Grand Canyon West plus Hoover Dam VIP Day Tour from Las Vegas

My wife and I took the Grand Canyon & Hoover Dam Combo Tour a couple of weeks ago. Below are my comments regarding the company and the Grand Canyon & Hoover Dam Combo Tour itself. Regarding the company, I spoke with Patsy on multiple occasions. She was always extremely nice and willing to answer any question. The name of the company is Adventure Photo Tours. During our tour, no emphasis was placed on either adventure or photography. For most stops, our tour guide dropped us off in a parking lot and told us when to be back at the van. The problem is that on most of the stops, he disappeared after dropping us off. Some of us wandered around the parking lot, looking for a van that wasn't there. The instructions on what we were to do during the stops were always confusing. It was obvious that our tour guide, Christian, was just going through the motions of being a guide. He didn't seem to care anything about doing a good job. For example, one time he announced "On your left (or right) is Lake Meade. It is a man-made lake." Painstaking details. At a point, before we started home, he stopped his commentary alltogether. His directions as to what we could do during a stop and when we needed to be back to the bus were very confusing. Here are some comparisons with what the website states vs. what we received. "You have a full hour at Hoover Dam." You can opt to take the tour of the inside of Hoover Dam which takes 45 minutes. The tour costs $15 per person. I'm not sure what is so "VIP" about the exterior of Hoover Dam as we took the inside tour. If you take the inside tour, you'll have very little time for taking pictures of the dam itself. "Three hours to explore the west Rim of the Canyon." This three hours included lunch. The West Rim is just a small part of the Grand Canyon. If you really want to see the Grand Canyon, go to a different location. "Operates Daily at approximately 7:00 AM." That's what they say. When we took this tour, we were picked up at 6:15 AM. They do contact you the day before to let you know what time your pick up will be. "Return time: Approximately 5:30 PM." This may be true, depending on when they drop you off. "Pick-up at hotel." True. "The incredible 900-year-old Joshua tree forest." This "incredible" stop lasted about 15 minutes. "Eagle Point, home to the “Eagle in the Rock” and the world famous Skywalk ($25.00 paid directly to Hualapai)." This is part of the Grand Canyon West/lunch stop. Again, Christian gave us misinformation regarding where to go if we wanted to do the Skywalk. The people who worked there weren't very nice. I don't know why the website stated that the Skywalk cost $25. They wanted to charge us $40 per person. We finally asked for a senior discount and paid $22.50 each. The Skywalk is nothing but a money grab (check out reviews for the Skywalk). They charge to get onto the skywalk. You cannot take any personal belongings with you which means no cameras. They want to do the picture taking for you. Pictures cost $25 for one or $50 for a set of 13. You spend most of your time standing in line to get tickets or to get onto the Skywalk itself. There are so many employees with cameras taking people's pictures, it leaves little room for people who want to see anything. The people who work here were not nice. "Guano Point with stunning East and North Canyon views." I have no idea what this is. If we went there, I'm not aware of it. Again, our tour guide was missing during the Grand Canyon West stop. "Romantic lunch at the Rim." I guess this depends on your idea of a romantic lunch. There are lots of picnic tables just outside the building where they serve food. There are more people than the picnic tables can accomodate. My wife and I wound up sharing one picnic table with two other couples. It was nowhere near the rim. Maybe this is your idea of a romantic lunch. "Native American Dwellings & lots of time to shop." This is part of the Grand Canyon West stop. I remember seeing a very fake tee-pee outside the building where food was served. That's about it. "As a bonus we tour the Historical Old Town of Boulder City, and stop at a local park where herds of Big Horn Sheep often come down from the surrounding mountains to gather and graze on the sweet grass." This is untrue. We never went to Boulder City. We paid $346 a piece for this tour. It could have been good, but it wasn't. Adventure Photo Tours, please do not respond to my review with "Contact me directly next time you are in Las Vegas and I'll do something special for you." I don't plan on going back to Las Vegas or taking another tour with Adventure Photo Tours.

Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam were spectacular!!! The driver was not acquainted with proper passenger etiquette. If passengers do not want to get out of the van at a particular stop, they should NOT be coerced.

My three adult children and myself chose to do a private tour out to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam. From the very first contact with Patsy and Donna from Adventure Photo Tours everything went so smooth! What a great team you have with your booking staff and your guides! On our day of the tour right from the pick up point at our hotel we knew that our tour was off to a great start. Clayton our tour guide greeted us with a huge smile and welcoming persona. Breakfast bars, fruit juice were offered to start our day along with water and snacks for the entire day. There was not one part of the tour that any of us could complain about. The stops along the way, the absolutely spectacular Grand Canyon, the lunch choices and the beautiful lunch we chose which was at Hualapai Point, Hoover Dam with a great tour of the underground mechanics of the dam, then on to see the delightful mountain goats in Boulder City - the whole day was just amazing! Clayton was so knowledgable, polite and caring he made us laugh so much and was an absolute joy to spend a long day with! Absolutely one of the best days my children and I have had! Thank you so so much Clayton for being part of our USA experience you are a credit to your wonderful team at Adventure Photo Tours! Best wishes to you all Julie and family x