Private tours that will refund if the ship doesn't make it to port

[klepton]

I'm coming from a primarily caribbean cruising background, and one thing I always make sure to verify with private tour guides is that I'll be able to cancel and be refunded (when applicable) if the ship doesn't make it to port for whatever reason. That seems to be the norm in the Caribbean. However, in Hawaii many of the private tours I've contacted don't have this policy. I was wondering what everyone else does. Do you just book and hope for the best? Do you have travel insurance that would cover this?

 

Because this is Hawaii, I'm looking to do a number of more expensive excursions, so it's something I want to be mindful of.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Most of the time we just tour the port on our own, but if we book something, we go with excursions booked through the cruise line, and we haven't regretted that yet. Princess doesn't charge our folio until after the cruise begins, and if we miss a port (only one in three Hawaiian cruises), Princess will take cancel the charge automatically. And when I've checked similar independent ones, the price difference wasn't all that much, at least for the ones we've booked.

[CruiserBruce]

Lets look at this logically. We don't know what ports you are stopping at, so some general statements here that may not totally apply to you.

 

The two tender ports in Hawaii are Lahaina and Kona. The rest are docked. The chances of a docked port canceling in Hawaii are microscopic.

 

Kona is a bit more exposed to the weather. Lahaina less so. You could do ship's excursion in Kona or Lahaina, thus, if canceled you get a refund. Or you could DIY, using taxis, public transit or walking around, thus having no loses if you get canceled. Or you could go ashore and see what you can swing at the pier, again, with no loses if you get canceled.

 

Again, as we don't know what your ports are, maybe none of this applies to you.

[klepton]

Most of the time we just tour the port on our own' date=' but if we book something, we go with excursions booked through the cruise line, and we haven't regretted that yet. Princess doesn't charge our folio until after the cruise begins, and if we miss a port (only one in three Hawaiian cruises), Princess will take cancel the charge automatically. And when I've checked similar independent ones, the price difference wasn't all that much, at least for the ones we've booked.[/quote']

 

Fair enough, but I'm looking at doing some expensive tours (helicopter tours, etc) and will also be travelling with my entire family of 12 people. We'd stand to lose many thousands of dollars if a port was missed.

 

My problem with booking through NCL isn't so much the price, it's that cruise lines tend to pack people in to big buses, or tours with a lot of people. The experience isn't the same as going private in most cases.

 

Lets look at this logically. We don't know what ports you are stopping at, so some general statements here that may not totally apply to you.

 

The two tender ports in Hawaii are Lahaina and Kona. The rest are docked. The chances of a docked port canceling in Hawaii are microscopic.

 

Kona is a bit more exposed to the weather. Lahaina less so. You could do ship's excursion in Kona or Lahaina, thus, if canceled you get a refund. Or you could DIY, using taxis, public transit or walking around, thus having no loses if you get canceled. Or you could go ashore and see what you can swing at the pier, again, with no loses if you get canceled.

 

Again, as we don't know what your ports are, maybe none of this applies to you.

 

We're doing the Pride of America, which I believe only has one tender port (Kona). However, I've read of cases where Hilo and Kauai were completely missed due to weather. And I've read a case where POA had to leave Maui early on the first day due to an incoming storm. I know these cases aren't the norm, but can happen. I guess it's just a risk vs. reward proposition.

[greatlakesgirl]

What excursions are you interested in other than the helicopter tour? Is that for Kauai? What else are you considering?

 

Ok, certain tours are not going to be able to pack you onto large buses, logistically speaking, such as the Road to Hana. Large buses simply can't navigate the road. I doubt they would use large buses for a helicopter tour, also.

 

I did see them at Volcanoes National Park. But that is something you could easily rent a car and drive to yourselves, if you're interested in that option at all. The rental companies don't charge your credit card until you actually show up.

 

I really think it depends on the tours you are looking at.

[Imalismom]

I'm not sure which tours you are looking at - but for the ones I am doing, we are paying cash on each tour -

 

Isle Excursions

Rickey's Tours

Marylou's Tours

Jay Dorrace (Thread Lightly tours)

 

I'm assuming if we don't dock, we will not have a tour to be able to pay cash for.

[klepton]

What excursions are you interested in other than the helicopter tour? Is that for Kauai? What else are you considering?

 

Ok, certain tours are not going to be able to pack you onto large buses, logistically speaking, such as the Road to Hana. Large buses simply can't navigate the road. I doubt they would use large buses for a helicopter tour, also.

 

I did see them at Volcanoes National Park. But that is something you could easily rent a car and drive to yourselves, if you're interested in that option at all. The rental companies don't charge your credit card until you actually show up.

 

I really think it depends on the tours you are looking at.

 

For the Helo ride I was looking at Hilo. Reading a very old thread it looks like Safari Tours might allow you to cancel last minute if the ship doesn't arrive for whatever reason, so I'll check them out.

 

The other tours I was looking at were:

 

Road to Hana private tour for my family, the guide I was talking to has a strict 24 hour cancellation policy. Looks like I might just need to look around more. I want to make it a private tour so my family can kind of move at our pace, stop where we want to stop, etc. Also didn't want to rent cars so that everyone could enjoy the view and not have to drive.

 

Dolphin/Snorkel trip in Kona, strict 24 hour cancellation policy

 

Kayak up the river (forget the name) in Kauai, again strict cancellation policy.

 

I'm not sure which tours you are looking at - but for the ones I am doing, we are paying cash on each tour -

 

Isle Excursions

Rickey's Tours

Marylou's Tours

Jay Dorrace (Thread Lightly tours)

 

I'm assuming if we don't dock, we will not have a tour to be able to pay cash for.

 

Thanks, I'll check those tours out. I may have over-generalized a bit, maybe not all tours in Hawaii have the cancellation penalty for ship no-shows.