Compass Balloons — Attraction in Encinitas

Awesome hot air balloon ride! Would definitely recommend for anyone who's never done it before. The crew are all nice guys and our pilot Ryan was very cool! He's knowledgeable and knows some great stories about the area and balloons. They even serve champagne and snacks on landing which was unexpected and very pleasant.

Only had a few issues: We did the 5am Temecula sunrise tour in a shared basket.

Had to wake up at ~330am to get there on time (not a big deal). The forecast was extremely cloudy all day so I called the number to ask if the clouds will ruin the ride and if I should reschedule: no answer. My call went to a voicemail box which was full, and it asked if I wanted to send an SMS notification which was never responded to either (unprofessional).

The website lists the tour as 5-7:45am. However, you arrive at 5am to fumble around in a parking lot while they check in the wandering lot of people.

Next, you pile into a stretched white fan with 10+ other humans and drive to a nearby winery so that everyone can use the bathroom. Meanwhile, they set off a helium party balloon with an LED attached to it so they can read the wind and decide where to take off from. Even after everyone was done in the restroom, we sat around for an additional 10-20 minutes while they unleashed a second LED balloon.

After the restroom stop, we all climbed back into the van and drove another 10 minutes to their chosen launch site. Once we arrived, it took them at least 30 minutes to get the balloons inflated. Although it was cool seeing the balloons come to life, I'm still on the fence whether it was worth the time. You have the option to wait in the warm van while they set up, but they readjust the van every 5 minutes and bump around in this uneven field nonstop (this thing has no shocks by the way).

Finally, we board the basket and begin the ride. The ride itself lasted between 30-45 minutes and was very enjoyable.

Bottom line: I understand there's finer details, and the launch site is never consistent since it's based on the wind that day; but it's 2021, time is valuable, and I want to drive somewhere, get out of my car, and hop on a balloon that's already inflated and waiting for me. I don't like being mislead from the website thinking it's a 3 hour ride when really it's 2.5hrs of watching guys do their job while waiting in a van, then 30 minutes of balloon riding. Would definitely ride with them again and try the San Diego sunset tour, and would still recommend them to friends, just want everyone to know what they're getting into.

Side note: I paid for a $20 T-shirt when I ordered from the website. No one ever brought it up and I never received a T-shirt. I guess I should've asked about it and made sure I didn't leave...

I took my daughter last week on Father's day. It was our way of celebrating what is usually a sad day for us. It was our first time and both of us were very nervous. NGL, at first it looked kind of sketchy. A rinky dink unmarked van with a trailer in back. One of the staff (Hector) asked me my name and if I was there for the balloon ride. I said you tell me my name if you really work there lol. Then I saw his shirt that clearly read Compass Balloons and we laughed about it. Ryan (the pilot) and the rest of his staff were extremely nice, patient, and professional. They kept us informed and educated every step of the way. They were just all around cool people. Most importantly they made us feel safe. Ryan talked throughout the whole ride and it was like a party in the air (it was all adults on this ride). It was all around an amazing experience and from the moment we lifted off to the moment we landed i didn't feel nervous at all. It was all smooth sailing. I was also grateful for them working on Fathers day when they could have been with their families instead. But everyone was so upbeat and positive. It was such a great vibe and I would recommend experiencing this 1000% the view was amazing and sunset was breathtaking! A few things to know. Actual balloon ride is only 45-85 minutes. Ours was 80 min (1 hour and 20 min) You don't need to bring heavy jackets. It's warmer up there than it is on the ground (according to staff) all the women were perfectly fine with just a regular top (but it was June) They do provide beverages. Water, soda and champagne. Use the restroom at Valero gas station before you leave. It will be your last chance for several hours. Now as I write this review, there is a viral clip going around of a hot air balloon ride in Brazil catching on fire and plummeting to the ground. And unfortunately all 21 people on board died. But I bring that up not to scare you but to say, these guys were so safety oriented, professional and knowledgeable that I'm convinced that could never happen with this team. So if you happen to come across those videos don't let it detour you from this magical experience. I don't write long reviews like this but I felt it was important to share all this information. Thanks again Compass Balloons for the memory me and my daughter will...

I wish I could give this place zero stars. I was excited to celebrate my anniversary with my husband on a hot air balloon ride but unfortunately the day before our ride I started to feel sick. I took a Covid test & it was negative. Felt even worse the day of our ride, took another test & it was positive. My husband called in order to try & reschedule & we were told that we would need to pay another $100 each in order to reschedule. I spoke to Evan who is apparently the manager & he was very rude & basically told me that it was my fault for having Covid & that I should be able to go on the ride anyway because everyone goes out with Covid nowadays. First of all, I don’t want to spread Covid & cases are going up here so I could have gotten it from literally anywhere. Second, I understand that he’s trying to run a business but he did not have to talk to me like that. Very unprofessional. This tells me that he does not care about the health & safety of his customers so beware. I will make sure to let everyone I know how rude & unprofessional the owner of this company is. The next time I choose to go on a hot air balloon ride, it certainly won’t be with...