We had a deal for the Las Vegas Explorer Pass with 3 attractions and the Big Bus Hop On/Hop Off tour was a big deciding factor in our purchase. To redeem our pass we had to head to the stop outside Circus Circus. This is where both the Strip and Downtown tours depart from. There is no office so look for the staff in neon yellow shirts near the Slots o Fun building.
We weren't sure how crowded the bus would be during St. Patrick's Day/March Madness week so we got to the stop in time for the first tour. You will want a seat on the top deck.
We started the day with the Strip tour. We had Tyree as our guide and Richard as our driver and if it were up to that experience alone this would have been a 5 Star review. Tyree kept all riders engaged and shared lots of information about the Strip. We visit Las Vegas one to two times a year so we felt like experts but we learned some new facts which paid for the pass. Tyree had great suggestions on restaurants in town. The staff makes most of their money on tips so please, if you enjoyed your trip and/or learned something, be ready to show your appreciation.
We chose not to get off during the Strip tour and we did the whole tour which took approximately an hour and a half. Some of the scheduled stops were skipped which is important to note, as we were hoping to stop outside the Miracle Mile as stayed at the Planet Hollywood and this stop was skipped. Definitely pay attention to where the tour stops and drops off to make sure you aren't waiting for a bus that's not coming.
The timing seems to be one issue. They advertise buses every 20 to 30 minutes and we waited almost an hour for our Downtown bus. We were worried we were at another skipped stop but we found another couple who assured us they got off there and that they were told that was where they could catch their next bus. If you have show tickets or dinner reservations you will want to allow extra time.
We found the tour guides were not all as great as Tyree. Our first Downtown guide reminded us of Melissa McCarthy. We didn't ride with her for long but we felt it was a much different experience from Tyree, but still a pleasant ride.... then we caught the bus that we had waited an hour for. I'm not sure if this girl was in training but after the long wait we stayed on the bottom deck and the driver and her coworker were even questioning facts she was telling us. It was quite unprofessional, however her tour was hard to listen to. We could not wait to get off the bus.
Even with the timing issues and the inconsistency in tour guides, we still felt this was a must do experience. Definitely try to see if Tyree is working the Strip route.