ac1dream

We booked this tour that we found on Trip Advisor - https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g147342-d14801333-Cruise_Ship_Island_Excursions-St_Lucia.html - when we booked we were asked what ship we were on, what time we get to port (9:00AM) and what time we are allowed off of the ship (9:30AM) - we provided this information and we have a photo of the daily itinerary stating this info.  Please look at the explanation below and please think about it before using them as they are a trip advisor company and they are still screwing us out of our $100 - bottom line is we wrote back again after the exchange below and were responded to again with "sorry, too bad, you knew what time the tour was leaving" - thing is we weren't allowed off the ship until 9:30 so how were we supposed to get there earlier than we did???  There was another Carnival ship in port and it got there at least an hour earlier so it was likely everyone else was from that ship and didn't want to wait for us as we got to port later than they did, but if that was the case as stated below they should have either (1) waited for us or (2) done the right thing and given us a refund.  Why should be have to pay for something we did not receive???

Viator should have never allowed the booking of this excursion to anyone on my ship.

We requested a refund with the explanation below:

We were on Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas last week. Our boat did not dock until 9:00 a.m. We were not allowed off the ship until 9:30 a.m. When we were allowed off the ship we proceeded to the area specified on the ticket and were there at 9:45 a.m. We had to walk off the ship and to the meeting area and this is the absolute fastest we could have arrived. Once we arrived there was no one waiting for us - one of the local vendors who was waiting called the number on the ticket we had and the person who answered the phone said "others got annoyed and we had to leave" - come to find out there was a Carnival ship in port as well that arrived at 7 a.m. - if there were others on the tour from this ship that arrived MUCH earlier than us we should never have been able to book if they were not going to wait!!! Now they will not refund our $$$ that, of course, had to be paid in FULL beforehand!!!!!

This tour left at 9:00 a.m. and we confirmed this from other local vendors who called the number on our ticket for us.

Viator wrote back this:

Hi Adrienne,

Thank you for your patience as we looked into your refund request.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a refund for this booking.

As per the local tour operator, they sincerely apologize to you however there would be no refund because they did inform you that the tour starts 1/2 hr after the ship docks. The tour guide along with the rest of the travelers waited up to 1 hr for you and you were tag as a 'no show'.

We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Regards,
Monica
Viator Customer Service

THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE - WE WERE THERE 15 minutes after we were allowed off the ship!!!

Southwest from FLL to SJU is the way to go - we are going Sunday 11/19 - other airlines such as spirit go as well but the two free bags on Southwest along with the fare cant be beat...

I second this - saw posted in the San Juan, PR forum yesterday - got emails back from Henry within minutes and he even called me directly to book. Website says no rooms available but we got a room for Sunday 11/26 upon return from our 11/19 cruise on the Dawn...

Thank you FirsttimecruiserMac - we contacted Henry directly using the contact info in your review. He was VERY responsive got back to me quick with a price and called me directly to book. Although their site shows no rooms available be sure to contact him directly as we got a room for 11/26 after our cruise on the NCL Dawn. Rate is $199 + tax and he told me hotel does have power, restaurants are open and supermarkets now getting stocked and back to normal. Thanks again for the info!

Thank you FirsttimecruiserMac - we contacted Henry directly using the contact info in your review. He was VERY responsive got back to me quick with a price and called me directly to book. Although their site shows no rooms available be sure to contact him directly as we got a room for 11/26 after our cruise on the NCL Dawn. Rate is $199 + tax and he told me hotel does have power, restaurants are open and supermarkets now getting stocked and back to normal. Thanks again for the info!

We originally had Intercontinental for Sunday Nov 26 but they called to cancel today even though they said on Monday that they were open. New date for them according to direct call is December 31. We did speak to and book for Nov 26 for $219 the Doubletree San Juan who said also from a direct call that they are currently open and accepting reservations...

We originally had Intercontinental for Sunday Nov 26 but they called to cancel today even though they said on Monday that they were open. New date for them according to direct call is December 31. We did speak to and book for Nov 26 for $219 the Doubletree San Juan who said also from a direct call that they are currently open and accepting reservations...

Intercontinental did call and cancel us today even though we spoke to them on Monday and they told us they were open. Now they say December 31 - in any event we were able to directly contact the Doubletree San Juan and were able to get confirmation from them that they are open and taking reservations. We booked for Sunday Nov 26 and it was I believe $219...

thanks we are going to call them back tonight to see what the deal is. My wife just called Holiday Inn Express Condado and while they say available online when you call they say they are not currently accepting reservations. Checked Comfort Suites and says sold out - this is ridiculous!!!

Can you please tell us if you heard from the Intercontinental directly regarding a cancellation? We are booked there for Sunday Nov 26 after a cruise on NCL Dawn and we spoke to them directly to book and confirm and they assured they will be open...