Private Tours in Kirkwall, Orkney Islands

This is a port which is apparently missed frequently. Be aware that the private tour companies here generally do NOT offer refunds for pre-booked tours.

We have learned from experience. We were on the May 1st Caribbean Princess, British Isles with Kirkwall cruise. We booked a private van with Explore Orkney Tours and had to pre-pay in full prior to the cruise. When our ship was unable to dock, I emailed the company to explore the possibility of a partial refund for any costs they did not have to incur (obviously they had some costs to cover regardless of the ship docking or not). They replied the reason for the ship's inability to dock had nothing to do with the high winds the Captain had reported, but rather, finnicky ship bow thrusters. The Captain reported to us that he had requested tug assistance for this port 2 days before we arrived and was refused. So, there seems to be lots of finger pointing and we, the passengers, are left wondering who exactly to believe.

I want to stress that I understood the refund policy with this tour operator. I gambled and I failed on this one. I will hope to recoup some of my money through my Travel Insurance company. BUT...for future passengers who are researching this port, you may want to book a ship's excursion here to be safe.

Thanks for the info; I've booked a private half-day tour and I hope all goes well!

We booked a private tour with Wild about Orkney. The tour was excellent, but can't say the same about the weather.