where to meet on marina for private tours

[beachchairs2]

this is my first on the marina....

 

I have organized some private tours and need your opinion on where to meet my participants, before we get off the ship...some of my groups are as large as 60 in total and need to meet away from the ships tours....

 

I know the reception area will be very crowded in ports....any suggestions?

[LHT28]

maybe deck 6 in the Grand Bar hallway

 

Reception area if you have a smaller party there are 2 areas with sofas/chairs where people can wait

 

If a tender port I am afraid you will need to go to the designated lounge area or meet onshore

[no fuss travel]

We met on shore. The person organizing the tour held up a sign and we all met there. If it is a tender port, have everyone get down early and pick up their tender tickets. If you do it as a group, they will keep holding you back until all the ships tours are off,so do it individually and meet up on shore.

[tanny18]

I always tell my groups (when I book the tours) to meet at Reception. I have a sign with my name on it and we all walk off the ship together. It makes it much easier to keep track of everyone. When we have to tender, we always meet in the lounge and go off together. Arlene

[Mura]

That's my practice, too, but not with such a large group as the OP indicates.

 

Mura

[tanny18]

That's my practice, too, but not with such a large group as the OP indicates.

 

Mura

 

I didn't see the number 60!! I would never have that amount. It's like going with the ship's tours!! 10-12 is really ideal. Arlene

[beachchairs2]

thats our biggest group....25 on one bus and 35 on another....it is for teneriffe.....

 

but even for rio I have 40...20 on each bus....

 

so I dont think the reception area is a good idea....

 

so far, only right off the gangplank seems doable....

 

any other ideas?

[Mura]

I think the gangplank is the way to go with so many people. We've often met off the ship anyway, even with smaller groups. In Tenerife I had 18 and about the same amount in Rio, and it was okay but I wouldn't want a larger group.

 

In the Black Sea I was concerned when our groups were 16 (I didn't set those up and we started out to be 8) but they worked out fine. We always had a minibus that had a few empty seats so we were able to spread out a bit and we were never too large to hear our guide. So I didn't worry too much when my Tenerife and Rio groups got larger than I had intended.

 

Mura

[beachchairs2]

yes, I think off the gangplank is the way to go with a large group...

 

I also had not intended for my groups to be so large, but just couldnt say no to people....they all know the size of the groups and still prefer that to the ships tours......

 

there is just a handful of us who organized private tours on our sailing..so not many choices......it is the transatlatic from lisbon to rio....

[Mura]

It sounded like you were on a similar cruise to ours -- we did Barcelona to Rio last November. Great cruise!

 

Mura

[beachchairs2]

yes ours will be this november....and mura you have been a great help to us with all kinds of issues....

 

thank you....

[Mura]

Thank YOU, Beach Chairs!

 

Mura