Al Capone & Miami Duck Tour
Two areas we covered on the tour that I really liked was the 1) Millionaire’s Row, where the rich & famous hollywood stars and basket ball stars live, and 2) the Art Deco District, the snitzy area in Miami, famous for many things, including Al Capone, the famous gangster, ran his gambling business in the days of yore and also where Gianni Versace was shot dead on the steps of his home – Casa Casuarina. Miami Duck Tour however was a disaster. First of all, the tour guide, an old geezer, claimed to be from England. Apparently, he had moved to Miami two years back. Great. I did NOT want to be entertained by a Rookie. And by God ! He was awful ! The guy would not stop talking ! I could not believe we had actually paid to have This Guy prattle on the microphone non-stop. Plus, he cracked pathetic and disgusting jokes all the time. The uptown/downtown tour we had taken in New York was one of the best, and inspired by that, we have ventured to take tours in select new cities. The Duck Tour seemed liked a good idea because the tour was conducted in an amphibious vehicle i.e. the bus which looks like a boat on wheels, drives around touring the city, then is waddles into Biscayne Bay and floats past the sea facing Millionaire’s Row. The itinerary was perfect. Infact we even saw a couple of celebrities come out and wave at us. And guess who was yelling the loudest. Yep, you got it ! The man with the microphone. And what did he yell each time? Quack Quack ! Good God ! How much more juvinile can it get? I will tell you how much more – after we quack quacked our way through the Art Deco District, he got the bus to stop in front of a posh bar/club. There were people seated outside. He notched up the volume on the microphone, and asked for everybody’s attention “Everybody, we are here”. He pointed to some lady and shouted “Madame, please look at us, yes, Madame with hair under arms.” And then, yes ofcourse, him and some passengers flapped their elbows and “Quack Quack” !!If I were the madam, I would have thrown my food right in his face. Thankfully, our tour ended a block from that place.
So, should you do a Miami tour? Yes, definitely – covering the area by land and water to gawk at some landmarks does justice to the character of Miami. However, if you see an Englishman Duck Tour guide, stay away from him. He is obnoxious !
Tags: East India, Florida, Miami, Tour, Tour Guides, Tour Guides, USA
Rupa
May 30th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
I did the Miami Duck Tours too and I had the same British guy and he was definitely British. I thought it was an amazing tour… I’ll recommend doing the Duck Tours, I’ve never had so much fun. In order to enjoy this tour you need to be open minded. QUACK QUACK..
November 25th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
I spent $96 on a tour that didn’t show much any house that you would not be able to see from the mainland. We did not see millionaires row. We did not go around Flager Memorial, no where near star island, and no where near parrot jungle. We went in, went straight to the $50 million dollar home and came out.
I feel cheated. I could have saved money, saw more homes, and had more fun going on one of the boats at Bayside. I feel like I was ripped off. If we were going to get the full tour I think we should have been warned. WE SAW NOTHING!!!! I could have pointed out the homes we saw from the causeway.
After the tour I went inside to explain my disappointment and asked what happened to the full tour and no one seemed to care. For the amount of money being charged I people are not getting what they paid for. My family got off the boat and said, “That’s All”??? Duck Tours of Miami is an expensive disappointment and thats not fair to customers. I did not get the experience I paid for. And the non caring attitude by the staff does not help. I am totally upset I choose this company for what could be such a great tour.