Over the Rainbow Balloon Flights

I will be fair — I don’t want to destroy anyone’s livelihood. And from Unilocal,it looks like they’ve had great days too.
We were instructed to call in at 5AM to check whether conditions would allow us to fly — we called on the road and we were told to «come ahead for a great day». The website instructed us to be at the Woodinville McDonalds at 6AM sharp.
1. The company van didn’t show until 6:30.
2. The crew did not seem at all interested in flying. We waited another 20 – 30 minutes while they stood around and ate breakfast as the sun rose. We finally departed for the launch site driving ~10 min. (silently, no entertaining discussion of flying). The sun was breaking through the trees now and it was a glorious morning, but on arrival the lead man pointed out a slight feather of fog in the North and said that it could be moving in. He and a crew member discussed things behind the van. They got back in the van and we silently drove back to a gas station close to Woodinville.
4. We six customers sat in the van and waited — while the crew again chatted back behind the van. The sun was beaming now — this was an 81 degree day and it was heating up. The lead man came back to the van and said we couldn’t fly — due to the (no longer visible) fog. I asked him politely «Hasn’t the fog burned off, and don’t we have another 20 – 30 minutes to assemble the balloon.. .?» He never answered our questions, but replied only with a perfunctory «Disappointing customers is the worst part of my job.»
5. SUMMARY: These people weren’t interested in flying on this morning. They were 30 minutes late to arrive. We drove in uncomfortable silence — there was no entertaining discussion of flying, nor of what we were doing, or how this flight would work. (And why weren’t their fog discussions held in the van?) The lead avoided questions about «the fog» and was unclear about how to reschedule, only admitting after a few questions that we’d not yet been charged.
My take is that it’s the end of summer, they’re tired and totally disinterested. That they didn’t want to go up and had absolutely no consideration for their customers, the 3 excited couples who had each paid $ 350 and driven an hour to be in Woodinville at 6AM. Beyond disappointing.

We took a ride last weekend for our first wedding anniversary. I had always wanted to take a hot air balloon ride and was definitely not disappointed! We started early in the morning with a large group. There were three balloons and around 8 passengers to each balloon. It was so much fun to watch the balloons inflate and take off. I loved that there were several groups flying. The flight passed by so much faster than I anticipated. Ken our pilot eagerly pointed out land marks and answered all our questions. It was a very serene and peaceful experience. The landing was so easy and smooth. We landed in a field and had a champagne toast, where one of the other pilots entertained us with the story of how ballooning first came about. It was the perfect end to the perfect trip. I would recommend this company to anyone!

I chose Over the Rainbow to surprise my husband for our anniversary. Our experience was exceptional. We chose to go with a sunrise flight.
Our pilot Al was excellent, personable and informative. Our flight was absolutely gorgeous, traveling for over an hour and even going for a «splash and dash» in a small waterway on our way. At the end, we stopped at Bob’s Corn and Pumpkin Farm where we had mimosas and were able to explore the country store.
Overall, I would highly recommend this experience to anyone!

Hot Air Balloon Rides Over the Rainbow is a friendly business offering balloon rides just northeast of Seattle. I found their service to be friendly, on time, and informative. Our balloonist was happy to share his knowledge and experience with us. At the end of the roughly hour long flight they gave us mimosas which was a nice touch.
For three of us it cost $ 600 (with 15% tip). I feel this was a bit steep given the actual launch location and extent of the air time. We launched not far from Woodinville and given the near still wind conditions we didn’t travel too far. The area directly below wasn’t terribly beautiful but you could tell that if the balloon had actually traveled any distance, it might have taken us beyond the industrial parks. We also didn’t go all that high compared to other balloon rides I’ve been on.
Had the total cost per person been closer to $ 150 I would have rated this experience better.

Every ride is different. For ours, the wind direction was all over the place. Despite feeling like we were stuck in one location, the ride in of its own self was beautiful. Bill and his crew are very friendly and helpful.

My husband and I loved the experience. The crew was very friendly and informative and we had the best time on this Saturday early morning flight. I blogged about our experience here —
. Please check it out and say hi!

My wife and I were eager to take our sunset tour over the Wine Country of Woodinville to celebrate her birthday. But being rear-​ended altered our plans. My doctor firmly recommended that I skip the flight to avoid the possibility of further damage to my back until I had healed from my accident. My doctor was confident that the owners of the Let’s Go Ballooning/​Over The Rainbow would be understanding that I only wanted to postpone… and not cancel my reservation.
When I called first thing in the morning of our scheduled flight to explain my circumstances, Bill Star informed me there was a strict 48-​hour cancelation policy and that there would be no exceptions, but added that they would «be fair to me when I called to reschedule.» As per their agreement, I was billed half of the agreed price for the two empty spaces in the balloon that evening ($ 225). When I called to find a new date for our flight, Bill told me there was «Zero Credit» for my cancellation and that I would be charged full price for another ride. I explained that I was not asking for anything besides some compassion and understanding, but all I received was a well-​rehearsed company line. I am angry, disappointed and looking at another venue for our next adventure.

An absolutely first rate, top notch experience. We had a beautiful morning to fly… Clear and cool.
Bill, our pilot, gave us the rundown and off we went. The burners kept us warm and the scenery over Woodinville was gorgeous.
We were in a three balloon flight and had the opportunity to get some great pictures of our traveling companions.

This adventure was, literally, Heavenly! A very pleasant, friendly crew greeted us early in the morning and the fun-​yet-​peaceful atmosphere continued throughout. Our «aeronaut» Bill Starr was not only extremely competent but was warm, funny, and thoroughly engaging throughout our flight. We flew over beautiful countryside and at times, looked down on little clouds floating beneath us. Everyone went out of his way to make sure we all were having a terrific adventure, and we left feeling as if we had shared something very special. Thanks to the Over-​The-​Rainbow Team! You’re the best!.

Rex B has the best review lowdown layout! I concur!
Fortunately, we scheduled for a great day and their season selection for going on a balloon ride falls right into that. Although it was hot and noisy at times, it is actually how the hot air balloon works. So, realistically, it was an experience within itself! I love real life experiences and the historical origins being right in front of your face heating you up and just gassing that fire felt awe-​inspiring.
The only one disappointment would be that I expected a sunset ride to actually see the sun setting. I do understand though since the time I attended this event, the sun would have set much later than it would be to be safe or manageable.
As for the service and experience, it was very nice. The gentleman piloting the balloon was very knowledgeable, funny, experienced, professional, and personable. Not one hint of fear from any passengers or staff. That’s because they were so smooth in process and organization; it was well planned and the experience of the entire staff was very apparent.
The after party was my favorite part of the event since we all could learn more about the experience as well as wind down with everyone. There’s more to the package than just the hot air balloon ride and they make it very easy and comforting to ask questions and/​or lean (not only just experience).
I look forward to doing the morning sun rise schedule one day soon! Thanks!

Oh what a night! Definitely an adventure to check off your bucket list. The ride was amazing! Beautiful, peaceful views and an excellent pilot and ground grew. The experience was exhilarating at times and the views, awe inspiring. Loved this whole experience. And a great way to end the evening with wine tasting at Matthew’s winery, superb wines. When do I get to fly again, I’m addicted!

My wife and I took a balloon ride to celebrate her birthday. We had a wonderful experience! The crew is professional and friendly. I highly recommend this experience. So lace up your shoes, pitch a hand in preparing the balloon for flight and jump in the basket. Let the wind take you on an adventure, you never know where you might land…

I cannot thank the staff enough for making my sons dream come true! We surprised our 7 year old with a hot air balloon ride that he has been waiting for 5 years for, and everyone involved just made everything perfect. This was an amazing experience, I highly recommend it and the team went above and beyond our expectations to help us create a lifetime memory.

I couldn’t possibly say enough good about it & sure can’t say anything bad. It was a GREAT experience! It does get warm & slightly loud when the burner lights off (every 30 seconds or so), so be prepared for that.

Best Birthday Balloon ever! lol. This was part of my birthday present from my boyfriend. We were originally going to go the day before my bday, weather was sunny and beautiful, but OBAMA decided to come to seattle and shut down the air space. LAME. So we came a couple days later. It was cloudly but the clouds were high up so we could still see Seattle and the islands to the north.
I really had no idea what to expect. The ride was very smooth and peaceful (besides all the dogs barking below us because they were freaked out!!! lol) We took off in woodinville and landed by Lord Hill off HWY 522. At first I had no idea how we were all going to fit in the basket, it is cozy but we managed to get like 9 people in there!
Then we went back to Matthews Estate Winery and had a little wine with some cheeses and crackers.
I would definitely recommend this activity for an awesome date night! Note that weather conditions have to be pretty flawless to fly so you may have to reschedule with them a few times before you can go.

My fiancé and I are ‘alphabet dating’ to make sure we are thoughtfully planning time with each other. I had the letter «B» and chose balloon ride.
I chose this Woodinville company over Snohomish for price. We later saw the Snohomish balloons launching an hour after us due to their food delay… so it was a good choice for other reasons too!)
The balloons fit 8 people plus the pilot. Our Saturday morning involved two launches. We met at the Woodinville McDonald’s when it opened and loaded into a van. We launched from the field behind the Matby Café.
It was a beautiful day. No jacket required. Word of warning though. Wear a baseball cap! The balloon ride is so quiet and peaceful until they hit the burner… and then it is quite warm on your head, if you are taller than about 5’4″.
We landed at the ball fields by the Hollywood Schoolhouse and were treated to a champagne toast and flight certificates.
The flight was great. The pilot dipped us below the tree level and we plucked pinecones off the trees. It was exhilarating! I’d have loved to fly over my home, but you fly where the wind takes you!

THE GOOD:
We went on an awesome clear day! Words cant do this justice.
THE BAD:
A little hot and noisy at times (But I am really stretching for this one)
THE LOWDOWN:
Great experience from start to finish. The basket was a little crowded, but who doesn’t want an experience like this all to themselves, or at least a little more room?!
Had a champagne (Sparkling Wine) toast at the end. The views were awesome and you can check out 2 photos I took with my phone (I posted them).
So the landing is what I have heard is the worst part about it, but our Pilot Bill set us down on pillows!
When the flame is not going it is as close to being a bird as possible. No noise, you are just drifting with the wind, the views are spectacular and I just can’t say enough about what an Awesome experience this was.
A must do once in your life and I hope to do it again soon.

Flying in a hot air balloon is a really awesome experience. We really liked our pilot, loved that our late afternoon flight ended at a winery with a complimentary tasting, and we were lucky to have gorgeous weather. I didn’t have the best experience with Over the Rainbow in terms of scheduling and payment, though, and that results in my 3 star rating.
For Christmas, we received a gift certificate for a 2 person flight through Soaring Adventures, a Seattle-​based company that charges $ 400 for 2 people to fly with any of 200 some companies across the nation. Over the Rainbow is one of the places with whom you can schedule your flight. Be careful, though, because in the fine print Over the Rainbow states they will only take you on a weekday morning flight with a gift certificate from SA. We called to make a weekday morning flight, but OTR said they weren’t making flight reservations on weekday mornings anymore – only weekend afternoons. We were told, if we wanted to use the GC with them, we would need to pay them an additional $ 120. That would mean paying $ 520 total for an experience OTR themselves only charge $ 420 for. We could have said «forget it», but it would have required us to go to Portland for the next nearest balloon flight experience, staying overnight on our dime only to have to wonder if the weather would be on our side the next morning for a flight to happen.
I explained how unfair I felt they were being about charging us so much more and was unsuccessful until I mentioned the word «scam». Finally, they dropped the added charge to $ 60. Overall, we still ended up having a $ 40 overcharge plus tip for a trip that we felt compelled to add gratuity to because the Pilot and crew were so friendly.
I would fly again, but my experience was soiled by the poor business practice of the business owner so it won’t be with OTR.

Wonderful experience! You meet up at 6am in Woodinville and then carpool over to the launch site (maybe a 10 min drive). The crew was friendly and our pilot did a wonderful job entertaining us.
The balloon seats 8 people (plus capt.) but it also depends on the weight. We had 6 of us (bachelor party) and it was a crystal clear morning with really not much wind (they do morning and evening flights). All of us were just amazed at the experience and would do it again… even though it is pricey.
Just make note that if the wind is too strong then you can’t go up and you’ll have to re-​schedule (the couple that went with us finally got up on their 5^th try… but the company gave them a free complementary flight).
FABULOUS thing to do… and great company to do it with!