Overall a good experience and a great way to see Martha’s Vineyard. Had we not added the ‘optional’ island bus tour, I don’t think we would have rated this as highly. (Perhaps if you’ve been to the island before and are simply looking to go shop the shops…but even then you’d do better taking your own car to have the freedom and flexibility to get yourself back to your accommodations when you’ve had your fill). Anyway, the bus from Boston picked us up right in front of our hotel, which was very convenient. The bus driver was very engaging and a local, so she was able to provide some fun commentary to and from the ferry.
The island bus tour was driven by a native of the island, who also provided commentary throughout. We could not have gotten a better driver or a better person to tell us all about the history and evolution of the island. Hands down - the best part of this trips bf the best way to see all of the island. Definitely should add this to your tour, otherwise, you’ll not get to see all the other little towns that are away from where the ferry drops you off.
The only downside to this tour that keeps it from being 5 out of 5 is the amount of time allotted for hanging out in town before taking the return ferry from the island and getting the bus back to Boston. It’s too much time. I believe we had 2.5 hours after the island bus tour. An hour would have been enough, as we basically wanted to grab a bite to eat (it was around 2pm at that point) and then we were ready to head back home. We could have caught the next ferry after getting lunch and been back to Boston well before traffic, but we still had another hour and half to wait before our bus would be back at the ferry terminal on the Cape. In taking an informal survey of the other folks on our bus, they also would have been fine coming back on the earlier ferry. As it was, it made for a much longer day than advertised - don’t plan on trying to do anything else after this tour as you will be gone all day. Overall, a good experience. Next time though, we would opt to handle our own transportation to and from the ferry terminal.
Відповідь від хоста
Sep 2021
Thank you for the 4 star review. You are certainly entitled to your opinion, though I would beg to stronly differ with your informal survey. You would not believe the number of guests that I've spoken to that have wished that they could have stayed on the island longer. I've been doing this for a long time and I know that you can't please everyone, but I think that we come pretty close. Most of our guests thoroughly enjoy their free time on the island. About the trip being longer than advertised, again I strongly disagree as it is exactly as advertised.. We stick to a precise schedule, and the only thing that throws it off is traffic and we always explain that possibly to anyone that asks. Boston is a major city and unfortunately there is traffic. Also keep in mind the vast majority of our guests don't have vehicles with them. I am glad that you enjoyed your time with our guides.
Sincerely,
Stephen M. Belcastro
President
New England Trips Inc.