Great vineyards, TORTUROUS, inescapable, and poor NARRATION on the boat. People go on these types…read moreof tours to have fun, relax, and unwind. At almost $500 for two people, this tour didn't really provide that.
NARRATOR: While the vineyards were fine, the narration on the boat was truly hellacious. I actually heard multiple people joke abut jumping off the boat because it wouldn't stop. Primarily it was relentless and loud*, talking literally for hours with almost no breaks, from a narrator who loved the sound of her own yelling, stress inducing voice and isn't super familiar with "inside thoughts". As a fellow licensed NYC tour guide I can say it was unrehearsed, grating and often irrelevant and inaccurate. The content was repeated, disorganized and by the end when she asked if people had questions people literally shouted NO and PLEASE STOP, but she couldn't hear them on the second deck. It was clear this narrator isn't always doing these tours and was more focused on her own good time, tips, and accolades than the experience of the guests; again this is coming from a fellow guide. I'm certain sure she is a perfectly lovely person in other circumstances, but with respect, she lacked self awareness in this particular scenario to the determent of hundreds of trapped passengers. It was not clear enough from the website this would be a constant assault on the senses-- inescapable on any part of the boat, and literally screeching out from dozens of speakers nestled in every corner.
VINEYARDS: The first vineyard was nice, thought there was a DJ and a band playing which didn't sound great or relaxing, especially after the several hours of aural harassment we'd already endured. The second, Quartz Rock, was quiet, delicious, and gorgeous, def our fave. We agreed even 15-20 more minutes at each vineyard would have been closer to the right amount of time.
BOAT: The windows were dirty and got foggy, which is good to know, but not much they can do about it. There is very little rock to the boat, which seasick weary travelers will appreciate!
RECOMMEND? NO. With out the narrator this would be a yearly event for us, with her, I could never recommend it or convince myself to go again. Its unclear at time of booking who the narrator will be. *Please note headphones, nor earplugs made a meaningful difference. The captain's voice was quiet over the speakers, but the narrator constantly turned it up, even after passengers asked for it to be turned down.