Has anyone taken any of the Grayline tours? What is your opinion?
Grayline tours
Yes, just a week or so ago. We were picked up outside the Hampton hotel. The people already on the trolley looked quite happy and I think their guide gave them a great time. However, he was getting off shift and drove us from our pickup stop to the terminal where we stayed for quite some time, waiting for another trolley. It was a bit frustrating to get on the trolley and then not see anything for a good half hour. The guide on the second trolley had a canned narrative about the places we were seeing. She was so flat, it was awful. I think there probably are better tours to try so I think next time we would choose a different line. There are several to choose from. Good luck and have fun!
Grayline tours
We picked up brochures for the various tour companies, after we knew our way around a bit. In my opinion, Grayline had the oddest route and the most inconveniently located stops. We were supremely disappointed with Oglethorpe (I%26#39;ll post more later).
One day, however, when we were walked out and yearning just to sit for a while, yet enjoy the scenery all over, we hopped aboard the Olde Towne Trolley at Davenport House. NOTE: You can pay only $20 for ';once around';. Our guide, Pookie, set a whole new standard to us for tour guides! She was absolutely sensational. Informative, and positively hilarious! The most exceptional tour guide we%26#39;ve ever enjoyed anywhere! About 2/3 through the route, she went off duty or on break, and her replacement was a British gent. Quite competent and amusing, but not nearly as entertaining as Pookie!
Though a ';once around'; ticket is more economical, everything turns on the tour guide on your vehicle. The advantage of the ';hop on/hop off'; ticket is that if the guide is a ';snooze';, you simply hop off and hope for a better one on the next vehicle...
Thanks for the comments!
The sightseeing company voted ';Best in Savanah'; for 3 years running is Old Savannah Tours. Gray Line cannot hold a candle to Old Savannah Tours%26#39; guides or its coverage of the old city.
Further to basesloaded....Old Savannah Tours is locally owned and this makes a big difference. ALL tour guides must pass a city licensing exam, but Will Green and the folks at Old Savannah Tours seem to be a bit more selective about the guides that they hire and get some that have lots of personality in addition to a passing grade on the exam. The hop-on-hop-off feature, even if it costs a little more, is highly recommended. It buys you, essentially, a whole of touring if you wish to do a lot of ';hopping';...even hopping off for lunch (Most guides are good are recommending good luncheon spots, too) and then back ';on'; again.
djbooks gave a very realistic response - if you don%26#39;t care for a guide, hop off, and get on with another. That is the value of an extra dollar or two with the hop-on-hop-off pass. Not every guide is everything to everyone. I might find a particular guide dull, but the history buff next to me might be enthralled. I might find a guide humorous, and someone else may find them to be pandering. Grayline has incredibly good guides. They are the only company endorsed by the Historic Savannah Foundation because of the content and accuracy of their tours. All tour companies have to pick people up, transport them to the start point, then begin the tour. Logistics dictate that if you request transportation from your hotel by the tour company, you will need to wait anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes max until the tour begins.
Sorry to sound so brow-beating. Every tour company in this city has something to brag about that the other doesn%26#39;t. All you need to do is check each website, and go with the one that is appealling to you!
basesloaded quotes Gray Line as not holding a candle to the company voted ';Best Tour Company'; for three years in a row. basesloaded may want to share just how Old Savannah is how to receive that honor each year.
Fair question, Joandio. Old Savannah Tours has been voted the ';Best Tour Company'; for 3 years running by readers of Savannah Magazine and Connect Savannah. The Paula Deen tour, exclusive to Old Savannah Tours is Savannah%26#39;s #1 tour! Read Old Savannah Tours%26#39; web site; the reviews are glowing for its varied tours %26amp; guides. Gray Line is still trotting out the tired ';Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'; tour. Gray Line may be ';endorsed'; by Historic Savannah Foundation but does that mean tourists are lining up in droves? Nope. Gray Line Savannah had its origins through Historic Savannah Foundation a few decades ago but is now part of an international franchise. I operate a B%26amp;B near one of the ';Book';-related squares and see all the tour companies passing through on a daily basis. Gray Line has the fewest tourists on board. I learned through the hospitality industry network that a few years ago 8 tour guides who worked for Gray Line up and quit in favor of working at Old Savannah Tours. They%26#39;re still there. I recommend only Old Savannah Tours for their quality of product and their business acumen.
Forums like this are great for the traveler that is visiting a new destination. However, I would like to remind everyone that none of us knows who is leaving feedback in these forums. I think that it is a safe assumption that some of the ';Tour Company bashing'; and ';Tour Company Promoting'; that goes on in these sites are from guides that work for other tour companies. With that said take what you read with a grain of salt. Joandio is correct in her description of different tour guides, etc. Each tour company has great guides and not so great guides. As for the company voted ';Best Tour'; I do not know why or how they are voted. I do know that in 2004 no tour company was voted Best because of blatant ballot stuffing and Savannah Magazine suspended that category. I do not know which one, just know that it is a fact. Draw your own conclusions.
I know who ';stuffed'; the ballots in Savannah Magazine%26#39;s ';Best of Savannah'; survey in 2004. As an advertiser and subscriber I was privy to that information through contacts at tne News. Believe me, it was NOT Old Savannah Tours but someone who is no longer in the hospitality/tourism biz. The main reason the local readership is in favor of Old Savannah Tours is due to its strong ';locals ride free'; program which encourages locals (from nearby SC communities to south of Savannah) to bring their out-of-town visitors along with them on the tours. Guests pay for their tours but their local hosts are gratis. Add to that the fact that Old Savannah Tours employs exceptional guides, operates a clean, well-maintained fleet AND their tours run on time and in an easy-to-follow route and you%26#39;ve got the #1 outfit. I have taken tours with all the tour companies, from small to large, walking to driven, history to ghost, and know of which I speak.
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