Chicago Yacht Cruises Testimonials

RE: Allied Solutions Dinner Boat Cruise on Valara VI Yacht

Allied Solutions entertained a group of 50 bank executives aboard the Valara VI yacht. We had a great experience as we cruised along the coastline of Lake Michigan taking in the amazing Chicago skyline on the beautiful Valara VI yacht.

The Valara VI yacht provided great opportunities for networking with comfy seating inside the lower level for those that wanted to sit back and relax. It also had a great deck with a bar on it where a lot of our guests gathered and mingled.

The booking process with Mary Antoniette was very easy and efficient. I initially looked on their website to get a feel for the size and quality of the boat and also the different food & beverage packages that they offered. I then called and talked to Mary to get comfortable with their operation and immediately booked with Adventure Sea Tours.

The crew working aboard Valara VI was amazing! They were always checking on my guests to see if they needed anything and provided great service in an efficient, attentive manner.

I never knew food on boats could be this good! I ordered the Grande Gala package and was amazed by how tasty and delicious the food was. The potatoes were creamy, the meat was tender and moist, and the cheesecake was outstanding. Many of our guests went back for seconds, it was that good!

Our night aboard the Valara VI yacht with Adventure Sea Tours was incredible and they made me look good for selecting them. From the service of the crew, to the food, to the boat itself; this was a wonderful night and worked perfectly for our networking event.

Big thanks to the crew on board that night and especially to Mary Antoniette who made the whole booking process easy.

Thanks so much!
Jeff Ahlstrand
Event Planner
Allied Solutions

I am so glad I found the Valara 6! My specific needs were to entertain a large group of business colleagues and I needed a yacht company that was flexible. After many frustrating attempts speaking with various Chicago based yacht companies (outrageous expense, very little flexibility and rules rules rules) I was very pleased when I met the folks from Valara 6.

First off, the yacht. The Valara 6 is a really nice yacht that was hand-built by the captain himself. Multiple levels, two separate bars and a good mix of interior and exterior space make for a very nice setting. The furniture is cozy and the woodwork is elegant. I have entertained on this yacht twice now in the past two years and I can say it accommodates both 100 people and 150 people very well.

Booking the yacht is also quite simple. Mary does a great job responding to you as you work together to plan your event. She keeps things simple and outlines everything you need to know in a readable and straightforward contract. There should be no surprises with Valara 6 as you are also allowed to come visit the yacht beforehand to ensure that your event will be the vision that you intended.

The staff on board the Valara 6 is professional and pleasant. They communicated with me directly before the event to ensure my needs were met. They are happy to serve you throughout the evening and they typically take a back seat to the action so that you barely even notice them, while continuously ensuring that your event goes as planned. Seamless service is key with a large event and these guys know how to do it.

Overall my experience on Valara 6 has been very positive and my guests over the past two years have always left feeling they had experienced a great event. When planning events like this on my own, I find it very assuring that I really don’t have to think too hard when I work with Valara 6. I trust them to help me put together a successful event with no surprises and as a professional myself, who values my time, this is invaluable.

Sincerely,
Adam Schulte
Artisanal Imports, Inc.

Euclid Managers has had the pleasure of entertaining our clients on the Valara VI for the past 15+ years.

Our clients and staff not only look forward to this annually - but talk about it for months after!

It has become a favorite due to the uniqueness of the venue, the beautiful yacht and the casual party atmosphere.

The crew has always been great to work with and most accommodating.

I highly recommend the Valara VI for any Corporate or Personal event.

Sincerely,
Karen Knippen
Senior Vice President
Euclid Managers

We are a company with 135 employees located in Kalamazoo Michigan. This summer we had our summer party aboard the Valara VI. This is the second event we've had with Adventures Sea Tours, Inc. and will most definitely do it again.

I contacted Mary Antoniette early in the year and she worked with me right up to the time of departure helping me plan every detail as well as providing helpful information for the two bus drivers that delivered us to the marina. Additionally, we had absolutely no problems being accommodated for our special requests for our event.

When we arrived everything was ready for our group and we were welcomed as if we were royalty. Everyone had a wonderful time; the staff was very gracious and was always available during the cruise. The Grande Gala package they offer was generous and of very high quality.

It was a totally successful event that was enjoyed by everyone. The yacht is beautiful and the staff is very professional and accommodating. I highly recommend them for a great company event.

Deborah Hoffman
Biggs|Gilmore

Dear Mary,

This is just a quick letter of appreciation to you and the crew of the Valara VI. For the past three years, our industry's largest trade show has resided in Chicago. The first year it was there we decided that we should throw a customer appreciation event that coincided with the trade show.

After researching our options, we chose your Luxury Yacht - the Valara VI. What a wonderful decision we made! In fact, it was such a great decision that we made this one year dinner cruise into a Power & Tel standard over the last three years.

As a company that does not reside in Chicago, it is a great comfort working with you in the planning of the event. With the stress already associated with a trade show effort, long distance coordinating of a customer appreciation event is not something I enjoy. After only one call to you, I know I can move on to my other work because our event is in good hands.

This year there were some unexpected changes (on our end) that threw our event into flux. We immediately called you to see if it would be alright to make the adjustments necessary work with your company. It just happened that you were on vacation when we called, and we began to stress that we would not reach you in time to properly coordinate these event adjustments we needed.

You quickly relieved that stress by calling us from your vacation to ensure us our needs would be addressed and we would work out the details with no problems. It was a small gesture that helped more than you know.

Once on the ship, the service only gets better. Your crew is fantastic. They are not only professional, but also friendly to our customers. This is very important, as for that night your crew is an extension of our employees and our company. They do not disappoint. The yacht itself is luxurious and comfortable and it offers various areas to converse with our customers (along with great vantage points of the Chicago skyline!). The food is great, the drinks are cold- what else can you ask for? Well, each year we are flooded with customer's gratitude for inviting them on the dinner cruise. That is truly what we are asking for and the Valara VI delivers.

Sincerely,
Keith Cress
Marketing Director
Power & Tel

Dear Mary,

McClement Management Group would like to thank you and your entire staff for providing a memorable company outing aboard the Valara VI.

Working with you during the planning/booking process was seamless. Your response to the numerous questions was always immediate and you were very agreeable to a number of our requests.

While aboard, the staff was professional, courteous, respectful and highly attentive to everyone.

The buffet was outstanding and everyone was pleased with the food and beverages.

We have had a number of company outings over the years and thanks to you, Captain Val and the crew, everyone is in agreement that this was the best by far. Thank you for providing a wonderful evening all on board.

Sincerely,

Susan Hauke
McClement Management Group

For anyone looking for a reputable company that delivers what you expect in every way for a Chicago skyline entertaining cruise, I write my testimonial here for you about Valara.

We had our company event on the Valara VI this summer and had a great time! We do highly recommend this company if you are looking for an upscale cruise experience entertaining employees or clients in Chicago.

Mary was very helpful and responsive with getting everything set up prior to our cruise. The booking process was convenient and smooth. Once on board the ship, we were very pleased, there was plenty of room all over the yacht for our people to enjoy one another’s company and the amazing Chicago skyline views. Everyone had a very memorable time. The crew was very helpful and attentive, the food and drinks were very good, and atmosphere was just as perfect. Everyone enjoyed their time aboard Valara and we give it the best rating, a Ten.

Thanks,

Kate Kleyn
Recruiting Specialist