Kelly Tours

Based in Garden City, Georgia, Kelly Tours has operated since 1996 as a multifaceted travel agency and transportation provider, serving Savannah and the wider Southeast region. The company offers a broad spectrum of services, from local sightseeing tours to comprehensive group travel packages that span across the country and into Canada. Their fleet is extensive, featuring everything from trolleys and minibusses to 56-passenger luxury motorcoaches. While the company has garnered a significant number of positive testimonials, particularly from large groups, a closer look at customer feedback reveals a service that can be exceptionally good, yet occasionally inconsistent.

The Strengths: Expert Staff and Group Travel Prowess

A recurring theme in positive feedback for Kelly Tours is the high quality of its staff, particularly its tour guides and drivers. Multiple customers have singled out specific employees for their excellence. A tour guide named Kathleen, for instance, is repeatedly praised for being knowledgeable, witty, and amazing during her Savannah tours. Similarly, drivers like James Sencenbaugh, Randy and Steven Hayward, and a shuttle operator named Charlie are lauded for their professionalism, flexibility, and outstanding service. This indicates that the company has a strong contingent of employees who are not only skilled in logistics and driving but also excel at customer interaction, significantly enhancing the travel experience.

This is especially evident in their management of large-scale trips. Kelly Tours has established itself as a go-to tour operator for organized groups. For example, a Girl Scout troop has used their services for a trip to Savannah on multiple occasions, with the leader specifically noting that their main driver, James, went "above and beyond" to accommodate the needs of 46 Girl Scouts. Another group of 22 travelers on a New England/Canada cruise celebrated the tour director, Bobbie Grimes, for making the trip unforgettable. These experiences demonstrate a clear competency in group travel planning and execution, a critical service for schools, corporations, and large family gatherings. The company's ability to handle complex logistics for school field trips and other major excursions is a significant asset.

Diverse Offerings and Unique Perks

Beyond its proficiency with group travel, Kelly Tours provides a wide array of vacation packages. These include combined land and sea tours in Savannah, trolley tours, and riverboat cruises. The company also offers specialized trips, such as ghost tours and visits to historic sites like the Wormsloe Plantation. This variety caters to a broad range of interests, from local tourism to extensive, multi-day journeys. Furthermore, the company offers some unique advantages that set it apart. One notable perk is that some of their tours are dog-friendly, a significant benefit for travelers who wish to bring their pets along. Customers have also commented on the reasonableness of their prices, suggesting the company provides good value for its services.

The Areas for Improvement: Inconsistency in Service and Equipment

Despite the many commendations, the customer experience with Kelly Tours is not uniformly positive. The most significant concern raised by travelers is the inconsistency of service, which seems to depend heavily on the specific employee and vehicle assigned for a given tour. One detailed account from a family celebrating a birthday highlights this issue starkly. Their day began with a notably unwelcoming greeting from a driver who was perceived as rude and publicly corrected a member of the group in an embarrassing fashion.

This negative interaction was compounded by a significant equipment issue. The shuttle provided for part of the tour was described as a "mobile Swedish sauna," with sealed windows and no functioning air conditioning—a serious comfort and potential health issue in the warm Georgia climate. When the problem was raised, the driver's response was reportedly dismissive. This incident points to potential gaps in fleet maintenance and a critical failure in customer service. While the same group later had a wonderful experience with a different driver, Charlie, who was apologetic and operated a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle, the initial negative experience left a lasting impression. This Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of the service is a considerable risk for potential customers; while the experience can be excellent, there's also a chance it could be deeply frustrating.

Final Analysis for Potential Customers

Ultimately, Kelly Tours presents a complex picture. As a provider of charter bus services and large-scale transportation services, its strengths are clear. The company is an approved carrier for the Department of Defense and has built a strong reputation for handling complex group logistics for everything from weddings to corporate outings. Their repeat business from organizations like the Girl Scouts speaks volumes about their ability to deliver satisfactory experiences on a large scale. The numerous positive mentions of specific staff members suggest a high ceiling for quality.

However, individual travelers or smaller groups should weigh the potential for inconsistency. The stark contrast between the five-star reviews and the detailed two-star review suggests that quality control may not be consistent across all staff and vehicles. The experience can hinge on the luck of the draw. For those planning a large, organized trip where logistics and professional handling of a big group are paramount, Kelly Tours appears to be a very strong and reliable choice. For the solo traveler or small family, the decision may require balancing the company's proven expertise and knowledgeable guides against the reported risks of inconsistent customer service and vehicle comfort.