We had a good time, glad we went but ...... - My wife and I booked a 12 day tour starting Aug 04 so we flew into Deer Lake on Aug 3, a day early. On Aug 4 we were picked... read more up at our hotel at 1300 and we drove to the airport where we sat for over 2 hours waiting for flights to arrive, flights that had tour members arriving. Who plans to arrive at a distant destination in the late afternoon on the first day of the tour? Then we drove 50 minutes to Cornerbrook for the welcome reception. The reception was supposed to start at 1430 I think, but it was delayed until 1630 because of the late arrivals. We were told on the bus there would be plates of cheese, meats and fruits plus tea and coffee. When we arrived there was a partial plate of fruit, not much selection. We did introductions and then were turned loose to find dinner for ourselves. That was day 1 of 12. On the last day of the tour we were in St John’s and after breakfast we had a very good 2 hour bus tour of the city and were dropped off at The Rooms. Then we were on our own until the closing dinner that night. In a nut shell, the tour is really a 10 day tour.

The good things:
• the bus driver Wayde was a super star. How he managed to handle that bus in all kinds of situations is a miracle.
• the guides were great, especially Darrell. They were very knowledgeable, friendly and did neat things like daily door prizes to eliminate the monotony of the bus ride. They were always in control of the group.
• the other members of the tour were all fun people and I am glad I got to meet them
• the scenery was spectacular
• we had some great meals
• the dinner theatre was outstanding
• I loved Trinity, could have spent more time there
• the whale skeleton
• the salmon ladder
• the Sheraton hotel
• the boat trip to see the puffins
Tablelands

The not so good things
• too many museums
• not enough quality time at several of the sites to really appreciate and take advantage of them
• as much as I liked going to Labrador, it took too long for very little return. We sat for an hour each way before boarding the ferry for an hour and half ride. We basically had half a day in Labrador. I would eliminate that part of the trip all together
• the motel in Plum Point, it is dreadful
• staying in motels on the outskirts of town when we are on our own for dinner and there are no restaurants close (hello Tim Hortons)
• not much point in going to the Gander airport to see an empty room
• the bus tour of Corner brook

My wife and I enjoyed the trip, it is the best way to get a flavour of Newfoundland but the trip needs some fine tuning for sure. As one of our guides said it is an appetizer platter.