Testimonials

Making new friends and creating lasting memories!A look at a few of the testimonials from our past guests helps solidify our status as a reliable company. Nagel Tours is proud to have an extremely high percentage of repeat clientele that have joined our Frequent Traveller Loyalty Program, which allows you to accumulate membership rewards that help you reduce the cost of future trips. Frequent travellers are the basis of our success, and we always look forward to seeing familiar faces!

Cross Canada by Motorcoach – September 12 2017

Two more days and we’ll be home
Rest our eyes and our bones
Spent all our money we know
In Cross Canada tour we go

We had great fun and many miles we went
Lots of history and pretty scenes we saw
Many laughs and jokes were told
With bus driver Ray and tour guide Connie
Tried their best to keep us on our way
And not one got lead astray
Rocks and water and Niagara Falls too
Quebec City and Montreal too
Beautiful flowers everywhere
Lovely trees dressed for fall
PEI and Anne of Green Gables
Many other sights to see
Rideau Canal and ferry rides
Also drove by huge lakesides
And a little bit of USA too
Many churches and beautiful homes galore
Weather was great we asked for
Now we go home with many memories to share
Saskatchewan and Alberta we are home
So long, it’s been good to know you

Composed by: Carol Hurley, Oyen, AB

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Cross Canada by Motorcoach – September 2010

I had never seen a purple bus until Nagel Tours picked us up
At Fort MacLeod we did embark to tour our Canada for a lark
And celebrate our 50th anniversary.

We did enjoy our safe driver Ken and the wit of Judy, tour
Director, will never end.

Our fellow travelers made this tour special as we explored the
Rich potential of each place on our itinerary we appreciated the
Running commentary.

The step-on guides were a real hit and helped us enjoy every bit
Of their particular city.

Homeward bound our trip was lit by God’s autumn brush of gold
Red and green; the beauty of which we have never seen.

And as our journey comes to an end, it feels like we have made
some friends.

The pictures taken will help us remember the wonderful days of
this September.

Composed by: Heather Krane, Kimberley, BC

Deep South-Texas and Louisiana – March 2020

“Judy using the HAND SANITIZER machine on the bus”

This is a story I am thankful to share because all 50 of us on that Nagel Bus Tour
arrived home healthy and safe. And the story could have definitely had a
different ending due to the accelerated speed of the Coronavirus COVID-19 disease.

We were travelling to The Deep South – Texas & Louisiana. We (my traveling friend,
Penny and myself) had been planning this trip for almost a year and were looking forward to our
24 day holiday. Really, think about it…Texas & Louisiana and all the stops both before and after
reaching those states! We were well aware of the Coronavirus before we left on March 4, 2020
but weren’t apprehensive as there were no cases in Alberta and the USA had very few.
I joined the traveling gang in Ft. Macleod and the fun began. There was a lot of teasing
and laughter as the familiarity with each other grew. The first few days were travelling days and
when we arrived in Watertown, SD, we toured the Redlin Art Center. It’s a gallery and Terry
Redlin’s paintings all have a story that explain memorable experiences of his youth. Check it
out online and see what I saw. I’m sure you will enjoy it!

We still weren’t hearing a lot about the Coronavirus but the bus had a hand sanitizer
right on the door and we all sanitized before going on the bus and when we came off. And we
washed our hands often!  Down the road and we arrived at Oklahoma City, OK. We visited the
Oklahoma CityBombing Outdoor National Memorial. It was a dull and dreary day… fitting
for walking the  sacred grounds where 168 Americans were killed. It’s a very symbolic memorial
with a reflection pool where the bomb exploded and chairs for grave markers; large chairs for adults
and small chairs for the children. It was a somber bus ride as we carried on.

And then we arrived in Texas! I felt that I was having a dream. Texas! Really?!?! I
wanted to remember every moment. Our first stop was Fort Worth where we toured the
Stockyards Station and learned of its history. We saw with our own eyes Texas Longhorns. I
had no idea that those horns each weighed between 5 – 10 pounds.

We are still using hand sanitizer and washing our hands often but still hearing very little
about the virus and the info we did get was only about the USA; nothing about Canada. And we
carried on in beautiful weather – blue skies, no wind and warm/hot temps.

Our next stop was Dallas and I can’t put into words the emotions I felt hearing the story
of the JFK assassination while standing on Elm Street and seeing the two Xs marking the spots
where the shots hit. Later we toured the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository where
Oswald had hidden himself on the 6th floor behind book boxes in behind the window from where
he shot. The biggest surprise for me was the fact that there is no public memorial in that city
acknowledging this historical event. That night in our room we listened to news and started to
feel a little apprehensive about the increasing numbers in many of the states and seriously
began to feel our trip may get cut short because of it. But we kept going.

I very much enjoyed San Antonio. The Riverwalk, the boat cruise, the historic missions
and eating alligator!!! I really liked it. To me it has the texture of chicken breast and is very
bland so the seasonings are what’s needed to make it tasty. I would order it again. My memory
bank was getting full but I have my FB diary and pictures to revisit each day. Today we finally
heard some Canadian news… Sophie Trudeau tested positive for the coronavirus. Now it’s
feeling real! We’re continuing on…

On Friday, March 13, the text from my son Regan from Vancouver saying that UBC was
closed and all classes would be completed at home online told us how serious things were
getting. Wow!! That day family members from home were contacting their parents and
grandparents sharing their concern about their health and safety.

Things are starting to get serious! On Sunday, March 15 we got the news that all Alberta
schools were closed indefinitely. It was the day we were going to Houston. Our tour director
explained that the Houston Space Center had closed due to the virus, but all other tourist sites
were still open. We were half way through our trip. We were asked and decided as a group to
carry on with the trip. Three from our tour group decided in Houston to fly home. The next
morning our tour guide informed us that the Nagel office in Edmonton was ordering us home
after we did our swamp tour in Lafayette. It would take them a couple of days to get things
organized with motels as our schedule was changing and reservations would have to be made.
We were all healthy and felt safe and continued doing our part to sanitize. Many of us wiped
down our phones, ipads, remotes and counters in our motel rooms with Lysol wipes.
I was very excited about getting to Lafayette and our swamp tour. It’s just one of those
places that has stuck in my mind from novels I have read and have had the swamp as the
setting. I was not disappointed! Imagine the thrill of being able to say I was on a Louisiana
swamp where I saw an alligator in its natural habitat! It was a great finale to a great trip.
New Orleans would have to wait for another time.

It was March 17 and we were headed home. Our trip was cut short by 5 days and
everybody understood why, with the exception of one gal who was angry and expressed how
unfair it was that we wouldn’t get to New Orleans. I listened to her voice her opinion about all of
this for about 3 times when I had had enough. I told her funerals cost more than this trip! That
hit home as she was pleasant the rest of the trip!  And this is when things got real!!

As we travelled, the changes in just 11 days after our departure was at times almost
scary. We stopped at Walmart to pick up a lunch to have enroute. It was our introduction to
empty shelves. Restaurants were closing but some fed just us as they knew we were getting
desperate and we became very familiar with truck stops for our restroom breaks. We bonded
and accepted what was to come. We were all healthy and safe and felt blessed that we had an
exceptional tour guide and bus driver who kept us informed about what was going on at home
and that at this point there would be no problems at the border as the office had checked. What
a relief that was to hear!

Next stop Branson. We toured around town on our bus and saw the many venues for
the performing artists and then to a restaurant for a sit-down supper. We were their only guests
and our Cajun meal was delicious. I had my first taste of gumbo and real shrimp creole. I’d
recommend both!

And then we drove and drove and drove. Cracker Barrel, a favorite US restaurant, was
closed but opened up for us with reasonable rules. We were allowed in 10 at a time to place
our order, pay, use the restroom and return to the bus. Our tour guide delivered our meals to us
on the bus. We are now stopping at rest stops along the highway every couple of hours and our
supper tonight was ordered in for all of us… pizza and pop.

It’s Day 17 and we had our tour’s Farewell Dinner as tomorrow we would cross the
border and our 15 SK friends would be leaving us.

And now the border… We were through in half an hour and all they did was take our
passports and declaration forms and have us sign a form saying that we were aware that the
province was in a state of emergency and strict rules were in effect!

As we drove into Canada someone started the National Anthem… so emotional as only
we knew how relieved we were to get on Canadian soil during this pandemic.
We arrived in Swift Current and were told that we would get off the bus, go straight to our
rooms (outside entrances) and stay there until we boarded the bus the next morning. If we
didn’t adhere to these rules there would be a $2000 fine and we would be leaving the motel
immediately.

We were able to order supper and breakfast which were delivered to our outside doors
and we picked them up. It was great to get on the bus knowing our next stop was home!
My girlfriends drove my car to Ft. Macleod for me and I said good-bye to my “new”
friends and drove towards our beautiful snow-covered mountains and home!!
Surprisingly I’m finding my 14 days of quarantine not as tough as I thought as I have
hobbies to keep me busy and great friends who keep in touch.

Our world is forever changed but I am grateful that I was able to do the things I did
during the prelude to this COVID-19 disease. All 50 of us on the bus are still healthy and are
keeping ourselves quarantined. Sunday April 5 will feel like I’m turning in my Get Out of Jail
free card and will go into self-isolation and social distancing as everyone else is.

Submitted by: Judy Lane, Pincher Creek, AB

Frequent Traveller – Congratulations Vickie Murphy on your 50th Tour!

We at Nagel Tours are very honoured to have many repeat travellers, all members of our Nagel Travel Club. We have different levels of accomplishment, with differing benefits attached to each.

In this photo, we are pleased to award Vickie Murphy on the occasion of her 50th tour with Nagel – she is now part of our Grand Diamond Plus level! Vickie has travelled with us since 1998, often repeating her favourite tours. “50 isn’t the end”, Vickie says, “I have planned as far as tour 55″.

Thank you very much for travelling with us so much Vickie!

In photo, from left: Driver Eric Longbottom, Vickie Murphy, Tour Director Sharon Galloway

Frequent Traveller – Vickie Murphy

Reflections of a Frequent Traveller
Now here am I to tell you a tale!
Nagel Tours rates high on the scale!
Everything is arranged from the moment of booking.
They do the driving; you do the looking.

Ride an aerial tram, a train, a cable car
Our ride was comfortable, the best we’ve experienced by far.
The drivers are courteous,always have a “Hello”,
Storing your luggage in the bins below.

Keep the coach clean, use trash bags, wipe your feet!
Give everyone a different view, rotate your seat.
Tour guides are friendly, they give you your keys
Always, always smiling, they know their ABC’s.

Travel bags are given out when you board
Ladies! Shop, shop, will them with your horde.
Birthdays, Anniversaries shared – add up to many a year.
Onboard movies, lights to read by. Sorry! NO Beer.

Visiting, stories, puzzles, Bingo! Help time slip away
Greet old friends from a previous tour – make their day.
Water, for a fee, is available courtesy of driver/tour guide
The comfort station, at the back, gives you a rough ride.

You do not need a partner, you can always go single,
You are welcomed when dining, we all mingle.
Rooms were clean, with full bath, and a comfy bed,
Continental breakfasts, picnic lunches, help keep us fed.

Wake up call at six, bags out by half-past, departure at eight,
Shower in haste, comb your hair, hurry, hurry, cannot be late.
There are many miles to travel and new sights to see,
Like 17 mile drive, or the Santa Barbara Fig Tree.

Some sights are free and for others you must pay,
Pier 39, Cabot Trail, Gateway Arch, Cruises of the Bay.
California Rose Parade, Queen Mary ship, San Diego Zoo,
Freemont Street, Cape Spear, Graceland are a few.

Butchart Gardens offer fountains, flowers and High Tea,
View Shaw Ocean Discovery Centre in Sydney-by-the-Sea.
Chemainus is quaint and has murals on the walls,
Old Florence has antiques, Monteray Aquarium many halls.

Coombs Country Market has goats grazing on the roof,
Visit Signpost Forest in Watson Lake – leave a sign as proof.
Cathedral Grove has 800 year old Douglas Fir trees,
Algodones Mexico is a place you can bargain with ease.

San Simeon has Hearst Castle with the Neptune Pool,
Yuma Territorial Prison State Park is pretty cool.
Solvang is a Danish town with many windmills,
Virginia City is a Wild West place – no frills.

There was a variety of entertainment from which to choose,
Wild West shows, Diamond Tooth Gerties where you can lose.
Daniel O’Donnell, Halcyon Hot Springs, Street car 23,
Victoria IMAX theatre, Palm Springs Follies, Grand Ole Opry.

Camera buffs have ample opportunities to shoot
Sea otters, rocks, jelly fish – fellow passengers to boot.
Scenery was picturesque – Oregon Coast has the Sea Lions Cave,
Where you can watch the pups frolic and misbehave.

Weather conditions – rain, snow, fog or sun,
Does not prevent you from making some fun.
Your time together comes quickly to an end,
Hugs good-bye, photo to remember a friend.

As a result of the very careful plans you made,
A treasury of memories your holiday has paid.
The last night was the Dinner of Farewell,
Friendship, laughter, wine to toast – ring the bell!

Composed by: Vickie Murphy, Airdrie, AB
Vickie has travelled extensively on 50 Nagel Tours in the past 21 years.

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