Akaroa Eastern Bays Scenic Mail Run shore excursion

[sueaussie]

On our recent New Zealand cruise we had booked and paid for the Eastern Bays Scenic Mail Run shore excursion in Akaroa.  Unfortunately weather conditions on the day meant that our ship (the Noordam) couldn't take us to port and our stop in Akaroa had to be cancelled.  I rang the Mail Run company from the ship to let them know what had happened as a courtesy.  Unfortunately they did not afford us the same courtesy when we followed them up with an email requesting a refund.  They did offer us the same tour within 12 months but refused us a refund because we did not give them 24 hours notice, which of course was impossible.

 

With all other private shore excursions that I we have booked, if the ship doesn't make it to shore then a refund is given.  However, this was not included in their paperwork (our mistake for not checking) but in the interest of good tourist relations it's not good form at all.  

 

So if you are cruising to New Zealand and are stopping in Akaroa be aware that if you book this excursion and the ship doesn't get into shore you will forfeit your payment.

[DesertGirl28]

On 4/21/2019 at 3:15 PM, sueaussie said:

On our recent New Zealand cruise we had booked and paid for the Eastern Bays Scenic Mail Run shore excursion in Akaroa.  Unfortunately weather conditions on the day meant that our ship (the Noordam) couldn't take us to port and our stop in Akaroa had to be cancelled.  I rang the Mail Run company from the ship to let them know what had happened as a courtesy.  Unfortunately they did not afford us the same courtesy when we followed them up with an email requesting a refund.  They did offer us the same tour within 12 months but refused us a refund because we did not give them 24 hours notice, which of course was impossible.

 

With all other private shore excursions that I we have booked, if the ship doesn't make it to shore then a refund is given.  However, this was not included in their paperwork (our mistake for not checking) but in the interest of good tourist relations it's not good form at all.  

 

So if you are cruising to New Zealand and are stopping in Akaroa be aware that if you book this excursion and the ship doesn't get into shore you will forfeit your payment.

Thank you for your experience. It looked very interesting being able to see the area. But not taking a chance that we don't make port.

[sueaussie]

Thank you so much for your response Brent.  I will certainly keep your company in my Favourites for when I am next in New Zealand.  Kind regards, Sue

[MMDown Under]

On 4/22/2019 at 7:15 AM, sueaussie said:

On our recent New Zealand cruise we had booked and paid for the Eastern Bays Scenic Mail Run shore excursion in Akaroa.  Unfortunately weather conditions on the day meant that our ship (the Noordam) couldn't take us to port and our stop in Akaroa had to be cancelled.  I rang the Mail Run company from the ship to let them know what had happened as a courtesy.  Unfortunately they did not afford us the same courtesy when we followed them up with an email requesting a refund.  They did offer us the same tour within 12 months but refused us a refund because we did not give them 24 hours notice, which of course was impossible.

 

With all other private shore excursions that I we have booked, if the ship doesn't make it to shore then a refund is given.  However, this was not included in their paperwork (our mistake for not checking) but in the interest of good tourist relations it's not good form at all.  

 

So if you are cruising to New Zealand and are stopping in Akaroa be aware that if you book this excursion and the ship doesn't get into shore you will forfeit your payment.

Sorry to read of your experiences with Eastern Bays Scenic Mail Run shore excursion in Akaroa.

 

I would avoid this company because it is not unusual for ships to not stop in Akaroa.  We only learnt that we weren't stopping, whilst we were waiting to disembark, which was a shock because seas were calm at the time.  We did not pay for our booked mail run, with the postman.  We were really disappointed, for us and the mail run operator, but passengers are at the mercy of the Captain's decision based on weather/sea conditions.  

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

I looked on their website and see that they (at least now) have a statement which warns that they won't give a refund if the space isn't cancelled in the time required.  So I guess it's defiitely a bit of a risk.

 

Akaroa looks like an absolutely beautiful little place.  I'll be really disappointed if we aren't able to make our planned stop there. But I've also learned to accept the fact that sometimes those itinerary changes are needed, and also that there's way more involved in the decision making in addition to how calm the sea looks at the time or how blue the sky is.

[CRUZGAL53]

There were 6 of us booked on this tour. We had seen the verbiage told that if we cancelled less than 30 days in advance of the tour, that we'd lose 20%. As soon as we were informed about the cancellation due to Coronavirus (29 days prior), we immediately let this company know. We first were told that we would be refunded minus 20% (which was stated) plus another 10% administration fee (which we had not been in formed of). After sending numerous frustrating emails, it was decided by Jeff and Suzy to waive the 20% fee, however we were still charged the 10% fee. When our credit came through it was refunded in NZD which when converted to USD with the current rate gave us a loss of approximately $25.00 per couple. We don't feel that the customer should lose money on a tour that had to be cancelled beyond our control. We were informed " There is nothing what we could do from our end". Very disappointing!!

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Made it to Akaroa; made it on the Mail Run.  Lots of fun, very worthwhile.  Hope others make it.  Visited the Giants House afterwards - also very worthwhile. Loved Akaroa.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Yes, some of us have lost monies due to weather or COVID related cancellations.  But remember that shore excursion vendors can also get severely hit with lost revenue and be just as frustrated and disappointed as you.  If the contractual agreement says you cannot recover, then you should have no complaints.

 

Suggest you check with your travel insurance to see if it covers any of your losses.

[jeno]

We went on the mail run in 2019.  Loved it, although part way through the driver was on the phone and acted strangely. After we were done with the tour we found out that the Mosque shootings in Christ Church had just taken place and was in lockdown. We were driving back there and a man got out of his car and flagged us down to tell us.  He helped us make a plan of what to do until we could get back into Christ Church and  to our hotel. Sent us to a pub and the owners were great and offered us lodging there. I just found it very odd that he didn’t even mention it.  
Even though it was foggy, it was an outstanding tour.