We had a relaxing and enjoyable trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon. Our tour was run by Ma Pa Travels of Arizona, for Viator. The accommodations were good, the transportation was comfortable, and we got to see a lot. The tour guides in particular were great. We had Mr. Wayne for pick-up and drop-off from Phoenix; Al for a short tour of Sedona, and Kris for our day from Sedona to the Grand Canyon. Each one of them was friendly, obliging, and a wealth of information! They were always on time (earlier even) and considerate of our needs (we were two women traveling). We didn't always get a whole lot of time at locations along the way to the main destination (Grand Canyon), but the guides needed to accommodate both the one-day and 3-day travelers, so it was understandable.
Review by: Lynn H, February 2018
The tour was great! The scenery was spectacular and the supplier, Ma and Pa Tours, were friendly, helpful and efficient in contacting us. It would have been helpful to have a little more detail upfront as to what all was involved - ie. an extra side bus tour in Sedona which was awesome, and the fact that the drivers 4 in all expected tips for these tours - one, aggressively so! The bus drivers were good drivers and had lots of information to share.
Review by: Edk1229, January 2018
For the most part, the Viator trip was excellent. The hotels in Sedona and the Grand Canyon were great. The tour guide on Day 2, JR was very knowledgeable. He made many stops throughout the day to let us see the sights. The guide the 3rd day, Wayne? was also excellent. The guide in Sedona was not good. He basically had a script and didnt want to or know how to answer our questions. _br/_ My main criticism was that the drivers far exceeded the speed limits and although we arrived safely I felt that their driving was reckless.
Review by: Pipbundred, November 2017
Apart from a few problems prior to the trip with communications, the organisation, reliability and quality of guides and information were outstanding. I also used your organisation to see the Muir Woods and the same thing applied. I will use you again, and have recommended you to friends. Pip
Review by: Martin M, October 2017
This could have been a great tour except for details. Our included tour of Sedona was late arriving, and the vehicle provided had terrible air conditioning on a very hot day. The tour lady was very kind in offering us ice cream money while we waited, but we missed a good part of the day. _br/_ Our tour from Sedona to Grand Canyon was excellent. Roger, our driver was a native Hopi Indian, and was very knowledgeable and shared a great deal of information. At the end of the day, he dropped us off at our hotel, Yvapai Lodge. It was late in the afternoon, and we were exhausted. We were told that our room unit was several city blocks down the road. We protested, and he moved us to a closer unit, but it was still a good several hundred yards and they had no way to convey us there. We hiked that with our bags ourselves. The hotel clerk told us that we might be able to catch the sunset if we walked 15 to 20 minutes to the rim. We literally had to run, and it took us 25 to 30 minutes, and we just barely caught the final rays._br/_ On the other hand, I rose early the next day, and did get to the rim in time for the sunrise, which was not to be missed. It made everything worth while._br/_ We had a full day on the rim, and took the shuttle bus back to our hotel. We were picked up again by another Ford van with inadequate air conditioning. 4 warm hours later, we were deposited back in Scottsdale.
Review by: Christina B, September 2017
An outstanding trip. Having never been to Sedona or Grand Canyon, this was a trip that I won't soon forget. Each guide was thorough and communicative, especially a Navajo guide, Brian. I learned more about Native American History in 7 hours than I have in all my years of education. He was genuine, smart and funny. This trip provides a good balance of guides and time on your own. I had plenty of time to hike, eat the local cuisine and do plenty on my own. Sedona and the Grand Canyon were a dream. Truly grateful we have such an amazing landscape and history to enjoy. I recommend this tour!
Review by: Tracy, July 2017
I really enjoyed this tour of Sedona, the Grand Canyon and the many beautiful landscapes you see as you drive north through Arizona. The tour combined guided sightseeing with plenty of free time, and I found several hours to view various points along the Grand Canyon at my leisure. Thanks to our excellent tour guides.
Review by: CAROL R, January 2017
We all really enjoyed our tour. Everything went as planned on day 1. We were picked up at our hotel and driven to Sedona. Our guide was nice and knowledgeable and engaging. When we arrived in Sedona she dropped our luggage off at our hotel and told us she was taking us to the site of our prearranged jeep tour. After the red jeep tour which was awesome! we had to find our way back to our hotel. We did not have a town map so we started walking and asking directions. We are 3 women, aged 67, 68 and 72. The walk proved to be much longer than we thought and strenuous. The next morning I was called and told the other drivers forgot to pick us up but not to worry, JR was on his way. He was only about 10 - 15 minutes late and was a great tour guide. Lots of stories and information. He dropped us off at our hotel in Grand Canyon Nat. Park after a great day of driving the South Rim and stopping for pictures. We spent the night and were on our own until 3:15pm the next day. We were told to meet our driver in front of the hotel at 3:15. He arrived at 3:00. First he had me paged then he called me. He rushed us claiming we were holding up the rest of the tour. Our bus left the hotel at 3:20pm and we felt rather hurried and pushed but settled in for the long ride home. _br/_ My suggestions to improve your tours... 1Give specific directions and transportation options to your clients rather than leaving them on their own to get around town in Sedona. We were not even sure which directions to start walking to get to our hotel. 2 Please make sure your drivers are told the same pick up times as your clients. 3 Finally, the bus we took to go home was uncomfortable. The seats were short, not well padded and there were no arm rests. If I had not been seat belted in I would have fallen out of the seat into the isle several times. The bus we were on for the longest leg of the tour was the least comfortable._br/_ That being said... We loved the tour and would do it again. Now that we know what to expect we can prepare for it._br/_ I would definitely recommend this tour.
Review by: Genevieve R M, October 2016
Our tour guide on Thurs. was Cory and she was great. Need to give her a raise.
Review by: Nancy K, October 2016
The positive was we saw all the beauty of Sedona and Grand Canyon with some good guides. The negative was even though we booked wayin advence they put me and my friend in different hotels and was very inconvenient for us..The next day we were picked up an hour late and took 7 hours to get back to Phoenix because each drop off was 12 miles apart Although it was not an awful experience I would not use again. When you are spending money I feel you should have the respect we deserve. Did not get that.
Review by: annette2gk, October 2016
First I want to say that the tour guides were top notch on this tour! The Redstone tour guides were all very knowledgable and entertaining, especially Wayne who is 77 years old going on 30! This man was amazing and all of us on the van agreed he was the best! He took us from Sedona to the Grand Canyon on Day 2 and it was a delightful experience. All of the legs of the trip were on time with the exception of the last leg, which was on Day 3 from the Grand Canyon to Phoenix. This last and final leg was 3 hours late. We left the Grad Canyon at 6:30 PM instead of the scheduled 3:30 PM. We never found out what really happened to cause the delay but was told by Scott that this type of event rarely happens. As a result, he offered to pay for our dinner which was much appreciated. All in all it was a great 3 Day trip and I would recommend it to anyone thinking about going to Sedona and the Grand Canyon. I am sure there were lessons learned so hopefully delays like this could be avoided or mitigated in the future. It was a great trip and I was happy to have made it back to Phoenix safe and sound.
Review by: Gail H, September 2016
Very well organised and knowledgeable/helpful tour guides, with good variety of activities and great scenery. My only disappointment was no-one's fault - bad weather impacted my day in Sedona and meant my helicopter trip in the Grand Canyon was cancelled
Review by: James B, September 2016
A lot of wasted time with information overload. Driver got back to origination point over 3 hours late. Tour guides were very helpful.
Review by: Carlos E, September 2016
I am from Mexico City, my trip to Sedona and Grand Canyon was absolutly wonderful, the organization was perfect, nice hotels, very nice gides on the tours, always on time... totaly recomended.
Review by: Christopher N, August 2016
A wonderful tour. Guides were knowledgeable and helpful. Cory was especially helpful in getting us back to our original hotel. One problem. After the tour of the canyon, we had a free day there, but no one really to give us any guidance on what to do.
Review by: Barbara S, July 2016
This was an amazing tour that I did with my two grandchildren ages 14 and 7. All of the arrangements that were made for us were exceptional and provided just the right balance between the actual tour activities and enough free time to explore on our own. The guides were all knowledgeable, courteous and friendly and the jeep excursion through Red Rock Tours in Sedona was something that should not be missed. Thank you also to the staff at Red Rock Tours for helping us plan the remainder of our day in Sedona as well. We enjoyed visiting Tlaquepaque and the Church of the Red Rocks on the trolley tour. Our trip continued to the Grand Canyon the following day with unexpected stops at the Wupatki Indian Ruins and a lava field which were absolutely amazing. We stopped at the Desert View Watchtower and several other look out points before being dropped off at the Maswik Lodge in the late afternoon. We still had plenty of time to see the Canyon on our own and did a helicopter tour the following morning. The hotel staff were gracious in making the taxi arrangements to and from the airfield. All of our scheduled pick-ups were confirmed by phone and we were picked up on time. This was a very easy trip to do and an unforgettable memory and an experience of a lifetime for all of us.
Review by: Jeffrey M, June 2016
Enjoyed our trip. Had great drivers and saw lots of things. Our only complaint was that the itinerary and the tour descriptions were just vague enough that we were not always quite sure what was going on and when or where stops would be. Assumed there would be bathroom stops but not sure of timing on other things. However, we were just fine with the way it turned out. Just would have been a bit happier with more details.
Review by: Beth M, June 2016
Enjoyed our trip. Had great drivers and saw lots of things. Our only complaint was that the itinerary and the tour descriptions were just vague enough that we were not always quite sure what was going on and when or where stops would be. Assumed there would be bathroom stops but not sure of timing on other things. However, we were just fine with the way it turned out. Just would have been a bit happier with more details.
Review by: Carol E, May 2016
Excellent! Enough time to explore on our own, and all rides were on time, hotels very nice. Exactly as advertised.
Review by: Robert R, February 2016
The over all trip was very good! The only thing, I would not take the day tour of Sedona it self, didn't enjoy that at all!
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