Roll Calls and private tours

[Playtennis]

While not frequent cruisers we find great delight in advanced planing for the ones we do take. That includes finding info on the web about the ports visited and figuring out the best way to enjoy the different stops and, of course, reading the CC boards and being amazed at the wealth of info that travelers have AND ARE WILLING TO SHARE.

In those ports of call where organized tours seem to be the best we prefer private ones vs. ship's tours. Looking through the roll calls of cruises with similar itineraries as ours I have noticed that there seems to be (how shall I phrase it) a reluctance to share the specific name of a tour guide that has been found with fellow cruisers when asking if anyone wants to join the tour.

I am at a loss to figure out why that is, other than the possibility of someone being concerned that another person will "steal" the tour guide.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

[LHT28]

I am at a loss to figure out why that is, other than the possibility of someone being concerned that another person will "steal" the tour guide.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

That could be the reason

I have had it happen where people booked the same guide after I had a group ...my group ended up with the "short end of the stick" as it were :rolleyes:

[pacheco18]

You will get PLENTY of great recommendations on the Ports of Call boards

That's where I get many of my leads

Most folks there have already taken the cruise so they have no fear of any conflict.

[JimandStan]

I am at a loss to figure out why that is, other than the possibility of someone being concerned that another person will "steal" the tour guide.

Can anyone shed some light on this?

 

A large part of that reluctance stems from the original Tour Planners not wanting to get "stuck" (their term) with what they consider to be undesirable Tour Companions.

 

The reasons run the gamut, too old, too slow, not fit enough, poor hygiene, too high brow, too intellectual, not intellectual enough, not interested in the same sites....I've even heard of people being nixed from a tour because it was suspected that they might want to go shopping!

 

In short, those who have already DONE the tour will be much more forthcoming than those who might find themselves touring with you.

[Paulchili]

 

In short, those who have already DONE the tour will be much more forthcoming than those who might find themselves touring with you.[/font][/size]

 

Very true.

When I planned our shore excursions on the Istanbul to Dubai cruise I put a lot of work into finding the "right" guides/tours. After we had our group of 12 there was no point in my sharing our tour guide on the roll call as we had our group full.

However, after the cruise, I would be happy to share the names as well as my experiences with them.

In other words, roll call is not a place to share this kind of info; the Ports of Call or here on the general O site is a better place.

[Playtennis]

Thanks for your responses.

By the sounds of them the 'secrecy' is less about fear of stealing the tour guide as it is getting the right fit for the ensemble.

[wripro]

I only do private tours for the two of us unless I really know the other people well. I prefer to pay extra and call the shots. That's just me. Others may feel differently.

[orchestrapal]

I only do private tours for the two of us unless I really know the other people well. I prefer to pay extra and call the shots. That's just me. Others may feel differently.

 

Could not agree more! Going on our own means never having to go "shopping."

This ranks with tables for two in the dinning room. ;)

[YoHoHo]

Very true.

When I planned our shore excursions on the Istanbul to Dubai cruise I put a lot of work into finding the "right" guides/tours. After we had our group of 12 there was no point in my sharing our tour guide on the roll call as we had our group full.

However, after the cruise, I would be happy to share the names as well as my experiences with them.

In other words, roll call is not a place to share this kind of info; the Ports of Call or here on the general O site is a better place.

But why not share your tour guide info after you have booked with them? The point of sharing your guide info on a roll call is to help the others. Surely the guide would not drop you for another party. If they do then you booked with the wrong outfit. Others or your roll call still searching for a guide might contact your guiding company and, while they are booked they could reply with a referral to an associate. If a good guide refers another than is a pretty good recommendation to me.

 

I understand though your desire to keep your research to yourself for a time. On one roll call a couple of years ago a certain guide was mentioned by name by others we were making arrangements with. We had spent a lot of time finding suitable people. When we contacted him he was just recently booked. I have a suspicion it was from others on our Roll Call who saw the name and jump in but just speculation of course. So now unless I have made contact I will not post the contact info. It takes a fair bit of work to find a guide that is as you point out, compatible with your objectives and personality and is not nice to be 'scooped'.

[LHT28]

The guide may not dump you but they may add people to your group when you want to keep your group small

I like less than 12 people in my groups

one guide tried to add more people to my group because his van could hold more people

I said no, so he hired another van for the other people...

 

This has happened to me on 2 tours ...both I asked the owner/guide if they would be doing the tour & was told yes

Well when the other group was formed we got a different guide not the one that I had booked with

Some ports have few guides so you try to hire early the guides are usually small operators so do not lots of people working for them

 

So I understand why people do not share the name until after the fact

 

YMMV

 

Lyn

[JimandStan]

But why not share your tour guide info after you have booked with them?

The reason that springs to mind (because this happened to us in Amalfi) is that if some of your Shipmates contact that Guide to ask if they may join "your Tour", then you're in for all manner of uncomfortable conversations.

 

Discretion is the better part of valor.

[pacheco18]

We are off to the Black Sea

There is a fabulous guide in that area in high demand

I booked him 19 months in advance!!

 

He was funny - he said he hoped we'd both be alive by the time of the cruise and I assured him we would. He had never been booked so early

 

A month ago a couple from our cruise contacted him to be their guide. He emailed me and asked me if I minded. Boy, did I mind! I wanted only 10 people in the group and why should folks who wait until the last minute get the best guide out there. I have no idea who these folks are and whether we want to tour with them.

 

At any rate - our guide understood and they will not be joining us. He charges pp per hour so he is losing money by not adding the additional people but at least he honored his commitment to me.

 

For all the private tours I have arranged I have never had any guide add persons outside of our group. I did ONCE get a different guide than I requested but i think we ended up with the better guide that time.

[marilynfaye]

We have taken many private tours, both where we signed up with fellow cruisers, and where I arranged them and fellow cruisers signed up with me. For the most part, they have worked well - even in Rio a couple of years ago when the tour guide added another group of 8 to our group of 8 without telling me in advance - and it's been fun exchanging emails and getting to know people ahead of time.

 

We are scheduled on Marina in a couple of weeks. The itinerary includes Belfast and I've hired a Black Taxi. Let me quote from the tour operator's email:

 

"If you are going to invite others on your trip can I please stress that they be friends of yours. Another issue that had arisen with these specific incidents is that those in the cab had not known each other, so when it came to making decisions about what they would see and do specifically, there was a certain level of tension, not just between themselves but with our driver."

 

I've never had a tour guide say that and I admit it has given me pause.

[Jerzeetomata]

Our preference is three couples. More than that we end up with too many changes to the itinerary. It usually ends up to be the number of people plus three opinions above and beyond the expert tour guide no matter how large or small the group. There is always someone in the large group that is always late or lost.

[pacheco18]

Our preference is three couples. More than that we end up with too many changes to the itinerary. It usually ends up to be the number of people plus three opinions above and beyond the expert tour guide no matter how large or small the group. There is always someone in the large group that is always late or lost.

 

I try to set the plan in advance.

 

On our last cruise, one fellow CC member who did a lot of organizing was astounded that some of his participants thought they could just decide not to go (and therefore not pay, causing the cost to go up for the remaining participants) once they boarded the ship. I have never had that happen, as most fellow cc members know the drill. It's a commitment. And they really understand and appreciate all the work entailed in finding the right guide and organizing everything.

 

However, I have now decided to include in my detailed last minute instructions words to this effect: "if you are feeling under the weather, made other plans, or decide you do not feel like touring, you are responsible for your portion of the cost. I will, of course, try to find a replacement participant on board, but it's not easy to do" (and I certainly do not want to spend my time on board working on the tours).

[canuck.qc]

When we first decided to try cruising we were not aware of CC and sharing tours. We took private excursions & every time we stepped off the ship it cost us upwards of 300-500E for a guide and driver! Since discovering CC we share or join tours and have found the monetary benefits out way any possible inconvenience. Most tours we've shared use vans which hold 6-8 pax. so the groups we've had were always small. The tour outline, price, cancellation etc. is made VERY clear thru e-mail communications before leaving home. We've never had any problems & on the contrary, we found the tours more pleasant having other like minded people to share it with. It is alot of work to organize these tours & I can understand why people want to keep the tour info on a need to know until afterwards.

[Steviewonder1]

We had a person that scheduled a Private Tour on our next sailing that was for 3 couples. I responded to yes we would go. Four days later with no response i booked with another person for a slightly different private tour. Eight days later he responded and said what happened. I told him you snooze you loose. He also did not include his "Private Tour" in the CC Roll Call listing for the other 56 members of our group. Communications is foremost at this time and if you do not check your email for 8 days, your bad not mine. He is now looking for another couple since the other 3 Published Private tours are full. BTW, he only had 8 posts on CC since joining and I believe he was a bit in over his head on this deal.

[canuck.qc]

Organizing private excursions is not for the faint of heart. Must keep on top of all the details & be ready to devote time and energy. We've met some CC tour organizers that made it look easy and others that were strung out by the task. Popular tours fill up quickly, last min. cancellations are usually not a problem to fill...have a wait list on file. I've arranged several private tours and what makes it all worth while is when the people we shared tours with send me an occasional e-mail and mention what a great time we had.

It also helps to be retired & an obsessive planner :)

[Paulchili]

Organizing private excursions is not for the faint of heart. Must keep on top of all the details & be ready to devote time and energy. We've met some CC tour organizers that made it look easy and others that were strung out by the task. Popular tours fill up quickly, last min. cancellations are usually not a problem to fill...have a wait list on file. I've arranged several private tours and what makes it all worth while is when the people we shared tours with send me an occasional e-mail and mention what a great time we had.

It also helps to be retired & an obsessive planner :)

 

+1

Well said. This mirrors my experience as well both as a planner and participant.