First, the good things:
1. Our driver/tour guide was great! She shared all the history and the stories of every scenic vista, she knew exactly where to go. She picked us up right on time 6:45am and dropped us off right on time too.
2. The lunch was good and exactly what we ordered.
3. The other passengers were interesting and good conversation was had all around.
The only thing I'd improve is the vehicle/seating situation. Our driver picked us up in a large SUV a Yukon or Suburban, I think that seats 8. And, just as a 4-person tent doesn't really work for 4 people, an 8-seat vehicle is really, really tight for 8 people on a 9-hour tour. My kids and I sat in the third row, which is fairly debilitating after several hours. Also, one really cannot see anything back there. Like, really, nothing. The window coverage is minimal back there. The driver kept pointing out interesting things on the left you'll see this erratic rock ... and we never saw any of it. Yes, we did switch seats a few times, but that was just too many people in that vehicle for a sightseeing trip. I'd gently suggest either fewer people in that ride, or use something like a 12-passenger or 15-passenger van with bench seats and more window coverage.
Small group just 5 of us with our own personal driver Mary in an SUV which personalized the day the lunch was tasty .definately the way to see the park I wouldn't do it any other way .didnt have to worry about parking or driving or finding my way around Mary did it all
Our tour guide Pat was fantastic nothing was to much trouble and his experience showed through knowing where the best spots were.