How do I know?

[jmunson]

I've read that many people hire a taxi or guide for the day at ports. The experience sounds wonderful. How do I know it is a trustworthy taxi or guide?:confused: Yes, I am a first time cruiser, but I have heard a few horror:eek: stories.

 

Thanks for any insight.

[Ellusionz]

Well some places have specific stickers or papers to tell you its registered. Some way out of the way places are just what my business calls "gypsy cabs," where its a single person who just bought a car and is hiring themselves out. If there isn't someone managing a taxi line, trust your instincts. Is the car so damaged you might be afraid for your life with that driver? ;) Talk with the driver, its all about service.. do you feel comfortable? Be sure to get the final price BEFORE you leave. Especially if the prices are not labeled on the vehicle. Where I work I heard a horror story of a poor lady who came across our property in a cab, probably less than a mile or two, and was charged over $50! The police couldn't do anything, get the price first!

 

Also check out the port boards to pre hire a guide at one of your stops. There's lots of reviews of different people who work there.

 

Just my two cents, I don't have too much experience expect in the U.S. and Caribbean ports. Some others might have better advice :)

[paul929207]

Talk to the guie to make sure he speaks English fluently. Ask him some off the wall questions.

[jmunson]

Well some places have specific stickers or papers to tell you its registered. Some way out of the way places are just what my business calls "gypsy cabs," where its a single person who just bought a car and is hiring themselves out. If there isn't someone managing a taxi line, trust your instincts. Is the car so damaged you might be afraid for your life with that driver? ;) Talk with the driver, its all about service.. do you feel comfortable? Be sure to get the final price BEFORE you leave. Especially if the prices are not labeled on the vehicle. Where I work I heard a horror story of a poor lady who came across our property in a cab, probably less than a mile or two, and was charged over $50! The police couldn't do anything, get the price first!

 

Also check out the port boards to pre hire a guide at one of your stops. There's lots of reviews of different people who work there.

 

Just my two cents, I don't have too much experience expect in the U.S. and Caribbean ports. Some others might have better advice :)

 

Thank you so much. It is helpful. We will be taking a Western Caribbean cruise, so any suggestions is appreciated. Again, thanks for your two cents.

 

Just curious, you say "my business." What business are you in?

[kitty9]

OK, just make absolutely sure you ask for the TOTAL price up front before you get into the car--and make sure you are very, very to the point as to what you want to do and where you want to go, and if you're wanting him to bring you back to the ship after the tour. That's were the problem came in for those passengers who got arrested (and are still in jail) during one of their port stops. They thought they were getting off cheap when the local told them the price, but once they got in the vehicle, and arrived at their destination, is when the problems began. They got into a fight, and the local took them to the police station where the passengers allegedly got into another fight with the police and they're all now waiting for their trial

[cb at sea]

Before you start booking things, get a guidebook on your ports....then you'll know if you even NEED a "guide", or if it's something you can do on your own! Many things are easy to do and get to.

The cruiselines and private guides rely on the fact that most cruisers have no idea about the places they'll visit...do a bit of research..you can save some $$$$$!

[trish1c]

You don't. It's the luck of the draw.

Checking for licenses, speaking with the person & settling the price up front are all good ideas. But you never know.

After doing a great deal of research I pre-booked 3 independent tours for our last cruise. All operators got rave reviews on here & on tripadvisor. They all had major problems, IMO. We were very disspointed. In the past I have had amazing private tours. You just never know.

[flashdog_1]

I remember planning my very first cruise and deciding to use the ship's tours even though they cost a little more. They were headache free for the most part, if you don't mind being on a big bus. It enables you to talk to some people from your ship you may not have met before. And they say the ship will wait for a ship's excursion if there's a problem.

 

sure enough, in Cozumel I was on a tour and the bus broke down just as we were leaving town to go back to the pier. Our driver had to call his company for a replacement bus, which fortunately was there in 10 minutes. We did not delay the ship, but certainly hurried to get back on, barely having adequate time to dress for dinner. And who knows if we had booked privately if that company would have had a replacement bus on hand for our emergency?

 

Another time on the same cruise I was booked in Colon, Panama, for a small boat ride thru the canal (not my DH). We met at 7:15 a.m. We boarded buses 1, 2 and 3 and took off. No more buses left the pier! They were scheduled for 7:30 and 7:45 etc. We just lucked out and got to go.

 

A taxi cab association had blocked the gates to the pier in protest that they were not being given a fair shake at taking cruise ship passengers. We found this out by radio contact from the tour guide and bus driver. As we passed a bus that was off the road in a ditch, we understood WHY certain companies are chosen for the cruise ship tours and others not. The not chosen bus was not air conditioned, had bad tires and ran off the road.

 

I'm telling you all this because in your desire to hire a private taxi or tour you could get inferior equipment or unscrupulous contractors. The licensed ones are going to be up to snuff. And there may be a difference in a regular taxi license and a tour license. So be sure you know what you are getting. Generally speaking, the taxis you book inside the port area will be licensed. in some areas, such as Colon, they even record everyone's name, the time they left etc. and check them back in. Doesn't this indicate to you that there is some danger in some ports?

 

When we returned to the port the gates were still closed so were instructed to go inside the shopping area and to climb some stairs to get to the ship. We were questioned as to where we'd been (all in Spanish. I do not know what authority the man questioning me had. Was he from the port authority or was he part of the taxi coalition? He was not polite enough, I thought to have been a municipal employee, so I am inclined to think perhaps the latter). This man moved into my path with arms folded over his chest and acosted me. I speak Spanish but could not understand many of his words. I ended up asking what he wanted to know. Told him I'd been to the canal, and he finally let me go by. I was glad to be back on the ship. Scary.

 

When back on the ship we found out that NO other tours had been allowed to leave because of the danger from this protest. and most passengers were so freaked out by the presence of the taxis and other buses blocking the gates that they remained on board. My DH of course went off the ship (doesn't speak a word of Spanish, either) to do some beer shopping. Being a man 6'3" tall may have helped, but he was not accosted at all.

 

After that first cruise (in retrospect, I am glad all tours were booked thru the ship!) I have never booked another ship tour, always doing research on cruise critic and other travel sites, sometimes going with other people from our roll call, and sometimes just two of us booking a helicopter flight for instance, and we'd be with 4 other passengers, but always with a recommendation.

 

I have only stepped into a cab twice on cruises, once in Alaska (he had a meter running and we were not afraid), and once in Santo Tomas de Castillo when it was a brand new port of call. There were 6 of us for this tour. The man we'd booked our tour of the Rio Dulce with had told us what the price should be, how much the taxi should charge, where to meet him in Puerto Barrios etc. So when we first entered the terminal and they tried to sell us tours we told him we were meeting Javier Putul, and they knew him and said to say "hi."

 

Then they asked if we needed a taxi. Yes, we did. They wanted to charge twice as much as Javier had said the cost would be. We asked for a van since we had 6 but they declined since they might need it for a tour they could pick up from ship passengers. The "officials" with the tourism group got together with the actual cab drivers to see if they'd accept $10 each and they would with 3 in two small cars.

 

These two drivers met us at the exact designated time to return us from the pier in Puerto Barrios to Santo Tomas & the ship.

 

Had we walked outside the pier to the possibly unlicensed taxi drivers, they'd surely have gotten us to Puerto Barrios, but would they have returned at 3:30 that afternoon?

 

Just be very careful. Don't try to save a buck and take unnecessary chances until you know the place.

[cruisetraveler2]

Make sure you agree on a price before you get into the taxi. If it is a tour, find out where it goes. I always make sure that I have exact cash to pay. If you need change, sometimes they suddenly don't speak English. I have seen this happen. You may end up paying a much larger tip than you had planned. It can be much less expensive to do tours on your own. You need to do your research. We have cruised for many years and depending on the port we are visiting, I still sometimes choose to do the cruiseline tour. Price may be higher but the hassle factor is very low. Have a great time!

[jmunson]

Thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge. We will probably only take a taxi to a beach in Cozumel. Hopefully, we will be okay. Again. thank you. I can hardly wait until May.

[Ellusionz]

Thank you so much. It is helpful. We will be taking a Western Caribbean cruise, so any suggestions is appreciated. Again, thanks for your two cents.

 

Just curious, you say "my business." What business are you in?

 

I work security at a local theme park. They have a contracted cab service and we're supposed to enforce that "gypsy" cabs don't try to pick up guests. They are only supposed to come and drop off or pick up if they have a prearranged customer.

 

I try to let guests know that if they stay with our contract cab service if they have any issues they just have to speak with the parks guest relations as we have some pull with the service. Otherwise they're on their own with the others. Plus I've had it happen when after they were dropped off they realized they forgot something and we've been able to call to find and return the item. But we're all about protecting the magic, so go above and beyond. ;)

[Colorado Kat]

Before you get into a cab, check to make sure that the price is "for everyone" and not just per person.

 

Cozumel is easy - we loved Paradise Beach club. Lots of cabs hang out there at return time to get you back to the ship. Kathy