Shore Tour Rip-Offs

Having cruised with FO before, my wife and I decided to book a section of Balmoral's world tour from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo. We could not fault the ship nor the sumptuous food and crew attention during the trip. Normally, for sight seeing in each port of call we would have just done our own thing and booked a local taxi to visit the sights, but as we had booked the cruise last minute we thought it judicious to also book tours direct with Fred Olsen prior to leaving UK. BIG MISTAKE! In addition to the high cost of each tour, there were 9 yes 9 coaches of passengers all in convoy descending on the same venue at the same time.

In Makassar (Indonesia) my wife and I paid £85 each which covered visiting three places of interest and lunch. The three places of interest were a little overstated but just OK. The lunch was a different matter. Imagine 9 coaches arriving in convoy to a building in a downtown slum with access to the first floor by two extremely rickety lifts holding max five people at a time. Row upon row of trestle tables. Masses of people. After about 30 mins someone shouted "food is served" which signalled a free for all. Our table got no lunch. I actually thought the building to be unsafe with so many people and no fire exits etc. There were so many complaints that FO refunded all a measly £35 and dismissed my claim for a full refund, claiming that the Tour Operator in Indonesia was responsible and washed their hands of any further claim. They did offer to give me the Tour Operator's details to pursue the matter. VERY HELPFUL. Unfortunately, FO is a definite no no for the extremely poor Customer Relations in the future.

Having cruised with FO before, my wife and I decided to book a section of Balmoral's world tour from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo. We could not fault the ship nor the sumptuous food and crew attention during the trip. Normally, for sight seeing in each port of call we would have just done our own thing and booked a local taxi to visit the sights, but as we had booked the cruise last minute we thought it judicious to also book tours direct with Fred Olsen prior to leaving UK. BIG MISTAKE! In addition to the high cost of each tour, there were 9 yes 9 coaches of passengers all in convoy descending on the same venue at the same time.

 

In Makassar (Indonesia) my wife and I paid £85 each which covered visiting three places of interest and lunch. The three places of interest were a little overstated but just OK. The lunch was a different matter. Imagine 9 coaches arriving in convoy to a building in a downtown slum with access to the first floor by two extremely rickety lifts holding max five people at a time. Row upon row of trestle tables. Masses of people. After about 30 mins someone shouted "food is served" which signalled a free for all. Our table got no lunch. I actually thought the building to be unsafe with so many people and no fire exits etc. There were so many complaints that FO refunded all a measly £35 and dismissed my claim for a full refund, claiming that the Tour Operator in Indonesia was responsible and washed their hands of any further claim. They did offer to give me the Tour Operator's details to pursue the matter. VERY HELPFUL. Unfortunately, FO is a definite no no for the extremely poor Customer Relations in the future.

I would have thought your contract was with Fred Olsen not the tour operator and therefore Fred Olsen are responsible. Are there any lawyers on this forum that can give a definitive answer on this.

Pugwash123

If you think your price is a rip off. Fred is offering Carnival tickets at £495 per person where on a Carnival website the price is $475. I thought the exchange rate worked in the British Pounds favour.

I would have thought your contract was with Fred Olsen not the tour operator and therefore Fred Olsen are responsible. Are there any lawyers on this forum that can give a definitive answer on this.

 

Pugwash123

I thought that under English Law Fred Olsen would be responsible however in their small print they seek to remove themselves from any liability. It is a good tip to read all the small print although I am not sure that they can be fire proof under British Law or even if British Law is applicable. Sailors Beware!

I have a friend who always books his tours through private tour companies and says that in his experience these tours are as good or better than ship organised ones and they are always less expensive and less crowded.

Pugwash123

I thought that under English Law Fred Olsen would be responsible however in their small print they seek to remove themselves from any liability. It is a good tip to read all the small print although I am not sure that they can be fire proof under British Law or even if British Law is applicable. Sailors Beware!

I am not a lawyer but I imagine UK contract law would hold FO responsible, despite their efforts to rule otherwise.

wft

I am not a lawyer either :) but ...

My understanding from having some day-to-day involvement in Agency and Contract law is that to the extent that FO disclose their role as an Agent, which they do in the T&C, they have done half of what they need to do to avoid liability.

To complete that process they would have to also disclose the identity of the Principal (the tour provider), at the point where you enter into the contract.

AFAIK FO do not ever disclose the identity of the Principal at that point, and offering to disclose it later on, after non-performance would not be sufficient to remove their liability as far as I know.

Some other cruise lines make it clear who the Principal is for this very reason I suspect.

In this case I'm not sure the amount of money involved makes it worth taking professional advice, but such advice would be wise before taking further action if sufficiently motivated.

Thanks Mark t. You are right of course, the amount nof money involved ism too small to take the matter further. It just galls me that Companies can fleece you like this.

I find it amazing that people bother to book ship excursions. We always book a local operator, do our own thing or HOHO bus. Works out much cheaper and we are not herded around with loads of other people.

I would say FO are responsible. If you booked a trip on a normal land holiday with a TO they would be the ones you would complain to and expect to sort it out.

The terms and conditions state that FOCL have no control over the tour providers and are not liable for loss .... Which is the same with most cruise lines. You weren't entitled to a refund but received an amount as a gesture of goodwill. When we were on another cruise line the tour provider missed an important element of the excursion due to bad traffic. We received on board credit from the cruiseline and were advised that the tour company would be penalized and may lose their contract. The cruise line has no control.

I hope it didn't spoil what sounds like a wonderful cruise.

The terms and conditions state that FOCL have no control over the tour providers and are not liable for loss ....

It isn't always as simple as the T&C try to make it seem.

FO can certainly achieve the absence of liability if they want, but right now by my understanding they have not done that.

They only need to fully disclose the name of the local tour provider at the point of booking and they have achieved it, but right now they disclose that they are an agent but do not name the company providing the tour so FO remain jointly liable in the case of pre-booked tours.

It is a little less clear which legal jurisdiction applies for tours booked while on the ship, but Agency and Contract law is reasonably similar in most places.

The aggravation is not worth it for the money involved, but FO wont get me on board again so my cruising days are possibly over. The line is now penny pinching for crumbs with no attention to customer service.The only other previously good line was P&O however since being taken over by Celebrity all their ships now resemble overloaded top heavy container ships. With the incredible number of passengers on one ship, imagine the queues for grub and everything else, especially in the event of a scramble for the life boats. NOT FOR ME. I'm on the hunt for a small Company that values custom.

We have just returned from an excellent cruise with P and O and previously booked all our trips in each port with local operators. We had an excellent time. It was our first time with P and O and enjoyed it just as much as Fred Olsen. However, we go on holiday to have a good time and not pick holes in every aspect of our holiday. Some people are just veryhard to please.

Well said London Towner.

I also agree with researching the private tour operators.Its good fun and gets you away from the ship routine,meet the locals....and saves you money:)

I think I suggested booking shore tours off ship as a good option London Towner, and remember this web site is called "Cruise Critic" for availing members of good and not so good experiences alike. Everything in the garden is not always very rosy! Happy sailing.