I did the gastown tour with Marla and the China town tour with Alex…read more Marla was absolutely amazing. She was funny, informative, and overall a great person.she is also kind, think of the people around us that might over hear her on sensitive subjects. Overflowing with information, she answered every question and even gave us some food recommendations. Definitely recommend doing. I also did the china town tour. Alex was super informative. Also joking around on the riot explanations was very nice. 10/10 recommend especially if you're in Vancouver for a couple days.

Not only can you not lose because this is a FREE tour...but you will gain so much interesting info!…read more I'm sure hopping on and off a bus would be just fine, but for us, with just one short day in this vast city, we were looking for a quick connection, and that's exactly what we got on this recent Sunday. We met our tour guide, Ali at the designated time (11am) at the designated place, and 20 or so of us enjoyed an incredibly interesting walking tour of Chinatown. There is no way we would have gotten the feel for this city had we not taken this tour. Several folks were repeat tour guy visitors, so they must have enjoyed those as well. Our group had folks from several countries. It is a relaxed tour at a pace that is just right...not too fast and not too slow. Seriously, just right! And absolutely everyone in our group was happy to hand over generous thank you tips. Well-deserved. Ali was kind enough at the end of the tour to guide anyone who wanted dining suggestions or directions. For us, he was even kind enough to let us walk along with him since we were heading in the same direction. As a result, we were fortunate enough to get an extended tour, as he remained a wealth of Vancouver info as we went along. Highly recommend!

Vancouver- Westcoast Sightseeing's Big Bus Hop-On, Hop-Off Classic Pass: 48 Hours…read more I joined the Westcoast Sightseeing's Big Bus for the second day of the Vancouver leg of my D.C. to Banff train trip over the 4th of July holiday in the United States. Because I worked with Kevin Guadagnoli through Amtrak Vacations, I trusted that he would select from known tour operators for activities while I was in Vancouver. He thoughtfully included the admission fee for a two-day pass for the Vancouver Hop-On, Hop-Off tour bus. It picked up across the street from the Fairmont Waterfront where I was staying and provided a leisurely guided tour of the highlights of Vancouver. It was a rainy day and I wanted to make the most of the atmosphere, given how often Vancouver is rainy. There was no line - the bus had about 12 passengers when I boarded. The bus departs hourly and starts at Canada Place, and its 2-hour loop includes stops at Granville Island, Gastown, Chinatown and Entertainment District. The narration was easy to hear and understand, and the narrative information provided appropriate and helpful context and historical background of the locations we passed through. For my visit this time, I got off the bus for visiting the markets and shops on Granville Island. For the rest of the tour, I learned about the Steam Clock, the Marine Building, BC Place, the Seawall, and the Capilano Suspension Bridge. The tour was the best way to enjoy a rainy summer day in Vancouver!

We took a trip with them to Whistler, 2 hour drive, could'nt hear driver talking we were in second…read moreroll of seats, temperature was 86 degrees. Told the driver about both things -seemed like he didn't cars, he already got our $400 --Beware DON'T USE THESE CLOWNS. They want your money but don't care about the comfort of people who paid them money to go somewhere.

Sherry was great to be on board today! Did her own tour stories! No voice recordings...Best so…read morefar! Yesterday was not so good- that bus dropped us off at 4:30 on a stop and it was supposed to go on until at least 6pm. We had to wait for another bus- very disappointing!!

Extremely disappointing customer service experience…read more We went to the Big Bus Tours ticket counter by the waterfront in Vancouver because we thought we needed to purchase tickets there in order to do the Grouse Grind hike. We were unaware that we did not actually need to purchase these tickets. We told the employee that we wanted to do the Grouse Grind hike and he sold us tickets to Grouse Mountain. I asked him if the shuttle was free because I remembered it being free and he told me that it was included in the price of the ticket. Based on that conversation we purchased the tickets. We were charged $186 for two people. The amount sounded quite high to me so I looked it up afterward to make sure the price was correct. That's when I discovered that we did not actually need these tickets. The shuttle was free and we only needed a $20-per-person gondola ticket to come down. We immediately returned to the counter and asked for a refund but were refused and told to contact customer service. We were never told that the tickets were non-refundable. I contacted customer service as soon as we returned home from our vacation. I was then told that I should have contacted them the same day despite nobody at the ticket counter telling us this. I was also told their system showed that the tickets had been scanned. We did not scan or use them. We still have them in our Apple Wallet and had separately purchased the gondola tickets we actually needed to come down. I even offered to provide proof of that purchase. What was most frustrating was how the customer service representative handled the situation. Rather than acknowledging that there could have been a misunderstanding I was repeatedly told that their employees are very good at their jobs and know what they are doing. This made me feel like my account of the conversation was being dismissed and that I was being treated as though I was lying. I have now had to dispute the $186 charge with my credit card company because Big Bus Tours refused to resolve the issue. Being told the shuttle was included when it was actually free and then refusing to refund the unused tickets felt like a serious misrepresentation and was borderline fraudulent.

Perfect day / even in the rain!! But of a mixup on our reservation & Jason drove us all the way to…read moreWhistler to catch the tour bus!! So it became a private tour for half the day! The rerun bus was clean & comfy - the driver was informative & funny! A great visit to Vancouver!!

The tour per se was excellent; went to Whistler Village. But…read morethere was a bit of confusion in payment for the gondola ride on the way back to Vancouver. This lead to a mistaken overpayment made for the ticket. I contacted the company via email and they were very responsive and refunded to me the over-charges. I was much impressed with the great customer service.

This was a fun experience - I can't really speak to how it is as a source of reliable…read moretransportation, but I took this as a fun excursion from Granville Island to ride around a little. While this isn't billed as a tour, the ship's captain was kind enough to narrate the landmarks (including each owner of the the vast row of yachts docked nearby!) that we were passing as well as each of the stops and what adventures could be had there. She was really entertaining and kind, as she also helped with several lost travelers standing at one of the stations. It was a smooth ride on a sunny day and the views were absolutely gorgeous. FYI, there are no amenities on board, so no concession stand or washrooms, although the ride roundtrip is only around 40 minutes -you don't really need it to begin with.

I love these little boat rides! The rainbow colours of the boats make them so much more fun and…read morehonestly very Vancouver. Very convenient AquaBus ride from Granville Island straight over to Yaletown, spending some time walking around and hanging out there, and then coming back to Granville Island for the rest of the day. It's such a short and sweet ride, but you still get to enjoy beautiful views of False Creek along the way. Another favourite is taking it over toward Science World and making a whole afternoon out of it. You can visit Science World, walk around False Creek and then head back to Granville Island. It's also really pretty at night when all the lights and signs are reflecting on the water. After spending a long day at Granville Island, hopping on the boat and just enjoying the ride is such an easy way to end the day. And the best part is that it's cheap! For the price, it's such a fun little Vancouver experience and something I keep coming back to and always making sure to have my out of town guests join in as well!

This is a must do if you are visiting! We only had one day to capture the Vancouver experience and…read morethis was one of the spots we chose to visit. We were not disappointed. Don't let the ticket price scare you, it was worth every penny. We spent about an hour on top with the breathtaking views of the city and apparently the mountains if it was raining. I would recommend it. Have your camera ready in the elevator as well.

I visited the Vancouver Lookout and left pretty underwhelmed…read more First issue was finding it. It's inside a building, but signage outside is small and not very clear, so it took a bit of wandering before I even found the line. I actually even passed the building up while walking. I needed to use the restroom before going up and saw signage for the one near the food court. Honestly, it was absolutely disgusting and didn't have paper towels. I ended up walking completely out. When I asked the lookout staff about a restroom, I was initially told there wasn't one. Then once they asked if I was intending on buying a ticket, it suddenly appeared that there all of a sudden was a restroom available upstairs. Hmmm but at any rate, it was a completely different experience from the first restroom. Thank goodness. The lookout itself feels dated. You do get a full bird's-eye view of the city, but there wasn't anything especially exciting or memorable about it. They also charged more than what was posted on the signage, so it looks like a recent price increase, $24 CAD mid June. Overall, if you go in with low expectations and just want a quick view of the city, it's fine. But I wouldn't call it a must-do in Vancouver.

Gayle, Erin, Jim, and I recently rented electric bikes for our "peddling" tour of Stanley Park and…read morealong the False Creek waterfront. This was our first time on an electric bike and we all enjoyed the easy-to-use assist features that supplemented our manual option. CONS - Jim's chain fell off twice, with a nice guy helping to fix it the first time. After the second time, he used the electric feature to bring the bike back to the barn. +/- - Erin scored a discount on our bikes and Jim's issue was credited. However, the credit card entries took awhile to sort themselves out. PROS - Jim's issue aside, our bikes were top quality, easy to use, and fun to ride. - Bee's Knees staff were very helpful and responsive to our beginner questions and the above bike chain issue. - Stunning scenery and well marked bike paths. - Vancouver takes their bikes very seriously including the practice that traffic laws apply to all. BOTTOM LINE - I'd happily use Bee's Knees again for a bike rental.

Easy to get bike, very reasonable price, good location for us near Granville island and heading to…read moreUBC Richard is a kind man

You want the best?! You got it!…read more This is the BEST tour company ever with the most amazing guides who will take care of you. They have a Vancouver Island trip where you can go bear watching, surfing, whale watching, kayaking and more! The Rockies are so gorgeous and there are so many activities to do like Exploring the Ice Fields (My favorite), White Water Rafting, Caving, More Kayaking and Hiking. If you are looking to make friends for life, go on adventures, have lots of free time and independence or stay with the group and hang out, this is how you do it. It is worth every penny! I can't wait to go back!

I booked a tour with Moose Travel to explore Vancouver Island and it was definitely a great choice…read more I had thought about travelling the island solo but after a quick chat with Amanda at the Moose desk I was booked on the last tour of the island in September. Julia was our tour guide and she didn't disappoint! Before we left for the ferry she gave us a rundown of the itinerary for Tofino. We got to the ferry with plenty of time to spare so we stopped off for some coffee. Once on our way we all headed to the top deck to take in the view and get to know our group a little better. After that we were left to explore on our own before heading back to the bus as we arrived in Nanaimo. From Nanaimo we drove towards Tofino, our first stop on the island explorer. We had lunch at Little Qualicum Falls Park followed by a walk through the park to the waterfall. Julia was a fantastic tour guide with loads of information on the park and island history. The drive to Tofino was probably the most scenic drive I've been on. We arrived at the hostel just after 6pm and everyone got checked in before meeting up for a group dinner. The next day everyone went off on different activities and adventures all with the help of Julia, and after an awesome breakfast of bacon, pancakes and maple syrup! The great thing about Moose is they will help set you up with some great activities in the area but you don't have to do that, you have the freedom to explore and do your own thing, so a great company to travel with on a budget! Day 3 we were on our way to Victoria! We grabbed breakfast in Tofino before heading off. On the way we stopped off in Pacific Rim National Park for a morning walk down to Long Beach. The park is a beautiful spot for a walk and to get some great snapshots of British Columbia scenery. Once at the beach we took some photos and then Julia gave us the option of walking along the beach or back through the forest. Everyone opted for a stroll along the beach and Julia picked us up on the other side. Lunch was a stop in Coombs, where goats live on rooftops! A quaint little tourist spot with plenty of options for food as well as some of the best ice cream in Canada! Back on the road for Victoria with more stops at some of the beautiful scenery along the way. Again we arrived in Victoria in the early evening. Julia dropped us off at our hostel and we got settled and checked in. After dinner we all met up for some drinks in one of the local spots. Day 4 and we all met up again, some of the group had gone whale watching while the rest of us headed to Chinatown with Julia leading the way. We stopped off at some historic spots and Julia gave us some interesting facts on the area and its history. It was at this point that I left the group and Julia. Another great thing about Moose is the flexibility. I booked an additional night in Victoria and would make my way back to Vancouver the following day. Julia was an awesome tour guide, I honestly can't praise her enough! Moose are a great company to travel with, there's a lot more flexibility than you would find with other companies, they want you to have a great time without being rushed through it. I'll be travelling with these guys again int he future!