This was a highlight for my trip to Oregon. Sarah was an excellent tour guide. It was such a relaxed and beautiful day. I highly recommend this tour.
I will be honest - this tour did not go exceptionally well, and it had great potential. Our tour guide, Carrie, was very friendly and knowledgeable. However, time management on the tour was an issue. Firstly, she did not have contact information for one of her pickups, and when we arrived at their hotel, it turned out they were not coming on the tour at all...this took up about 10-15 minutes that could have been avoided had she called every individual the morning of the tour to confirm that we were all still attending. This was poor planning in my opinion. All in all, the personalized pickups took far too long, and should have begun earlier in the morning. I was one of the first pickups and was not picked up until about 8:55 AM, when the tour was supposed to begin at 9 AM. I would hardly call driving around to 5 different hotels in a crowded bus a tour.
The various waterfalls that we viewed were wonderful. However, the tour did not allow much time for us to hike or explore the trails. That was disappointing. I would have much preferred less stops along the way, and more ability to explore, say, 1 or 2 waterfalls, as opposed to stopping to see 5 or 6 different locations for 10 minutes each. Again, time management seemed a bit off there.
We also stopped at the Mt. Hood Vineyard for the sole reason that ONE person on our tour wanted to stop there. ONE PERSON! It was not a planned part of the tour, and I think it was outrageous that we wasted 10-15 minutes again at a stop that was completely uneventful for 9/10 of the parties in the bus. If you want to go on a wine tour, go on a wine tour!
The absolute worst part of this debacle was our ascent to Mt. Hood. I guess Carrie does not have a contact at the lodge at the top of Mt Hood to check the weather...because once we got near the top, it was near blizzard conditions. We got stuck behind several cars. We had to GET OUT OF THE VAN and literally help PUSH cars out of snow ruts. We then had to do the same thing for our van. It is a blessing that none of the older gentlemen on our tour had a heart attack. By the time we actually got out of the snow, there was no time to even stop at the lodge. Everyone was out of breath, cold, wet, and agitated. We had literally wasted over 2 hours driving up and down a mountain for absolutely no reason.
Now, I understand that the weather was out of Carrie's control. But I believe that much of this could have been prevented with better planning:
1. Better planned pickups. Call everyone morning of the tour to confirm everyone is still on board and ready to go.
2. No unscheduled stops. This is NO ONE's personal tour - it is a group tour.
3. Less stops, more exploration at the better stops. I'd rather have a fantastic experience at 2 or 3 waterfalls than just get a couple of pics at 5 or 6 locations. Each time you stop the bus and unload the passengers, you use up more time.
4. If you are driving up a mountain in a vehicle that can't handle snow, BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THE WEATHER IS SAFE! We should never have been put in that situation. It truly was a disaster.
I do not mean to personally attack Carrie, and I'm sure she is an excellent tour guide, but the planning on this tour was just abysmal. I am only giving it two stars rather than one because I think the sights are breathtaking - so with proper planning, the right guide, and good weather, this tour has potential to be a great one.
The van was comfortable for an all-day tour. Tom was an excellent tour guide. He was personable, ready to offer suggestions for changing the agenda due to inclement weather, and very knowledgeable. Couldn't have had a better day!