TessieTravels

milolii, no, this will be our first Princess cruise.  We have sailed primarily with the Celebrity, but were wanting to find a ship that went through the old locks and so we booked with Princess's Island Princess.  We are cruising in Dec, I have never done a review, but maybe that is something I can consider doing when we take this cruise. I have gone to YouTube to watch some Island Princess ship tours (which is how I learned about the deck on deck 😎 to get a bit familiar with this ship and they have been helpful. 

We are taking the Hop On Hop Off Bus in Cartagena and for those who have been on it before, which stop(s) were your favorite?

vjmatty, that is what we have booked, but my mother is also traveling with us as a solo so she is booked with an inside cabin a few cabins away from us and I thought it was a good option as I heard it is not widely used except on rare occasions. Our camping chairs fit in a really compact little bag, so worst case scenario, I will post what I find out when we return.  P.S. I love your emoji, is that a greyhound?

I noticed that there are no chairs on this small "secret" deck as it is a very small area, anyone know about bringing our own portable chairs or bringing chairs from our cabins and would either be an issue? We have booked an aft cabin on Deck 8 very close to the deck and we will be inquiring with our cabin steward, but wanting to know if anyone had any prior experience or suggestions with bringing chairs (your own or your cabin's chairs) to enjoy this deck? We have some camping chairs the pack-up very compactly that we are considering bringing.  Thank you so much for your input.

17 minutes ago, VennDiagram said:

First, I would escalate this at the booking agency, to a manager, with a request that since communication with the "host" seems impossible, you want your money returned.

 

Second, if the booking agency doesn't refund/cancel your booking, I would speak with your credit card company, with a list of your attempts to resolve this with the booking agency AND the "host".  See if the cc company will do a charge-back to the booking agency.  You may need to escalate to a manager at the cc company, too.

 

I would NOT risk the "private home accommodation" actually performing as they have sort-of said they will.  Find another place, even if it means you all share a room for a night.

VennDiagram, thank you, I didn't think I had any recourse since I did book it as a nonrefundable, but I appreciate your advice think both you and Flatbush Flyer are on the right track, as I have never had this kind of anxiety booking at a hotel.

21 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

Not much of a learning opportunity if you repeat the same thing.

With the understanding that I share the disdain of many neighbors in popular cosmopolitan cities (like Dublin or San Francisco) for those individuals who invite a parade of strangers through our neighborhood, let me suggest that you get a hotel, which is properly zoned and resourced to handle transient guests.

There's a very nice and affordable Doubletree right on the River or, if you want the upscale Dubliner experience, there are places like the Fitzwilliam on St Stephen's Green.

And if you want to truly understand the problems created by the likes of "AirBnB," Google it along with "San Francisco" in the same search field. And if you have the time, check out Uber/Lyft and the traffic disasters they're creating in already overcrowded downtown areas.

yes, isn't that the definition of insanity?

Thank you Flatbush Flyer, although I do use Taxi services vs Uber/Lyft, I didn't consider the problems created by the vacation rental agencies and I truly do appreciate the advisement you lend as I live in an area that I don't think there are a lot of vacation homes nearby.  However, I do have experience with low income housing that is disappearing in our area, but didn't realize that vacation rentals are replacing those venues, not just higher rent or demolition for vacation rentals.  This is why I love this board!

Cruising Friends, I need some advice from some experienced travelers and I’m not quite sure where to post this question, so I’m starting here.  So, here's my story...I booked a "vacation rental" in Dublin pre-cruise for a place that was new to a vacation rental website and had no reviews. I thought to myself that the homeowner would likely be very conscientious being a new rental and wishing to get good reviews. Six months pass and the reviews are HORRIBLE, dirty, lack of communication, rental amenities not as described, etc.  So, I canceled the booking, come to find out, it was a nonrefundable.  I talk it over with DH and we decided reach out and ask the vacation rental agency if we can reinstate the booking so we don't lose the nonrefundable payment.  I'm told they would have to check with homeowner to see if he would be agreeable.  They contact me a day later and state that the homeowner is agreeable and that no extra charges would be added.  I was advised to reach out to the homeowner to give our arrival time.  I email the homeowner.  Two months later, no response.  I check the website that I booked the vacation rental and it shows that the rental is available during the time of our reservation, so I click on the button on the webpage to "ask (the owner) a question" and inform him that I attempted to communicate with him via email to confirm our reservation.  He responds within 6 hours stating he never received an email or payment with our names or the dates in question.  I reach out to the booking agency with our concerns.  They respond that they will look into it and a few days later, the website shows that the vacation rental in question is booked and I receive an email that the owner gave them a verbal agreement that he is indeed honoring our reservation, they are waiting for something in writing and to communicate with him of our arrival time.  So I send a message the same way I had the second time since it was more successful in getting his attention. Well, it has been a month now and the homeowner has not responded.  What would you do? I am inclined to just book another vacation rental and consider this as an expensive learning opportunity, especially since the reviews are not great.  DH is inclined to wait until we get to Dublin and see what happens (he's the spontaneous one, me...not so much), especially since we don't land in Dublin until 5:30 pm.  Would you book another (more reliable, better reviews) accommodation and double your accommodation cost or wait until you arrive to see if indeed the homeowner will be meeting us at his vacation rental and confirm that the accommodations are not as promised and then decided whether to stay or note at 7-7:30 in the evening after traveling 21+ hours (yes, I am aware I making the latter sound terrible so that you will advise the way I hope you will).  Since we are traveling with my mom, we didn't want to book a hotel and thought a vacation rental would be a better option and about the same cost as one (vs. two) hotel room.  I guess my quandary is that the homeowner is telling the booking agency that he is honoring the reservation (yet nothing in writing, just a verbal), but he is not responding to my queries.  What would you do? Please be kind in your judgments, as I have now learned to read the fine print and won’t be making that mistake again (or admitting it).  We leave in a few weeks and I am having a bit of anxiety.  Thank you in advance and I promise to let you all know what was decided and/or what happened when we arrived in beautiful Dublin (so excited)...

Thank you all again! We Certified!!!! Very excited as we did not realize that the various dive shops put on dive trips and monthly fun dives to help us become more comfortable. ReneeFLL, thank you for the tip on the dive/snorkel forums, I have been trolling a couple of them.

Thank you everyone, we have officially signed up for our Open Water Certification Course here at a local dive shop!

Flightmedic555, thank you, I could not decifer if there were other dive options in Rangiroa or not. We’re definitely planning on getting certified this year & diving in California & Mexico between now & Tahiti. I was wondering if Rangiroa was the right island, but you helped me that, thank you!

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I have run the pass in Rangiroa and it was a fantastic experience. But we had a new diver with us and he had such a difficult time that he had to hold the dive master's hand :( This is not for inexperienced divers.

 

My first suggestion is that you do your classroom and pool work with a local dive shop at home. Before you sign up, be sure that they can give you a referral to a dive shop in Tahiti. Check out PADI affiliated dive ops in both places. Do your open water dives, completing your training in Tahiti. The reason I suggest that is because the conditions in Tahiti will be very different from the conditions in Lake Tahoe. For one thing, the water in Tahiti will be much warmer; you might not even need a wet suit. For another, in Tahiti you'll be diving in salt water instead of fresh. Both of those will change the amount of weight you'll need, among other things.

 

On the other hand, if you want to run the pass in Rangiroa, you'll need as much diving experience as you can get. You could make a dive trip in 2019 to Cozumel where you could finish your certification and get some experience in warm salt water with currents. Also sharks, of which there are some in Cozumel and lots in Tahiti.

 

Third option, get certified however is most convenient and when you get to Tahiti, have fun doing beautiful shallow dives. No need to run the pass in Rangiroa. There are lots of other, less challenging dives.

Island woman, I like the idea of starting locally & certifying somewhere else. I didn’t realize that was an option. Thank you for all the options. I am making calls this weekend & will ask the referral question for sure

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There really aren't many things in life where procrastinating is the best option.

I hope you have a great experience with your undersea adventure!

Maggietc, you are so right, now I have to just MAKE my brain follow through.

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Wow, that far in advance. So, I was thinking we would start the certification process summer of 2019 for the Oct. 2020 trip. But, it sounds like a better plan is to look into certifying this summer, and working on our fitness & looking for diving opportunities this year & next to better prepare for 2 years from now. I really appreciate your guidance Maggietc, We were going back & forth about when to start & what areas in California we may want to get experience in after we certify, but honestly I was only thinking in terms of 10 dives prior. We even had the conversation if we start next summer, we may wish we would have started sooner...I think we need to “start sooner”.

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Maggietc, thank you, I wasn’t even thinking about the strength of currents. That is a great point too about gaining experience with more dives prior will help for a more enjoyable & safer trip especially being in another country far from home

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We are planning a vacation in Tahiti and plan on scuba diving. DH has dived a handful of times but never certified and I have dived once and enjoyed it. We want to dive during our vacation in Tahiti planned for 2020 and are trying to decide if we should do a certification course here at home and be able to have more diving opportunities in Tahiti or take a certification course in Tahiti. We will be in Tahiti for 10-12 days, we live in Northern Nevada where our certification would take place in a very beautiful and VERY cold lake (Lake Tahoe). I would like to dive in Rangiroa if appropriate for our experience level. Any thoughts and advice?

We do some DIY but also a number of private tours and I have organized my fair share.;)...Most that do private tours are seasoned travellers and very fair IMO. So far so good. :)

kazu, I really appreciate you putting down your process, that is very helpful! I winged it on my first try, figuring “how hard can it be”? I give you & everyone who organizes shore tours a great big thank you, I learned that it definitely has its stressors. I learned A LOT about the importance of communication, as I admit I made some mistakes, but everyone was so helpful and supportive and it was a positive experience. I’m glad we did the tour as a group vs on our own, because as new cruiser, I learned a lot about a variety of cruising topics. I can also understand why people prefer to go it on their own or with a much more limited number.

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We did a private tour organized by someone on the roll call. The organizer's husband had to bow out because of illness. One person did not show up at all. We tried to find others to fill the open slots. In the end, the organizer paid for her husband and the missing person. We did pitch in to help with the extra cost. Never did see the person who just didn't show up!

Hancock, I’m grateful that we got the call from our MIA member vs a no show, as the CC community is such a valuable resource & tool that I would not want to be the one to leave a bad impression. But, then again maybe I have & just don’t realize it [emoji15]

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Like some others who've already posted, I rarely arrange private tours -- mainly because whenever possible I prefer to "do it myself" via public transportation...I am a detail-oriented person like you seem to be, and when I do put together a private tour, I always include wording to the effect that if you sign up for the tour, you are in effect agreeing to pay for your share, even if you cannot go for some reason. (Unless I am able to find a replacement.)

Cruisemom42, there have been so many great comments to my question & the discussion has brought up thoughts to consider for our specific style of vacationing (which we are still trying to figure out). I definitely will start using the disclaimer you propose and I do believe most CC would not hesitate to agree. Thank you for your wording, I was working on something last night, but it was so wordy. I hope you don’t mind my stealing your sentence

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If it were only so simple. We have mixed emotions about private tours...and virtually no emotions or liking of cruise line excursions. In fact, we only take a cruise line excursion if it is about the only reasonable option to do what we want to do. This happens very seldom..but it does happen in places like Murmansk.

 

 

 

We think the discussion (and some debate) between private tours and DIY are fascinating. But over a lot of years (and having helped many others with their travel ideas) we have grown to accept that this is not a one size fits all kind of thing. Many folks are just not capable of going off on their own and having a great day. For example, we don;t hesitate to rent a car while in port if that is what works best for our plans. But a majority of cruisers are reluctant to take this kind of step...and we really do understand their concerns. For us, it is just one more travel adventure which we have thought-out...and found a good option. But for many others it becomes things like, "what if we have a flat tire," what if our car breaks down," "what if we get caught in traffic and miss the ship" etc etc. These are all valid questions but we accept the small risk because we love the reward of being able to do what we want, when we want, with whom we want. For those that can't deal with that risk we suggest private excursions. And for those who can't deal with the risk of a private tour, we cover our eyes, ears, and mouth and say...perhaps you should take an overpriced overcrowded cruise ship excursion :).

 

 

 

Some here on CC make all this personal. But each person should do what feels right for them. When cruisers want help planning DIY days, there are quite a few of us here on CC who are happy to spend the time giving them some detailed ideas. We have an upcoming complex Asian cruise and have joined two small group private tours which seemed to be the best option in those places. We think this is only the 2nd cruise out of about our last 50 where we have ever planned two tours (the cruise is over 30 days long). But there are just some times when DIY is not a great option.

 

 

 

Hank

Hank, you’re right about if it were only so simple. I must admit, I can be my own worst enemy by making it more complex than it needs to be. Your comment about renting a car scares the wind out of me, but it’s because we’ve never tried it. I believe that may be an option we will explore as well, at least to take the fear out of the equation. We are fairly new to cruising/out of US vacationing, so I’m sure our confidence & honing in of preferences will develop with the more experiences we have.

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Another reason I plan so much on my trips, is to reduce stress. Depending on what direction you go, your stress level could go through the roof. Just a thought. No matter what you decide, I wish you only the best.

Mike981, that is a great point, which I will steal from you to help me decide. I appreciate your insight

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Some good advice here. Unfortunately you are not going to like this, I am with Hiltner, life has taught me not to put my neck out in situations like this. To many times, way to many times, I have been taught a lesson. If it were me, I would come up with what the excursions are, give the info and have everyone book separately.

Mike981, that is some sound advice and another question on my list to tour providers. I currently have four different tour providers I’m reaching out to on one of our ports & if one is willing to have everyone book separately, that will likely be the one I go with, but please keep the advice coming.

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I am a bit shocked that some folks start looking to insurance because they cannot make a private tour. Perhaps they can collect something...but more likely no. But they have an obligation to the group. And continuing to pay their share leaves them in exactly the same situation as if they had taken the tour. Either way they spend the same money.

 

 

 

I will be very blunt,,,,,as a person who has cruised and traveled extensively for over forty years. It is because of these issues (among others) that DW and I normally prefer to do our own thing. When we have mentioned some of our independent ideas (on CC and sometimes when we meet folks on a cruise) we often get approached by others who ask to join us. We normally find a way to politely refuse...although over the years we have sometimes taken another couple when we go off and do our independent things. There are certainly times when a private group tour (or even a cruise line excursion) makes the most sense. For us, it might be one in fifty ports.

 

Hank

Hank, thank you, as I do appreciate your honest perspective. One of the reasons I enjoy CC is the wide range of experiences & opinions I am able to read & all are of value to me to weigh & see what fits best with my style. I am understanding why one would chose to go on their own vs a group and why others would prefer the stress of organizing a tour. Quite frankly, I’m on the fence which is why I’m so grateful for everyone taking the time to respond.

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This happened on a cruise I took last month. One of of our participants dropped out and offered to pay. But we had a wait list and called that person’s cabin we’re able to fill the vacancy. When I had to cancel at the last minute in the past, I paid up. It is only fair to the vendor and others on the tour. The ship excursion office wouldn’t have refunded my money on that short notice either. Sent from my iPhone using Forums

sharp girl, I had a waitlist too, but MIA cruiser didn’t notify me until our meet up time (DH was still in the cabin when she called & came down to notify us). What I learned there was to have my list with me, even up to the actual excursion time & although I confirmed with everyone the day before, stuff can still happen. That’s a good point too about the ship shore excursion office. Thank you, I appreciate your information.

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This happened to us. I went ahead and did the tour. I told the organizer that I would go ahead and pay my husband's fare; she said it wasn't necessary. While grateful, normally I would expect to just go ahead and pay for the anyone who missed...

Nebr.cruiser, I’m so glad you gave “the other side” experience & im sure most everyone feels similar. I have to say I was surprised I didn’t hear from the MIA cruiser, but I figured she felt horrible enough & I didn’t want to add insult to injury. I am adding to my list of questions to tour operators about last minute cancellations as well. I want to be able to handle and have a backup plan for the “what ifs” rather than kicking myself not planning for the “what ifs”...I also tend to keep lots of lists, it’s my secret obsession.

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Maybe I've been lucky on the sickness front, but I've never had someone who agreed to participate in a private tour and not been able to join us. Usually folks are just too committed/eager. I have had slots open up from folks who have cancelled their cruise altogether, but there has always been interest enough to fill them prior to sailing.

bigwally, I think it is rare that someone cancels last minute. We were on one of the ships that had a norovirus breakout where staff had to serve at the buffet nearly the entire 10 day cruise. The fact that I could find something on the boards about it also solidifies that it is a rare occurrence.

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