American Heritage Trails LLC - Laotto, Indiana

David C.

Took their bus trip to the "Shipshewana Joy of Lights" on November 30, 2021.
Quite enjoyable.
55 passenger bus, comfy seats, potty at the back of the bus.
Sherry was our guide, and was wonderful.
The bus driver was great fun and witty.
The photos are of the Shipshewana lights display.
Have a couple more bus trips booked.

Allison S.

I’ve never traveled with this company - but we were just traveling on 71N outside of Louisville and bus number 333 333 was tailgating so badly. The driver was aggressively and dangerously changing lanes and attempting to pass on the right in very heavy traffic. I can’t believe they didn’t cause an accident. They tailgated us for miles and they had absolutely no stopping room - they would have killed us if we had to slow down suddenly. I would never travel with a company who employs such dangerous drivers. I hope I never encounter another one of these buses. And, I hope all of the other motorists remained safe today with this driver on the road.

J D.

Took trip to Metamora canal days. Our driver, Tanner, was excellent. Our host Sherry was not. She was confused about the train schedule but eventually got it figured out. The situation could’ve been handled better. She could’ve given more information about the town as well. Overall trip was good though, 5 stars.

don G.

The bus did not kneel, making it difficult to get on & off the bus. The driver refused to assist passengers while boarding or getting off the bus. The driver was very rude and disrespectful to our tour guide. He missed 5 turns the first day alone. He constantly complained about diamond tours and the hours that he had to work. He drove in the left lane, below the speed limit and then made gestures & honked at cars that he felt got too close while passing on the right hand side. Also the bus did not have cup holders, nor did it have a tray or netting on the seat backs. The portable cup holders that we brought would not hang in the window sill area. The charging ports & wifi worked intermediately Overall a bad bus related experience.

Karl B. (. F. B.

Incompetent / poor management

This review only covers the customer relation / business skills of the organization because our scheduled bus tour was rescheduled to dates we could not attend. Apparently the tour was postponed due to a hotel reservation issue at the destination.

First, this business does not seem to know that there are many forms of communication now other than phone and snail mail. I started by calling them to schedule a reservation for one of their bus tours. They sent us a brochure through the mail which covered the same points that could be found on their website. We sent a check for the deposit three months ahead of the scheduled trip, and never heard anything back. No confirmation that they received the deposit, or that we were scheduled on the tour. I had to call a month later to verify that they received our check and we had reservations. They said that this was their standard protocol. I guess they don't think people want to know if they are scheduled? This seems like a very basic courtesy, not only for business but for basic communication skills. I should have canceled then and there, but they have a 'no cancellation policy', so I figured we were stuck and we may as well follow through with the trip. How bad could it be? They seem to have been in business for a long time, so they must know what they are doing.

We sent the final payment before the deadline. Again no confirmation of receipt. We assumed that all was well, and were looking forward to the trip, but four days before the trip was scheduled, we received a phone call that the trip had to be postponed for almost 2.5 months. We were given the option of keeping the reservation for the rescheduled trip, or receiving a refund. We wanted to keep the reservation, but the new date just wouldn't work, so we opted for a refund. Over the next 3 months, we called them multiple times and were assured they were sending the check shortly. We sent an email to them requesting some kind of response and didn't hear anything back over the next 2 weeks. Finally, I decided that I would go to their office and wait there until a check was produced. This was the only effective way to get results. Check in hand, I went straight to the bank to deposit it because I was anticipating that it might bounce.

I understand that problems happen in business, and I have worked through a fair share of them myself. This experience showed me that this company is either incompetent or very poorly managed. Buyer beware.

As a side note, when I walked into the office, it was very clear why this business struggles in managing basic communication. Stacks of paper covered every desk and horizontal surface. I cannot imagine that they can keep track of anything in that mess. I wish them all the best, but suspect this business will not exist in another 5 years.

Amber M.

It was a lovely bus ride to Jungle Jim's International market and Finley Market in Cincinnati. Karen was a friendly and professional host/driver. Only thing I would prefer is that these two trips were separate and not put together. Kind of felt rushed going to both locations. When each could have been separate trips. Other than that it was a wonderful time.

ECC S. M.

We used them twice and do not plan to do so again.
The first time was a church youth ministry trip this past summer. They showed up about 45 minutes late, then had to stop to fill up at a station, which took another 45 minutes, with the bus full of students, and trailing vans. While in transit, the bus door flew open on the highway.
The second time was this past weekend. This time we rented two buses. They showed up an hour late, with 150 students waiting for them (we also used vans). While in transit, both buses had doors continually open, one was the passenger door (this happened at least 5 times), when the bus had to pull over on the highway or road, the other bus had the underneath cargo door open. We had contracted with them for a ride home from our destination two days later, and called them about our concerns. They did show up on time, but one of the buses still had mechanical issues (loose panels/door issues).
Our conclusion: the business is poorly administered and is unable to provide a safe environment for our group.

Giselle S.

I've called them three times to hold a charter bus and they won't respond to me.