Grand Canyon revealed in eight-hour tour from Las Vegas.
Written: Mar 06 '06
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Pros: Efficient and professional service for our express tour.
Cons: Consider tour length - you might wish you'd chosen a longer one!
The Bottom Line: Consider Scenic Airlines for a great tour experience of the Grand Canyon. We'd do it again.
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| j_m_coutts's Full Review: Scenic Airlines |
Scenic Airlines’ “Grand Canyon Deluxe Tour” in which we participated offers hotel pick-up and drop-off, a return flight from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon, and a bus tour at the Canyon, which stops at two lookout points. A buffet-style lunch is also included.
Our tour began at our Las Vegas hotel, Treasure Island, where a tour bus picked us up at 6:35 AM. We drove to the North Las Vegas airport (not McCarran, which is the international airport), and waited only about 45 minutes for our flight to board. The DeHavilland Dash-8 used for our flight is a very small plane: anyone over about 5’ (150 cm) will have to bend over to board the plane. Tall folks (over 6’ or 180 cm) will likely feel quite cramped. Claustrophobic people or those afraid of flying in general might feel emotionally uncomfortable. The seats are reminiscent of a children’s school bus, somehow. But the windows are large and the aerial views are spectacular, which make the cramped quarters seem less of an inconvenience. A narrated tour through headsets gives passengers information about the scenery below, including histories of the cities of Las Vegas and Boulder City (NV), Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.
Upon landing at the Grand Canyon airport (very small, though they handle many flights per day), a tour bus awaited to take us sightseeing. We went first to Mather Point and, after 45 minutes or so of exploring, we boarded the bus again to head for Bright Angel Lodge and the surrounding area. Again, we had nearly an hour to walk around. Then, back on the bus and off to the Canyon Star restaurant, located at The Grand Hotel. There, a buffet lunch was provided, included in the price of the tour. It wasn’t spectacular, but certainly was tasty and filling. All too quickly, we were back at the airport and boarding our flight back to Las Vegas. A shuttle bus waited at the North Las Vegas Airport to take us back to our hotel. We arrived there around 3:30 PM.
We chose this tour because it offered a quick though fairly comprehensive tour of the Canyon. The bus tours that leave Las Vegas take approximately four to five hours to reach the Canyon by road, and our vacation time was too precious to waste on crossing the Mojave Desert by bus. So, the flight was mostly a convenience issue for us. Of course, the views from the air were well worth the extra cost over a bus tour.
The cost of this tour is 279 USD per person if booked through Scenic Airlines’ website. In the course of my exhaustive research in my never-ending quest to shave unnecessary costs (OK, I’m cheap!), I found a steal-of-a-deal coupon at www.destinationcoupons.com, which offers a 2-for-1 price cut. I was skeptical (as a wise traveler always should be), so I contacted Scenic directly to confirm that this was a legitimate offer and they would honour the coupon. They agreed it was genuine, though I had to book through DestinationCoupons (follow the links provided on the page) instead of the tour operator’s website. The result: both my husband and I were able to experience this tour for a total of $279. Can’t beat that! This coupon is still available online as of the date I write this review (6 March 2006).
We certainly enjoyed our trip, and have wonderful pictures of this awe-inspiring sight. Incidentally, we made this trip on 2 March 2006 – well before most tourists get hopping to check it out. We found that the park was almost deserted, though the weather was quite nice (I wish I’d worn shorts instead of jeans, but then, I’m Canadian). As this is the desert, the weather can vary substantially. Our bus driver told us they had about two feet of snow at that time, last year. Whatever the weather, the luxury of visiting in March is that you can stroll around like you own the place. Walk right up to the handrails of the lookout points for the most spectacular views, no need to worry about elbowing your way into an advantageous position for a photo. The complete lack of crowds was a pleasant surprise for me.
If you’re looking for a quick sideline from the “hustle and flow” of Las Vegas and care to check out one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, I would highly recommend taking this tour with Scenic Airlines. They offer several departures daily, and several tour itineraries to choose from if this one isn’t your style. I would definitely travel with Scenic again or recommend them to a friend for a great Grand Canyon experience. I found the staff to be friendly and efficient and our bus drivers were humorous and well informed. They appreciate gratuities for their services, and our drivers certainly earned the tips we gave them.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Friends
Tour type: Group
Tour format: Various
Tour length: One Day
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Epinions.com ID:
j_m_coutts
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Member: Jennifer
Location: Alberta, Canada
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 0 members
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