Pros->
-Inexpensive for smaller group
-Got to see many places
-Very accommodating tour guide and driver
-Good breaks during the trip
-Great hotel (radisson in Rochester)
Cons
-Very hectic (both days had to be up before 6am)
-No charging points or wifi on the bus
-some of the attractions were not much worth the price
-Recommended only if you have enough energy to sit on the bus for long hours and sleep less.
-Total cost ($108 for the tour + $110 for guide/attractions)
Details->
Day 1:
We were picked up by a shuttle bus from Edison at 6.30 am on a Saturday of long weekend. Because of the long weekend, there were many people and they had 2 shuttle buses. Once in Chinatown, we easily found our guide since she had called us the previous day to tell us her name and also asked us to carry lunch since they wouldn't stop for lunch (to avoid heavy traffic and lines of long weekend- very efficient).
Once on the bus, we were told about all the attractions we were going to visit - Corning Glass Museum, Watkins Glen State park, Some Indian Dance Show in Niagara, Niagara Night VIew, IMAX movie at Niagara, Maid of the Mist and some French castle.
We were told to pay $110 per/person (in cash) to cover all these attractions and it also included the driver/guide fees($8 per day per person). I had read some of the previous reviews and only chose to go for the Watkins Glen Park and the Maid oF the Mist which came up to $50 per person with the guide fees.
-Corning Museum
Entry is free, there is a charge only to watch the glass show. We had less than 30 min for the show so I'm glad we skipped it
-Watkins Glen Park
Very beautiful and worth the walk though I'm not sure what we paid for since the park entry seemed free
-Smokin Joe's Indian Dance
We heard that the show was average. We had food there for $10 per person as buffet. It was terrible terrible (stale and had undertaste). We couldn't eat more than a spoonful. You can consider going to the Denny's (open 24 hrs) right next to this place.
-Niagara Night view (Free)
This was very beautiful and weather was great
We reached Radisson, Rochester by midnight (1.5 hrs from Niagara)
Day 2-
-Left hotel by 7.30 am
On our way to Niagara, the bus had flat tire. The driver was efficient in managing the bus though there was a 2 hours delay since we had to wait for a mechanic to show up.
-Niagara IMAX movie
we didn't pay for this
-Niagara Maid Of Mist
Worth every penny.
We couldn't make it to the French Castle due to the delay so the guide returned the money for that.
ONE BIG INCONVENIENCE: We were supposed to be dropped at Edison by shuttle from Chinatown but we were told that since we would reach Chinatown by 1am and the shuttles ran only from 7-9pm, we would have to go by ourselves from CHinatown. Even without the tire burst incident, the bus couldnt have reached CHinatown before 9pm, the tour management needs to consider this.
-Got to see many places
-Very accommodating tour guide and driver
-Good breaks during the trip
-Great hotel (radisson in Rochester)
Cons
-Very hectic (both days had to be up before 6am)
-No charging points or wifi on the bus
-some of the attractions were not much worth the price
-Recommended only if you have enough energy to sit on the bus for long hours and sleep less.
-Total cost ($108 for the tour + $110 for guide/attractions)
Details->
Day 1:
We were picked up by a shuttle bus from Edison at 6.30 am on a Saturday of long weekend. Because of the long weekend, there were many people and they had 2 shuttle buses. Once in Chinatown, we easily found our guide since she had called us the previous day to tell us her name and also asked us to carry lunch since they wouldn't stop for lunch (to avoid heavy traffic and lines of long weekend- very efficient).
Once on the bus, we were told about all the attractions we were going to visit - Corning Glass Museum, Watkins Glen State park, Some Indian Dance Show in Niagara, Niagara Night VIew, IMAX movie at Niagara, Maid of the Mist and some French castle.
We were told to pay $110 per/person (in cash) to cover all these attractions and it also included the driver/guide fees($8 per day per person). I had read some of the previous reviews and only chose to go for the Watkins Glen Park and the Maid oF the Mist which came up to $50 per person with the guide fees.
-Corning Museum
Entry is free, there is a charge only to watch the glass show. We had less than 30 min for the show so I'm glad we skipped it
-Watkins Glen Park
Very beautiful and worth the walk though I'm not sure what we paid for since the park entry seemed free
-Smokin Joe's Indian Dance
We heard that the show was average. We had food there for $10 per person as buffet. It was terrible terrible (stale and had undertaste). We couldn't eat more than a spoonful. You can consider going to the Denny's (open 24 hrs) right next to this place.
-Niagara Night view (Free)
This was very beautiful and weather was great
We reached Radisson, Rochester by midnight (1.5 hrs from Niagara)
Day 2-
-Left hotel by 7.30 am
On our way to Niagara, the bus had flat tire. The driver was efficient in managing the bus though there was a 2 hours delay since we had to wait for a mechanic to show up.
-Niagara IMAX movie
we didn't pay for this
-Niagara Maid Of Mist
Worth every penny.
We couldn't make it to the French Castle due to the delay so the guide returned the money for that.
ONE BIG INCONVENIENCE: We were supposed to be dropped at Edison by shuttle from Chinatown but we were told that since we would reach Chinatown by 1am and the shuttles ran only from 7-9pm, we would have to go by ourselves from CHinatown. Even without the tire burst incident, the bus couldnt have reached CHinatown before 9pm, the tour management needs to consider this.
