Spain Day Tours, Not As Good as Previous Reviews

[Grumpella]

Just my opinion, in advance of the negative comments (lol):

 

I used Spain Day Tours for Bilbao last week off the Norwegian Dawn.

 

We were told to meet at 7:45 and the bus would leave at 8:00 am.

 

First of all, the directions to meet the bus where very confusing, as it said to walk toward the tour buses and taxis.  There were none at that time of the morning.

 

Second, the tour bus was not there at 7:45 and I ended up calling them at 8:00 am, the bus arrived at 8:01.

 

It was dark, raining and the guests were all walking around looking for the tour bus, as they were confused by the directions also.

 

The worst part for me was that the tour description said there would be free time in Bilbao, but there was none.  I know the description says subject to time, but in my mind, that means it might not happen because of traffic issues, etc,, not because the tour guide just kept talking and talking and in my opinion, took us to some stops that were a waste of time, such as a stained glass mural at the train station or a building which was made of 4 different buildings (not much to see).

 

I wrote an email to Spain Day Tours to complain and the manager Joseph offered me a partial refund (up to 50 %) but asked that I kindly give them a second chance and not write anything negative about them or mention the refund.  This makes me wonder how many other issues there have been with this tour company that we did not hear about.  I stated that I did not want a refund and would rather speak the truth.

 

 

[Coral]

I am surprised. I was with them last November in Bilbao - we had a great time and had plenty of free time.  We even had a great guide.

 

Sorry about your tour.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Coral

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Wow , a rough review 

everyone has a different opinion of what is interesting, 

also your upset because the guide was giving too much information 😱🙄

[VMax1700]

Interesting user name though!

[cyntil8ing]

The weather can really make or break a tour, and a rough start can really put a damper on the experience if one can’t get past it. Sorry that you had a bad day.
 

We did this tour in August 2022 and it was good, but not exceptional. Our tour guide was rather dull, but also talked a lot. My teens were not too impressed. We ended up ditching the guide in the Guggenheim and walking around on our own. Our stops were the transporter bridge and an overlook of the city, both interesting. We had plenty of time on our own before meeting again for the Guggenheim tour.

 

I am a fan of Spain Day Tours and would not hesitate to use them again. Pre-tour communication was excellent and bookings were simple to make and instructions easy to follow. Our other experience with them was in Lisbon on the same cruise, where we had a private driver. It was an exceptional day, even though we got rained on a bit.

[BlueSkiesTX]

On 10/25/2023 at 3:05 PM, Grumpella said:

Just my opinion, in advance of the negative comments (lol):

 

I used Spain Day Tours for Bilbao last week off the Norwegian Dawn.

 

We were told to meet at 7:45 and the bus would leave at 8:00 am.

 

First of all, the directions to meet the bus where very confusing, as it said to walk toward the tour buses and taxis.  There were none at that time of the morning.

 

Second, the tour bus was not there at 7:45 and I ended up calling them at 8:00 am, the bus arrived at 8:01.

 

It was dark, raining and the guests were all walking around looking for the tour bus, as they were confused by the directions also.

 

The worst part for me was that the tour description said there would be free time in Bilbao, but there was none.  I know the description says subject to time, but in my mind, that means it might not happen because of traffic issues, etc,, not because the tour guide just kept talking and talking and in my opinion, took us to some stops that were a waste of time, such as a stained glass mural at the train station or a building which was made of 4 different buildings (not much to see).

 

I wrote an email to Spain Day Tours to complain and the manager Joseph offered me a partial refund (up to 50 %) but asked that I kindly give them a second chance and not write anything negative about them or mention the refund.  This makes me wonder how many other issues there have been with this tour company that we did not hear about.  I stated that I did not want a refund and would rather speak the truth.

 

 

I just posted my review of Spain Day Tours (Cadiz to Seville). Our tour guide was not good either! She just droned on and on. I would not book them again. I am glad you posted your honest review as well. I also wonder about other issues with this company. 

[molemaui]

I've only had outstanding experiences with Spain Day Tours and have booked another one this coming March. Hoping quality hasn't gone down as I am seeing in this and other threads. 

 

On the plus side, I know of no other operator that offers a 50% refund if you're not happy. Would rather not get the refund and have a great tour but respect the fact that they are concerned enough about quality. I'm sure they just don't pay out refunds without going to the cause of the complaint and trying to make changes.

 

Just my thoughts......

[Grumpella]

For the record, I said the tour guide kept talking and talking, not that she was providing too much information.

 

It is also interesting that the other poster had different tour stops than I did with the same company.  I did write to ask if they have a set list of where to take the participants as I thought the stained glass mural and the building within a building etc were a waste of time.  I never received an answer to my question.

 

 

[onyx007]

On 10/25/2023 at 10:05 PM, Grumpella said:

I stated that I did not want a refund and would rather speak the truth.

 

 

I would have taken the refund AND writen at the same time the review...

[klfrodo]

I attempted to use SpainDayTours last October for my Canaries cruise out of Southampton. I did announce the tours on my roll call (but not too many Brits know about CC) and I announced it on the other social media group page that cannot be named on CC.

The problem (and I understand from their part) is that they were not able to fill the small tour group. No other interest. I guess where I was disappointed was that I was not notified until about 2 weeks before the trip that SpainDayTours was not going to be able to do the tours. That left us scrambling to find last minute tours. I'm thinking at least 30 days would be a better timeframe.

[erby2283]

It's always good to share opinions: positive and negative.  I loved my Barcelona / Montserrat tour.  Our tour guide, Marta, was awesome.  I never thought I would be into architecture until I went to Spain. Bought two books while I was there on Gaudi works.  Guess it depends on your tour guide, weather, etc.  I would give them another chance int he future - it could have just been an off day for them. 

[DaMom]

I'm attempting to use Spain Day Tours in Barcelona this summer and am having a really hard time confirming the trip. Which does not bode well. Giving them another 24 hours and then sadly, will move on. Sadly because it sound like a great tour at a good price. Will post here if I hear back and move forward.

[Coral]

8 hours ago, DaMom said:

I'm attempting to use Spain Day Tours in Barcelona this summer and am having a really hard time confirming the trip. Which does not bode well. Giving them another 24 hours and then sadly, will move on. Sadly because it sound like a great tour at a good price. Will post here if I hear back and move forward.

I believe for Barcelona you can call them: USA Toll Free: 18558950160

[DaMom]

On 3/11/2024 at 7:37 PM, DaMom said:

I'm attempting to use Spain Day Tours in Barcelona this summer and am having a really hard time confirming the trip. Which does not bode well. Giving them another 24 hours and then sadly, will move on. Sadly because it sound like a great tour at a good price. Will post here if I hear back and move forward.

I did hear back in the nick of time - not sure where the disconnect was, but will think positively and look forward to visiting this beautiful city! Will hang on to the toll free number listed above!

[SELLER8]

I have been trying to reach Spain Day Tours for over 1 week. I sent a inquiry from their website and followed up with 2 emails and no reply. Maybe they are out of business? I am looking for private tours from Cadiz and Malaga. Does anyone have any recommendations for private tour companies for these 2 ports?

[ownercarry]

we used them twice in june out of madrid. fantastic and brand new mb van. we're setup to use them again for october in vigo and bilbao. the itinerary is all there on their website, though i could see something non-interesting to everyone getting slipped in, that did happen once. poor comms could be because this is a big tour company working out of italy, south of france and spain. i think maybe the agents are answering emails from all the websites and countries. or maybe not, i just know that every time, no matter the country and we've done all three with them, it always shows up on my card as top day tours. unlike other companies they haven't raised their rates and always have nice vans. info@spaindaytours.com is the email i see the most, but i did get one from spaindaytours@gmail.com if you wanted to try that.

[Racer70]

We used Spain Day Tours on June 15, 2024 for an all day tour of Barcelona & Montserrat and everything was perfect and just as promised.

 

The communication for pickup & anything else required was very good. We were in an 8 passenger van. We had a driver & a guide very knowledgeable in everything related to Spain.

 

I highly recommend using them.

[bgomes]

I have been in contact with Spain Day Tours regarding tours for next summer (July 2025) in Barcelona.  They have been very quick to reply and have offered suggestions on what to do, when.  So far, I am happy with them and their responses.  Just wanted to give a positive note for them

[FishyMom1967]

How early do most people book these tours prior to their cruise?  I have LOTS of time (Sept 2025) to figure out what we want to do, but looking for an idea on when we should be booking tours.

[Mrs f.]

2 hours ago, FishyMom1967 said:

How early do most people book these tours prior to their cruise?  I have LOTS of time (Sept 2025) to figure out what we want to do, but looking for an idea on when we should be booking tours.

Our cruise is in November 2024. We booked first week in January.   I immediately started researching and booking excursions.   For Spain Day Tours they wanted at least 12 for our tour. I posted on rollcall  and got people