Very disappointing experience -- poor communication and unacceptable customer service Our experience with Martha's Vineyard Excursions was disappointing enough that I believe prospective customers should know what happened before trusting an important day on the island to this company. This was a special family trip. My brother and family had flown in from North Carolina to visit, and we went to considerable lengths to plan a memorable Martha's Vineyard experience together. We traveled from Duxbury, coordinated the ferry and transportation, and arrived early for our scheduled 10:30 a.m. tour. When we arrived, three tour vans were present, but no one clearly explained which vehicle belonged to our group. We had to figure that out ourselves. It was approximately 88 degrees, sunny, hot, and humid. Our guide, Jim, was initially friendly. At about 10:25, he told us we were waiting for a passenger who was approximately 10 minutes away. At 10:35, after our scheduled departure time, we asked for an update. We were then told that we were actually waiting for two passengers and that the tour would begin when they arrived. We continued waiting. Approximately ten passengers who had arrived on time sat in the van with the air conditioning off while we waited for people who had not arrived for the scheduled departure. After another 20-25 minutes, I approached Jim and asked what was happening and why everyone who had arrived on time was still being required to wait. That is when a frustrating delay became an unacceptable customer-service experience. Rather than acknowledging the inconvenience, apologizing, or providing a meaningful update, Jim became dismissive and passive-aggressive. His response essentially communicated that he had already explained the situation and that we should stop asking, continue waiting, or leave. Several passengers were visibly frustrated, and another passenger also complained. My brother attempted to explain that Jim's treatment of customers was inappropriate, but his concerns were met with the same lack of professionalism. After more than 45 minutes of waiting, we decided to leave rather than begin what was supposed to be an enjoyable family experience under those circumstances. As we were leaving, the two passengers everyone had apparently been waiting for finally arrived. I understand that people are occasionally late. What I do not understand is requiring approximately ten customers who arrived as instructed to wait for an extended period in a hot vehicle, providing inadequate communication, and then treating them dismissively when they reasonably ask when their scheduled tour will begin. The unmistakable impression was that accommodating two significantly late passengers mattered more than honoring the time and experience of the customers who arrived on time. I spent 21 years in the military, and one lesson that has stayed with me is simple: you never know what another person has gone through to be standing in front of you. You do not know how far someone traveled, what sacrifices they made, what challenges they may be dealing with, or why a particular day with their family matters to them. That is why courtesy, communication, and basic human dignity matter. In our case, family had flown from North Carolina and we had traveled from Duxbury specifically to spend this day together. A simple apology, periodic updates, air conditioning while customers waited, and a reasonable policy for late passengers could have prevented nearly all of this. Instead, we walked away frustrated, embarrassed, exhausted, and without the experience we had carefully planned. I believe Martha's Vineyard Excursions should provide a full refund and review both its departure procedures and customer-service expectations. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend Martha's Vineyard Excursions. Visitors have limited time on Martha's Vineyard, and I would strongly encourage prospective customers--especially families planning a special trip--to consider other options. read more

We traveled with 4 friends who hadn't been to Martha's Vineyard so while on our east course trip decided to take a tour on the island and found this company at a decent price so decided to take it. There were 13 total people in the bus on our 4 hour tour. We were on a tour bus and Harry was our driver and tour guide. We learned a lot about the area and Harry obviously knew and shared a lot of interesting and fun things from presidents who stayed there and celebrities who lived there and much much more. A couple of thoughts during the tour: One thing was that we were on main streets so Harry couldn't/didn't stop when pointing out places and views that would have made it better, at least in my opinion, if he could have. For example while pointing something out by sharing "on the left is..." it would have been great if he could have stopped for 10-15 seconds so we all could see it and take pictures if we wanted as opposed to keep driving, which he had to. On a good note Harry had a specific script to follow and after responding to questions at the first part of the tour by answering "I'll share that later" it seemed that people on our bus pretty much stopped asking questions. I think it would have been nice if he welcomed questions and shared something like "if you have any questions feel free to ask." During the tour we made a couple 15-20 minute stops for the opportunity to use the bathroom or buy souvenirs, which was nice, and one on one Harry was nice to talk to. Bottom line the tour was excellent, we learned lots about the history of the island and overall I'd say Harry was a good tour guide, I'm just sharing a couple thoughts that might have made it a way to ask questions when we had them and to stop more to take pictures and learn more of specific things. read more

Fantastic! Reserve them & you won't be disappointed. From Sue making the reservation process easy to Paul's amazing knowledge sharing on the tour, it was an A+ experience! Choose this company now! read more

My experience with this company is when they pushed their way past me to take the parking space I was obviously waiting for almost hitting the car I was driving and the one in the next space over. This happened at the Gay Head lighthouse parking area. Spaces can be hard to come by but to have the bus driver just bully there way past me and take the space I was clearly signaling to enter was a real surprise. I'm sure this same poor judgement is evident throughout there business while there transporting you and your family throughout the island. There are other tours out there, pick a different one. read more

Martha's Vineyard Tours and Excursions - Inconsiderate driver - Tours Near Me - Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

Wayne was knowledgeable and entertaining. That's all that was good besides the scenery. They started late. Too many people on the van. The a/c didn't work well. They drove around and picked up a couple that was late. As a result, we were rushed through the end of the tour. The driver called and texted on his phone. read more

See all

Very easy to book, spoke with Sue on the phone. Will our tour guide picked us up right as we got off our ferry. We did a 3 hour tour of the island. Didn't feel rushed and we were able to see so many amazing views of the island. We had a group of 5 and were able to have a private tour for a very reasonable price. read more

See all

PLEASE DON'T SPEND $40 a person for this tour! This was a 3 hour tour that started late by over 20 minutes, but was still back on time for the next tour, so most of the pictures are drive by from a window. The guide apparently was in real estate because he spent more time telling us how much houses cost there. He also STOPPED to let us take pictures of things that were kind of random. The first 3 pictures after the brochure of some of these examples. A tree, some cattle and a post of future plans for the island to keep original families on the island. The brochure shows Edgartown Lighthouse, Jaws and the Gingerbread Houses. This is what caught our attention for the tour. Well....we didn't see the Gingerbread Houses (On the Tour) at all. The last two pictures that I posted are drive by pics of the Jaw's Bridge and the Edgartown Lighthouse. There were two of us in my party, so these are some of the pictures we got to take for our $80 Tour.....you be the judge. The tour guide was not friendly and talked about things that interested him and not necessarily tourists that do not live there. Thanks for ruining our first and probably last trip to Martha's Vineyard MV Island Tours read more

See all

Booking was easy, as was a change I had to make with regard to the date and the amount of people. The phone was answered promptly and the lady who answered it could not have been any more helpful. When she heard we were coming on the ferry from Hyannis she advised me to call for directions when we disembarked which was very helpful. Tim was our driver. He was born on Marthas vineyard and raised his family there. He is a retired police officer and so very knowledgeable about every aspect of the island. The itinerary was interesting and included a couple of stops. I feel that you get an excellent overview of the island and it is wonderful value for money. I would highly recommend this tour and Tim! read more

OK tour. We got a late (20 min) start because they wanted to wait for a few people. No biggy, as we were able to get off the van and get some coffee. The vehicle was mediocre. Felt every bump and the wheelchair ramp made loud noise at each bump which was annoying. The seats sit above the driver which prevented us from easily seeing what was ahead of us. This too was annoying. read more

I called at last minute to see if we could schedule a tour. We were able to get a private tour with JP. What a fantastic experience. He was so professional. He took us to see so many wonderful spots. Would recommend JP if you are looking for a for a great tour. read more

Had a Fantastic 3 hour tour with Tim. Incredible local knowledge. Very friendly and professional. Made stops as were needed and shared great stories. Picked us up right at the ferry and provided an outstanding time. Worth every penny. we did a 4 person private tour. read more

God awful. 1 star is an overrate. The manager SUSAN is the most rude and unprofessional woman I have ever gotten service from. She should be ashamed at herself for the staff she hired and the prices she charges. Absolutely pointless tour and Susan called our driver and said we went over time and they left us 20 minutes from the ferry!!!! No joke they are awful and a shame tried to get a refund and they said no shot. SUSAN I hope you read this and change your ways and do better. Rant over. read more

My friend and I did a 3 hour tour of the beautiful towns in Martha's Vineyard. Our tour guide Harry was excellent and so informative. We really enjoyed his sense of humor, knowledge of the island and willingness to answer any questions. I especially liked hearing about the former presidents, famous actors and song artists who owned or previously owned properties on Martha's Vineyard. The Island's vast history and beautiful views of the ocean. We even saw the area where "Jaws" was filmed! Harry made this tour extra special! read more

Harry was not good - he was excellent. Non-stop talking, giving relevant information about the island. Also a bit of his own personal history with the island. Very happy we chose it. read more

Our driver Sharky was the best! He showed us all the sights and helped us get oriented on the island. Full of stories and local lore, he kept us entertained for the full 3 hour tour. read more

Just got home for MV and had to write a review. We did a four hour tour - and it was FABULOUS! Our tour guide, Moe, knew everything there was to know about the island. We saw the bluffs, the cottages, Belushi's grave, lighthouses, etc. He had wonderful anecdotes about the residents, celebrities, simply everything. The van was waiting for us when we got off the ferry, and got us back to Oak Bluffs in enough time for us to walk around before having to get on the next video. We paid for a private four hour tour, and thought that $50 each was an absolute steal for all we did. We simply cannot recommend them enough. Our recommendation would be to get the early tour, when you first arrive on the island (you also get an hour to yourselves to get lunch) and then have the time before you depart to walk around. Take the tour - you wont regret it! Attaching just a few of the MANY photos we took. It was a wonderful day! read more

See all

Upon arriving at Martha's Vineyard, we decided to book a tour of the island. Sue then booked us for the 2 hour tour. Harry, our tour guide was great. A life-long resident, he gave very informative and interesting facts about MV. read more

I'm shocked by some of the reviews! We used this tour company 2 years ago and were so impressed that we just used them again this week. Sue, the owner, is great! She's got a great staff, too! This time our tour guide was Wayne. Wayne grew up on MV. He was fabulous as a guide! Shared all the great stuff about the Vineyard....and when he spoke of politicians visiting the island, he was fair to both sides. He even stopped by a famous chocolate store and let us run in for some treats! This tour group is outstanding, and I wouldn't think of changing after the service we've received. read more

Had a great private tour with my family. Mr G was very well informed and conscientious.

We just had a 3 hour tour of Martha's Vineyard by Martha's Vineyards Excursions with Al. It was such an enjoyable experience that I would highly recommend it to everyone! Al grew up on the island and I took advantage of that fact by asking him endless questions. He not only answered all of them but went more in depth then an average tour guide. It was an experience that I will long remember. Thanks Al read more

Great tour. Ken was informative and funny. Plenty of historical info, fun facts and what is happening on the Island today. Highly recommend it at the beginning of your stay to help plan your itinerary read more

Great tour! David was very knowledgeable and was right on time. Would definitely use them again!

Did the three hour Vineyard tour and had a wonderful experience. Wayne was our tour guide and did an EXCEPTIONAL job tailoring the tour for the group (two seventy years olds, an eight year old, and a forty year old). Wayne was very thoughtful and chose his words carerfully given the audience. He truncated the trip and times when we requested it. He explored a local inn that I wanted to see. He did a great job going "off script". Will definitely patronize this tour again. read more

Signed up for a one hour tour and it ended up being two hours. The driver was terrible. All he did was talk about himself, his mother, and where they filmed the movie Jaws. Just an awful tour guide. One of the spots that he showed us was where he and his mother lived and told us about the value of his house. BORING BORING BORING!!! Don't use this touring company. read more

I didn't think this was that bad! My hubs and I only had 2 hours on the island and he really wanted to see some Jaws related areas, so he arranged for the tour. The van was very clean and the driver was super nice. He took us around for 1 hour for $75 total. My husband loved the tour - he got to see Brody's house, the Edgar Island Bridge and the ferry from the movie. He was a very happy camper. We also saw lots of homes owned by famous people, learned about some MV history and heard some interesting stories. Yes, the driver did talk about his mother a bit, and how his wife died (I felt so terrible) and about his life and struggles but he seemed nice enough. I think he just really enjoyed talking to us. If we had more time we probably wouldn't have taken this tour but in the time crunch we had, it was a great option and I would recommend it to people who want a quick and dirty tour of the island. read more

My family and I visited this beautiful island this past spring. The service we received was impeccable from the phone call with Sue to the door to door pick up and drop of. The icing on the cake was being toured by our guide Moe. We were toured over the entire island. Our first stop was to one of the yummiest seafood places, we still can't find any comparison. As a local Moe was extremely knowledgeable about MV. I learned about the most intricate details as he he gave history while weaving some of his story within. We learned from a tourist and natives perspective. Moe was so kind and encouraging during the trip...my family still speaks of this excursion. We can't wait to return! read more

Called to schedule a 2 hour tour for the next day. No one showed to pick us up! Called company. No explanation. No tour for us.