AK Whale Tour Juneau Using Toursaver Coupon Charges

[seamare]

We went on the AK Whale Watch out of Juneau using the Alaska Toursaver Coupon. I just opened my credit card bill and am being charged twice for $81.28 on the day I booked it and again on the day we went on the tour. I'm confused as the coupon said up to $129 so I'm not sure what is happening. I will call tomorrow but am wondering if anyone else out there has experienced this or what where you charged for this tour. We did enjoy it - it was probably one of the highlights of our trip but I hope that I'm not going to have a problem with them.

[tiyana4]

We used this coupon in Juneau, too. We paid $150 in cash directly to the captain on the day of the tour. I, too questioned why it was slightly higher than the $129 stated on the coupon, but was told it was taxes. I initially made reservations using my AMEX. For some reason I have been unable to access my AMEX statement online so I can't say whether or not we were charged twice. I had planned to tip the narrator the remaining $20, but it was a good thing we took extra cash. We did enjoy the trip though and got some great shots of humpbacks.

[seamare]

We used this coupon in Juneau, too. We paid $150 in cash directly to the captain on the day of the tour. I, too questioned why it was slightly higher than the $129 stated on the coupon, but was told it was taxes. I initially made reservations using my AMEX. For some reason I have been unable to access my AMEX statement online so I can't say whether or not we were charged twice. I had planned to tip the narrator the remaining $20, but it was a good thing we took extra cash. We did enjoy the trip though and got some great shots of humpbacks.

 

Thanks for letting me know what you had paid. I did send Jamie an email so I'll wait and see what she responds with. It is rather misleading but there is always alot of fine print when using coupons.

[tiyana4]

We dealt with Jamie too and never discussed price because we based it on the price on their website ($119 for 2.5 hrs). We figured they would base it on the coupon's "up to" price so we took extra. I hope everything works out for you.

[frugaltravel]

We dealt with Jamie too and never discussed price because we based it on the price on their website ($119 for 2.5 hrs). We figured they would base it on the coupon's "up to" price so we took extra. I hope everything works out for you.

 

I think it is just that - the "up to" price. I have had that happen with other coupons. So it is not truly one free. But two whale watch tours for $162 is a steal actually.

[CalifCruiser1]

We also took this tour 2.5hrs they have a deal that they could up grade you to a longer tour- maybe that's why its higher. We loved this tour and the boat was in excellant condition. Karon

[seamare]

I received an email back from Jamie - this is the breakdown on their charges. Thought I would pass it along so others will be informed.

 

 

The pricing breakdown is:

 

$129.00 paid passenger (includes transport)

$12.50 transportation for 2nd passenger (not included w/ Toursaver)

$7.07 5% sales tax

$2.97 2% credit card fee

$11.00 glacier drop ($5.50 per passenger)

$162.56 Total

 

The regular price without the toursaver for this tour is $261.40.

[minus]

I had booked the tour with the toursaver coupon and paid a fee to upgrade it to the 3 hour tour. When I was on the boat and spoke to the other travellers, it turned out they had all booked the 2.5 hour tour. I called AK Whalewatching afterwards and they told me that nobody else had booked the 3 hour tour so they cancelled it. They never mentioned it to me and if I hadn't called I doubt they would have said anything. I managed to get a refund for the difference, but BE AWARE! I was also charged taxes and a transportation fee which wasn't mentioned at the time of booking.

[HarrietKC]

Glad you posted this. I just checked my statement and it said:

 

Alaska Galore Tours 151.55.

 

So I guess they did charge us for a "transportation" fee for my DH. NO ONE ELSE charged for transportation. As it is, we had a receipt but they didn't even have us on the list when we found the van.

 

I guess I feel lucky - because we did get on a boat (as it turned out it was a Harv and Marv sized boat and we were close to the water), and we were dropped off at the Glacier at no charge. So I guess we saved $11 by not asking for that.

 

Sigh - I guess we still saved over $100 so I'm not sad I did it. We had Captain Kevin and loved every minute of the tour.

[Kat in CA]

We were on the Kaytos last week; we used a toursaver coupon and paid in advance by check, upgrading to the deluxe tour. We had to pay transportation fee for the "free" person. The boat was great and it was fine, but the tour only ended up as 2.5 hours. Although we were the first couple to book, majority ruled. I emailed Jamie when we got home and she promised to refund the difference in price between the deluxe tour and the regular tour that we got. Seems like they could have informed us.

The shuttle bus was 30 minutes late in picking us up afterwards, which caused some people problems with getting to other tours. They said that probably next year they will have their own van.

All in all, some problems, but worth doing because of a good boat and crew.

[MALLE]

I think it is just that - the "up to" price. I have had that happen with other coupons. So it is not truly one free. But two whale watch tours for $162 is a steal actually.

 

What is the name of the company to book the tour through. We're going in May 2010 and whale watching is a priority. Everyone says "Jamie" but don't know how to contact the agency/company.

[pizzalady1]

What is the name of the company to book the tour through. We're going in May 2010 and whale watching is a priority. Everyone says "Jamie" but don't know how to contact the agency/company.

 

http://www.akwhalewatching.com/