Celebrity "Private Journey" Tours - Feedback?

[colliercruiser]

Has anyone used a Celebrity Private Journey... a private tour for a very small group, even just 2? More expensive than a normal group tour but totally customizable, private car, driver & guide.

 

 

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[kgmoran]

I just got off the Silhouette eastern Caribbean tour. My husband uses an electric scooter. We had booked an "accessible excursion" for St Martin but it was cancelled. We worked with the Destination Manager and concierge to find something that would get us over to Marigot and some touring around the island. And they suggested a private journey. 4 hours with a guide and driver and it was going to cost 690 dollars for the two of us. We opted instead for a celebrity arranged driver in a car that could accomodate the scooter. 4 hours - no real guide but the driver knew a lot about the island. It still cost us 290 dollars which seems insane but it was a very nice trip. If that 690 is any indication of the typical costs I think the private journeys are way over priced

[ozark74]

Has anyone used a Celebrity Private Journey... a private tour for a very small group, even just 2? More expensive than a normal group tour but totally customizable, private car, driver & guide.

 

 

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We did a private journey in 2014 Scotland. There were just 8 of us. It was pricey but it was one of the best tour we have done. Went to a scotch distillery for a private tour and we blended our own scotch. Have not found any to equal that tour on any cruise. Would not hesitate to do another if it was what I wanted to do.

[az_tchr]

Get on Trip Advisor and search for local guides to hire. About 1/4 the price and they can pick you up at the dock taking you wherever you desire to go.

[colliercruiser]

Get on Trip Advisor and search for local guides to hire. About 1/4 the price and they can pick you up at the dock taking you wherever you desire to go.

 

 

Thanks. We usually prefer a Celebrity tour for the "ship will wait" guarantee, which is why we're considering one of their Private Journey" tours... just the two of us with a private car & guide, etc.

 

 

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[philpcruiser]

Today, we received an email from Celebrity announcing their "private journeys" program. Included was a $100 off the consultation fee. We can't imagine the cost of these custom programs. Would love to hear more accounts from anyone who used this service.

[farmerslou]

I received the email today with the $100 waive on the consultation fee.

 

I decided to take them up on it and called.

 

I had already made arrangements to visit a couple of 5 star resorts while in port in Barbados and Antigua.

 

I called the Private Journeys desk, and I informed them that I would be interested in private transportation back and forth from these resorts, and I also told them that I had a $50 budget for transportation for each island.

 

They told me no problem, and I am expecting a confirmation Monday morning.

 

I think the key is to know what you want, and know what the market will bear before you buy.

[colliercruiser]

Today, we received an email from Celebrity announcing their "private journeys" program. Included was a $100 off the consultation fee. We can't imagine the cost of these custom programs. Would love to hear more accounts from anyone who used this service.

 

 

I've communicated via email with the Equinox destination concierge regarding tentative plans for one or more Celebrity Private Journeys, and have been quoted estimated prices, but I've never heard anything about a consultation fee. We expect to meet with him on ship this coming week and will find out more.

 

 

 

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[sippican]

Thanks. We usually prefer a Celebrity tour for the "ship will wait" guarantee, which is why we're considering one of their Private Journey" tours... just the two of us with a private car & guide, etc.

 

 

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For what it's worth, reputable private tour companies stake their business reputation on getting their customers back to the ship on time. One bad review on Cruise Critic or Tripadvisor could do them in. It has been our experience that private tours are of a higher quality. We rarely take ship's tours based on our own personal preference for small group size, options to customize, and better price. We have yet to hear of a private tour that has missed the ship (I'm sure it happens), but we do know of a ship's tour group that was left behind on our cruise to Italy. The cruise lines like to promote that "guarantee" to encourage people to book their tours.

Of course, everyone has their own comfort level and if money is no object, it is probably a great option.

Edited March 12, 2016 by sippican

[dutchclogs]

For what it's worth, reputable private tour companies stake their business reputation on getting their customers back to the ship on time. One bad review on Cruise Critic or Tripadvisor could do them in. It has been our experience that private tours are of a higher quality. We rarely take ship's tours based on our own personal preference for small group size, options to customize, and better price. We have yet to hear of a private tour that has missed the ship (I'm sure it happens), but we do know of a ship's tour group that was left behind on our cruise to Italy. The cruise lines like to promote that "guarantee" to encourage people to book their tours.

Of course, everyone has their own comfort level and if money is no object, it is probably a great option.

 

Curious---what happened to the ship's tour that was left behind?

[sippican]

Curious---what happened to the ship's tour that was left behind?

 

Lol! I have no idea, but it was reported by fellow CC members.

Sailing in aft cabins you get to see some things you'd never notice otherwise. I have seen people, I am presuming they were passengers, brought to the ship by other watercraft after leaving ports (I have no idea about the circumstances). In the case of ship's tours, I'm sure they are under obligation to get the passengers back to the ship by whatever means possible, even at the next port. On the other hand, a private tour could leave you stranded.

[aeb95f]

Hi there - so I took a chance on trying out three Celebrities Private Journey options as we were working around a family member with limited mobility, but who still had a strong desire to see as much as possible on the trip. The initial communication and setup was good - however once we got onto the ship, the whole thing seemed to break down.

 

Overall, it seems that Celebrity personnel on ship are not used to dealing with these kinds of things - so we had to deal with missed connections with tour providers, shortened trips with no refund, and in general a strong lack of professionalism by the onboard Celebrity staff which did not sit well given the cost of the trips. Also - the trips seemed to not really be tailored to our requests, but rather just a private version of their public tours which really made it seem like they really weren't trying to create something unique or special.

 

I have booked similar kinds of trips at less cost while traveling with Abercrombie and Kent, GeoEx and National Geographic cruises and those experiences were steller, unique and once-in-a lifetime kind of experiences. That was my expectation given the sales pitch I received from Celebrity PJ and unfortunately it was a total let down.

 

I gave this feedback while on board given the magnitude of issues we had from the get go and received a 25% refund and certificate towards a future cruise, however given the experience, I am planning on looking elsewhere for our next adventure to New Zealand or SE Asia.

 

So - lesson learned the hard way!