Would you ever refuse to pay for a shared private tour excursion?

[flames9]

Sad to say those types of people are everywhere.

 

I have organized 3 tours for our Med cruise in May, won't ask for peoples $$$--why should they trust me with their $$$$, :D Our roll cal has been very active and 2 individuals have done a lot of work--creating a special website for our cruise,a FB page and creating a list with peoples emails and room #'s--so very well organized, and greatly appreciated by all.

 

I like what some have done---put together letter that included the names, and room #'s of the people on the tour, along with picture of everyone, and an overview of whats taking place that day. I think most people realize if they don't show, they should pay their share if one can't find a substitute.

[sandravb79]

I have taken part in quite a few ship tours, a whole lot of private tours and we have done our share of DIYing.

This upcoming cruise, I am organizing for the very first time my own private tour. I had looked through the ship tours and the tours already organized by the roll call people, but didn't see one including the two things I wanted to see/ do.

So, I contacted the "suggested" tour operator, asked for a tour combining Petra and Wadi Rum and some different prices for different group sizes. Then I went on the roll call and a few days later I had a group.

The tour opeator's conditions said a deposit was needed and full payment before going on the excursion.

I paid the deposit since it was more or less the same as our share of the total. I can now only hope the 7 others will pay (and show up).

 

I will continue going on private tours as each one has been fantastic. Whether I'll still organize them in teh future will depend on that day in Petra, lol.

[twosit]

This is one of the reasons why I would never make arrangements to take a private tour with strangers in cyberspace that I met on a cruise critic roll call.

I've met some great people via roll call tours--yes, there have been a couple lemons--but mostly great people.

All of our European tours have been pay at the end.

[flames9]

I've met some great people via roll call tours--yes, there have been a couple lemons--but mostly great people.

All of our European tours have been pay at the end.

 

I think the vast majority do NOT run into problems! I think Private tours are the way to go----save $$$$, small groups, and get to see what you want to see!

 

I know one tour company in Italy that has a great online set up--you form a group, and others can just join it online, and pay online I think.

[jaegan2]

This is one of the reasons why I would never make arrangements to take a private tour with strangers in cyberspace that I met on a cruise critic roll call.

 

 

You are missing out then - we met some great people on shared rides/excursions and went on to enjoy their company at dinner, etc. on the ships. I think that is part of the whole "cruising" experience. We now have BFF's from the other side of the world.

[Eddie's Girl]

I know one tour company in Italy that has a great online set up--you form a group, and others can just join it online, and pay online I think.

 

Can you give me a hint about what company it is?

[WhansaMi]

I've arranged several private/shared tours; never had a problem. Sometimes the vendor will be willing to contract with each party individually. In other cases, I have collected the money ahead of time, and paid the vendor.

 

I would be MORTIFIED if a member of my party behaved like that. I just don't understand the rudeness of people. And, I don't understand the selfishness that would allow you to believe that your little snit should be able to make everyone else feel uncomfortable.

 

In fact, I'm pretty sure that DH and I would just pay the vendor for their part, and then try to get the money from them. I would never let a vendor go unpaid.

[ThursdaysChild]

My husband was ill one day when there were 12 of us sharing a tour - I immediately told everyone that I would pay his share and did.

 

That was very considerate of you. On two private tours our Roll Call had organized for a TA last Spring, one woman's husband was sick and failed to show two days running, without prior notice. She assumed, and the rest of us were essentially guilted or bullied into dividing the group tour cost by one person less costing each of us more. I might have been more sympathetic if he (the husband) hadn't made some later comments about how "touring ruins in cold weather " wasn't his thing,:confused: and he preferred Caribbean cruises in nice hot weather.:(

[jagoffee]

My husband was ill one day when there were 12 of us sharing a tour - I immediately told everyone that I would pay his share and did.

 

That was very considerate of you. On two private tours our Roll Call had organized for a TA last Spring, one woman's husband was sick and failed to show two days running, without prior notice. She assumed, and the rest of us were essentially guilted or bullied into dividing the group tour cost by one person less costing each of us more. I might have been more sympathetic if he (the husband) hadn't made some later comments about how "touring ruins in cold weather " wasn't his thing,:confused: and he preferred Caribbean cruises in nice hot weather.:(

 

Certainly disappointing. IMO he should have paid unless they found a replacement. If it would have been a ship excursion they would have paid if they were a last minute cancellation without a replacement.

 

I really believe that it is a very small number of actual CC members who would do such a thing to fellow members.

 

A reminder to make sure the responsibilities are clear when signing up for the tour.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I'm finding that some tour operators in Europe require prepayment. I've organized a tour in Scotland that does. Everyone is able to go in and make his/her own payment.

[MetravelUtoo?]

I have organized private tours on the last two European cruises I've been on. Tours as small as 4 and as large as 20 people. I have had no major problems and enjoy organizing them. Benefits include:

 

• saving money by booking a more affordable tour
  
• limiting group size to what is best for you
  
• structuring the itinerary to what you want
  
• making new friends to share cruise experiences with
  

Can stuff go wrong? Sure, just anything in life. You just have to be prepared for it. I take down room numbers of people touring with me so that I can contact them if they are running late or there's a change in plan. I give people my room number (with the suggestion of what times not to contact me, I know kung fu.. hehe) so that they can call me with a problem. Before the cruise, I confirm thru cruise critic forum and email the meeting time, place, cost, intinerary, etc. I collect the tour money (not the tip, that's each person's discretion) at the meeting spot before we leave the ship so that way I know everyone has paid. I keep an accordion file of the tour guide info, who's going, cost per person, etc. so there's no question.

 

All these things better ensure that my tours run as smoothly as possible. And it's been worth it. The people who joined my last tours on the Equinox seemed to enjoy them and I established new cruise friends that I'd like to cruise with again. So worth it! But it all depends on your comfort zone. I respect those who do ship-sponsored tours or private cabs of 2. Trust me, I started off that way for years before taking control. :D

 

Hi Robin!

 

Really enjoyed meeting you & Ben & had a great time on the tours you organized last year! In May my mom & I will be getting on the Infinity for the Norway Fjords after you get off the British Isles leg. I understand many are doing 2 or 3 BTB. Oh to be retired! Someday, I hope!

 

I bet you are as excited as me for the 2014 schedule to come out...any ideas yet? You are going to love the British Isles, we did it on the Connie in 2008. Be sure not to miss Giant's Causeway!

 

Jyl

[I-Cruiser]

I have organized private tours on the last two European cruises I've been on. Tours as small as 4 and as large as 20 people. I have had no major problems and enjoy organizing them. Benefits include:

 

• saving money by booking a more affordable tour
  
• limiting group size to what is best for you
  
• structuring the itinerary to what you want
  
• making new friends to share cruise experiences with
  

 

Can stuff go wrong? Sure, just anything in life. You just have to be prepared for it. I take down room numbers of people touring with me so that I can contact them if they are running late or there's a change in plan. I give people my room number (with the suggestion of what times not to contact me, I know kung fu.. hehe) so that they can call me with a problem. Before the cruise, I confirm thru cruise critic forum and email the meeting time, place, cost, intinerary, etc. I collect the tour money (not the tip, that's each person's discretion) at the meeting spot before we leave the ship so that way I know everyone has paid. I keep an accordion file of the tour guide info, who's going, cost per person, etc. so there's no question.

 

All these things better ensure that my tours run as smoothly as possible. And it's been worth it. The people who joined my last tours on the Equinox seemed to enjoy them and I established new cruise friends that I'd like to cruise with again. So worth it! But it all depends on your comfort zone. I respect those who do ship-sponsored tours or private cabs of 2. Trust me, I started off that way for years before taking control. :D

 

You summed it up very nicely:)

 

I have arranged private tours since we started cruising and touch wood:D never had a problem with people canceling last minute or being a no show.

We have had fantastic tours that way and met many new friends.

 

I just cant understand why some people can be so rude and not show/ cancel a private tour without telling the group leader beforehand.

Worse is not to offer to pay their part.....

 

If we some reason had to cancel a private tour I would take it for granted that I paid our share. Everyone else should too!!!!

 

More and more tour companies now requires online pre payment. This is a very good idea to ensure payment by everyone.

Hopefully it will be just as easy to get the money refunded should the ship cancel the port of call.

[rua642]

I have done only ship excursions and can honestly say that I've never been on a bad one. In fact, some of the tours and guides, especially in the Baltic ports, have been outstanding. To me it's worth paying the extra money knowing that if the bus blows out a tire or we hit traffic, the ship will still be waiting at the end. Furthermore, going with a small group of strangers on a private tour, you run the risk of being in close quarters with an abrasive personality, or someone who wants to alter the pace of the tour. On a Celebrity excursion you basically know what you're getting. Also, most of the people I became friendly with on the ship were people I've met on shore excursions. You have to figure the pros and cons of ship vs. private tour and do what works for you. Different strokes for different folks, as they say.

[herbanrenewal]

My experience with Roll Call tours has been mostly excellent, but with a few bumps.

 

On one occassion we rented a car to be shared with another couple. Without notifying me (in fact re-confirming at the Meet and Greet) this other couple had organized a group of 7 for a minivan rental, split the cost of the van rental 5 ways so they were free. And on the day in port told me they had made other arrangements. She told me she "wanted to keep her options open" in case the other 5 people "stiffed her":confused:! Fortunately the rental for us was still less than a ships excursion and we had a great day.

 

Since then I only organize if the contracted service handles all payment arrangements and I am only obligated to pay the agreed upon fee for the 2 of us.

 

As a participant I also want to know the contact info for the service, and I confirm arrangements with them. I had heard of one other occassion where someone organized a large group, collected money up front, and then never showed up. I want to be able to correspond with the guide myself, especially if pre-payment is needed or a credit card number is needed to hold the reservation. One other safety check - check out to see how active the organizer is on the board. If this is the first and only thread they post to, I don't like my odds for a successful excursion.

[ORV]

My experience with Roll Call tours has been mostly excellent, but with a few bumps.

 

On one occassion we rented a car to be shared with another couple. Without notifying me (in fact re-confirming at the Meet and Greet) this other couple had organized a group of 7 for a minivan rental, split the cost of the van rental 5 ways so they were free. And on the day in port told me they had made other arrangements. She told me she "wanted to keep her options open" in case the other 5 people "stiffed her":confused:! Fortunately the rental for us was still less than a ships excursion and we had a great day.

 

 

Was their last name Weasel?

[Lois R]

Was their last name Weasel?

 

I was thinking of another word that would get me banned if I posted

it on here...so weasel will have to do.....omg...some people have no

manners/brains/common sense......:eek::rolleyes::mad::(.....unbelievable.

[Texed]

I was thinking of another word that would get me banned if I posted.

 

Don't do that! A whole bunch of us would miss you if you did. :)

[Lois R]

Don't do that! A whole bunch of us would miss you if you did. :)

 

LOL...no worries...I do feel bad for the couple who organized the rental

and I am glad they were able to still get the car and save money.

I suppose if that is how the weasel couple acted? They are probably

glad they did not go with them!:eek:

[Nebr.cruiser]

Most tour operators require payment at start of the excursion. Seems strange that the refusal to pay came at the end. If this were common practice, tour operators would hear many more disatisfaction claims and refusals to pay at the end of the trip.

 

Actually, most private tours we have been on were paid at the end, and the companies stated, payif the tour was satisfactory. So far we have not had a problem with tours made up of a group of strangers who got together on these boards, but I suppose it can happen.

 

I've been the one to arrange several tours; only one required a credit card as a back-up. Normally I don't book tours that require this, but in this case that was all that was available.

 

Last May we joined a tour of Santorini--which was mostly transportation between sites and not very expensive; around $16 pp. My husband was sick that day and didn't go. I offered to pay both of our shares, but the others on the tour wouldn't let me. It ended up being only a dollar or so higher pp because an additional couple or two had been added on the ship and the total price was divided by the number of people.

 

Another time we actually missed the tour because we were tendering on the French Riviera and all tenders were held up while there was a medical evacuation. We were in line over an hour early and when we finally got to shore, our tour had waited quite a long time and had just left. Luckily, I was the one who had organized the tour and had contact info in my purse.

 

The tour guide took the rest of the group in Monte Carlo, dropped them off and swung back to get us. Very grateful for that! I would have expected to pay our share, and, in fact, this was the one time the tour operator had my credit card as back-up.

 

Even if a tour was really bad, I wouldn't stiff my fellow tour members. I'd expect the company to make some compensation.

[gb270]

Just like to share my experiences of private tours.

We took our first ones in 2011 , joined others on our roll call and had a brilliant time.

Last year we were due to cruise again and hoped to do the same. One couple posted a trip in Slovenia which we liked the look of so we agreed to join them. We had to pay upfront for the tour, which we did without hesitation.

Sadly we had to cancel our cruise 3 days before departure when my MIL passed away. I emailed to let them know we would not be on the cruise.

 

After the trip the company emailed to say that another couple had taken our place and he had suggested they contact us and offer to refund us.

 

The couple who had set up the tour emailed us when they got back and said they had passed on our email address to our stand ins.

 

To this day I've heard nothing :confused:

 

Let me say that although I could of asked the company for a refund , I'm disappointed this other couple did not get in touch. I hope they enjoyed they're freebie.

 

I only have their names and when I cruise again If their names appear on a private tour I won't be joining them!

 

Jackie

[Mapleleaf5]

I would love to hear why they did not pay?:(:eek::confused:

 

We had a wonderful group on Equinox when I sailed to the Med in May.

Everyone paid the person who oganizied the tours before we left the

ship so it was all taken care of....it worked out great:)

 

I am really sorry you had such selfish people on your tour:(

 

I have done alot of shared tours. We always collect the money before

tour starts . It's worked well for us also!

 

Joanne

[Lois R]

I have done alot of shared tours. We always collect the money before

tour starts . It's worked well for us also!

 

Joanne

 

Hi Joanne:) did you just get back from sailing Silhouette?

Hope you had a great time.:) I sail her next month:D

[Mapleleaf5]

Hi Joanne:) did you just get back from sailing Silhouette?

Hope you had a great time.:) I sail her next month:D

 

Yes, We are back to -15c :eek: weather!

 

You are in for a treat! Great ship!

 

When you go to the Lawn Grill, save room for the warm chocolate cookie desset! OMG soooo good!:D

 

Have fun!

Joanne

[Alg63]

We have booked shared private excursions for our upcoming cruise and gave a credit card # so they can charge us in case of a "no show." That should be protection for the other participants.

Did you give the credit card to the operator or to the private person organizing the excursion ..because the private person cannot process the credit card unless they have their own biz, and if they process it through their business the person who does not show up can dispute it as n valid .. Would nt of course affect you .. The private organizer would bite the bullet

[ghstudio]

Did you give the credit card to the operator or to the private person organizing the excursion ..because the private person cannot process the credit card unless they have their own biz, and if they process it through their business the person who does not show up can dispute it as n valid .. Would nt of course affect you .. The private organizer would bite the bullet

 

You don't need a business to accept credit cards...there are many companies that will help an individual accept credit card payments...and accessories for iphones, etc so anyone can accept a credit card for anything.