I can't speak for tours going from California to the Grand Canyon, but I took one from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon (West Rim) last week over Labor Day. I was satisfied with everything, no problems. Only a few minor caveats about these types of bus tours:
1.) The bus driver is on a schedule; if he gets delayed for whatever reason, including the tour company's fault, you pay for it in time lost visiting your destination.
2.) Because they are on a schedule, you have to be proactive in planning out your time so that you get to see what you want to see.
3.) A lot of times their add-ons can be purchased cheaper at your destination or through the actual rafting/hiking/helicopter/etc. company itself. My friend and I paid for the cheapest Grand Canyon West Rim bus tour so we could go on the Skywalk. The tour company's Skywalk Adventure was $40 extra, and the day of they told us our package didn't allow the Skywalk as an add-on on our package. We arrived at the West Rim and were able to purchase tickets at the Skywalk itself for $27 each.
All in all, these types of tours bundle convenience at a decent price at a bit of a sacrifice for time and bargains. Good luck and have fun.
posted by lychee at 4:05 PM on September 10
With bus tours in general, some people like them and some people don't. You won't get much time at each attraction. For example look at this:
Day 6 Kanab - Grand Canyon - Zion National Park - Las Vegas:
For me that seems like a lot for one day. Each of these parks easily warrants a multi-day trip on its own.
Bus tours aren't totally evil. They're good to see a lot of places quickly, so you can come back to the ones you like. You can't stay longer at the places you like, but you don't stay long in the places you hate. So, ok.
They are best if you go with people you know you travel well with, because they're no fun at all if you don't like the group. And one irritating person can make your vacation suck.
A good bus tour has multi-day stays, because they're a lot more hectic if you have to pack every morning, and drive to somewhere every night. The optional activities are where they make their money... if you ever see "free afternoon at the Grand Canyon to see the sights", that's code for "$50 donkey rides". And everyone on the tour does them, because of peer/tour guide pressure and "I'll only be here once" syndrome. You can easily spend 50% on top of the tour price on extras.
Anyways, another option is something like Trek America. They are more of a camping trek outfit, but they do have hotel tours. For instance. It's a slower schedule. And it's only a 13 person van, instead of a 50 person bus, which means you don't overwhelm every place you visit. And smaller groups can stay in better hotels. (The camping tours are awesome too, but that's a different sort of thing.)