Parks and Canyons Tour
Written: Jul 29 '06 (Updated Jul 30 '06)
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Pros: People from several countries, visit National Parks, several cities, exposure to cultural differences
Cons: Contiki secrecy of motels used before booking, lack of time places, and the partying atmosphere.
The Bottom Line: I'd recommend this tour for those who want to explore National Parks and the charms of small towns. Go in with an open mind for new experiences and friendships.
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| travel2010's Full Review: Contiki Holidays |
I recently took the Parks and Canyons tour in June 2006. I enjoyed the 13 day tour. It wasn't perfect and could be improved but I enjoyed my trip.
It was my second Contiki tour and I disliked my first tour in Italy. But I wanted to give the company a second chance and this time was not in the dark about things and did my research ahead as to the history of each place I'd visit. I had a poor tour manager in Italy so missed out on so much.
This experience, I had an amazing tour manager and driver. Both went beyond what was needed to give the 37 of us an amazing trip.
Parks and Canyons is the 2nd leg of the Grand Northern trip so people can do one leg or both. It was a little difficult joining a tour already in progress and I noticed that the people on the Parks and Canyons part stayed together for the most part. I felt at a disadvantage in learning the names.
On the bus there were the introductions, a few games, dvds played, as well as music. The bus stopped every few hours. Lunch stops would be about an hour and we stopped at places where there would be a few locations to choose from. Bathroom stops tended to be at grocery stores or shopping centers like Walmart. We had the bathroom stops as we were told not to use the bathroom on the bus.
The luggage restrictions were not enforced. My suitcase was under the suggested size and weight but suitcases of all sizes were used without any problems.
The hotels and motels used on my trip were the Econo Lodge in Madison, Wisconsin. It was located off of a highway. It lacked elevators so we needed to carry the luggage to the second floor. Food was available across the highway and the group ate at Outback Steakhouse. This was not an included dinner.
In Sioux Falls, we stayed at the Ramada Inn. The included dinner was not great and there was not an option of the food as there was just the one dish. It was a chicken dish. There was a pool with a waterslide. There was also a Tiki Bar. The hotel was the nicest of all the places stayed with a clean room and a comfortable bed.
Deadwood, SD the hotel was the Historic Franklin Inn. The place is old and run down. The lobby is being renovated for $7 Million but not the rooms. There was not much water pressure and the place was loud and dirty. Delivery trucks started at 4am. The partying outside went on all night.
Cody, Wyoming, was the Burl Inn. It was a nice place and possibly just renovated. a Chinese restaurant was next door but service was super slow. A Wendy's was just around the corner though. But we weren't told about that. The included breakfast was at a place called Grandma's and it was fabulous with a few selections. It was the best included breakfast.
At Yellowstone National Park, we stayed at Grant Village. It was close to the lake which was nice. The views were great. Restaurants and a shopping center were in walking distance. The rooms lacked likely due to a reception problem. I also don't believe there was air conditioning.
Salt Lake City, was the Best Western Garden Inn. It was a basic place and the water smelled like sulfur. The included breakfast was at a restaurant but my food was cold.
Kanab, was a Four Season Motel. It is not the Four Seasons but a very basic place. The location was walking distance to a few restaurants and shopping on a street.
In Las Vegas, was America's Best Value Inn. I didn't stay with the group in Vegas so I cannot comment on this motel. It is about a 20 minute walk from the strip. It has been known to have security problems and was on the show Cops. From what I've been told, it is also a dump.
In Anaheim, the Contiki hotel is not included and is a Holiday Inn. I chose to stay elsewhere to be across the street from Disneyland.
Some of the optionals on the trip were a rodeo in Cody, a water rafting experience in Cody down the Shoshone River. It is more of a float trip than a rafting one. It was fun and the views were really nice. You do get very wet. Pictures were $11 if you wanted one. Rubber booties for the feet were $5. We weren't told these were offered before the trip so it made it difficult for those who didn't bring money along.
A group photo was taken at Mt. Rushmore. A helicopter ride was about $400 in Las Vegas. I think it is cheaper to book it yourself instead of through Contiki. A show called Splash was not offered on my trip as not enough signed up for it. A surprise optional was offered in Vegas for $7.
I liked that this trip went to small towns like Deadwood, SD and Wall, SD. Wall was a lunch stop but we were given about 2 hours there. I think the population was about 500 and is known for a drug store. It had a lot of little shops and sold cowboy hats to fudge to taffy.
Deadwood I also enjoyed even though the motel was horrible and noisy. Kevin Costner owns Midnight Star which is a casino/restaurant and it has costumes from some of his movies on the second level. I took a Deadwood tour on my own for $6 and went to the graves of Wild Bill and Calamity Jane. There was also a museum of the history of the town. There was a parade and gunfights on the main street.
The National Parks and monuments we saw included Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Memorial (which is a work in progress), Yellowstone had geysers and a lot of walking. Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park. We stopped at Devil's Tower, the Badlands, and the Grand Tetons for shorter stops.
The tour said that we would see 10 states. This is technically true but I don't consider that I saw Idaho after stopping a a discount store for 30 minutes. The drive to Idaho also was a longer route to Salt Lake City so we arrived there about 6pm, not really experiencing that city either.
With a 13 day tour, I knew I wouldn't get as much time as I would like places but I took the tour to get an overview of the National Parks and where I would like to return. I also tried to separate myself from the group in places to interact with the locals.
Contiki is known for being a drinking tour. I thought there would be less of that on this one as we were going to smaller towns but what happened was that there were drinking parties in the rooms every night. Most of the group participated in this but not everyone.
The members of the tour group were mostly Australians but there were also New Zealanders, Americans, and Europeans. One was from South Africa and another from Italy.
It was nice that stops were made at the grocery stores so that we could stock up on water or buy items that we forgot to bring. It also exposed a little culture of the city visited as different parts of the United States are so different.
The included food usually consisted of beef or chicken. Buffalo was available at Mt. Rushmore, Jackson Hole Wyoming, and at Movietown in Kanab Utah. Elk was available at Jackson Hole as well.
The tour starts out slow at a relaxed paced then kicks it up a notch as it goes on. The mornings usually started early with 8am departures. There is a lot of driving on the tour and covers about 3500 miles. So this makes for some all day bus drives.
I'd recommend this tour as long as you go in with an open mind to experience all there is to offer. The accommodations are 1 diamond or less in quality. Make the experience your own and you will have a great time.
Update: I realized I left out a few key pieces of information. The tour started in Chicago. It starts about 8am so you need to arrive at least the day before and that night is on your own to pay for. The Contiki hotel was a Best Western in downtown Chicago and a very convenient location.
The tour ends in Anaheim, CA and about 4:30pm. Again this night is not included. The Contiki headquarters are in Los Angeles so the bus is going back to wear it started from. Some on my tour stayed in Las Vegas.
The state the tour visits or just passes through are: Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota (drove through the state), South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho (stop at discount store), Utah, Arizona (The Grand Canyon Northern Rim), Nevada, and California.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Singles
Tour type: Group
Tour format: Bus
Tour length: Over a Week
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Epinions.com ID:
travel2010
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Member: Rebecca
Location: North Carolina
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 0 members
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