At Prime Tours, we specialize in designing custom tours for private groups of 10 guests or more anywhere in the world. We take the time to understand your travel needs and deliver a unique travel adventure.
Disappointing in the fact that the tour guides did not wait to gather the group as we got off the bus and then rushed the "stragglers." This was a trip that was discovered through a senior center, and I did not expect to be in a rushed group. The high light was the Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes, the most boring was arriving at the Statue of Liberty and nothing but a gift shop and museum, although the ferry was fun. Ellis Island was a good experience.
The communication of daily activities really needs to be improved.
Kevin was very good at narratives of sites and of keeping us aware of things on the coach while traveling. Evan did not bother to alert as to why the delay when traveling back to Ohio when he took over for Kevin. Tour guides Evan and Laurie were often rude, rushing and not communicative, they certainly need to work on their people skills.
I likely will not recommend Prime Tours.
By Alice F for 2024 Vandalia and Columbus New York Holiday on Jan 03, 2025
Dear Alice, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. We are sorry this tour disappointed you. I am a bit confused about your comment that you "did not expect to be in a group." Perhaps that is what created the disconnect. The flyer is clear that you would be riding in a motorcoach and mentions group meals and activities. So if you weren't expecting a group tour, it's also likely that you weren't expecting that the group would have some people that moved faster than others, and participating with a walker in a large city tour during the busy holiday season does have a tendency to feel rushed, no matter how gently paced the guide makes it.
In regard to activities that disappointed, that can happen sometimes where something isn't what you expected. Our beautiful Lady Liberty is meant to impress with just her sheer size, and the museum shares her history.
About communication, Kevin, who has 12+ years of tour guiding experience including over a dozen tours to NYC, said he passed around the itinerary so you could take a picture of it and went over it each day, which is standard on all our tours. And on the return, the traffic jam which had traffic at a standstill was a frustrating delay which was outside of Evan's control or pre-knowledge but is simply a potential part of any travel. In the future, we will suggest our guides share how long delays are going to be whenever they can.
We are saddened to have lost your future travel business, but do hope, if you choose to do any other group tours, that they will be more suited to your travel expectations.
All the best,
Lisa & Kevin ~ Owners
We had a great time overall. I underestimated how tedious the bus ride would be. I called to check if breakfast would be available to buy at the first rest stop and understood that it would be. However only vending machines were available. Another rest stop was at a gas station and there were only two women’s stalls which was inadequate. The places we visited in New York were great but I constantly felt rushed. I loved seeing the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island but didn’t have enough time to see the movie or do the audio tour. I’d rather see fewer places and have more time to enjoy them. The same was true at the 9-11 memorial. I felt like I walked quickly through the museum without being able to read and absorb the exhibits. The Rockettes were great as was the tour of Radio City. On the ride back there was a 1 1/2 hour delay due to road construction. We were literally at a standstill. I saw it coming on the map on my phone and wondered if there couldn’t be an alternate route to avoid this. The place we stopped for dinner had only two restaurants plus a donut and coffee shop. By the time we got our food there was only about 15 minutes to eat. Again I felt rushed. I know this sounds like a bunch of complaints but the trip could be made more enjoyable if it weren’t so rushed. Thanks.
By Margaret D for 2024 New York Holiday - Hilliard on Jan 01, 2025
Hello Margaret. Thank you so much for sharing your feedback on this tour. I certainly understand how you feel about the long ride. NYC is a long way by coach. I will follow up with staff about their answer for breakfast and instruct them that a more appropriate answer for the future is that we try to stop at places (like truck stop style gas stations that have multiple stalls and grab and go food options) but that is not always possible. I always suggest bringing snacks/food bars for your own comfort on every tour.
I also understand about feeling rushed in NYC. Traveling as a group always involves compromise where some people are ready to go and others haven't seen enough. Add to that, the bustle of NYC particularly during the holidays and it really is in the nature of this Level 3 tour. Your example of the Statue of Liberty is a perfect example. We had another guest comment that she was bored there without enough to do. It really is a matter of preference.
And yes, the delay on the return was unfortunate but unavoidable. We have compared notes with our previous NYC Holiday tours where the itinerary was pretty much identical, and really felt that the traffic, both highway and in the city, was a huge contributing factor this year. We are sorry it impacted your tour. Not all tours are as intense as NYC during the holidays, and we hope you will consider joining us on a future Level 1 or 2 tour perhaps a bit closer to home in order to provide a gentler pace to the tour.
Wishing you the best,
Lisa & Kevin ~ Owners
We had a great time on the NYC trip December 16-19. The accommodations were in a perfect location mid town and the excursions were fun and well timed. The people participating were a friendly group and the tour guide and drivers were professional but also very approachable and personable. We will definitely recommend to others and look at going on another trip in the future.