Singapore, Private Tour?

Anybody know a solid contact for a good private tour of Singapore by car that's not prohibitively expensive?

Here's our usual M.O. for every port we visit. In Singapore, we've come up empty:

--Go to CC's sister site, Trip Advisor

--Start working our way down the list til we find a private car tour that looks good

--Inquire, book

This has worked for us on four continents. In Singapore, not so much. There are very few places listed on Trip Advisor equipped to do proper car tours in Singapore (my mobility issues rule out walking much, or bikes/bus tours). Of the ones that seem to manage it, most have simply not replied to my inquiry.

One did reply: SGD 1660 (= US $1220, = EUR 1110) for the four of us which is more than double what we've paid anywhere else, including countries with similar standards of living like France, Germany, and the USA. This did include a trip on the Singapore Flyer (rack rate SGD 33*4= 132) but included no food or other extras. The itinerary looked good, but not spectacular. I've been known to haggle price in other ports, but the gap here was too wide to try.

We'd like to find a nice day out in a minivan in the neighbourhood of 500-600EUR/USD. Is that impossible? If so, I guess the rest of my party will do HOHO/MRT, and I'll sit at the hotel.

Operator suggestions most welcome.

Thanks

S

Suggest you first plan your Singapore Itinerary. You can book a Maxi Cab (for 6 paxs) for a couple hundred SGD (not sure what is the going rate now) for the whole day. You can always negotiate with the Taxi driver and most would be very willing to accommodate or recommend other cab drivers who are available.

We booked several tours through Viator that were excellent. The local tour company they use is Tour East.

Thanks very much!

Tour East didn't respond to my inquiries--maybe I need to be persistent.

The Cab idea might also work really well.

I did get a reply from a second company... very discouraging. Everytime I thought we had an offer, they kept raising the price.

Do you really need a private tour? (mobility issues?)

We did the hop-on-hop-off bus and used public transportation.

Do you really need a private tour? (mobility issues?)

We did the hop-on-hop-off bus and used public transportation.

Yeah, I'm a functioning arm and leg short of a pair.

I'm sure HOHO/MRT would be great for the rest of my party. MRT is supposed to be the best in all the world.

They want me to join in, so we're looking at a private tour.

Thanks very much!

Tour East didn't respond to my inquiries--maybe I need to be persistent.

The Cab idea might also work really well.

 

I did get a reply from a second company... very discouraging. Everytime I thought we had an offer, they kept raising the price.

Check out the Viator tours for Singapore

Thanks very much!

Tour East didn't respond to my inquiries--maybe I need to be persistent.

The Cab idea might also work really well.

 

I did get a reply from a second company... very discouraging. Everytime I thought we had an offer, they kept raising the price.

Try this. http://maxitaxi-singapore.com/?gclid=CL6RkKC1mM4CFdiKaAodjeYBMQ

In addition, when you are in Singapore, the Hotel Front desk can always arrange a Cab suitable for you easily.

Something I'm discovering is what the Tour Companies really want to do is sell attraction tickets and just ferry you from point to point. I can't prove it, but it seems the tour companies can get tickets at deep discounts, and that is where they make their money.

As an example, one operator says we really should go up to the umpteenth floor of MBS for a few minutes and have a look around. Fine, but the ticket to do so is a day pass, SGD 25 pp. Part of me could see us spending the day there, but a quick rubberneck seems expensive.

Check out these tours

https://www.viator.com/Singapore-tours/d18-ttd?pref=01

If you are interested in WWII history this is a good one

https://www.viator.com/tours/Singapore/Singapore-Round-Island-Tour-with-Changi-Prison-Kranji-War-Memorial-and-Gardens-by-the-Bay/d18-3695RITC

Check out these tours

https://www.viator.com/Singapore-tours/d18-ttd?pref=01

 

If you are interested in WWII history this is a good one

https://www.viator.com/tours/Singapore/Singapore-Round-Island-Tour-with-Changi-Prison-Kranji-War-Memorial-and-Gardens-by-the-Bay/d18-3695RITC

Thanks.

The tickets are marked up as opposed to buying direct. (Viator is not a charity, I do understand.)

WWII fascinates me and I'd be all over that one but the politics of such a tour with my party (me and three Russians, including a hardest-of-cores Commie) make such tours risky business. You might think that since we were all on the same side, at least after 1941, it'd be OK. You'd be wrong.

Such a tour would be fascinating because WWII in Singapore was a pretty complex situation. The locals, and the undermanned and underequipped Aussies there to defend them, felt the Brits hung them out to dry. (Britain found herself somewhat busy at home with that Austrian painter.) Some of the Indians saw the British apathy as a signal to head home from Singapore and try to boot the Brits out of India. The Aussies had a clean shot at wiping out the Japanese SE Asia high command across the way, but the Brits wouldn't let them do it for fear of annoying a Malaysian warlord. Singapore ended up taking very much the worst of it.

Would be an amazingly educational day. Just not with my bunch.

Thanks.

The tickets are marked up as opposed to buying direct. (Viator is not a charity, I do understand.)

 

WWII fascinates me and I'd be all over that one but the politics of such a tour with my party (me and three Russians, including a hardest-of-cores Commie) make such tours risky business. You might think that since we were all on the same side, at least after 1941, it'd be OK. You'd be wrong.

 

Such a tour would be fascinating because WWII in Singapore was a pretty complex situation. The locals, and the undermanned and underequipped Aussies there to defend them, felt the Brits hung them out to dry. (Britain found herself somewhat busy at home with that Austrian painter.) Some of the Indians saw the British apathy as a signal to head home from Singapore and try to boot the Brits out of India. The Aussies had a clean shot at wiping out the Japanese SE Asia high command across the way, but the Brits wouldn't let them do it for fear of annoying a Malaysian warlord. Singapore ended up taking very much the worst of it.

 

Would be an amazingly educational day. Just not with my bunch.

I certainly understand about how Russians would view the war differently from the other allies. Of course, it was the Soviet Union that allied with the Germans for a year and a half, dividing up Poland in the process.

As for the Singapore campaign. It is fascinating, the Japanese General in charge was a genius and out maneuvered the Allies and won with fewer troops. The British General in charge was incompetent. Still. it is a great tour.

We like Singapore. The Jurong Bird Park and Botanical Gardens were great. Also, we enjoyed a bike tour of the city and the Gardens by the Bay, as well as China town.

We used Tours By Locals on our past cruises in Europe, and will be using them again when we cruise in Asia later this year. Here is their website:

http://www.toursbylocals.com

Select Shore excursions, then your cruise line, cruise ship and departure date, and it will return the different tours available for your port days. It also provides pre and post-cruise tour options.

We were very pleased in the past with the tours, and they have been very responsive so far, with really good pricing for us for Asia.

We have them booked for Vietnam, and are still searching for options for Hong Kong and Singapore.

Good luck with your planning.

For WW2 History one of the best places is the Museum and Chapel at the Changi Prison. It is a very moving experience . We took a taxi from Orchard Road and he waited for us while we went inside. There is a lot to see and take in and we could have spent much longer there. I forget how much the taxi was now, except that we thought it was very reasonable.

We used Tours By Locals on our past cruises in Europe, and will be using them again when we cruise in Asia later this year. Here is their website:

 

http://www.toursbylocals.com

 

Select Shore excursions, then your cruise line, cruise ship and departure date, and it will return the different tours available for your port days. It also provides pre and post-cruise tour options.

 

We were very pleased in the past with the tours, and they have been very responsive so far, with really good pricing for us for Asia.

 

We have them booked for Vietnam, and are still searching for options for Hong Kong and Singapore.

 

Good luck with your planning.

Been thinking about this.

We joined one of these (arranged by another cruiser) in Kusadasi. Guide poor, driver surly. Have since avoided this site like the plague.

You've had good results; maybe we should give it another shot.

We did a WW2 tour with Original Singapore Walks, which despite the name is a bus tour. Most of their tours are walks, but not this one. The guide was excellent, very knowledgable and passionate about the need to remember what had occurred. It was one of the best tours we have taken anywhere, mainly because of the guide. The day we took the tour there were only seven participants.

Generally we found Singapore very easy to get around. I would suggest deciding where you want to go and taking taxis, either from place to place or hiring one for the day.

Something I'm discovering is what the Tour Companies really want to do is sell attraction tickets and just ferry you from point to point. I can't prove it, but it seems the tour companies can get tickets at deep discounts, and that is where they make their money.

 

As an example, one operator says we really should go up to the umpteenth floor of MBS for a few minutes and have a look around. Fine, but the ticket to do so is a day pass, SGD 25 pp. Part of me could see us spending the day there, but a quick rubberneck seems expensive.

Shawnino

This is one of the best things you can do in Singapore - I rate it more highly than the flyer. It's not something you would do for a whole day - 30 - 45 minutes is more than enough (IMHO)The view is incomparable, and I personally think it is $25 well spent. It's also great to 'rubberneck' and check out the inside foyer area of MBS and the shopping/casino precinct across the road and it's access to the bay area and the views you get from there.

I hope you have a wonderful visit to this fabulous city and hopefully we can find a tour company that will suit your needs

Wangeling gal:p

I can't imagine taking a tour in Singapore, as it is so easy to do diy.