Downside to private tours?

[SuzyQ123]

We are scheduled for a 26 day British Isles Grand Adventure April 2015. Although we have cruised quite a bit, we are now able to start cruising for longer periods of time due to retirement. I am curious with those of you that have scheduled your own tours rather than through Princess. In Europe, for example, do most tours have to be paid prior to your cruise? My husband and I both have elderly parents and a sibling in a nursing home that we are responsible for. There is always a risk of having to cancel and it seems that this is one time that going through the cruiseline would be beneficial even though they are more costly.

[Pam in CA]

On British Isles cruises, particularly Belfast, tour operators require payment in full with no refund regardless of circumstances. Most independent tour operators elsewhere require either a credit card to guarantee/hold a spot or a small non-refundable deposit. If you're uncomfortable pre-paying in full and non-refundable, I'd book a Princess tour. It'll be more expensive but refundable.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Pam in CA

[Fletch1]

Generally, most tour operators don't require payment prior to the day. Some may ask for a small deposit to secure the booking.

 

Personally I would avoid any tour guide who requires payment up front as should you need to cancel or if the ship does not make it into port, I have heard it can be very hard (sometimes impossible) to get a refund.

[SuzyQ123]

Thanks for the information Pam. You confirmed what I was already thinking.:)

[Grannycb]

Pam had good advice. Our private tours in the British Isles, Europe, and Asia mostly required payment in full prior to the cruise. A few asked for hefty deposits. I'd stick with Princess tours with our set of circumstances.

 

I just had another thought. Make sure you have travel insurance. I believe it would cover the cost of missed tours if you have to return home. If it does, it could give you some piece of mind when booking private tours. You should have good travel insurance in any case.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Grannycb

[SuzyQ123]

Thanks! I am an advocate of travel insurance. We never purchased when we were younger, but I think it is valuable. We just had to cancel a cruise this winter when my husband was seriously ill and ended up having Neurosurgery. I was amazed that they even paid for our air which we purchased on our own.

[DrivesLikeMario]

There are tour operators in most of the areas that will refund a portion of the independent tour cost. I'd go with those ones to be safe OR book all Princess tours.

 

IME, the only real downside of using a private tour operator is that you need to have one person who will be the tour leader - someone who is willing to research what is worthwhile to do, where to go, approximately how much time to allow at those sites and pretty much direct the tour operator if he/she gets off track a bit - all with the assistance and input from the tour operator who has first-hand knowledge.

 

One of my BI private tours was a bit haphazard because we didn't have a set plan. Sometimes that works out wonderfully and you just go with the flow, but in this case, I left feeling like I had missed out on some venues due to no pre-planning by our CC tour leader. We sat there saying, "Where do you want to go?" "I don't know. Where do you want to go?" :(

[taxatty]

If a tour operator has a nonrefundable for any reason policy, I don't use them. The ones I've used all over Europe and the Caribbean will refund your advance deposit if you don't make the ship, the ship doesn't make it to the port or it is significantly late. If a port doesn't have a tour company with a reasonable refund policy, it almost certainly will have a DIY capability where you can use local public transportation, take a walking tour of the port city for free or cheaply through the local Tourist Information Office, or if you want a reasonable day trip out of the port city, book a refundable rental car for pickup near or at the port or use a nearby bus or train station (advance booking being rarely necessary). We've done each of these quite a few times. You also need to have a "tour leader" per DrivesLikeMario who is willing to plan DIY trips and makes ABSOLUTELY sure that you get back to the ship on time.

 

Les

Edited May 15, 2014 by taxatty

[Loonbeam]

England/UK and some tours in the Middle East seem to be the exception, but most tour providers of any size have some form of cancellation policy, perhaps with a small penalty.

 

Trip insurance value can be expanded to cover pre-paid tours, but note that its not often covered by default under the policy limits, so check the one you buy.

 

In most cases, I have found the value and savings in a private tour to offset the risk factor. If you have a lively roll call its entirely possible that should you need to skip one day, you can find someone to take your place even,

[RASHOPPER2]

I have arranged private tours many times in Europe. Only once did I have to prepay. Most of the tour operators that I have used took payment after the tour. Yes, it does entail some research----cruise critic destinations and trip advisor have many suggestions of reliable tour companies that do not require pre-payment. Those that are high recommended can also be depended upon to get you back to the ship on time. The advantages of private tours really outweigh the risks in both quality and price.

[Mary Ellen]

Only once have we needed to prepay. That was for a 5-day overland tour in China (left the ship at the port for Beijing, meeting up again in Shanghai) All other private tours have been cash at the time of the tour.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We have done dozens of private tours and so far have not had to pre-pay. None have been in the British Isles, though, so perhaps tours there are different.

 

A couple of times we had to provide a credit card number as a guarantee--but even then we could have cancelled right up to the day of the tour with no penalty. Almost always we pay for the tour after it is over.

 

I would hesitate to book a private tour that had to be paid upfront unless I knew there was no other alternative; that is, for some certain locale, pre-pay was the norm.

[cpj]

I have organized small 6 to 8 people tours. Some times we paid in advance and sometimes only a deposit was due. I did the research that was necessary and we never had a problem. a much better way to see things and we tell them what we want to do and when. Princess tours are ok but too many people and too many shopping stops.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Might miss the boat ..