Kevin, our tour guide, was incredible -- he had a huge amount of knowledge about everywhere we went on the tour, and was happy to answer any questions, and really go into depth about them. He was chatting to and including everyone in the group, and it felt really cohesive and just a lot of fun. It also has to be noted that he was super attentive when it came to making sure everyone was safe at the canyon, and was also looking out for other individual visitors --- he clearly really cares about the land and the way people enjoy and interact with it, and that really made the experience.
The plan for the trip was also great -- the West Rim is not too far to visit in one day, and the 2-ish hour journey felt really reasonable, with a stop in the middle. The amount of time you get to spend at the canyon was also really good, and felt like we had proper time to take it all in. The Joshua Tree park is also worth the drive in itself. Seeing the Hoover Dam on the way back was also an incredible bonus -- I can't recommend this tour enough.