply…he’s the whole package. You have a gem there and I hope you know it. Ian was also fantastic about getting us information when we needed it…..so he gets credit for making this trip fabulous too! And when a small but important issue arose with our travel plans…Tom was on top it and reassuring us what to do and how it will be handled.

I will highly recommend him to others…and will…at some time in the future as we consider our next trip, absolutely use Tom for our travel agent. And Wendy, just so YOU know, it was I who called Tom to ask him how/where I should write the review regarding his services because I was THAT pleased by his efforts.

Tom listened well, right from our first contact.

Never even hinted at pressuring us into anything, cruise line, date, cabin level – just very informative and helpful.

My wife and I wanted to take a River Cruise but dislike cruises in general. We strongly dislike large big ships and crowds, large tour groups, all you can eat moderate quality food, and rigid experiences such as seating at meals.

We wanted a friendly, fun, uncrowded experience where there were options to freelance, on a somewhat upscale ship with quality over quantity food, with excellent service, and not solely made up of Americans.

He recommended Scenic which was new to us, and after doing our due diligence signed up quickly. His recommendation was spot on.

Scenic has fewer cabins than most, had options in every stop, large comfortable room, incredibly good service, and staff. The passengers were a mix of Americans, Canadians, Brits, Aussies, Kiwis as well as Italians and French…a great mix.

Tom went above and beyond in assisting us with pre- and post trip extensions separate from Scenic offerings, We are very independent travelers and Tom was willing and able to provide recommendations and assistance in helping us decide on where to stay in Budapest, how to get to Munich after the cruise, where to stay and what to do, even as far as helping with our final stay in Lucerne well after cruise end.

There were modest issues with low water on the cruise and Toms team kept us well informed.

Tom and team were very responsive to any questions we had between booking and commencing the cruise. Strongly recommend Tom Baker

As always, Tom and Ian provided excellent customer service. There wasn’t a lot of planning for this cruise, but they stayed on top of our forms and deadlines. Having them send out gentle reminders to everyone was more effective than my constant bugging of the family.

Whenever I have cruise ideas they are ready and willing to give me all of the information I need, and they are quick to respond to my questions. I appreciate their advice on lines and itineraries.

I look forward to our continued partnership!

I knew I wanted to travel from Amsterdam to Budapest, but I didn’t know what cruise lines to inquire about. Tom Baker listened to my preferences and overnighted me three different company brochures. One of them was a company Id never heard of – Scenic. I made the choice on Scenic and we discussed tours before and after as well as hotels. It was a delightful experience from start to finish. Tom answered every question with comprehensive answers and his recommendations were spot on. Quick responses on every question made my travel planning a breeze. If you have an idea of a trip, he will build it into an experience you won’t forget. I highly recommend this team and specifically Tom Baker for your next trip.

Tom and Ian were very helpful in planning our cruise on the Danube. Originally we were considering going with Viking for our first river cruise because they are so well know. However, we were not able to get the dates we wanted, and as it turned out Tom had another suggestion. He suggested we go with a cruise line out of Britain the Riviera. We could not have been happier. The cabins were beautiful, the crew excellent and the excursions were well planned, and we saved money. He also helped in planning our three day add-on trip to Prague, including the airfare, hotel and dining suggestions. He also set us up with Dasa for a private tour of Prague. We cannot say enough about her. She was fantastic! She spent the entire day with us and delivered the most wonderful tour – loved it and lover her! The only complaint we had was the hotel did not offer helpful amenities for weary travelers, the rooms were very dark and offered no place to sit other than on the beds. Other than that it was a wonderfully memorable trip, and we thank Tom and Ian for their work in making it so.

In planning an Alaska cruise for 21 family members ranging from 86 to 14 and families requiring varying price points, I needed someone who knew the ships, was organized and flexible. Tom Baker and his team came through beautifully. They made excellent room recommendations, suggested tours appropriate to the different age groups and first and foremost helped me choose the right cruise line: Celebrity. The suggestion that my husband and I take a large suite to -cozily- accommodate all 21 of us (rather than my elderly parents for whom it would have been too chaotic!) worked perfectly. Also- they worked very hard to get us a dinner time that was between the first and second seating to allow for returning tours, cocktails in the suite and still get my parents to dinner early enough. In addition, their patience was infinite in working with our ever-shifting plans! Tom Baker and his team: highly recommended.

Tom Baker provided excellent service from start to finish. As a first time cruiser, he took extra time with me to help me understand the entire process of booking and cruising. Not only was I a first-time cruiser, I was planning a trip for our family, a group of 17 people of all ages. He made wonderful recommendations about everything from cabin selections, travel to and from the ports, as well as excursions. He gave us extra credits onboard and was able to get one bed refunded for me as a “tour director”. All of this was overwhelming for me and he never lost patience with me on all my phone calls. I would highly recommend him and will use him for future travels.

Tom Baker and his co-worker Ian are top class travel specialists and I’m truly thankful for all they did to make a 75th birthday trip for my mom such a success.

Our original plan was to do a river cruise, but due to some physical limitations, Tom pretty insistently recommended against it and I am so grateful that he did. That is what you need in an advisor – honest advice to get the most enjoyment out of a trip. We ended up on an ocean cruise on Seabourn and had an absolutely fantastic time. Within our requirements and time frame Tom picked a great boat and itinerary.

We had wonderful rooms and fabulous guides in Saint Petersburg – they make all the difference in a trip. Lunchtime restaurant reservations were made.

My parents had one issue along the way with missing luggage and Tom and Ian were on it. Thank you.

I would definitely recommend Tom Baker to anyone planning a river cruise in France. He answered all our questions on several calls to him, made recommendations for the right times to visit museums (that were spot on, especially at the Louvre), and alerted us to mistakes we were making ourselves while trying to plan some side trips ourselves. He was friendly & we loved that when we called him he never seemed to mind our endless questions! Thanks, Tom for a great trip & giving us some great advice!

Tom Baker is incredibly knowledgeable and shared that information with us as we decided on which ship to cruise Alaska. He helped my sister and I choose a ship with the right itinerary, price, size, amenities, etc. for our group of 17 people. Tom gave us the best price available plus a per cabin shipboard credit. Tom allowed his staff to help with our booking process and unfortunately, we were disappointed with the attention to detail shown by those staff people. However, when there were issues, Tom did intervene – which we appreciated. Tom was always highly responsive to questions both over the phone and via email. He’s incredibly easy to talk to and instantly makes you feel at ease with an unfamiliar process. He checked in with us after boarding the cruise to make sure all was well. We likely won’t book again with Tom because we learned on this voyage that large ship cruising isn’t for us. We will return to the WOW List for our next trip.

Tom and his staff were terrific in every way. He communicated well in every phase of the trip from our initial planning stage to a “whoops” moment (my bad) near the end of the trip. His knowledge of various cruise lines and itineraries was vast and proved super helpful. I would definitely book with him again.

Although we have traveled widely, neither my husband nor I had ever taken a cruise. We had 2 weeks vacation time upcoming and it was approaching with no plan. Whoops! We looked through the WOW List and settled on the idea of an Alaska cruise in July. I emailed Tom Baker and asked if I was too late to get anything and advising we wanted a great cruise line with excellent food and service. He immediately responded with a list of luxury cruises within our timeframe and some important guidance and suggestions for us first-timers. It took a couple of tries by Tom to find availability last minute, but within an hour he had us booked. He also turned us into getting a bargain (even with last minute booking!), onboard credits, and explained everything we needed to know from choosing a cabin to shore excursions. He made everything very easy, cost-effective and demystified.

He also knew to get us there a day early so arranged and subsidized our excellent hotel (upgraded room, including a marvelous breakfast, transportation) and our post-cruise hotel and transportation — also with an upgraded room, breakfast, several other amenities.

He communicated with us regularly before departure, sent us a lovely gift with our travel documents and other helpful information. During the cruise, he also kept in touch. It was clear that if anything went wrong, he would be there to help.

The cruise was perfect for us. We are very, very picky demanding travelers. Tom booked us on Seabourn and we loved everything — the suite, professional service, amenities, excursions, food, spa, the people. Everything was excellent and we were on the ship for 2 weeks. Not one mistake or disappointment the entire cruise.

We definitely WILL book another cruise with him. My husband is considering an around-the-world cruise and we wouldn’t book anything again without consulting with Tom and using his services. Throughout our cruise adventure, we mentioned over and over what a great idea Tom Baker was. Thanks for the WOW List.

Alaskan Cruise on Holland Americas Nieuw Amsterdam

I was extremely pleased with the service we received from the Tom and his team. Tom was traveling when I reached out via Wendy’s website, but he immediately assigned us to Lori in his firm, and she took wonderful care of us. We had what I thought was probably a tall order: we wanted to book an Alaskan cruise for the peak season less than two months out. Not only that, but because we had two children too young for their own room, we needed a large enough room or suite to accommodate our family comfortably, which further limited options. Lori did a great job of finding several options. We ended up in a wonderful suite on Holland America with club level access and benefits. Once we were booked, Lori advised us on how best to utilize the ship’s amenities and also on booking excursions. We also decided to spend four days in Vancouver prior to the cruise, and Lori helped us find the best rate on a suite near the waterfront. The trip went extremely smoothly, and Lori handled everything great. She made sure I had her cell number in case I had any problems during the trip, but we did not need it. She also reached out immediately after our return to check and make sure that everything went as planned. I would certainly utilize the CruiseCenter again. There are so many options for most destinations that it can be overwhelming, and having someone who can help find the needle in a haystack when you have specific needs is quite valuable. They did a wonderful job.

My husband and I contacted Tom to help us plan an Alaskan cruise with a long-time friend who we hadn’t seen for a few years and wanted to have a trip that gave us time to re-connect. We gave Tom extra challenges in that we had 2 different budgets. Our friend was on a tight budget, and we were looking for an upgraded experience. Additionally, our friend is a non-US citizen who lives and works overseas. I had been to Alaska before and wanted to see some different areas of the state while neither my husband nor friend had ever been to Alaska and wanted to see the highlights. In addition, our friend, who is a trauma surgeon, could only be away from work for exactly 14 days including flight time.

We reached out to Tom through the WOW list with all the details of what we were looking for in the trip, other trips we had done, what we liked, what we did not like, etc. In our initial phone conversation with Tom, he had all those details in his mind and discussed them with us.

Tom sifted through the plethora of Alaska cruise options and sent us 3 itineraries on 2 different ships that exactly matched all of our criteria. He gave us specific cabin recommendations that fit our needs to a T. We booked the trip and all was on track. Tom also helped us book pre-cruise hotels and excursions which matched our requests.

Then we hit a snag. This is where having a TTE is invaluable.

Due to a diplomatic kerfuffle, the US stopped processing tourist visas at the embassy our friend had applied. Our friend’s visa application got caught in the fray. He was assigned a visa interview date a year after he filed his application, which was 3 months after our cruise was to be complete. We all watched and waited to see if things would clear. As we neared the time the final cruise payment was due, we contacted Tom and explained the situation. We decided we had better cancel our Alaskan cruise and book a cruise where the 3 of us already had visas.

We gave Tom our parameters with the added challenge of less lead time as well as the fact our friend had already arranged coverage at his hospital with another surgeon, so he could not change his travel dates. This time the 3 of us wanted to stay before the cruise for 2 nights, and then my husband and I wanted to add on hotel nights afterward.

Low and behold we heard back from Tom within 24 hours with 3 cruise options that fit all of our very specific needs. We picked one cruise and told Tom to book it while finding us equivalent rooms from the old ship on the new ship.

Tom handled the cancellation and refund of both our hotel and cruise for Alaska, and booked us on the new cruise, in the Baltic.

We did not book too far in advance for this new destination. Tom went above and beyond in booking us a hotel in Copenhagen both before and after the cruise. The pre-cruise hotel website said they were sold out for the dates we wanted, Tom called as well as emailed them and was able to find us 2 rooms, which were perfect and in an ideal location. Next Tom connected with me on the phone while he poured over all of the post-cruise hotel options. He looked at the square footage of the room as well as if there was air-conditioning. Neither which I would have looked at in booking the room on my own. Some of the hotel rooms were incredibly small. Tom also warned me that air-conditioning is something a person might not think they would need in Denmark, but it was an important factor. We were so glad he looked at those 2 features in picking a hotel as Copenhagen experienced a heat wave while we were there. I heard other cruise passengers complaining about the room they booked, saying they could not walk around the bed and have their suitcase open at the same time as well as not having air-conditioning.

Tom was available to answer all of my many pre-cruise questions, up until the time we boarded the ship. When the pre-cruise hotel missed a perk Tom had arranged for us, we reached out to Tom from the hotel and he swung into action. We were very pleased with his availability and responsiveness while we were traveling.

We received a free upgrade onboard the ship, which I am sure had to do with Tom as we were all first-time cruisers with this line. Tom noticed my birthday was to occur while we were on the trip and arranged a complimentary birthday package for me on-board in celebration, which was a very personalized touch.

Our cabins onboard the ship were in the best location possible, at the best rates, and matched what we were looking for exactly. All of Tom’s information and advice about the ship was spot on.

I told Tom we did not want to be on any large bus shore excursions as well as we wanted to avoid the crowds from the ship at the sights in port. Tom facilitated booking us with an independent tour operator which offered small size, as well as private, tours at each port. These tours were smaller in group size as well as less expensive than what the ship offered. He went to bat for us with that operator to ensure everything was just as we wanted.

Tom sent us all of our travel documents and tour tickets in a well put together folio prior to our cruise, and he sent us an extra gift.

We enjoyed working with Tom immensely, and would not hesitate to book with him again. We encourage you to do the same.

Wendy, thank you for all you do in vetting these agents so we may all have fantastic travel worry free.

Tom Baker and Ian on his team were instrumental in selecting and executing a family cruise for 9 family members to celebrate their mother’s 90th birthday. Because the need for 5 staterooms and early summer date, they came up with the 3 Rivers itinerary on the Amadeus Queen, a great choice. In addition, they helped set up a pre-cruise stay in Bruges and ending overnight in Frankfurt along with van transport between airport, hotels, and ship. The trip was a phenomenal success for all providing lasting memories.

At the last minute, our flight changed because of a strike and our travel agent was right on top of it. He planned an alternate route that turned out to be just as good, if not better than the first trip. Thank you, Ian!

Tom Baker was extremely responsive to my needs and gets back to me quickly whenever I need something. He ascertained my needs and the kind of cruise I wanted and found a cruise that met my needs. I would go to him first for my next travel needs.

Tom Baker did an excellent job in planning our recent cruise on the Danube. Although I contacted Tom very late, given the date I wanted to cruise, Tom managed to find us an excellent cruise that met my timing and cost expectations. He was very accommodating, polite and knowledgeable. His recommendation for having breakfast at the New York Café in Budapest was one of the highlights of the trip. His recommendation for the Boscolo Residence was also top-notch.

The cruise itself was fantastic! The boat (the Thomas Hardy) was a beautiful and well run ship. Service onboard was flawless with a very accommodating and polite staff. Every meal was superb. All tours were precisely on-time and very informative.

Thank you for a fantastic cruise experience! I KNOW next time we plan a cruise we will be calling Tom.

We were a family of 10 traveling for my parents 60th wedding anniversary. We had first-time cruisers and seasoned cruisers, and we wanted to find an itinerary that would allow us to spend time together as well as enjoy personal time. Tom suggested Celebrity and we selected an itinerary in the “ABC” islands with several sea days. Everyone was very happy with the ship – my sister said Celebrity is now her favorite for large ship cruises. Both the sea days and the days in port offered everyone enough sightseeing, shopping and relaxation options to keep as busy (or not) as we wanted. Some of us went to the beach, while others went to town and sightseeing. We all met for cocktails in the wonderful Martini Bar before our family dinner each night. It was a fun and successful cruise for everyone, and my parents especially appreciated the special touches that Tom provided – including champagne, flowers and a delicious chocolate cake in their cabin.

Tom is always available and very quick to answer any and all questions I have. I feel comfortable that he knows all of the cruise lines, and the ins and outs of getting the most out of the experiences. He is always enthusiastic and goes the extra mile to ensure the trip goes off without a hitch. We traveled on the Seabourn Odyssey from Barbados to Miami in January 2018. The Odyssey is a beautiful ship with wonderful cabins with ample storage and enough room for 2 people to not feel like they are always in each others way. The spa was wonderful and every treatment was excellent. The itinerary was fairly laid-back. Small islands with a little commerce and great beaches. Note, Martinique and Guadalupe did not have taxis available when we walked off at 10:30 – so it is important to pre-book these if you want to do anything other than a quick stroll on your own. I had assumed we would be fine making our own arrangements in all ports and did not specifically discuss this with Tom – so next time I will confirm options in advance. Also, while I agree with Tom that the Odyssey was a wonderful ship – it is also smaller than many ships we have been on and we did experience more “motion” on the ship in our forward cabin than I expected. The trip was a great success, but I will take more time in the future to discuss ports and better understand the range of likely weather conditions!

Ian on Tom Baker’s team is a pleasure to work with and we have a LARGE family. Many details and many addresses. He did a great job.

My daughter and I just returned from the Christmas Markets River Cruise on the Danube with Amawaterways. It was a special Mother-Daughter trip for us as we do something together every November and this was our 15th year. As a very big Wendy Perrin fan, I reached out to TTE Tom Baker for his expertise as this was our first river cruise – right from the start it was apparent that we had made the right choice. Tom and his assistant Ian were professional and committed to what they do. I had lots of questions and they were answered fully and in an amazingly timely fashion.Communication and details are very important to me so this was much appreciated. We had a fantastic time and would not hesitate to use and recommend Tom Baker and his team again!

This was our first river cruise. We needed Tom to help us choose the river, the boat and the daily excursions. When we decided to extend the trip, he came through with great accommodations at every stop. All of our expectations were exceeded.

Tom and his assistant (Ian) were both very responsive to all my inquiries.

This was the first time ever that my wife and I went on a cruise and Tom provided excellent guidance and helped us choose the perfect Rhine cruise. We were very happy with his recommendation and if we ever go on a cruise again we will definitely use Tom again.

At the end of the cruise, we wanted to stay 4 nights in Amsterdam. Tom helped us choose a great hotel and we were again extremely pleased with his recommendation and the suite he was able to secure for us. The hotel we stayed at was a wonderful way to end the cruise.

Tom Bakers service was excellent, and more importantly, his recommendations were perfect for us. He is definitely a world-class travel specialist.

While we didn’t need our Trusted Travel Expert to perform any tasks during the trip, the local tour guide that Tom Baker recommended was excellent. I believe this was the greatest benefit of using him. We were able to break free from the crowds by way of a small group tour, which we wouldn’t have known about otherwise, that proved to be much more economical than other more crowded and less personal options. The tour guide and driver were both great, and the tour guide was very aware and took care to tend to our personal safety in a place rife with petty crime/theft (much appreciated).

Tom and Ian were very helpful with recommending the right cruise line for our needs, as well as the before and after travel plans.

This is the second time we have worked with Tom Baker and it certainly will not be our last! Tom Baker and his staff, especially Ian Lazarus, have always gone above and beyond in helping us plan our cruises and each time has demonstrated true caring of our wants and needs.

Tom is always responsive to our calls and questions and is always timely with getting back to us. Tom knew exactly where we should book a room on the ship to avoid as much movement as possible, and we are happy to say he made a fine choice. The room was spectacular and we did not feel as if we were on a moving boat. In making plans for shore excursions, Tom was able to set up wonderful tours that were so very comfortable, with drivers who were personable and knowledgeable about their countries. The tours he set up made our cruise truly amazing and made our vacation that much more special. Tom also set up hotels for us before and after the cruise. Tom knows the best hotels that will suit his clients’ interests, mobility, and budget. The hotels were amazing and had excellent value.

Before our departure, Tom sent us our itinerary with all our hotels, cruise information and land tours and included suggestions for restaurants in Rome and Venice as well as other points of interest. He also included comprehensive transfer information, which was invaluable to us for our stay in Venice.

Tom is a true professional, with a wealth of knowledge, caring and expertise and we are so happy that we can rely on him to make our vacations truly extraordinary. It is clear to see why he is on Wendy’s WOW list!

Holland America cruise on the Oosterdam to Alaska – 8/20-27/2017
I was extremely pleased with everything Tom did! He was such a gracious and helpful person.
Every detail of our trip was perfectly planned, and we were so happy with the extra little things he provided us with…2 bottles of champagne awaiting us in our stateroom and extra shipboard credit, great advice on where to travel and what trips to take when ashore. We had to change our cruise date and he handled everything for us, no worries at all! My advice would be to trust his judgment and enjoy wherever you end up cruising!

Tom or Ian on his team were always reachable and responsive to whatever questions I had. They guided me through the process, ensuring we booked dining venues and excursions on time. They provided a wealth of information on the itinerary and I trusted their input on all excursions – Tom identified which were stops were easy to do on our own, and which ones really needed to be booked through the cruise line for the best experience. I appreciate Toms thorough knowledge of the industry and ability to compare cruise lines and ships to help us make the best decision for our vacation. We’ve already booked our next cruise with them!

We cruised from Venice to Greece with stops in Slovenia, Croatia, & Montenegro from July 24 – August 5, 2017.

Tom was very familiar with the different cruise lines traveling to Alaska and helped us find a great match. He and his team were incredibly helpful with all aspects of planning. We would definitely work with him again!

I am so glad we found Tom thru your WOW List.  He is an outstanding travel professional. We booked an Oceania Alaskan Cruise for the first week of July 2017 through Tom, and we booked very last minute—only a month before the trip. Tom was able to recommend the right ship to meet our needs, provide sage advice on excursions, and assist us in obtaining fantastic perks and upgrades. This was our very first cruise ever and I am so glad we worked with Tom. Tom is VERY responsive—I wonder if the man ever sleeps!  :-)   He knows the ins and outs of every ship and port and is adept at tailoring a trip to meet your needs. As a first-time cruiser—Tom has set a high standard for us going forward—we look forward to working with him again to plan a family adventure. Tom made us feel special and provided a VIP experience even as first-time clients to his firm. Outstanding!

Tom and Ian on his team answered many detailed questions about the Scenic experience, assisted with picking out the best cabin for us and allowed us to set up a “payment” plan so that we could have the vacation paid off before we took it.  They were most helpful.

Tom Baker did an excellent job. Initially, when I expressed interest to Wendy about taking a river cruise, Tom called me right away to discuss the details. There were 4 of us going and he worked with each of us to get the cabin reservations that we each wanted. He got right back to me with any email request I had. He responded while we were on the cruise with last minute restaurant suggestions and other requests. I sent him some feedback regarding the cruise after the fact and he got right back to me and asked if he minded following up with AMA. I have recommended Tom to other travelers and will continue to do so. The reason I gave the trip a 4 out of 5 is because Im not a fan of cruising – we went to celebrate my BILs retirement. It was fine for a cruise, but I would choose to see Europe on land.

My wife and I booked our first cruise, an Alaskan cruise, through Tom Baker for our 20th anniversary. After several attempts at contacting many different travel agents who failed to reply or return our calls, I searched the Web for “what to do when travel agents don’t return your call.”   I stumbled onto Wendyperrin.com and filled out the Ask Wendy questionnaire. I was astonished when I received a response within mere hours of reaching out to Wendy and more amazed when Tom Baker responded the next day!!!  After speaking with Tom, my skepticism dissipated being convinced that we had found an organization with a philosophy of professionalism and excellence. Tom was a tremendous help and never made us feel silly with our open-ended questions or extreme lack of cruising knowledge or the entire process.

We took a cruise on the Regent Mariner in May of 2017 from Vancouver to Seward via the inland passage. This was our first cruise and Tom Baker and his team were very helpful in helping us plan this trip. They were very knowledgeable and responsive. We would certainly use them again for future cruises.

Both Tom and Ian on his team were extremely responsive. When we were in the planning stages, they gave me several options in various price ranges. Once we made our decision, they were with us every step of the way. They answered every question I had in a timely manner. The hotel they recommended for us in Budapest is my favorite hotel I’ve ever stayed in. I would work with them again in a heartbeat. Scenic River Cruise: Gems of the Danube, May 2017

I used Tom Baker to plan a Christmas markets cruise upriver on the Danube from Vienna in December 2016. I wanted to take my pregnant daughter on a last mother-daughter trip before the baby arrived. Because she is a physician, her time off was extremely limited and bound by her hospital schedule. When I gave Tom the brief window in early December he immediately suggested a cruise on the Crystal Mozart, which had been completely renovated, is the most luxurious and in his view, one of the best boats for river cruises. And the cruise he recommended was one that he would be on himself. It was also the best value for the money and at 10 days, longer than ones offered by other companies, and had some unusual excursions.

The trip was everything Tom had described — and enhanced by his presence. We seldom have an opportunity to meet in person the Wendy Perrin expert who plans many of our trips. So it was a double treat to spend 10 days with Tom. He is as delightful in person as his advice was sound. I do not consider myself a cruise person and have only done a couple of adventure trips by ship. I’d never had any interest in a river cruise but because my daughter did, that’s what we opted for. I was very pleasantly surprised by how well organized and run it was, how interesting the other people were (especially those who were Toms clients, whom we met and spent some time with), and what a wonderful experience this Christmas market cruise turned out to be.

I have to admit that this trip altered my view of cruises. In part that is because Tom did such a great job of steering us to a wonderful boat with superlative service and interesting excursions. He really knows his stuff and if I ever decide to do another cruise, it is Tom Baker I would turn to plan it. Kudos as well to Ian Lazarus in his office who was equally knowledgeable and great ensuring all the details were taken care of.

We worked with Ian on Tom’s team. I set this trip up for my in-laws, and it was a trip of a lifetime for them through the Panama Canal. The whole family thanks Ian for the time and dedication he put in with us, and their trip went off without any issues.

I can’t speak highly enough of Ian. I can’t think of any time I’ve ever had someone help with pre-trip questions and planning with such patience and continued helpfulness. I mean, Ian even helped my in-laws with finding a church to attend in Puerto Vallarta on a Sunday (she’s Catholic), and with how to use their cell phones and mobile travel plans, answering questions way outside the scope of his job. At one point, we were on the phone with them, and Ian called on the other line and we got hung up on: They were so excited to talk to Ian, he’s become like a family friend. Our experience with Ian was the definition of what someone on Wendy’s WOW list should be and the trip (pre, during and post) demonstrated that. I wouldn’t hesitate—not even for a second—to recommend him for any cruise in the future.

Tom Baker provided excellent service. Although I am a pretty independent traveler, Tom got me a better price than I was able to get on my own. His advice on the cruise line and cabin selection were spot on, and he or someone from his team always responded promptly. I never felt rushed or brushed off whenever we spoke. I intend to use him for all of my future needs.

I’m a seasoned cruise traveler who does a good amount of shopping and booking myself, but Tom and Ian on his team,made the pain points much easier – updates and schedule changes were sent out quickly, and when someone needed to wait on hold with the cruise line to get a complicated question answered, they were the ones who took care of it for me. A very hassle-free experience, and I would definitely book again.

Tom Baker booked a Cuba cruise for us, to celebrate a big birthday. My husband and daughter and I were psyched to circumnavigate the island, seeing different cities and sites while enjoying the comfort and intimacy of a small ship. We put a deposit on two cabins a full year before the cruise. Unfortunately, when it came time to pay the balance a few months before the sailing, the cruise line did not have the necessary permits from Cuba. We didn’t feel comfortable laying out that much money with no guarantee that the cruise would go, so with regret we cancelled our booking. Tom got us a full refund of our deposits. Another travel agent was only able to get a 50%-refund/50%-credit-on-a-future-sailing for a friend who also booked the Cuba cruise. I suspect that CruiseCenter’s reputation in the industry, as well as the tenacity of Tom’s associate, Peggy Huskey, made all the difference in securing our refund.

I use a top travel agent to insure that I’m getting the best travel experience. Now I know there’s another reason: when things go south, you want somebody who’s knowledgeable and well-known and well-respected in the industry in your corner.

Tom was outstanding in helping us plan our Alaska trip. He responded immediately to our requests and obtained numerous special benefits along the way. We were thrilled with the trip overall and credit Tom with making it so seamless and care free. In fact, we have just booked another cruise for our granddaughters spring break in March and are considering a May cruise to the Baltic sea area. Thank you, Wendy. And Tom!

I had a wonderful experience planning a 1 week Alaska cruise, Tom Baker and the team went beyond advise and information in order to get the best for the Budget.

I would recommend and use their services for sure.

Tom and LuAnn were great! They responded quickly to any questions we had and were extremely helpful as we planned our first cruise. I would certainly book another cruise through them and would also recommend them to friends and family.

This was my first cruise so I needed more hand holding than the typical cruise traveler. I took a total of five folks in three cabins. At the end of the day, Tom Baker went above and beyond to get us suite upgrades. We arranged two of our three excursions our selves.

Alaska – Vancouver to Anchorage

The Crystal Serenity is amazing and we were in a penthouse suite. The suite is large with a separate sleeping and family area. The in room amenities included high end food daily to the room – lobster, shrimp, etc. The butler was very helpful. There was plenty of free alcohol available but we dont drink.

The boat itself is well maintained and expertly operated. I suspect a larger boat would have a few more activities but the scenery was amazing. The naturalists were excellent and gave multiple interesting presentations. The government affairs speaker was a seasoned Washington reporter and told very interesting stories of inside Washington.

The dining room was first class in both service and quality. The food was on par with very high end large city restaurants. The specialty restaurants were a mixed bag and surprisingly the sushi restaurant, run by the same chef that runs Nobu in NYC, was below the level of a neighborhood sushi bar. The sushi was the only bad meal we had all week.

All in all truly a great trip.

Tom Baker was very accessible both before , during & after our trip. He provided guidance & insight in the planning stage which was appreciated. He made sure we knew he was accessible during the trip, & followed up post-trip.

We used Tom Baker of Cruise Center to book our trip in May, 2016 to Alaska. Tom did a great job in all aspects. He got us a good fare, advised when or not to upgrade as to accommodations, provided suggestions as to the various excursions, explained the pluses and minuses of the cruise lines serving Alaska, and always promptly returned calls if he was not available. We highly recommend him.

Tom Baker and his team are a dream to work with!  Their attention to detail and customer service is out of this world. Tom has seen and done it all so he was able to answer all of our questions far beyond his title of cruise consultant. Not only did he get us on fabulous cruises, he also helped with visa applications and booked us private shore excursions saving us tons of money! We will definitely use Tom for our next sailing and have already referred friends and family. We would not have been able to plan such an amazing trip without the help of Tom and his team.

Australia and SE Asia cruises
November 2015-January 2016