Andean DiscoveryReviews of andeandiscovery.com

Response from Andean DiscoveryJan 31, 2023

Dear Jody, Thank you for taking the time to communicate your feedback regarding your experience with Andean Discovery with respect to your recent trip, including a Galapagos Cruise and extension to Peru and Machu Picchu. We feel that this review was not fair and strategically omitted important facts in order to publicly defame our company. Perhaps the bad-faith intentions of the review can be summed up by this comment, “This will likely not get posted since they only show the good reviews.” Andean Discovery is dedicated to transparency, honesty and integrity, and the safety, security, and well-being of our guests and staff is our number one priority at all times. We would immediately advise our guests if we feel that it is not safe to travel to one of our destinations, prior to each individual departure. Jody, you did not mention that you were in an isolated location on a Galapagos cruise, during the days leading up to your Peru trip, making regular communications more difficult due to your limited cell and internet reception. You decided on a "wait and see" approach, instead of canceling the Peru portion of your trip prior to departing for South America. On December 14th, we wrote to you via What's App, "Hi Mrs. Foster, We hope the situation in Peru will improve in the next few days. We will keep you informed of any new developments." During your Galapagos cruise, which began on December 19th, communication was difficult. However we successfully sent you several messages about the situation in Peru, and you replied back. Specifically, on December 20th at 5:05pm, you wrote to us, "PeruRail says it's running from Cuzco to Ollantaytambo but not on to Machu Picchu." On December 20th at 5:52pm, we replied to your text, "We have unofficial reports from Peru Rail, that the train (to Machu Picchu) will operate tomorrow." On December 21st, the train track was indeed repaired and the train to Machu Picchu was reopened. We made the decision not to cancel any of our 2022 Peru holiday trips, because we were confident that we could ensure the safety and security of our guests traveling during this time, given the reports on the ground and given that the US government never posted a LEVEL 4 - DO NOT TRAVEL advisory during your travel dates. Indeed, all of our Christmas and New Years holiday groups traveled to Peru successfully and our operations in Peru functioned normally, during the same dates that you were scheduled to be in Peru. Unfortunately, after January 4th, as you know, the organized protests began again. Despite the improvements communicated to you about Peru, on December 21st, at 1:57pm, you decided to cancel the Peru portion of your trip. You wrote, "We are officially cancelling the Peru portion of the trip" due to "too much uncertainty there." You went on to acknowledge the weak cell connection in Galapagos, "On Friday when we leave the ship we won't have any phone reception so we will look for Gabriela outside at the airport in Quito like when we arrived last Saturday." We recommend that all of our guests purchase trip insurance, which depending on the specific policy, would cover them in this type of situation. Of course, we are not able to get a refund from our providers in Peru, which is why we encourage you to rebook the Peru portion of the trip. Despite our disappointment in reading this review, we are happy to welcome the FOSTER group back to Peru and help them to rebook the Peru portion of the trip and roll over fees paid for travel in December of 2022 to a later date. We are saddened, Jody, by your accusation that "Andean Discovery took our money" because it is simply not true. We feel that using this rhetoric publicly is an unfair tactic meant to hurt Andean Discovery, its reputation, and providers. We understand that you were disappointed and frustrated that you did not go to Peru, but we feel that your comments are unethical and damaging. Kind regards, Andean Discovery Guest Services Team

Response from Andean DiscoveryJul 21, 2022

Dear Carolyn, We regret that your family of 4 was not able to travel due to the pandemic. All of our pricing, trip deposit, and cancellation policies are based on a per person calculation. We collected $1,000 per person to secure your trip, and we had prepaid deposits for your services to our providers (flights, hotel etc), also on a Per Person basis. Our providers have issued no refunds to us and allowing you to consolidate all of the deposits to one traveler was not a financially viable option. We made an exception to our policy so that the 4 of you (or replacement family members) could take the trip in the future, and that offer still stands. We are hopeful that you will be able to take advantage of the travel credits, and we apologize that we are not able to transfer all of the trip deposits to one person. In addition, we will gladly extend the travel credits to be valid for travel through December of 2023 (instead of December 2022) to give you more time to take advantage of this offer. We strive to be as fair as possible given these unforeseen circumstances and we do hope that you will reconsider traveling with us and we look forward to hearing from you anytime. Andean Discovery Guest Services Team

Response from Andean DiscoveryJul 31, 2019

Dear Alison, Thank you for taking the time to communicate your feedback about the experience. We are very sorry that the speedboat ride did not meet your expectations and that your mother and sister got sea sick. We did not offer you a private airplane charter because during the trip planning process you communicated to us that your family is very experienced with the seas and comfortable with boats (as you have reiterated in your post here) and you specifically requested a speedboat-based itinerary. In fact, you initially requested an itinerary with two Galapagos speedboat rides per day for five days, but we strongly advised you against that many boat rides in a week, despiste your family's extensive nautical experience. We did verify with the speedboat captain and Ecuadorian Port Authority and have confirmed that the speedboat is equipped with the proper number of PFDs (life jackets), and meets all other Galapagos National Park and international safety standards. Unfortunately, your trip got off on the wrong foot because United Airlines rebooked you on Air Mexico at the last minute and they lost your bag. You arrived in Guayaquil, Ecuador with no luggage. A day prior to your arrival, 6/30/19 at 7:12AM you text messaged our team to cancel the airport transfer in Guayaquil so our staff did not meet you and we were not present to assist you with your lost bag claim. You disregarded our staff's advice via text to file a lost luggage claim at the Guayaquil airport when you arrived, and you left the airport without reporting your lost bag to the airline. The Air Mexico lost luggage claim counter is open after every arriving flight and is located adjacent to Carousel #3 in the main terminal of the airport. It is, understandably, very frustrating to be without your luggage and to navigate a foreign airport alone, however, your yelling at our staff in Quito because they couldn't file a claim for you and get you satisfactory answers from United Airlines, was demeaning and offensive to our local team who was trying to help you get your bag. Our team in the US and in Ecuador did our best to provide you and your family with a seamless travel experience, however the rough sea conditions and the bag lost by your airline were two items completely out of our control.