Oct 5, 2024
Explorer Tour of the Botanical Gardens - Excellent tour on the Explorer provided by Princess. Excellent knowledge of the gardens and a thoroughly pleasant experience. Well worth the money and highly recommend.
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Sep 28, 2024
Amazing service - big thank you! - Many thanks to the team, electric mobility scooter was very handy to get around the garden. My wife thoroughly enjoyed being able to navigate through the garden by herself.
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Sep 25, 2024
Why didn't we visit sooner? - Excellent overview of an amazing Australian garden. Great to learn about the origins and design of the garden as well as interesting information about the plants and animals there.
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Sep 21, 2024
Lovely trip on the Explorer at Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne - Such a worthwhile trip. useful and interesting information, lovely bus, great visibility. I will do it every time I go. Love these gardens. They are exquisite.
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Sep 18, 2024
Great guide, great commentary, the overview makes us want to come back and spend more time here. - The guide and his commentary were both interesting and educational. We want to come back and spend much more time wandering the Australian Garden and the bush walks.
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Sep 4, 2024
A great introduction to the Gardens for young and old. - The Explorer was a great way for my mum (who's 98 and with limited mobility) to see the Gardens and learn a great deal about how they were created and their scope. Peter, our driver, was extremely knowledgeable and gave us wonderful insights in an informal and very friendly manner. We were even lucky enough to spot a swamp rat and bandicoot on our travels!
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Sep 3, 2024
Great time and free mobility scooter - We had a great time and it was marvelous to be able to use their free mobility scooter for my elderly dad. Also enjoyed lunch at the restaurant.
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Aug 10, 2024
Wonderful and informative - Amazing what has been achieved in so little time. The displays were so informative, our guide so knowledgeable and entertaining. We have every intention of returning later in spring to gain ideas for our own garden. The design of the garden was breathtaking and such a credit to the people who did it.
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Oct 1, 2024
Cancelled. - The bus was cancelled due to the driver having covid. Booked to take my grand kids. Have to wait for next school holidays to book again. Really disappointed. I just recieved a link asking how I enjoyed the tour and to review.
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Sep 29, 2024
Uncomfortable waste of money - Uncomfortable waste of time and money. We purchased tickets from the info desk and they said there were only 4 tickets left.. we only needed 3 so it seemed perfect. Well I have no idea where that last person was supposed to sit if they did sell that ticket, as there certainly wasn't room.
The bus arrived and passengers from the previous tour got off. We were ready to board when Sue (honestly her name should have been Karen) the tour guide, stopped everyone and asked who was in a group.
Mum, sister and I were first in line, so the guide told us to get on the front of the bus. The bench seat is really only big enough to comfortably sit 2 adults, but she expected the 3 of us to squeeze on.
My mum has a crutch she uses to help with a leg injury and was clearly standing with it at the time, but the guide offered no assistance to get onto the bus, despite us later discovering there were steps that could be used and a section at the back that had extra leg room, and a ramp to get on and off.
My sister and I climbed on and there was not enough room for mum, so the guide suggested she move back further down the bus, but this would have required her to travel backwards, which wasn't possible due to travel sickness.
Eventually we switched places and sis went to ride backwards, a few rows behind us... so much for riding together as a group.
Mum was squashed in the front with her bag and crutch and her knees up in her chest as there was a wooden box on the floor in the front. No idea why it was there, but it made for a very uncomfortable trip.
After shuffling people around, the guide then squished another man next to my mother and I in the front row.
The front passenger seat was empty, which all 3 off us noticed (mum, other man and i), so we asked Sue if someone could sit there, to which she simply responded "I don't usually have anyone sit there". I know you don't usually, but that's not a yes or a no. When I asked again, it became clear the driver was unwilling to allow anyone to sit in the passenger seat, despite there being no clear reason why they couldn't. I explained mum's need for more leg room and the man also tried to suggest this would be more comfortable, but all the driver could offer was that were spaces with more leg room further back. At this point, it would have meant shuffling more people around on the bus. Mum never wants to be a burden with her injury, so simply said she'd manage, even though it was clear she was uncomfortable.
Mum and I had to swap places as her leg and hip couldn't manage with her feet on the useless box in the front. The driver then offered to put mums bag and crutch on the passenger seat (apparently it was okay to carry that there, but no a person definitely couldn't sit there!).
Eventually we headed off for what was a pretty boring ride.
The driver stopped the bus on occasion to point out certain birds or trees... well we were lucky at that point that we were at the front of the bus, because she only stopped it for herself to be in line with what we were viewing, then moved on. Anyone in the back of the bus would have had no idea what they were supposed to be looking at, and if they thought they'd have a chance to stop and look at it, too bad, as they just kept driving.
The gardens really are not that big and you're better off to just walk them yourself as the ride was boring, uncomfortable, and quite frankly a waste of money.
It was clear they were trying to fit as many people as possible, probably to make as much money as possible.
When we returned, the next group were ready to get on and again the driver was dictating who could sit where, insisting that children sit on parent's laps to allow more room.
Having seen the gardens featured on better homes and gardens, we had high expectations but it was honestly just disappointing. By the end of bus ride I was the one with hip pain from having to sit with my feet up on the box which was uncomfortable.
Upon returning, the driver then tried to make up for it it seemed by offering my mum hire of one of the free wheelchairs... she was concerned she didn't want mum walking too much with her bad leg - yet it was okay to be squashed on the bus even though she could have sat in the passenger seat.
The experience was disappointing and certainly not one we'd be recommending.
Save your money and walk it yourself, or honestly, hire the mobility scooter for free - you'll be more comfortable.
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