Tour organizers threatened at Meet & Greet aboard Grand Princess

[KofAK]

It's a heck of a lot smaller than a stuffed bus of over 40 people who have no connection to each other and will never see each other again.

 

I've been on George's tours and will again. He's a heck of an organizer and puts an enormous amount of research, time and effort that is greatly appreciated by someone like myself.

 

One of the reasons why Toto left CC was because people on the tour(s) she organized kept calling and knocking on her cabin door when she and her husband were resting or just plain enjoying their alone time. People are sometimes incredibly inconsiderate when you tell them to contact you for the details of a tour. Sometimes, these details are critical and complicated and best put in writing for someone to refer to rather than have to remember. When you're cruising to little-known or rarely used ports, people like George are a godsend. Anything we can do to make his "job" easier is a plus and if that means catching people at the M&G, I'm all for it.

 

For those who say to just have someone contact you in your cabin, how would you feel if you were called morning and night, have strangers knocking on your door while you're enjoying a movie, napping or something else? It ruined Toto's cruise and turned her off CC forever.

 

Thanks Pam.

[Northender]

It's a heck of a lot smaller than a stuffed bus of over 40 people who have no connection to each other and will never see each other again.

 

I've been on George's tours and will again. He's a heck of an organizer and puts an enormous amount of research, time and effort that is greatly appreciated by someone like myself.

 

One of the reasons why Toto left CC was because people on the tour(s) she organized kept calling and knocking on her cabin door when she and her husband were resting or just plain enjoying their alone time. People are sometimes incredibly inconsiderate when you tell them to contact you for the details of a tour. Sometimes, these details are critical and complicated and best put in writing for someone to refer to rather than have to remember. When you're cruising to little-known or rarely used ports, people like George are a godsend. Anything we can do to make his "job" easier is a plus and if that means catching people at the M&G, I'm all for it.

 

For those who say to just have someone contact you in your cabin, how would you feel if you were called morning and night, have strangers knocking on your door while you're enjoying a movie, napping or something else? It ruined Toto's cruise and turned her off CC forever.[/quote]

 

Pam, thanks for the info. I did not know why T2K left us. I hope they are still cruising.:) This is the third day in a row that I am shaking my head after reading a post.:mad: Where do these people come from?:eek:

 

I hope Toto is booked on Royal Oct. 9th cruise. I would like to meet her.:)

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

A group on 20 is not to bad, biggest tour group I have been on with Princess took 17 buses now thats a lot of folks,

 

yours Shogun

[cvpends]

For the sake of equity, I feel I should mention that I have had both of these happen on tours I purchased from a cruiseline, also:

Add to the above,

<snip, snip>

driver taking you to a friends shop or restaurant

or leaving you in Timbuktu for trinket shopping

[junglejane]

Many passengers prefer private tours to have a better experience. I disagree people book them so they can save fifty bucks. We have met the loveliest people through sharing of tours. I believe 99.9 per cent of tour organizers have good intentions and are not interested in making a buck.

 

I agree. We have done many private tours on our 3 European cruises and our primary motivation was not to save money (although we did) but rather to enjoy a private 6-8 passenger van instead of a 50 passenger tour bus. The private tour took us where we wanted when we wanted. No waiting around for the slowest person to get out of the rest room or gift shop. You can see much more just because of being more efficient. I especially remember when we went to Belfast, we took a private taxi tour for the 4 of us, and saw twice as much as anyone on a ship tour.

 

That being said, we are using a ship tour in Cozumel to see the Coba ruins. They are far away, requiring both a 45 minute ferry ride and a 1-1/2 hour bus ride. In this circumstance, we'll opt for the ship tour because of the risk of coming back late.

[Times Prince]

Hi There

 

Looked at UK booking conditions etc no number 11 clause, well not the same

 

looks like I can set up shop on board, question is what should I sell,

 

 

yours Shogun

Bagpipes, kilts, tams... :rolleyes:

[MicCanberra]

I agree. We have done many private tours on our 3 European cruises and our primary motivation was not to save money (although we did) but rather to enjoy a private 6-8 passenger van instead of a 50 passenger tour bus. The private tour took us where we wanted when we wanted. No waiting around for the slowest person to get out of the rest room or gift shop. You can see much more just because of being more efficient. I especially remember when we went to Belfast, we took a private taxi tour for the 4 of us, and saw twice as much as anyone on a ship tour.

 

That being said, we are using a ship tour in Cozumel to see the Coba ruins. They are far away, requiring both a 45 minute ferry ride and a 1-1/2 hour bus ride. In this circumstance, we'll opt for the ship tour because of the risk of coming back late.

I agree, IMHO, I think that picking when and where to use either a private tour, a ships tour or to do it on your own is the wisest way to go.:D

[2theship]

Well, this is a fascinating thread! I've organized and participated in many private excursions, mostly in Europe. I would never dream of collecting at a meet & greet. For one thing, every tour I've organized wants payment in cash at the end of the day, I don't want to be walking around with that much cash on me.

 

I do all of the organizing in advance by email. The roll call gets so filled with a wide variety of discussions, that after initially mentioning the cruise there, I only contact participants by email and request confirmations from them that they're still going. I suggest a meeting spot on the ship so that if someone's missing, I can call them in their cabin. We walk off together to meet our tour. I collect everyone's money on the way back to the ship and hand the whole wad over to the tour provider.

 

Twice now, both times in Livorno, I've had a planned tour for eight people get such a response that I've had to add another van but that's as big as I've ever gotten. I can't imagine organizing a tour for 75 people - I'm on vacation!

[MicCanberra]

never mind :D

[Cruisin' Chick]

I have been on a few tours booked through Princess that had less than 20 passengers. Most of the time we just go into port on our own based on my research. Hubby has also negotiated with two taxi drivers for a city tour.

 

One in Ochos Rios. Herbie (or Derby?, that was in the 90s so I can't remember which) drove us up into the mountains so we can check out the local flora, but get some great views of the port below for photographs. He also drove us by where the local live so we can see their houses. And he gave us a stop in the marketplace and then took us back to the ship. Oh, and he offered us ganga which we turned down.

 

The second was in Mazatlan. Hubby was taking some Spanish classes (for fun) and so that was a way for him to try out his Spanish (he also would practice on sales clerks in stores).

[Loonbeam]

This one does seem to be a no-brainer, although there is a difference between collecting for reservations and actively marketing, when furniture is involved its gone too far.

 

I've never collected funds at a meet and greet. I HAVE handed out copies of my information sheets as well as envelopes for people to put funds in later. But I just tell people to look for me and wear something distinctive.

[Ship's Wake]

With just about every cruise line cutting back service and cheapening some aspect of the cruising experience in order to maintain acceptable (to them) profit margins, I see their "enforcement" of no solicitations and the restriction of public areas of the ship used to facilitate private tours (meet and greets) to be stepped up.

 

Anyone arranging a private tour needs to keep their activities "under the radar" or run afoul of the cruise line. Those passengers involved in larger private tours that need to use the ship's facilities to make final arrangements are butting heads with the cruise line and sure to lose in this matter.

[CRUZGAL53]

With just about every cruise line cutting back service and cheapening some aspect of the cruising experience in order to maintain acceptable (to them) profit margins, I see their "enforcement" of no solicitations and the restriction of public areas of the ship used to facilitate private tours (meet and greets) to be stepped up.

 

Anyone arranging a private tour needs to keep their activities "under the radar" or run afoul of the cruise line. Those passengers involved in larger private tours that need to use the ship's facilities to make final arrangements are butting heads with the cruise line and sure to lose in this matter.

 

Princess has been great about independent tours. They just don't want it solicited at M & G's or in public places around the ship (which I do not blame them). I have arranged numerous independent tours in the past in tender ports and Princess has assisted me in arranging for our group to meet and take a tender together ( I submitted a list of names & cabin #'s).

 

Passengers should be able to take independent tours. especially to places the ship may not even offer. :)

[shepp]

Sure, it takes chutzpah to set up an excursion table at a M&G, kind of like hosting a private craps game in the casino. Still, threatening to throw pax off the ship (if that's what accurately happened) seems a bit...harsh.

 

HOWever: It's not like Something Sacred is being desecrated. While it can be nice to have staff show up, it's not like Princess does us any big favor at the M&Gs. They let the roll call book a room that would otherwise be unused/underused and don't give us much of anything but the opportunity to buy high-profit-margin drinkies. Big whoop.

 

My partner and I are very experienced independent travelers and rarely book group tours anywhere we go. Sure, it's nice to save money. It's also nice to be able to do what we want, when we want. If I take a dollar bus to see a museum and run across a Princess group who've paid a premium to be hurried through in a bunch instead of strolling at their own pace as I'm doing, I can live with that. And why should I pay someone to take me on a shopping expedition, when I can spend money quite well on my own?

 

And it's not like Princess offers what I want to do in every port. If I want to scuba dive on Oahu, I'm going to have to organize it myself. Sometimes, as in Costa Rica, I wanted to book an activity not offered by Princess but run by a company that works with the line. When the company found out I was arriving on the Star, they told me to forget it. Kind of irritating, huh?

 

Yes, I've used roll calls to try to form groups, either because a minimum number was required or because a larger number of participants made things cheaper. If someone takes the time to organize a large group and gets a free trip for doing it, big deal. I'm more concerned with Princess charging a premium price and delivering a subpar product. I know there are plenty of tours that go well, but on my 30-day around South America, the most frustrating port day I had was when I decided to spring for Princess transporting me to Antigua, figuring I'd get max time there, then waiting for 90+ minutes in the theater while they tried to round up sufficient buses to get us there...a full hour late. And the included "walking tour map" was a pathetic joke.

 

I booked a penguin watching trip in the Falklands at approximately half what Princess charged for the same deal. Half those who booked with the ship had their tours cancelled at the last minute, and the Princess 4WD caravan actually made out worse than we did: at one point, one ship's tour vehicle even joined our group. All the Princess people got for their $200 extra dollars was the assurance the ship wouldn't leave without them.

 

Sure, if you're somebody who needs prearranged tours and is risk averse, by all means book a ship's tour. If you'd rather not do pre-cruise research, by all means wait till you're onboard and book a ship's tour. Your money will help offset the stock losses I've suffered as a result of the Triumph mess, thanks. But please don't look down on us who decide not to.

[swedish weave]

It's obviously worked well and can work well in some regions. However, if sailing in South America, you'd be SOOL as in some ports, perhaps only 50% of the passengers can be accommodated on any type if tour or taxi. There just aren't the resources locally so you'd be stuck walking around the dock area. On a Baltic cruise that stops in St. Petersburg, you wouldn't be able to get further than the end of the gangway. Language is another issue in some regions plus the ship often docks at a commercial port. What you do just isn't possible in some parts of the world and other than Princess tours, your only or best option is an independent tour. :)

 

My most memorable cruise was around South America on the Marco Polo, and we booked tours at the pier in all the stops, so it is possible in that area. Of course, the ship held only 650 passengers, so it would be different on the ships that have 3000 people.

[swedish weave]

On our SA trip, the biggest private tour had 12 people on it, most 8 or less. WE always do a combination of ship's tours and private. It all depends on the ports.

Warning, there is no way you can just get off the ship on a SA cruise and expect to find a tour in most ports. Container ports are common. In some ports, there aren't even taxis.

Anyone that thinks they can wing it in SA is so wrong. They will miss everything. Even with getting a taxi driver tour (if possible), English may not be their language. We found out even on Princess tours, some tour guides really hard to understand.

Same thing on an Asia cruise, plan ahead.

 

Maybe I shouldn't say this, but if it has four wheels and a driver wanting to make a few bucks, It is a taxi !!:D

 

You might be surprised and pleased at some of the tours you get when you ask the driver if he will show you what he likes about his city or country !

[smtcan]

My most memorable cruise was around South America on the Marco Polo, and we booked tours at the pier in all the stops, so it is possible in that area. Of course, the ship held only 650 passengers, so it would be different on the ships that have 3000 people.

 

We just returned from the Star Princess South America cruise and at three of the ports we picked up excellent tours right at the pier. At Puerto Madryn we took a private tour arranged on our roll call and a friend who lives in Montvideo showed us around that city. It certainly was a memorable cruise to a very interesting part of the world.

[Pam in CA]

My most memorable cruise was around South America on the Marco Polo, and we booked tours at the pier in all the stops, so it is possible in that area. Of course, the ship held only 650 passengers, so it would be different on the ships that have 3000 people.

It's VERY different. I've done it on both the Golden Princess and HAL's Amsterdam (1,200 passengers) and they were very different cruise and port experiences. The HAL cruise was light years better than the Golden to the point that I would never recommend taking a Princess cruise around SA. The ship is just too dam* big with too many passengers for the ports. :(

[caribill]

Private tour (four of us) in Cairo brought us to the Cairo Museum when hardly anybody was there. We were the only people in the room with the King Tut golden mask and could look at it as long as we wanted.

 

That afternoon a number of Princess busses showed up at the same time. Long line to get to the room with the King Tut mask and no time to really enjoy it as there were so many people behind you in line.

 

That evening, we went to the sound and light show at the pyramids. Our guide got us there about 20 minutes before it started. The Princess tours had already been there over an hour waiting in the heat.

 

Private tours can often result in a much better experience than the Princess tours.

[babyher]

I think you have to have a real set on you to set up a table and start conducting business during a Meet and Greet.

 

Where did they get the table? ..Did they bring it from home , or did they just grab a nearby table and set up shop.?

 

Either way I can see the cruise line not being too happy

[kruisey]

I think you have to have a real set on you to set up a table and start conducting business during a Meet and Greet.

 

Where did they get the table? ..Did they bring it from home , or did they just grab a nearby table and set up shop.?

 

Either way I can see the cruise line not being too happy

Its competing against the tour desk and those folks probably are paying Princess a fee to setup shop onboard.

[shellbeachjim]

It's VERY different. I've done it on both the Golden Princess and HAL's Amsterdam (1,200 passengers) and they were very different cruise and port experiences. The HAL cruise was light years better than the Golden to the point that I would never recommend taking a Princess cruise around SA. The ship is just too dam* big with too many passengers for the ports. :(

I have to concur with Pam on this. We did our South American cruise on the original Royal Princess (1250 passengers) and wouldn't consider a larger ship. Puerto Madryn, Ushuaia, Stanley, Punta Arenas, Puerto Monnt - all of these are quite small and I would think have a difficult time accommodating the ships Princess is sending there now.

[baldercash]

If you have tried to arrange a tour for up to 75 people and handle all the paper work and time that goes into cancellations and finding new passengers, a "free" seat is not a great bargain. If you have to give your credit card as a guarantee of payment it is not a bargain. I have done both and almost all of the tours I have arranged have been without any compensation. However, if a tour offers a free seat for all the work of organizing and collecting the funds to pay for it, I have taken that. Be assured that the compensation was far less than minimum wage when you consider the time expended.

 

Why bother booking a tour for 75 people, you could take a ship cruise with those numbers? It might be cheaper but just as slow and frustrating.

 

We book private tours because we do not want to be on a tour of that size, the time it takes to unload even if everyone is spry is tedious and then the loading is even worse and if someone is late you are left sitting on a bus.

 

We only go with another couple or two, other then that we are on our own.

We did an Oceania cruise of South America and they provided the option of hiring a small van and a private guide from on board. It was cheaper then the fixed tours and the van held 8 people. We organized the other 6 on board.

[timetravler]

I have seen more then once people who do book private tours with very large numbers like 50, 60 even 80 people. That is one heck of a lot of people to be responsible for. Plus if you are also hiring a few busses to transport these large groups, do they make sure they have someone on each bus doing a head count? Guess I like many of you do private tours because we like small groups of about 10, 12 or so. Bottom line if you feel comfortable with whoever is setting up your tours, then that's all you need. If not cancel but do so well in advance.

[gelo7]

Big NO from me! Princess' job is to bring me to these ports of call, feed me and entertain me. And hopefully keep the toilets and AC in working condition...:rolleyes: What I do when I get to a port of call is my own business. Princess has the right to offer me a shore excursion and I have the right to find a better deal. Certainly I would exercise a bit of discretion when collecting money and such, but for the Captain to use this kind of attitude is very bad form IMO. Where does it say that you give up your freedom of choice when you get on a cruise ship anyway?

 

Is there anything in the passenger contract to that effect? I'm reading mine again (for the first time:o)

Absolutely....