Non-Disney Vacation - Escorted Tours

[Amy]

Hi all! We (family of 4, our boys will be 18 and 20) are thinking of a non-Disney vacation next summer - would love to see Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone. I've ordered some brochures, and both Trafalgar and Brendan Tours have 8-day tours of that area, starting in St. Lake City and ending in Denver.

I've never done an escorted tour, and I'm wondering:

- have any of you done a tour with either Trafalgar or Brendan? If so, would you recommend them?

- do you have enough time at each location? For instance, I don't want to pull up at Mt. Rushmore and find out that we only have 1/2 hour. That's just enough time to use the rest room, not see Mt. Rushmore!

- is it worth the money? I know I can probably plan a similar tour myself, but frankly, I've been the chief vacation planner for my family for the past 20 years, and I'm tired. I want somebody else to worry about all the details for once!

- do you know of any other forums similar to the DIS where I can discuss various tour companies? (If it's against DISboard guidelines to post those forums, please pm me.)

- any other advice you can offer?

Thanks!