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Bermuda private guide


fancycroozer
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I have a question, we have a tour booked with Heidi and wanted to know if we tip her? If so how much do you tip? I want to make sure I do the right thing and am really looking forward to this.

 

 

My rule of thumb for a tour is to tip at least 10% and add more if so inspired by the tour. I usually end up at least 15%.

Edited by Charles4515
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I booked a private 6-person tour with Heidi a few weeks ago and paid her $800 cash for the tour... the price we agreed to when I booked the tour. I didn't tip her any additional cash at the end of the tour. Since Heidi is the one-person tour company owner/operator, I think the tour price is the appropriate compensation. If she was a tour guide who was part of a larger company, I would consider tipping.

 

 

 

I'm sure any additional tip would be appreciated, but not really required. However, I don't know if that would be different if joining one of her 10-person tours as a single or couple.

 

 

 

We did visit the art gallery in the dockyard area that she is the curator of... and made one of our Bermuda purchases there. Maybe that is a tip? :)

 

 

 

I would have tipped her. But it is a personal decision. I have been on many tours all over the world and tipping the guides and drivers is standard. Does not matter if they are the owner. Usually start at 10% as a baseline for a tour guide and add more if inspired by the quality of the tour. Average about 15%. If there is a separate driver than the guide then I tip the guide a minimum of 10% and the driver 5%.

Edited by Charles4515
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I think most of the guides are individuals and not working for a company like the taxi drivers do. So I book and hourly rate, and then tip in addition to that.

 

 

I don't think the taxi drivers are working for companies. There are about 600 taxis in Bermuda and the drivers are self employed. About 200 of the taxi drivers have taken the Blue Flag training course to be a guide. There might be some who own more than one taxi and hire someone to drive the the others but I think it is mostly individual owned and driven taxis. The taxi drivers associate with several taxi dispatching companies but those companies don't employ the drivers or own the vehicles. I would tip 15% for a taxi ride.

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We took Heidi' s tour. It lasted over six hours. Very informative. Lunch and lighthouse included. We had 9 people on our tour. The van can feel tight especially if taller. You do get out frequently. My 12 year old daughter enjoyed certain parts and was bored with others. We tipped 10 percent.

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We took Heidi' s tour. It lasted over six hours. Very informative. Lunch and lighthouse included. We had 9 people on our tour. The van can feel tight especially if taller. You do get out frequently. My 12 year old daughter enjoyed certain parts and was bored with others. We tipped 10 percent.

 

 

 

Did you pay for all 9 people on the tour ($900 or so), then tip her $90 on top of that?

 

Wasn't sure if you had a "private" private tour, or were part of a group tour she runs.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Remember that the rates for the guides and taxi drivers are set by the government. If the guide's expenses are more than the set rate (cost of fuel goes up but the rates are not adjusted), then the tips make up the difference. Bermuda is a very expensive place to live.

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  • 1 month later...

Avoid Theron G Smith like the plague. He's s blue flag taxi from a company oddly called expect the best. He took days to respond to emails but finally got everything arranged only to have him cancel at 5pm the day before a noon tour leaving us trying to find a blue flag taxi last minute. Totally unprofessional.

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Avoid Theron G Smith like the plague. He's s blue flag taxi from a company oddly called expect the best. He took days to respond to emails but finally got everything arranged only to have him cancel at 5pm the day before a noon tour leaving us trying to find a blue flag taxi last minute. Totally unprofessional.

 

That is unfortunate but at least you got some advance notice. Sounds like he either had a problem with his vehicle, got sick, or had a family emergency. If you look at the website he is a one person company. I think you are going a little overboard.

 

It should not have been difficult to find a Blue Flag taxi at the last minute. There are 200 blue flag drivers. I took a Blue Flag taxi tour without booking in advance.

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Avoid Theron G Smith like the plague. He's s blue flag taxi from a company oddly called expect the best. He took days to respond to emails but finally got everything arranged only to have him cancel at 5pm the day before a noon tour leaving us trying to find a blue flag taxi last minute. Totally unprofessional.

 

You've posted this message in 3 different threads on this forum. In the Guidelines for Cruise Critic, I found this:

One-Post Wonders

This phenomenon essentially amounts to single or multiple posts created by a brand-new member which tout tour operators/businesses in ports of call. Posts of this nature will be removed from the boards without notification to the author. Cruise Critic considers these types of postings an attempt to circumvent our rules and may result in that company's name being censored from our forums without notice.

 

I'm not sure it applies in your case, but keep it in mind if you post more.

 

Since you are a relatively new member, I'm just trying to be helpful.

 

SBtS

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  • 2 weeks later...
I booked a private 6-person tour with Heidi a few weeks ago and paid her $800 cash for the tour... the price we agreed to when I booked the tour. I didn't tip her any additional cash at the end of the tour. Since Heidi is the one-person tour company owner/operator, I think the tour price is the appropriate compensation. If she was a tour guide who was part of a larger company, I would consider tipping.

 

I'm sure any additional tip would be appreciated, but not really required. However, I don't know if that would be different if joining one of her 10-person tours as a single or couple.

 

We did visit the art gallery in the dockyard area that she is the curator of... and made one of our Bermuda purchases there. Maybe that is a tip? :)

 

 

I booked 4 people with Heidi last week (we were combined with 6 others for a total of a 10 person tour). I debated whether to tip but didn't in the end as I figured she is a solo tour operator and prices accordingly. I usually am a good tipper--just didn't figure it was necessary in this circusmstance. Now I feel badly and wish I had done differently. Pre-tour, Heidi's communication was fantastic. We went up and back with a number of e-mails, and she was very helpful. The tour started out great--very informative and Heidi was friendly and offered to take photos for us which was very kind. Unfortunately, things soured a bit later--my older teenager wound up getting quite a bad nosebleed that just wouldn't stop and it created a bit too much drama. Then, those of us in the back of the van were chatting and didn't hear her start to narrate again (she was using a microphone but the amplification wasn't super loud). She reprimanded us, and an awkward few moments ensured. Probably she was hurt and thought we didn't care to listen--which I could see being upsetting--but it was far from the truth. We simply didn't hear her begin to speak. I do wish she had given us the benefit of the doubt before getting snippy. Finally, I had requested/asked ahead of time if we would could see the Unfinished Church and the sea glass beach near St. George. She had said yes. She pointed these two sites out from the van but never offered stops to step out for photos. It was raining a bit, so maybe that was part of it. I should have spoken up--that's on me--but I did wind up feeling a little disappointed that those were skipped over. Other than that, her tour was very informative, and stops were interesting. I especially enjoyed the lighthouse and view from Ft. Scaur.

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If you mean Lewis Foggo

lewis_foggo@hotmail.com

 

I've used him too and found him to be excellent even though what I wanted wasn't the usual island tour.

We have never been to Bermuda and are sailing in to Kings Wharf.

Can we contact this gentleman for Kings Wharf? I have seen his name a few times so I would prefer to use someone recommended, since we don't have much time in port!

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We have never been to Bermuda and are sailing in to Kings Wharf.

Can we contact this gentleman for Kings Wharf? I have seen his name a few times so I would prefer to use someone recommended, since we don't have much time in port!

 

Certainly he would pick you up at Kings Wharf for a tour. If you like what you read about him, email him and see if he is available your dates.

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  • 1 month later...

Heading to Bermuda with sisters to celebrate with 86 year old Mom and would love any new reviews regarding Blue Flag Taxis and Tour guides. Places to see and names of guides would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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I used Colin Jennings - colinjenningstaxi@yahoo.com

 

This is what he sent me:

 

hank you for your interest in touring with me. I am available to tour on Monday, July 6th.

 

We can start as early as 9:30am and tour for as long as you would like. If this is your first time visiting the island I would recommend at least a 4-5 hour tour. This way you would get to see most of the islands highlights, stop for a bite to eat and make any special stops ( I.e. crystal caves, aquarium, shopping swimming etc.).

 

The cost of the tour would be $50 per hour for a group of 1-4 people and $70 per hour for a group of 5-7 people. This can be paid in Bermuda or US dollars on the day of the tour. There is no deposit needed.

 

Also on the day of the tour I will meet you at the wharf with a sign that has your name on it.

 

Please let me know if you would like to book this date and time.

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I used Colin Jennings - colinjenningstaxi@yahoo.com

 

This is what he sent me:

 

hank you for your interest in touring with me. I am available to tour on Monday, July 6th.

 

We can start as early as 9:30am and tour for as long as you would like. If this is your first time visiting the island I would recommend at least a 4-5 hour tour. This way you would get to see most of the islands highlights, stop for a bite to eat and make any special stops ( I.e. crystal caves, aquarium, shopping swimming etc.).

 

The cost of the tour would be $50 per hour for a group of 1-4 people and $70 per hour for a group of 5-7 people. This can be paid in Bermuda or US dollars on the day of the tour. There is no deposit needed.

 

Also on the day of the tour I will meet you at the wharf with a sign that has your name on it.

 

Please let me know if you would like to book this date and time.

 

Per this post from mid 2016, Colin Jennings has passed away:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=50035165&postcount=1057

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  • 2 weeks later...

We just returned from Bermuda...Second day in Port we hired a Blue Flag Taxi Tour operator Dennis Hollis. He was excellent as we saw the entire island about in just over six hours. My husband and I could never have seen everything in a ship organized larger group as we did privately on our own. We learned about the history and herbs, dairy, buildings, landmarks, water tanks, and tales of Bermuda. Dennis was not only extremely friendly and welcoming but holds a wealth of knowledge!

-Toured Bermuda’s smallest church and St. Scaur Hill Fort Park.

-A quick stop to see the smallest drawbridge, Somerset Bridge.

-Stop at Gibbs Lighthouse and other panoramic spots along.

-Pics at Church Bay, Flatts Village and to see gigantic sea turtles at BAMZ

-Toured Grotto Bay resort, the caves onsite and a few others along the way, saw Church Bay.

-In St George walked to St. Peter’s and the Unfinished Church...also did some shopping and watched part of the wrench reenactment dunking.

-Drove by and had photo opportunities at Tobacco Bay and Fort St Catherine’s

-Saw original shipwreck site monuments and moongates along the way.

-Made a stop at the Swizzle Inn for lunch and the famous rum swizzle (very good)

-Drove along millionaires billionaires row I’ll call it where many famous people have mansions dotted overlooking along the ocean and golf courses including Bloomberg, Ross Perot, and Micheal Douglas etc.

-Took pictures and made a stop in the private estate in Tucker’s Town.

-Drove through botanical gardens which look in need of some love

-Coastline drive stopping to see where the different beaches are and take some pictures. Warwick, Jobsons Cove, Horseshoe, Shelly, Church Bay, Hamilton Princesses private beach, etc.

 

-To end we stopped at the glass beach and took pictures and looked at all of the seaglass along the beach.

Was a long tiring day but so worth it! Was $50 per hour for a five hour tour however he threw in the sixth hour at no charge. We gave him extra and invited him to lunch at Swizzle however he graciously declined and instead relaxed in the van.

If anyone needs...Dennis' email dwhollis@logic.bm.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Has anyone taken a private tour in Bermuda and if so who did you use and how were they?

 

At the Navy Dock there are several private tour operators we talked to several before deciding on this one.

We hired Rene Bean Taxi#1778 to give us a three hour tour. He was very friendly and knowledgeable didn't push us into more hours took us were we wanted to go. Couldn't have had a better tour. He truly loves his country and lets you know so you can come to love it also.

 

:)

Here is his email:

Renetaxi1778@gmail.com

Cell: 441-334-8835

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  • 4 months later...
We took Heidi' s tour. It lasted over six hours. Very informative. Lunch and lighthouse included. We had 9 people on our tour. The van can feel tight especially if taller. You do get out frequently. My 12 year old daughter enjoyed certain parts and was bored with others. We tipped 10 percent.

Hi

Have you still got contact for Heidi as when I did a google search I could not be directed to the booking page for her tours??

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Hi

Have you still got contact for Heidi as when I did a google search I could not be directed to the booking page for her tours??

 

Hi,

We have toured with Heidi twice and had fantastic experiences each time. Both times it ended up being just the 2 of us with Heidi and her blind dog. Each tour we saw different things. She is very accommodating and willing to customize for you. We really enjoyed the included lunch which we ate along the water at Flatts.

You can reach her at bermudabyways.com

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