The Grand Canyon was breathtaking. The trip with this company to and from was about enjoyable as a visit to the dentist.
Our party of four felt misled by the pre trip information provided by this tour company. After finally being able to travel by plane maskless, this company’s policy requiring masks during this 11 hour tour was very unappealing. Knowing how much things have changed recently I called prior to our scheduled trip and was advised by a company rep. that masks were no longer mandatory but optional. The only exception being the time spent at locations within the Navajo Nation where masking was still required by tribal regulations. During that same conversation I asked how many other people would be in the van with my group of 4. The response..”just a few”.
When the van arrived to pick us up, those assurances proved to be worthless. Not only were there 6 people already crowded onto the tour van ( for me, an 6 additional people on a van are not “just a few”) but our tour guide, Al, informed us that a mask had to be worn at all times in the van. I couldn’t help but notice that our tour guide Al, who talked non stop for the entire time we were in the van, was wearing nothing more than a company logo bandana as his protective face covering. At this point everyone knows those cloth masks are useless in preventing the spread of Covid, so Covid protection was obviously not that high a priority.
A note about the van. Not including the tour guide, 11 of us were crowded into a shuttle van that would have been cramped for a 15 minute ride from a hotel to the airport. Spending most of a day, traveling over 200+miles in a confined space was no fun. Our group had taken a tour the day before with another company where the tour operator had rearranged the seating to slightly reduce capacity but greatly increase passenger comfort. It is unfortunate this tour company seems more concerned with “packing them in”.
Our guide Al, was hardworking and did his best to be pleasant. However, his ability to talk at rapid speed almost incessantly became irritating after about an hour. Al obviously enjoys talking, unfortunately to the point where interesting information became engulfed and lost in the tidal wave of verbiage he launched at the group. Having a boarded up Sizzler restaurant and local sporting good store pointed out, as well as other inconsequential sights were examples of the ceaseless commentary Al seemed to feel he was obliged to provide. It was difficult to even get a question in between the seemingly non stop narratives.
Between the needless masks, cramped conditions and endless narrative from our tour guide the trip was a test of endurance. I can not recommend this tour operator.
Ответ от хоста
May 2022
We get it right more than we get it wrong as you can see by our standing and total number of reviews. We encourage and offer a private tour for folks who have a more rigorous demand regarding space and evolving mask mandates. We also prefer folks to contact our office while the tour is in progress which allows us to solve problems more quickly than post tour reviews which don't allow for active solutions for guests. While we find your comments on a hardworking guide insulting, we are making him aware of your complaints as our team is always looking to improve.