My wife and I were first time visitors to Sedona. We arranged two private tours, one of the Grand Canyon and one of Upper Antelope Canyon. Our guides, Richard and Chris were professional and made both trips a pleasure. Each guide provided a ton of information about the geology, ecology and geography of the area. Stunning scenery on both tours.
Last thing I want is to cram into a van for a 8+ hour car trip with strangers. First class picked us up on time & even had water and a snack for us. Informative, professional, and best of all a comfortable ride in a Lincoln navigator.
My husband and I vacationed in Sedona for our anniversary and decided it would be awesome to see the Grand Canyon. We booked with First Class Charter & Tours, and it was the best decision that we could have made. Our Grand Canyon tour was amazing. Our tour guide was extremely personable, knowledgeable, and entertaining. It was about a two hour drive from our hotel to the Grand Canyon, and she made the time seem to fly by. They honestly couldn’t have picked a better person for us to spend a day with if they had tried - my husband is a percussionist, and he was tickled pink to find out she was too - they talked music and drums all day. We really feel that we got to see things we wouldn't have on our own or with a different tour company, and she managed to get us around all of the crowds so we weren't hassled! We got some great pictures of the Grand Canyon, and some wonderful shots of my husband and I together that our tour guide took (couple shots are always a hassle when you travel as a couple, and our tour guide just made it so easy!). Her help didn’t stop with just our Grand Canyon tour either - she had great recommendations for other things to see and do, places to visit, to eat, drink wine that were all spot on.
My husband and I enjoyed the Grand Canyon tour that was arranged by our hotel, Enchantment Resort tremendously. Please note the following:
1. Our tour guide was Christopher O'Brien. Please search him on amazon if you want to know more information. He's written a few books and is an expert in the area.
It was fun chatting with him and hearing his prospective but you need to have an open mind. He has strong opinions. He disagreed with the official version of many historical facts and is a conspiracy theorist. Interesting and engaging conversations if you are interested. Otherwise, he doesn't talk about it if you don't want his prospective. Hidden doorways and government coverups!
2. Walk the rim! He asked us if we wanted to and of course, we said "yes". Make sure to ask the options if you don't. Otherwise, your tour will be shorter.
3. The restaurant at El Tovar is included in the tour. Make sure to eat--they are paying.
We booked a 'special' Verde Valley Vineyard and Winery Tour through First Class Charters and paid $385 plus tax for 4 people. Things got off to a good start, we were picked up from our hotel at the agreed time, and our guide/driver was very personable, and knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the area, but the 'tour' itself was a great disappointment. We were driven to 3 vineyards in the vicinity, but there was no 'tour' at any of them. We were neither expected or greeted personally when we arrived at any of them, we were merely dropped off at the door and left to our own devices to do some tastings - there was no unsolicited input from either our 'tour' guide, or from the staff at the wineries. The last vineyard we visited was extremely busy and we had to hang around until there was room for us to begin our tasting. I would have expected a table reservation to have been made for us as a minimum. Whilst we enjoyed the tastings and the food on offer at each stop, we basically paid $385 for the use of a car and a chauffer for about 3 1/2 hours. Not good value for money. We have been on a couple of vineyard tours in Italy recently and these were far better organised.
I did contact the company twice when we returned home, but they did not even have the good grace to acknowledge my comments.
Spent 5 days in Sedona and used First Class Charter & Tours for all my transportation and tours, and the experience was outstanding! From the first conversation with Mei Wei, I knew I had made the right decision, and all the follow up emails with Ed only confirmed that. Chris was waiting for me at baggage claim at PHX, and I knew I was in good, capable hands. Later that evening I met Ed, the owner of the company and it was like meeting family. We felt like we were visiting family and got passed on to family friends with each driver/tour guide that we met. We did the Scenic Sedona tour with Ed, which was fantastic. We also did the Grand Canyon Tour with Tina, and Antelope Canyon with Sheldon. They are the most knowledgeable, professional, caring and nicest people you will ever meet. They love what they do and their passion really comes through. On the Sedona tour, expect to see beautiful rock formations that have their own backstories and names. Highlights include Bell Rock, the Art Center and the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The Grand Canyon Tour was amazing, even with bad weather. There is nothing quite like looking at one of the Natural Wonders of the world with a guide who knows the park intimately. They also arranged an Helicopter tour for us which was out of this world. My favorite tour was Antelope Canyon. The weather was great and the scenery en route was simply magical. The word of the day was "wow" as I could not stop saying "wow". Sheldon was a gem and in addition to Antelope Canyon, which will blow your mind, we saw beautiful Lake Powell, the Glen Canyon Dam and Horse Shoe Bend, which was breathtaking. Oh, and Mei Wei packed a delicious picnic lunch that we enjoyed at the Glen Canyon Park while overlooking Lake Powell. I cannot say enough about these guys, the tours are private and customized to your preferences. It was first class, door to door service the whole time. I wholeheartedly recommend them for all your tour and transportation needs when visiting Sedona. It was a dream getaway and First Class Charters & Tours was a huge part of that. Mei Wei, Ed, Chris, Tina and Sheldon, I cannot thank you guys enough and I look forward to seeing you, my new friends and family when next I am in town!!
