Integrate New York

From reading some other reviews, I guess it boils down to the old phrase, ""you can't please everybody."" In our case, we were extremely pleased with OnBoard tours..\r We took a tour on a beautiful April Saturday on a small bus with guide Ed Carpenter, and what a nice, personable guy he was, and what special insights did he have to offer!\r I've been on 2 or 3 other NYC tours, and none came close to presenting more sights, and more information, than what we received in our roughly six hours with Ed and OnBoard.\r Everything came down like clockwork, yet I don't believe anybody in our small group, perhaps a dozen people, felt pressured or rushed. \r Exception ... perhaps 10 more minutes could have been allotted to spend on the lunch break ... but I guess we were at the mercy of the accompanying boat tour schedule. And I guess our one regret was not being able to go inside St. Patrick's Cathedral and another old church.\r But hey, for the price, which we thought was very reasonable, I'd say we got a great deal.\r If you can dedicate six hours of your day, and if you want to see a wider spread of sights, I submit that OnBoard is the right choice for you. more

To celebrate our 10th anniversary, my wife and I decided to spend a long weekend in the City. Our good friends from California joined us, and we decided to play tourist for one of the days and take a tour. Following the glowing review of a couple we are close to, we decided to take the "See It All" tour from OnBoard. Pros: null Cons: null more

This was the worst tour I have ever been on. I was taking my cousin who was visiting from Arizona to see the sights of New York and decided on the NYC Freedom tour which was to include the 911 memorial, Statue of Libery, Ellis Island, Fire Fighter Memorial, St Pauls Trinity Church and Wall Street. Our first stop was the memorial. We were told at the memorial that it was to be the only stop before we headed back to the water taxi which would take us around the State of Liberty. The tour was to be 5 hours long but didn't even come close. To make matter worse we were told to exit the memorial and meet out on the street. Our tour guide disappeared and we were left to fend for ourselves. We called the company about having a bus meet us back at the pier to go back to the our original meeting place which was the Winter Garden Theater. We were told our guide would call us back. He did not. The water taxi people told us this tour loses people all the time. When we got back to the pier we were forced to walk back to midtown since no bus arrived. I again called the company demanding a refund and was told I would get some kind of compensation but she would have to talk to her manager. She emailed me later that afternoon to say her manager denied any kind of refund saying the tour guide said he was easy to be found and we wandered away from him.I am just furious with this company and want to let everyone know what a miserable experience it was and discourage people from giving them anymore business. Pros: null Cons: null more

Our experience with OnBoard New York Tours left me in tears. My elderly grandmother, who traveled all the way from Louisiana, was completely robbed of her once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the greatest attractions in the city of NY. When we told her we were taking her to see the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero, the excitement this generated in her was priceless. But when our experience turned into a sheer disaster with the tour bus continuing on without us at one of the stops, we were left in a strange place feeling terrified and abandoned. We immediately called the company and were given the cell phone number of the tour guide, whom we were told we needed to contact. Much to our dismay, we were told to take a cab to some seaport to try and catch up with the group to board a ferry, if we should be so lucky to make it through rush hour traffic in time. It was obvious that if we didn more

This company did not turn out to be the reputable company it appeared to be when we decided to use its services for our first trip to New York. To make a long story short, my family of five, including my 79 year-old mother, was deserted in Rockefeller Plaza. We had planned a one-day trip to New York just to do this tour. Not only did we miss more than half of what we came to see, but the company refused to refund any portion of the nearly $400 that we paid for this awful experience. This is an expensive touring option, and I would not recommend it. more

For the amount of money that we paid for this tour, we were sorely disappointed. The tour guide did not seem as knowledgeable as we would have expected and even more so, she appeared inexperienced and not well trained. The microphone didn?t work, so it was difficult at best to hear anything she was saying. She kept trying to yell so everyone could hear her but it was nothing short of annoying. In addition, the tour was so rushed that it was hard to take in very much at each of the stops. For anyone considering this tour, here?s a piece of advice: Save your money! more

This is an opion, and I want to share it with anyone who expects to really enjoy this tour. I just wanted to say how dissapointed I was in the lack of what you claim to show on your tour. We did not stop at over half of what you claim we would and the tour guy was so new like a green banana and no you do not cater to the elder. If i had to drag my mom one more time, i think i would be calling a lawyer by now. I think you need to update the web to do what you really do not what you claim to do on your tour. very unhappy & would not recomend to anyone. I will be posted this to as many NYC websites that I can find. Oh yeah, and the water was purcharsed only after we had to ask....just saying that is on the web too more

We had booked in advanced On Board Tours. Only to find out that they had sold our seats because we were five minutes late. Offered to put us the next bus but that would have been to late, as we were only there for that day. After missing the bus we called to see if we could get a refund. The lady said that that would not be an issue and that a check would be mailed out in two weeks. It has now been two months and still no check. Called them and this time talked to another person and told me she would look into it and to call her back at 3 pm that day. I called back and she had "stepped out". Called back again and she had left for the day. I have called every day for two weeks and no one has ever gotten back to me. I have filed a complaint with the BBB. more

Very disappointed. The tour operator was rude. I will never ever suggest OnBoard tours to any friends. more

Update on Sept 01, 2010 Pros: NO PROS Cons: DENIED MY CONFIRMED TRIP more

I loved this tour. We had a limited amount of time in NYC on a recent visit and chose OnBoard New York Tours. With several tours to choose from, one can only hope you choose the right one. Long story short, OnBoad was definitely the right choice. It was very convenient, hit all the stops we wanted to see and it was very informative. The employees were very friendly as well. Highly recommended! Pros: convenient, informative more

We were going to be in the city for one day so we booked and paid for the NYC tour over a month in advance. We arrived at the at the pick up location almost an hour early and the bus was over an hour late. It was 17 degrees out while we waited on the sidewalk with our small children. When the bus arrived, there were only a few seats left and the lady there said sorry but another bus is coming, We waited another 30 minutes for another bus and that one was also filled up also. We asked when the next bus was and she said "we will give you a tour tomorrow." We were there only for that day so we asked them to book us on another bus for that day. She became angry and said the only thing they could offer is the next day then stormed off. We called the OnBoard number and got hung up on when we explained what happened. On our second call the next day, we were told that they will send us a check in a few weeks and they do not do refunds on credit cards. The boss, Vince, refused to even get on the telephone. Our credit card company if fighting with them now. IF YOU USE THIS TOUR, BE PREPARED FOR A LOT OF AGGRAVATION AND A FIGHT. YOU WILL NEED TO BOOK AND PAY FOR ANOTHER TOUR COMPANY ANYWAY. Pros: I hear the tour is good if you can get on it Cons: Overbooking more

Tour was overpriced and overhyped. Customer service was terrible. I enjoy taking city tours in every city I visit and this was by far the worst experience I have ever had. It darkened our overall visit and impression of New York City. We may never return, which is unfortunate, because prior to this trip, NYC was my favorite city to visit! Pros: Nothing Cons: Everything more

This past Tuesday August 4, at 3pm, my colleague and I stepped on Pros: tour guide, info on city, picture opps Cons: 3pm traffic more

My family and I went on this tour the week of February vacation. Trying to keep 2 kids, 16 and 17 interested for 5 1/2 hour is tough but Tom was able to keep all of us involved and interested. I have been on the big bus tours before and they just can't compete with this small tour. The knowledge that our guide Tom had was the best. If you are looking for a tour of the city that gives you the real feel of the people that live here, do yourself a favor and take this tour. They have water and soda during the tour. As for Tom as your guide and you won't be disappointed. Pros: Tom Cons: no bathrooms on the bus more

While visiting New York recently, friends recommended Party Shuttle to check out the city. Though we had reservations about taking a tour, we couldn't have had a better time. Our tour guide was interesting and informative, while keeping the spirit lighthearted and fun. It was a great way to check out the city after arriving. Pros: Small group, Great tour guide, good value. Cons: Didn't want it to end! more

Being my first time in New York City and only having a limited amount of time, we're very happy we found New York Party Shuttle-Tours on Citysearch. We saw all the spots we wanted to including, but not limited to, Times Square, Empire State Building, Rock Center, Wall Street, Central Park, 5th Avenue and many other spots. The people were friendly and we had a great time. Highly recommended. more

The tour was promised to be for 5 1/2 hours and it was not. The tour ended 45 minutes early, plus 1 full hour of the tour consisted of being left at a shopping center to fend for ourselves. In reality we received a 3 hour and 45 minute tour for the price of a 5 1/2 hour tour. Not at all as advertised. Pros: Tour was 3 3/4 hours plus 1 hour at a shopping mall, NOT 5 1/2 or 6 hours as stated Cons: The company agreed to refund 25% after much haggling. more