We had a party of 39, of which 4 were aged 40 or below, with pretty much everyone else 60+. So it definitely had the feel of a Saga tour about it! There were several single travellers, of which I was one. The group gelled very well though, with no one being left out.

Unfortunately 2 of our group were unable to finish the tour (more on this later).

We were very lucky with the weather - we were told that the group a week ahead of us, had not been so fortunate. Conditions for our trip to Crater Lake could not have been better, meaning wonderful photos were taken by all.

The highlights for me personally were Crater Lake, San Francisco and Vancouver, in that order. I also did an optional day trip to Mt Rainier when we had a free day in Seattle. Although not offered by Travelsphere, this was really worth doing, resulting in my best photos of the tour after Crater Lake.

SAN FRANCISCO

Everybody was unhappy about the location of the hotel, which was about 18 miles outside the city, across the Bay Bridge in Emeryville. This was due to the Sales Force/Dream Force convention (in which over 100,000 people flock to the city). Please be advised that this is now an annual event Travelsphere. I flew in 2 days before the main group so that I could see more of San Francisco. Consequently, I had to spend more than $200 on taxi fares, travelling between the hotel and the centre. I strongly suggest that Travelsphere do not run this holiday in future, unless they can get a hotel in the centre.

I feel that there needs to be a minimum of three days in SF. The current full day (which includes an orientation tour in the morning) is simply not enough time to explore this great city. Although I arrived early, I still struggled to see everything I wanted to.

The orientation tour did not go anywhere near Golden Gate Bridge, which meant we were unable to take photos at Vista Point (despite it being listed in the itinerary). Our hotel in Emeryville meant that we left San Francisco for Eureka over a different bridge.

The optional evening meal on Pier 39 was not a complete success. The restaurant ran out of steak meals and were very slow serving the food, which meant the people not doing the meal, spent a long time sitting around for us to finish. Also, Golden Gate Bridge is far less impressive to see at night, as part of the optional evening tour.

EUREKA

A sleepy town with little to offer - I would cut from the schedule.

GRANT'S PASS

We actually stayed in Rogue River, several miles away. Ideally located for Crater Lake, which I think was by far and away the highlight of the tour. We had perfect weather conditions and the terrific park ranger Daphne, who hopped on board our bus to give a running commentary. You could tell by her genuine enthusiasm that she loved her job, which was great to see. Absolutely fabulous day.

NEWPORT

Nice seaside crabbing town. The highlight here was actually the hotel, which had stunning beach and ocean views. We only spent the one night here - a lot of people would have liked a second night, if just to spend time relaxing on the beach.

PORTLAND

I never clicked with Portland - some people spent the free day going into the city, but I don't think anyone was overly impressed by it. Columbia River Gorge and the dam were interesting, but Mt Hood was a disappointment - we never had enough time to see it close up. I would cut Portland from the tour to free up an extra day in either San Francisco or Seattle.

SEATTLE

Big improvement on Portland with potentially a lot to do (Space Needle, Boeing factory tour, whale watching, Mt Rainier). Again, people were unhappy with the location of the hotel, this time in Lynnwood. Travelsphere bussed everyone in at 9.30am, picking them up at 4pm. This was still less than ideal, not helping early starters or those who would have liked late dinners in the city.

This was also the day when tragedy struck the group. A couple were on the Ride The Ducks vehicle, which crashed into a tour bus instantly killing 4 students on 24/09/2015. A broken shoulder and several cracked ribs meant this couple's holiday was cruelly cut short in Seattle. Tour leader Marcus did an excellent job, visiting 2 hospitals and liaising with the hotel and the UK, keeping the group up to date with developments.

VANCOUVER

It was with an air of shock that we made our way over the border into Canada and Vancouver. We had our first day of bad weather, but this was complemented by an excellent included tour of the city, that was provided by the coach driver.

I enjoyed the optional visit to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Likewise, Grouse

Mountain was very good, especially the Lumberjack Show.

The hotel was centrally located, a relief after San Francisco and Seattle.

CONCLUSIONS

A very enjoyable holiday which I highly recommend, albeit (in this case) tinged with sadness for the couple who were unable to complete it.

An extra 2 days minimum are definitely needed in San Francisco. After a gruelling flight, the group needed a day just to get over the jet lag, on what was an overnight flight for them.

An extra day in either Newport or Seattle would also be appreciated.

The tour should not run unless the Zephyr Hotel (or another centrally located hotel) are available in San Francisco. The hotel location in Seattle also needs to be resolved.

All the hotels were typically of a good standard, with some providing universal plug sockets that do not require adapters. Only the hotel in Vancouver provided an in-room safe.

Marcus shot a video blog of the holiday as we went along, which he will make available to the group at a later date.

My best wishes to the couple who failed to complete the tour, hoping that you make a full recovery.

Eureka really was just a break in the journey,when we did the Chicago to New Orleans trip last November,we travelled from Memphis to New Orleans with only a couple of comfort stops and could have done with a night stop about halfway.

I enjoyed Portland,but,with the day there taken up with the Columbia Gorge trip,did not see too much of the downtown.

Seattle seems to have a lot of traffic problems,when I was there a fire near the sports stadiums caused huge jams.

I agree about Lynwood,I had some information from the tourist map and could not find it,until I looked at the map for the highway to Vancouver.The original hotel was downtown,and when I queried it,Travelsphere told me it was only a mile away,which is very disappointing.

The Elizabeth Inn at Newport was probably the best view of any hotel in USA that I have stayed at.

While adding extra days at San Francisco,Newport,and Seattle would add to the cost, it is unlikely,that I would be able to get back to Newport unless it was on a tour.The other places are a lot bigger and there is more chance to return to them.

Keith

Thank you for your detailed review, sorry about the couple involved in the unfortunate Duck vehicle accident in Seattle, shame some of the hotels were out of the city especially in San Francisco, look forward to seeing your video when it becomes available

enjoy the next leg of your triple holiday bonanza

all the best

Dave

Katy

John, thanks for the excellent review of this TS holiday, its one I've thought about as I've never been to Oregon and Washington state, nor to Vancouver. Not good to hear about the poor location of the hotels in San Francisco and Seattle, and there seem to be some other downsides.

Katy

Hi Katy,

This is almost a fantastic holiday by TS. For most of the dates you do

San Francisco, you will invariably be at the Zephyr. The only real downsides

then are the lack of time in San Francisco and the hotel location in Seattle. I

wouldn't let these put you off booking the holiday - the issues in San Francisco

can be avoided by flying in a day or so early, and by checking ahead for the date of

the convention next year. That then only really leaves the hotel location issue in Seattle.

I do heartily recommend this holiday and by doing some forward planning, you can avoid the main issues in San Francisco at least.

John.

Hello John

Thank you for your detailed review, sorry about the couple involved in the unfortunate Duck vehicle accident in Seattle, shame some of the hotels were out of the city especially in San Francisco, look forward to seeing your video when it becomes available

enjoy the next leg of your triple holiday bonanza

all the best

Dave

Hi Dave,

Yes the accident did put a dampener on what was still a great holiday (2nd only to our Oz holiday a few years back - that will take a bit of beating).

The colours in New England are about 2 weeks late this year, but we did see some very good colours today.

John.

John, thanks for the excellent review of this TS holiday, its one I've thought about as I've never been to Oregon and Washington state, nor to Vancouver. Not good to hear about the poor location of the hotels in San Francisco and Seattle, and there seem to be some other downsides.

Katy

Hi Katy,

This is almost a fantastic holiday by TS. For most of the dates you do

San Francisco, you will invariably be at the Zephyr. The only real downsides

then are the lack of time in San Francisco and the hotel location in Seattle. I

wouldn't let these put you off booking the holiday - the issues in San Francisco

can be avoided by flying in a day or so early, and by checking ahead for the date of

the convention next year. That then only really leaves the hotel location issue in Seattle.

I do heartily recommend this holiday and by doing some forward planning, you can avoid the main issues in San Francisco at least.

John.

Hi John, thanks for the reassurance on the holiday overall, its an area I would really like to visit. I have been to SF before, and over a few trips to the US spent about 10 days there, so wouldn't need to add days (do think adding days at the beginning and end of some of these holidays can be a very good idea, especially if you haven't been before - really think this is something JY could promote a bit). But would still want to stay in SF itself on the trip and will certainly keep in mind the convention and check up on this before I book.

So just the issue with the Seattle hotel, not been to Seattle before so hotel location really important - I hope enough of the other tour members have flagged up this issue and TS change the hotel.

Have currently got a holiday booked for Feb and was looking to do something in May and this trip is one on the wishlist.

Katy