My husband and I recently purchased an Internet package for a tour of the Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam for 8/4/05. We were told to board the bus at 3rd & Carson at 5:45 AM. The bus arrived at 2nd & Carson at 6:00 AM, and the driver got off the bus, and waved for us to walk a block down to meet the bus.
We spent the next forty minutes picking up passengers from various hotels, and were then deposited at the National Vitamin Company, where we were loaded onto two different buses, and given the option of purchasing a $10 movie at the Grand Canyon (IMAX.instead of picking up/dropping off passengers, would it not be more practical to start the tour from the Company?
At 7:45 AM, our tour started, Bus #22, driver, Earl. We stopped for five minutes at Hoover Dam, supposedly fifteen minutes at a truck stop, when actually it was (30 minutes), due to tardiness of the passengers returning to the coach. The coach restroom had a puddle of urine on the floor, from someone missing the hole and striking the rim of the toilet, therefore, making this facility inaccessible and producing an odor. Another suggestion at these stops would be to stagger the arrival times so the washroom facilities would be easily accessible, or choose a larger facility which could accommodate 5-6 buses at one time.
When we arrived at 12:40 PM at IMAX, we were told we had to wait until 1:30 PM for the movie, which was shown hourly. At 2:45 PM, we were still at IMAX waiting for movie participants to return to the coach, and clouds had begun to form. Apparently, the movie had been twenty minutes late in starting. This could have been eliminated if the driver had checked to see if the 12:30 show had started.
Upon arrival to the Grand Canyon, after a five hour ride, it was thundering, lightening, and raining. If the driver had adhered to schedule, we would have arrived in plenty of time to have seen the Canyon in clear weather, and been on our return trip. We were at the Grand Canyon for one hour, and when it was time to depart, several passengers were tardy, and the driver kept letting people off the bus to go buy drinks/souvenirs. Departing the Canyon, we were 1-1/2 hours behind schedule. We did not return to our hotel until 10:15 PM. What should have been a thirteen hour tour had turned into a sixteen hour nightmare. I agree it was totally inconsiderate for some to spoil the trip for all, however, the driver should have been able to control the schedule.instead of pleasure and enjoyment, all I remember is the bus trip from H*! Fifteen hours of this tour is spent on the bus, not actually touring.
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