Bernard's Tours...should I be concerned?

[cruisinbanddirectors]

I sent a Reservation request for my family last night on Bernard's website and got a response today that said "Great". And asked for our address and phone number in order to confirm the reservation. I have booked with several independent tour companies before and don't recall ever being asked for my address and phone number before. Well. Maybe a cell phone in case we didn't find each other...but address, never.

 

Am I being paranoid to find this a bit odd?

[kitkat9438]

I sent a Reservation request for my family last night on Bernard's website and got a response today that said "Great". And asked for our address and phone number in order to confirm the reservation. I have booked with several independent tour companies before and don't recall ever being asked for my address and phone number before. Well. Maybe a cell phone in case we didn't find each other...but address, never.

 

Am I being paranoid to find this a bit odd?

 

No worries. Bernard is great!!! We have used him twice now. I even gave him my credit card number to "hold" for my trip but he didn't charge anything and we paid in cash the day of our excursion. He probably wants to call you to get a credit card guarantee. He has had problems in the past people making reservations and now showing up. It is totally safe and secure. You are in for a great excursion.

[Brentonsmom]

No problems with Bernard. We used him about 3 years ago and will be going with him again next month. I gave him our address and cell phone number when making reservations both times. His tour is great, you will have a great time.

 

Tina

[cruisinbanddirectors]

Glad to hear reassuring thoughts from you guys that have been with Bernard before. Anything we must not miss on the tour?

[Ashland]

Glad to hear reassuring thoughts from you guys that have been with Bernard before. Anything we must not miss on the tour?

Bernards Rum Punch :eek:....We booked a private tour for our family of 6 adults...Bernard called early one morning and I had no problem giving him my credit card for our $50 deposit (required for private tours) then we paid the balance in cash morning of our tour...We had an amazing day and so will you :D:D

[GTO-Girl]

No worries with Bernard........none at all....:D

 

Used him twice and will use him again in October. Top notch person with a first class operation!!!

[jenn6743]

I sent a Reservation request for my family last night on Bernard's website and got a response today that said "Great". And asked for our address and phone number in order to confirm the reservation. I have booked with several independent tour companies before and don't recall ever being asked for my address and phone number before. Well. Maybe a cell phone in case we didn't find each other...but address, never.

 

Am I being paranoid to find this a bit odd?

 

Do you have Bernard's email address. I would like to request some info from him about a private tour but his website is down.

[Willbcruisin]

bernard1332002@yahoo.com

 

Bernards website is undergoing a face lift. Soon it should be set to accept payment for private tours through Paypal.

 

http://www.bernardstours.com

 

I just went on the site and it is functional?

 

We have toured six times, private with Bernard and for us it's the only way to experience this gorgeous Island.

[BillOh]

I sent a Reservation request for my family last night on Bernard's website and got a response today that said "Great". And asked for our address and phone number in order to confirm the reservation. I have booked with several independent tour companies before and don't recall ever being asked for my address and phone number before. Well. Maybe a cell phone in case we didn't find each other...but address, never.

 

Am I being paranoid to find this a bit odd?

 

I can understand based on the norm where you would be concerned. But in this case you probably don't have to worry. Bernard offers two kind of tours. One is totally private and you set the agenda for your group. For this tour he usually gets a credit card number. The other is a public tour and he generally wants the information so he can schedule how many people/busses he needs that day. I don't think a couple of no-shows or maybe one extra affects him that much, thus the casual reply.

 

FYI, we will probably take this tour for the 2nd time next spring, enjoy.

[f1mauro]

Booked group tour for October 10. Got my email reply acknowledging the booking. I'm set :cool:

His website seemed to be down but booked through this site . http://bernardstours.shoreadventures.net/

Had to register first through Ludot Tours and all was fine.

[Willbcruisin]

Bernards site is not "down" but under new construction. His website is functioning and he is able to accept reservations directly though his site. I only know this as I had a phone conversation with him last evening. If you are booking private he still needs to call you for a credit card deposit but soon it will all be able to be done through a secure link (Paypal)

 

Enjoy you tour. Of the 6X we have toured with him I never ever want to leave!

[july2012]

This sounds like a great ideal to do in St. Maarteen. So this is something to book directly with Bernard and not thru Carnival?

 

Can someone give me a quick over view of what the tour is like? I tried to click on the itenary on the website, it did not load.

 

We will be a group of 4, should we do private or just go along with group?

[bluenoser2]

We will be a group of six. How many people does a "public" tour take?

[cruiserssandr]

On our "public"tour there was a family of five, a couple, plus my husband and I. We were lucky enough to have Bernard as our guide. What a great day we had!

[Willbcruisin]

We have toured with Bernard 6X. We also referred a group we just sailed with in April and they all said this tour was the highlight of the entire cruise.

 

I just poked around on the new website and it looks to be up and running now.

 

http://www.bernardstours.com/itinerary.html

[WhiteRabbit]

 

We have toured six times, private with Bernard and for us it's the only way to experience this gorgeous Island.

 

Willbcruisin, may I ask what stops you requested, or were taken to? We just set up a private tour with him for mid-July, and only have a few ideas so far. Mostly I'm not sure how long we would need at various stops. It looks like we're set for a 5 1/2 hour day with them, and I'd like to make the most of our day. If we go to Marigot for a little shopping and a quick lunch, would our guide want to show us around the area and pick a spot to eat with us (we'd buy him lunch, of course! ;)) or would he rather drop us off and have us meet him in an hour or so? We don't want to hang out at any of the beaches, one of the main reasons we're doing a private tour, but would love to stop at a few to take pictures. Also, we'll have about two hours left at the end of our tour to explore on our own, so I wouldn't want to use up time on the tour with stuff we could do near the pier on our own. Thanks so much!

[Willbcruisin]

Willbcruisin, may I ask what stops you requested, or were taken to? We just set up a private tour with him for mid-July, and only have a few ideas so far. Mostly I'm not sure how long we would need at various stops. It looks like we're set for a 5 1/2 hour day with them, and I'd like to make the most of our day. If we go to Marigot for a little shopping and a quick lunch, would our guide want to show us around the area and pick a spot to eat with us (we'd buy him lunch, of course! ;)) or would he rather drop us off and have us meet him in an hour or so? We don't want to hang out at any of the beaches, one of the main reasons we're doing a private tour, but would love to stop at a few to take pictures. Also, we'll have about two hours left at the end of our tour to explore on our own, so I wouldn't want to use up time on the tour with stuff we could do near the pier on our own. Thanks so much!

 

We have seen the entire Island a few times. My favorite thing we do now is go to Pinel Isle but that is a beach day. Please tell Bernard or whatever driver you get exactly what you told me. They do stop at many beautiful overlooks along the way, on both sides of the Island. You can also feed iguanas and another place touch sea creatures. We have also stopped at Tijon which was very enjoyable. http://www.tijon.com/Location.aspx. One of the larger shopping areas is a quick walk back to the ship so I would save that for last. There are SO many wonderful places to lunch, tell your guide what you enjoy for food and they will be happy to accommodate you. Sunset Beach Bar is a must see if you have not been to see the planes come in. I never tire of watching them. Again feel free to tell your driver/guide your likes and dislikes and they will make your day so enjoyable. The history you learn along the way is amazing as well. Enjoy your day with Bernard and your cruise!. I so miss the happy Island.

[BillOh]

We will be a group of six. How many people does a "public" tour take?

 

I think they have 3 or 4 vehicles and I may have only seen 2. Those were 15 passenger vans.

[BillOh]

If we go to Marigot for a little shopping and a quick lunch, would our guide want to show us around the area and pick a spot to eat with us (we'd buy him lunch, of course! ;)) or would he rather drop us off and have us meet him in an hour or so? .....Thanks so much!

 

He just dropped us off there and met us about 90 minutes later. I suspect that is his personal time and he had things he wanted to do, but he told us he had to run an errand for the boss. (Perhaps his wife, the boss?) This was "junior" I've heard of at least 3 names of tour operators.

 

I'm looking forward to booking this again.

[Stratus22]

Would taking a 3 year old and a 6 year old on the tour be worth the Money?? Just worried about Orient Beach. We would probably have to do a private tour huh?? I would love to also have Bernard take us to see all of the sea animals as well. Any thoughts gang???

[Marykatesmom]

I hope we are OK too. We booked a private tour a few months ago for June 19. I got the confirmation email but I alway reconfirm a few days prior to leaving and I still haven't heard back.

 

I just tried the email the PP left which is different from the old one.