The Mule or not to Mule...

When I read about mule trips in the Grand Canyon in the DK Arizona & Grand Canyon book, I instantly added it to the list. We have done sight seeing trips before on horse / mule back in Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and Iceland and really enjoyed them, it allows you to see parts of the landscape inaccessible on foot or by car and I find it a really peaceful experience. It might be less peaceful for Lee who always lets his mule eat along the way and then has a fight to ensure he doesn't end up drifting off to the biggest clump of grass.

There are a two options for mule rides that I have been looking into (NB: there is a third option - a 2 night stay in Phantom Ranch but we really don't have the time to do this so I haven't considered it any further):

1. Canyon Vistas Rim Ride
• A four-mile ride along the rim of the canyon along the East Rim Trial. It lasts 2 hours and there can be up to 20 riders in each group. 
• The cost of the ride is $135.08 per person, including tax but you do receive a souvenir water bottle!
2. Overnight Rides to Phantom Ranch
• A ride over the course of 2 days which includes a 10.5 mile / 5.5 hour trip down into the Grand Canyon, a stay in Phantom Ranch and then a 7.8 mile / 5.5 hour journey back up to the top
• The cost of the ride for two people is $961.24 and includes lunches, breakfast, dinner and accommodation

There are only 10 people per day able to do the second option due to a limitation in the accommodation and the number of mules available to travel into the Canyon and it books up 13 months in advanced so we can't leave it until the last minute to book! 

So the question is - is the cost and the 2 day impact to our plan worth the experience of option 2 and if not, is it worth doing option 1 on this trip or do we save it for another holiday..... decisions decisions