Excursion Companies with Cancellation Policy if Missed Port?

[lisa928]

We have a cruise to Iceland in July and I am looking for an excursion when we visit Grundafjordur, but so far those I have found have a 24 hour cancellation policy which won't work if we cannot tender.  Does anyone know excursion companies with a refund policy that would accomidate us if we miss the port?

 

I found ArcticShorex so far but they have no excursions on the day we will be there.

[marys350]

You might want to check out Iceland Everywhere Tours website and reviews on Tripadvisor. They have some tours specifically for cruise ship passengers, including one in Grundafjordur. We have booked a Golden Circle tour with them in Reykjavik in June, 2024. Their website clearly describes their cancellation/refund policy, when ships are unable to dock/tender due to weather conditions. They also responded promptly to my email questions before we decided to book our tour. 

https://www.icelandeverywhere.is/tours-for-cruise-ship-passengers/

 

Edited April 28 by marys350

[Levanah]

We have a Golden Circle Tour also with Iceland Everywhere and booked due to their cancellation/refund policy after eliminating other companies who would not offer this kind of policy.  They have been excellent in terms of email communication.

[edinburgher]

On 4/28/2024 at 7:18 PM, lisa928 said:

so far those I have found have a 24 hour cancellation policy which won't work if we cannot tender

Is it possible you were looking at third party shorex vendors, such as Viator instead of actual tour operators?  Third party vendors are middlemen not tour providors, so you would not always know which company they would be booking you with and would also be tied to their own cancellation policies which may be different from those of the actual providor.

Edited April 30 by edinburgher

[ericosmith]

I think most of us are accustomed to the Caribbean where the vast bulk of the tour business is from cruise ships.  In Iceland and most other countries the bulk of the tour business comes from land based tourists.  This I think lends itself more to the 24 hour cancelation policy.  

[lisa928]

20 hours ago, edinburgher said:

Is it possible you were looking at third party shorex vendors, such as Viator instead of actual tour operators?  Third party vendors are middlemen not tour providors, so you would not always know which company they would be booking you with and would also be tied to their own cancellation policies which may be different from those of the actual providor.

Thanks, I knew better than that and have been looking for independent vendors as opposed to third parties.  I agree with the other comment about most excursions are from land-based customers but have found a couple that mention cruises and a special policy related to them.  One didn't have Grundafjordur excursions and the other did not operate on the day we will be there.  I am still on the hunt but if anyone has experience with one, please let me know.

[edinburgher]

3 hours ago, lisa928 said:

I am still on the hunt but if anyone has experience with one, please let me know.

No experience, sorry, but as it is proving so problematic to find a tour, have you considered simply doing your own thing there?

 

If you have not already done so, and I suspect you may have, try googling something like "things to do in Grundarfjordur", which could bring helpful results including a link to the local Tourist information wesite  Grundarfjordur.is

 

Or there may be some info or ideas to be found in past threads.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=grundarfjordur&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=2705

[lisa928]

48 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

No experience, sorry, but as it is proving so problematic to find a tour, have you considered simply doing your own thing there?

 

If you have not already done so, and I suspect you may have, try googling something like "things to do in Grundarfjordur", which could bring helpful results including a link to the local Tourist information wesite  Grundarfjordur.is

 

Or there may be some info or ideas to be found in past threads.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=grundarfjordur&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=2705

Our fall back is the Kirkjufell falls which seem walkable, but family is very interested in seeing the Puffins, which cannot be done without an excursion.  Either way I am sure it will work out.

[edinburgher]

1 minute ago, lisa928 said:

Either way I am sure it will work out.

Any where away is better than any other day at home!😁

[CountessP]

check out Venture Ashore.  If the ship does not dock, they refund your money, or so it says.

Regarding tenders, they accommodate the ship's schedule, so if the ship tenders, they should adjust their schedule accordingly.  That's what I'm assuming!