Okay so, the 3 day tour as a whole was amazing and we loved every second. Our tour guide Eddie was very considerate and informative and made sure that we all knew what was happening and provided interesting facts and explanations of where we were, why and what we were going to see. There were some instances where other members of the tour did not adhere to very clear instructions such as times and considerations to other passengers but Eddie dealt with it perfectly to ensure all passengers were comfortable and had an enjoyable experience!
The itinerary was pretty much spot on and stop over locations were as good as you would expect from the price. Tbh, I was expecting real cheap motel type places but the hotels were a pleasant surprise. Big rooms, clean and WiFi/breakfast available. As long as you are not expecting the ritz, they are perfectly fine.
Time spent in each location was just about right, not too short and not too long! I learnt to trust the guide with how long we had to spend somewhere as after a couple of stops thinking 45 mins isn’t enough, you quickly learn that it is more than and there are more places we need to get to that were a surprise to us.
That brings me to the itinerary, this is the only problem and it’s not a fault to the tour operator but more the place we purchased the tour from. We were not informed of the full day by day itinerary prior to boarding the bus. This meant, due to knowing how long it takes to get to Canada, we presumed we wouldn’t be riding the maid of the mist on day 1. WRONG! Day 1 involved many activity’s to break up the journey including Niagara and the maid of the mist. Most of the passengers were in the same boat as we were not prepared or dressed for the occasion however, Eddie arranged for passengers to be able to access the luggage hold at a stop and get whatever they needed to be comfortable. The day ended with crossing the boarder into Canada in Niagara where we stayed the night and were able to venture down to the falls and view fireworks at 10 and enjoy the nightlife. Day 2 we went back to the falls in the morning while it was peaceful and then continued with the rest of the tour. We didn’t spend as long as we thought we would have in Toronto it was only a few hours however, the rest of the tour made up for this.
Our bus driver Clarence was extremely friendly and greeted everyone as they left and boarded EVERY TIME! And it’s little things like that that made the trip better.
I would fully recommend the tour to anyone thinking of visiting New York and I kind of miss the group as a whole now we are back to our own devices. If you are thinking of going to Niagara, take this tour as I believe you will enjoy it more than if you did it on your own for a day or 2