How does HAL Private Touring Full Day Car/Minivan work?

[Torquer]

We are booked on a cruise next summer to Alexandria Egypt and we really want to see the pyramids which are about a 3-hour drive away from the port.  At the present time, there are no normal HAL excursions showing up that go there.  They do have a Private Touring Full Day Minivan excursion available for $1199 for 4 people for up to 11 hours which we are considering.  Due to the long drive (and bad traffic we read about) we want to use HAL and would not consider a private tour company like we usually use for shore excursions.  We never heard of anyone actually doing these HAL private touring excursions, probably due to their high price.  So we have some questions on how these work:

 

• First, we want to know if it is even possible/reasonable to drive 3 hours one-way to get to the site.  We called the HAL shore excursions phone number and they were clueless.  Is there any way to get better info from HAL?  Has anybody else gone this far on a private tour?
• I seem to remember reading that someone will get in touch with us before the cruise to ask us where we want to go and what we want to see.  Is that correct?  If so, how far in advance do they contact us?
• Is the cancellation policy the same on these private excursions as normal HAL shore excursions, i.e. 2 days before?

[djett]

Our upcoming cruise has a stop in Alexandria and there are two HAL excursions to Cairo. Maybe it's too early for the excursions to show for your cruise.

[CruiserBruce]

Agree. It's too early for 2024 excursions. 

[pschweig]

On our 2022 14-day eastern Mediterranean cruise, our family of 6 used a HAL minivan tour for our stop in Istanbul. It was the first and only time we have done so. We found it cost only slightly more than six all-day HAL tours of Istanbul ($999 for 8 h). Sorry - I do not remember the cancellation policy.
 

Everything was handled so professionally, I was contacted approximately 3 weeks before the date of the tour, requesting a list of sights which we would like to visit. When we met our guide the day of the tour, he confirmed these stops. At all times, our guide was very professional and informative. He was solicitous of all members of our group, adjusting his pace for our elderly members, while keeping a very watchful eye on the 2 teenagers! He even helped our group member with a food allergy order at a local Turkish restaurant. 
 

I would not hesitate to book a HAL minivan tour again if cost effective. 

[Cruising-along]

That's strange.  Our cruise (November 2024) has had the excursions up for Egypt for awhile.  It's one place I wouldn't go without the HAL tour.  When we went before, it took an extra hour to get back to the ship because of the traffic (13-hour day).  Also we had an armed guard with us.

[Torquer]

Thanks @pschweigfor your review of your experience with the private minivan.  Do you remember what the cancellation policy was?  Was it the same as normal shore excursions?

 

On why the shore excursion to the pyramids is not showing up for our August 2024 cruise, I suspect it is because we are in Alexandria for only 12 hours.  Other cruises that show these excursions are there 14 or more hours.  Still I would be OK just seeing the pyramids for a few hours, and hence my request for info on the HAL private minivan.  A few weeks ago, I started a thread discussing that aspect.  For this thread, I am more interested in learning how the private van/car tours work.

[pschweig]

Sorry, I do not remember the cancellation policy. My best guess - it was the same. 

[Torquer]

I am the OP and we are ready to book this private minivan excursion.  Now the problem is that the two of us have $200 each for use with shore excursions from HIA.  Now HAL is saying because only one person orders the private minivan, we can only use $200 of our credit for this excursion, not $400.  This really sucks since we almost never use HAL excursions, and don't plan to do any others on this cruise except for this one.  So it sounds like we will lose $200.  Has anyone else experienced this, or found a way around it?  I assume the HIA money tagged for shore excursions can only be used on them, not general OBC, and not refundable?

[pschweig]

Sorry - you should only be able to apply one shore excursion credit. The minivan was rented in my husband’s name. We could add as many people as we wanted up to the stated capacity of the minivan. All HAL asked was that he provide a list of those who would be on the van other than himself once we were onboard. 

[oakridger]

8 hours ago, Torquer said:

So it sounds like we will lose $200.  Has anyone else experienced this, or found a way around it?  I assume the HIA money tagged for shore excursions can only be used on them, not general OBC, and not refundable?

 

Check out what people have found on this other thread regarding HIA excursion credits:

 

Even though someone on the phone and also on @gregma's cruise said they were refundable, it doesn't look like they really are refundable.

 

~Nancy

[Mary229]

21 hours ago, Torquer said:

I am the OP and we are ready to book this private minivan excursion.  Now the problem is that the two of us have $200 each for use with shore excursions from HIA.  Now HAL is saying because only one person orders the private minivan, we can only use $200 of our credit for this excursion, not $400.  This really sucks since we almost never use HAL excursions, and don't plan to do any others on this cruise except for this one.  So it sounds like we will lose $200.  Has anyone else experienced this, or found a way around it?  I assume the HIA money tagged for shore excursions can only be used on them, not general OBC, and not refundable?

Did you call?  A visit to the onboard shore excursions desk may also be able to sort it out.  
 

I usually end up using the credit for the city tour and airport transfer. 🤷‍♀️

[Torquer]

1 minute ago, Mary229 said:

Did you call?  A visit to the onboard shore excursions desk may also be able to sort it out. 

Yes we booked the minivan on the phone with the HAL shore excursions folks.  They said only one person's credit can be used since only one person is making the reservation.  We will ask again once we get on the ship, but there are so few options in this port, we need to book it now to lock it in.

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, Torquer said:

Yes we booked the minivan on the phone with the HAL shore excursions folks.  They said only one person's credit can be used since only one person is making the reservation.  We will ask again once we get on the ship, but there are so few options in this port, we need to book it now to lock it in.

Shore excursions desk can sometimes work magic and massage the billing.  I am in a similar predicament and my course of action is to book now and work it out later.  I guess the days of surplus shore excursions has disappeared