Celebrity excursion, portugal porto leixoes Geres National Park - why is there a weight limit and will it matter?

[mashisback]

Hoping someone will have done this and have an explination? 

I want to book this trip but it says weight limit of 220lbs which seems low and i cant work out what could be the reason for a weight limit. I am about 235 at the moment 🙈

Can i risk booking before i have lost enough weight? Here is the rundown... i cant see reason for the limit??

 

 

Edited August 8, 2021 by mashisback

[BigAl94]

This is for insurance reasons and is imposed given the strenuous nature of the tour.

[Ipeeinthepools]

1 hour ago, mashisback said:

Hoping someone will have done this and have an explination? 

I want to book this trip but it says weight limit of 220lbs which seems low and i cant work out what could be the reason for a weight limit. I am about 235 at the moment 🙈

Can i risk booking before i have lost enough weight? Here is the rundown... i cant see reason for the limit??

 

 

 

Looks like you will be walking on some trails and maybe through a creek and this could be some distance from any motorized vehicle.  If something happened and they would need to carry you out.  Apparently 220 lbs is the weight limit for what they feel they can do safely.  If you look like you are close to the limit they may weigh you before you leave.

[hcat]

I'd  call  or email the tour operator or the  X excursion number to  discuss it. Does seem like a low limit..

 

If part of the trip is via a tram with bench seating..they have limited space. We were crammed in once in Gr Cayman due to larger guests in our our row ..very uncomfortable!

 

[mashisback]

Im aiming to get under 220 before the cruise but its a lot of weight to lose so I cannot be sure I will achieve it.

 

I wouldn't say I look like I weigh as much as I do, I am in proportion, probably the shape of an average 5ft 11 rugby player.

 

I should be close enough to the 220lb that I can say that I was under it when I booked it. if they do weigh me and stop me going on it, would they refund me? If it is because of seating, I think there would be people weighing less that 220lb who would take up more space than me.

 

Its the trip I would most like to go on out of the whole cruise so I don't want to miss out. I guess it might be worth ringing celebrity but I don't want to flag myself as 'need to weigh' 😄

[Ipeeinthepools]

8 minutes ago, mashisback said:

Im aiming to get under 220 before the cruise but its a lot of weight to lose so I cannot be sure I will achieve it.

 

I wouldn't say I look like I weigh as much as I do, I am in proportion, probably the shape of an average 5ft 11 rugby player.

 

I should be close enough to the 220lb that I can say that I was under it when I booked it. if they do weigh me and stop me going on it, would they refund me? If it is because of seating, I think there would be people weighing less that 220lb who would take up more space than me.

 

Its the trip I would most like to go on out of the whole cruise so I don't want to miss out. I guess it might be worth ringing celebrity but I don't want to flag myself as 'need to weigh' 😄

 

I doubt it's because of seating.  Many other trips have a weight limit.  It's about the ability to rescue you from a bad situation and the insurance companies wanting to confirm that you could get help if you needed it.

[Fouremco]

The final bullet before the restrictions listing describes activity that would require a degree of physical fitness that might be lacking in passengers exceeding the weight limit. Rather than providing fitness tests, a weight limit has been imposed, one probably assigned by the insurance company based on the huge volume of data they possess. 

 

As they probably won't weigh you, how you look is probably as important as how much you weigh. But if something goes wrong and you need to be evacuated, you might face a charge for all associated costs if you are found to be over the weight limit.

[Jim_Iain]

We were on a cruise in South America and they had a weight limitation and the tour had a warning of lots of walking and uneven surfaces, but  some did not abide an no one was checked.

 

To make a long story short,   a rather portly woman fell on the trail in a slippery area and couldn't get up.   The whole tour had to wait about 1 1/2 hours while they called for assistance and it took 5 men to get her back to the bus.   Needless to say she was not the most popular person on the tour as we had to miss two stops on our tour.

[mashisback]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

The final bullet before the restrictions listing describes activity that would require a degree of physical fitness that might be lacking in passengers exceeding the weight limit. Rather than providing fitness tests, a weight limit has been imposed, one probably assigned by the insurance company based on the huge volume of data they possess. 

 

As they probably won't weigh you, how you look is probably as important as how much you weigh. But if something goes wrong and you need to be evacuated, you might face a charge for all associated costs if you are found to be over the weight limit.

I don't want to tempt fate... but I would say I am likely to be one of the fitter ones on the tour, more because of my age (35) and the fact I still do some sports ... I know it doesn't mean I will not get hurt, I appreciate things can happen to anyone, but I do think that looking at me wouldn't raise concerns.... also there must be leeway because there would be people who weigh 225 with clothes on etc... but can truthfully declare they weigh less than 220.

 

I guess the right thing for me to do is delay booking until I know it looks like I am much closer to the 220 limit

 

 

[JennAngel9]

56 minutes ago, mashisback said:

I guess the right thing for me to do is delay booking until I know it looks like I am much closer to the 220 limit

 

 

One other option is to try to find a tour operator you can book with directly, explain your situation, and see if they will take you whether you are 219, 221, or 235. 

[mashisback]

10 minutes ago, JennAngel9 said:

One other option is to try to find a tour operator you can book with directly, explain your situation, and see if they will take you whether you are 219, 221, or 235. 

This might get on to a completely different subject but...

 

How easy is it to find other trusted tour operators in different ports? Is their a general website for this maybe with reviews etc? 

 

I have 3 ports that nothing on celebrity has took my fancy, mainly because we have a 9 year old and would prefer to find some things more geared towards him than the usual maturer audience celebrity mainly caters for. 

[Fouremco]

1 minute ago, mashisback said:

This might get on to a completely different subject but...

 

How easy is it to find other trusted tour operators in different ports? Is their a general website for this maybe with reviews etc? 

 

I have 3 ports that nothing on celebrity has took my fancy, mainly because we have a 9 year old and would prefer to find some things more geared towards him than the usual maturer audience celebrity mainly caters for. 

Google. Pick a port and search the port name and "shore excursion". The more you read, the more easily you will identify operators who have been in business for a number of years and consistently get  good ratings. Also look at the Ports of Call board here on CC.

 

We almost never use ship's outings and rely on this method to find our excursions. We have yet to be disappointed with our choices. It takes time, especially with port intensive sailings, but it's well worth the effort IMO. 

[sanger727]

I really doubt they will weigh you for a bus tour. It’s probably on there so if you show up weighing 350 lbs they can point to that to refuse boarding. I get that it’s probably an insurance issue and for a rescue makes sense. If it’s meant to be related to fitness at all it doesn’t. I’m a short female. If I weighed 220 I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t even be able to climb a flight of stairs. But my DH has a large stature and is over 250. I wouldn’t consider him ‘fit’ but he could certainly handle an all day walking tour.

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, mashisback said:

This might get on to a completely different subject but...

 

How easy is it to find other trusted tour operators in different ports? Is their a general website for this maybe with reviews etc? 

 

I have 3 ports that nothing on celebrity has took my fancy, mainly because we have a 9 year old and would prefer to find some things more geared towards him than the usual maturer audience celebrity mainly caters for. 

 

Try Tripadvisor.

[JennAngel9]

On 8/8/2021 at 1:01 PM, mashisback said:

This might get on to a completely different subject but...

 

How easy is it to find other trusted tour operators in different ports? Is their a general website for this maybe with reviews etc? 

 

I have 3 ports that nothing on celebrity has took my fancy, mainly because we have a 9 year old and would prefer to find some things more geared towards him than the usual maturer audience celebrity mainly caters for. 

We have used a combination of Viator, TripAdvisor, and Ports of Call here on Cruise Critic-- If you are going to a common port, there are usually a lot of cruisers in the ports of call threads recommending certain operators, and that's always my first choice because when traveling by ship and taking independent excursions, it's important to find an operator who always gets you back to the dock on time. 🙂

 

For less common cruise ports, we often end up looking at tripadvisor or viator, and we also make sure to return to the ship earlier if it's somewhere we wouldn't want to miss the boat!

[LGW59]

On 8/8/2021 at 3:52 AM, mashisback said:

Hoping someone will have done this and have an explination? 

I want to book this trip but it says weight limit of 220lbs which seems low and i cant work out what could be the reason for a weight limit. I am about 235 at the moment 🙈

Can i risk booking before i have lost enough weight? Here is the rundown... i cant see reason for the limit??

 

 

When is the date of the cruise, could not tell by what you attached.  If you feel confident that you can drop to the weight requirement in that period of time, I would by all means book it, just to reserve your spot.  Assuming it is refundable, you can always cancel and get your $ back.  Best of luck, hope this works out for you!!

[drowelf]

On 8/8/2021 at 4:13 PM, Fouremco said:

Google. Pick a port and search the port name and "shore excursion". The more you read, the more easily you will identify operators who have been in business for a number of years and consistently get  good ratings. Also look at the Ports of Call board here on CC.

All those methods and check out your Roll Call for that cruise here on Cruise Critic. You may find that their already is an alternative excursion available. We also do very few ships excursions, as we find that we can do them as small groups and at less cost by booking our own. The only times we end up doing ships excursions is when we have an abundance of non-refundable OBC that needs to be disposed of. 

[CynthiaP]

Mashisback - you will be just fine. You're young and in good shape, you're not going to have any problem. They won't weigh you. I've been on Nat Geo trips where they warn you about the difficulty and there's always some 80+ year old on the excursion. Or Rick Steves tours that warn you may need to carry your bag up several flights of stairs - and an 86 yo guy asked me where the elevator was at. All cruise lines call some excursions "strenuous". We joke that means you can't walk up a flight of stairs.

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, CynthiaP said:

Mashisback - you will be just fine. You're young and in good shape, you're not going to have any problem. They won't weigh you. I've been on Nat Geo trips where they warn you about the difficulty and there's always some 80+ year old on the excursion. Or Rick Steves tours that warn you may need to carry your bag up several flights of stairs - and an 86 yo guy asked me where the elevator was at. All cruise lines call some excursions "strenuous". We joke that means you can't walk up a flight of stairs.

 

Yes this.  We're on Celebrity not Viking.  Viking pax sometimes have to think about whether they can do excursions.  (I've been on several Viking trips.  My husband won't do Viking anymore because it's not active enough.  I still like it.)

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, drowelf said:

All those methods and check out your Roll Call for that cruise here on Cruise Critic. You may find that their already is an alternative excursion available. We also do very few ships excursions, as we find that we can do them as small groups and at less cost by booking our own. The only times we end up doing ships excursions is when we have an abundance of non-refundable OBC that needs to be disposed of. 

Good point, one I forgot to mention. Not only do I look at current roll call, but I look at past ones to see what people have done and enjoyed. 

[kathynorth]

On 8/8/2021 at 2:50 PM, mashisback said:

I don't want to tempt fate... but I would say I am likely to be one of the fitter ones on the tour, more because of my age (35) and the fact I still do some sports ... I know it doesn't mean I will not get hurt, I appreciate things can happen to anyone, but I do think that looking at me wouldn't raise concerns.... also there must be leeway because there would be people who weigh 225 with clothes on etc... but can truthfully declare they weigh less than 220.

 

I guess the right thing for me to do is delay booking until I know it looks like I am much closer to the 220 limit

 

 

 

You could always book the Celebrity tour and then cancel it a couple days before the trip if you don't think you'll meet the criteria. Last time I checked Celebrity gave 100% refund for cancellations made within 48hrs of the excursion. 

[mashisback]

On 8/11/2021 at 12:08 AM, CynthiaP said:

Mashisback - you will be just fine. You're young and in good shape, you're not going to have any problem. They won't weigh you. I've been on Nat Geo trips where they warn you about the difficulty and there's always some 80+ year old on the excursion. Or Rick Steves tours that warn you may need to carry your bag up several flights of stairs - and an 86 yo guy asked me where the elevator was at. All cruise lines call some excursions "strenuous". We joke that means you can't walk up a flight of stairs.

Thank you, this made me feel a lot more comfortable x

[ScubesDad]

On 8/8/2021 at 1:22 PM, Jim_Iain said:

We were on a cruise in South America and they had a weight limitation and the tour had a warning of lots of walking and uneven surfaces, but  some did not abide an no one was checked.

 

To make a long story short,   a rather portly woman fell on the trail in a slippery area and couldn't get up.   The whole tour had to wait about 1 1/2 hours while they called for assistance and it took 5 men to get her back to the bus.   Needless to say she was not the most popular person on the tour as we had to miss two stops on our tour.

 

We had a very similar experience about 12-14 years ago on a trek through a rain forest.  The excursion had several warnings, and one individual had some health issues which restricted how fast we could proceed.  Needless to say they became quite unpopular.

[mashisback]

1 hour ago, ScubesDad said:

 

We had a very similar experience about 12-14 years ago on a trek through a rain forest.  The excursion had several warnings, and one individual had some health issues which restricted how fast we could proceed.  Needless to say they became quite unpopular.

I shall make sure I jog ahead so I don't become a burden on the group!