Sightseeing Tours of LA from Anaheim

[DisneyFreak06]

I recently found this one, which we are considering. http://amgtransportation.com/city-tours.html

Haven't found any reviews or feedback about it though.

We really want to go to Santa Monica Pier rather than Venice Beach, and where you have a choice on the Grayline tour, I am worried that the consensus would be Venice Beach (I mean, how do they decide?)

They took us to both on our trip. Some people wanted to do each one, she dropped us off at the Santa Monica Pier, then went to Venice Beach to drop off the others. Pick up was the same, us first, then we headed to Venice Beach to pick up the others.

 

[Kristin5]

They took us to both on our trip. Some people wanted to do each one, she dropped us off at the Santa Monica Pier, then went to Venice Beach to drop off the others. Pick up was the same, us first, then we headed to Venice Beach to pick up the others.

That's good to know, thanks. We could do the Grayline tour then, so long as we get to go to Santa Monica Pier (we have been to Venice Beach previously, but never to Santa Monica Pier).

I have emailed AMG Transportation about a couple of quotes, incl the LA Tour and airport transfers, but haven't heard back from them, so they might miss out on our business anyway.

 

[SNicksed]

We are visiting DLR in August and when researching day tours from our hotel, I came across All Anaheim Tours: http://www.allanaheimtours.com/?pref=02&aid=ltg1455&gclid=CJ_Vo-rB5LYCFcU7MgodlS0A4g

Does anyone have experience with them?

 

[candy0730]

I have been following this thread. Lots of good info. I looked at the site for Anaheim Travel and am also interested to read any reviews for them since I don't see anything on TripAdvisor.

We are going to do a Hollywood tour and a beach tour that includes whale watching. The only group that I found that does the whale watching is thru Anaheim Visitor Center. I think the actual tour group is Anaheim Tour Company.

Does anyone else have any recommendations?

 

[uncw89]

Just following along on this thread! We are going the end of July-first of Aug. and I'm trying to figure out what to do after our stay at GCH. We are moving off site to LA. Has anyone had any experience with the GO LA card? I thought that it sounds good and includes lots of sites that we are interested in going.

 

[OHDisneyMom]

We booked the L.A. City, Movie Stars' Homes & Beach Tour from Anaheim by Starline Tours for our June trip. It covers all of the things we would like to see in a one day trip to LA.

 

[sunny45]

Thanks to the information here I booked the VIP Tour Grand Tour of LA through VIP Tours of California (again only because they went to the most places-even if some are only driving by) and the OC Beach tour from Anaheim 411 which is Tom that a few people have spoken about w/ the 45 minute Harbor Cruise as an add-on.

I think these two tours will give a good overall feel of the area outside of Disneyland. Hopefully I made a good choice, I am still a little leery about VIP Tours b/c of mixed reviews but there is nothing I can do about it. It's done. I also have a 4 day hopper for the parks.


Now to just wait patiently for another 4 months and 4 days

 

[WiganTony]

We are also in the area in early August and looking at a tour of LA, so thanks to everyone who has provided feedback on the various operators.

Our first thought was to drive to Santa Monica Beach from Anaheim to pick up the tour there, but then looking at the journey times for the various "loops", we would probably be on the go for 6 hours or more excluding any stops!!!

So we're now looking at the tours from Anaheim that have been mentioned in the replies above and trying to choose one of them!!!!

 

[candy0730]

I booked with Anaheim 411 for next week, reviews seem to be good and I spoke with the owner "Tom" when booking. They also pick up at the hotel. They do a LA/Hollywood day, Hollywood transportation only, a Warner Bros. studio tour, and even a local beach day that includes Newport, Laguna and Huntington Beach. You might want to check them out.

Just curious if you went on the tour and if you liked it.

 

[rella's fan]

Hollywood/Warner Bros. tour was good. We were picked up around 8:30 at our hotel and were dropped off around 6:15 that afternoon. Saw some movie star homes in Bel Air and Beverly Hills, walked around Rodeo Dr. a bit, had a lunch stop at the Carneys train on Sunset, had about a half hour at the Chinese theatre, went as close as you can get to the Hollywood sign for pictures, did the Warner Bros. tour which was a lot of fun, walked thru the Biltmore hotel. Long day but fun - worth it for $120 (really $70 since the cost of the Warner Bros. tour was included and was $50)
Decided against the Beach tour and rented a car for the day which I highly recommend. Couldn't have been easier, it was $30 and we picked it up at Alamo in Downtown Disney. Went to Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Balboa and Laguna Beach and then stopped at In and Out Burger and Target on the way back - great day!

 

[Magalex]

I booked with Anaheim 411 for next week, reviews seem to be good and I spoke with the owner "Tom" when booking. They also pick up at the hotel. They do a LA/Hollywood day, Hollywood transportation only, a Warner Bros. studio tour, and even a local beach day that includes Newport, Laguna and Huntington Beach. You might want to check them out.

Would love to hear how your tour went when booking with Anaheim 411. We would love to go on the tour of the local beaches for the day. We have been debating about that tour for awhile now. We have our first DL trip in July. We have one free day.

 

[candy0730]

Hollywood/Warner Bros. tour was good. We were picked up around 8:30 at our hotel and were dropped off around 6:15 that afternoon. Saw some movie star homes in Bel Air and Beverly Hills, walked around Rodeo Dr. a bit, had a lunch stop at the Carneys train on Sunset, had about a half hour at the Chinese theatre, went as close as you can get to the Hollywood sign for pictures, did the Warner Bros. tour which was a lot of fun, walked thru the Biltmore hotel. Long day but fun - worth it for $120 (really $70 since the cost of the Warner Bros. tour was included and was $50)
Decided against the Beach tour and rented a car for the day which I highly recommend. Couldn't have been easier, it was $30 and we picked it up at Alamo in Downtown Disney. Went to Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Balboa and Laguna Beach and then stopped at In and Out Burger and Target on the way back - great day!

Thank you so much for the update. Did you have to reserve your tour with Anaheim 411 far in advance? We are thinking of doing the LA/Hollywood half day one. Not sure my 7 year old would be able to do a full day tour. Would you recommend Anaheim 411?

I love the idea of renting a car for a beach day since we want to go on a whale watching tour. It would also give us a chance to stop at the grocery store for some supplies and I have always wanted to try In and Out Burger to see what all the fuss is about.

 

[Ware Bears]

Hollywood/Warner Bros. tour was good. We were picked up around 8:30 at our hotel and were dropped off around 6:15 that afternoon. Saw some movie star homes in Bel Air and Beverly Hills, walked around Rodeo Dr. a bit, had a lunch stop at the Carneys train on Sunset, had about a half hour at the Chinese theatre, went as close as you can get to the Hollywood sign for pictures, did the Warner Bros. tour which was a lot of fun, walked thru the Biltmore hotel. Long day but fun - worth it for $120 (really $70 since the cost of the Warner Bros. tour was included and was $50)

Glad you had a good time.

We've booked both this and the beach tour with Tom for August. I'll report back on both afterwards.

 

[Kristin5]

I have been corresponding with Tom from Anaheim 411 over the past day or so and can't begin to tell you how impressed I am. He replies to all my emails so quickly, and answers every single question I put to him (I have a tendency to ask a LOT of questions! )

I have booked a tour to Universal Studios with Tom and will be booking a LA/Hollywood tour too. If only he provided airport transfers, I'd be able to book the complete set with him

His tours seem to be a bit smaller and therefore more personal than the bigger tour companies who just roll you in and roll you out.

So from my experience, I would definitely recommend Tom - his level of communication is heads and shoulders above his competitor's, that's for sure! And thanks to the people here on the Disboards - without all of you, I would never have heard of Tom!

 

[Mickey&JoshNut]

Hollywood/Warner Bros. tour was good. We were picked up around 8:30 at our hotel and were dropped off around 6:15 that afternoon. Saw some movie star homes in Bel Air and Beverly Hills, walked around Rodeo Dr. a bit, had a lunch stop at the Carneys train on Sunset, had about a half hour at the Chinese theatre, went as close as you can get to the Hollywood sign for pictures, did the Warner Bros. tour which was a lot of fun, walked thru the Biltmore hotel. Long day but fun - worth it for $120 (really $70 since the cost of the Warner Bros. tour was included and was $50)
Decided against the Beach tour and rented a car for the day which I highly recommend. Couldn't have been easier, it was $30 and we picked it up at Alamo in Downtown Disney. Went to Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Balboa and Laguna Beach and then stopped at In and Out Burger and Target on the way back - great day!

Thanks for the review of the Hollywood/Warner Bros tour...I was looking at this one and thought it sounded great...glad to read that you enjoyed it.

 

[candy0730]

I have been doing more research lately about tours offerred. I have found info on Tripadvisor regarding Anaheim 411 and most of it is positive. The one thing that stood out to me (maybe I just overlooked it before) is that alot of the tours booked through 411 are actually tours offered with the bigger tour companies and resold by 411. Not all of them - but some. Here is what Tom said:

The ones we book that Grayline or VIP or Grand Express does are available on our website for less money than booking them directly with those companies (except the Seaworld Tour) and we NEVER book Starline or LuxBus for tours from Anaheim.
We do not use Starline for the reasons that are outlined in many of their reviews.

the Tours we do are:
the OC Beach Bus Tour,
Desert Hills Premium Outlet Shopping Tour and
the Warner Brothers VIP Deluxe Combo Tour with Movie Star Homes.

Also, the Anaheim 411 website states:
Some of the tours, we book through other companies because they can do it better or cheaper than we can. When that happens, you don't pay more for the tour, you get it for the same price (and sometimes less) because we have lower NET or WHOLESALE rates with these companies.

I don't doubt that Anaheim 411 is a good reputable company but I wanted to pass along this info so that anyone who books the tour won't be disappointed if they end up on a huge tour bus with one of the other companies.

 

[Magalex]

I have been corresponding with Tom from Anaheim 411 over the past day or so and can't begin to tell you how impressed I am. He replies to all my emails so quickly, and answers every single question I put to him (I have a tendency to ask a LOT of questions! )

I have booked a tour to Universal Studios with Tom and will be booking a LA/Hollywood tour too. If only he provided airport transfers, I'd be able to book the complete set with him

His tours seem to be a bit smaller and therefore more personal than the bigger tour companies who just roll you in and roll you out.

So from my experience, I would definitely recommend Tom - his level of communication is heads and shoulders above his competitor's, that's for sure! And thanks to the people here on the Disboards - without all of you, I would never have heard of Tom!

Would you be able to share Tom's e-mail? We are considering the OC Beach Bus Tour for July. Thank you!

 

[Kristin5]

Tom's email is tom@anaheim411.com

Tom told me that the Universal Studios tour is typically through VIP tours (he was very open and honest about that), though on occasion he does take tour groups to Universal Studios himself.

He even seems willing to help tailor tours to what you'd like to see, so it's worth asking the question and see if he can assist. That's why I have liked dealing with him - a much more personal service, rather than speaking to a bored worker at a large tour company and just getting generic replies.

 

[Magalex]

Thank you some much for sharing. This is our first DL/SoCAL and I have been nervous trying to decide what to do on our free day and who to trust to make sure we have a nice day.

 

[Mickey&JoshNut]

I have been doing more research lately about tours offerred. I have found info on Tripadvisor regarding Anaheim 411 and most of it is positive. The one thing that stood out to me (maybe I just overlooked it before) is that alot of the tours booked through 411 are actually tours offered with the bigger tour companies and resold by 411. Not all of them - but some. Here is what Tom said:

The ones we book that Grayline or VIP or Grand Express does are available on our website for less money than booking them directly with those companies (except the Seaworld Tour) and we NEVER book Starline or LuxBus for tours from Anaheim.
We do not use Starline for the reasons that are outlined in many of their reviews.

the Tours we do are:
the OC Beach Bus Tour,
Desert Hills Premium Outlet Shopping Tour and
the Warner Brothers VIP Deluxe Combo Tour with Movie Star Homes.

Also, the Anaheim 411 website states:
Some of the tours, we book through other companies because they can do it better or cheaper than we can. When that happens, you don't pay more for the tour, you get it for the same price (and sometimes less) because we have lower NET or WHOLESALE rates with these companies.

I don't doubt that Anaheim 411 is a good reputable company but I wanted to pass along this info so that anyone who books the tour won't be disappointed if they end up on a huge tour bus with one of the other companies.

Tom's email is tom@anaheim411.com

Tom told me that the Universal Studios tour is typically through VIP tours (he was very open and honest about that), though on occasion he does take tour groups to Universal Studios himself.

He even seems willing to help tailor tours to what you'd like to see, so it's worth asking the question and see if he can assist. That's why I have liked dealing with him - a much more personal service, rather than speaking to a bored worker at a large tour company and just getting generic replies.

Thanks for the info about the tours not all being handled by Anaheim411. I emailed Tom last Wednesday afternoon with some questions about the Warner Bros/Hollywood Tour and I have yet to receive a response so I am starting to second guess taking a day away from our Disneyland trip to visit Hollywood.