Jump to content

Tips for organizing private shore tours


OldBoot
 Share

Recommended Posts

I've only ever used the cruise lines shore excursions. I see that many of you are veterans when it comes to using private tour operators instead. There are some names which keep popping up as reliable tour operators and I'm game to try.

 

When it comes to booking something and looking for other cruisers to share the tour, what are some tips to keep in mind? I understand about sharing the info on a roll call, but am wondering more about making sure that folks enjoy the shared time together on a private tour.

 

Care to share your tips?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some things I have found helpful:

 

1. Be honest and upfront in your description of the tour and what it entails. If you want to have "no shopping stops", or if it's a strenuous tour with lots of walking, be sure that everyone knows it. Point them in the direction of the guide/agency website and also to any good reviews for that particular guide or tour.

 

2. Once people sign up, make sure they understand that they need to let you personally know by email if their plans change and they no longer want to be on your tour.

 

3. Set a cut-off date after which anyone still signed up for the tour agrees to be responsible for their portion. It's unpleasant and difficult when people back out at the last minute and you may not be able to fill their spots. (It's up to you to decide what that cut-off point should be.)

 

4. Check in pleasantly with your fellow tour goers every so often. Maybe forward them an email with links to more information about where you are going on the tour.

 

5. Make sure everyone on the tour knows where to meet on the day of the tour. Reconfirm it onboard ship if you can with everyone. (People are excited; they forget...)

 

6. Decide how to handle the guide's tip (if any) -- will everyone tip on their own, etc? This may seem too detailed but trust me, people will ask you.

 

7. Don't try to make a profit on a tour. Split the costs evenly with everyone. (Believe it or not, some do this.)

 

Aside from these things, which should set a pleasant stage where everyone knows what to expect, you really shouldn't need to do much on the tour itself.

 

Oh and if something goes wrong, despite your doing all your due diligence, cultivate the ability to shrug it off. It helps. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've only ever used the cruise lines shore excursions. I see that many of you are veterans when it comes to using private tour operators instead. There are some names which keep popping up as reliable tour operators and I'm game to try.

 

When it comes to booking something and looking for other cruisers to share the tour, what are some tips to keep in mind? I understand about sharing the info on a roll call, but am wondering more about making sure that folks enjoy the shared time together on a private tour.

 

Care to share your tips?

Hi,

 

I have done lots of private tours for just the two of us. I have arranged a few in which I advertised on the roll call for folks to join in on semi private tours. However, I only used tour companies where the individuals interested needed to contact the tour company directly, Provide their information and agree to payment. That way you and the others who show up are not responsible for the no shows. (Barcelona Day Tours was a great company to work with. Private Greece Tours is also excellent)

 

Also, do not use a company that requires you to pay in advance.

 

Most important, if there is free time, make sure everyone knows the exact meeting time and place. Be politely firm on this.

 

It is a lot of fun to join a small group. You will find people very happy to go with you and you will see so much more than the ship tours.

 

Where are you going?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

- Be CRYSTAL CLEAR in all your communications: Where, when, what to bring, etc. People get nervous about transportation, so share the details of your plan. As someone else said, be clear on whether you're including shopping stops, lunch, or whatever else.

 

- If appropriate, differentiate between island time and ship's time.

 

- Avoid meeting places that are easily confused; for example, the pool bar and the sky bar and the solarium bar are ALL near enough the pool that someone could legitimately go to the wrong place . . . but there's only one Johnny Rockets and only one rock wall; therefore, those make better meeting places. They're also not likely to be crowded on port mornings. YOU, as the group's coordinator, should be early to meet the participants.

 

- Avoid handling the money yourself. Instead, recruit people through your roll call and tell them how to make their own reservations. This means it's clear that you're not trying to pay for your own excursion by recruiting others, nor are you going to get stuck paying for a no-show.

 

- Collect phone numbers ahead of time so you can call a late-arrival, but make it clear (nicely) that the group will not sacrifice its excursion for someone who just couldn't manage to be on time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi,

 

I have done lots of private tours for just the two of us. I have arranged a few in which I advertised on the roll call for folks to join in on semi private tours. However, I only used tour companies where the individuals interested needed to contact the tour company directly, Provide their information and agree to payment. That way you and the others who show up are not responsible for the no shows. (Barcelona Day Tours was a great company to work with. Private Greece Tours is also excellent)

 

Also, do not use a company that requires you to pay in advance.

 

Most important, if there is free time, make sure everyone knows the exact meeting time and place. Be politely firm on this.

 

It is a lot of fun to join a small group. You will find people very happy to go with you and you will see so much more than the ship tours.

 

Where are you going?

 

Sounds do-able. I am starting to get a bit of a headache contemplating rounding up potential strays though. We're sailing HAL's Rotterdam from Athens to London.

 

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds do-able. I am starting to get a bit of a headache contemplating rounding up potential strays though. We're sailing HAL's Rotterdam from Athens to London.

 

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Forums mobile app

 

Keep your group(s) small. Less chance of someone being a no-show. I wouldn't put together a group of more than 8, personally. Otherwise it loses a lot of the benefit of being a small tour.

 

As a side note, good luck putting together private tours on Rotterdam. I have found HAL cruisers the least inclined to take private tours of any line I've cruised (and generally have less active roll calls as well).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can see a small group would be manageable. I was beginning to have visions of travel agent 101. Lol. Sorry to hear you've had bad luck trying to get HAL cruisers interested in private tours. I wonder if I'll have the same experience.

 

On another note, how do you select your tour's departure time? If the ship is in port at 8 am, for example, and you want to get an early start, is a tour time of 8:15am do-able? (Tour operators give leeway for disembarking time?)

 

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just as an aside, if you arrange a tour at a tender port, you'll have to wait in line behind the ship's tours and elites before your group can get on a tender.

 

We try to meet in an area near bathrooms/coffee and all walk out together. I agree with cruisemom. Max your tours at 8. Call or leave a note for everyone the night before in their cabins to remind of cost, meeting place and time, what-if anything- they need to bring.

 

When I arrange a tour, the cost is evenly split between the participants and everyone knows up front that they are responsible for tipping based on their degree of satisfaction. I may think a tour is great, that you don't like. Also, different cultures/nationalities have differing opinions and customs regarding tipping. I don't want to impose my tipping customs on anyone else. Make sure to clearly state what currency the payment is to be made.

 

We usually pay our shares individually with the tip, but one time (not on a tour I arranged, but participated in), someone shorted the guide about 50% of the cost. When the guide counted it out, there wasn't enough even with peoples tips included. Everyone said how much they gave and it was obvious who didn't pay correctly, although they denied it. We all chipped in more, but the guide was shafted and all we could do was remember the names of the member and never include them again. BAD FORM!!! :rolleyes: (BTW, this was one of the best tours we've ever been on anywhere!!!)

 

In spite of a few mishaps, it is definitely worth it to do small tours with an experienced, reputable guide. You'll get to the attraction before the 40+ passenger bus is even loaded. If you're lucky, you'll stay ahead of the buses the whole day. The driver may be able to drop you and your guide at a site and go somewhere to park, rather than parking far away and walking. Small vehicles have def advantages.

Edited by 5326jan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I took the plunge and am organizing a private tour. I just ran into a small snag...I'd like to communicate with my tour participants via email. It appears the Cruise Critic message board does not allow private messages? What am I missing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I took the plunge and am organizing a private tour. I just ran into a small snag...I'd like to communicate with my tour participants via email. It appears the Cruise Critic message board does not allow private messages? What am I missing?

 

 

Nothing. I've only joined private tours and had to send my email to the person organizing. And they have always been on HAL so don't let that throw you off. And I second the watch the timing in tender ports, we waited 90 minutes to get off the ship. not happy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So I took the plunge and am organizing a private tour. I just ran into a small snag...I'd like to communicate with my tour participants via email. It appears the Cruise Critic message board does not allow private messages? What am I missing?

 

set up an email address that you can use specifically to post on your roll call for tour partners to contact you

that way you minimise junk mail or if your usual email contains your real name you don't lose your cruisecritic anonymity

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also, once you are onboard, be discreet about your private tour plans. For instance, collecting money at your ship-sponsored meet-n-mingle is a big no-no. Some cruise lines take a very dim view of privately organized tours. Makes sense when you think about it -- cuts into their profit margin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

set up an email address that you can use specifically to post on your roll call for tour partners to contact you

that way you minimise junk mail or if your usual email contains your real name you don't lose your cruisecritic anonymity

 

I can do that. Silly follow-up question then....I would post my email address in my roll call message board post, right?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We like groups of 8. Fits in one van, easy to control, easy for everyone to hear the guide and stick together in crowds.

 

What worked for us:

Clearly say things like "minimal shopping", "lots of photo stops" or "lots of walking, will be moving quickly" to be sure that like-minded people join your group.

 

Yet, our most fun day was in Marseilles, France. Our group of 8 included two couples whom we'd never met before. Our guide (booked in advance) offered us any combination of olive grove, citrus grove, winery, castles, art exhibits, shopping, churches, flea market/city center, ice cream and scenery.

 

We ended up with churches, a walk through the city center to a market where we bought cheese, bread, fruit, wine, ham and olives. We drove to an olive press where we tasted (and bought) olive oil. Next to a ruined castle on top of a hill where we had a picnic lunch. Next past an art gallery, but we opted to keep driving when we saw school groups lined up. Last in another city center with a church, merry-go-round and ferris wheel and ice cream.

 

We saw France. Not Paris, but France... and loved every minute.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks. I did check in with Cruise Critic help and their suggestion was to have tour participants check in with the tour operator, which of course doesn't really work out.

 

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I being naive if I expect tour participants to pay the tour operator the day of the excursion? I know some of you have specifically stated to organize tours where each person contacts the tour operator in advance to make arrangements, but the tour I was hoping to do doesn't have that option. I really don't want to end up footing the bill for a group of 8. (And I was hoping not to handle any money at all, except for what I owe of course.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I being naive if I expect tour participants to pay the tour operator the day of the excursion? I know some of you have specifically stated to organize tours where each person contacts the tour operator in advance to make arrangements, but the tour I was hoping to do doesn't have that option. I really don't want to end up footing the bill for a group of 8. (And I was hoping not to handle any money at all, except for what I owe of course.)

 

We have never paid ahead. Most tour operators/guides expect payment at the end of our tour. Each participant pays their share at that time. There was only one occasion that I had to put down a deposit and it was equal to twenty-five percent of the fare. Since we were a tour of 8, that was the amount for DH and myself, so I was willing to gamble our share. It worked out fine.

 

You need to have a sense of who your participants will be. The roll call should give you an opportunity to get a feel for them. I will say, that sometimes I've gotten "lurkers" that don't really participate in the conversations on the roll call, but read them and want to participate in tours. Don't discount them. Some people prefer to remain anonymous. I post an email address that I only use on CC. Spell it out so spammers don't pick up the email. so and so dot com Over a period of time, you will correspond with the lurkers by email and get to know them. Keep a waiting list in case you have someone cancel or give you reason to doubt their intent.

Edited by 5326jan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Am I being naive if I expect tour participants to pay the tour operator the day of the excursion? I know some of you have specifically stated to organize tours where each person contacts the tour operator in advance to make arrangements, but the tour I was hoping to do doesn't have that option. I really don't want to end up footing the bill for a group of 8. (And I was hoping not to handle any money at all, except for what I owe of course.)

 

You're not being naive. I've arranged tours this way. Never been stuck with a no-show, although my sister had this happen once with one couple. (Out of many tours arranged.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, MrsPete, things are getting a bit like being on the job. I'm having second thoughts about the extra bother!

 

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Forums mobile app

I'm not sure I would want to organize this for people beyond my own family. It would be effort.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Via roll calls, I've organized 6 private tours and participated in 4 organized by others. I've also organized private transfers to/from port. Each time, I've learned from experience. While it does entail work, it's something I enjoy doing for many reasons- getting a quality experience, meeting and becoming acquainted with cruisemates and saving money!

 

If you are the organizer, decide on the itinerary that works for you and then invite others to participate, giving a full description including degree of difficulty.

 

Have interested folk email you as suggested by others already. A response via a post on the roll call isn't sufficient guarantee that the poster is committed.

 

Offer to forward the tour provider's documentation to participants for their records (and peace of mind that you're legit!)

 

Obtain full names and cabin numbers of participants so that you can contact them once aboard. Try to meet them at Sailaway, or meet & greet if possible.

 

Set up a meeting time (no later than 20 minutes before disembarking)

via email pre-cruise and make reminder calls once aboard. Choose an area that's little used at that hour, a lounge maybe.

 

Have participants bring the monies owed in an envelope, collect it and count it out in front of them. Some operators want payment at the outset and that's okay with me so that I'm not holding all that cash. Waiting to collect from participants til the end of the tour could lead to shortchanges as described in other posts

 

Leave the ship en masse.

 

Allow for some deviations- e.g. one on tour I organized some participants preferred not to eat lunch and that was fine with me so long as we agreed on a time and place to meet up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...