Before heading out that way, I looked up their website for directions and information. They mentioned an elaborate tour where you get to hop on/off a bus on your own time, see multiple sites, cultural shows, Indian villages, and walk the skywalk. Sounded great!
Ultimately, we paid $75 per person for nothing. This operation was poorly organized and they did not seem ready for the tourists they were trying to attract. There were no "real" bathrooms or buildings aside from the porta-potties out in the dirt parking lot or the crowded one in the trailer. We were picked up by a coach bus that took us out to the Skywalk. Which appears and seems much bigger on TV than it actually is in person. They did not clearly advertise that no cameras or belongings period would be allowed onto the skywalk. So when we got there, we had to pay more to get a locker. If it was required that everyone have to lock up their stuff, I think they should have had a security area where we could store our stuff for free, not pay for lockers where nobody was prepared with change for. We walked on the skywalk for about 2 minutes, which really was a neat/scary experience.
What I really didn't appreciate here was I felt like they hyped it up to be more than it was and made sure to charge every step of the way and not give back much in return. If it had been more clear to me what we were getting into and going to get to start with, I would not have felt as poorly leaving. They took advantage of "tourists" who ultimately bring them the money and falsely advertised everything.
The Grand Canyon itself was gorgeous, amazing, and massive. If you are there to see the canyon, I would suggest going to the South Rim where there are clearly marked paths, railings, and park rangers who can give you information about the canyon.
3 comments:
Sorry to hear you had to go through all that. It sounds like it's actually gotten worse since I was there. It's really a pity.
For anyone interested, here's my review:
http://hicks-wright.net/grand-canyon-skywalk
Maybe other people will build sky walks too and demand less money (competion)?
My wife and I also went there in September of 2007. We had reservations made through AAA. After driving over 14 miles of dirt road (behind a bus!). When we got there we found that they would not honor our reservations. We talked to just about everyone there to no avail. Their suggestion was for us to call and cancel our reservation and use our credit card and pay the admission there. With tax it was over $80 per person. You have to take the "Spirit Tour" in order to get on the Skywalk. You COULD NOT just get on the Skywalk. Our only other choice was pay for the Spirit Tour and just not see it and go directly to the Skywalk. We decided that since we had already wasted over 1 1/2 hours of our alloted time trying to get our reservations straightened out that we would just skip it. The lady manager we talked to was very nice but said it was out of her hands. The "Indians" she said insist on getting their $55 for the Spirit Tour and the Owner of the Skywalk was obligated to comply as the Indians own the ground the Skywalk is built on. (What moron would build a multi-million dollar structure on leased or rented ground?) We decided, heck with it and drove the 14 miles of dirt road back to semi civilization.
We made a stop at the first little town and stopped to ask where we could find something to eat. The lady I asked said her husband worked at the Skywalk and that they receive a lot of complaints about the expense and poor service etc. I do not expect to ever visit the Skywalk unless there is a major change and it becomes more reasonable.
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