Lvlvpatricia_0139
Mar 2024
I was a little disappointed in this tour to be honest. Apparently tour departure and arrival times vary everyday depending on the mood of the tour guide "mamma." Online, most tours claimed to depart Las Vegas at 12 noon. However, we learned the night before we had to leave by 9am. The itinerary also seems to fluctuate, which is evident in the many reviews on TripAdvisor from passengers who all had different experiences.
For starters, "mamma" spent the first part of the trip rapidly talking about her past life in San Francisco and all the tours she's given. Her rapid speech and reckless driving was a little concerning for passengers. There were several times she drove on the wrong side of the road, even when going around turns! She even stopped talking at times to take personal calls.
One of the first stops on the tour is a winery at 10:30am. Why we stopped there so early to drink wine was a mystery to the passengers!? The winery portion of this trip only lasted about 1 hour. Honestly, it's a completely unnecessary part of this tour and did not contribute to the Death Valley experience at all.
After the winery, "mamma" takes you on winding roads through Death Valley at approx. 100mph with a full belly of wine. Many passengers got sick and complained of her driving, but she laughed it off. She asked, "Do you want me to go 10mph?" in a very sarcastic tone.
The first stop inside Death Valley is Dante's Peak. "Mamma" asked us if we wanted to climb a very steep peak to take pictures at an overlook. I glanced over to other members of my group to see if they were interested given their fear of heights. "Mamma" rolled her eyes thinking we were delaying the tour and said we only have "10 seconds" of her time to decide. Needless to say, we had no interest in following her up the peak so we stood in the parking lot and waited on her to conduct a photo shoot with other passengers.
Other stops inside Death Valley included Zebribski's Point and Artist's Palette. "Mamma" spent hours yelling at us to keep up while hiking and pose better for her pictures. She was very forceful and demanding during photography. I wish I would have known she planned to take over 1,500 photos of us that day because I would've dressed nicer.
By the time we got to Badwater Basin it was completely dark. You do not get a photo in front of the famous sign like advertised in the photos on Tripadvisor. "Mamma" asked us to walk across the salt flats in complete darkness because she claimed her eyes could lead us in the dark better than using flashlights.
The stargazing was fun, but only lasted maybe 1.5 hours? We saw a few shooting stars and watched "mamma" spend the majority of the time photographing other members of the tour group. We got 5mins of her time during stargazing for photos. She could tell my party was pretty disappointed in the tour, so I think she was avoiding us at this point.
The only reason I gave this tour 2 stars is because of the experience my family had in the national park when "mamma" wasn't around . I would like to return to this park in the future with a different tour company. In the future, I would rather have a respectful tour guide that drove safely. The photos we received of my family looking sweaty after hours of hiking was not worth the trouble of dealing with "mamma."
Ответ от хоста
Mar 2024
Hello, Patricia.
Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding your recent tour experience. We've conducted an internal investigation into the concerns you raised, and we'd like to address them.
Firstly, I want to assure you that the departure time for our tours is carefully planned and based on factors such as sunset time to ensure travelers have ample daylight hours to explore the National Park. While departure times may vary slightly depending on specific circumstances, we strive to communicate any changes effectively to our guests.
Regarding the tour guide, "mamma," we take passenger safety and satisfaction very seriously. We've noted your concerns about her behavior and driving style. However, it's important to mention that we've received overwhelmingly positive feedback from other travelers on the same tour, with many giving us 5-star reviews. This suggests that your experience may have been an isolated incident.
Additionally, the itinerary for our tours is designed to provide a comprehensive and enjoyable experience for all our guests. Stops such as the winery visit are included to offer a variety of experiences along the way, and we apologize if this part of the tour did not meet your expectations.
We understand your disappointment and take your feedback seriously. We strive to continuously improve our services and ensure that all our guests have a memorable and enjoyable experience. We appreciate your input and hope you'll consider giving us another opportunity to exceed your expectations in the future.
Thank you for choosing our tour company, and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.
Best regards,
iTravel USA