How to join a private tour... Jewel Jan 14 2011

[ManitobanNew2Cruising]

We would like to do a couple of tours and are trying to keep our costs down by either setting up a tour ourselves or joining a private tour that has room instead of a ship extursion. There are only 2 of us and this is our first cruise. How do I find out if others on our cruise have room on a tour? For example, I've read on some posts that Claudia and Dora are good tour guides in Cartegena - but it would be less expensive if we had a larger group... how far in advance should we be booking anything?

thanks!;)

[lnorland]

Check out your specific cruise in the Roll Call sections of the boards. Go to Royal Carribean Meet & Mingle Roll Calls and then click on the ship and look for the date of your sailing. Quite often you will have people also looking for people to join a tour. Also, email the tour company and they too will often have something set up and looking for more participants. We are on that sailing coming up in a couple of weeks and we went through the cruise line for Columbia and Panama and a private tour company for Costa Rica. Have fun and good luck.

[Cat54]

Private tours are the way to go if you can. We did several on our last cruise. Check out the roll call for your cruise. People are usually looking to fill up the tours that they have booked. Enjoy your cruise.

[39august]

As a first time cruiser and in a port like Cartegena, I suggest you stick with ship tours. I am a veteran cruiser and have been to several of your ports, but I would go with a ship tour in Cartegena. You will find a lot of info on each of your ports on the "Ports of Call" boards. Your "meet and mingle" roll call is, as others have said, also a good place to search.

[mamacat3]

Your M&M group on that cruise is very knowledgeable about the ports and the excursions. My guess is that if you can join with them you will have a great experience. The private tour operators have their livelihoods on the line so they are not going to do anything that would make the people come back and post negatives.

 

Go to the meet and mingle thread and get to klnow those folks - ask them questions and you will get good answers. Also if they already have something planned you may find someone else on that thread willing to do the same thing you want to do.

 

Good luck and happy sailing!!:)