written by Cordellk33 on 05/10/2016
Very disappointed. The trip was not as advertised. Won't ever travel with this company again.
written by Simonem190 on 05/12/2014
Truly the most wonderful experience of my life. Jim west and Pam Holland did outstanding job. I will travel with them again, to Thailand, with no hesitation. All the accommodations were first rate, outstanding and totally safe.
written by Marush on 14/01/2014
I have been on several trips sponsored by Sew Many Places and they have been the most thrilling, informative and educational experiences of my life. I have meet so many nice people and have seen so many wonderful places. The teachers on the trips are so down to earth and personable. The accomendations and coaches are top rated. I would recommend any of these trips to anyone. You won't be sorry. They are an experience of a life time.
written by SIOBHANQUILTS1 on 29/07/2013
Not sure where to start with my comments except to say that I think my trip to Ireland with Sew Many Places was pretty amazing. For about eight weeks everyone who was traveling on our tour received a weekly newsletter of helpful tips and suggestions on what to pack, what to expect, things to do, all kinds of really great things about the places we were going to visit and just about anything you could have a question about. Everything we could ever have questions about was answered in these newsletters prior to our trip. Kudos to you Jim West for taking the time to do this for us. preparing us. Next, the hotels we stayed in for our tour were fabulous. The Druids Glen, the Radisson Blu in Galway and the Brehon in Killarney. AMAZING!!! How can anyone complain about the quality of the hotels they selected for our tour. Kudos to whoever chose these hotels, they were fantastic! Then of course we had the best bus driver who was funny, informative, was genuinely concerned about our safety and enjoyment. They made the tour so great, and I have to salute Sew Many Places again for using this bus company and choosing the driver. Again, kudos to whoever got them. The sightseeing, the charming people in Ireland, and even the weather all was great, great, great! I seriously thought this was an amazing tour, and I want to thank Sew Many Places for everything. So for what it is worth, don’t be afraid to travel with this company. It will be a good decision you will not regret! By the way, I brought my mother with me who is originally from County Kerry, and she agrees with me!
written by on 17/07/2013
I have always felt that anything you read online, good or bad, is pretty much a wash. I know of a restaurant owner who asked all his friends and family to write bad reviews about his competitor. So when people went to read the restaurant reviews of the other restaurant, there were a lot of 1 star reviews that appeared on the page. I think something like this may be happening on this page. I have had the great opportunity to travel with Jim West and his company Sew Many Places to five different places—Bali, Africa on safari, Ireland for the quilt festival, South America and with Jinny Beyer in India. The guy does a fabulous job! He knows what he is doing and does a knock out job. There is a reason why he works with the big celebrities and major quilting companies, because he never fails to offer great customer service. I am thinking any of the bad comments that might appear on this site are either disgruntle employees who want to bash him, a competitor travel company or someone who just has it out to make him and his business look bad. I have a lot of friends who travel with Jim and Sew Many Places and they would all agree with me. I wish there was a place for people to have to actually write their name when they leave a review. I think all these one star comments would not be there. My name is Debbie Breuner and I will be happy to talk to any of you about this company. So here is the bottom line, if you are out there and wondering if you should use the services of Sew Many Places my suggestion is YES! They are experienced, they are helpful and friendly, and they have been around for many years. Forget these other bad comments, I think it is a set up!
written by IrelandLizzie on 01/07/2013
I was a customer of SMP for the 2013 International Quilt Festival of Ireland and a week of touring Ireland following the event. There was no visible on-site management of the trip. No one seemed to be in charge on the ground. Any decisions that were made were for the bottom line of SMP, not for the comfort and traveling needs of the 6 busloads of people on this trip. We were promised a free day in Dublin, but are hotel was in an isolated location. The only way into Dublin was to pay SMP an additional $39 for the driver to provide a tour of the city and then provide a very limited amount of free time. We were not provided names of our fellow travelers. When we were departing for the airport, there was no list for those in charge to check to make sure they had everyone on board the bus. If you bring someone to a foreign location, don't you have some responsibility to see that they get back to the airport for their return trip? Aren't they entitled to some instruction on how to navigate the various steps @ the airport? Apparently, SMP doesn't think so.
Written on: 17/07/2013
What are you talking about? The bus driver was the guide and the escort. That was made very clear. Who said you needed to pay to go to Dublin, our itinerary clearly stated that was an OPTIONAL TOUR and none of us had a gun to our heads saying we had to sign up and pay for it. If you chose to do that, then don't complain. I for one never wanted a list of my fellow travellers because i don't want to talk to most of you, especially the complaining ones like you. God help me if you had my name on a list. If you can't manage to get yourself on a bus to the airport, you don't belong traveling, you are an adult, so act like one!
Written on: 12/08/2013
Any time anyone writes a negative review, you attack them. The reviewer is referring to a trip she took in 2012, as I when I wrote my review. I write many online reviews and have never had anyone attack me personally the way you have. I wanted a list of my fellow travelers to make arrangements ahead of time. You act like anything anyone else wants that you don't agree with is irrational. You accuse everyone else of not acting like an adult. Look in the mirror! Your response to negative reviews is very childish.
Written on: 29/10/2013
Totally agree the quilt festival of Ireland was a DISASTER and I have the pictures to prove it,.. there was nobody there the whole thing was a waste of time .. the only people I saw there were the few of Jim west coach tours and id say 500 at the most .. I must post some pics of the festival on here
Written on: 02/08/2013
While I have no connection with the tour company, I am saddened to hear of your experience. I hope you will visit Ireland again as it is a great place. Either on a tour or on your own the patchwork shops welcome visitors from all over the world and would love to meet you. Look us up and do come again.
Written on: 12/08/2013
I have never met so many nice people as I did in Ireland. I will go again, just not with a bus tour.
written by on 16/10/2012
This was one of the best vacations that I have had in my lifetime! The tour itself was very well planned and the accommodations were wonderful! All of the hotels that we stayed in had good size rooms and the staff was very helpful and pleasant. Almost all of our meals were taken care of and the food was Delicious! It was very well organized and the bus driver that took us to each location during our tour was very knowledgeable about the area, the history and was just overall fun and helpful. There were a few small hiccups in the arrangements for the Quilt Festival itself but it was easily remedied and my thought was that this was the first year it had been held and so there were bound to be a few kinks that would probably pop up, but really I didn't let it put a damper on my fun as it was so minor. The dinner that we attended or the "Gala" event was so well done and the entertainment was great! I really felt like I got to be "in the culture" of Ireland and that they made sure of this by the places that they took you and the places that you stayed. I enjoyed myself tremendously and wouldn't hesitate to book another tour with Sew Many Places because I really felt as though I got so much bang for my buck!
written by CarolCricenti on 15/10/2012
I went to the International Quilting Festival in Ireland last year and couln'tave had a better time. It was very well organized and the tour around Ireland couldn't have been better. I met many life long friends and will be attending again this year. I can't wait. I didn't know one person at the beginning of the trip all everyone I met made me feel so welcomed. Our coach driver couldn't have been better. He was very knowledgeable about Ireland. We learned a great deal of history, tidbit facts and also so Irish songs while we were traveling the countryside. The hotels were all top notch and the food was wonderful. NO complaints from me.
Written on: 02/12/2012
Quite a few of us had a very different view of this Quilt festival. It was very poorly organized. Five of us were supposed to go to Northern Ireland. Jim West of Sew Many Places didn't contact us to tell us that we were going with a different group to Southern Ireland on different dates. None of us found out until we got our tickets just a couple weeks before the trip. Classes were canceled without warning, there were only 30 vendors. On our bus trip, we didn't visit a single quilt store. Check out the poor reviews below for a different opinion on this trip.
Written on: 17/07/2013
i thought it was great. i agree there were some things that needed to be ironed out, being the first show, but overall i think they did a great job. i went this year, and it was flawless. maybe you should give it another try. i hear they are in a convention center in killarney next year.
Written on: 17/07/2013
the hotels were fantastic that sew many places chose and i do feel it takes a lot of planning to get a trip right from start to finish. so good job to jim west and his team!
Written on: 30/07/2013
The hotels may have been fantastic, but last year I actually ended up having to bring an Australian woman up to the Westwood House Hotel, where she was staying, in my own car because she was too tired to wait for the bus back and didn't have a clue where she was going. It's a shambles.
Dissapointed_Quilter, if you wish to come back to Ireland on a wonderful quilting tour be sure to check Brack Tours.
[Name removed] is getting a wonderful tour together with the help of Irish people who are more then willing to work with her.
written by ReginaD on 15/10/2012
June 2012: Spent an eternity on planes to get from Las Vegas to Dublin. Of course, it's long but the flights were full of happy, eager quilters and the time went by quickly. Everything went like clockwork and we were met in Dublin by a coach and escorted to our wonderful hotel. Sew Many Places provided the absolute best coach driver/tour guide who went above and beyond to make our visit extra-special. He went out of his way to accommodate the spouses of quilters and made golf reservations and even delivered them to the course. His discourse about the country and its history was fascinating. We were able to get great photos and enjoyed many stops and visits to interesting places. Our travel to Killarney and Galway seemed to fly by with stops at marble factory, crystal factory, woolen mills, Blarney Castle, and many more. The price was amazing and each extra charge was more valuable than the charge for it. The only bad experience I had was that the trip was too short and I had to go home too soon. I would make this trip again and again and recommend Sew Many Places and Jim West to anyone who asked.
Written on: 02/12/2012
Read the one-star reviews below for a different point of view. We loved our coach driver, but the International Quilt Festival was very small, poorly organized, many classes were canceled, there were only 30 vendors, and so on.
Written on: 17/07/2013
i agree, it was a marvelous experience. i am from the school, you make your own kind of experience and if it doesn't work out, you don't blame someone else. if there were only 30 vendors, well how great they even offered some, right? this isn't houston, nor did they advertise there would be hundreds of vendors there. so stop complaining.
i really have a problem with people who kick a first time anything. it was their first year, they took some great chances and most paid off. i went this year and the festival was fantastic. i would say don't kick a child when they are taking their first step because they are now walking just fine.
written by Quiltgirl on 15/10/2012
My experience was quite the opposite of others posted here. I had the most incredible time on this trip! I had no issues with my flights and I found the staff at SMP to be incredibly helpful in getting things lined up for us. I loved that the Quilt Festival itself was smaller and not so overwhelming. Yes, there was a glitch upon arrival with tickets for events we had signed up to attend...but it didn't prevent us from attending all of those. We had the most amazing bus driver, who made the entire trip even more entertaining and fantastic. Our hotels were top notch! I've already signed up to go back again next year as have a few of my friends who were there.
Written on: 02/12/2012
Read the one-star reviews below for a different point of view. We loved our coach driver, but the International Quilt Festival itself was very small, poorly organized, many classes were canceled, there were only 30 vendors, and so on.
Written on: 17/07/2013
it was a great festival and i went back this year and it was even better. can't wait for next year.
written by on 02/10/2012
I am very happy to say I have traveled with Sew Many Places on six different cruises and tours and they are top shelf. The hotels, cruise ships, guides, and places they go to are really fabulous. I would recommend this tour company to any quilters who want a quality experience. The Wall Street Journal has even validated that they are a high end tour company and do a great job. I can't wait for my next trip!
Written on: 02/12/2012
Read the one-star reviews below for a different point of view. We loved our coach driver, but the International Quilt Festival was very small, poorly organized, many classes were canceled, there were only 30 vendors, and so on.
Written on: 03/12/2012
i do think if you look at the current issue of quiltposium magazine, you don't see any of the problems you are talking about.
you sound like you were expecting the same kind of show like houston and paducah. i know both of these shows were a disaster when they first started, so cut some slack. the show had fabulous quilts, there were 36 vendors from what i counted and i am wondering if you saw all the different events they offered that no other quilt festivals offer? i just think it is pretty amazing you would say such horrible things about a festival that is just getting off its feet. i'd hate to be your child!
the tours with sew many places were fabulous, the hotels, the driver, the coach, the sightseeing. there was absolutely nothing wrong with the tours. and you might want to take another look at your negative comments. there is absolutely no way every major quilt celebrity from jinny beyer and ricky tims to kaye england and mccalls magazine would work with them if they were bad! i don't think you are fair or remotely close to telling the truth about how this company operates. they are first rate and i have been on five tours with them!
Written on: 05/12/2012
Quiltposium is published by Sew Many Quilts, so of course they would write glowing reviews.
I am debating whether to sign up for an Ireland tour with this company and all these negative/positive comments are confusing, yet helpful.
If there were bad experiences, I would hope that the tour company would correct them for future tours.
Still debating.......
Written on: 06/12/2012
Everyone has their own opinion, and mine is that Sew Many Places is terrific! As i mentioned previously, there is no way that people like Ricky Tims, Jinny Beyer, McCalls Quilting, Kaye England, Alex Anderson, Bonnie Hunter, British Patchwork and Quilting Magazine, and two dozen other big names in this industry would be working with them if they were not good.
They have been around for many years and even the Wall Street Journal validates them! I think they are the best! I have been to Bali, China, Tuscany, Ireland and two cruises with them. And if you are lucky enough to get the owner Jim West to be your escort, you have got the best!
It has been my personal experience that people complaiin about a lot of things, from the weather to the color of the carpet in their hotel room, so I wouldn't be concerned about complaints of others. I would suggest forming your own opinion!
Written on: 17/07/2013
i agree, there is no way all these quilting celebrities and companies would keep working with jim west and his company if he was not good. i was just on a route 66 trip with jim and sew many places and it was incredible.
ricky tims is a perfectionist, if he isn't happy he won't work with people again. i think this was his fourth or fifth trip with sew many places. i think some of these people who are complaining may just be plants to lower the rating of the company. just a thought......
Written on: 23/08/2013
If you are looking for a wonderful tour Google Brack Tours. They are coming to Ireland in May & already have a number of quilters onboard to run courses with the groups. Hope this helps. :)
written by on 05/08/2012
The International Quilt Festival in Galway had about 30 vendors--we have far more than that at local quilt events. Classes were canceled and no announcement was made. I was sent from building to building before I found the class I had signed up for was canceled. I went to a tea with soggy ice cream pastries where the presenter said, "I have no idea what to say, no one told me." The quilts were in buildings all over the campus. I didn't see many of them because I couldn't find the buildings. Our hotel was far from the Quilt Festival and the bus only made a one-way trip in the morning and a return in the evening, so it meant expensive cab fares to go back to the hotel. The remaining 7-day bus tour was crowded, we never saw a single quilt store, but we stopped at many places for shopping that sold tourists marble, crystal, and linens. There was some beautiful scenery, but it was hard to see from a bus window. We would make stops, but it took quite a bit of time to load and unload 40+ women. The hotels we stayed at were nice, but remote from Galway and Dublin. By the way, I paid for a trip to Northern Ireland, and Jim West gave me different dates and a different itinerary and never told me until I called and asked questions. He said he could make these changes and refused a refund because that's in the small print on his website. i would never travel with Jim West or Sew Many Places again.
Written on: 17/07/2013
you sound like a real complainer, god i hope i never end up on a trip with you. honestly, did you not do your homework about this festival, were you hiding under a rock? there were pages and pages of information that the festival was NOT going to be set up like the typical festivals. it was on a university campus, not a convention center. so yes, you have to walk from building to building. hello.
if you wanted to go to a quilt shop you had plenty of time. i found hickeys in dublin and galway, where were you?
the marble place was interesting, the crystal glass carver was very good, and the sightseeing was great. stop complaining so much.
you obviously have never been on a tour bus before, it does take time for people to move on and off. patience goes a long way.
listen, the festival was fabulous this year and next year they are going to be in a convention center. you need to cut a little slack, i had a great time, but then again, i am normally not a complainer.
Written on: 17/07/2013
I was originally scheduled for a trip to Northern Ireland. I got rebooked for Southern Ireland by Sew Many Places and Jim West did not tell me until it was too late for me to cancel the trip.The original trip included some stops to visit with quilters. The revised itinerary did not. I didn't find out until very close to the date we left. I had planned to take my mother's ashes to the church where her father was baptized in Northern Ireland. It was one of the only reasons I had booked the trip.
I think it's inappropriate for you to call me a "complainer."
I was well liked on the trip. Even though I had a private room, I let someone share my room because she was unhappy with her roommate. I did not receive any compensation for this. I am a happy person. I have traveled quite a bit. This trip was expensive and not one that I enjoyed.
Why don't you just be glad you enjoyed the trip and not bother attacking me? I am equally glad that I am not traveling with you and that I will never have the unpleasant experience of meeting you.
Written on: 29/07/2013
If your trip was changed last minute like that I would seriously consider consulting with a solicitor. That's totally unacceptable. Please don't let [name removed] sour you on Ireland. We may not have a quilt festival this year in Galway, but there are 2 wonderful quilt shows, one in Dublin and one in Belfast. From there you can then travel wherever you want in Ireland. I would not call you a complainer. If you didn't enjoy your trip you have every right to say so. He just doesn't want any bad publicity for his, sorry I mean [name removed] business.
Written on: 29/07/2013
If your trip was changed last minute like that I would seriously consider consulting with a solicitor. That's totally unacceptable. Please don't let [name removed] sour you on Ireland. We may not have a quilt festival this year in Galway, but there are 2 wonderful quilt shows, one in Dublin and one in Belfast. From there you can then travel wherever you want in Ireland. I would not call you a complainer. If you didn't enjoy your trip you have every right to say so. He just doesn't want any bad publicity for his, sorry I mean [name removed] business.
Written on: 12/08/2013
There was small print that said they could change the itinerary. When I've posted reviews about my disappointment, I've been personally attacked on a couple sites, like the attack above made by Debbiequilter1. I had one woman tell me that the tour was like a newborn child and I must be a terrible mother. So not only did I think the company was out of line, they seem to have some really whacko defenders.
I loved Ireland and thought the people were marvelous.
Written on: 12/08/2013
Well unfortunately I can''t comment on that as my comment will be removed. Just be aware certain people aren't who they say they are over the internet. Specially when it comes to certain companies. Don't let the personal attacks from certain business owners put you off speaking your mind.
Glad you managed to enjoy your time in beautiful Ireland. I hope you get to come back here soon. :)
Written on: 29/12/2013
JIM WEST NO LONGER HAS AN OFFICE IN IRELAND AS IT WENT BUST AND ALL THE STAFF ARE OUT OF JOBS.. DUE TO HIS FESTIVAL BEEN A COMPLETE DISASTER, AFTER WE CAME ALL THE WAY FROM OHIO TO A FEWSTIVAL THERE WAS NOBODY THERE..
Written on: 23/07/2013
If you want to go "In the Worst way," go on a guided bus tour. Ladies, put on your big girl panties, rent a car and book your own stuff on line. We did and it worked out well. My only encounter with SMP was at the Saturday night BarBQ at the quilt Festival. I signed up not knowing it was a SMP event. It was NOT organized at all as we all sat around like cattle waiting for someone to give us vouchers so we could get in the food line. It started late altho the caterer was ready to serve at appointed time. Food was great!
The Festival itself gets 5 stars for effort and publicity, but over all I agree with those who were disappointed. There were some lovely quilts, but not many measured up to the standards of US shows. I went home thinking I could have entered this one, while after leaving a big US show I usually am embarrassed to call myself a quilter. The campus was lovely, the weather superb, but it was too spread out. I spent 2 1/2 days there, which I booked thinking this was going to be a BIG show, but could have seen it all in one. I met some lovely ladies and of course Ireland defies description. Seeing Ireland was great, even though I'd been there several times before. There were not enough vendors to my liking. I went with $ to spend, but brought most of it home. I guess we are lucky in the US and a bit spoiled. They are bringing big names next year for 2014, but I won't go back.
Written on: 24/07/2013
I went in 2012. Too bad it still isn't a great show. I also found little to buy at the festival.
I did love Ireland, especially the people I met. They were fabulous.
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Geomteach's Comment
Written on: 13/10/2016
I believe I was on this cruise. I also was disappointed. It was advertised as having sewing machines available. When the number of participants was so low that this could not be offered, the cruise should have been cancelled. Truthfully Sew Many Places usually does a fantastic job! This is why I picked this cruise. Yes, it was a disappointment but I would give them another chance. This cruise was not indicative of their usual cruise. This was my fourth cruise with them. The other three were wonderful.