Question about Rony's Independent Tours

[CarivalGlory11/29]

I caved in and got Rony's Independent Tour for 2 at $40 a piece. It really isn't that much is it is true that we have him(or whoever is our tour guide) the whole day.

My question is that I recieved a confirmation email from him stating that I should print it out and take it to the meeting place the day of. I am confused. I filled out request info and below is the email I received. He did not give a time to meet up and he did not ask for a deposit.

Is this typical? Or am I just jumping the gun and he will send more instructions and such later....I just want to make sure we are actually booked with no surprises the day of.......

Thanks for your help! See email below...


Thank You for choosing Rony's Tours!

Please print a copy of this confirmation page and bring it with You to the Rony's Independent Tours Representatives*****

We will be waiting for You at the Cruiseship dock.
As You exit Your Ship, stay to the left (ocean side) toward Gate 7. Please exit the dock through the gate, Past the various Ship- sponsored tours. You will then need to cross the small street, And look for RONY'S TOURS SIGN, Our sign will be prominently displayed, Across the street from the main security gate number ( 7 )

Rony's Tours Representatives, Will greet You on the sidewalk, In front and side of the Rony's Tours Sign.

We will NOT have any representatives inside the tour booth, Only across the street from the main security gate number ( 7 )

You will see Rony or one of His representatives holding a Sign with the name of RONY'S TOURS.

Please, Please, Be advised, Many other independent tour Company want Your business, Too! We pride ourselves on our tours, And are happy that You have selected Rony's Tours as Your host during Your Roatan port of call stop! You will be Approached by representatives of many of these tour Companies. We kindly ask, That You please tell them Your tour is already set to (GO), And head toward the Rony's Tours Sign, Across the street from the main security gate number ( 7 ).

Please keep in mind, The faster You get off the Ship... And the faster You make it to a Rony's Tours representatives, The quicker Your tour can begin, This will insure a nice, long , relaxing tour of our beautiful Island.

We will respond to the information request that You have submited to us below soon ( to the email address provided)-- Please check Your spam folder, Incase our reply to You gets lost or misdirected! And, A couples days for a response as aur Internet is Not the best

Thanks again! Please print a copy this confirmation form and bring it to a Rony's Tours representatives... It will help us match you with the correct guide.

Rony Bennett

Owner- Rony's Tours.

[mystone99]

Originally Posted by CarivalGlory11/29

I caved in and got Rony's Independent Tour for 2 at $40 a piece. It really isn't that much is it is true that we have him(or whoever is our tour guide) the whole day.

My question is that I recieved a confirmation email from him stating that I should print it out and take it to the meeting place the day of. I am confused. I filled out request info and below is the email I received. He did not give a time to meet up and he did not ask for a deposit.

Is this typical? Or am I just jumping the gun and he will send more instructions and such later....I just want to make sure we are actually booked with no surprises the day of.......

Hi. DW and I also booked with Rony for Dec. 4 and received a similar e-mail. He then sent us a follow-up e-mail about two days later. We've e-mailed him with questions since (especially with new port opening up) and he has always responded back same or next day.
My understanding is he will be waiting for us when we get off the (Carnival) Legend, so the sooner you are off the more time you spend on the tour. He also said we pay when the tour ends.

I hope this helps. We'll be in Roatan in just 19 days.

Mike and Lorie

[arlodog]

This is not unusual. The e-mail is your confirmation of your tour. Many of the tour operators do not require a deposit and do not accept credit cards due to the fees associated with them. They are relying on your word that you will show up--no set time, they will wait for you. Many times the ships will debark those who have tours scheduled through the ship first so just get off as soon a possible so you can begin your private tour. Just bring the cash for the tour and extras for tip and items you may want to buy during the day.

It appears that they want you to know that you just need to look for a sign with Rony's tours which will be located outside of the gate area. This is not unusual. Tour operators are sometimes not allowed inside the gates unless they pay a fee to the cruise lines (helps the lines make more money and forces the local guides to pay a fee to pick up last minute excursion guests) and when you walk up they will direct you to where your driver is located. No worries--this is normal! Enjoy your tour.
Enjoy your day!

[CarivalGlory11/29]

Thank you both for your help!

I just read the post about the new Carnival Mahoganey Bay location on Roatan. I was planning on writing to Rony about where to meet up with at after we get off the ship.

That is so nice that they rely on word. Not too many people left like that in this world. I really hope people do not take advantage of that. This will be our first cruise and Roatan in the one stop I am so excited about. Our cruise is on Carnival Glory on 11/29 going to Cozumel, Belize, Roatan and Cayman Island. I have really enjoyed reading thread after thread in all the forums.

I have more peace of mind now and cannot wait to meet up with Rony's staff for a tour.

Again, thank you both for all your help!
Tara

[marjudles]

We used Rony's tours last week - our driver was Sonia. In spite of the monsoon-like rain, we had a great tour. Rony and Sonia were exceedingly pleasant and professional and I would definitely recommend them. He did not ask for any money or deposit prior to the tour and kept in contact with us by email until the day of the tour. (our itinerary was changed because of Hurricane Ida) It is the "rainy season" in Roatan right now, so be prepared for possible bad weather. Roatan is a very poor country and the adults and children will try to sell you many things, but the people are very nice and polite.

[SF]

Glad to hear you had a nice tour. We just emailed Rony and are interested in booking him for our upcoming stop in Roatan.