OMG!! The trip of a lifetime!! From the beginning to the end!! I'll never forget it!!
It was a great tour, but I wouldn't do it again due to the 13.5 hr time it requires. We were picked up at our resort at 6:10 am and didn't get back until 8:30 pm or so. The seats aren't all that comfy, so by the time you start heading back from the Grand Canyon, your poor butt is unhappy with you. And by the time you arrive at your hotel, your butt is furious with you. It's yellin' Get off me! So, that's why the tour gets a 4 and not a 5.
Ok, the stops on the way up to the canyon are pretty good, especially the scenic stop at Bell and Courthouse Rocks in Sedona. Our helicopter trip was changed to a 30-minute flight to the north rim and back to the south rim instead of the 50-minute one we signed up for due to high winds on the east part of the canyon, but it was still pretty awesome. It also meant we got 20 extra minutes on the ground at the south rim at the Bright Angel Lodge where a boatload of tourists go. Our guide, Robert, then took us to 3 much less busy scenic stops along the south rim. Lipan Point was the best and I took several great panoramic shots with my iPhone. The last non bio-break stop was at The Cameron Trading Post on the Navajo reservation where my wife found a very nice bracelet.
The Grand Canyon helicopter tour was a once in a lifetime experience. Beautiful doesn't even begin to cover it. Only disappointment was that we were not able to do the 50 min. tour, but only the 20 min. tour due to weather issues.