Passengers taking other passengers on private tours and charging

[terry&mike]

Like donaldsc, I have arranged many private tours and I have joined other's private tours. I do this because I prefer small group tours in a mini van or smaller, with a well known and highly rated guide, and like to save money as these tours are cheaper than the cruise lines. My experience is very positive with this, and I feel I get a much better tour.

 

I am a very thorough researcher, and I like to book the top guides far in advance. For example, I have had Xuan Le in Vietnam booked since July 2018 for our cruise in January 2020 for 2 ports, many of you will know of him if you read the Asia boards. To hold him for our days I had to send him a $400 usd deposit, which I happily did. Most times I don't have to send money to hold a guide, but I'm willing to risk it for the top guide. (I held one of the highest rates guides in Ephesus for over a year in advance with just an email.) I then divide the total cost by number of passengers, and let people on Roll Call know of the tour by posting the tour details including price pp, itinerary, inclusions, and guide information so they can read reviews. I also make participants aware that the cost is based on number of people who go on the tour. 

 

In the case of the Vietnam tours, I will not be posting them on the Roll Call for that sailing as I am traveling with 27 friends and clients on that trip, and will need all the spaces for my own group. In this case I will handle the money differently, as it is a 2 week cruise from Singapore to Tokyo with lots of details and moving parts. I will collect the funds from each of these people in advance of the cruise via Venmo, Paypal, etc when they commit to the different tours I have throughout the trip. This is to simplify handling so many people and different forms of money in foreign ports, and to ensure that the costs remain the same for all participants. I also need to send the Japanese tour operator a hefty deposit for tours and transfers plus money in advance for Sumo tournament tickets, a few months out.

 

A couple of times I have been offered a discount or free passage for myself for arranging the tour, from the operator, but that may be due to me being in the business. How I handle this is I ask the operator to provide something extra for our group instead, such as some local wine with lunch, or stop for local treats along the way, or similar, this way we all receive a benefit. 

 

If someone is earning free passage or getting a discounted tour for making the arrangements on a tour I have joined, I don't mind though. If you post a tour on Roll Call, and I like the tour, and then I read reviews on the guide and I like the guide, and I decide the price for the tour is fair, then I sign up with you. Just this week I joined a posted tour for a port on a cruise next month, as it worked for me in all aspects, but I don't care what the total cost is of the tour, as my share of the cost was reasonable. 

 

On some cruises I'm very active in this, on some cruises I am not so active, but they are always arranged and filled before the ship sails, and not fly by night type of deals. After more than 30 cruises, I have had only one issue that I can recall. I had organized an island tour in Grenada that focused on food tastings and spices of the island, and we had 8 people total. On the morning of the tour, one couple never showed at the meeting point. We waited for 30 minutes past time and then finally left them. The rest of the group had to absorb their share of the tour cost, which was a bit of a bummer, but guests understood. When I got back to my cabin that evening they had left me a voice mail on the cabin phone (but had not called my cell phone) to say the wife did not feel well so they decided to stay on board the ship. They could have handled this better. 

[tillys mom]

I often organize private tours when we cruise because ship’s tours are terrible- I only take them when there is a time and distance factor and I worry about getting back to the ship. There is always the possibility of a bad private tour, but if you do your research before booking you can pick a winner. Book with established, highly rated tour companies that anyone can look up and everyone knows where they are. 

On our current cruise I have a tour booked with Overlord and they required full payment upfront. I asked some of the people on the roll call that were taking other tours with me if they would be interested.  I put about $1000 on my credit card and the fellow passengers mailed me a check. 

I never make money, and I take the risk since I am paying the deposit. However, I would never book a tour or join a tour that I couldn’t research on cc or TripAdvisor. 

[chamima]

14 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

Good idea ... I wouldn't go for this either.  I have gone on excursions set up by others on our roll calls but they have always sent you to another site so you had some references to check out beforehand.  Namely, one where we saved a boatload of $$ was on a Mardi Gras cruise on Celebrity.  One person set us up with a site to purchase our parade route grandstand tickets.  These were $30 each and the cruiseline sold them for $250 pp.  Whoa!  Now, they did receive a ride from the ship to the grandstands (a 15 minute walk), a thin seat pad, a travel size bottle of Purell and a Tootsie Roll .... I kid you not ... a Tootsie roll.  hahaha!  Well, they got there late so those of us that got the $30 tickets got the good seats and then, they missed the entire second parade if they went for the ride back.  One of these passengers asked me how much we paid for our seats and I told them they should just enjoy the parade and not worry about it.  Why ruin their trip and the fantastic parades??  Well, someone told them and then there was an very angry crowd in the stands.  I think they got some money back as they nearly protested when back at the ship.  But, the ship was clearly ripping them off.  We were grateful for that person that told us about the official site where they were selling the tickets for soooo much less $.  But, this person had no financial gain in passing this info along to us.  

Another one on that same roll call set up a balcony along with all the food and drink (and beads) on Bourbon Street for Fat Tuesday....all day!!  Wow ... what a deal she got for us!!  Again, she had no financial gain and it was superb ... a memory of a lifetime!!  It was a bucket list trip and these privately arranged excursions were phenomenal.  We'd have never gone if paying the prices the cruiseline charged while in NOLA. 

We did another privately arranged excursion while in Costa Maya on that same trip ... another winner.  I do oftentimes book cruiseline excursions and all but 2 of them in my many years of cruising have been a bust ... most of them have been excellent.  But, I do research those that others make arrangements for on the roll calls and go from there.  If they ask for money for themselves right up front, I just back off.  It may be cynical but, too many people may have some ulterior motives.  

 

 

This sounds like it's my friend Mary.

It's the same friend I referred to that became uncomfortable with the woman pushing her own tours on our cruise.

Mary cruises alone and spends a lot of time and effort researching excursions but, as she cruises alone, she likes to do things with a group of people (MANY of whom have become good friends over the years!!)

If you're on a cruise with her count yourself lucky because she actually enjoys doing all that research!

She (and I) were disturbed by this other woman because Mary is scrupulously honest and the thought of taking advantage was so disturbing .

The great majority of us on here join Roll Calls and organize tours to be social but, as the old expression goes - it only takes one rotten apple .........................

 

Edited April 5, 2019 by chamima

[cruisinggran]

Most people that organize private tours for ports of call do it honestly.

I have participated in many and never had any problems. Usually

they post in the roll call with the Company website you can read the

what the tour us all about. You can then put your name down and pay

at the end or start of the tour. A lot of the tours you can book online

and pay the company direct giving the persons contact name.

This has been going on for years on Roll calls and yes money should not be changing hands at the cruise critic meeting in front of staff.

I have met a lot of people who are now good friends through private

tours.

PLEASE DO NOT TRASH PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

 

if it doesn't feel good to you then don't book up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

I had another experience on a roll call where I asked info about a tour that somebody was setting up down in Bonaire.  It was only about $10 cheaper pp than the ship's sponsored tour but everyone in the group that already formed was touting its praises about it being the best tour ever!  Even though they were very enthusiastic, my concern was that it got back to the ship just 30 minutes before sail away and the next port of call was in Key West, not just Aruba or Curacao, which would have made me a little more comfortable in the event that we missed the ship.  We were delayed on a ship sponsored excursion once in Boston ... we arrived back at the ship nearly an hour after the scheduled sail away time.  Thankfully, they waited for us as it was a ship's excursion.  I am not so confident that would be the case for a private tour. 

Anyway, once I noted my concerns, wow ... was I ever criticized on these boards ...so much so, that I didn't even want to hang around with those people.  My hesitancy to book that tour was valid .... and I felt bullied that I wouldn't book it.  Oh well, I took the ship's sponsored tour and couldn't have had a better time ... it was amazing, even though it was $10 pp more.  Well worth my piece of mind.  

Now, I do go on private tours quite often and many times but I do weigh the risks and benefits before jumping into a situation that doesn't feel comfortable to me.  Asking of money to be sent to a fellow CC member (stranger) that I've never met before raises so many red flags for me.  Kudos to those that don't mind it, have amazing tours and saved some money, to boot.  

[Ombud]

16 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 $10 cheaper pp than the ship's sponsored tour .. got back to the ship just 30 minutes before sail away

$10 is a joke! What happens if their van breaks down?

 

The one in La Serena was 1/3 ship price, San Martin was Islas Ballestas & Paracas (fossils) whereas I'd have to pick between the 2 on ship's tour, Lima combined another 2 of the ship tours into 1 ..... in those 3 I paid guide midway through tour, smaller group (9-12) and we were scheduled to return to ship 1-2 hours before it left. 

 

I do all European ports on my own with public transit except Le Harve. There's a little bus company that takes riders to Honfleur for the day that's worth it .... plus I pay when boarding bus. 

 

I do all SE Asia with ship .... not missing that boat

Edited April 5, 2019 by Ombud

[Cruise Raider]

45 minutes ago, Ombud said:

$10 is a joke! What happens if their van breaks down?

 

 

Off the subject but I grew up right down the mountain from you.  

 

And back on subject ... yes, $10 was the price of insurance.  Mighty good deal if you ask me.  hahaha!

[Thrak]

Check out the Princess excursion to the Arizona. We sailed to Hawaii with one of our sons and wanted to check out the Arizona. I bought tickets online for $1 each. Entry is actually free but the tickets got us a guaranteed time slot. At that time Princess  wanted $98 per person. We rented a car, visited the Arizona, and had the car for the entire day. All for less than the cost of one person through Princess.

[compozer]

I hate the large cattle call ship excursions.   I try to book private ones.   I have a friend that loves to do research and plans most of our tours.  On some, we have stopped asking others to join because we have run into some real odd ducks that feel they could control where we were going and always grabbed the front seats.   In St Pete's, the four of us did a two day tour ourselves.   Yes it cost twice as much but sometimes, it is well worth it.

 

[mnocket]

23 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

Love private tours, however, I do think I know the couple that you're talking about. They've been discussed before. Personally, I would avoid and go with the well known Private Tour operators. 

 

Yeah I think I know them too.

 

I think the OP was referring to fellow passengers who act as the tour guides themselves and charge other passengers to join them.......  Not private tours offered by local tour companies.

[mnocket]

3 hours ago, cruisinggran said:

Most people that organize private tours for ports of call do it honestly.

I have participated in many and never had any problems. Usually

they post in the roll call with the Company website you can read the

what the tour us all about. You can then put your name down and pay

at the end or start of the tour. A lot of the tours you can book online

and pay the company direct giving the persons contact name.

This has been going on for years on Roll calls and yes money should not be changing hands at the cruise critic meeting in front of staff.

I have met a lot of people who are now good friends through private

tours.

PLEASE DO NOT TRASH PEOPLE THAT YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

 

if it doesn't feel good to you then don't book up.

 

I think you may have misinterpreted the OP's question (as have many here).  I don't think OP was referring to fellow cruisers who serve as  coordinators to book with private tour companies.  I too appreciate these people and have had many great tours as a result.

 

I believe the OP is referring to fellow cruisers who themselves serve as the tour guides and charge other passengers to join them.  This serves to offset the cost of their cruise.  You may never have run into this situation.  I have run into a married couple on two of my roll calls that were coordinating "private tours" and it was not immediately apparent that it was them, themselves, that would act as the tour guides.  These cruises were to very different parts of the world and it is doubtful that this couple could have the expertise that true local tour guides would have.

Edited April 5, 2019 by mnocket

[cruisinggran]

 I have never came across this. I have met people on cruises that had plans

for some ports and asked  us if we would like to join them and we have

and it worked out ok. We paid our part and they paid theirs.

The people you are talking about should be deleted from the site.

why people would sign up for a tour that doesn't have a website or reviews that

you can see its for real, is beyond me.

i am sure if a Tour Company took people's money and never showed up or

was late back for the ship it would be all over this site.  You have of course to

be cafreful and check it all out.

 

[Cruise Raider]

21 hours ago, land lover said:

 I want to cruise with you, someone who has the courtesy not to talk about "the deal" you got. Every experience is Priceless....

 

 

Nobody needs to know as it just leaves others, those that would have been otherwise happy, feeling slighted.  Why anybody feels the need to brag and leave others feeling cheated is beyond me.  I've found it's always best to just keep my mouth shut when I get a great deal.  I'm happy, every one else is happy ... isn't that what we all want?  

[compozer]

23 hours ago, 4cats4me said:

We’ve participated in lots of organized tours and have also organized groups of CC roll callers as well as larger groups consisting of just our immediate friends and family.  We have never paid up front or demanded payment up front and everyone has always been very respectful, and we’ve had itineraries modified several times, but we always take a vote first, to see what everyone wants to do.  

The only slight issues we’ve noticed with private tours is sometimes you get these last-minute folks that join a roll call for the explicit purpose of cutting costs, they’re not there to be friendly and they haven’t gotten to know anybody, and in the case of one European tour  on our last cruise, this one person always helped herself to the best seat, the front seat, and the guy who organized it and his wife had to sit in the back.  Because it was his tour, I didn’t say anything, but had I organized it I would have told her that I wanted that seat since I had gone to the trouble to organize. We had several stops and she kept racing to that front seat. At least take turns.   Live and learn. 

Sounds like the same couple that was on a couple of our tours.   I did not plan the tour but they really irritated me and about half way through I decided to speak up.  As the van approached, I said " it is time to switch seats so the same people don't have to sit in the back all the time.  And _______, (who organized it) gets first pick at where he and his wife get to sit".  That couple never spoke to me again.

[dogs4fun]

I have never experienced this during any of my cruises. I have organized tours and fellow cruise mates have joined our group for DIY in various ports of call - I've never dreamed of asking for compensation in any form.

[crzndeb]

There was a pretty well known person that sails Carnival, that was known for setting up tours for profit. The private tours were fine, but I don’t think some people knew he was jacking up the prices.

 

I’m suspicious of someone that all of a sudden popped up on my Roll Call, with tours available in most of the ports. Hadn’t posted anything prior to all these tours.

I don’t think some people really seem to care if some organizing might be making a profit. 

 

I think 99% of people that organize private tours do it out of kindness. But there are some out there that want to make a few bucks. And maybe they think they should for organizing them.

Edited April 6, 2019 by crzndeb

[Expat Cruise]

6 hours ago, mnocket said:

 

I think you may have misinterpreted the OP's question (as have many here).  I don't think OP was referring to fellow cruisers who serve as  coordinators to book with private tour companies.  I too appreciate these people and have had many great tours as a result.

 

I believe the OP is referring to fellow cruisers who themselves serve as the tour guides and charge other passengers to join them.  This serves to offset the cost of their cruise.  You may never have run into this situation.  I have run into a married couple on two of my roll calls that were coordinating "private tours" and it was not immediately apparent that it was them, themselves, that would act as the tour guides.  These cruises were to very different parts of the world and it is doubtful that this couple could have the expertise that true local tour guides would have.

Again I really do not think this is happening most of the time. On our last Princess Cruise the final port was a overnight  two day in Hong Kong. I did not set up a tour as I know Hong Kong well spending  several weeks a year here. So I just would do my own thing. 

 

My wife and I invited another couple to join us, but it was never about profit. We ended up with 12 people total and yes I ended up being the tour guide as I knew, the locations, where to go and how to get the most from the day. But never any profit from this, just spending a day in Hong Kong with friends. 

 

Why try to make small money from your friends? My time is worth much more in my private other business than I could ever earn with tours. Many of us enjoy sharing and the friends that we make through cruises and tours.

 

We have three couples from the last cruise that are now friends, one in Australia, one Knoxville, Tn, and  one in Cambodia.  Our cruise is over now a few weeks but we still talk and video and are friends.   We have talked about trips together off cruise ships, this is the  value of being involved in these private tours, making new friends around the World. 

[navybankerteacher]

I’ve joined a number of private tours - and have always found them better and less expensive than the line’s offerings.  If an advance deposit is required, of course everyone should be willing to pay a bit in advance — the organizer should not be out of pocket —- nor should the organizer get stuck if someone opts out at the last minute.

 

In fact, the most common problem is people dropping out at the last minute— leaving the others with larger than expected shares.  I have organized a few — and am not interested in holding a space for someone who refuses to put up his share of necessary deposit — but would never want to profit from being the organizer.

 

it makes me think of the unfortunate practice of many couples who organize destination weddings — they get a free ride if enough of their “guests” (who are more correctly termed customers) book at the resort in question.

[kochleffel]

I've participated in private tours organized through a roll call, where the initiating passengers made the arrangements with a local tour company. These have the advantages of smaller groups, and sometimes customized tour itineraries. In most cases the organizer (passenger) assembled the group but each person paid the tour company directly on the day of the tour. One was with a company that has each additional participant book through the company's website, but that is unusual.

 

I have never been asked to pay the organizer/passenger in advance, and I wouldn't. I once organized a self-guided tour with a rental car but the arrangement was that participants would pool funds on the day to cover it, and pay their own admission charge where a site required it. I just asked everyone to sign up in advance so that I would know what size car to reserve. The reason for this was to visit a site that couldn't accommodate groups arriving in buses or vans.

[lynncarol]

My husband and I have occasionally joined  tours with roll call members.  The first time what we thought was a tour for 5 people in a van morphed (without any advance notification to us from the organizer ) into a bus tour with 25 folks.  Unfortunately some of those people carried on noisy conversations amongst themselves to the point that the guide on our bus eventually just gave up and stopped talking. We had no idea what sights we were passing. After that experience we were very hesitant to repeat that mistake and did all private excursions on our own. It was only after a number of years that we tried again through the roll call where we met some lovely people and really enjoyed ourselves.  I guess the moral is, make sure the organizer understands exactly what you expect (and vice-versa) before committing to any independent tour.

Edited April 6, 2019 by lynncarol

[Markanddonna]

I enjoy CC arranged tours with reputable local tour operators. Two things:

1. The payment is made by credit card directly with the local company.

2. Don't discuss the tour at the ship sponsored Meet and Greet. The group usually has specific details on how and where to meet the morning of the excursion or sometimes meets at a lounge or for a prearranged luncheon.

[simplyrubies]

The CC community has been great thus far, but I would be wary of paying a stranger over the internet directly for a private tour, particularly if the name of a local company or guide has not been provided. If I were to book with a CC organized tour, I would not do so until communicating with the organizer and the tour company ahead of time to ensure that the tour has actually been booked and pay the company directly, whether it be by credit card or by cash on the day of the tour. If I was unsure about the organizer (haven't seen them before on the roll call, something seems off) and the tour company/guide they list does not seem reputable, I would not book. Always do your own research and be clear about what the itinerary, details, and price of your excursion will be so that there are no unpleasant surprises once you get there. 

 

[mom says]

We've done quite a few excursions organized by Roll Call members. Some were better than others, of course, but they were what we wanted: a small group at a good price, and with a tour company that was well rated and could be checked out on the Internet. I've only organized one small tour, and given the amount of work involved, I have nothing but admiration for those who do it on a regular basis. The only thing they (and I) get out of it is a break in the price- equally split for all.

 

However I do recall one Caribbean cruise where a couple joined the Roll Call a few months before the cruise and immediately offered up tours for every single port on the itinerary. And then kind of monopolized the Roll Call with repeated postings about spaces still available.  It all seemed a bit hinky to me, so we went elsewhere for our excursions. You just need to be a bit thoughtful, and do your own due diligence before jumping in.

[Velvetwater]

 

We have only ever had people contact large, independent companies and set up a group then we all signed up and paid the company separately. The more people joined, the more the price dropped.

 

That seemed to work well.

[donaldsc]

On 4/5/2019 at 2:39 AM, Expat Cruise said:

I have been involved in several roll calls and in the private tours we have set up. But they are not for profit for me or my friends cruising.  What we get out of this is better tours and a lower price. In most ports all guests pay the tour operator directly.  Our last cruise had six ports and we set up private tours at all six ports, only one port were we required to prepay, that port was Darwin AU. The minimum tour price was AUD$998 dollars for up to nine guests.  We ended up with 15 guests, from our roll call and people traveling with roll call members. But the price was split equally for all 15 guests.

 

In Brisbane and  Lombok/Bali each person paid the tour operator. Yes I directly set up 6 private cars in Lombok for different people in the group, but everyone paid for their own cars. No one within the group made any profit of the other members.   

 

The same thing in the two Vietnam ports, 47 guests, 4 tour groups and 37 guest, 5 tour groups everyone paid the fees directly to the tour guides. No one in the group had a extra profit from the tours.  And in Hong Kong again, everyone paid their own fee to the places we went. 

 

So while you may see big groups of private tours on the ships it is not a for profit deal for the guests it is to have a better overall tour group in the ports. My wife & I have four couples from our last cruise that we did tours with and are now friends. It wasn't about profit it was about building friendships that we last much longer than our 23 day cruise.

 

Besides the selling or promoting of tours to cruise ship passengers on the ships is not allowed and can get you thrown off the ship. So who would ever risk a $10,000 cruise to make a few dollars off of tours?  The tour group you see have been setup before boarding the cruises. 

 

I would not consider 47 guests or 6 private cars or 15 guests a private tour although it may work for you.  A couple  of the things that I like about private tours are flexibility, the ability to walk into a small restaurant that the guide knows personally or not trying to keep a large group together.  When I set up a private tour, I keep my maximum group size to 8 or maybe 10 people at most.  I often even do private tours with 4 people.  However, different strokes for different folks. 

 

I do appreciate that you do the tours to share tour experiences and not to make money from the tours as some people who post on CC apparently do.  That to me is very important.  As you say, I would never try to make money from my tours and I would never join a tour where I felt that the person putting the tour together was trying to make money off the tour or getting comped by the tour operator.

 

DON