Email this page
August 20, 2009
Our response to your feedback
Recently, I asked you to email me your thoughts and opinions about Harriet’s Corner—and I received many thoughtful and insightful suggestions. So I’d like to share with you some of the feedback I’ve received … and how my team and I plan to incorporate these ideas in future updates:
-
Share both positive and negative traveler experiences. Or, as Theresa M. requested, “be willing to entertain the fact that not every trip is wonderful and not all customers are deeply satisfied.” I absolutely agree: Although I want our travelers to enjoy every aspect of their vacation, I know perfection isn’t possible—and I want to hear from you about what you don’t like as much as what you do. (That's why we send every Grand Circle traveler a post-trip Quality Survey; the comments you make here directly affect the decisions we make to improve our itineraries.)
That said, space constraints in Harriet’s Corner make it impossible for me to publish and respond individually to every email I receive. As a result, when I choose which comments to include in “Travel Talk,” I’m looking specifically for topics that will resonate with a larger audience.
In addition, I’d like to point out that we don’t monitor or censor the comments posted online in our Traveler Reviews section—so you'll always find honest, no-holds-barred accounts of our trips here. (An example: See what your fellow travelers are saying about our Great Rivers of Europe River Cruise.)
-
Spotlight “unique” and “fun” places to visit. I love this idea, as I’m always looking for unusual things to see and do on my own journeys! So we explored this theme in our recent South America update, which featured an article from Grand Circle’s own Magdalena Zoroza about “10 Things I Love About Buenos Aires.”
-
Feature artwork from travelers inspired by their experiences. Another excellent suggestion—and in our next update, we’ll feature some clever cartoons about River Cruises drawn by 4-time traveler John Williams. (If you have examples of your own works to share, please send them my way!)
-
Create a space on the website where travelers can upload and share their trip photos. Unfortunately, our current technology won't support the addition of a file-sharing program, but it is something we're working on for the future. In in the meantime, we’re making a concerted effort to feature more traveler photos, particularly in “Our Favorite Travel Stories.”
My sincere thanks to everyone who took the time to send me their opinions about Harriet’s Corner; I really want to make this space one you'll enjoy and visit often. I hope you’ll continue to send your suggestions—as well as your stories, artwork, and photos (in particular, ones featuring you and your fellow travelers!)—to me at harriet@gct.com. I also welcome any links to YouTube or other online videos highlighting your journeys with Grand Circle.
Harriet Lewis