Private tours in Reykjavik

[okiedokiegirl]

My husband and I booked a private tour from Reykjavik with Tourism Iceland through Trip Advisor.  Unfortunately, we could not make port in Reykjavik because of bad weather.  Our captain reported this to us at 4 PM the day before we were to arrive in port.  I immediately called both Tourism Iceland and Viator to report our problem and request a refund.  They refused because I called after the 24 cancellation window had expired.  Of course, we had no power over the port cancellation, but this made no difference.  I strongly suggest that you consider other options in Reykjavik for shore excursions than Tourism Iceland.  Tours By Locals offers insurance to cover eventualities such as itinerary change, and this is a much better way to go given the frequency of itinerary changes beyond the cruisers control.

[gumshoe958]

Was this on the current Jewel TA?

[edinburgher]

On 9/13/2023 at 10:02 PM, okiedokiegirl said:

 I strongly suggest that you consider other options in Reykjavik for shore excursions than Tourism Iceland.

 

On 9/13/2023 at 10:02 PM, okiedokiegirl said:

They refused because I called after the 24 cancellation window had expired.

Whilst I am sorry for your financial loss through no fault of your own, it could possibly have been avoided had you carefully read the relevant cancellation policies before booking, and having read them, made a more informed decision as to whether to book or not.

 

And also  for future reference, do note that Viator is a third party middleman, not a tour company. It is usually preferable to book directly with the company whose tour you are buying  and any questions, requests, issues etc can be asked directly rather than having to go through a third party.  You will find a number of posts here on CC advising this. In this instance, if the Viator cancellation policy is 24 hours plus, and you booked(entered into a contract  with them), you are contractually bound by that condition.                       

Edited September 15, 2023 by edinburgher

[MkeCruzn]

We did some private tours with Arctic Expeditions/ Your Day Tours. They were great. You can book directly with them vs using a third party consolidator like V. 

[janetcbl]

Some years ago we enjoyed  the “free” two hour walking tour in Reykjavik. It began shortly after our arrival. Of course, you are expected to tip the guide at the end. Gave us a good intro, woke us up and gave us a chance to get the latest info on places we wanted to visit. We have done this tour in many cities for an intro. Website: citywalk.is.

[dronnygirl]

We used Iceland Guided Tours, excellent company and you pay when the bus picks you up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2023 by dronnygirl
Mistake

[Senga]

We booked our 3 Iceland tours with IET (Iceland Everywhere Tours) for June and our ship was unable to visit the ports due to 30 foot North Atlantic waves.  We had actually ARRIVED in Akureyri but the pilot said it wasn't safe to proceed.  IET was already there waiting for us yet they fully refunded all passengers who had prebooked.  Excellent company to deal with and their terms and conditions specifiy no charge if the ship can't dock.

[milolii]

On 10/7/2023 at 2:15 PM, Senga said:

We booked our 3 Iceland tours with IET (Iceland Everywhere Tours) for June and our ship was unable to visit the ports due to 30 foot North Atlantic waves.  We had actually ARRIVED in Akureyri but the pilot said it wasn't safe to proceed.  IET was already there waiting for us yet they fully refunded all passengers who had prebooked.  Excellent company to deal with and their terms and conditions specifiy no charge if the ship can't dock.

We used Iceland Everywhere as well.  We made all 3 ports.   However, the policy was a full refund if your ship did not dock/tender; and you could pay the day of your excursion. .  Some people did.  We did miss a fourth port, Seydisfjordur; booked with  Arctic Shore Excursions, which refunded all but the deposit.  Their policy was also clear.  Viator has a 24 hour cancellation policy on all tours/shore excursions I have seem, except a few which aren’t refundable, (for example, access tickets to the summit of the Eiffel Tower).

 

This a small company and slots fill very fast.  Excursions  for our July cruise  filled by the end of January.  Ziggy, the owner drove to Akureyri to take us around.  He also had a trip the following day from another ship, before meeting us in Reykjavik two days later.  All of us were from the roll call.  One of his employees met us in Grundarfjordur, also from Reykjavik.  All very professional and wonderful trips.   We plan to use the company for a hunt for the Northern Lights Tour next year.  

 

 

[nini]

Another reason to not use Viator. They are a BROKER!!!

We know of several other cruisers who have had their tours cancelled with basically a one-day notice. Then they are hard pressed to book something and the ship's excursions are usually totally booked by then.