Tour By Van

DonahCBrown · November 28, 2009

We will be booking with Rudy in December, but he, himself, will not be available. From reading these posts, I am hopeful that we will get a tour guides that is as competent as Rudy. As I understand it, we pay for the tour upon the tour's completion. Does Rudy take credit cards? I love the idea of the Mercado, we will be requesting that. Any other suggestions on that line? Thanks for the anticipated responses.

We paid in cash, in USD - I don't recall if Rudy indicated he did or didn't accept credit cards, though. The Mercado is an experience!! I think it would be okay going with Rudy, actually - we did it on our own a few years back and were absolutely hounded by the vendors and beggars - not much fun.

We generally love going to the local markets though, and have done a number of other places in Mexico and elsewhere in the world with no problems - just maintain an awareness of your surroundings and a good hand on your belongings.

Edited November 28, 2009 by DonahCBrown

gumballz · November 29, 2009

While we were in the Mercado with Rudy, not once did anyone approach us trying to sell us anything. The Mercado is more of a place where locals shop, so they don't normally do that there. You shouldn't have a problem with anyone trying to sell you something while you're there. If you want to purchase something, they'll be happy to take your money (of course).....but no pressure. :) At least that was our experience. Yours could differ.

I believe Rudy only takes cash, but I'm not positive about that. It would be best for you to ask him. Just send off an email. He's always quick to reply.

JesMil, you might enjoy the 'Zocalo'. Basically, it's their central square. There are vendors there (none approached us, they stayed in their stalls/buildings), a fountain, gazebo, beautiful green trees, a lot of people, and the city's Roman Catholic Cathedral. We walked around, took some wonderful photos (and Rudy took some of us), listened to Rudy tell us some history of the area and about the different events that happen in the square, etc. Just a suggestion.

bondgirl007 · November 29, 2009

Hi justlookingga,

How do you decide what itinerary to follow if you are put together with people you don't know? Does Rudy take the info you give him ahead of time and try to match you with similar minded people? Thanks

tinkerbella · November 29, 2009

We will be booking with Rudy in December, but he, himself, will not be available. From reading these posts, I am hopeful that we will get a tour guides that is as competent as Rudy. As I understand it, we pay for the tour upon the tour's completion. Does Rudy take credit cards? I love the idea of the Mercado, we will be requesting that. Any other suggestions on that line? Thanks for the anticipated responses.

We just returned from our Thanksgiving cruise and also used Tours by Van. I found tours by Van on cruise critic so I just want to give back to the online communty and let others just know what a great tour we had with one of Rudy's alternative guides. Rudy told us ahead of time he was already booked that day but had a trusted associate available. He arranged our tour with a lovely lady named Melu'. She was the most gracious perfect tour guide we have ever used. Infact she has set the bar very high for any future tour guides we may hire. Melu' is a school teacher Mon- Fri. She speaks perfect English. If you are lucky and arrive in Acacpulco on Sunday like we did, maybe Rudy can arrange for your group to have her. Our group ranged in age from 14 years old to 78 yrs. She really had mass appeal and was a wealth of knowledge. I really feel as if she showed us everything Acapulco had to offer and then some. My mother in law was not able to walk down the steps to view the Cliffs divers so she arranged a perfect balcony seat for her. After showing us the best viewing /picture areas she returned to sit with my mother in law and kept her company during the show. Feel free to email me if you have specific questions regarding our tour while the trip is still fresh in my head. Because of Rudy and Melu' our day in Acapulco was Numero Uno !!!!

JesMil · November 30, 2009

Thanks Tinkerbella, that makes me feel good that Rudy's other guides are "up to par." Gumballz, thanks for the other ideas, we will take your advice!

Edited November 30, 2009 by JesMil
correct a misspelling

kilraine · December 3, 2009

Has anyone been on a tour with Rudy from Tour by Van recently? We booked our tour with him but won't be in Acapulco until October. We were wondering what your experience was like.....so we know what to expect. Plus, we're just looking forward to our visit! :)

I'm specifically asking about Tour by Van, not any other tour companies or people in Acapulco. We're already booked with him and are not looking to switch.

Thanks!

Just come back from Acapulco we had the Tour by Van Rudy did meet us but our driver was Jose he was brilliant.We saw just about everything the back streets the posh bit as well and the shopping was not on the agenda unless we asked for it. We can highly recommend them -- cold drinks included.

melsal · December 5, 2009

A group of 10 family members used Tour by Van for our tour of Acapulco on 11/14/09. All of us had a wonderful time with Rudy. He took us to a shopping area for locals, Chapel of Peace, Diego Riveria's mural, the Zocalo and Cathedral, Hotel Casa Blanco and of course the cliff divers. Shopped briefly at HRC and Senor Frogs. There was a slight problem with the A/C in the van. Rudy apologized profusely. He gave us a choice to go back to the pier and he would not charge us for the half day or that he could get another van in about 30 minutes. Senor Frogs was close by and we opted to have drinks and appetizers while Rudy dealt with getting another van. We hadn't even gotten our food by the time Rudy said he had another van. After finishing at Senor Frogs, we continued the wonderful tour. Rudy was very knowledge and accomodating. A great time was had by all.

I am planning to book another tour with Rudy while in Acapulco during the Panama Canal cruise.

Edited December 5, 2009 by melsal

cruzinismyname · December 13, 2009

As promised here on CC, I am writing my review about Rudy and Jose at Tour By Van. My group of 19, mostly 16-20 year olds and 5 adults, went in 2 very comfortable vans. 6 months ago I requested to Rudy that we wanted to go see the divers, go to a beach with big waves and a very authentic restaurant away from the city. Rudy responded immediately, gave me his ideas and told me a very good price.

Rudy and Jose were waiting for us at the pier as promised, about 12:30 pm and immediately took a picture of our group with the Spirit in the background. We went over the itinerary and off we went. Rudy was very informative and wanted to make us happy. Off we went to Revolcadera beach about 15 miles south of Acapulco. We made some stops along the way that Rudy suggested and took photos. Rudy had some water and soda on ice and I requested some beer too. We ran into a traffic accident and was held up for probably 30-45 mins. But no problem, Rudy and Jose talked about their city while we drank our refreshments. Rudy and Jose kept in contact using 2 way radios or phones ( cant remember). I was in the lead van with Rudy when he tells me that Jose had to make an emergency potty break for the kids! I am sure they appreciated that.

We got to a restaurant called Beto Godoy where we had amazing red snapper cooked over an open grill that had fabulous spices and seasonings.

Before we ate, Rudy led us over towards the beach and brought some chairs and tables and our cooler for us. Some of us went into the ocean and played, some stayed and drank and enjoyed the late afternoon sunset. It really was a beautiful place to be with the sun going down. Absolutely no one around except a few locals. After eating dinner, some of us went over to the restrooms and showered off and some changed into different clothes.

We drove back to the city and stopped off at Senor Frogs, which we wanted to do. We had a couple of drinks and some aps and watched the kids totally enjoying themselves. After an hour or so we had to leave to catch the 10:30 dive show. What an amazing thing to watch!

Rudy and Jose got us back to the ship in plenty of time before our 1 am departure. The kids told me later that Jose was the "coolest dude" being their driver. Rudy was everything he said he would be and more. My group was so happy with me for choosing him.

I will try to post some pictures when I can figure out how to do it.

Robert

cruzinismyname · December 13, 2009

This is the delicious red snapper we had for dinner

Where we hung out at Revolcadero Beach before eating

Beto Godoy Restaurant

This was taken as soon as we got off the ship. Rudy is front row 3rd from left

Click on pic to enlarge them

Edited December 13, 2009 by cruzinismyname

PamelaRic · December 16, 2009

Hi - I'm the one (Jen's friend) who had the problem in Acapulco with Rudy's driver. Everything Jen has said is true. I contacted Rudy early on and he said there were enough for the tour to be $40 each. Seemed reasonable for a full day. He said he was booked and would send us a great tour guide. I was surprised when the guide told us it was just us three ladies for the tour. Our trip was great and we enjoyed the day. I was also surprised at the cliff divers when he told we would have to buy our own tickets as I thought the price was included. It was very hectic with people pushing, shoving, yelling, etc. and I didn't want to stand there and argue with him. The tickets did, however, entitle us to two drinks. We did buy our guide's lunch later, as we thought this would be a nice gesture. When we got back to the ship, the guide told us the price was $50 each. He told us this while we were double parked in the busy street with horns honking at us. He mumbled something about taking an hour longer and there only being three of us. I really couldn't hear him too well above the honking. We just shoved money at him an ran. While the tour itself was very good, it was not worth $65 when others were paying $30 and $35 for the same experiences. I will definitely be smarter next time. This is my experience only and may not be the experience of anyone else or any one in the future. Merely stating the facts as they happened.

Pamela

Tucson

gargoyle999 · December 17, 2009

We had our tour with Tours by Van in Acapulco a couple week ago. We were met right where we expected by Hector. This is one of the drivers that works for Rudy. I knew ahead of time that Rudy was booked and we would be with one of his other drivers.

Hector took us to the car, which was a 4 door sedan as we were doing a private tour with just DW and myself. The car was in good shape and most importantly had working A/C! It was hot and humid when we visited.

Hector spoke good English and was very professional. It was quite interesting how everyone drives there. DW liked to say that stop signs, lane lines and speed limits are merely suggestions..ha ha. But Hector was one of the slower drivers and we never felt unsafe while he was driving. I was glad we were just in a smaller sedan as there were some tight squeezes getting through traffic in some spots.

We had several stops for pictures. Also went to the church with the large cross, Casa Tarzan, saw some richer areas and where the average working people live. Even went by Rudy's house for some pictures of the nice view!

We went to lunch at El Zorrito. The food was very good. I did get hit up for a tip by a musician while eating. Told him maybe when I was done eating. But he was gone when we left. And a vendor or two. Guess they are all over.

And we finished the tour with the cliff divers. I got up as close as I could as there were not a lot of people there when we first arrived. It was interesting to watch the divers climb down the rocks on the one side swim across and climb up the rocks to the side they dive from. But as far as watching the dives themselves I would advise you actually stay further back if you want pictures. I was actually too close to get a good picture of them mid dive.

Overall, we had an enjoyable tour and I feel we were able to see a lot of of Acapulco. From the richer to the poorer areas, some of the hotels in the area, and most of the main tourists stops.

I would suggest if there is someplace you really want to go to make it very clear upfront with Rudy and when meeting the driver if not Rudy. We expected to see Diego Rivera's mural and the El Mercado Municipal based on the email from Rudy outlining the things we could do during the tour. But we didn't see either one, so DW was a bit disappointed.

I think Hector thought we wouldn't want to go the the Mercado since as we drove by it he told us that even he doesn't go there, he goes to Walmart! ha ha..

And the mural never was mentioned during our tour. So I think if we would have said we really wanted to go to those spots it wouldn't have been an issue. But by the time we realized it wasn't going to happen it was too late.

Rudy called us twice during our tour and asked to talk to me, just to see how things were going so that was nice. The total time for the tour was about 7 hours and we paid $150 for the two of us not including the tip we gave Hector.

I would certainly recommend Tours by Van in Acapulco. Rudy was excellent with his communication before our trip and I felt we have a very good tour of Acapulco even though our driver wasn't Rudy. Just be clear on any stops that are "must do's" during your time there. :)

gargoyle999 · December 17, 2009

I also think the tour should include the price of the divers, which it did not, they paid an additional $13 each to see the divers.

This is a good point. At one point during our tour Hector mentioned something about paying to see the divers. But when we got there he talked to someone for about 10 seconds and we got in without paying extra. Rudy was clear before hand that lunch would be extra. Any additional cost for the divers should also be mentioned upfront.

gargoyle999 · December 17, 2009

I figure because he changes his prices to get the highest amount he can.

Isn't that one of the founding principles of capitalism? :rolleyes:

Now if you send him an email and say I have a group of 60 people, how much will the cost be and how will you accommodate us, then I agree you should get a specific answer to your question.

gumballz · December 18, 2009

Wow, this has gotten way out of hand. There are a lot of comments being thrown out there that are based on speculation. The bottom line is that the person that had a problem with the tour they booked should have contacted the tour guide themselves and tried to get things settled in a matter that was suitable for them......instead of having a 3rd party come on a public forum and speak poorly of a service that they didn't even partake in.

After they had spoken to the guide and had their 'issue' resolved (or not, whichever the case may be), then they could have come on here themselves and posted their experience. Obviously we want to hear the good and the bad......so we can make informed decisions when booking independent companies.

I agree with the person that said we should only comment on the tour guides that we've had experience with. We can't give an honest review if we haven't had experience with them. I don't agree with people assuming this or that, without having firsthand knowledge of the situation.

Why don't we just let the two parties involved take care of their problem and let things calm down? Let's try to keep this thread on topic.......which is about Tour By Van. Good or bad.....just keep it first hand & factual.

Pamela, I'm sorry you had a bad experience in Acapulco and I do hope that you can get some kind of resolve from the guide. Feel free to post the results on here......if you choose to, of course. :)

sherry7 · December 18, 2009

For those of you that have taken a tour with just 2 people, can you tell me how much it cost? It will just be me and the hubby, but I'm concerned that the cost would be prohibitive with just the 2 of us. Thanks for any info. :)

gargoyle999 · December 18, 2009

For those of you that have taken a tour with just 2 people, can you tell me how much it cost? It will just be me and the hubby, but I'm concerned that the cost would be prohibitive with just the 2 of us. Thanks for any info. :)

We paid $150 for the two of us a couple weeks ago. We were with Hector for probably just over 7 hours. Make sure to clarify if you will have to pay extra for getting up close to the divers. We didn't have to pay to get in, but others have. It does not include the cost for lunch either.

pmatawan · December 23, 2009

10 of us off the NCL Star on the Panama Canal Cruise booked Rudy for a tour. We had a great time as Rudy took us places the Cruise Ship tours do not. Rudy was accomodating and took pictures for us with his camera after the battery on ours ran out. He offered to take our group in 2 vans an no additional charge for a more personalized tour, but we declined and stayed as 1 group. Rudy has lived in Alcopulco most of his life and knows the city well. We paid $45. pp and our tour lasted about 6 hours, which included the fee for the Cliff Divers. He had cold drinks in his van, including beer, no charge.....I would not hesitate to book with Rudy again....

paulbill1 · December 28, 2009

Hi All,

We used Rudy just recently on our 12/13 sailing of the Spirit.

Rudy was very prompt in his email replies. He was also very clear on the cost and what was available to see while we were in Acapulco.

There were 4 of us, and we paid $50 per person. Rudy met us right outside the terminal himself. We already knew that Rudy was already taking another group, and he introduced us to Jose, whom was our driver for the day.

Nice clean van with A/C and cold drinks, and Jose we a very good, nice, and knowledgeable driver and guide. We saw all the highlighted places to see in Acapulco, with some great stops for pictures.

We also saw the cliff diving, and for us, this was included. Jose just talked to someone at the location and pointed us out. We were able to walk right in to a great spot for watching the divers.

Overall we had an excellent time with our guide Jose. We always felt safe, his driving was excellent, and his knowledge and info about Acapulco was welcome.

Rudy did gives us a call to check in with us during the tour to make sure we were having a good time.

I would recommend Rudy and tour by van in Acapulco to anyone. I hope to us him again in the future!

Paulbill

paulbill1 · December 28, 2009