lunch when you're on a private tour?

[jstducky]

I know that in booking all day private tours, lunch is not included in the price that is quoted to you for the tour.

 

How exactly is lunch handled? I have read that with some drivers they will drop you off somewhere, recommend some restaurants and then give you time to walk, shop, eat and then come back and meet them. I have also heard that other drivers will take you to a specific restaurant.

 

For me personally, I'm not that big of a lunch eater and I would rather be left with some time to myself to wander, explore, and perhaps grab a quick snack or bite to eat on my own, rather than being taken to a restaurant. I will have already spent a lot of money to take the private tour, I don't want to have to spend a lot of money on a fancy restaurant for lunch that I'm not interested in. Is this possible? Should I tell the tour operators when I book their tours that this is my preference? Or is this somethign to be discussed with the driver on the day of the tour? What has your experience in this area been?

 

thanks for the help!

[SuzieSmith]

You should discuss your preferences before you book the tour to make sure they can accommodate your wishes and also reconfirm with driver on day of tour.

[PoohUnderstands]

This is why you take a private tour and book it first yourself. This way you can lead the group of 1 or 2 more couples or alone if you prefer, and you can do what you would like to do completely. The drivers/guides will take you where you want to go and do what you want to do. For me I am not into shopping, but others are. I suggest you make the reservations now under your name and then look on these boards and google the ports etc. and decide what YOU would like to do and then let the private tour guide know in an email ahead of time and then the day of the tour. On some of my private tours I am going to make the itinerary and on some I am going to just leave it up to our guide! Have a great time no matter what you end up doing for lunch!(grin)

 

Pooh

[mek]

That's one of the great things about a private tour - you are the boss and you can do whatever you want. Skipping a big time consuming lunch in an area that I want to explore is usually the way I go. Simply tell your guide that you would rather spend the time sightseeing and you want to do a quickie lunch.

[Host Karen]

I coordinated several private tours on our recent Med cruise and invited others to join us. In almost every case, I asked in advance via e-mail what people preferred to do about lunch: something relaxing to take a break or something quick so we could continue with the program. I also e-mailed the tour companies to find out what they usually did about lunch. In the end, it became a mixed bag. On Rome, we originally were told we would be going to a restaurant, but after getting stuck in traffic and losing time, we stopped and had pizza. In Santorini, we had an hour-long lunch at an overpriced restaurant owned by the boyfriend of the driver where the view was priceless but the food was not great. In Athens, we were given 90 minutes to spend in the Plaka and we spent about 45 minutes of that enjoying lunch in an outdoor cafe, and and on the Amalfi coast, we had a long, sit-down lunch that was worth the price but may have cost a bit more than some wanted to spend.

 

I think the advantage of making the tour reservations is that you get to set the agenda and make the big choices, and that's great as long as you communicate your decisions with the people who choose to travel with you. On the other hand, it's tough to make everyone happy and things you thought were settled before you began the trip (like lunch plans) may turn out to be a sticky point on the day of the tour. We went with the majority when questions arose, and that seemed to satisfy almost everyone. If you speak privately with your driver or guide about any concerns that come up, he or she will probably know how to handle it. In the case of Rome, our guide simply said we had a very tight schedule and we needed to change our plans. No one could argue with that.

 

Good luck!

[jstducky]

Karen:

 

Thanks for the tip. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your trip review while you were on your trip! I can only hope that I end up having as much fun.

 

I agree that as the tour organizer, I can communicate my wishes with the tour company and then just inform others who may want to join me as to what they should expect.

 

I have gone ahead and booked Paul at Greek Taxi for a private tour in Athens so I guess I won't have to worry about anyone else except my party. I have expressed my desire to Paul to have a quick lunch so that I can see as much of Athens as possible. I would like to hire Driver in Rome in Rome and Livorno but I am going to need others to join me as it will be too expensive on our own. So far no luck with a rather inactive roll call. Hopefully as the months pass more people will join and then I can book them and express to them my desires for the tour.

 

Quick question if you don't mind Karen, can you give me a quick recap as to the tour companies you used on your trip?

 

thanks!

[Host Karen]

No problem. We used DIR in Rome and Naples, Spiros Taxi in Athens, and Santorini Day Tours in Santorini. As you know from my notes, I recommend DIR. I thought they did a great job at getting us around to see as much as possible, especially in Rome. If I went back to Santorini, I'd do it on my own, and now that we've seen quite a bit of Athens, I'd probably do that on my own as well. On our next trip to Naples, I want to see Capri.

 

I see by your countdown clock that you have just under a year to go. Try to keep the thread afloat and I'm sure others will join you. Our thread really got going about eight months out, if I recall correctly. I'm sure you won't have any problem filling your tours, so go ahead and make reservations. No one required a deposit of any kind, so you can always cancel. Also, we added six people to our Naples tour while we were onboard from our Cruise Critic group, including one couple who had never participated in the roll call despite having signed up for the party.

 

If it weren't for these boards and everything I learned here, our enjoyment of this trip would have been much different. I know everyone's mileage may vary, but if my experience can help at all, I'm happy to share. I visit this board from time to time, despite the fact that it will be 2007 before we can get back to the Med, so if you have any other questions, just post them and I'll get back to you. :)

 

Karen

[jstducky]

Karen - thanks so much for all of your advice. I really appreciate it. All of your advice has been tremendously helpful. I beleive that I will go ahead and book DIR for both Rome and Livorno. They mentioned the same thing to me via my email contact with them, that I should go ahead and book first and I can always grow my party as time goes on, and if it doesnt work out I can always cancel.

 

One quick question, why did you choose Spiros Taxi in Athens? Was there a specific reason? I think I am going to go with Paul of Greek Taxi. He seemed to have gotten good reviews on this board and he was very responsive when I contacted him and his quote was very good.

 

Thanks again for the help Karen!

[jstducky]

Actually Karen, one last question. I really wanted to see Delos, but I remember reading in your travel journal, that some of the people who went to Delos were a bit disappointed since our time in Mykonos was already very limited as well as the fact that since the Delos trip was in the afternoon it was very hot.

 

I don't know what to do here. I thought I really wanted to see it, but your comments make a lot of sense too. Is Mykonos really that nice? Since we're only there from 1-9. I am assuming that if I went to Delos, I wouldn't get back to Mykonos until like 4 or 5, will I be sorry that I missed out on walking around Mykonos?

 

Of course I know that this is just your personal opinion, but I would love to hear your thoughts.

[Host Karen]

One of the main reasons we avoided Delos was because Frommer's recommended visiting as early in the day as possible, because the crowds and the heat in the summer "become overwhelming by early afternoon." Also according to Frommer's, many days the sea is too rough for boats to dock there. While it is only 2 miles from Mykonos, according to RCI's excursion information, it's 30 minutes each way by boat, which means you would be out in the sun and heat for three hours beginning sometime after 1 p.m. (I can't recall exactly what time the excursion began, but for some reason I think it was after 2). That would mean you wouldn't be back until 5 or 6. One couple who went told us it was too hot and not worth the time and expense to see the ruins. (Overall, they thought the ruins in Ephesus were the best of the trip.)

 

Is there a lot to do and see in the main town of Mykonos? Not really, and you might not be disappointed if you decided to spend the day by the pool onboard (thus saving the $8 roundtrip bus fare per person). We took the bus, then wandered down to Taxi Square, where we stopped and had lunch at Camares restaurant (very good but a little expensive), and then we walked along the harbor until we could see the windmills. At that point, we decided to meander through the town to find our way to the windmills and got lost. The streets are winding and narrow, and it's practically impossible to get your bearings, which is what made the day so interesting. Anyway, once we found the windmills, took the requisite photos, and wandered back to the bus, we had spent a total of 3-1/2 hours in town. Some passengers rented scooters and toured the island. Others took taxis or buses to the beach. Someone from our group went scuba diving.

 

We enjoyed Mykonos much more than we expected, mainly because we expected so little. We enjoyed our lunch and really took our time looking in shops and wandering down side streets. The rest of our vacation was so busy and so tied to a schedule that this was a welcome break. If you enjoy beaches, I would suggest doing some research on the local beaches and either taking a bus or taxi out for a few hours. Otherwise, wander around town, have some lunch or a drink overlooking the water, and take a day off from a crazy itinerary. This is your vacation after all!

 

Karen

[jstducky]

Thank you Karen. Your insight has been invaluable. I guess I'll have to do a little bit more research and figure out what I want to do!

[dogsrule]

For me, a big part of the traveling experience is trying the local cuisine and mingling with the locals. For instance, on the Amalfi Coast recently, our experience would have been completely different and not as memorable without stopping at that restaurant overlooking the sea, drinking Lemoncello, etc....

I believe it provides a cultural experience versus just a stop in a port...JMHO:)

I would encourage you to rethink your decision...

[cdncruiser]

Karen - good to "see" you again.

We booked our Athens tour through Paul at Greektaxi and he sent his Son Nick (a Greek God!) to take us out. Paul had overbooked and you need to make sure HE takes you or Nick. I have not heard great things about his other driver Christopher but I believe it has a lot to do with YOU not them. I woudn't trade that tour for anything. We are not "do it yourself" types and we loved our day with Nick. He did take us to a restaurant along the way that was a tad pricey but I don't think we gave him a clear idea of our price range, just what we wanted to eat and he delivered that for sure!

Our lunch on our tour in Florence was great ... Paola dropped us in a Piazza and said she would be back in 45 minutes. We could eat or just browse or gawk at all the statues. We chose a little outdoor cafe and had pizza and wine while we gawked at the statues. :D

The lunch on our tour of the Amalfi Coast with Salvatore was fantastic. 15 Euro incuding tip for 2 pizza's, wine, water and lots of shots of Lemoncello. We asked him to stop for Pizza and he found a wonderful place.

In Rome we did Rome on your Own and found a super little cafe not far from the Spanish Steps where we got pasta, beer and gellato.

We didn't want a whole lot to eat each day but you will need to fuel up the body because the ports are very intensive and you will want to see as much as you can. Laurey