Amanda B
My Profile
Amanda B
29 year old single female from the US who travels alone. My reviews (unless otherwise noted) are of my experience traveling solo.
USA
My Viator Contributions
Amanda B's reviews and photos on Viator.com
Have you got a recommendation?
Have a travel tip to share? Simply click the "Add New Recommendation" button above to start sharing your travel expertise and travel photos on Viator!
Feb162012
Skip the Line: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica Half-Day Walking Tour
Tour / Activity
My Rating: 
Location: Rome, Italy
My Review: Here's the thing: the Vatican is an important site, but this tour wasn't great. There is so much to see and you won't even hit a quarter of it. Yes, you're taken to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica but it's very rushed (13 minutes in the Sistine Chapel) and very little "useful" commentary. Also, the tour guide pretty much gave her opinion rather than giving facts. I recommend rather than taking this tour you do it on your own. There is an audio guide available for a few euro at the entrance and that allows you to see what you want in the museum and spend time at what you find interesting, not what the tour guide finds interesting. I was in Rome for a limited amount of time and thought this tour would make the most of my time at the Vatican; it didn't. Also, the tour doesn't include admission so know that you'll be forking out an additional 21 euro. They kept pitching the "skip the line" aspect and you know that if someone constantly emphasizes and rationalizes why you have to pay such a hefty additional fee, they're probably trying to "sell" you on why you have to pay more. My advice? Purchase your Vatican tickets in advance and you'll be just fine. I learned more reading Wikipedia than I learned on the tour. I wasn't the only one in the group to think this tour was a big disappointment; there were others I was talking to who felt the same way. I'm a huge fan of Viator and have taken other tours of theirs but they didn't provide value with this one.
Feb152012
Ancient Rome Half-Day Walking Tour
Tour / Activity
My Rating: 
Location: Rome, Italy
My Review: Excellent tour. If deciding between the small group or the 25 person max tour, I'd recommend the latter simply because you'll save some money and get the same information. The tour guide has a small microphone and everyone is given an earpiece so you don't miss a thing if you're in the back of the group. The tour guide will ensure you don't get lost; she had a small flag to follow and was regularly counting to make sure everyone was together before moving on. We were taken to the "can't miss" Roman sights and received great commentary. The tour guide was enthusiastic, extremely knowledgeable and gave great information that I never would have known had I just read a tour book and visited these sites on my own. The focus was mainly the Colosseum and Roman Forum but considering those are the largest, and arguably the most important, it was perfect. There were also plenty of stops to take photos, as well as passing a few toilets so no worries there. This is a particularly excellent tour if you have limited time in Rome.
Oct082011
Loch Ness, Glencoe and the Highlands Small Group Day Trip from Edinburgh
Tour / Activity
My Rating:
Location: Edinburgh, United Kingdom
My Review: I spent four days in Edinburgh and decided to take a tour outside of the city to see more Scotland. This was an amazing experience and I'm so happy I decided to take a tour, and even happier that I chose this tour company. The tour group was relatively small (16 of us), the bus was clean and our tour guide Barney was nothing short of perfect. He was enthusiastic, kind, knew his history and facts, and was a great driver; he was the perfect guide.
