private excursions when itinerary changes??

[Mytime2014]

Information for future cruises I guess since I scheduled my excursions for this cruise through HAL. If you had scheduled/paid for private excursions and your itinerary changes, do the private companies reimburse immediately or is it a hassle with your credit card company?

 

I would 'think' that they could easily get a bad reputation among tourists if they didn't.

[sapper1]

Information for future cruises I guess since I scheduled my excursions for this cruise through HAL. If you had scheduled/paid for private excursions and your itinerary changes, do the private companies reimburse immediately or is it a hassle with your credit card company?

 

I would 'think' that they could easily get a bad reputation among tourists if they didn't.

 

We did mainly private excursions on our TA and Baltic cruise last year but none were paid in advance. We have a few booked for next April on our Panama repo and nobody had asked for advance payment.

I guess if one has paid in advance it would depend on what arrangement you had in writing from the tour operator at the time of booking.

[Mytime2014]

We did mainly private excursions on our TA and Baltic cruise last year but none were paid in advance. We have a few booked for next April on our Panama repo and nobody had asked for advance payment.

I guess if one has paid in advance it would depend on what arrangement you had in writing from the tour operator at the time of booking.

 

Good to know - I'm thinking about a late winter cruise out of Galveston and this time I'll spread my wings a little

[KirkNC]

Most places you do not pay in advance. We have never lost money for a change of itinerary.

[CowPrincess]

If you join your Roll Call, you will likely find lots of advice about good private shore excursions. Or check on the various Ports of Call boards here on CC.

 

Personally I use the CC Ports boards, and do research on the internet. Being part of a Roll Call just isn't "me" at all. I've still found very good private shorex numerous times.

[runnergirl71]

I have a private excursion booked on my DCL cruise this coming February, and he explicitly states that if your ship is unable to dock you will be refunded the deposit or cost. So I would check with the tour operator BEFORE booking - and if they don't or don't respond I would go with someone else.

 

 

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[PROCRUISE]

We did all private tours in S.E. Asia with Celebrity. We had an itinerary change where two ports of call were switched around. The ship allowed free internet usage to contact private tour companies. We found that both tour companies already knew about the switch of days and were there to greet us on the days that we did arrive, as promised.

 

It is important to have a very clear understanding with private companies regarding deposits, cancellations, and possibly missed ports. The companies we've used have all been very professional and up front and they know they cannot afford bad reviews or ever missing a ship departure.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I book both Private and through the cruise line. This past March on an NCL cruise we missed Maya Chan due to not being able to dock within 2 hours missing the port we credited back from Maya Chan to my credit card. With what happened for the Westerdam it is rare to have ports canceled on the Alaska cruises so if I was to booked a shore private excursions in Alaska I would make sure the excursions operator did give refunds. Just my opinion I have not found the private excursions in Alaska to be drastically better or better priced than what HAL offers but that has just been my experience. For the first time cruiser or novice always better to go with the cruise lines for excursions. I do agree that HAL will be scrambling to attempt to change those excursions in Juneau. But the good news is that Wednesday is an extremely light day (3 ships) for Juneau with one of the ships being the Statendam. There are several days for the Alaska season that there are 5 extremely large ships that go into Juneau. The Tour operators will definitely be able to add the additional passenger count of the Westerdam to do all the already booked excursions. As for Private Excursions probably not likely.

[runnergirl71]

I book both Private and through the cruise line. This past March on an NCL cruise we missed Maya Chan due to not being able to dock within 2 hours missing the port we credited back from Maya Chan to my credit card. With what happened for the Westerdam it is rare to have ports canceled on the Alaska cruises so if I was to booked a shore private excursions in Alaska I would make sure the excursions operator did give refunds. Just my opinion I have not found the private excursions in Alaska to be drastically better or better priced than what HAL offers but that has just been my experience. For the first time cruiser or novice always better to go with the cruise lines for excursions. I do agree that HAL will be scrambling to attempt to change those excursions in Juneau. But the good news is that Wednesday is an extremely light day (3 ships) for Juneau with one of the ships being the Statendam. There are several days for the Alaska season that there are 5 extremely large ships that go into Juneau. The Tour operators will definitely be able to add the additional passenger count of the Westerdam to do all the already booked excursions. As for Private Excursions probably not likely.

 

 

I would be surprised if they can add all of them. The excursion I have picked for Juneau has 2 times of departure, both on wait list status right now. With only 20 people allowed on each, that one in particular would be hard to add people to.

 

 

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[serendipity1499]

Information for future cruises I guess since I scheduled my excursions for this cruise through HAL. If you had scheduled/paid for private excursions and your itinerary changes, do the private companies reimburse immediately or is it a hassle with your credit card company?

 

I would 'think' that they could easily get a bad reputation among tourists if they didn't.

 

We've done many private excursions & have never paid in advance..

IMO Private tour companies are used to ships cancelling &/or rescheduling..

 

Agree that they could get a bad reputation if they did not refund a deposit..

[kazu]

As to private tours - very few require you pay in advance but some want a cc # in case your don't show up.

 

I have missed two private tours due to inability to dock and port changes. Have always contacted the operator and never ever been charged. Our private tour was also there for us in St Malo even though tendering problems put us way behind

 

As long as you have researched the operator and they have a reputation to uphold and you keep in contact, no issue in my experience

[Susie51]

OP thank you for this thread. I was wondering about the same thing.

[Typhoon1]

Another reason it's always best to book excursions with HAL.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Although we have not booked a lot of private tours, we never had to pay in advance.

[kazu]

Another reason it's always best to book excursions with HAL.[/quote

 

That's funny I thought That my post was reassuring

 

No issues with private tours. ..... If you want a bus where you wait for washrooms, late people, whatever, by all means book HAL. I will happily book them for smaller tours but if I can find an alternative to 40 people on a bus, I shall

[LAFFNVEGAS]

The last several Private Excursions I have done were all either paid in advance and or a deposit collected in advance. I am returning for the third time in November to a Beach resort in Roatan. The first time everyone had to put down 50% up front, the last time and this upcoming time they are only asking for $50.00 for 7 people and when we arrive they will collect the rest which is about $50 a piece that includes Lobster lunch and a drink. Maya Chan which is very popular with cruise passengers they ask for a 50% deposit, then the final amount to be paid 60 days prior. Mostly due to they only allow a small number per day at this private resort and they normally have a waiting list. If you do not pay they then contact those on the waiting list. There are actually quite a few that require at least a deposit. Be very careful I know of many that those deposits are non refundable. Just because you or someone you know has been fortunate to get a refund or not require a deposit does not mean the next place you deal with with be that easy to work with.. It really depends on the region you are purchasing the private excursion from. Interestingly enough those I know that have had problems were with dealing with US ports such as St Thomas, San Juan and Juneau and Ketchikan. Maybe because we feel we have more protection because it is US but that is not always the case.

[cruz chic]

Another reason it's always best to book excursions with HAL.[/quote

 

That's funny I thought That my post was reassuring

 

No issues with private tours. ..... If you want a bus where you wait for washrooms, late people, whatever, by all means book HAL. I will happily book them for smaller tours but if I can find an alternative to 40 people on a bus, I shall

 

I usually take Hal tours. I don't want to take private tours because I do not want to be crawling into a van with my knees the way they are. I don't take many Hal tours anymore because they all seem to go to museums and churches. What a bore. If I'm going to do a private tour I want to see something different than that but people just seem to take a carbon copy of Hal's tour. Why bother? Like you say, no thx.

Edited June 29, 2014 by cruz chic

[kazu]

The last several Private Excursions I have done were all either paid in advance and or a deposit collected in advance. I am returning for the third time in November to a Beach resort in Roatan. The first time everyone had to put down 50% up front, the last time and this upcoming time they are only asking for $50.00 for 7 people and when we arrive they will collect the rest which is about $50 a piece that includes Lobster lunch and a drink. Maya Chan which is very popular with cruise passengers they ask for a 50% deposit, then the final amount to be paid 60 days prior. Mostly due to they only allow a small number per day at this private resort and they normally have a waiting list. If you do not pay they then contact those on the waiting list. There are actually quite a few that require at least a deposit. Be very careful I know of many that those deposits are non refundable. Just because you or someone you know has been fortunate to get a refund or not require a deposit does not mean the next place you deal with with be that easy to work with.. It really depends on the region you are purchasing the private excursion from. Interestingly enough those I know that have had problems were with dealing with US ports such as St Thomas, San Juan and Juneau and Ketchikan. Maybe because we feel we have more protection because it is US but that is not always the case.

 

Agreed. ... When you do private tours you need to ask the right questions. Thet is not as easy as a HAL tour but very worthwhile if you have the time & persistence and follow through:)

 

 

I usually take Hal tours. I don't want to take private tours because I do not want to be crawling into a van with my knees the way they one day we have theare. I don't take many Hal tours anymore because they all seem to go to museums and churches. What a bore. If I'm going to do a private tour I want to see something different than that but people just seem to take a carbon copy of Hal's tour. Why bother? Like you say, no thx.

 

Each to their own i hope someday we cruise together. Never ever had any one have to crawl into a van, but then again it comes down to researching and the roll call members letting the organizer know of any issues and the organizer following through.

 

Have seen far more than I would on a HAL tour, it's just a simple fact that a small group can cover more ground and have more flexibility whether it be a private tour or a HAL tour of the same size;)

Edited June 30, 2014 by kazu

[cruz chic]

Agreed. ... When you do private tours you need to ask the right questions. Thet is not as easy as a HAL tour but very worthwhile if you have the time & persistence and follow through:)

 

 

Each to their own i hope someday we cruise together. Never ever had any one have to crawl into a van, but then again it comes down to researching and the roll call members letting the organizer know of any issues and the organizer following through.

 

Have seen far more than I would on a HAL tour, it's just a simple fact that a small group can cover more ground and have more flexibility whether it be a private tour or a HAL tour of the same size;)

 

So how do people get into vans then? If you have a ten seat van, how would you get to the very back? If you have to get by a group of seats that is crawling in, in my mind, although others may not call it that.

[kazu]

Agreed. ... When you do private tours you need to ask the right questions. Thet is not as easy as a HAL tour but very worthwhile if you have the time & persistence and follow through:)

 

 

 

So how do people get into vans then? If you have a ten seat van, how would you get to the very back? If you have to get by a group of seats that is crawling in, in my mind, although others may not call it that.

 

 

Most of the good ones have more than one door. Never been on my knees ever.

 

It is common courtesy that those with any issues go at the front and/ or where entries are accessible . The vans I have been in are more comfortable than a HAL bus, but it am fussy and ask a lot of questions, especially comfort ;)

[cruz chic]

 

 

Most of the good ones have more than one door. Never been on my knees ever.

 

It is common courtesy that those with any issues go at the front and/ or where entries are accessible . The vans I have been in are more comfortable than a HAL bus, but it am fussy and ask a lot of questions, especially comfort ;)

 

That's good to know if people follow thru with that. You just have to hope not everyone will have knee issues on one tour. That's why I'm more comfortable on a bus. The only way I'd be going on a private tour is if no museams or churches are involved:D.

[Fouremco]

We've always arranged private excursions as we feel that they are a better value. Besides, doing the research is a large part of the enjoyment in advance of our cruises. In March, we had to leave our cruise after the first week due to a medical issue and had to cancel a number of upcoming excursions, including a few for which we had paid a deposit. In each case, the company provided a refund promptly, with the exception of a car rental company in the Bahamas that charged us the full rental amount.

[BellBoys]

We just did two HAL tours and two private tours in Alaska. Our Sitka private boat tour required $425 or half paid in advance and the other half paid after the tour. We had no problems as we reconfirmed days prior to sailing. The tour was unique and something HAL did not offer.

 

In Victoria we booked a private tour to get to the Butchard Gardens before the throngs of buses were to arrive, the tour was in a London taxi that fit four of us comfortably. It then continued on to three more sites in Victoria. As luck would have it our ship arrived 2 hours late and we were worried that the tour operators would have found another group off another ship in port. We emailed them and they assured us they would wait for us. This tour required no money upfront. The best part was that by the time the HAL bus arrived to the gardens we were nearly complete with our tour as it was getting to be dusk. We felt bad for our fellow travelers who could not see the gardens in daylight.

 

All in all most tour operators realize that a lot of their business comes from online reviews and will do all that they can to be accommodating as a poor review can real hurt their future bookings. When we book we are very explicit that we take the time to review our tours and experiences online, those that are reputable welcome our positive commentary as it reinforces what is already online. I think most would refund their money rather than risk a bad comment especially for an itinerary change done in advance of arrival.

[Loreto]

This is an interesting thread for me as I am considering booking a 2 day tour with a highly recommended guide in Lima, Peru. The company put together an itinerary with places I want to see that HAL did not offer on their tours. The HAL tours I would have selected priced almost the same as the private company. The company requires 50% on booking ...$410 by credit card or PayPal. I have never used a private company before, so I am cautious.

 

This is not a question of saving money, but getting to see the things that are important to me. Hiring HAL private cars/van would have been considerably more. Suggestions given by other posters give me good questions to ask the tour operator. Thanks!:)

 

Karen

[cruz chic]

This is an interesting thread for me as I am considering booking a 2 day tour with a highly recommended guide in Lima, Peru. The company put together an itinerary with places I want to see that HAL did not offer on their tours. The HAL tours I would have selected priced almost the same as the private company. The company requires 50% on booking ...$410 by credit card or PayPal. I have never used a private company before, so I am cautious.

 

This is not a question of saving money, but getting to see the things that are important to me. Hiring HAL private cars/van would have been considerably more. Suggestions given by other posters give me good questions to ask the tour operator. Thanks!:)

 

Karen

 

To me, this is the reason to book a private tour. To see things that Hal does not offer. Why do the duplicate of what Hal offers?