NYC Grayline Tours Sightseeing

[STLDisney_Freak]

We are going to be heading up to Hershey PA in June 2010. We are thinking about catching a bus shuttle to NYC and then taking the Grayline double decker tour bus for day. Has anyone done the double decker tour in NYC and if so, what are your experiences?

 

[minkydog]

We took our first trip to NYC in 2008 and we used Grayline tours as our primary transportation. I loved the Grayline tours. Our tour guides were very knowledgable about the city and we were impressed with their dedication to their job(except one old witch!) Be aware that they do ask for tips from time to time. The first time we experienced this we felt uncomfortable, but the longer we stayed on the tour the stronger we felt that these people really *worked hard* for their tips and we were glad to give them a few extra dollars.

We move slow, so we choose the 72 hour package. That way we didn't feel forced into racing from one thing to the other just to get our money's worth. Taking the Grayline buses helped us get the lay of the land. You ride awhile, then get off and see stuff. then you can get back on and go ride awhile more, then go see stuff.

We had the package that included tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. One word of warning: either make reservations for the ferry or get there very early, by 8am, if you don't want to stand in a mile-long slow-moving line. We got ourselves to Battery Park by 8:30 and were some of the first on the ferry. There's not much to do at the Statue of Liberty, so we didn't get off there. It was really neat to circle the monument. By staying on-board we were among the first to Ellis Island, which I HIGHLY recommend. We had family members who came over from Greece and Wales, so it was a really emotional experience for us. We spent 6 hours at Ellis Island.

Good luck with your trip. I'm sure you could see the same things without the Tour, but for us it was a necessity. DH is disabled so walkign long distances is out of the question. For us, the Tour fit the bill

 

[STLDisney_Freak]

We took our first trip to NYC in 2008 and we used Grayline tours as our primary transportation. I loved the Grayline tours. Our tour guides were very knowledgable about the city and we were impressed with their dedication to their job(except one old witch!) Be aware that they do ask for tips from time to time. The first time we experienced this we felt uncomfortable, but the longer we stayed on the tour the stronger we felt that these people really *worked hard* for their tips and we were glad to give them a few extra dollars.

We move slow, so we choose the 72 hour package. That way we didn't feel forced into racing from one thing to the other just to get our money's worth. Taking the Grayline buses helped us get the lay of the land. You ride awhile, then get off and see stuff. then you can get back on and go ride awhile more, then go see stuff.

We had the package that included tickets to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. One word of warning: either make reservations for the ferry or get there very early, by 8am, if you don't want to stand in a mile-long slow-moving line. We got ourselves to Battery Park by 8:30 and were some of the first on the ferry. There's not much to do at the Statue of Liberty, so we didn't get off there. It was really neat to circle the monument. By staying on-board we were among the first to Ellis Island, which I HIGHLY recommend. We had family members who came over from Greece and Wales, so it was a really emotional experience for us. We spent 6 hours at Ellis Island.

Good luck with your trip. I'm sure you could see the same things without the Tour, but for us it was a necessity. DH is disabled so walkign long distances is out of the question. For us, the Tour fit the bill

Thank You. We will be traveling with my mother. She had a hip replacement a year or so ago and is walking good, but not to the point she is walking a long distance so I thought the tour bus experience would be better for her.

 

[Green Tea]

I dragged my teenage dd onto one after her protesting that she didn't want to look like a tourist. Well, yeah, that ship had sailed. We climbed to the top and had a blast. We did the one down to the ferry and also the one that went up thru Harlem. Fascinating. I would absolutely say it is a good way to see the city.

 

[minkydog]

Thank You. We will be traveling with my mother. She had a hip replacement a year or so ago and is walking good, but not to the point she is walking a long distance so I thought the tour bus experience would be better for her.

Be aware that you have to go up a fairly steep, narrow set of stairs to get to the upper deck. There are seats in the bottom, but no tour guide down there. I don't know how much you can see and hear down there. Think you're mom can navigate the stairs several times?

 

[Art 1]

We are going to be heading up to Hershey PA in June 2010. We are thinking about catching a bus shuttle to NYC and then taking the Grayline double decker tour bus for day. Has anyone done the double decker tour in NYC and if so, what are your experiences?

A few times, well worth it. You can get off and check an area out then get back on and continue. I think a ticket is good for 2 days. Sitting on the first floor is no good, don't sit there, wait for the next bus.