City Sightseeing Toronto Review
1 Dundas St E, Toronto, ON · Downtown Yonge & Dundas
Went on this tour Canada Day weekend 2017:
Compared to the Big Bus Tours in London or the ones in Miami, the City Sightseeing Toronto tour company has a lot to learn. Seriously, you have a very poor chance of securing a upper-level open-air seat no matter where you get on in this tour. We did, however, get an upper-level seat, and had to listen to an overzealous female guide yell at people up top to "SIT DOWN", or "GET OFF THE STAIRS" or "DON'T MAKE ME EMBARRASS YOU"! What kind of spaz did this company hire? She is talking to paying adults who just got on a bus and are probably seasoned travelers. No one was hollering at people like that in London or Miami! They would clearly tell you the rules about when you could stand and when you should sit.
There were no earphones speaking in another language, so if you didn't understand English tough luck.
The packed bus made a 30 minute stop going north in front of the Eaton Centre. No one got on or off as far as I could tell, and instead of telling us the bus would be parked for that length of time they said nothing. So if you were a smoker you just missed your chance.
Casa Loma was closed by the time we got around to area. No problem for me because I live in Toronto and have been to it. However, instead of going up there for the out-of-towners to have a quick photo op, they swung by it so you could only see it peeking out in the distance. Really?!
As well, not all of the buses were double decker open air. Some of them were just big air-conditioned buses. What the hell, who can take good pictures in a tinted window, enclosed bus?!
Finally, the included island water tour was completely bogus. The line up was 45 minutes long. The boat was a piece of crap with scary toilets.
The goofy host on the mic said there were 13 islands and I think we made our way around to some of them, but the narcissistic mofo stopped talking on the mic halfway through the tour to go downstairs and sell us $7 beers and chips! AND at the end of it all he had the nerve to ask for a tip!
If there is anyone else in Toronto thinking of starting their own tour company, it wouldn't take a lot to beat this one.