Opinons on Hop-on, Hop-off bus tours

We always think that hop on/off buses are a great way to get a good orientation to a new city. However, we learned never to do them the first day - too much sitting and with a tendency to get sleepy and sleep. Our first day is always on the ground, walking in the sunlight at least till nap time around 2pm. London has a couple of bus companies and multi-routes. I don't know if one is better than another. I would pick it on bases of the route.

I agree they are a great way to get an overview of a new city, but maybe not on the first day, as Frank mentions above it's best to get out and about under your own steam. I did find one particularly useful when I had just a very long day in Salzburg and knew that several sites I wanted to see were located far outside the main old town area-plus, it was a cold and rainy day and I really appreciated the ride. i visited several places before spending the last 4 hours of my day exploring old town on foot.

To a certain extent it depends on the city and I did not use one in London. Have used them a couple of times. My experience with them in Dublin (like London in that it has lots of local sites, some close and some further out) was great.

I would not suggest doing one on arrival after an overnight flight. My family found that out the hard way on a trip to London several years ago. Their introduction to the city turned into a very expensive nap as they sat on the swaying bus in the warm sun. I love HOHO buses and have used them in several cities, but it's probably best saved until Day 2.

We have used the HoHo buses successfully in several locations. One in particular that was great was Dublin.

However, in a city with a lot of heavy traffic, it can be a waste, just sitting on the bus in traffic. Also, is a city is walkable and small enough, a HoHo bus is a waste. Take a Free Waling Tour instead. One city that was great for walking and not HoHo was Copenhagen.

I haven't been to London recently, so I cannot comment on London.

This is the first time that I have ever seen so many favourable reviews of HOHOs! They are generally viewed as tourist rip-offs!

You are better off waking the first day, not sitting on a bus. There are many good normal bus routes that you can take in London, such as the 23 from Oxford Street to the City that covers some of the areas that the HOHO does and can be paid for on your Oystercards at a fraction of the HOHO cost.

We did one on the first day of our first visit to London. It was a cool mid-50s day, mostly sunny with occasional sprinkles and we found sitting on the top deck in the open air (with coffee!) to be a bracing and refreshing way to wake up after our overnight travel. YMMV.

Use the normal buses, of course you won't get a commentary:
http://londonist.com/2016/02/london-s-10-best-bus-routes

Who views them as rip-offs? I think it is just a point-of-view and how you use the bus. We have always found they to be helpful but it could be your expectations. Most tickets are good for 24 hours. We will start the ticket early afternoon, ride a full loop just to see what is on the route and determine what may be the most interesting to visit. On the second loop with hit the stops we are interested. Only see so much before you wear out. So the next morning we will continue to see the sites we didn't the prior day. Try to end the 24 hour period at the site that will take the most time to see in early PM.

I live in Hollywood so my concept of a Hop Off bus tour IS a rip off....

However, if you feel comfortable paying for one its your prerogative. Do understand as noted by Emma that traffic is dismal in London so you will be going at a snails pace and idling quite a bit.

Flying the Red Eye and arriving at 7am from the SW will be taxing.

Why not do some walking to get used to the sites, sounds and smell of London and counter act the desire to sleep?

If you use Google Maps Satellite Imagery (type in Big Ben) you will see (from a birds eye view) how close some of the iconic sites are.

Depending on where you are staying you could walk along the Thames, stroll around Hyde Park, wander from Parliament Square thru St James Park to Buckingham Palace, etc.

Get the blood flowing when you arrive!

Thank you all for your opinions. It does sound like walking will be a good way to start. Luckily, we are flying from Phx to Boston and staying there a day before the 6 hour flight to London. I know that it will still be awful but better than a straight flight from the southwest. I know about the HOHO traffic issue, as we've done them in several large cities, and that they are a tour not a means of transportation. For now, we will leave it as an option. Thank you again. It's our first time out of the US so the nerves are getting the best of me.

We had a similar itinerary to yours, arriving at Gatwick about 8 a.m. We dropped bags at our hotel near Victoria Station and pretty much walked the rest of the day. About the only time we sat was when we visited Parliament for about an hour. All three of us were dozing within minutes during a House of Commons debate. As others have said, keep moving the first day.

Feeling rested the next day, we used the HOHO bus, pretty sure it was the Original Tour, and very much enjoyed seeing the sights before getting off at Tower of London, and it honestly seemed pretty efficient in the morning. The ticket also included a Thames cruise, which was pleasant. We'd gotten a 2-for-1 deal, and rode the bus again the next day, getting on and off at several stops. Again, not too bad. But by late afternoon Saturday, we made the mistake of getting back on the bus yet again. Realized we'd gotten on the wrong loop and spent seemingly endless time gridlocked in traffic. We would have been far better off either using the tube or even grabbing a cab to get back to our hotel. Rookie mistake on our first trip to Europe.

We love HOHO buses and have done many. Even here in SF b/c they're fun for us. We don't use them as transportation to sites. We just do the whole loop to see the sights and rest our feet. We did one in London on day of arrival and we were fine. Enjoyed it. And we were never stuck in traffic. But everyone's experience is different.
Edit: Forgot to say one thing we love about them is sitting up top at the very back and the fresh air. You can see everything really well. We did an enclosed, one level only bus tour in Munich and hated it. Couldn't see much and it was stuffy and claustrophobic.

We have used the Hop-on, Hop-off buses numerous times. This past August we took the Hop-on, Hop-off bus, which tours the banking district, on two different days. It was fine on the bank holiday, but was awful when the banks were opened. The route took hours. We suggest you go to Evans-Evans day tours. They even pick you up at or near your hotel. They do many tours inside and outside of London. They are more through, informative, fun and time oriented than the Hop-on, buses. The Hop-on buses move very slowly and waste a lot of time.

I'm not much of fan of HOHO buses, but the competition in London means they don't work out as too poor a value - provided you sweat all of the content out of them and consider them a tour. As has been alluded to already they are usually worse than useless as a mode of transport between particular sites, even if they are on the same loop; not only is there a potential traffic issue they simply aren't frequent enough. In a city with a comprehensive public transport system it is better to use that.

We love HOHO and have used them in many cities in North America and also in Europe. We do not use them the first day but usually do day 2 to get a good lay of the land. We always travel with our kids so it also a good break from all the walking we do. Depending on the city, we have sometimes used them as transportation to get places but will be getting oyster cards for London.

Everyone has their own preference for the experience they seek, and I admit I have never taken a HOHO bus, nor will you ever get me on one.
However, I have observed how they operate in many cities, and noted comments on forums such as this from those who have taken them. For me, I would rather watch a documentary, than be confined to a bus, crawling through traffic, subject to multilingual 'canned'commentary. You are 'removed' from any interaction with the streets you have just flown innumerable hours to walk on, as the scenery is 'scrolled' past you in a similar way to a movie set of old. For some with mobility issues, of course, it remains a good option. For me, whilst I can, I will continue to tire my legs, and wear out my shoe leather (or my rubber souls).

Oh, David ..... you have a rubber soul? Surely there us a cure fir that.

Oops ... "rubber soles".
I've been caught out as a Beatles fan I guess. Lol