Astronomical Tours

If I could give less than 1 star I would! On the eclipse tour Jen doubled-booked my air with American Airlines, giving me an extra cost of over $2,000. After I got nothing but bad attitude, she finally agreed to try for a refund. Five months later I still have nothing - she is not answering emails or phone. The credit I received from American Airlines is set to expire shortly. If I sue her in Small Claims it will be a victory for show only - I really do not believe she would even honor a court's decision! I cannot believe a reputable magazine like Sky & Telescope, with such a standing in the astronomical community, would allow all this to happen to their customers. more

A trip to a remote Pacific atoll to view the total eclipse of July 11 was certainly on my bucket list and given the expense and planning I think we had the justifiable expectation that it would be properly organized and financially solvent. As it was, the tour organizer (Jen Winter) barely made contact with the group, and appeared to be inconvenienced by our presence. While the primary purpose of the trip was met during 4+ glorious minutes of totality on Tatakoto we were disappointed that the promised activities of star gazing, shell collecting and beach barbecue were simply window dressing for the glossy brochures Astronomical Tours produced for the event. We were told by other eclipse travelers that the demands for additional money during a trip are a regular feature of an Astronomical Tours trip and we soon found out this one was no exception. Many of us left with the impression that Jen Winter is a consummate scam artist and makes a habit of ripping people off to further her own personal goals.\r \r The best organized part of the Astronomical Tours trip to Tahiti for the July 11 eclipse was the organizer's rapid departure for the Marquesas the following day. By disappearing, she was able to avoid facing the throngs of angry eclipse viewers who were left to cover hotel bills (and even ferry tickets to Moorea) they believed had been paid through their advance deposits which had evidently remained in Ms. Winter's pocket. For many, this was a disappointing and expensive end to the trip of a lifetime. \r \r Avoid Astronomical Tours and anything organized by Jen Winter!\r more

The following relates to the two previous reviews. We are talking about a tour to view the total solar eclipse on 11 July 2010. Everyone first went to Tahiti; part of the group then flew to an atoll in French Polynesia, the other part to Easter Island. We went to Easter Island, and we must say the eclipse was a once-in-a-lifetime thrill. However, our experience with Astronomical Tours was less than inspiring. Everything the previous posters say about communication is true. As for the trip itself, the plane arrived at Easter Island several hours earlier than advertised. Instead of the pre-dawn start we had contracted for, we arrived there in the middle of the night and had to spend 5 or 6 hours of darkness sitting at tables in a restaurant. No sign of the promised tents and blankets and places to lie down. There was speculation they had sold off their favourable landing slot to another tour group. Things got worse upon return to Tahiti. AT had not paid for our last night at the Radisson in Tahiti, as well as the two nights at the Intercontinental in Moorea, so we were stuck with both bills. I have not yet tried to recover the money, but expect this will be difficult; they weren't returning their calls or answering their emails even before the tour. It would be interesting to collect more such experiences; group action is a possibility, since I suspect most people on the tour were affected in similar ways. Unfortunately we don't know who we all are. Feel free to write to me at mackenzieatrimbadotcom Pros: we saw the eclipse Cons: bad organization, bad communication, extortionate add-ons more

Doubtful60 is right. Jen Winter is a terrific astronomer and seems to know exactly where to go to get the best view of an eclipse. She certainly seems like a very nice person. But when it comes to running a business and communicating with customers --oy vey! \r There was no ""meet and greet"" scheduled so the people on the tour could get to know each other. We never knew precisely what was happening until moments before (like a 4 hour delay in the transfer from Tahiti to Moorea). And the price increase--which probably wasn't even legal--was presented almost like blackmail. She basically implied that if we didn't give her the money we wouldn't be able to get off the island or back to the airport. \r When she failed to pay the complete bill for the hotel room--which we'd prepaid her for months earlier--we pretty much felt like we'd been robbed.\r We know that sometimes costs change, and $200 a person really isn't that much. But most tour companies include something about the possibility of cost increases in their fine print, and don't spring it on customers halfway through the tour. Certainly none of the other eclipse tour groups we ran into in Tahiti and Moorea were having any problems with transfers. The whole thing was handled very badly. It's too bad, because we otherwise had a great time. Pros: The eclipse! Beautiful viewing location! Lovely hotels! Cons: TERRIBLE communication. Possibly illegal additional charges. more

This reasonably-priced eclipse package tour seemed too good to be true, and it was. \r Before listing the problems, let me say that the actual eclipse component was spectacular, and that Jen Winter--the owner of the company--has a real gift for choosing the right location for viewing an eclipse. It was also wonderful getting to meet and interact with the people of Tatakoto.\r That said, because Jen provided no specifics on airport and other transfers prior to departure, everyone arrived in Tahiti with no idea of how we were supposed to get from one place to another. The communication blackout (or grey out) continued throughout the trip: very little info was shared in any sort of coordinated way, and there was a lot of ""have you heard anything?"" among the members of the tour group.\r Midway through the trip, Jen informed the group that due to cost overages (in particular with regard to transfers), she required an additional $200 per person. As there was no verbiage or clause in the contract or receipts indicating that the cost could change following final payment, many clients were unwilling to pay this additional charge.\r On checkout from the final hotel, one group discovered that Jen had not transferred any of the funds for the accomodations, and had to pay the complete bill. The second group found that she had withheld the equivalent of $200 per person.\r Since Jen admitted that she has run into similar issues on other trips, it's incomprehensible that she has not added a clause to the contract indicating that costs could change (as many other tour companies do) or that she has not learned how to set a price point that includes a buffer for such changes. At best, this is an example of very bad business sense. At worst, it's extortion. Pros: Great viewing location and interactions with local community Cons: Lousy communication, poor organization, extortion more