Dream Tours in Villefranche????

[Queenk2]

I had read good things about Dream Tours on this site and booked a day in Villefranche earlier this month...as we had been to this area before I had requested and Allain had confirmed that we would go to Nice first thing as we were there on a Saturday and I knew the market area would be quite busy, Cannes and St. Paul de Vence. I tried to reach him before we left to confirm one last time but heard from someone on the ship that he was having computer problems. He did respond while we were on ship to advise that there would be 3 other people on our tour - I had made it clear that we were prepared to go on our own if necessary. We were somewhat surprised to find out at the van that the people were interested in seeing Eze and Monaco and this is what they had been promised - I felt badly for them as this was their first trip to this area. So here we were in the van and a compromise was reached and we ended up going to Eze, a brief stop in Nice, St. Paul and Monaco. Was I happy - absolutely not! Had I made my expectations clear to Allain - absolutely as I had the emails to confirm. Did we enjoy our day - yes as the south of France is beautiful and our driver very good but it was NOT the trip I had planned and if we'd known this was to occur we would just have taken the train to Cannes and Nice and seen what we wanted for less money. Will we use this service again no!!...I should just have insisted on a driver for two and all would have been fine.

Well, I just cancelled Dream-tours for the reason mentioned by the above poster. After reading this post, I contacted Alain and was told that they do indeed add people because their buses hold 8-not the 4 that our group contains. I explained that the website is misleading...quoting a price for 4 people. Alain insured me that the policy will be explained in the future on his web site. If in fact I wished to share a tour, I would make the arrangements myself thus insuring that I see what I wish.I found this business practice to be very deceptive and will not do business with this company. I have made other arrangements, BUT wanted you posters here to be aware that adding passengers is something that dream tours will do.If that policy suits you fine... I am sure that all the guides are wonderful. If you have a large group...also fine. My circumstances are different.

Karen

[KnoxvilleSam]

When we were in Villefrance last June, we (party of 4) had to add two people to our tour with Guy of Dream Tours (all arranged by Alain by e-mail) or be prepared to pay the cost of 8 people. Alain was up front about that - he's trying to make money after all. The day was OK with Guy (really enjoyed Nice flower market and St. Paul de Vence, could have skipped Eze, and we had to fly through Monaco/Monte Carlo), but the restaurant he picked for us in Monaco was pretty average and no particular ambience, view or anything else to recommend it. Guy spoke very little English, so I got to use my high school/college French - we didn't really learn much from him.

 

I had also checked on Revelation Tours but Michel Legrand said they had no vans available when we were to be there (I started setting up excursions about 3-4 months in advance). It may well be that doing Nice, St. Paul de Vence and Monaco on your own via trains and buses would be better, much better, and also much less expensive.

 

Sam

[Queenk2]

We ahve hired revelation in place of Dream- torus. I am paying for the van, not the number of people. I have no problem with that...it was all up front.

Karen

[Queenk2]

To be clear,

If we wanted have only 4 poeple in our cars, we would buy just cars and not minivan.

Our rules are :

If you are 4 and I don't get another booking that day, the price is 480€ so 120euros per person

If you are 4 and you want the car just for you it is 600€ or 150 euros per person

If you are 4 and I get a booking from 2 who wish to share a minivan a discount the price, it is 570euros so 95euros/person

I understand your trouble and I will explain the rules on my web site.

Best regards

Alain

 

 

This is the response I received when I cancelled his tour. He even admits that it is NOT explained on his website. Ultimately he has you....you either pay or he adds others ot the tour. Assuming you are going in season, I am SURE he gets many requests for the day. His prices are no higher than the others, but his quoted prices do NOT match up to the actual costs IF you want a private tour. How likely is it that the other people he puts in yur van want to see what you do, especially if you have been to the area before?

Karen

[dbh62ark]

Am I the only one that is not understanding what the issue is? Karen, you either reserve the van for the day or you agree to let him find tour mates for you to lower the cost, is that right? When we used Dream Tours, we were given a cost for the van for the day, and then we found tour mates and decided how many passengers to add so that we were in control of how much we wanted to pay and how private to make the tour.

 

Donna

[Queenk2]

Donna,

Originally he quoted us 480E for the day for 4 adults...saying NOTHING about extra charges or adding people. He assured us that we were getting a PRIVATE tour for the 4 of us. I had even discussed itinerary with Alain..that I had been to Fragonard and was uninterested in either a jam factory or a chocolate factory. Later, after I read some information about him adding people to the tour without advance notice, I wrote to Alain for some clarification. He THEN told me that his vans hold 8 and that he "might" add others to the tour. At that point he told me I could have the van as a private tour...if I wanted to pay the 600E. I am paying 600E for Revelation, however they were upfront with the information and did not try to mislead me as Alain originally did. The other people who might join my tour wold want to see other things..who gets to choose? It is NOT the cost I am quibbling with, but rather the manner in which this situation was handled. Had I never read CC, I might have had people I did not know or want...as a previous posted experienced, on my "private"tour. Did I make the situation more understandable for you?

Karen

[dbh62ark]

Did I make the situation more understandable for you?

Karen

Yes, that does make it more clear. I usually form a group on my roll call board or find other passengers who want to follow the same itinerary that we do, so it has not been an issue for us. Some passengers like for the tour operators to help them form groups, so I think that is a service that is provided but may not be needed by some passengers. We ran into that situation in September from Marseille. One of the tour operators that we contacted had a group of 3 that wanted to join our group of 4 (we found more tour mates on the ship and ended up with a group of 8), but they wanted to go to Aix-en-Provence while we wanted to go to Les Baux and Avignon. So we said that we didn't want to share a van with them, but it was all communicated to us, and there was no problem. I agreed to rent the van for the day so was given a price for the van and not per person. When we were last in Villefranche, one of the members of our tour group wanted to go to Cannes. I did not, but it all worked out fine because we traveled on some wonderful scenic roads, so sometimes compromises can work out. But like you, we are returning to visit many Med ports (have been in some several times), so we have more defined ideas about what we do and do not want to do. For example, I would go back to St. Paul de Vence in a heartbeat.

 

So I agree with you that I either want to rent the van or want the tour operator to help me find tour mates that want to tour on the same itinerary.

 

Have a great trip,

Donna

[cmb1216]

I have a reservation with Dream Tours for June 2007 for 4 people (me, husband and 2 kids, ages 6 and 8). I was always qouted a rate of 480 euros for 4 people with no mention that others may be added to my tour. One of the big reasons I picked a private tour was because of the kids. I want the tour centered a little around them to make it fun and interesting for them. I also do not want to have to worry if my kids are bothering someone else on the tour. The reason I picked Dream Tours was because of the price. But if he makes you rent the whole van for 600 euros his price is the same as some others. I guess I need to email him to voice my concerns.

[Queenk2]

Donna,

I have also been in the med many times and also have set ideas about where we want to go. If you read the other posters concerns, they mirror mine exactly.Alain is trying to rope people in with a lower price, AND then hit them with the full price. As I said the 600E is the same as all the others and I have no problem with the price...I just thought and was led to believe that Alain was cheaper. I do NOT like the way he is choosing to do buisness.By the way, I always like your interesting posts.

Karen

Karen

[dbh62ark]

By the way, I always like your interesting posts.

Karen

And I like yours too. :)

 

Donna

[cmb1216]

I just sent the following email to Alain. It will be interesting to see what his response is.

Hi Alain,

I want to confirm with you that our tour will be for just the 4 of us in our party. I have been reading some post on the Cruise Critic message boards that additional people have been added to tours if the van was not full or reserved just for the booking party at additional cost. Please clarify. I am under the impression that our booked tour will be just for the 4 of us in our party. This is the way I want it because of my children. I want a tour that can be catered to them and go at their pace. If we need to take a break or my kids are being kids I do not want to have to worry if we are bothering other people on the tour. Please let me know ASAP. I do not want any surprises.

Thank you for you cooperation.

Sincerely,

Carol Beason

[Queenk2]

This is what I wrote him.

 

Alain,

I just read on cruisecritic that you included other couples in one person's tour. I hope that this will NOT be an issue with my tour as I specifically booked you for only 4 adults.

Thank you,

Karen

 

I will re-post his response simply because it was posted a bit ago and for others reading this for the first time...it makes it more understandable.

 

His response to my note is as follows:

 

This is tTo be clear,

If we wanted have only 4 poeple in our cars, we would buy just cars and not minivan.

Our rules are :

If you are 4 and I don't get another booking that day, the price is 480€ so 120euros per person

If you are 4 and you want the car just for you it is 600€ or 150 euros per person

If you are 4 and I get a booking from 2 who wish to share a minivan a discount the price, it is 570euros so 95euros/person

I understand your trouble and I will explain the rules on my web site.

Best regards

Alain

 

 

I honestly hope you get a friendlier response and a better outcome. I no longer felt like dealing with him and felt that as long as the prices were identical, I would book another company.

Karen

[cmb1216]

Thanks Karen.

[Seatravelers]

Sorry that you all feel that you have been duped because you are missing out on probably the best private tour of the region. We used Dream Tours and took a private - car not mini-van tour of the region. We WANTED to see it all (and told Alain this) and we did - Cannes, Nice, ST. Paul, Eze and Monaco. Our driver was Frederick (Fred) and the day could not have been more perfect. We were willing to pay for a private tour and that is what we got, a car and just the 2 of us. Alain was professional in all our dealings and we would use Dream Tours again without hesitation. It was my birthday and the day couldn't have been more perfect!!!

[Queenk2]

Seatravelers,

I am happy that you enjoyed your tour with dream-tours. However, you neglected to say when you actually toured with them. If you read my post, you will see that I was NOT offered a car, but rather a mini-van. I never doubted that Alain, Fredrick or any of the guides for dream-tours were knowlegable or just as good as any other guide. I DO doubt their business praactices and the fact that NOW IN 2006 they are trying to bait and switch. They offer a tour for 4 at one price(480E)-directly form their website, and then neglect to inform you that they have the right to add to your tour....without prior permission. I am paying as much as they are charging,(600E) with another tour operator... the difference being that this price was noted up front, not after you hire them.The only reason I even thought to question the original quoted price was because of a poster here on the boards and their personal experience with dream-tours. They had other cruisers added to their tour without their prior knowledge or consent. They were embarassed and frankly annoyed because like us, they had been to this area before and wanted a different type of tour. In the end they had to negotiate with strangers in order to make the day as pleasant as possible. Would you be happy under these circumstances?

Karen

[MavisMarie]

I am so happy I've read this thread. I do not like these business practices at all . I am sorry I've provided his name on another post for tour consideration. I would not hire him, no matter how wonderful he is. If you think you're getting one thing and an itinerary *you* have chosen and then you show up and there are other people booked with *their* itinerary.... this doesn't sit well with me at all. There are other fish in the sea. Bad press on Cruise Critic could really cut down on his bookings. He's off my list, for sure.

[Queenk2]

MavisMarie,

I had no intention of ruining Alain's business, I just felt that with all the advice and help I have received here on CruiseCritic,I owed the other travelers a little heads up. If a cruiser is aware of dream-tours way of doing business and choses to use them, fine.I like above board business dealings.

Karen

[Seatravelers]

Karen - we used Dream Tours in August of 2005. We paid 500E for the car for the day as we agreed upon and would do it again in a second. I'm sorry you feel Alain is doing a bait and switch on you but he has now made it very clear in his emails how much he charges, etc.. I can understand how you would not like to have to compromise with strangers but since we have learned not to sweat the small stuff on vacation, I would much rather compromise with 4 strangers than 40 on a tour bus and make the most out of my situation and as an added bonus stay money. Just imho and for what it's worth........

[Queenk2]

I would rather pay 600E to someone else than pay the same 600E to Alain. The price is exactly the same. Quite frankly, I don't sweat the small stuff either, however this is not small stuff to me. I have been to Villefranche before and really want to do an itinerary that is based on the needs of my group and not those of others. Otherwise I could do a standard tour from the ship. I do not think it fair for me, as a seasoned traveler, or for that matter someone who is coming to the area for the first time. We each have different expectations and that is why we opt for a private tour.

Karen

[Glendamcd]

Sorry you are canceling with Dream Tours. We just got back from our Cruise on Royal Carribean-Voyager of the Seas. We used Jean Marc Nicolin-again and again we were delighted with him. This time we had our whole family with us and they said that Jean Marc with Dream Tours was the BEST guide we had on the whole cruise. He is a delight to be with. We previously scheduled a tour two years ago with Jean Marc and requested it be private for my Husband and I. Had no problem, Dream Tours accommodated our request, even though it was a van for 6 in 2004. Jean Marc took us to the Nice Market, The Village of Eze, the Perfume Factory at Eze, The Village of Saint Paul, Monaco, Monte Carlo Casino, The Cathedral at Monaco where Princess Grace is buried. We used Claudio with Limo in Rome and also in Florence, he was very knowledgeable and a wonderful gentleman, Eva Devemy in Marseille and she was very knowledgeable and accommodating. I think she would be more comfortable with Adult tours and not children. Gennaro with Sorrento Limo in Naples and once again his company did a great job with the Amalfi Coast, Amalfi, Ravello and Sorrento (Sorrento was one of our favorite little towns) We loved using our private guides who would change the Itinerary on a dime for us. We wanted to spend more time in Sorrento this time and this was no problem. We had tried to plan Florence and time in San Gimignano but time got too short for San Gimignano, so we switched to a Tuscan tour of Chianti and the Tuscan countryside stopping at a winery and Olive oil farm. We truly loved the trip into the countryside and glad we did it and ended up getting to drive by Pisa for a quick stop at the Leaning Tower for our family members who had not seen it before. Private tours are the best. Only things you need to make sure and ask "Are they licensed Tour Guides with Insurance" and are they licensed to drive a tour. We found out that there is one Lady tour guide in Villefranche that is not licensed, does not have insurance and cannot drive her clients and she must

hire a driver for her tours because it is illegal for her to drive them. I want go into who she is because many Cruise Critic people have used her and love her, but I think everyone should know facts about getting a licensed tour guide. If they are licensed, then they can only get so many points on their drivers license or loose it, which shows their safety record for driving and also if they are licensed they can enter into areas like Florence with their cars, instead of having to walk into Florence which takes up time. With only a few hours on each tour, you need to limit how much walking you have to do to get to a point of interest. Having a private driver sure helps cut down on the walking issues.

[Queenk2]

I have a reservation with Dream Tours for June 2007 for 4 people (me, husband and 2 kids, ages 6 and 8). I was always qouted a rate of 480 euros for 4 people with no mention that others may be added to my tour. One of the big reasons I picked a private tour was because of the kids. I want the tour centered a little around them to make it fun and interesting for them. I also do not want to have to worry if my kids are bothering someone else on the tour. The reason I picked Dream Tours was because of the price. But if he makes you rent the whole van for 600 euros his price is the same as some others. I guess I need to email him to voice my concerns.

I am curious as to the response you received...please let us know!

Karen

[cmb1216]

I am curious as to the response you received...please let us know!

Karen

 

Hi Karen,

I have not heard a response from Alain yet. How long did it take for him to respond to you by email? I sent him my email on 11/11/07. As soon as I hear something I will post it here to let you and anyone else know.

Thanks,

Carol

[Queenk2]

He E mailed me in 24 hours. I personally do not like the fact that he is evading your question. He now knows that all of us here at CC know what he has been trying to do. If he doesn't answer you very soon cancel him and book with someone else. After all, he isn't the only recommedation for Villefrance!

Karen

[cmb1216]

He E mailed me in 24 hours. I personally do not like the fact that he is evading your question. He now knows that all of us here at CC know what he has been trying to do. If he doesn't answer you very soon cancel him and book with someone else. After all, he isn't the only recommedation for Villefrance!

Karen

 

I am going to resend my email to him and see what happens.

Thanks,

Carol

[Queenk2]

Good Luck..please let me know. I am curious if he will handle your request differently than he did mine.

Karen