Diamond Tours
Reviews and Complaints

On our recent trip from Georgia to Montreal and Ottawa Canada my spouse and I was kind of disappointing mainly because of a tour guide in Montreal named Norman. This tour guide was very unprofessional.
1. The first thing he did when introducing himself the first day of his 3-day guide was to show all the seniors on the bus how he coordinates his attire specifically showing his shoes, shirt and undergarment all matched. I'm not interested in seeing another grown man's undergarments.
2. During our 2nd day of our tour Norman directed the bus driver to travel down a road that had a bridge that was too low for the tour bus to go under. They had a discussion over this dilemma, with the driver taking a different route to avoid a possible incident. Norman took offence to the driver questioning him authority.
3. On the last day of our tour, we cruised the St. Lawrence River, the bus was directed to parked in the designated bus parking area by the city road guides. Norman was livid that the driver did not park where he told him to park. There was a heated argument outside the bus were everyone could hear as they were boarding the bus. I stood there listing to the entire conversation and could not believe the cussing Norman was using and calling the bus driver. The Exotic bus driver was a total professional during this hole conversation trying to de-escalate the situation, but Noman was relentless in his verbal abuse. Norman gives Diamon Tours a very bad name.
4. Last but not least, the Best Western Fort Washington Inn, Fort Washington Pa. was under construction and not prepared for our tour bus guests (the front desk personnel verbally told me this). In my room the floor was filthy and there was hair in-bedded in the bathroom towels. Most guests had issues with their room as well including our trip directors Lisa.
I will not recommend futter travelers to visit Montreal Canada as long as Norman is a tour guide and modernized hotels.

Went on a Diamond Tour from Myrtle Beach to New Orleans,La. First time traveling on a tour bus and I have to say was pleasantly surprised on the organization. From the organizers, tour guides, and Diamond Tour reps everyone did a great job. Our bus driver Suzanne was the best. Upbeat, helpful and safety conscious. She kept the bus neat and clean. Had such a good trip, I’m considering going to Nashville next.

Morning I’d day 1 Bathroom was not opened when we arrived on the bus
driver said it was locked door was flapping
Then when it was opened , it was full ? But he didn’t change it !
For the whole trip we had NO bathroom for emergency Thus made us have to make frequent stops to accommodate some who had bathroom issues

Team lead : Newark OH Cindy ?

was not accommodating,
Didn’t provide updates, greet us at each stop
Didn’t introduce herself - or
Provide an emergency phone number
Tried to kick me off my seat that I had been on for 2 hours
Cindy acts like a customer instead of our team lead
Thought our group was from Fremont

We felt like we were not cared for the whole trip

No pre planning for on the way restaurants
Bathroom on bus
Day 1 Locked out of the bathroom
Day 2
And told us bathroom was full Not emptied the tank
Day 3-6 no toilet access
We had to make additional stops to accommodate no bathroom for emergency

Not planning stop in advance and then expect us to go off in an area that were unfamiliar with, and go walk in the dark to h restaurant

Country buffet was below standards there were pigs feet , liver, pork rinds ( not edible)
and most was not was labeled

Day in Savannah - it would be beneficial for all parties to stay downtown we get dinner on our own then meet at the theater. Instead, we had to leave the theater drive 45 minutes to the restaurant then drive back to the Theatre. It was too long for all of us. Then the bus couldn’t leave as it was blocked and the lead Cindy didn’t offer to help !

The whole experience was unacceptable and I’m appreciate a call back or something to do about this situation. There were four of us in our group and there were probably about 15 in my whole group from Middletown again we didn’t have a team lead and this and the bus driver were unacceptable

Just came back from an awful 7-day/6-night trip to New Orleans with 45 other black seniors. This trip was a waste of time and money. The trip was booked through Diamond Tours for just under $1,000 apiece. We were expecting a large, spacious bus like others from previous Diamond Tours trips; our bus was far from comfortable. The seats were so crammed together – you couldn't stretch your legs out or put your headrest back. Everyone had swollen feet and ankles by the end of the day every day.

Included in the price of the trip were several paid dinner options along the way that were terrible. To add insult to injury, they put us in a neighborhood hotel, The Comfort Inn in Marrero, which was 20 minutes outside of New Orleans and far from the sights and sounds of Bourbon St. The hotel looks nothing like the photos online and sits next to a Dollar Tree store on one side and used tires on the other. Upon entering the hotel, we were overcome by a foul, musty smell and disgusted by the dirty, brown carpet. It was immediately obvious we were in a 1-star fleabag hotel; what we didn’t anticipate were ACTUAL bugs. That’s right, my friend stayed in a room two doors down from us and had BED BUGS with visible BITES on her neck, arms, and back.

Regarding the activities, I don't know who thought the World War II museum, a slave plantation, and the other attractions were appropriate for seniors given the amount of walking required, especially for so many of us with limited mobility. The thought of going to New Orleans and not having the option to go out for an evening of jazz, Zydeco music and authentic New Orleans food boggles the imagination. I held out hope for the last night’s events, and was bewildered that their idea of an evening of entertainment consisted of doing the “hokey pokey” and line dancing at what felt like a senior community center.

I am extremely disappointed with the planning and execution of this trip, but I recognize my experience may not have been the same as others. Two groups of white seniors that we befriended on the trip, who also came on trips sponsored by Diamond Tours, who said they paid the SAME amount as we did, were on MUCH nicer buses and stayed in the heart of the French Quarter.

This tour of Savannah, GA was a near complete disaster - motel was in South Carolina, so any events required an hour or more bus trip each way. This was compounded by our bus arriving late at EVERY event - one revue show had already started by the time we arrived.

But the worst part of the tour was our driver, who bragged of being an ex marine DI, and treated us like we were children or recruits, rather than as PAYING CUSTOMERS - we were constantly being the source of his problems, and on one occasion he took the time to explain that he had gotten a group of riders banned from ever renting at some particular motel chain. This culiminated with him yelling at my wife because she needed to get on the bus before he was ready to let people sit down - at which point I explained that we were CUSTOMERS, not recruits. This person should never be allowed to have any interchanges with customers again.

My complaint is on the October 2nd to the 6th to Mackinaw City, Minnesota bus trip from Racine Wisconsin. The issue is that the hotel that Diamond picked was not very good. The breakfasts (included in the package) were terrible. They served pancake at seemed old and chewy. The didn’t have enough cream for the coffee, and the corn flakes were stale.

The hotel also didn’t give us clean towels, we had to go to the front desk every night and ask for new ones. And the security lock on the door was broken, And the closet door wouldn’t close. (See photos)

But also, I have issue with that I wasn’t given an itinerary before we left and we had to go several hours out of our way, to Detroit, to fill the bus. It was a very long trip and we were made to pray on the bus with I thought was pretty rude.

I think that you should vet these hotels a little better and be more all inclusive to people of difference ideologies.

Tour to Mackinaw City/Mackinac Island on 9/10/23 - 9/16/23. Coordinated by Diamond Tours (Tour number 1963405); signed up by Stanton Tours. This trip has been fraught with problems from the start. While some problems were beyond control and are understood (bus broke down and schedules missed), there is one issue that cannot be dismissed. On our 2-day trip home, our tour bus was replaced after the 1st day with a dilapidated mini bus (35 capacity) and a mini-van (14 capacity). The bus/mini-van had no bathroom, was not cleaned, did not have sufficient storage space, or comfort. The bus was “old” where pieces of the synthetic leather of the seats were ripped and stuck to clothing, and there was no modulating of the airflow except for on/off. So people were either hot or freezing. Many people (including myself) felt sick due to the constant shaking/vibrating of the bus when driving. It felt we were riding on flat tires. Note: we were informed that the reason for the bus switch was that another tour needed a bigger bus and paid more. This is poor customer service and ethically not acceptable. Since somebody made money on this bus switch at our expense, a refund is requested and required.

I just returned from a trip with Diamond Tours- my complaint is about the group leader. I have never been treated like a 10 year old, degraded, disrespected and condescended so much in my life. The group leader was rude and very very unprofessional to all travelers and especially to all step on guides. Yelled at us, telling us we couldn’t count, took too many snacks, she was not providing our meals, “ dig in your own pockets” for that. ONLY ONE bottle of water per day. It was very hot and humid and several of our breaks were at rest stops which did not allow us to purchase our own snacks and drinks/water. The first day we checked in to our hotel later because she had the driver pull into a CATHOLIC church for services. NOT EVERY ONE ON THE BUS WAS CATHOLIC. I felt this was out of line and not on the schedule, which she kept telling everyone else all week long WE HAVE TO ADHERE TO THE SCHEDULE as planned by Diamond. At many of the stops/attractions we were not allowed to spend the full time to explore. At the dinner at the ranch she tried to get us all to leave early and not enjoy the provided entertainment. I WILL NEVER recommend any DIAMOND TOUR that she is leading- EVER. Our next to the last nights hotel stay she had the bus driver pull into the wrong hotel, some of us told her it was the wrong one- she went on in, I’m not sure what transpired in there but I’m sure she was extremely rude to those people and she was in the wrong! The bus driver had also already unloaded the luggage and had to reload. Bus driver was not the friendliest but maybe because he was afraid of getting yelled at by her. TOUR LEADER was Linda Woolard out of Newark Ohio

Date: Dec. 4, 2022; Time: Approximately 9:00 AM; Location: Lawton, OK.; Destination: Cincinnati, OH. Tour: The Ark and The Christian Museum;

The bus driver was running late and tried to beat the light at 38th St. and Gore Blvd. My husband and I were seated at the rear of the bus. I could see and hear the bus speeding up. About half way through the intersection my husband and I were thrown up out of our seats and came down very hard on our tail bones. We were stunned and in excruciating pain. We decided to try and stay on the bus and continue on the tour. By the time we got to OKC it was apparent that we could not stay with the tour. We had to wait 2 hrs. for a ride back to Lawton. When we finally reached Lawton we decided we needed to go to the ER at CCMH. After a long wait, we received pain medication, steroids and an anti-inflammatory. We had to make a 2nd trip to the ER 2 days later which is when they did x-rays, CAT scan and MRI. We have had doctors appointments, physical therapy and tomorrow my husband is having to have back surgery to repair the damage he has suffered with for the past 4 months. I have also suffered pain and have had limited mobility. I will be seeking further treatment for my pain. This incident ruined our Christmas and has really impacted our quality of life.

The tour leader totally ignored us the entire trip. She paid attention to her friends and did not respond to us at all. We were shunned. I had asked her about wifi prior to booking. She said that the bus had wifi. On the bus, she said the bus had wifi but it does not work. She called me off of the bus and scolded me for calling Diamond.

Other passengers felt the same way.

When I calculated the gambling money put in the pot, and how much came out, she made a fortune. I did notify the gaming commission.

I traveled with Diamond Tour from September 24 thru October 2nd. I had insurance with Travel insured international. I await a response from Diamond tour regarding the bed bug bites I had all over my body. I was administered two different medicines by my doctor and suffered multiple marking on my body from the bed bug bites.

I filed a claim with the insurance company, also.

Vernetta Wisniewski

1877015 Tour Trip number

Olympia Fields Park Dist

Insurance Claim number 220818WHL0166

Diamond Tours used a bus provided by Buckeye Coach for a group leaving from OH and traveling to MA. This bus was fraught with problems from the moment its wheels started moving. Some of the personal above head vents would not turn off leaving passengers to use duck tape to cover them and block AC, not all lights work, some seats could not be adjusted, there were few shades to block out sun, no WIFI, videos, cup holders, footrests. or magazine holders, the buses whole heating system somehow became stuck on heat and passengers soon became not just uncomfortable but suffered with being overheated to the point one individual became faint, during a heavy rain water leaked through the buses roof and several passengers got wet, the front wind shield was cracked, there was a bathroom but only to be used in emergency and after 5 days the odor was not pleasing ,and seats were uncomfortable. This bus was neither spacious, or comfortable and quite a few passengers felt it should never have been on the road.

yle or in any way what it was advertised. Many passengers felt it should not have been on the road.

I went on a bus trip with Parkside Baptist church denison Tx to Lancaster/Philadelphia from aug 6-14, 2022

August 12th 2 people on bus tested positive for covid, one from urgent care, 1 from home test. 5 or 6 people on bus also had symptoms of covid. Our group leader Jan Scott told the diagnosed people that their tests were “probably false positives” so these two did not wear masks. I told Jan Scott the same day I thought I had covid. Jan told me I had allergies. That’s it. Not covid because the other two didn’t have covid. .there were 26 people on this trip. We were not asked to wear masks. We were not offered to get tested. After the diagnosis’s All people on bus went into 2 more museums and numerous restaurants and stores the next 3 days until we were home. Our hotels were not told we had confirmed covid people. From what I have read The CDC protocol states as soon as there was a confirmed case on the bus we should have been asked to wear masks, offered to get tested and gone into as few places as possible and head home. Myself and my 87 yo dad tested positive for covid less than an hour after we got home from this trip. I will never go on another trip with diamond tours again. I bought the travel insurance for about $98.00 but I don’t feel I was protected from anything. The trip cost $859.00 plus I paid $300.00 for a single room. I’m asking for a partial refund from this trip.

Crystal Turner

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I would never have gone on this trip if I had known it was going to be a shopping trip! On route we spent 2 hours at Opry Mills. When we got to the beach we were told we had only 20 minutes to stroll on the beach! They could have given us at least a couple hours! Then we went to downtown Fernandina Beach & they gave us 3 hours to eat & shop! When we went to St. John's Town Center (Strip Mall) with Target, Dollar Tree & all the same stores we have at home)we had 3 hours to eat & shop! If you didn't shop you had to find a bench to sit & wait on. We couldn't even get back on the bus. The bus we were on was really small. No leg room & aisles were small. One time we didn't stop for 4 hours! The first day we left at 8 AM & didn't get to our hotel till 11:30 PM! The last day on the road we left at 8:30 AM & didn't get to our hotel till 11:00 PM. I was so disappointed in this trip. I have so much more bad things I could say but will end this here.I have been on two other trips with YMCA & they were awesome. I thought this would be the same but quite the opposite. I have already cancelled two other trips I was going to go on with YMCA & Diamond Tours.

Just getting back from Charleston SC. Love the tours and itinerary. The restaurants for the meals were the worst ever. Prisoners get better food. Very sad and disappointing as most customers love their food while on vacation. What a shame. You top mgmt staff should check it out before you dump your clients in restaurants like these.
The tour guide for the Charleston city tour was the worst. Knowledgeable but no respect for a human being. He said he was some director of tourism or something. Wonder what his turnover rate of the staff working for him. He was a pure breed [censored]. Talked to us and the bus driver like we were way beneath his status. He needs to go back to basic customer service skills course. Hope it gets better in the future.

I wasn't satisfied with the accommodations @ Ambassador Inn in Hyannis, Ma. Hotel had no elevator and was not cleaned and was given only towels from maid. Drawers in dresser would stick. Hotel had no signage for vending or ice and breakfast room. Hotel had no microwave also. I tried to go economically but would love to stay at a nice and clean hotel. It would be helpful to be near a close to a store (drug or food). Our tour offered two bad restaurants Grand Cafe and Karribean Lounge.
Grand Cafe had one bathroom for 49 people and one waitress and waiter. Food was fair not good. Karribean Lounge offered pot roast instead of steak also chicken broth with a carrot for chicken soup and one lady served each vegetable individually on buffet table taking awhile to serve 49 people. Food there was not good. I don't recommend either restaurants. We save our money to go on a vacation and hope it is great. Please consider this. Barbara Y.

My sister and returned from this tour just recently on September 26, 2021. The motorcoach was very difficult to get on due to curved steps plus no leg room & aisle was very narrow too. It was replaced last two days by a better one.
Also our accomodations at the Ambassador Inn at South Yarmouth, MA was awful. The room was not clean plus no elevator & the stairs had carpet that was wrinkled. Plus the meals at Grand Cafe was aweful plus the dinner at Karibbean Lounge in Hyannis, MA was unbelievable; chicken soup with no chicken plus steak with veggies was pot roast & veggies was cooked cabbage & onions. I believe no one researched the restaurants at all. Please consider checking these places before putting in tour.
Disappointed Traveler, Betty Y.

Started out in Henderson, Ky. In Harrisburg, PA, we were informed that someone forgot medicine so a detour was made to a VA hospital to get medicine. Spent 3 hrs there with very little communication. Then because of this we missed The Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. But we made it to Mason Jar Food & Drink which was not impressive at all. Waste of money for that place. Then went to Boott Cotton Mills the next day and visit there was cut by 1/2 hr. The trip continued with visit to Boothbay Harbor and on to Seashore Trolley Museum (another waste of time and Money). Our visit to Kennebunkport, Me was concluded by a stop at Franciscan Monastery. Here we were offered the use of restrooms but no mention of looking around. The ride on the streetcar was thru a mass of debris and cut trees and was very disappointing and Hot.
Next day we were rushed at Portland Head Lighthouse to get to lunch in Portland where we were allowed 2 1/2 hrs. On to Victoria Mansion to rush thru to get to Freeport tp shop at L. L. Bean. Two hours here but too much time. Then we had the Nor'easter which could not be avoided. However, we were told we would vote on whether to drive later to get closer to Boston or stay where the electric was off. That vote was never taken. So we stayed where no lights, no heat and not hot water. The next morning, we sat and sat for ? . Again communication was very poor. Then finally underway to Boston, where as we were getting off the bus, we were asked if we wanted the allotted time. No vote but people yelled out no so our time in a very historical city was cut to 2 hrs for lunch and touring. TWO hours. Then we waited 45 minutes for a bus to get thru traffic and then another hour in traffic to get out of town.
Then the ride home on Sunday turned into a prayer meeting and testimonial time. Captive audience right. No choices. People sang several songs, testimonies were given but the ultimate was when our bus driver( suppose to be alert and concentrating on driving) gives his testimony for a 1/2 hr. Not the time or place. Plus very loud so it actually hurt my ears. Had to use ear plugs.
Rest stops we're not announced until arrival most of the time so people were not ready to get off the bus.
Music played was too loud in spite of respirated reqUest to turn down.
DISAPPOINTED and not likely to use Diamond tours again
Melissa Kellogg
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I am currently on a tour of Mt Rushmore, the Badlands & Black Hills of SD tour. I have purchased tours with Diamond at least 5 times. I know that the company economize so they can offer low prices. But we are booked at America's Best Value Inn in Rapid City SD for the next 3 nights. We have stayed in some pretty bad hotels but this is is a REAL dump. It has a musty smell and the bed skirt and sheets look like they came from a thrift store. There are no irons or ironing boards in the rooms. The guest has to put in a request to get them. I Thought ironing boards and irons were standard in motels. Do better, Diamond!

Tour #1532165 New York City and the Statue of Liberty, dates September 19-25, 2019. First let me say the majority of the trip was acceptable. First the tour bus pulls in to the area for us to board. The bus did not have Diamond Tours written on it. It had Jaco Limo and it looked as if it had just come from a bus selvage. The front passenger side window was taped with black tape, The bus actually looked like it had been in a few fender benders. I have been traveling with Diamond Tours since 2017 and we always had a nice bus. I seriously do not know where they got this bus. I have pictures that show what i am talking about. As we arrive We did not have much time in PA, i wanted to see the Liberty Bell but the lines were too long, so i opted for a horse and buggy ride instead, which was enjoyable. There issues getting to Avenel NJ, between the bus drivers GPS talking and the tour guide helping to get to our destination. it was very destracting. A few times we got lost and had to back track or the GPS took us a roundabout way to get to the hotel which took up time. The hotel itself was in the middle of nowhere. There was absoluely nothing to do near the hotel. The bar at the hotel was not open the whole time there at least that would have been something to do. After being there for 2 days I found out we were staying not far from a major prision. That did not sit well with me. But i was told the area was the safe. We were so far from New York city it took us about 40 minutes each time we had to go into the city. It would have been better at least to have either been in the city or a lot closer, mind you New York is very congested with people and traffic 24/7. So yes we were always rushing to get everywhere and only so much time to enjoy. I especially took this trip because i wanted to experience China town and Little Italy which were on our itineary, well that did not happen. We were told streets were blocked because of a United Nations event. I still cant believe there could not have been someway we could have gotten there. Mind you i paid $760 dollars plus insurance for this trip. The end of the trip was a stop to Eckley Miners Village. Most passengers did not even get off the bus, we were over an hour late getting there, we could have skipped this and done something else earlier. so in conclusion i did not get to experience Little Italy or China town, the Soutrh street Seaport. Also on the way home an alarm on the bus was beeping all the way to Cincinnati. The bus driver did not know how to get it to stop he called someone and they tried to help. So yes it was not an enjoyable relaxing drive all the way home. The tour bus leaders were great except they could have passed out water a little more especially after we walked through Central Park, the temperature starting rising, I dont think some of the senior passenges realized when they said a lot of walking not to that extent. Most times we were dropped off and had to walk over 2 blocks, in the downtown ny, mind you some of these passengers were on canes and wheelchairs.

Relatives of mine recently went to michigan with diamond tours trip #1550967. The trip was great until they got stranded in illinois for five hours when the bus "broke down". Luckily, this didn't happen on the side of the road, but when they stopped for lunch. Once the other bus arrived & they headed home, no apology was offered by either driver — the one who'd driven on the trip nor the "new" driver who brought the bus! How rude! Even though it wasn't the driver's fault, one of them should have apologized to all of these people! They finally arrived at their destination at 1:00am to a dark parking lot! Then these seniors had to drive home at that time of morning! It was mentioned by others on the bus that the previous trips they'd taken on cline buses had also broken down! Don't think they'll be going on any more of these trips! Looks like your company doesn't care about their travelers! They still have never received any kind of apology from anybody! Very unprofessional & very poor customer service!

I just got back from Nova Scotia. The bus was horrible seats to small, to close no leg room, no where to put drinks, books etc everything had to be held. Tire had a hole driver did not catch this before leaving for trip. Men on bus told driver of hole in tire he purchased a recap. The recap was no better. He slept in and we miss the main attraction of 15 foot waves. Gave our leader a hard time.

I feel Diamond tours should have guide lines for these rental buses. My tripe was 12 days cramped in a seat that had no leg room and if person in front put seat back, all the way, seat was in my lap giving me no space to move.

The bus driver commented on the bus was used to haul children. Bus was dirt, air filter dirty, food on seats, and was told that the bus was being sent to dump when he return. I guess my question for u would you want to ride this bus for 12 days. That bus represents Diamond Tours get your act together. I for one will demand my money back if I ever see another bus like this. Should you not give me my money back we will end up in court. I made photos of this bus seatings and will keep on file after I sent you a copy to prove my point.

Know what kind of buses and their shape before lease a bus from them. You should be in charge and make demands of what you and the people traveling want and need for a good trip. You will begin to lose as people will quit traveling on Diamond Tours. I will sent another letter, President of company, and photos filet him see the work his employees are doing.

Kay Moore