My husband and I took the Grand Canyon South Rim tour on Saturday, January 6th -- Despite a couple of glitches along the way, Sweetours has a really good thing going and I am glad we took our Grand Canyon excursion with them!
Recommendations to others:
- Be careful about scheduling plans for after the tour—you might get back later than you expect! (See below.) Also, be ready for an early start (6:30am or so).
- Depending on the time of year you visit (we were there in January), do yourself a favor and pack a warm hat, some gloves and even a coat - or wear super-thick layers. Though we’re both well accustomed to cold weather, we were surprised what a chill we had!
What was excellent:
- First, our guide and driver, Luana, was wonderful. She was knowledgeable and friendly, and showed great grace under pressure as things went way off schedule late in the day (more about that below)
- The packaging of the breakfasts and lunches were very much appreciated. Nothing fancy, but our needs were pretty simple. Late in the day, a few of us picked up subs at one of the shops we stopped at, which took us through the final leg of the trip.
- We also enjoyed the stops along the way at Hoover Dam and the shops along Route 66, where we’re decently sure we met the actual Marlboro Man. 😉
- There’s a charming lounge/waiting area at the GC lodge where the bus tours reconvene at the end of the day – it’s hard to beat warming up by a fire, drinking a hot cup of whatever you ask for. (They also have snacks, FYI.)
What was less than perfect (glitch at the end of the day):
- Late finish: As we arrived at the Grand Canyon, we were told that if anyone didn't arrive back to the bus on time, they would be left behind to find their own way back to Vegas, and all aboard agreed this was fair. Unfortunately, one extremely discourteous passenger (who had also kept the bus waiting at the Hoover Dam stop) simply disappeared at the end of the day -- many people theorized she had taken an earlier bus back, but instead of leaving her behind as we had been advised would happen to anyone who wasn't at the meeting spot on time, everyone aboard the bus had to sit and wait a full 90 minutes while Luana (driver) sought direction from her manager, and then word from the park rangers. Many of us had evening reservations in Las Vegas -- some included flights! -- which were missed. In future, I hope they will advise passengers that the buses are not allowed to leave anyone behind, that such a lack of courtesy will impact the other guests and the driver. Luana did a stellar job of keeping everyone from losing their minds and drove like a pro to help us make up lost time.
Soooo, all this said, despite a couple of snafus, this is still very much a trip worth taking!