roll calls and adding people to excursions

[mysaddlebred000]

Was discussing this with friends last weekend. I don't get real involved in roll calls and haven't signed in lately but my friend organized a number or excursions on their lengthy upcoming cruise. She said a new member signed in (new to cc) and in the first post said they were interested in any excursions available. There were a couple cruise cancellations the next week and when my friend posted that there were openings, this new person sent her an email within 10 minutes asking to be put on them. Same went for other excursions. So here is my question:

 

Do you think new rc members should be able to sign up before members that have been on for over a year?? My friend received an upsetting email from one of the original first month members saying she had asked about joining months earlier. Friend does not like to keep waiting lists - says she is not a travel agent and doesn't want to deal with keeping lists. The note stated this "new" member has not added any information to the rc, just took advantage of good deals on tours. This person wants her to bump the "new" member and give them the spots. My friend doesn't want to post - is afraid of backlash. In every case, this new person posted within a half hour of the tours becoming available - does he live on the roll call page? Or have a buzzer that goes off with a new post??

 

Thanks

 

Any comments??

[Colo Cruiser]

Was discussing this with friends last weekend. I don't get real involved in roll calls and haven't signed in lately but my friend organized a number or excursions on their lengthy upcoming cruise. She said a new member signed in (new to cc) and in the first post said they were interested in any excursions available. There were a couple cruise cancellations the next week and when my friend posted that there were openings, this new person sent her an email within 10 minutes asking to be put on them. Same went for other excursions. So here is my question:

 

Do you think new rc members should be able to sign up before members that have been on for over a year?? My friend received an upsetting email from one of the original first month members saying she had asked about joining months earlier. Friend does not like to keep waiting lists - says she is not a travel agent and doesn't want to deal with keeping lists. The note stated this "new" member has not added any information to the rc, just took advantage of good deals on tours. This person wants her to bump the "new" member and give them the spots. My friend doesn't want to post - is afraid of backlash. In every case, this new person posted within a half hour of the tours becoming available - does he live on the roll call page? Or have a buzzer that goes off with a new post??

 

Thanks

 

Any comments??

 

No! First come first served. :p

[JF - retired RRT]

Seems to me, if your friend is going to organize tours he/she should be willing to do some kind of waiting list. The "old" member has a point...it isn't fair.

[caribill]

No! First come first served. :p

 

The new member was the first to request the newly available slots, so was quickly served them.

[AKman2495]

That's another reason I book excursions through the ship!

[paul929207]

In the absence of a waiting list, it should be first come, first serve.

[Pam in CA]

First come, first served. I've never, ever taken into account how long the person has been on the roll call. That's immaterial.

[caribill]

In every case, this new person posted within a half hour of the tours becoming available - does he live on the roll call page? Or have a buzzer that goes off with a new post??

 

 

 

Any comments??

 

Anybody can use the "Forum Tools" link near the top right of this page to be notified by e-mail when there is a new post to a thread.

 

So, if someone is near the device receiving that e-mail, then that person can quickly go to the thread and see the latest posts.

[mysaddlebred000]

Seems to me, if your friend is going to organize tours he/she should be willing to do some kind of waiting list. The "old" member has a point...it isn't fair.

 

As she said, she works full time but is fortunate to be able to cruise often. She has enough on her plate and likes to explore and share her tours with others but has no time to deal with extra paper work. She has stayed away from the roll call for a week now because she doesn't want to respond to this person. I have someone on one of my upcoming cruises that I was on several excursions with on a former cruise and she drove everyone nuts. My friends agreed that we wouldn't go on another tour if we know she is on it. She is kind of doing the same thing on one of my cruises.

 

My friend also said this new person sounds very demanding and pushy. she is also afraid she may end up taking over once the tour starts. Several are tours where the route will be decided once they get in the van.

[Colo Cruiser]

Anybody can use the "Forum Tools" link near the top right of this page to be notified by e-mail when there is a new post to a thread.

 

So, if someone is near the device receiving that e-mail, then that person can quickly go to the thread and see the latest posts.

 

 

Yes like Jeopardy.

[emmak8]

There should be a waiting list. Fair way to handle this.

[custompcsys]

That's another reason I book excursions through the ship!

 

Actually think in many cases you can get a better deal through a private tour provider, but I do the booking on my own and don't depend on the RC. The only time I have ever done anything through the RC for a tour was for St. Petersburg, where I booked a private 2-day tour and needed to share with at least 2 people to keep the cost reasonable. It worked out fine and we were able to see much more than the Princess bus in a much more personalized setting, but it was very small scale.

 

What the OP describes is a perfect example of no good deed goes unpunished. This person was nice enough to organize shore excursions for no other reason than to be nice, now they get crucified because someone doesn't like how they are handling it. If it were me I would say *bleep* you, do it yourself and that would be the last time you would see me on the RC. Way too much drama for me. This is supposed to be a relaxing vacation.

[maryrose]

First come, first served. I've never, ever taken into account how long the person has been on the roll call. That's immaterial.

 

I agree with Pam .

 

Julie

 

🚢⚓️🚢⚓️🚢⚓️

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

First to respond gets the slots, its my vacation I am not going to keep lists for this or that,

 

now I will often post thinking about a tour but need 6 others, if I get 8

 

then first 6 get in if a year later 2 drop off I will repost have 2 slots, first to say they want them gets them.

 

Now last year I was looking to join a tour someone posted a tour which we were interested in, but did not respond to , then months later a new member posted the same tour I said we would like to join,

 

a few days later I got a nasty e mail from the first tour organiser asking why I had not joined their tour as they still had spaces, demanding I cancelled and joined their group as they would have to pay more to head

 

what ever happened to be chilled out, making friends etc

 

yours Shogun

[skynight]

y question:

 

Do you think new rc members should be able to sign up before members that have been on for over a year??

 

Thanks

 

Any comments??

The person organizing the private tour does so as they wish. No rules, no guidelines. It can be lots of work. Some are very organized with waiting lists, etc., and some are not. That is just the way it is.

[Cruise Junky]

I don't think how long you've been on the boards matter but as a courtesy if someone has expressed an interest in joining a full tour it would be nice if the organizer gave that person first dibs before advertising open spaces. But it would be a courtesy not a requirement.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Cruise Junky

[jagsfan]

I missed an opening once because someone new to the RC jumped on it. More power to them. The only downside to having someone new join a group is not having had a conversation going with the group. Generally the private tours I've been on have been with people I've gotten to know through the RC. Every single one has worked out beautifully. If the organizer has a bad vibe about this new person, she'll have to make sure it's understood who's in charge, and have backup.

[AE_Collector]

That's another reason I book excursions through the ship!

 

Agreed. We have only done tours through the ship and yes we may pay a bit more but we know what we are getting and how cancellation works and that we can get some amount of refund if things go bad etc. I admire people who go to all the work to organize tours but have to wonder how often people get stiffed at the last minute by people who dont show up, change their mind etc. One Roll Call that I was following awhile back, an organizer of a tour reposted in the last week or so the list of people who would be on their tour. Someone pointed out that one couple had bailed out and cancelled the entire cruise months ago and never told the organizer of the tour that they had "signed up" for.

 

As always...JMHO.

 

Terry

[Kinkacruiser]

In my experience, lurkers who never join roll calls and come out from nowhere at the mention of a private shore excursion, should not take the spot of the original bookee. If numbers are limited, then all the more reason this rule applies.

[paul929207]

I don't think there is any "official" way to do this. So it is up to each organizer to make up the rules. In this case, the organizer did not want to maintain a wait list. So be it.

[2theship]

As others have said, there are no hard and fast rules. It never fails that if I say I need six more people, I get eight requests. I try to keep the original person in mind but when you're working on excursions a year in advance, things fall through the cracks. A few years ago, a couple who never participated in the roll call joined one of my excursions. They wound up being great cruise friends that we have sailed with again.

 

Then there's the other side of the coin. A group of four joined my excursion from Livorno to Lucca but I foolishly neglected to get their screen name or cabin numbers when we emailed. As is my usual practice, I sent an email asking everyone to re-confirm about a month before the cruise. I heard nothing from him. I posted on the the roll call asking him to reply. Nothing. I finally decided to drop him and add four others but I worried that he would show up that morning. I got my answer when we disembarked in Livorno and there was a driver hold a card with that guy's name. What a bum.

[Cruisin' Chick]

That's another reason I book excursions through the ship!

 

Agreed. We have only done tours through the ship and yes we may pay a bit more but we know what we are getting and how cancellation works and that we can get some amount of refund if things go bad etc. I admire people who go to all the work to organize tours but have to wonder how often people get stiffed at the last minute by people who dont show up, change their mind etc. One Roll Call that I was following awhile back, an organizer of a tour reposted in the last week or so the list of people who would be on their tour. Someone pointed out that one couple had bailed out and cancelled the entire cruise months ago and never told the organizer of the tour that they had "signed up" for.

 

As always...JMHO.

 

Terry

 

I feel the same way. My family decided to base our in-port time activities based on my research and hubby's and daughter's input too. If we book an excursion, it'll be through the ship. Less drama, less hassle. And for the ones we've booked, and that I've been able to find a comparable indy tour, there doesn't seem to be much of a price difference. We know once it says we're booked, we have the tour (unless it gets cancelled, then we just do some things on my back up list). I don't have to worry about corresponding with a stranger and hope they're organized.

[AKman2495]

I feel the same way. My family decided to base our in-port time activities based on my research and hubby's and daughter's input too. If we book an excursion' date=' it'll be through the ship. Less drama, less hassle. And for the ones we've booked, and that I've been able to find a comparable indy tour, there doesn't seem to be much of a price difference. We know once it says we're booked, we have the tour (unless it gets cancelled, then we just do some things on my back up list). I don't have to worry about corresponding with a stranger and hope they're organized.[/quote']

 

I do admire the people who want to do it themselves. But, in fact, they are trading their time for the extra cost of the excursion through the ship. I pay for the convenience of letting me do other things while awaiting the cruise and then relaxing on the cruise.

 

Many people like the work setting up and researching excursions, but it is not for me...

[AE_Collector]

And another aspect of booking ships tours is that the cruise line makes more money. Most on here are likely share holders and that is why they give us the nice shareholder benefit, hoping that we will do what we can to help them make money which keeps the company growing and helps keep other costs such as the actual cruise price down.

 

I do wish they would come up with some incentives to book ships excursions though. I think they should have bundles of tours that save you money if you buy several excursions. A 10% discount on the total if you book 3 tours, 20% if you book 5 or 6 tours. Do something to encourage people to bring their shore excursions back to the cruise line and reward passengers who book several. We do a ships shore excursion in almost every port we go to. Our shore excursion bill alone would usually have paid a third persons cruise fare.

 

Terry

[caribill]

I do admire the people who want to do it themselves. But, in fact, they are trading their time for the extra cost of the excursion through the ship. I pay for the convenience of letting me do other things while awaiting the cruise and then relaxing on the cruise.

 

 

Yes, sometimes there is a cost savings and sometimes there is not.

 

But non-Princess tours have advantages that go beyond saving (or not saving) a few $$.

 

There are in my mind two types of private tours.

 

The first type already exists and has nothing to do with a roll call. You just book with the vendor over the Internet in advance of the cruise. Of course you might share your find with others on the roll call. One good example of this are the two day excursions in St. Petersburg, Russia. Of course in this example, the cost savings can be hundreds of $$ a person.

 

The second type is one organized by a roll call member. This can be a small group (as few as four) or a bus load.

 

The advantage of both types over the ship's excursions include:

 

o Usually smaller groups. Most of the roll call arranged ones that I have been on have had less than 15 people with many being eight people or less. There are big advantages in this as with a Princess tour you cannot continue to the next part of a tour until 35+ people make it back to the bus after rest room stops, shopping, eating, wandering. Much easier to get eight people back on time than 35.

 

o A smaller group means a smaller vehicle. A big bus is limited in how close you can get to an attraction. It can make a big difference in time when you can drive right up to an entrance vs. having to walk from a parking lot three blocks away.

 

o Independent tours will often include more sights than the equivalent Princess tour. Two examples quickly come to mind. In St. Petersburg many of the independent tours include a ride in the subway, a memorable experience that is not included in a Princess tour. In Juneau, the independent whale watching tour we had included time on land at the Mandenhall glacier, not visited on the Princess tour. (Another benefit of that tour was only six people on the boat vs many more on the Princess tours. With only six people, everyone sees every whale. This tour actually cost a few more $$ than the Princess tour but was well worth it.)

 

o If meal time is included, independent tours can usually offer a better and quicker experience being the only group at the chosen restaurant which may even be a better restaurant than the one on the ship tours. A Princess tour may have multiple buses pulling up to a restaurant at the same time.

 

o In general, I have found the overall quality of the tour guides to be better on independent tours than on Princess tours. I am not saying that Princess tour guides are not good or that all independent tour guides are excellent, but I have had more poor guides on Princess tours than on independent tours. Of course, independent tour vendors cannot be picked blindly. The independent tours I have been on have been with with vendors that have been recommended by posters on Cruise Critic or friends who have used them previously.

 

o Although many will point to the Princess promise that they will wait for a delayed Princess tour, reliable independent tour vendors always get you back in time and a number of them promise to pay to get you to the next port if you did miss the ship, an extremely unlikely event. I cannot remember any poster on Cruise Critic that said they missed the ship due to the fault of the independent tour vendor.

 

There is one circumstance when a Princess tour is definitely better. If an attraction is normally closed to the public on the day the ship will be there, then often a Princess tour can still visit it. Two examples that come to mind:

 

o The Blue Mosque and the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

 

o The island of Delos in the Mediterranean. (On one cruise, many were planning to travel on their own to Delos using a ferry. However, we were there on the day it is normally closed. The Princess tour did have a boat that went to Delos from the port on Mykonos that day, but all those who wanted to it on their own were upset. They blamed Princess for not informing them that Delos was closed to the public that day.)

 

Do I always avoid Princess tours? Of course not. There are many Princess tours I have taken in the past and many I will take in the future. Reasons I take a Princess tour:

o No recommended independent tour that I would like in a port.

o No one on the roll call organized a tour and I did not want to.

o The site to be visited is significantly far from the port (example- Kuala Lumpur is far enough from the port that I would worry about getting back on time.)

o A unique excursion that is not easy to do on your own. (Example: Princess offered a tour to Pisa that included tickets to climb the tower. On your own you might easily get to Pisa, but not be able to get tickets to climb the tower.)