Cheers Bus
Cheers Bus
5
Distillery ToursBeer Tastings & ToursPrivate ToursWine Tours & Tastings Bus Tours
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
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About
Hunter Valley Guided Wine Tasting Tours Cheers Bus was established in 2002 and is Local Owner and Operated. We conduct private and public wine tours full and late start 7 days. We visit boutique cellar doors, breweries , a vodka distillery, cheese chocolate and olive tastings and included, Special Bus group lunch menus are available to pre order on the day. Most days are flexible and we can cater for your special requests
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
399 reviews
Excellent
355
Very good
25
Average
5
Poor
4
Terrible
10
Lorrilj
Kihei, HI35 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
The cheers bus, driven by the amiable John, is a great way to taste wine and beer and spirits. They pick you up at your accommodation and drop you back off at the end. It includes a visit to a chocolate store, a cheese shop, a brewery, a distillery, and multiple wineries. There were three parties on our bus, for a total of eight people. Everyone was friendly and it added to the enjoyment. It also gave we foreigners a chance to ask questions of the locals. It includes a lunch stop, which you pay for based upon what you order. That was our only critique of this experience – – the restaurant was mediocre with very slow service. Otherwise it was a great experience.
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robyn W
6 contributions
Nov 2020 • Family
We've wasted our lives until today💃🍷. 10 Cessnock girls enjoyed a wine tour experience with John and Cheers Bus. It is hard to believe that we are all locals and it was a first for some. So much to offer in our own backyard, more locals should get together and jump on A Cheers Bus wine tour and support The Small family wineries. Great service and knowledge, nothing was a hassle.We all cant wait to do again.....
Written 21 December 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cecily S
Sydney, Australia208 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
Could not have picked a better guide than John on our private wine tour. Car was very comfy and heaps of leg room for 2 tall people. The wineries John picked suited us to a tee, quiet, boutique and amazing wines to taste and buy. Lunch at Leogate just part of a stand out day. If you are heading to the Hunter and after a wine tour, John and Cheers Bus is your guy
Written 7 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sapna P
Sydney, Canada28 contributions
Jul 2020
Do NOT recommend Cheers Bus. John who owns the company has been extremely rude and unprofessional through out our entire exchange. He has no accountability or integrity, sending me emails with devil emojis and calling me a grub (screenshots attached). I recommend IHOP bus service as an alternative (they are very good and will cater to you). The morning started off well however due to lunch being delayed which was out of John's hands we were late to the afternoon tastings. However he did not let the last winery know that we were going to be late so we ended up missing it completely and had to finish 45 mins earlier than paid for. The entire tour group were having to make their own calls to find another booking whilst John did nothing. One member suggested a winery and he said "You call them. I hate them". He also did not book the distillery which was promised to us online and was also confirmed when he confirmed the booking on the phone 3 weeks prior to the tour date. No one was aware the distillery was not booked until I had asked him in the afternoon on the day. He had not booked anything to make up for this. Extremely rude and unprofessional. I asked for a partial refund paid to me the same way I paid him online. I agreed to the amount he stated himself however he has refused to give a refund even though we did not get what we paid for. He has not taken any responsibility for his lack of organisation. He has constantly lied throughout our exchange and has been vulgar and rude. He also has said he will contact my friends to "expose me" through the contact tracing list which is a breach of privacy. I have exact timings of our locations from google maps on my phone and I have also stated this to him however he has tried to twist everything round with blatant lies so that he is the only one that isn't accountable. I have also checked with the vineyards and distillery and they have confirmed that it was indeed John's lack of organisation and that this happens A LOT with his tour company. Do not use this company. There are plenty of tour companies in the Hunter Valley that are well organised and friendly. Cheers Bus gives Hunter Valley a bad name.
Written 18 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patrick Timothy R
Dublin, Ireland4 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
We were collected by Gary, who was friendly and punctual. I had to confirm our pick up time via text as it was never confirmed the night prior as per your booking confirmation. The bus for our tour was really dated.
Stop 1 was Gartelman Wines, which was good at best. The host was very friendly, but the wines weren't great. Didn't match the small boutique cellar we expected.
Stop 2 was Blueberry Hill, which was excellent, perfect setting, great wine and lovely host. This was the type of cellar door experience we expected for the tour.
Stop 3 was Fat Cow, which was terrible. Felt like a canteen with a rushed selection of cheese and chocolate, when we were told about the slushies for sale as we sat down it was down hill from there. A cellar door that does wine and cheese, which would have been alot more appropriate.
Stop 4 Roche Estate/Japanese restaurant for lunch, again terrible. The place felt like a motorway service station. Unknown to us, we were prebooked into a Japanese/Thai indoor restaurant that was like a dark cave. We expected somewhere with a view, nice food and wine for a lunch in Hunter.
Stop 5 Roche Estate/McGuigan, which was a new indoor cellar door but isn't the boutique experience we were expecting.
Stop 6 was McLeish, which again was really poor, the winery was dated and the tasting experience was like being back at school getting spoken to like children.
Stop 7 was Small Mouth for a Gin, Vodka & Liquer tasting which was terrible. 10 glitter filled tasters is the last thing we wanted after a day of wineries, with signs everywhere that it was free was a poor ending to an underwhelming day.
Our tour consisted of a 5 and 6 person group, however we appeared to be booked into everything as a 11person group including lunch which didnt allow splitting bills. Our experience didn't feel like a private tasting of boutique cellar door experience as advertised. The selection of wineries chosen really missed the mark and felt cheap. There was no experience from Gary in terms of a tour of the region as we drove between wineries or what to expect generally or from each winery we visited, it was essentially a mystery taxi service.
Following our experience I wouldn't recommend Cheers for a winery tour in Hunter, unless the venues significantly improved
Stop 1 was Gartelman Wines, which was good at best. The host was very friendly, but the wines weren't great. Didn't match the small boutique cellar we expected.
Stop 2 was Blueberry Hill, which was excellent, perfect setting, great wine and lovely host. This was the type of cellar door experience we expected for the tour.
Stop 3 was Fat Cow, which was terrible. Felt like a canteen with a rushed selection of cheese and chocolate, when we were told about the slushies for sale as we sat down it was down hill from there. A cellar door that does wine and cheese, which would have been alot more appropriate.
Stop 4 Roche Estate/Japanese restaurant for lunch, again terrible. The place felt like a motorway service station. Unknown to us, we were prebooked into a Japanese/Thai indoor restaurant that was like a dark cave. We expected somewhere with a view, nice food and wine for a lunch in Hunter.
Stop 5 Roche Estate/McGuigan, which was a new indoor cellar door but isn't the boutique experience we were expecting.
Stop 6 was McLeish, which again was really poor, the winery was dated and the tasting experience was like being back at school getting spoken to like children.
Stop 7 was Small Mouth for a Gin, Vodka & Liquer tasting which was terrible. 10 glitter filled tasters is the last thing we wanted after a day of wineries, with signs everywhere that it was free was a poor ending to an underwhelming day.
Our tour consisted of a 5 and 6 person group, however we appeared to be booked into everything as a 11person group including lunch which didnt allow splitting bills. Our experience didn't feel like a private tasting of boutique cellar door experience as advertised. The selection of wineries chosen really missed the mark and felt cheap. There was no experience from Gary in terms of a tour of the region as we drove between wineries or what to expect generally or from each winery we visited, it was essentially a mystery taxi service.
Following our experience I wouldn't recommend Cheers for a winery tour in Hunter, unless the venues significantly improved
Written 17 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AliMike D
Sydney, Australia25 contributions
Jul 2020
This was our 3rd wine tour with Cheers and we had a wonderful day again. John is very friendly and a knowledgeable and fun tour guide. We visited great wineries, the Hunter Distillery, had cheese & choccy tastings and a lovely lunch at Baume (at your own cost as with most tours but well worth it). We can thoroughly recommend John & Cheers, Alison & Mike 😊👍
Written 21 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Louise
Sydney, Australia5 contributions
Aug 2020 • Friends
Had an amazing time! My friends and I visited four places and John was very accomodating taking us to places that we liked. He was very lovely and let us play whatever music we wanted through his speakers in the mini van which was a lot of fun. Had a great afternoon tasting a lot of different types of wines and vodkas, would definitely recommend!
Written 26 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tiff B
Catherine Hill Bay, Australia1 contribution
Apr 2021 • Friends
John was outstanding. He was very attentive to everything from heating/cooling a room we were in to making gauge someone had seen us for drinks at our lunch stop. He took us to amazing boutique wineries that I have never visited before. The whole experience has been divine. The group of 8 of us have had an amazing day exploring the hunter valley.
Written 1 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aleksia R
1 contribution
Mar 2022 • Friends
We had the best experience with cheers bus! Dave was the best driver! He was very patient with 9 of us girls even when were singing at the top of our lungs. Everyone on the bus mentioned how great he was the whole trip! He made sure the whole day ran smoothly so that we could relax and enjoy all the beautiful wineries. We had a day mixed with chocolate, cheese & wine tasting. My whole group absolutely loved it! I have previously booked with other wine tours and I can confidently say that cheers bus was by far my favourite. I would definitely book these guys again! Thank you guys again for an awesome day! 🙌🏻
Written 13 March 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roger L
1 contribution
Jun 2022 • Friends
The Cheers Bus wine tour is highly recommended to all wine lovers. Visiting 5 different locations (the highlight being Adam's Leap Wines) offers good value for money and sufficient variety as one was a cheese and chocolate tasting and another included vodka and liqueurs tasting. John (our driver) was also great and funny, further improving the experience.
Written 14 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A Tripadvisor member
Omagh, United Kingdom
Where do you pick people up
Written 29 December 2019
Cheers Bus is a local Hunter Valley tour bus business based at Cessnock NSW 2325.
We pickup small private groups or mixed public groups in our Prestige Hire Car (4 max), and 13 or 20 seat mini bus Tourist Vehicles 7 days.
We aim to start at the first Cellar door wine tasting at 10.00am and finishing at the Hunter Valley Organic Vodka Distillery around 5.00pm
We pickup around one hour outside the local Pokolbin vineyard area eg; Newcastle, Central Coast, Maitland, Singleton, Wollombi and Sydney via Morisset Train Station.
*A small group pickup location surcharge might apply depending how many in the group and what day :). .. . ...
Online bookings and tour info at cheersbus or for last minute bookings call John 0408987057
Written 29 December 2019
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.