New York Night Lights Bus Tour

New York Night Lights Bus Tour Customer Reviews

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• Great tour of the city

  Bought tickets for this tour on Groupon so I wasn't sure what to expect. Went to the Visitor Center to get our tickets and then walked two blocks where we would board the bus. The wait wasn't long as they constantly run. We expected the tour to be 90 minutes but it was almost 2.5 hours! The tour was good, lots of historical information, and went through many of the NYC neighborhoods.

  suzi1967

• Average

  The night tour was included in my 2 day pass. Was not sure if I could do this at any time or if it had to be done during the 2 day period. I read the ticket saying it departs from Stop #10 M & M World. The writing was tiny. I set out to catch the first bus of the night at 6pm. After an hour and a half of walking, subway, and a phone call to determine where to pick up the tour, I finally got the 7.30bus. The ticket actually said stop #40 when I enlarged the photo but even the guide on the bus agreed with me it looked like 10. Even 40 was incorrect as that was an old stop number apparently. This tour departs from stop #37. See why I was confused? For me it set a bad tone to the tour when I finally made it. Driver and guide were fabulous. Would have loved an opportunity or two to take photos. This is not the tour to take if you want lovely night photos.

  jowells8

• Excellent

  We have just made the night tour, and i regreat not having done it before. Our guide Steve really make an efford trying to have all posible information. With some funny stories, and comments, make the trip even better.
  He even put ny music tracks from his phone while we where crossing the river.
  I would do it again.

  217guillem

• Sunset tour NYC

  The night tour was $79 per person and I think it should be less than this price or add more sightseeing to the tour. We left from Times Square and rode over the Manhattan bridge and drove around Brooklyn and came back to Manhattan. It needs something more, the tour is 90 minutes long, but goes by real quick. My suggestion is to ride around more in Manhattan, drive past Central Park, Battery Park, Harlem. Big Bus just started their Night Tour so hopefully they will make some changes.

  642sasha

• Fun in NYC

  Great bus tour, took some terrific photos from up top. All drivers and guides were excellent, especially John Harkins & Steve.

  Terry

• New York by night

  I think this night tour was the high lite of our trip. There is no better way to see the city than by night. The tour guide was great, the lights were gorgeous. The Brooklyn Bridge all lit up was a sight to behold. I highly recommend taking this tour by night. We covered a lot of sites, the tour started before night fall so you are able to get a lot of pictures if you like.

  140idah

• Nice

  It was really fun! However unfortunately, we couldn't do the full experience since there was construction. Otherwise, it was great!

  Emily

• Bus broke down and they didn’t know what to do

  Our bus broke down (at 10pm on the Manhattan bridge) and the tour guide and company were completely unequipped to handle the situation. It was so shocking it was funny...except not when you’ve spent all this money for a tour that you only see a 3rd of, takes a lot longer than it’s supposed to, and you still have to pay for a taxi to get back to midtown....
  
  We were on the night tour of NYC on Sunday 5/26 that left at 9pm. Our bus broke down multiple times, starting when we were getting on the Manhattan bridge on the way back from Brooklyn. The bus then proceeded to break down in the middle of the bridge at least two or three times. While this was happening, all the passengers didn’t know what was going on and why we kept stopping. We eventually realized that the bus was having mechanical issues, and it was concerning that the tour guide did not say anything over the microphone until after we had been stopped on the bridge for at least 10 minutes (the third time). Even then, she didn’t fully explain the situation, what was being done about it. She just made a joke about the bus overheating. In a dangerous situation, this was inappropriate and unprofessional.
  
  When we made it back to Manhattan, I was shocked to discover that there was not another working bus waiting for us. When it was discovered that our bus had problems, the company should have sent another bus for us to transfer to when we got back to the island of Manhattan. They should have done this for safety reasons, if not just decent customer service and frankly common sense. But no. So when the bus broke down again in Chinatown, we all sat there in disbelief.
  
  After 15 minutes, people started going downstairs and standing next to the bus. Then people started taking taxis home. At no point did the tour guide make any announcements to the guests. She did not explain what was happening, if any help was coming, or if we should find our own transportation home. I went downstairs to inquire about the situation. When I asked the tour guide what was happening, she shared that the bus driver told her the bus was completely broken and wouldn’t start again, and the office was sending a mechanic, but they were unsure if the bus could be fixed. I had to go down and ask what was happening to find this out. That is completely unacceptable. I explained to the tour guide that there was a whole group of passengers who don’t know what is going on, and she should give them an update, but she refused. It seems the tour guide was completely unequipped to deal with the situation and needs training about what to do when there is a problem. Given that this is a tour on a vehicle, there should be training for safety reasons, if not general customer service.
  
  Somehow the driver was able to get the bus working again, and, against my better judgement, we stayed on the bus instead of getting a taxi... only for the bus to break down again in the West Village. At that point, it was 11:30, we had only seen a fraction of the tour (that was supposed to run from 9-11). I didn’t want to wait around for another 20 minutes, only for the bus to break down again...so we got off the bus and took an expensive taxi home.
  
  Needless to say, this was not the experience that we expected when we bought our tickets.
  
  I get that mechanical issues happen. I’m not upset about the bus breaking down. What I think is unacceptable is how the situation was handled.

  klh285

• First night tour

  We went on a tour with Wally who made this experience far better than it would have been. The information be provided was invaluable and the tour across Brooklyn to see Manhattan at night was awesome. Highly recommend a night tour if you're in the city with Big Bus.

  TimH478

• Must do to see amazing NYC views at night

  Great night tour with live commentary. Must do to see amazing views of NYC at night. Weather was great and driver and guide did a great job.

  Rakesh

• Great way to rest and see a lot

  As part of our explorer pass, we booked tickets on the Big Bus. We chatted with the tour guide before the tour started. He told us where the best seats were!
  The tour was great. The guide was not political, crude or controversial. We took a different route than I had done on a similar tour years ago, so it was neat to see neighborhoods I had never before. The driver did a great job of avoiding trees that were low hanging so they would not hit the passengers on the top of the bus.
  Going at seven we were able to watch the sky change with the sunset and take amazing pictures of the skyline. Everyone seemed pleased because people were tipping as they left.

  Bingdale

• Excellebt

  Well worth seeing the Manhattan skyline by moonlight. Informative and guides are always a pleasure, we had Diana and she was great.

  lyndo67

• Lied to!!!

  I purchased 4 adult tickets because I had out-of-town visitors that wanted to take the tour. We boarded the bus at 4:10 and was told that we had plenty of time and could get on and off if we wanted. We arrived at the very first stop and the tour guide told everyone to get off the bus, the tour was over because it was time for the buses to return to the station. We saw another bus at time square and tried to get on but that bus driver said he was done also. We took the subway back to Battery Park so we could get on the ferry back to Staten Island. I tried talking to someone at the Big Bus Tour office but there is no phone numbers, only chatting. I will never take the Big Bus Tour again! And, I will tell everyone I know to not take the Big Bus Tour!! I paid $240 to get to the first stop!!

  jwalkerpga

• My NYC Experience

  We arrived early and inquired if we had to wait until our allotted time. The attendant told us no, he checked us in and we got on the bus. Guide was extremely well informed but he was at times hard to understand because he talked extremely fast and slurred his words.

  Alina_H

• Cold but very entertaining!

  Bernie our night tour guide was hilarious as well as informative. It was a brisk night but he kept us all entertained as we did the night loop to Brooklyn. Having done the mid town loop in the searing heat the day before - this was a different view of the Manhattan and it was good to have a different guide's perspective - very enjoyable.

  HWBrisbane

• Great Tour

  We arrived just after 7pm and the line was already long but there were lots of buses lined up so I knew we would get on. The gentlemen taking tickets was so helpful as we only had our New York Explorer Pass. Jocelyn was our guide and Anthony was our driver. We couldn’t have had a more enjoyable experience. This was our first tour this time but we were here 4 years ago and did quite a few. This was different as it was on at a different time. A great way to see New York City.

  Lisacutajar

• Steve was incredible

  From the moment I stepped on the bus I immediately knew I was in for a unique experience. Our tour guide Steve was beyond impressive with his knowledge of the city. I mean almost indescribable... He didn't just show us the major staples of New York (time square, Brooklyn bridge, China town, little Italy, etc) he also taught us a lot of the history and not just your regular history from high school but even pop culture! This might not mean a lot to you, but I love hip hop music and one of the first things we saw on the tour was 723 seventh avenue, near 48th street (Quad studios) three men robbed and shot tupac. We also learned about some of the most influential people in certain parts of the city and about the history of the architecture as well. I would 100% stand by my experience and recommend anyone that comes to New York to do the big bus tours. You could tell Steve is a real new Yorker and stands by and cares for everyone and business in the city!

  gazemoore

• Night run

  Seeing the sights up high, volume did not work well, some of the employees where sign in were very rude

  Lonnie_E

• Wrong address given to us

  We booked the big bus tour through trip advisor. Trip advisor gave us the wrong address for meeting point, so we missed the tour. The bus left from 7th avenue outside M&Ms store - we were given the address 1600 Broadway.
  We were very disappointed as we’d been looking forward to the tour
  We did get a full refund

  Cruiser674036

• Big Bus New York Night Tour

  Our least favorite thing we did on our trip to New York. The guide spoke broken English, the earbuds or plug-ins didn't all work. We were in the covered section on the top, which was good. Cleaning the windows would help a lot.

  Martha_N

• Great Tour Guide, Poor viewing conditions (rain)

  Bernie was a great source of information as a lifelong New Yorker. He was very friendly and personable. Unfortunately the weather was not great and it was difficult to see at times. Not much one can do about that though. Thanks Bernie!

  849samanthal

• Sightseeing

  Dec. 16th we did a day trip and had no idea where to start. We were approached by Big Bus employee and decided to use their service. It wasn't a mistake! Our guide "Duane" was awesome!!!!!! Will use this service again and enjoy the great experience!

  pspalding

• Great way to start 3 days in NY

  Excellent tour guide and excellent tour. Worth knowing that it gets cold on top of an open bus at this time of year. Also the sound system on that bus was a bit crackly but did not detract too much from the experience; certainly not the guides fault who had an excellent and informative patter.

  Go524155

• Great & informative night tour

  We enjoyed a great and very informative night tour thanks to our tour guide Bernie! He did an excellent job, provided a lot of insights about „his“ city being a real New Yorker! Highly recommended!

  Pascal

• Night tour

  Live guide was excellent, and we saw a lot more than we saw on day tours.
  Driver was good too, didn't rush the tour.

  Stephen_W

• HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE

  My boyfriend & I went on the night tour & were SO disappointed. It was our first time in NYC & we were so excited to get a tour, however on the bus we were freezing so much we couldn’t even enjoy ourselves. We were dressed for the weather but there was no warmth on the bus. When we sat down at the bottom, and after 5 mins of waiting for ppl to board & FREEZING, I asked an employee if the heater worked & a man said when the bus starts it will. Then the tour starts & we’re STILL just freezing. I end up getting up & walking to the bus driving & ask if the heater will ever turn on & he says “it doesn’t even work”. If I knew that ahead of time I would’ve saved my money. Another thing was no guide down stairs, if you weren’t upstairs then you were out of luck, no engagement, no one showing you which side to look on to understand what you are hearing in the earphone.
  
  SO disappointing & not a good experience at all.

  Happiness1075321

• Night Tour

  We used the hop on hop off bus tour for three days of our trip which included the night tour. We had Bernie as our tour guide who was very knowledgeable and made our trip a memorable one!!
  
  We had got engaged in New York 2 days before the night tour and Bernie gifted us a lovely set of postcards with all the main attractions of New York City and made us all feel special on board by getting to know us individually between attractions.
  
  We regularly use this company when visiting cities across the UK and America. It is a fantastic way to navigate through New York and learn a lot of fun facts. We would like to thank Bernie for a lovely tour of New York at night and would highly recommend this service!!

  EJDxo

• Great experience

  The tour guide was funny. Entertainer. Great tour. Did not like the idea that I already had ticket confirmation in my hand and I still have to get it replaced with a different ticket.

  Russell_R

• Mr

  Very informative tour guide of NYC. Incredible view of Manhattan over the bridge. Ric was our tour guide with Kevin as the driver.

  matty1551

• Great trip to see some of New York

  We arrived at around 6:40 and were able to get on the second bus that left at approximately 7:20. They fill the top portion of the buses only. The tour was about 1 3/4 hours long and was a great snapshot of New York from Times Sq to Brooklyn. Our tour guide was originally from New York and did a great job explaining the different areas. Highly recommend!

  BJK1108

• Spectacular!

  From start to finish it was just awesome. Mark chatted to everyone as they got on the bus to settle everyone in, then Craig our tour guide arrived and said hello to everyone. Germain was our bus driver. The tour was magical to see all the sights lit up, and Craig was so informative and entertaining about all the areas we were passing through. We went over the Manhattan Bridge to & from Brooklyn and if you are afraid of heights it would be a bit scary for a few minutes but the views were SPECTACULAR. I would recommend this tour 100% (in dry weather of course!)

  IslanderAchill

• Lights of New York!

  Kevin S. was our guide. He was fantastic. He was knowledgeable, but more importantly, he was funny, witty and spontaneous. He had me laughing out loud a number of times. He made a great tour even better. Great guy.

  Jay

• Sweet host Bernie

  Bernie was super sweet. Great guide. Took good care of us in the rain. Tour lasted for about two hours. Worth the money. Be sure to use the restroom and eat beforehand. Got to see much of the area, without all the walking.

  Heather

• NYC NIGHT TOUR

  It would have been a beautiful tour if our bus driver, Libne weren't going so fast. He took 3 red lights.He hit a car, we had to stop which was very inconvenient. He got into a dispute with the driver of the other car. The tour guide asked him several times to slow down. I bought a total of 9 tickets online for the night tour. 2 of them said night when the street tour helper printed the tickets, he told me 7 of them were for the day tour and not the night tour. We spent 30 minutes going back and forth, trying to explain to him that I purchased all of them together and that this must have been a web error. Eventhough we were able to get on the night tour bus, the driver ruined the tour.

  K1346DNnicolel

• Very knowledgeable

  We did the tour on our first full day in the city and it really helped us find our feet! The route is great because you get to capture the must see sights from all angles. Steve was an incredible tour guide, he had so much up to date knowledge and was much better than listening to a boring audio guide. He bought it all to life and should never be replaced by a machine! Also made us feel very safe whilst driving around and answered all our questions! Would happily have listened to his commentary all day!

  rachelmadd

• Day trip to NYC

  Shelley did an excellent job on an evening tour. Knowledgeable about city history, geography and landmarks. Added humor and kept the two hour ride very interesting. A must do to see mid/lower Manhattan plus part of Brooklyn if in NYC for a day.

  Tim

• Thanksgiving bus tour

  Our tour guide and driver nailed it. Fun despite being super cold! Thank you JR and Melissa. We had so much fun and the tour was awesome. I enjoyed all of the details provided like the windows for the women shoppers on the trains back in the day when trains were higher up in NYC. I enjoyed the info on the Brooklyn Bridge, how the completion was built by a woman. Like I said, it was super cold but we had a blast.
  Thank you!

  TxTin

• Night tour of NYC

  We were celebrating my 7 year old grandson's birthday and decided to take the night tour of NYC as the last event of our vacation. Shelley and Libni were both amazing...you could hear the passion in her voice!!

  Vicki_M

• Wonderful night tour bus

  Barney our tour guide was great! Very informative, interesting and connecting with everybody.
  Highly recommended!

  Oriaex

• Fantastic!

  The tour was fantastic! We had a wonderful guide named Jennifer and a great driver named Glenn. Jennifer was friendly, funny, very knowledgable and enthusiastic, my 16 year old son and myself had a great time! Highly recommend it!

  Daphne_J

• Route preview would be nice

  Thought we'd be staying in Manhattan to see Christmas window displays. Had no idea we'd be crossing over into Brooklyn instead. Would have been nice to have a preview of the route beforehand. Not a pleasant experience on a chilly November night even with winter gear on.

  marylT6780FT

• Lights in the city that never sleeps

  I took my Girl Scout troop of 15YO girls on this tour during our big trip to NYC. Matt was our tour guide and he was one of the highlights of our trip. The girls loved his fun, snarky, flirty banter style on the fact-filled tour.

  Heather

• The best experience to see NYC at night

  We purchase tickets for the night tour on a light rainy night. Poncho raincoats were provided and we sat top side with our awesome tour guide - Juan Ocasio. He made the experience entertaining and informative with a touch of his personal experiences living in NYC. We saw hidden gems around NYC and places that we missed during our stay. Another reason to come back to this beast of a city. If Juan ends up as your tour guide your in for fantastic night tour.

  Betone

• Baby, it's cold INSIDE!

  The information presented was interesting. However, there was no heat on the bus when the outside temperature was 34 degrees (before allowing for windchill). Regardless of how interesting, enjoyment was impossible with the level of discomfort. I was particularly annoyed by the fact that the guide had the opportunity, when I told him there was no way we would sit outside in the cold, to tell us how cold it was going to be INSIDE the bus. He said nothing and sold my friend and I tickets.

  Terrell

• Not friendly for hearing impaired

  Disappointed at lack of consideration for the hearing impaired. I wish they would have advertised that the day tour was recorded and headphones were needed. Given that I wear hearing aids, I am unable to wear the earbuds required and I would have brought my own headphones. I therefore missed out on the recorded explanations of the sites that we drove by. You could also consider having a pre-recorded option on the app for us to stream and follow along with as most people with hearing aids have Bluetooth/streaming capabilities. I essentially had to rely on my family member to explain everything to me so it was a bit disappointing, especially for the price.

  152azureb

• Great staff!

  We did the night with Bernie he was just wonderful! The tour interesting and fun thanks to him! We enjoyed it! We came from Italy and Bernie sang to us "that's amore" 😁 He love his city and his job! World will be better with more people like you! Hope to see you next time Bernie! Maité and Simone

  Maité

• If you'll look back over your shoulder....

  That's a phrase a tour guide should not be using. Rather than tell us what was coming up and explaining the history of the building/bridge/site, Foz got caught up in his personal stories or snide remarks and ended up trying to explain what we had already passed. As in, "By the way, that was the Flatiron Building we passed a while ago." When he did provide information, it was usually to comment on how many movies had featured that particular building. We enjoyed seeing the skyline at night but could have skipped his belittling tone when no one on the bus could guess that a series of rapidly changing numbers displayed on the side of an unidentified building was, in fact, a clock. He let that exchange draw out to an uncomfortable length, incredulous that no one knew the answer. If it was so obvious what this was, why did he ask if we could guess? Slow traffic in some areas provided plenty of time for him to furnish some historical details about the areas in question. The night lights were pretty, but I wish I had learned more about the city.

  DemonicJulia183

• Uptown

  The views were beautiful and the host Kossivi Adjey was nice and helpful with us when we were seeking informations about our Travel.

  Maps47344892763

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