Help! I am having such problems with Woody...should I go or not?

The saga is long, but essentially after booking 8 months ago (which was an ordeal since he is quite unresponsive) Woody has changed the tour we booked! We booked with his assistant, Tana, who he said was the only person he trusts. I have tried to get tour details, but he is sooooo hard to communicate with.

I went to confirm again this week and after begging him to tell me where to meet Tana, he said "things have changed" and he is putting a larger group with her. Because we are just 2, he is putting us with another new driver McClean??? AND his Landrovers are broke. Not sure even what we are getting now and we leave in a few days! He basically said that things changed since I booked, he is busier and I should just "trust him." But, this has NEVER happened to me before and I don't know him and certainly don't know this new guide.

Help! We are being charged $110 pp, and Woody won't even confirm when and where we should meet...it is pulling teeth and I have no clue if the tour is even off the beaten path, as sold, without Landrovers. Has anyone toured with him lately? As in past few months? Anyone used MClean? I have booked over 100 private tours around the world and never had this much trouble....should we go??? Try someone else??? Thanks!

I would book elsewhere. I simply wouldn't have the confidence that he would follow through...and then where would you be?

I contacted him yesterday (14 Dec) for a tour in Feb. He replied quickly, but he is booked already (not surprising). He said he could arrange for someone else to take us, but I'm thinking I'll just find someone or something else to do on my own. There have been so many good reviews on him, but perhaps he's gotten overextended by his own success.

Well, it has been 3 days since I asked him where and when to meet his new guide with no response...we leave in a few days. This has put me in an incredible bind as other tour operators are booked. Perhaps he had grown too fast, or per his Facebook page, is traveling a lot. There hasn't been a review of him on Tripadvisor since April. All I know is this is not how other tour operators handle business and it has really made me frustrated.

As all of us on CC know, you research not just companies, but guides. I had faith in the great reviews of Woody...and there were good reviews of Tana, who I specifically booked. I have no clue about this substitute he put us with days before we leave. He may be good or not. Woody told me people get pissed at him (his words) but his business has changed and he made the decision to switch guides on us and I should just understand. No explanation other than this is better for his business, not to mention there are no longer the Landrovers which was the reason people booked him...he went where others could not. I have never met him, so who knows if I can trust him...I know I trust reviews on CC so I booked Tana given her good reviews.

All I know is when I booked Eli in Antigua, I got Eli. When I booked Mandoo in Grenada, I got Mandoo. When I booked Nick with Calypso in Barbados, he was the captain of the tour. That is precisely why I book 6 or more months out...to get specific guides.

I have literally booked tons of tours in US, Europe, South America, Caribbean, all private...and this has never happened. The early bird gets the best guides. Regardless of whether tour operators get later inquiries (which they all do), once a guide commits, they should never change either the guide or the tour just because it suits them. If tour operators did this, early bookers would have no security they actually get Eli, Mandoo, Thenford Grey, etc...all the top reviewed guides. And certainly booking 8 months out got me know security with Woody. His tour may be good, but goodness knows this has been, by far, the most trying situation I have had booking a tour.

Our family recently came home from a Woody Off The Beaten Path tour in Dominica. We had a fabulous day with Woody AND his assistant Tana in November. I would be more than happy to talk about the excursion and share photos if I knew how to share them on here. McLean (sp) was also a driver for the day and I believe all people on this tour really enjoyed their trip. I was a little nervous before going, having had not heard from Woody as well. He sent us an email about a week (or less) and told us where to meet.

Woody only has one Landrover not Landrover(s) as you mentioned in your OP and yes it is down right now. This will not affect your tour as he has other vehicles. I honestly would be happy if Woody pulled me around in a wagon, but that's just me :). Hopefully when you get back from your amazing tour with him you can come back here and post a good review about his tours to clear this one up.

We have done 3 tours with Woody and while I realize how frustrating it is not to have everything totally organized I would not hesitate to go with him. He really knows the Island and we have always had one of our best tours we have ever taken with him.

Thanks to all for your input. I guess I will wait to see if I hear from him. I am so happy someone met McLean. Makes me feel better!

With all the problems you're already having ... forget Woody!

LuLu

Having read quite a few older glowing reviews about his tour (both on here and on TripAdvisor), I recently contacted Woody about booking his tour a few months back. Unfortunately, having booked our Nov. cruise on such short notice, he was already privately booked for the day that we were in port.

Skeptical if Woody's tour was really his tour w/out Woody at the helm, and after having had a few conversations with him about going with his assistant instead, I decided to book an alternate longer tour on the island with another private company.

I personally customized a tour with them that included most of the same exact spots that his offers -- minus the secluded beach and substituted with the Kalinago(Carib) village. The group that I organized on our roll call board had a good time on that informative central island guided tour.

To be fair to Woody, I can't actually comment on the quality of his tour having not taken it, but I can comment on how I felt his approach/communication was when I initially contacted him.

The honest vibe that I got from him was that he is a little conceited and "high" on himself. I believe perhaps that the overwhelming positive responses/reviews that he's received for his tour may have gone to his head a little bit, and perhaps he may feel that it isn't really necessary for him to make much of an effort towards prompt communication or providing more information on what his tour actually entails.

A simple "Trust me, it's a great tour" isn't necessarily enough information. A "I'll get back to you when I feel like it" isn't the best way to sell one's tour when there are plenty of other tour options available on the island.

For the most part during our conversations, he came across like a pretty nice and easy going guy, but he also came off as a little arrogant at times too. -- Like when I asked him if there would be any food/lunch available on his longer tour, his reply was akin to: "Don't worry about it....You get plenty of food on the ship. You won't go hungry."

With the amount of positive feedback he's received for his tour, I would confidently presume that it is indeed a nice day on the island, but in my opinion he could work on improving his communication and better relating what his tour actually consists of.

My feeling is that the routes/locations that he visits aren't exactly as exclusive or "off the beaten path" as he portrays them to be.

Woody contacted me and assured the tour is a go and will be great. Plus, he posted on Facebook that he still goes to all the same locations with different vehicles, so the Landrover is a non-issue. Those communications, as well as your feedback of excellent recent tours makes me relieved.

Per your requests, I will be sure to post back here with feedback after our tour. I am sure it will be excellent with McClean and I will be giving the same glowing review all others experienced. I will also put a review on tripadvisor, which again I expect will be 5 star. Regardless of communication, in the end if a tour is great, that is all that matters and clearly, Woody must give great tours given the glowing reviews of all of you. Thank you all.

We have used Woodyas our tour guide a few years ago and will use him again this Feb.

He is one of the best tour guides that we have had in the Caribbean and just because his Land Rover is down, does not mean that he cannot give you the best tour of Dominica in another vehicle. He is a busy guy and we are starting into the heavy tourist season. GIve him a chance to answer you and you not be disappointed. We are bringing one of our best couple friends along this time to have them experience another great tour with Woody.

We did a tour with Woody in march ane we had a great time.

Per requests, I wanted to post our thoughts of Woodys tour. First, let me say that McClean our guide was lovely, knowledgable and nice. He was accommodating and had a nice van.

We were taken to Emerald Pool...very crowded and we self guided, as guide did not pay entrance I think? We paid extra for this. This was a bit of a disappointing start, since Woody has pictures around the same time of a private waterfall, which we never saw?? I have no idea why we went to such a crowded place. no way to get a phot of waterfall or us without tons and tons of tourists.

We then went thru rainforest and McClean told us many facts which was nice. We stopped at Mr. Nice fruit stand and sampled great fruit. McClean bought us an orange too. (As an aside, there were no snacks in tour and drinks for day were two beers to share, water, and a small amount of rum punch).

We went to a crowded black sand beach and we dropped off to walk or whatever. It was cool to see, but again very touristy. Then, a really nice private beach...best part of trip! Then drove past botanical gardens and champagne reef, but did not stop so didn't see much. Finally, a hot springs, again nice. This, too, cost extra.

So, all total we paid $245 for day plus tip for two. No food except a bit of fruit at fruitstand and very limited beverages. Please don't get me wrong...McClean was great and it was a nice day. I just still have no clear understanding what all the fuss is about. We have been on more interesting tours, seeing more and having really great local experiences, culture, food etc. which were less costly and all inclusive. And certainly communication was challenging with Woody and we never had any details of what the tour involved.

I think this tour was good and enjoyable, but not close to the best we have taken. Not even the best on our cruise. I am not discouraging anyone from going, but I think Woodys company is interchangeable with any of the other island tour options offered by others, based upon having went with other companies and once just hiring a taxi. Again, just my honest opinion. I know Woody has strong supporters, and I never met him personally, so please don't torment me...just putting my opinion out there and folks can make their own decision. Thanks!

Per requests, I wanted to post our thoughts of Woodys tour. First, let me say that McClean our guide was lovely, knowledgable and nice. He was accommodating and had a nice van.

 

We were taken to Emerald Pool...very crowded and we self guided, as guide did not pay entrance I think? We paid extra for this. This was a bit of a disappointing start, since Woody has pictures around the same time of a private waterfall, which we never saw?? I have no idea why we went to such a crowded place. no way to get a phot of waterfall or us without tons and tons of tourists.

 

We then went thru rainforest and McClean told us many facts which was nice. We stopped at Mr. Nice fruit stand and sampled great fruit. McClean bought us an orange too. (As an aside, there were no snacks in tour and drinks for day were two beers to share, water, and a small amount of rum punch).

 

We went to a crowded black sand beach and we dropped off to walk or whatever. It was cool to see, but again very touristy. Then, a really nice private beach...best part of trip! Then drove past botanical gardens and champagne reef, but did not stop so didn't see much. Finally, a hot springs, again nice. This, too, cost extra.

 

So, all total we paid $245 for day plus tip for two. No food except a bit of fruit at fruitstand and very limited beverages. Please don't get me wrong...McClean was great and it was a nice day. I just still have no clear understanding what all the fuss is about. We have been on more interesting tours, seeing more and having really great local experiences, culture, food etc. which were less costly and all inclusive. And certainly communication was challenging with Woody and we never had any details of what the tour involved.

 

I think this tour was good and enjoyable, but not close to the best we have taken. Not even the best on our cruise. I am not discouraging anyone from going, but I think Woodys company is interchangeable with any of the other island tour options offered by others, based upon having went with other companies and once just hiring a taxi. Again, just my honest opinion. I know Woody has strong supporters, and I never met him personally, so please don't torment me...just putting my opinion out there and folks can make their own decision. Thanks!

Thanks for coming back here and sharing your experience. We have a tour with Woody set up for January. I will pop back here and share my experience also.

Thanks for coming back here and sharing your experience. We have a tour with Woody set up for January. I will pop back here and share my experience also.

I am sure you will have fun. My guess, just from reading other reviews, is that his tour may be inconsistent and vary and is more "off the beaten path" depending upon the guide and/or vehicle? Not sure, but certainly we saw tons of tourists and went to several crowded spots as compared to others who mention never seeing another cruise passenger. We saw many from our ship depending upon location. Again, this is not to take away from McClean who is a very nice host and guide.

IF WOODY READS THIS ...and I hope he does...I think he needs to be more specific in telling people what to expect and making sure that everyone gets the same experiences regardless of vehicle or guide. And I do think he could learn from other guides that you should communicate in a prompt and accommodating way, and not answer questions by just telling customers to trust him as he knows his business. I always felt like he was a bit condescending with me and didn't quite understand that most guides have clear websites and details, which he does not. therefore answering emails and questions is imperative if he wants to keep customers. It is not inexpensive to tour and you get one vacation a year, so details are important. Since I would not tour with him again, preferring other Dominica guides who communicate better, this is just a tip so he doesn't start getting mixed reviews.

I am sure you will have fun. My guess, just from reading other reviews, is that his tour may be inconsistent and vary and is more "off the beaten path" depending upon the guide and/or vehicle? Not sure, but certainly we saw tons of tourists and went to several crowded spots as compared to others who mention never seeing another cruise passenger. We saw many from our ship depending upon location. Again, this is not to take away from McClean who is a very nice host and guide.

 

IF WOODY READS THIS ...and I hope he does...I think he needs to be more specific in telling people what to expect and making sure that everyone gets the same experiences regardless of vehicle or guide. And I do think he could learn from other guides that you should communicate in a prompt and accommodating way, and not answer questions by just telling customers to trust him as he knows his business. I always felt like he was a bit condescending with me and didn't quite understand that most guides have clear websites and details, which he does not. therefore answering emails and questions is imperative if he wants to keep customers. It is not inexpensive to tour and you get one vacation a year, so details are important. Since I would not tour with him again, preferring other Dominica guides who communicate better, this is just a tip so he doesn't start getting mixed reviews.

We did a tour with Woody. 50% of the tour is Woody himself. For us, it was like going out with a cool friend from College that you're visiting for the day....His "tour" is not for everyone. It doesn't really feel like a "tour", which to me is kind of a dirty word.

Woody knows his stuff and is fun to hang out with, but for those who need an itinerary with times and specifics, I'd look elsewhere. But, if you want a fun day hanging out and are open to let the person who knows the island (and what is happening at the time on it) take the wheel and guide your day, you won't be disappointed.

That being said, I would not have been happy paying over $200 to spend a day with someone else other than him. In that case, you can definitely get a cheaper day on your own with a cab driver.

We were taken to Emerald Pool...very crowded and we self guided, as guide did not pay entrance I think? We paid extra for this. This was a bit of a disappointing start, since Woody has pictures around the same time of a private waterfall, which we never saw?? I have no idea why we went to such a crowded place. no way to get a phot of waterfall or us without tons and tons of tourists.

 

This really doesn't seem so "off the beaten path".

When I was initially doing research for the tour (that I organized for our roll call), I learned that the Emerald pool was one of the most popular and visited sites on the island, and that it was recommended to arrive as early as possible to avoid the crowds.

For that reason, I selected it as our first stop to visit. We may have actually been the first group there, as there was nobody else on the path or at the waterfall when we first arrived.

In addition to a driver, our tour also had a guide that accompanied us at all of the locations (w/ the exception of the Kalinago model village - having its own guide).

As we were leaving up the trail from the Emerald Pool after a 30 minute stop, we passed dozens of other tourists that had just arrived and were heading down to the waterfall. When we visited Jacko Falls later in the afternoon (before heading down the Layou River valley), we happened to be the only group there as well.

Emerald Pool:

Jacko Falls:

We had a great tour with Woody and his 2 assistants this past week. We had an excellent time and would recommend the tour to others. Woody varies the itinerary according to the weather. As we were in luck and had a sunny day, we were able to visit the Rose Mount Peninsula and an isolated beach, as well as an off the beaten path waterfall.

I did find it best to communicate with Woody via Facebook and did let him know that other clients might find it more convenient to use e=mail.

We had a great tour with Woody and his 2 assistants this past week. We had an excellent time and would recommend the tour to others. Woody varies the itinerary according to the weather. As we were in luck and had a sunny day, we were able to visit the Rose Mount Peninsula and an isolated beach, as well as an off the beaten path waterfall.

 

I did find it best to communicate with Woody via Facebook and did let him know that other clients might find it more convenient to use e=mail.

I communicate with him through facebook too and haven't had any problems. Glad to hear you had a great time, I am really looking forward to his tour!

We too had a great tour of Dominica in December with Woody. No communication problems for us by using Facebook. Greeted like long lost friends just outside the port we were whisked away and shown much of the beautiful island, coast to Coast, saw only one other minibus full of tourists the whole day, who looked at us enviously! Stunning scenery with info and stories throughout the day. Woody is very personable and fun. He is Dominica's first ever Olympian and does a lot of international work promoting the island and supporting other sports including Fencing. We finished our tour on a secluded beach and went for a swim. He isn't a big commercial company and I wouldn't have chosen him if he was. I have booked him again already for next December when I am sure he will ensure we will see even more of the island and have a different itinerary. As for lunch, tasty locally made patties and as much rum punch / as we wanted to drink!!

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Just to add, Woody travels quite a lot as a representative and ambassador for Dominica which will at times affect his ability to respond quickly and of course availability!!

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Hello! We did our tour with Woody and it was fantastic! I did research prior to our cruise and found out that he books up fast, so I contacted him on FB and was able to book a day with him. He always responded back to me in a timely manner and I touched base with him 1 week before we left asking where we should meet at the port. He got back to me a few days before we left for Miami and gave me very detailed information on where to meet him.

The tour was FANTASTIC! Woody is a wonderful tour guide and a wonderful person. We went to Jacko falls first before it got too busy there. We met his assistant Tara there and she's wonderful. So if you can't get in with Woody, his assistants are just as good! We had an extended stay in Dominica due to divers needing to work on the thrusters on our ship so we were able to watch the sunset on the island (it was beyond beautiful). He took us to so many places, I can't even list them all.

He provided rum punch, non alcoholic drinks and water. He brought these delicious snacks called "Bakes" and they were sooo good!

Everyplace we went to was not busy and we had the beaches we stopped at all to ourselves. It was one of the best tours I have ever been on.

I honestly can't say enough good things about Woody and his tours. I would go back in a heartbeat and I'm happy to say I have made a new friend after meeting Woody.

Happy Sailing Folks!

I am glad that many of you had positive experiences with Woody. I considered not posting this but in fairness to others who want to hear the good and the not so good I thought that my experience might be informative. We did not have a positive experience.

Like others, such as Lawgirl, I booked with him 3 months before our day in Dominica. I understood that he was personally booked but he assured me that we would tour with his trusted assistant, Tanya, and would meet up with him at most stops. We communicated via FB as he preferred that. We originally wanted a private tour for 2 at $110 pp. Awhile later he asked me if we would add 2 more from our ship. Fine, I said. When he said it would be $100 pp I told him that I wouldn't pay only $10 less pp to have a non-private tour. Then he corrected himself and said it would be $80 pp, that it would be $100 pp if it was a tour with him. OK, I said. Then a couple of weeks before we left he asked if we could add 3 more for a total of 7, still at $80 pp. He assured me that Tanya's vehicle could comfortably accommodate 10. OK, I said but no more. Despite several requests, I could never get a list of places we would be going, only that I shouldn't worry because he doesn't like to give up his places otherwise it wouldn't be "off the beaten path". A few days before the cruise I contacted him for final confirmation, meeting place & time, etc. He said he would reply at the end of the week. Two nights before we left he messaged me on FB to let me know that it would be a different guide, driver and vehicle because Tanya suddenly had a group of her "French clients" that she would be with. He also listed some of the places we would be visiting and all but one were places the other tours went. I wrote him back immediately questioning how these clients miraculously appeared, who is this new guide and driver, what kind of vehicle would it be, how he could just "switch " us out like that and how is this tour off the beaten path?" His response was unresponsive-he cited business issues, that these things sometimes happen, etc. I responded that I thought it was bad business to switch people at the last minute and he should honor his commitment to the people who booked first. No response but I did see that he read my message.

After receiving no response I cancelled with him 3 days before the tour and booked with another CC member on our roll call. What I think happened (because it happened with the newly booked tour) is that there turned out to be 3 ships in port that day, instead of the 3 they usually get all week. As a result, they wanted to fill their vans/buses/vehicles with as many as they could despite the fact that the ships all docked at different times (we were kept waiting for 2 hours which is another story) and one of the ships had to tender. As a result, I think that Woody and Tanya decided to fill her vehicle with a group of 10 from the last minute ship and relegated us 7 to another group. We were the step-children so to speak.

So, I am happy to hear that others had a great time with Woody and his crew. Dominica is a beautiful island with much to see and do. But I don't take kindly to being bounced around, lied to when it is convenient and ignored when confronted. We will be back in Dominica next year and will look at other options.

I am glad that many of you had positive experiences with Woody. I considered not posting this but in fairness to others who want to hear the good and the not so good I thought that my experience might be informative. We did not have a positive experience.

 

Like others, such as Lawgirl, I booked with him 3 months before our day in Dominica. I understood that he was personally booked but he assured me that we would tour with his trusted assistant, Tanya, and would meet up with him at most stops. We communicated via FB as he preferred that. We originally wanted a private tour for 2 at $110 pp. Awhile later he asked me if we would add 2 more from our ship. Fine, I said. When he said it would be $100 pp I told him that I wouldn't pay only $10 less pp to have a non-private tour. Then he corrected himself and said it would be $80 pp, that it would be $100 pp if it was a tour with him. OK, I said. Then a couple of weeks before we left he asked if we could add 3 more for a total of 7, still at $80 pp. He assured me that Tanya's vehicle could comfortably accommodate 10. OK, I said but no more. Despite several requests, I could never get a list of places we would be going, only that I shouldn't worry because he doesn't like to give up his places otherwise it wouldn't be "off the beaten path". A few days before the cruise I contacted him for final confirmation, meeting place & time, etc. He said he would reply at the end of the week. Two nights before we left he messaged me on FB to let me know that it would be a different guide, driver and vehicle because Tanya suddenly had a group of her "French clients" that she would be with. He also listed some of the places we would be visiting and all but one were places the other tours went. I wrote him back immediately questioning how these clients miraculously appeared, who is this new guide and driver, what kind of vehicle would it be, how he could just "switch " us out like that and how is this tour off the beaten path?" His response was unresponsive-he cited business issues, that these things sometimes happen, etc. I responded that I thought it was bad business to switch people at the last minute and he should honor his commitment to the people who booked first. No response but I did see that he read my message.

 

After receiving no response I cancelled with him 3 days before the tour and booked with another CC member on our roll call. What I think happened (because it happened with the newly booked tour) is that there turned out to be 3 ships in port that day, instead of the 3 they usually get all week. As a result, they wanted to fill their vans/buses/vehicles with as many as they could despite the fact that the ships all docked at different times (we were kept waiting for 2 hours which is another story) and one of the ships had to tender. As a result, I think that Woody and Tanya decided to fill her vehicle with a group of 10 from the last minute ship and relegated us 7 to another group. We were the step-children so to speak.

 

So, I am happy to hear that others had a great time with Woody and his crew. Dominica is a beautiful island with much to see and do. But I don't take kindly to being bounced around, lied to when it is convenient and ignored when confronted. We will be back in Dominica next year and will look at other options.

Wow! This is almost our exact experience! I was sooooo close to canceling, but as posted, we went. I just think if you are lucky and get him, you get off the beaten path. However, if he gets busy, etc, you may have your tour changed OR like us, it may be some touristy areas. And, most importantly, unlike EVERY other guide I have booked with in nearly 20 cruises, he feels as though it is OK to change your tour to suit his business .... That NEVER happened to me with any other private tour I booked. I don't doubt he is a great guide. I just doubt his business acumen. Sounds like you still had fun!