What a wonderful experience from beginning to end. I, too, read the reviews here and thought this was a good choice. The difference--attention to detail. Gail and her huband are balloonists first, but they also own a vineyard. That said, safety is priority. Our pilot, Eric, is also a captain for American Airlines. The ground crew (chase vehicle) were so courteous and friendly. It was amazing seeing them set up the balloon (even more impressive, putting it away at the end). When we left the ground, it was effortless. The trip is an hour above beautiful vineyards, homes, and citrus fields. We flew up high without any turbulence and came back down to literally tree-top level and could have almost picked the fruit off the trees. When we landed, we just glided back down to exactly the spot that Eric picked, the ground crew grabbed the basket we were in, and it was such a smooth landing, we didn't feel a thing.
Now the attention to detail. We saw five different balloons up with us that day, basically doing the same route. When we landed, we saw the other companies giving their passengers pre-packaged danish and coffee at the landing area. Instead, we were driven back to Gail's stunning vineyard and treated to fresh fruit, fresh baked bread (which was so good), crackers, cheese, grapes, champagne, mimosas, juice, coffee, etc. all set up in a beautiful buffet. We sat at a table overlooking their vineyards and looked at vines full of grapes ready to be picked. Gail then took us to the grapes, picked some for us to taste, and showed us the family run operation.
Yes, you can pay a few dollars less (and only a few), but if this is going to be one of the only times you fly (or one of the only times), make it memorable. Oh by the way, it was my birthday, so California Dreamin' put a Happy Birthday banner on the side of the balloon basket, took pictures for me, and brought out a birthday cake and candle to share with all on the ride (all for free).
Thank you Gail, Eric, and the California Dreamin' crew for a perfect day.