OVERALL-
I do not recommend this tour.
I booked the Grand Tour for my friend and I in January for 8am. This tour came highly reviewed on both TripAdvisor and Viator which is why I booked. The booking process was simple. The days leading up to the tour was filled with communication which I appreciated. The day before I’m told to be ready for pick up at 7:45am.
At 7:45 sharp Giselle our tour guide arrives. We were instructed to keep our face masks on for the entire bus ride. Fine. We pick up two more couples, and head to our first stop Laura’s Plantation. We arrive at 9am, and use the restrooms then we are told that we have to wait an hour until our tour starts. We were all very confused because Giselle did pick us all up a little early, and for what? We just awkwardly check out the tiny gift shop area and plantation display as we wait. 10am arrives and the tour finally begins.
Laura’s plantation was beautiful. The tour was 1 hour long and filled with lots of painful knowledge and history. I enjoyed this tour, and recommend it.
At 11:50am we arrive at Houmas House for lunch. We’re told we have 1 hour and 15 mins to enjoy the buffet. The menu includes; fried catfish, rice, gumbo, seafood Etoufee, bbq chicken, beans, salad, and bread pudding. food was alright nothing special. In the middle of lunch Giselle explains that we only have 30 mins left and that we should be exploring the property. Some of us were once again confused because we thought we had 1 hr + to eat and then have time explore the property before our tour. We used the best of the 30 mins we could, but the property is huge and very well taken care of, I must say.
The tour of the home was great. The tour guide wasn’t the nicest person to a few people in my group but he was very informed, and I learned a lot about the property and New Orleans.
Airboat tour, was absolutely terrible. Our tour guide wasn’t informed at all. He talked a total of two sentences the entire trip. The weather was terrible and we shouldn’t have been allowed to enter the boat. We painfully sat on the boat for over an hour as we went in circles in 30 degree weather. We saw no wild life. We werent even in any drop of water 90% of the time. We were literally going big circles while our tour guide scrolls Facebook. Like i said terrible experience over all.
OVERALL-
I do not recommend this tour. The price point is way too high for what you’re getting. The tour guide Giselle doesn’t like when you go to the restroom more than 2 times in an 8 hour period. Although punctual, Giselle was cold. She talks the entire bus ride and it does get quite overwhelming. I also was very disappointed when I got back on the bus and heard from another girl touring with us that Giselle was complaining about me. Not okay, please do better. Allow people to use the restrooms, and be kinder. You’re better off just booking the plantation tours yourself and the airboat as well (as long as it isn’t in the winter).
Odpowiedź od gospodarza
Feb 2022
Thank you for your review, I am glad you listed all that you liked: our good communication, our guide being on time, the Laura Plantation tour being beautiful, the variety of the lunch items, Houmas House tour being great, I am sorry you were cold on the airboat, this January has been unusually cold and there is a lot more wildlife to see at any other time! Our boat captains do check the radar on their phones (NOT Facebook!) to keep you safe and dry!
Please come back in the summer time!
Cordially,
Isabelle C.