Every year that I visit Las Vegas, I treat myself to a little adventure on one of the days that my husband is busy with his conference.
I've always wanted to visit the Grand Canyon, but my husband wasn't so keen on the idea and found the idea boring. "It's a big hole," was his comment. Pshaw!
I had no interest in driving that far out in the desert by myself, so one day I found Grand Canyon Tour and Travel offering a Groupon for a deeply discounted bus tour to the "big hole" and back. The tour also included a buffet lunch about halfway there.
My tour guide was Lucius, and he left much to be desired in a tour guide. He is among the least accommodating people I've ever met in a 'customer service' job. We were assigned seats on the bus upon boarding, which felt a bit like elementary school, but I suppose it's so that he can better keep up with who is missing between stops. One couple asked to sit in one of the available sets of seats close to the front, and Lucius quickly replied with a harsh, "NO!" Then promptly gave the set of seats to the next couple who boarded.
Lucius's tour was dry and scripted on the way to the Canyon and included a couple of informational videos that were a nice change from hearing his bored speech. Lucius told us that he was retired military, so I assume that explains his brash attitude toward us, his "soldiers".
The actual visit to the Grand Canyon was spectacular and definitely worth the trip. We were allowed plenty of time to see the sights from two different locations on the South Rim.
The trip back was hot and tiring. I know several people had asked for the AC to be turned up, but either Lucius didn't like that idea or the AC wasn't working. By the time we arrived back in Vegas, my head hurt so bad from the heat and just being on that bus all day, that I got off the bus way ahead of my hotel stop just so that I could GET OFF THAT BUS! I walked about 2 miles back to my hotel room, and what a relief it was!
I'm 100% sure that I won't be taking another long bus trip like that again. In the end, I think a trip by myself or bribing my husband or a friend to go with me is well worth any money saved by taking a tour like this.