I've been on a number of hop-on/hop-off tours throughout Canada and Europe. I particularly enjoy the convenience of quickly digesting information of an area and being whisked around different neighbourhoods. I tend to find the guides are always well trained and on point. I expected no less from Big Bus and purchased a 2 day ticket.
The first day I had a great experience and took the red, blue and yellow tours. The first two tours, the guide was funny (kept cracking Alexander Hamilton jokes), spoke clearly and was a genuine pleasure. I think he was probably one of the better guides I've had to date. Despite the bad weather we had a good time and the guide made the experience.
In the evening I took the yellow tour to Brooklyn. The guide lacked entertainment and I found him rather rude or in a bad mood. I also found his English choppy. There seems to be a number of ESL guides in this company, which isn't a problem but can be problematic for some guests when their English isn't crisp. I didn't really enjoy the information supplied and found overlap in some points of the tour. Most importantly this was advertised as a Brooklyn tour but all we did was travel over the Brooklyn Bridge, loop around and head back to Manhattan. I assumed a bit more time would be spent in the Brooklyn area.
The second day I wasn't really looking forward to the tour but decided to give it another shot. I arrived on time at the Central Park pick-up location and waited a whole hour for the bus to arrive. I noted a sign on the inside of the bus that says "This bus leaves _____ sharp or money refunded upon request". I will certainly be requesting a refund for the green tour I was to take. The bus was late and I was only able to take it for half the time until I had a tour at the Tenement Museum. I would have really enjoyed the remainder of the green tour but found it cut shorter due to obligations. I also found the guide on this tour lacked as much knowledge as our first day guide.
Simply put, I'd prefer to see Big Bus improve on their guides and their tour plans. We really enjoyed the red and blue and highly recommend them to other tourists. The green and especially the yellow left a lot to be desired.
Réponse de l'hôte
May 2019
Good Afternoon ddibiase,
Although, we are happy to hear you've enjoyed our day tours, and our guide was able to make a good experience in light of the rain. We apologize for the confusion, the yellow tours are our Panoramic Night Tour. It is a continuous tour , without the option of hopping-on and off. Our guides are trained to present a commentary that is both informative and enjoyable, explaining the history of different buildings and sights, all while adding information and facts about Manhattan and while tipping is customary in this profession, it is not mandatory and you should not have been made to feel uncomfortable in any way. If you have any information you can provide on both guides and the bus operator or bus number that did not permit you on board. A name, ID, bus number, time of tour or a description, that would be very helpful. We can assure you that your comments will be forwarded to upper management, and corrective action will be taken. Again, we extend our sincerest, we were unable to meet or exceed your expectations. We hope this incident doesn't deter you from touring with us again and we can provide you with the tour you deserve.
Kind Regards,
BBTNY