We booked Grey Line Tours via the internet before we left for New York. We booked the all loops package, which consisted of four separate tours: uptown, downtown, Brooklyn and a night tour. This was good value for money at $49 per person. Even if you only want to take a couple of the tours, this still works out cheaper than buying them individually.

You have to take all tours within 48 hours, which sounds daunting, but we did the uptown in the morning of day one and the downtown in the afternoon. Then the following day we did Brooklyn and then the night tour, so it worked out great. Each tour takes about 2 hours if you stay on from start to finish.

They all start and end in the Times Square area, except Brooklyn, and are on open-top double-decker buses. The Brooklyn tour is on an enclosed coach, as open-top buses are apparently not allowed in Brooklyn, and this tour starts in Battery Park near the Financial District.

You can hop on and off at the numerous stops along the way, but I wouldn’t recommend it. We had to leave quite a few people at stops who wanted to get on, but there simply wasn’t room, or they had to sit in the lower, enclosed deck. I think the best way is to take each fully, then go back to any places that you want to visit again in your own time. The night tour incidentally is not a hop on/off.

If you do these tours when it is hot, as we did in September (85 degrees), remember to take a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and plenty of water. On the top deck of the bus, there is no protection from the sun and it can become very overpowering. Likewise, if you visit when showers are likely, then bring something to cover yourself. On the brochures it says that rain ponchos are given out free on buses, but when some people asked for them on the night tour, when it got cooler, they only had a couple available on the bus.

As I said, it was very hot when we did the tours, but the night tour can still get cool, as we found out. As we hadn’t gone back to our hotel that day, we were just in t-shirts and shorts, but would have welcomed a jumper as the night set in. So if you plan to do this tour in the summer, pop a light jumper or similar in your bag, just in case.

It also goes without saying that you should take your camera with you. The bus does slow down, or stop at major points, so you can get some great pictures. A video camera is also good, as you can get the atmosphere and the commentary too.

I cannot recommend these tours enough. Great tours, great sights, great value.

I see myself as way too cool for city tours, so I usually talk myself out of taking them. However truth be told I have found some city tours to be very helpful in getting to know a new city on the first day and helping me get the lay of the land. Chris found this Grayline Tour on-line and suggested we take it with the kids, as it was their first visit to New York City.

In theory, the concept sounded great. You buy a two-day pass for $49.00 and are able to use the pass anytime in the two-day period to hop on and off the double-decker buses anywhere on the loop they run. The bonus was they also provide you with a ferry ticket to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty, plus a ticket to the top of the Empire State Building. I had to admit the price could not be beat! Plus the loop really did cover most of Manhattan and some of Brooklyn.

We got our vouchers and headed over to Times Square to catch our bus. It was a very busy Saturday in June and the whole city was crowded. We turned the corner and saw the line was wrapped up and down the block three times! Yikes! So we got in line. We waited almost 50 minutes to board our first bus. Few buses came and those that came were already doing the loop and only had room for a handful of new passengers. The wait was a big waste of valuable vacation time.

I did love the upper deck view of the city. The perspective was great. It really was a whole new way to look at New York. Some guides were good, some a little silly, some seemed bored and some gave conflicting information. So like most anything, it was all on who you were lucky enough to get as a guide.

When we went to Ellis Island our ride to the ferry was fine. We got to the island and had an enjoyable and very educational day. However, coming back it was 5:00pm and the line again to catch a tour bus was endless. We got in line, but soon learned some people had been in line for over an hour. Buses came by but they only would take one or two people each time, as they were already full. We scrapped the tour bus home and hailed our own cab.

In theory I like the on and off loop idea. It was a good way to see New York, was cheap and seemed to be the right thing to do. However on the Saturday we took the tour the city was packed and the system seemed to overwhelm itself and just not work correctly. I may try it again on a weekday, during the school year, but never again on a Saturday in June!

On this tour, you are able to hop on and off the bus at over 40 different places. This is a great way to see all of Manhattan, especially if you are only in town for a few days. The All Loops Tour is a combination of the downtown, uptown, Brooklyn, and night tours. It last for 48 hours to give you plenty of time to see all the sights. We didn't go on the Brooklyn tour, but we did go over to Brooklyn on the night tour. You can't get off the bus on the night tour. We were able to see parts of the city that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. We also added $11 for the ticket for Liberty Island and Ellis Island. The tour was definitely worth the money.

I am not usually one for touristy bus tours, but being alone I wanted to see as much as possible and not feel intimidated having no idea how to get around NYC. I picked up the tour outside the Empire State Bldg. It takes you all over the city and the map is easy to follow as the bus makes its way through the traffic. I LOVED being able to sit up top and just gaze and "gaga" over the tall buildings. Being on top also gives riders an almost 360 degree look around and really helped orient me to the city and where things are. After spending my whole life (34 years worth) seeing New York City on TV and movies, it was amazing to me to see it up close and in real life. For those more cynical and professional travelers, this may seem naive but I really enjoyed it. I am usually the kind of person who prefers off the beaten path non typical tourist stuff. The Gray Line tour guides were all very informative, many were funny and most were extremely friendly and helpful. They pointed out all kinds of interesting things that I never would have known if I were just walking around or taking a taxi.

Traveling alone, I thought the bus was a good way to get around as well as to chat with other tourists and get my photo taken so that my pictures actually reflect the fact that I was there! It eliminates the obviousness of me standing by myself on a street corner with a map and a guidebook shouting TOURIST!

I purchased the "All Loops" tour for $50 which included all of Manhattan as well as a nighttime tour over the Manhattan Bridge to see the skyline at dusk- beautiful. The daytime loops are split into upper and lower loops with transfer between the two in Times Square. You could also purchase the Loops separately for $37 if you were only interested in doing one. I recommend both. The pass was good for 48 hrs and there were many places to get off and reboard later like Battery Park, Chinatown, SOHO, Museum Mile, Rockefeller Center, Harlem, Times Square, Central Park, and more. For someone who is familiar with NYC and a veteran traveler this might not be so great.

I would recommend this to travelers who want to see a lot in a short time or for those who would like a good overview for the start of a longer trip.

The tour is interesting and informative. You get to get on and off at any of the stops. The guide tells you facts about New York you probably would never have known and you get to see areas that you would not have seen. We saw Upper Manhattan, Lower Manhattan, Central Park, Midtown Manhattan, Brooklyn, Little Italy, Chinatown, the Garment District, the Theater District, and much more.