Scenic Barbados Tours Vs. Glory Tours in Barbados

[lala1330]

I am unsure of which one of these tour operators to choose from in Barbados. Do any of you out there on the boards have any recommendations for me. I have read some reviews that were pos/ old neg on Glory Tours but not much on Scenicbarbadostours. What I found on them were good reviews. This would be the first time using a tour operator that was not ship sponsored so I really want it to be a good experience. We have sailed eight cruises and never went outside the cruise lines!

 

All comments appreciated if constructive! :p

[kimmers63]

Funny, am looking at same two operators for our trip there 10/31 on NCL Star. Will await some good words on either!

[socialcruiser]

We are leaning towards Glory tours as well. I have had friends who have had great times with them. Sometimes things may just not go the way we expect especially after working to make the money to experoence each island. We are actually looking forward to having a great time.If you think negeative you will receive negative. Go with an open mind to have some fun with who ever you decide to go with.

[kimmers63]

Think we're going to go with Scenic Barbados tours, have seen pretty good posts of them. We never book "extorsions" thru the lines anymore, save so much money, less crowded and usuallly a better tour. Good luck!

[marsh-angler]

I was debating on these two the last couple of days. Earlier tonight I booked Glory tours online. I hope I made a good decision. I did email both and received quotes but felt Glory had the better deal.

[lulu13]

May I ask how long it took you to get any answers to your emails from Glory tours? I am trying to decide on which tours we want to do in the beginning of December, and I emailed some questions yesterday and am awaiting a reply. I read somewhere that email may take a while in the islands, so I was wondering when I should start to look for a reply. Thanks for your help.

[1stcruiser1]

I have always heard back from Sarah in a couple of days at the most. Her tours look good, I can't wait!

[marsh-angler]

May I ask how long it took you to get any answers to your emails from Glory tours? I am trying to decide on which tours we want to do in the beginning of December, and I emailed some questions yesterday and am awaiting a reply. I read somewhere that email may take a while in the islands, so I was wondering when I should start to look for a reply. Thanks for your help.

 

Sarah with Glory tours emailed me early the next morning. After a few more emails with questions we book the tour.

[socialcruiser]

May I ask how long it took you to get any answers to your emails from Glory tours? I am trying to decide on which tours we want to do in the beginning of December, and I emailed some questions yesterday and am awaiting a reply. I read somewhere that email may take a while in the islands, so I was wondering when I should start to look for a reply. Thanks for your help.

 

It took us aboout two days to receive an email from Sarah. (Not to bad) For St.lucia we received an almost immediate response from Serenity Tours. We are booked for these two islands. We are still looking into St.Marteen and St.Kitts. Any ideas will be appreciated.

[smmountaingal]

I've been following this post as I am also looking at both companies for the half day tour with only 2 hours of sightseeing and 2 at the beach. On Glory tours they stop at Oistins. I am wondering inf Oistins area is a good place to plan on getting lunch. Has anyone been to that part of Barbados?

[g8rfan94]

May I ask how long it took you to get any answers to your emails from Glory tours? I am trying to decide on which tours we want to do in the beginning of December, and I emailed some questions yesterday and am awaiting a reply. I read somewhere that email may take a while in the islands, so I was wondering when I should start to look for a reply. Thanks for your help.

 

I have been emailing with Sarah with no problem back and forth for several days this week. Her response time seems to have improved for some reason. We're going on the Best of Barbados Tour next Saturday and can't wait!

[socialcruiser]

Please let us know how it went when you get back. Thanks much

[vacation fool]

May I ask how long it took you to get any answers to your emails from Glory tours? I am trying to decide on which tours we want to do in the beginning of December, and I emailed some questions yesterday and am awaiting a reply. I read somewhere that email may take a while in the islands, so I was wondering when I should start to look for a reply. Thanks for your help.

 

Barbados was hit by tropical storm Tomas last nite. The power is out. Sarah from Glory tours who i keep in touch with is ok and only has her cell phone with battery low right now.

Our tour with her was this past April and we still keep in touch. It was a tour that will be the standard now to compare to. I only have good things to say about Glory Tours :D

[smmountaingal]

Barbados was hit by tropical storm Tomas last nite. The power is out. Sarah from Glory tours who i keep in touch with is ok and only has her cell phone with battery low right now.

 

Our tour with her was this past April and we still keep in touch. It was a tour that will be the standard now to compare to. I only have good things to say about Glory Tours :D

 

Thanks for the update on the storm. I am considering the half day Glory Tour for November 25th. Did you do a full or half day?

 

Did it include Oistin? How was the beach at Accra?

[flcruzer03]

I had booked the 4 hour tour with Edwin Lovell of Scenic tours for last Tues....he met me outside the gates as promised...unfortunately the other 6 people he had also booked never showed up...I did not want him to have to drive me around by myself for 4 hours so I did not get to see Barbados as planned. When I returned home there was an email from Edwin apologizing again for the tour not working out...based on this I would re-book again without hesitation...I'd just make sure I had some others in my group to go along...:D

[smmountaingal]

I had booked the 4 hour tour with Edwin Lovell of Scenic tours for last Tues....he met me outside the gates as promised...unfortunately the other 6 people he had also booked never showed up...I did not want him to have to drive me around by myself for 4 hours so I did not get to see Barbados as planned. When I returned home there was an email from Edwin apologizing again for the tour not working out...based on this I would re-book again without hesitation...I'd just make sure I had some others in my group to go along...:D

 

I am sure you are very disappointed not to have the tour available. At least the good thing is you had not paid in advance. Interesting that the others did not show up.

 

What did you do with your time in Barbados?

[vacation fool]

Thanks for the update on the storm. I am considering the half day Glory Tour for November 25th. Did you do a full or half day?

 

Did it include Oistin? How was the beach at Accra?

 

It was a full day tour. Truthfully we covered most of the island so i cannot remember the name of the beach we stopped at to swim. I do not know what Oistin is. We did the animal preserve which was one of the highlights. Monkeys, huge turtles and other animals move about freely-no cages. It was a hoot especially at the feeding time. Picture monkeys eating chunks of watermelon lol Also, Harrisons Caves not to be missed. Just my few cents worth. ;)

[Pecangirl]

We did Glory Tours on 11/5/10 and it was FANTASTIC! Our ship arrived late and our driver Jamal even waited for us. He took the 5 other passengers who'd arrived on time around the island for a bit and came back and got us. We had fresh baked breakfast and saw so many beautiful beaches I lost count. We had an authentic island lunch (which was amazing)! We saw monkeys in the wild, gorgeous scenery, went snorkeling with turtles and saw the shipwreck. Jamal was knowledgeable and friendly. We got back to the ship in plenty of time and feel like we experienced the best of Barbados- even after Hurricane Tomas. Email me if you'd like to see photos. But Glory Tours was everything we wanted with service beyond excellent!!! pecangirl@yahoo.com

[smmountaingal]

We did Glory Tours on 11/5/10 and it was FANTASTIC! Our ship arrived late and our driver Jamal even waited for us. He took the 5 other passengers who'd arrived on time around the island for a bit and came back and got us. We had fresh baked breakfast and saw so many beautiful beaches I lost count. We had an authentic island lunch (which was amazing)! We saw monkeys in the wild, gorgeous scenery, went snorkeling with turtles and saw the shipwreck. Jamal was knowledgeable and friendly. We got back to the ship in plenty of time and feel like we experienced the best of Barbados- even after Hurricane Tomas. Email me if you'd like to see photos. But Glory Tours was everything we wanted with service beyond excellent!!! pecangirl@yahoo.com

 

Did you schedule a full day tour or half day tour? How long did you spend at the beach and which beach?

[karylrocks]

What tour did you take? I have decided on Glory Tours but there are so many, I can't decide which one.

[Diana68]

What tour did you take? I have decided on Glory Tours but there are so many, I can't decide which one.

When we toured with Sarah in Feb.08 it was our second time in Barbados, but our kids first. They were 14 and 16 at the time. I had been to the wildlife preserve, and knew that they would love it. This is the tour that we picked:

Best of Barbados Option 1

Our first stop on this unforgettable tour will be Harrisons Cave where you will travel through the winding tunnels in trams and make your way into the specially lighted caverns, view the majestic stalactites and stalagmites which have been growing from the floors and ceilings for many centuries. Cascading through the caves, the crystal blue waters form magnificent pools and waterfalls, Harrison's cave is guaranteed to be an experience of a lifetime. Then make your way up the Island's green hills down on to our spectacular East Coast. After enjoying these breathtaking sights & stops you will enjoy a quick lunch. Then we are off to the Wild life Reserve for a glimpse of those mischievous Barbados green tail monkeys. For the second part of your day take a swim with our friendly sea turtles, sail down the West Coast and snorkel off of one of our colorful reefs. Please be sure to wear your swimsuits and bring a beach towel for this excursion US$117 per adult

Sarah picked us up in her van for a private tour. We first went to the caves. We had a little wait to get in, about 10-15 min, but enjoyed it as monkeys were playing in the trees, and Sarah was talking with us. She is very knowledgeable about the islands history, and kept us entertained all day with her stories. Next we did a driving tour around the island, Sarah pointing out a few old churches/buildings and headed to the east coast to Bathsheba and Cattlewash. Beautiful coast, rock formations,...and she even showed the kids where her grandparents lived and her and her cousins used to play in the surf. We ate a wonderful Caribbean lunch at a little place up on a cliff overlooking the sea, then headed to the wildlife preserve. They do have some cages/glass enclosures for snakes, etc, and they rehabilitate injured animals, but most of the monkeys are free to come and go as they please here(but they feed them, so they come). We were there in Feb., and there were lots of babies, my daughter didn't want to leave she had so much fun watching and snapping pictures of them. Next we were off to the west coast of the island. We drove past Sandy Lane and Sarah told us how much the rooms are there(we won't be staying there) and that Tiger Woods rented out the entire place for his wedding. Just down the beach from there we met our glass bottom boat tour. The boat took us out to swim with the turtles and snorkel over the ship wreck. We sailed along the west coast, past Sandy Lane and a few other beaches, and then he dropped us off (not were we got on) and Sarah was waiting there to take us back to the pier. It was a very busy day, but sometimes it can be hard to keep two teens entertained.

Edited November 14, 2010 by Diana68

[swartz]

If you get Jemel from Glory Tours you will not have a better time anywhere else. I got engaged on a Glory Tour and a year later came back to Barbados to get married and made sure Jemel was at my wedding. Tell him Jason sent you

[Buffettfan 225]

If you get Jemel from Glory Tours you will not have a better time anywhere else. I got engaged on a Glory Tour and a year later came back to Barbados to get married and made sure Jemel was at my wedding. Tell him Jason sent you

What a great story Sounds like a friend for life. I will look into Jemel- do you recall tour name you chose?

[ina905]

we did glory tours-full day in january 2011. it was absolutely wonderful-harrison's caves, the animal preserve, the great lunch, the beach, etc. absolutely recommend it!!!!

[Putterdude]

We used Glory Tours in January 2010 and had Quammie as our guide. We have put together a group for January 2012...that's how pleased we were.