Has anyone had any dealings with this tour agency?

My sister booked with them and then, 7 months before her trip, some emergency came up and Go Alaska agreed to return her deposit because she had insurance. Well, she is still waiting since December 21, 2002. I told her to never deal with any company that does not accept credit card.It is so easy to book directly. Most of people on this forum do book everything on their own. Why do you need Go Alaska Tours?

Good point- it is extremely easy to deal directly with any Alaska vender.

I know it's not a problem booking direct, but we're planning a 17 day trip which involves a lot of vendors and I'm also in the midst of planning a May wedding for my daughter so I thought it would be easier on me to let someone else do the booking. I pretty much supplied the itinerary. Anyway, the credit card bit annoys us too. I don't like going through pay pal and paying by check pretty much is a done deal so I may consider doing it all on my own afterall. Thanks for your input.

If you really want an agent (I agree you can do this yourself easily but I also occasionally have time management issues) then you might look at Alaska Tour and Travel, one of the older and more seasoned in-state outfits. http://www.alaskatravel.com/

Also for trip planning consult the Anchorage Daily News' comprehensive website for Alaska, http://alaska.com

Some "tour companies" or referral agents are better suited to make your reservations than you are. Those with excperience in Alaska, and a strong history with both vendor and customer, might not only be able to make your trip smooth, but may save you $$ overall. It behooves the traveler to shop. That's the key. Shop and shop and shop. Where you don't have time to shop for each individual option, you can shop for a booking agent. Let them know your interests and see if they'll work with you. If not, "NEXT!"

@Incognito
The way it works is as follows: If you have a travel insurance you have to file a claim with the insurance company if you are not able to travel for whatever reason. The tour operator is not authorized/able to file a claim in your name.

Your initial posting is just nonsense and a "emergency situation" 7-months before the actual travel date is hardly believable for the tour operator and the insurance company.

The way it works with credit cards is as follows: you can file a claim within 90-days and ask the credit card issuer to get your money back (if you have a good reason for it) After the grace period of 90-days is over you do not get the money back. Pretty straight forward with Visa or MC Cards.

travelnorth: This thread is <red>ten</red> years old. Please look at the dates before topping these old threads . . .

Or are you preparing to start advertising something????

I never understand why fodorites get upset about someone responding to an old post? I am also amazed that all "first time posters" (even though this poster has been a member since 2007,though only one other post)are considered an evil troll.
Many many times, when someone else post years later, I read something that I didn't know about.

People look up something on a search engine and it directs them here. When I first started using this sight, there were 100+ topics per day on the US Board. Now there it is a good day when it hits 25.

spirobulldog: There is topping and there is topping. travelnorth wasn't just posting 'useful' advice. He specifically addressed (and slammed) incognito who posted in 2003.

I am fully aware of the posting publishing date but I found the article about Go Alaska Tours during a recent Google search for Aurora Tours - aka: Northern Lights Viewing in Alaska - on the first page. After reading the initial comment I simply decided to leave some useful advise and explain to other forum members how insurance and credit card claims are working because the initial posting of "incognito" sounded a bit fishy to me. This is it and by far not rocket science at all.

If someone looks for additional feedback on Aurora Viewing Trips with Go Alaska Tours I recommend the following thread.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...tic-sights.cfm

This article may provide some answers and solutions on questions about booking with a tour company or do everything by yourself.