Big Bus Muscat Hop-On Hop-Off Tour

We were on a cruise ship and the Big Bus came right to the cruise pier, picked us up and took us all over the city and marina area. In both Dubai and Muscat we were very pleased with our Big Bus experience and would encourage anyone to use this company. Went our of their way to accommodate us.

My experience with Big Bus Tours has been a terrible one.. As part of my very special trip with my mum (we haven't seen each other for four years!), I was looking for a an easy and educational excursions. Previously, I have taken Big Bus tours in other big cities and trusted I would get the same experience. When booking the two-day ticket (Abu Dhabi and Muscat), I have made clear that we need both English and Russian information provided on tours. When arriving in Muscat, I found out that the tour does not take tourists to the mosque (which is one of the rare gems to explore in Muscat), but it also does not have Russian audio guides!! So my mum, who does not speak English, had no access to guides!! Additionally, without the visit to the Mosque, Muscat had barely anything to offer for tourists.... and other travelers explored the city with a local taxi driver (who took them to the Mosque and gave them an in-depth local information as well) for a quarter of the Big Bus ticket price!! We felt robbed in the broad light! When I discussed this with a representative in Dubai (Shirley) she was compassionate but insisted we buy a tour in Dubai, with a discretionary discount. My mum wasn't able to refuse it, and whilst it was a more pleasurable experience, it does not live up to the prices that Big Bus is charging. There was no follow up on whether the Dubai tour changed our satisfaction or so. We have spent 400 euros to have only had properly enjoyed Abu Dhabi's tour. Few other overall comments: - There are no stop signs in the city. The instructions on finding the bus stops aren't always clear (for example, Bus Stop 10 states "Opposite to Malabar Gold" but the actual stop as we found out was in front of the Gold Souq extension..). Apparently there are regulatory restrictions for putting bus stop signs up, but there was no mention of that BEFORE booking the tours. - The company suggests using the app to track the buses. Not all travelers have a consistent data and relying on Wifi isn't a practice a tourist unfamiliar with the city can take! - Bus timings are not always consistent with the timetable (for example, we ended waiting from 10.12 to 11.05 for a bus in the Gold Souq stop on 7th March). - There is no actually working AC - and it does get HOT in this part of the world. - The audio guides are very quiet, especially on the motorways. - The same music keeps on playing between the guides. Imagine hearing the same two (or three?) songs for three days..! - Audio guides are CLEARLY OUTDATED. For example, information provided mentions 'a completion of construction in 2014'. We live in 2023 now....! - There are multiple duplications on the same route, for example World Trade Centre audio guide plays twice in a row. - Attractions are often coming with an additional entry fee. This is understandable - for an improved customer experience, Big Bus tours could provide that information so the tourists can determine if the stop is worth hopping off. For example, Big Bus stops 5-6mins walk from the ticket office to Dubai Frame. Whilst it appears a free-of-charge attraction, we hopped off for some exploring and picture time, just to learn that we can't get closer to the attraction itself without paying extra. - Most of staff we have spoken to, do not appear satisfied with their roles, focused on new sales only. I don't think anyone has checked our tickets the whole time. If Big Bus tours really cared about providing excellent customer service, as they state on the website and their audio guides, there would not be a need for a recent customer to spend their time writing a disappointing review. I am aware that this review combines negative experiences in Muscat and Dubai - this is the same company though and I hope the feedback will be incorporated accordingly.

Ich kann nur allen Urlaubern empfehlen, sich Muscat, Dubai sich ein Taxi zu nehmen, Vor ca 3 Jahren waren die hopp on Busse noch eine echte Empfehlung, kosteten auch nur ca 30€ für einen Tag, mittlerweile (2023) stehen stolze 75€(pro Person) auf dem Programm, wobei ein Taxi für ca eine Stunde gerade mal mit ca 20€ verlangt wird, Schade, denn die Busse waren eine tolle Idee die Stadte zu erkunden,