damn yankee balloons

I got a gift certificate for my birthday in 2013 for a hot air balloon ride. We ended up booking three trips that got cancelled due to weather before we ended up going in September 2014 - all which was okay with me because I would much rather they be safe than sorry and err on the side of caution with the weather. It has been on my bucket list to go for a hot air balloon ride for a very long time and my experience was great. We ended up having great weather and the fall foliage was just starting to peak so it was absolutely beautiful. The pilot Derril was knowledgeable and informative about all aspects of what to expect. He took us throughout the shrewsbury, northboro, and westborough areas. We landed in a huge soccer field in Northboro and I felt safe and comfortable throughout the whole trip. The basket was very stable and the ride was smooth - the pilot definitely knew what he was doing. The landing was good - when you land a large balloon in a small basket of course it is going to be a bit bumpy - aren't plane landings typically a little bit bumpy too? I think you need to realistic in your expectations.I agree with a few others on here that when booking the ride and rescheduling I had questions about what to expect - I spoke with Joy on two occasions and felt she was extremely belittling and off-putting. I actually said to her that I know this is her business but I have no idea what to expect so please bear with me for my questions. I think she needs to work on her customer service skills especially in light of some of the negative reviews I have read on here. There is a $20 per person fuel charge and you are expected to help set up and break down the balloon but it doesn't take very long and everyone in our group helped out so it moved along quickly.Derril was very nice every time I spoke to him on the phone in cancelling and then again when we saw him in person. Overall the actual balloon experience was great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to try it out.

My husband bought a two person ride for us last Christmas. WE finally went today and it was a great experience!!! Especially beautiful with the fall foliage. We left out of Shrewsbury, MA and landed in Upton, MA. What a great way to start the day!!!Michelle

We left Shrewsberry Mass, The ride was breathtaking. The piot was awesome and clearly and expert in his field. We had a perfect landing in a school yard in Boyleston. The weather was perfect, and I would recommend this company to anyone wishing to have a safe Hot air ballon ride. I will plan to do this again in the near furture

It took us over a year to finally get up in the air with this company and once we did it got very terrifying coming down. The Pilot tried to land in a CEMETARY! it was crazy. Once he realized he was not going to be able to do it, he started to lift the balloon back up and we hit a tree pretty hard! Finally getting us high enough we soared to a school with a field. You would think he would of landed in the field but instead landed on the side of the school. We were also hitting tree tops on the way down. It was a very bad experience. I would not recommend this company at all. I think with age his judgment may be a off. With his latest flight hitting power lines, He needs to retire and be thankful he has not killed anyone.

Severely burned their passengers. You can search on it. They wont let me put the link here, but the news story is easy to find. Happened July 20. Combine this with the other reviews and I would say you get the idea.

A group of 3 purchased tickets through Soaring Adventures Summer 2012 and given a list of pilots to contact. Damn Yankee was the closest, scheduling did not work out for 2012. Called early 2013 and scheduled in August, we were told there wold be a $20.00 fuel fee, not mentioned through Soaring Adventures, but we figured $20.00 we could live with that. This trip was canceled due to wind. We went up October 5, 2013 and when we arrived were asked for the $20.00 fuel fee to find it was per person. This being our 2nd summer begrudgingly we paid it. I did contact Soaring Adventures and it was confimed, we should NOT have been asked for a fuel fee. Now we find there are 8 of us in this very small basket with 4 fuel tanks. No room to move. The experience was very rushed, not at all what we expected. The views that we could see were beautiful. I would be sure to ask many questions prior to booking this pilot. I didn't feel we should be expected to pack up, we just PAID for your service

Booking was fairly simple with a gift certificate we received. Our first trip was canceled due to a lightening storm (completely understandable) and despite a little rain and a short delay our 2nd attempt went off without a hitch. Our pilot was very knowledgeable and gave us a brief history of ballooning. His staff was very helpful and knew the area of Massachusetts where we flew very well. To my surprise we had 8 people in the balloon including the pilot and tanks, yet somehow we managed to fit and all get a great view. The only thing I'd suggest is bring earplugs as the flame thrower can be very loud and a little hot too (obviously!) Some people may not enjoy this part but I was excited to help pack up the balloon on landing and then return back to the takeoff site by van for a champagne toast. A wonderful first experience!

I recently tried to book a ride with Damn Yankee Balloon. I spoke with Gay on the phone. She was down right rude to me. I asked about trying to book a ride over the next few weekend. She said "you've GOT to be kidding me, don't you realize how busy we are". I explained I didn't realize how busy they were and she proceeded to belittle me and act incredibly annoyed.I ended up us High 5 Ballooning out of Derry NH and had a great experience. I would strongly recommend that Gay take a serious look at how she treats people. I would recommend that you avoid Damn Yankee if you don't like to be mistreated.

Let me just tell anyone who may have the common sense to read this before commissioning this group for a ride; stay away! "Joy" who is an administrator, manager or owner (??) is far and away the most unpleasant person we've ever had to deal with. While we've had many trips cancelled last minute for wind & weather, we have been told to "figure it out" with scheduling and been reprimanded for not keeping their flight schedule on paper for further inquiry. After nearly $1000 investment, we are still struggling to get in the air a year later. Joy should change her name to Cruella... Balloon ride = Positive relaxing experience you say.. give me a break