Taylor Cranney

Accommodations Review

All I could say is I was so pleased with the accommodations and everything. I took pictures and show them to my friends and they could not believe the yacht that I was on.

Meals Review

I enjoyed that I had the opportunity to experience some Ecuadorian cuisine and everything was very tasty and tender and delicious.

Traveler Advice

Just that they should be prepared for the best trip ever!! 

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Taylor was like my private coordinator. I was always asking her questions and she was very quick and thorough with responses and would even anticipate what the next question might be. Her demeanor is very helpful, warm and welcoming. Sometimes I would think to myself I can’t believe all that she is doing for me. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Taylor C.

Crew & Guides Review 

Luis, our naturalist, was so extremely knowledgeable, sweet and considerate. Since I was traveling solo and not very experienced at snorkeling he would take my hand and point sea life out to me. Luis gave a presentation every evening before dinner, complete with slides of explanations of what we were going to see and the schedule for the next day. I cannot compliment Luis enough. He was extremely knowledgeable and very kind, considerate and compassionate to everyone on the trip. He took his job/responsibility very seriously. Was always concerned for everyone's safety. Amazing!!!!!

Accommodations Review

How they were able to provide the style and comfort in a jungle lodge was absolutely amazing! The beds were comfortable, the accommodations were beautiful and the wildlife was everywhere!

Meals Review

5 star meals on every occasion. They even made a birthday cake for my wife's birthday! It was hard to believe the quality of food made in the middle of the Amazon rain forest!

Crew & Guides Review

Our bird guide, Rodrigo, was FANTASTIC! He was highly knowledgeable of all the wildlife in the area and could find birds by habitat, sight and sound. He was knowledgeable about every species and was very enthusiastic in providing the best experience for us! We have birded in Central America, Indonesia, Africa and all over the US and we think he was the best bird guide we have ever had! He was so well spoken and a pleasure to be around!

Itinerary Review

The birding was fantastic, made better by the extremely helpful bird guide. His knowledge was fantastic and he spoke English very well! The number of species of birds was quite amazing and the lodge itself was beautiful with the best staff!

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

The information provided by AdventureSmith was perfect! Everything was organized well, and there were no issues on anything arranged through them. All the information provided was spot on! The surprise gift the week before leaving was also a pleasant surprise. There were absolutely NO hiccups on any of the trip parts! We were very happy with the service and plan top use them again soon! We just wanted to thank you for the great adventure. Taylor, our Adventure Specialist, was always available for any questions and very responsive to our requests. Even while the trip was in progress and we had travel issues from the airlines that were not part of the AdventureSmith package, she made contact and kept us informed! Thank you so much! We have already started forming a group trip to the Galapagos with family and friends!

Traveler Advice

Follow all of the advice given by AdventureSmith. The insects are not a big issue and although there are a few bugs at the lodge, it is extremely clean and the food is awesome. They will also cater to dietary needs.

Accommodations Review

The hotel in Guayaquil was nice. The ship, Alya, was very nice. The room was nice, the bed was particularly comfortable, we enjoyed our balcony. I'm glad the Alya is a new (2017) ship as you can tell there is a fair amount of wear and tear. We purchased the smaller stateroom on the upper deck, which was very small/tight for two people. Luckily there was enough to do that we really didn't spend any time in the room other than to sleep, so all was good. 

Meals Review

The meals were all fantastic, particularly after viewing the galley area the chef had to prepare. They even baked a birthday cake for me!

Crew & Guides Review

The guide in Guayaquil was very good, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. 

Franklin, our naturalist on board the ship, was borderline between Very Good and Excellent.  He was extremely knowledgeable, great sense of humor, was very good at keeping everyone appropriately in-line (not too much, just enough) and had an enthusiasm that was infectious.  Franklin was very personable, easily approachable, and always open to any question; we really enjoyed him.  The only thing that keeps me from rating him excellent is that sometimes the information sharing went a little deeper than his audience seemed interested to hear and he didn't seem in-tune to those non-verbal body language signals. 

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Very responsive and informative. I knew exactly what to expect and when. Taylor also worked with me around reserving the room given I was out of the country at the time I was trying to book. 

Logistics were all well planned, very organized, and went very smoothly. Advanced communications were helpful and timely. Transportation was clearly identified and helpful. 

Accommodations Review

All of our accommodations from the Safari Explorer UnCruise boat, Camp Denali Lodge and the three Kenai Lodges [Kenai Riverside Lodge, Kenai Backcountry Lodge, and Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge] were amazing and all unique in their own ways.

Meals Review

The meals on each leg of our trip were amazing first class dining experiences. Our favorites were the Safari Explorer and the Kenai Backcountry Lodge.

Crew & Guides Review

We had many different trip leaders and guides throughout our trip and all of them were excellent. They were all knowledgeable in their own areas and helped us to learn about the history or each area we visited, the wildlife in each area, as well as the animals that were native to each area. Even the chefs informed us about the meals we were enjoying. All of our guides, chefs and leaders were so enthusiastic about their areas of expertise.

Itinerary Review

We liked various parts of each leg of our trip. The inside passage for the marine life and the Tongass National Forest and Glacier Bay National Park. Denali National Park for the great hiking, glaciers, the tundra which I knew nothing about but learned to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of as well as the wildlife of the park. And the Kenai Peninsula portion of our trip for the activities like rafting the Kenai River, hiking through the stunning scenic countryside and enjoying the peace of the Backcountry Lodge and boating from Resurrection Bay to the Glacier Lodge and seeing the glaciers coming down from the Harding Icefield. Juneau and Anchorage were not very pretty towns but we were glad that we had the opportunity to see them.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

AdventureSmith, and specifically Taylor, was so thorough and meticulous in planning our trip. She had first hand experience and knowledge of each location and planned our trip with the perfect amount of time in each location. I don't think we would change anything about our itinerary. We would absolutely recommend AdventureSmith and specifically Taylor to anyone contemplating traveling to Alaska.

Traveler Advice

Let AdventureSmith plan your trip and you won't regret it!

Accommodations Review

The vessel was new and apparent they still had work to do - but with the owner on board he was apologizing for any unfinished work. There was nothing that hindered our trip.

Meals Review

Food was delicious and menus were varied. A suggestion would be to post a menu so you knew what you were eating!

Crew & Guides Review

The captain of M/S Riva did a wonderful job making everyone feel comfortable and he was always working to please the clients. A beach stop was no problem for our captain to bring us all wine/beer on the beach! It's those little things that stay with you.

Rokko was always available and ready to assist if you needed anything. One suggestion is that he speak a bit slower!

Appreciated the airport transfers waiting for us and bringing us to and from the airport to our hotels! Very good drivers.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Taylor was available if I had any questions. We had hotel stays before and after our cruise and Taylor made the suggestion to have our included transfers from and to the airport bring us to our hotels rather than from hotel to ship as they were not far and we could walk. Reading material was sufficient.

Traveler Advice

Enjoy a trip of a lifetime! We enjoyed the crew and had so much fun with all our other passengers - dancing, dining, swimming, discovering, cocktail hours! A great, relaxing vacation! Do it now - don't put it off!

Itinerary did change due to weather and that was clear in the written documents. It was stated that snorkel gear would be available but they did not have any flippers onboard. 

We would recommend this trip to anyone looking to experience the country of Croatia and find new friends!

Accommodations Review

Seaman Journey was exquisite. Great food. Great staff. Great guides. Tried to recommend to someone else already. All other hotels were above expectations.

Meals Review

I think on meals, a little more explanation would be helpful. Included hotel meals were a nice surprise as I didn't realize as many were included as they were. 

Crew & Guides Review

Guide Andres on Seaman was funny, a unique individual with great knowledge. He was excellent.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Excellent management of all travel plans. Taylor was great. Setting up this trip was simple and easy and she was helpful with any and all my questions.

Traveler Advice

Don't trust weather websites on the weather in the Galapagos. It is entirely island dependent and we overpacked warm clothes a bit.

Accommodations Review

Small quarters, but well kept.

Meals Review

I liked everything, especially the fish!!

Crew & Guides Review

OMG they were fabulous. Karin, Tobias, Andreas, Phillip, Johanna, Miriam, Ben, Christian, and Monique. Deeply kind, professional. Generous with their time and attention. They were a highlight!!

We experienced an emergency evacuation. The crew handled this situation with clarity, courage and compassion. I always felt we were in competent and professional hands.

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Thanks to Taylor we were well prepared. She answered all our questions promptly and accurately. It all went very smoothly. No problems. Thanks so much!!

Traveler Advice

Dress in layers.

Accommodations Review

The National Geographic Explorer was awesome, our cabin was spacious and comfortable and the service was exceptional. National Geographic did a great job with protocols related to COVID-19 to keep us safe and healthy.

Meals Review

The quality and variety of the food was top notch. We really enjoyed getting to try local cuisine, the portions were just right and the desserts were delicious.

Crew & Guides Review

Both Michael and Leah did a wonderful job managing the expedition. The daily recaps were informative and interesting.  The naturalists truly enhanced our daily experiences.

Itinerary Review

Every day was unique and we enjoyed every stop and excursion. Highlights were Vigur Island learning about the Eider ducks and seeing lots of birds, especially the Puffins, Grimsey because of the opportunity to be in the Artic circle and the Vatnajokull icecap which was stunning. The flexibility of being able to stop the ship when we encountered whales on 2 occasions was greatly appreciated. We were also impressed by the variety of activities offered. 

AdventureSmith Explorations Review

Taylor is exceptional. We can't thank her enough for all her assistance to make this trip happen.  She kept us informed, was always quick to answer our many questions and made sure we had everything we needed for the trip. We were extremely pleased with the customer service we received from Taylor.

We had originally booked a different trip for 2020 that included Norway, Greenland and Iceland that ended up being cancelled in 2020 and again in 2021. Taylor Cranney really worked hard to move us to the Circumnavigation of Iceland trip so we could travel this year.

Traveler Advice

I would suggest walking on a regular basis prior to going on the trip to be able to maximize your experience on the trip.