I hesitated writing this but it needs to be addressed so that other people are aware and donāt get left feeling cheated out of their money. My partner and I drove an hour out to the destination to meet by 6:30AM. We promptly boarded the vans and headed to what we were told was going to be our ā1st stopā. We were in the middle of no where, and were told that the team needed to assess the winds to be sure it was a good take-off spot. Multiple tests done by the team āfor safetyā. Ok. Thatās fine. 1st stop didnāt work out, we drive off to the 2ndā¦ that didnāt work either, not even the 4thā¦ and finally the 5th!!! attempt at a take-off spot we found ourselves hungry, tired and already 3 hours into the day. It took a long time for the team to get the balloon ready for boarding - which makes sense considering it is giant. We boarded at 9AM. Keep in mind, this experience is meant to be for āSUNRISEā. The sun had risen 2 hours prior. We missed it. We board the balloon and think great finally we made it to what weāve been waiting forā¦ aaaand then 40 minutes later it was over. We HARDLY got anywhere. Literally we were so low to the ground we could still see every detail of the dirt under us. We made it *MAYBE* 1 mile down the road from where we took off. And yes, I do understand the logistics about hot air balloon rides and the affect the weather/time of day/winds has on the flight ā but SO SHOULD THE PILOT. I do not understand why they canāt have the crew out in the fields, conducting the tests and finding their ideal take-off spot BEFORE the passengers arrive??? Instead of hauling a group of 18 in 2 vans all over the cave creek dessert terrains??? We paid a hefty amount of money for a measly, disappointing experience. There were at least a dozen other balloons out in the air an HOUR after we arrived. They made it out in time for the sunrise and were up muuuuch higher in the air ā as it is meant to be!!! Almost all the balloons were landing by the time we were barely boarding the balloon. Ours was the last to take offā¦ and guess what? We werenāt evenāt the last to come back down. The experience was 2/5. Honestly the only reason iām even providing 2 stars is because the crew members were nice and the mimosas were good. But the ride itself was so disappointing I donāt even feel like I can cross it off my bucket-list. Iām going to pay to ride with a different company. To the crew and the pilot, iām sorry but get it together. No one is impressed about the balloon being the largest of the bunch if yaāll can barely get it off the ground. Your extensive knowledge and years of experience in the industry should be sufficient to know better than to be this disorganized. Good luck.
Response from Host
Nov 2021
Thank you for your comments.
We are at the mercy of the wind since we have no engine, propeller or steering wheel. Especially in a major metropolitan area like Phoenix, we need to choose a launch site where the winds will lead us to a good and safe landing area with abundant open space. We obtain a weather briefing and check numerous weather sites for the most up-to-date conditions but the fact remains that weather is not an exact science. Mother Nature will do what she wants to do!
The winds will typically change as the sun rises and heats the surface of the Earth and may be quite different than what we saw just 15 minutes earlier. So coming out early to check as you suggest is futile. We may stop at several places to check the winds to help determine the best launch site for your flight. We have been flying for over 30 years and there is no shortcut to this process. It is all part of the ballooning experience.
Additionally we have very limited places to legally launch and land. Much of the land we have previously been able to use in prior years is now off-limits for many different reasons including the sale of our major parcels by the State Land Dept.
On your particular flight, the winds were extremely light and variable in most areas yet windy in others making it difficult to select a launch site which will allow us to negotiate to a landing area where we have legal access. However we were successful! Most other balloons flying that day were not. Those that launched before us left from privately owned land without permission. Local balloon companies have accumulated over $30,000 in fines from the Phoenix Police Department over the past several months for landing or launching in places without a permit. We launched from and landed where we have valid permits for access on State Trust Land.
The fact of the matter is every single balloon flight will be different. Some are shorter or longer in duration. Some will travel Ā¼ mile and other will go 15 miles. Some will ascend to 5000ā and others 500ā. You get want Mother Nature gives you. We specifically state in our FAQās that you WILL NOT see the sun rise from the balloon flight.
We are far from disorganized. We would best be described at CAREFUL.
As your pilot, I have personally flown over 5000 flights and 50,000 passengers over the past 35 years. We have consistently won numerous awards including Top ten balloon flights in the USA by Fodorās Travel Guide, Best of Groupon, Travelers Choice and Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor.
Our entire professional crew works hard to provide the best experience possible.