Hi All,
I was on the Aug. 14 Southwest Splendors. It was beyond fabulous. These are the things that I wish I knew before I went:
1. You never really unpack. So you should bring a bag that you can live out of. My husband and I brought our biggest bags, which were wheeled fold-over suit carriers. It was difficult to manage them, since we had to unfold, unzip, and carefully pack the stuff back in. Next time, a big duffel for me
2. The hike to Delicate Arch is truly quite strenuous. I am not an athlete but I am in decent shape and it was tough for me. If you are in poor shape or have any cardiac or respiratory problems, you should consider not going
3. Some of the bus rides are really bumpy/curvy. People who get motion sickness were sometimes affected by the bus rides.
4. You should not wear anything white on the rafting day. The river is quite muddy and all white clothes worn by my family are now brown!
5. The Grand Canyon is grander than you could ever imagine. I can't wait to see it again someday.
6. The Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon is not that scary. It is kind of basic, not fancy, but clean and the staff is nice and helpful. It looks dingy, but that is just because it is decorated in rather dark colors and it is not well lit.
Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.
You will have a wonderful time. It exceeded all of our hopes.
Debbie