The write-ups of this tour made me think I was going to see much more than I did and spend more time looking at the Grand Canyon, but the truth is that this tour helped me to see as much as is physically possible in one day when you're starting out in Phoenix. The "Overview" of the tour is exactly right: this is a very ambitious trip to take on one's own and I was glad to hand over the planning and guesswork to the experts. What mostly threw me was how they phrased this as including "a 4-hour tour of the Grand Canyon," which made me think I'd be looking at the Grand Canyon for 4 hours. Instead, we spent a total of about 2 hours driving from viewpoint to viewpoint along the southern rim and had what felt like an average of 20 minutes at each spot, plus more at our first stop to eat a lunch. These were breathtakingly gorgeous viewpoints and every time I'd have to be coaxed repeatedly that it was time to return to the car.
We took the Grand Canyon Loop tour with Noel as our guide. Arizona Scenic Tours's website suggests that this tour includes options for stopping on the way out. We did stop for bathroom breaks, but I'm glad that we didn't stop for sightseeing along the way. Noel also took us from east to west along the south rim - probably to get to a less-crowded lunch stop compared to one at Grand Canyon Village.
I'm so thankful for all the information that Noel provided on our drive out. He continued to provide commentary at each of our stops, but I was too focused on capturing the views for posterity to stay near him when I was out of the car. The exception was near the end of our Grand Canyon stops when Noel treated us to his favorite spot for taking fake "falling off the cliff" photos. The angle makes it appear as though the edge is a sheer drop-off, when in fact, there's a safe level just 3 feet down. It's a perfect spot for posing with the canyon right behind you.
My daughter and I were a party of two, so we were picked up second and put in the way-back of the van while the party of 3 got the front passenger seat and middle row. As a middle-aged lady, it got tiresome to keep having to scramble into the way-back seat. In addition, I was on the left side of the car, which never got the best views. But I'm thankful for Noel when he made a point to turn around and stop when he spotted an elk so that we could all see it.
I'm glad that I finally got to see the Grand Canyon for the first time in my life. This trip to Phoenix would not have allowed a longer excursion to do it justice. For that, you'd have to stay in Flagstaff at the very least. But if you're in the same situation, then Arizona Scenic Tours is the best way to go.