Do you book excursions thru HAL?

[dee2673]

We've only ever done HAL tours. I am a bit of an anxious traveler. I'd be nervous wreck if I thought I'd miss the ship for any reason. I haven't noticed enough of a price difference to change my mind. We don't do a tour in every port as we also like to just walk around and eat and look at things on our own. When we do that, we always come back well before the final boarding time.

[crystalspin]

I didn't vote because there was no option for half-and-half, or third-third-third. I research every port with all resources I can find, being CC reviews, TripAdvisor, the Internet in general.

 

If the ship can offer a good trip, and especially if it's for a long day, I will take the ship's tour. (And yes, we have caught the last tender that was waiting for us and only our tour!) We have also set out to walk on our own and been offered a great deal with a taxi all to ourselves. Have used private tours and they were also excellent. I will say, our ONLY disappointment days were when we tried to use the Hop-On-Hop-Off buses (Cartagena CO, Barcelona, Monte Carlo) -- they just don't seem to be set up for the influx of passengers on one or more cruise ships.

 

We did use HOHO buses in Dublin on a NON-cruise stay with great success, and plan to give the one in Barcelona another try on our pre-cruise stay in December.

 

On our recent family trip of nine persons for 14-days in Alaska, I planned and executed two ExC tours, one private tour, two places we rented vehicles, and three ports we walked or used the ports' shuttles. Each day was a success in its own way!

[Hlitner]

We handle ports with the following priority: 1. DIY (the way we see most of the world. 2. small private group tours (usually with fewer then 10 persons),. 3, Larger private group tours (sometimes arranged on the CC Roll Call, and last 4. Cruise line excursions. These are truly our last resort and we only book cruise line excursions when there is no other reasonable option. On our 500 or so HAL days we have only taken a single HAL tour and that was in Murmansk when we had no other option.

 

I should add that we cruise on many other lines and follow the same philosophy. It is simply about our personal philosophy of doing what we want, when we want, with whom we want. And this usually means we want nobody except ourselves (DW and me). Because of our independent adventurous form of travel we have managed to make friends all over the world since we are able to interact with locals rather then a structured tour group.

 

I should also mention that on more then 100 cruises (to and around 6 continents) we have never missed the ship :). Our next HAL cruise is one of the EXC cruises on the Maasdam and we currently have no plans to take any cruise line excursions.

 

Hank

[Ken the cruiser]

So far, we have only booked through the crui$e line$, because if there is any sort of delay in getting back to the ship, it will wait for us. Will do same with our upcoming cruise, too.

Bingo!! That's EXACTLY the reason why we book cruise line excursions as well. We were recently on an Antarctica cruise on the Zaandam and were almost 2 hours late getting back to the ship and it was there when we got back. Another time we had to bypass a stop in Homer because of fog. We had the HAL excursion fare reposted to our account without even asking. Yes, private excursions are cheaper most of the time. However, we're into low stress when we're on a cruise and booking HAL excursions for us works best. Obviously, though, other folks have different opinions and that's cool. Whatever works for you is what it's all about. ;)

[ellieanne]

If I book excursions, it is always through the cruise line. I do not want the hassle of planning, organizing, or chasing up tours in ports, and especially if we miss the port or have to arrive late for some reason. With ship-based tours, all the work is done for me, and more often than not, they cover the touristy things I want to do in the ports. And there is the peace of mind that if anything happens, it's the tour operator's and the ship's responsibility to get me to the back ship or the next port.

 

At the ports where there is no excursion I want to book, I will go ashore and stay within walking distance of the pier or use a ship's shuttle to the downtown area. If there is nothing close and no shuttle, I remain onboard. Seeing new places is great, but I am not going to stress myself unnecessarily on vacation.

[betonic]

I almost exclusively book private or DIY. I enjoy researching, know exactly what I want and don’t want a large group tour. I often use the roll call to put together small groups.

 

On our last cruise we joined several tours planned by someone else on our roll call and were disappointed. One tour there was not sufficient seating/shade for everyone to enjoy the day and the other guide never arrived. From now on I’ll do my own thing, even if it costs more. I know what questions to ask for our needs.

 

One of the most important parts of our travel is trying the local food. Booking private allows me to research and work with our guide to choose a great restaurant or even organize stops for local street food.

 

We never shop for trinkets and if we do buy something it’s always from a local and something we will really use at home.

 

I have never even come close to missing a ship, I plan accordingly and don’t worry at all.

 

On the other hand, my mother is in her 70’s and only books cruise tours. For her it’s easier, she likes a half day tour and doesn’t mind going on a bus.

 

 

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[Beachfrog]

I am the OP, and I want to thank everyone for your responses. Very eye opening! I guess I should not have been so black and white in my options. This will be our first experience with excursions, and your replies have been very informative!

 

I have been researching private tours, and while they sound much better in their descriptions and pricing, I am wondering about cancellation policies. I know everyone has their own penalties/fees involved. But would you say HAL has a better cancellation policy in place as opposed to say for example, Harv and Marv’s whale tours? They state, No refunds for no-shows or cancellations within 14 days of tour date. Since we are travelling with such a large group, I am sure someone will have to drop out at the last moment and could lose $$$. Two weeks out sounds like a lot.

 

Thanks again!

[Turtles06]

I am the OP, and I want to thank everyone for your responses. Very eye opening! I guess I should not have been so black and white in my options. This will be our first experience with excursions, and your replies have been very informative!

 

I have been researching private tours, and while they sound much better in their descriptions and pricing, I am wondering about cancellation policies. I know everyone has their own penalties/fees involved. But would you say HAL has a better cancellation policy in place as opposed to say for example, Harv and Marv’s whale tours? They state, No refunds for no-shows or cancellations within 14 days of tour date. Since we are travelling with such a large group, I am sure someone will have to drop out at the last moment and could lose $$$. Two weeks out sounds like a lot.

 

Thanks again!

 

Each individual private tour operator will have its own cancellation policy, so you'll want to look at that up front. But typically, because they are smaller operations than the cruise line, you are not likely to get a refund if you just decide to drop out a few days (or perhaps even a few weeks) before.

[OlsSalt]

I am the OP, and I want to thank everyone for your responses. Very eye opening! I guess I should not have been so black and white in my options. This will be our first experience with excursions, and your replies have been very informative!

 

I have been researching private tours, and while they sound much better in their descriptions and pricing, I am wondering about cancellation policies. I know everyone has their own penalties/fees involved. But would you say HAL has a better cancellation policy in place as opposed to say for example, Harv and Marv’s whale tours? They state, No refunds for no-shows or cancellations within 14 days of tour date. Since we are travelling with such a large group, I am sure someone will have to drop out at the last moment and could lose $$$. Two weeks out sounds like a lot.

 

Thanks again!

 

Compare the insurance coverages as well incase any accidents occur - who pays, where do you have to make a claim, what recourses do you need to follow. Can they pick you up near the ship's gang way or do you have to meet them outside the port entrance. How easy will it be to find them.

 

We do 95% HAL tours and find they meet our needs for both general and specialized touring - with 100% total convenience. That matters too. Had two very lovely HAL tours during our recent two-day Lima stop - all our Peru tours have been great so far.

 

We now wait to fly over the Nazca Lines on a HAL tour in Peru- which costs about twice as much as others found on their own on the Roll Call. Will the convenience and security of the HAL option out-weigh those who made private arrangements? Hard to compare these intangible factors with the cold hard cash of the bottom line when just using prices.

[Ken the cruiser]

But would you say HAL has a better cancellation policy in place as opposed to say for example, Harv and Marv’s whale tours? They state, No refunds for no-shows or cancellations within 14 days of tour date. Since we are travelling with such a large group, I am sure someone will have to drop out at the last moment and could lose $$$. Two weeks out sounds like a lot.

 

Here's a lesson learned example. We were traveling with a friend on a recent HAL Antarctica cruise and she got sick the morning she was scheduled to go on a HAL excursion and had to cancel. If she would have gone to the ship's doctor, there would have been no charge for the same day cancelation. However, since she didn't, she not only lost the $189 fare, but she was not able later on to file an insurance claim because she had no proof she was sick (I.e., the note from the doctor's office). Now, if she was on a private tour and had to cancel, she may not be able to get a refund from the tour company, but if she would have gone to the ship's doctor, she would have been able to claim both through her trip insurance.

[kazu]

I am the OP, and I want to thank everyone for your responses. Very eye opening! I guess I should not have been so black and white in my options. This will be our first experience with excursions, and your replies have been very informative!

 

I have been researching private tours, and while they sound much better in their descriptions and pricing, I am wondering about cancellation policies. I know everyone has their own penalties/fees involved. But would you say HAL has a better cancellation policy in place as opposed to say for example, Harv and Marv’s whale tours? They state, No refunds for no-shows or cancellations within 14 days of tour date. Since we are travelling with such a large group, I am sure someone will have to drop out at the last moment and could lose $$$. Two weeks out sounds like a lot.

 

Thanks again!

 

Pam, that refund policy is much harsher than I am used to in private tours. So, you may want to take a hard look at it and even ask more questions of the operator. What if your itinerary changes, what if you can't dock/tender, etc? In that scenario and depending on the answer you may want to compare to the HAL tour and evaluate, quality, cost and risk.

 

My experience with private tours is very few have to be prepaid. While there have been a few, I was told that there would be a full refund if we couldn't dock/tender, etc in most cases.

 

In the odd case where there wouldn't be, we knew that up front and everyone in the group that I had felt that it was "worth the risk" or the tour was so reasonable (ie. a 2 hour walking tour kept to a small group of 12 for 18 euros pp) it was 'worth the risk'.

 

Most private tours I have arranged are simply booked and paid for on the day of the tour. A few may require a small deposit to prove we are committed and a very few have had to be prepaid. And, all my guides have always had insurance.

 

Hope this helps.

[DaveOKC]

I am the OP, and I want to thank everyone for your responses. Very eye opening! I guess I should not have been so black and white in my options. This will be our first experience with excursions, and your replies have been very informative!

 

I have been researching private tours, and while they sound much better in their descriptions and pricing, I am wondering about cancellation policies. I know everyone has their own penalties/fees involved. But would you say HAL has a better cancellation policy in place as opposed to say for example, Harv and Marv’s whale tours? They state, No refunds for no-shows or cancellations within 14 days of tour date. Since we are travelling with such a large group, I am sure someone will have to drop out at the last moment and could lose $$$. Two weeks out sounds like a lot.

 

I have found HAL tours to be very accommodating for last minute cancellations. On my March cruise I was sick in the morning and was not up to going on the excursion. My DW was fine, so she went. When the tour desk opened at 8 am, I had her take my ticket and tell them that I was not up to going on the 10 am tour and I just wanted to let them know ahead of time so as to not wait for me. We did not expect a refund nor did she ask for one.

 

Around 8:30 am we got a call from the tour desk informing me that they were able to sell my seat on the tour to someone else, so I would be getting a complete refund! I was very surprised and impressed by how this was handled and it gave me one more reason to take the HAL tours.

[Sea42]

Alaska was the only place we have encountered a no refund policy from private tour operators. All others we have used allowed cancellations. For Alaska we booked 2 private tours through our TA who did offer no penalty cancellation, with the same tour provider, for the same price.

 

In Sitka our private tour provider contacted us, before HAL had told us, that our ship would be docking late and that he would meet us at that new arrival time.

[canadianbear]

I have found HAL tours to be very accommodating for last minute cancellations. On my March cruise I was sick in the morning and was not up to going on the excursion. My DW was fine, so she went. When the tour desk opened at 8 am, I had her take my ticket and tell them that I was not up to going on the 10 am tour and I just wanted to let them know ahead of time so as to not wait for me. We did not expect a refund nor did she ask for one.

 

 

 

Around 8:30 am we got a call from the tour desk informing me that they were able to sell my seat on the tour to someone else, so I would be getting a complete refund! I was very surprised and impressed by how this was handled and it gave me one more reason to take the HAL tours.

 

 

 

I like that HAL does a wait list just for this reason. My husband and I got on a last minute excursion through HAL because of cancellations the morning of. (Spur of the moment that we decided to ask the tour desk).

[cruisemom42]

I am the OP, and I want to thank everyone for your responses. Very eye opening! I guess I should not have been so black and white in my options. This will be our first experience with excursions, and your replies have been very informative!

 

I have been researching private tours, and while they sound much better in their descriptions and pricing, I am wondering about cancellation policies. I know everyone has their own penalties/fees involved. But would you say HAL has a better cancellation policy in place as opposed to say for example, Harv and Marv’s whale tours? They state, No refunds for no-shows or cancellations within 14 days of tour date. Since we are travelling with such a large group, I am sure someone will have to drop out at the last moment and could lose $$$. Two weeks out sounds like a lot.

 

Thanks again!

 

I agree with some others that you need to look carefully at the providers you plan to use. If they are used to working with cruise passengers, most will offer a refund should the ship not be able to dock for any reason.

 

Some do not require prepayment but unfortunately that is beginning to change. It helps to put yourself in their shoes -- some have already paid to have a driver or guide for your tour and even at times rented a vehicle, etc. If they are left standing at the pier because your group decided not to show, they are substantially out of pocket.... (And I have heard from some operators that this does happen.)

 

Also, keep in mind that tour operators may have a fixed cost for a specific tour on a specific vehicle (i.e., an overall cost) versus a "cost per passenger" model. This is very frequent in Europe. A private car for a full day of touring may be 500 euro whether you have one person (500 per person) or four people (125 per person). If one of the four doesn't show up, the other three are still responsible for the entire amount.

[AKJonesy]

First of all, the idea that a local is not going to get you back to the ship is for the most part a scare tactic that has been repeated over and over for decades. If a local does not get you back to the ship, they are not going to be in business. If you look at a credible website like Trip Advisor and read the posts, you will find the top rated private excursions. You also want to look on the HAL site and look at the reviews for the excursions. For me, I want to put money in the pocket of the locals as much as possible.

 

We have used HAL a few times. In Saigon, the port to the city was quite far, and we were NOT comfortable in this situation to be driving with a local for hours. Under those kind of circumstances, we have used the HAL excursions.

 

I think it is smart to book your tour earlier so that you have plenty of time to get back to the ship. Feel free to ask the local what they would do in a "breakdown" situation. The more you ask, the more comfortable you feel.

 

I would stay away from anyone just shoving tours in your face as you walk off. But, one of the best tours I remember was a tour guide that was set up right at the end of the pier. They all wore the same shirts, and there were many vehicles. When I looked at the vehicles, they were new/newer. So, you can pretty much get a feel for things. Also, we NEVER paid in advance. Payment was upon return to the ship.

 

You might join your Roll Call group. Sometimes we've had very active groups that plan many private excursions. It can take all the planning out of your hands. And, that's the other point; if you don't want to do any research, then Shorex is probably your best bet.

[Cruising-along]

...

 

Also, keep in mind that tour operators may have a fixed cost for a specific tour on a specific vehicle (i.e., an overall cost) versus a "cost per passenger" model. This is very frequent in Europe. A private car for a full day of touring may be 500 euro whether you have one person (500 per person) or four people (125 per person). If one of the four doesn't show up, the other three are still responsible for the entire amount.

 

This is always on my mind when booking a private tour. I don't like last minute surprises.

 

Also we've had very good luck with refunds from HAL when an excursion wasn't up to par. It has only happened a few times, but the response was rapid. I'm not sure how private tours would handle an unhappy customer, especially one that didn't do the booking but was instead just part of the group.

[madrone]

We have in the past booked mostly independent excursions, however we are working on plans for our first Alaska tour and we are finding that a lot of the private tours in these small ports are actually commissioned by the cruise lines. What we work to avoid are excursions where you are crammed in a boat with lots of people or a packed large bus where you are on walking tours with way too many people. THAT'S when we try to arrange for a private, smaller excursion. For the Alaska HAL excursions, we are choosing ship offerings where we are on our "own" 4x4 or Zodiac Boat or Float Plane that carries 6-9 people. What we are looking for now is a local whalewatching tour that doesn't mean getting on a boat with 50+ passengers who are jockeying for places along the rail. As others have said...it all depends on several factors - we evaluate for every port.

[drowelf]

I don't think I've ever had a tour booked with an outside vendor that did not have a reasonable cancellation policy, especially for the 'Ship skipped the port' scenario.

 

Obviously its preferred for the 'day of tour' or small deposit payment, but even if full payment is required, as was the case with our some of our recent Iceland Tours. Its all on the CC and they still had full refund up to 24 hours or if the ship did not make port. If the ship makes port, I fully expect to make the tour. I'd have to be feeling pretty bad to not go out. When we were in St. Petersburg several years ago, my back spasm as we standing in line for immigration. I spent the next several days in a good amount of pain, especially when doing stairs, but never even considered not going out those days.

 

Look at any of the major hotel chains, if you cancel < 24 hours (or even 48 now) your on the hook for at least 1 nights lodging.

[drowelf]

Here's a lesson learned example. We were traveling with a friend on a recent HAL Antarctica cruise and she got sick the morning she was scheduled to go on a HAL excursion and had to cancel. If she would have gone to the ship's doctor, there would have been no charge for the same day cancellation. However, since she didn't, she not only lost the $189 fare, but she was not able later on to file an insurance claim because she had no proof she was sick (I.e., the note from the doctor's office). Now, if she was on a private tour and had to cancel, she may not be able to get a refund from the tour company, but if she would have gone to the ship's doctor, she would have been able to claim both through her trip insurance.

 

 

Wow, I don't think I've even consider filing a claim for that amount of money. While I'm sure it probably covers things like that I consider my travel insurance for use in a major event, such as breaking a limb or serious injury, trip delay, etc..

 

I know what my billable time is worth so, if it is going to take me more than couple of hours to deal with, a few hundred $$ is just not worth it to me. Of course, it may be for others, that is a personal decision to be made.

 

Also, if she did go to the ship doctor, there is the bill for that to add in. I don't know what they charge, but its not a free service, that I do know.

[Ken the cruiser]

Wow, I don't think I've even consider filing a claim for that amount of money. While I'm sure it probably covers things like that I consider my travel insurance for use in a major event, such as breaking a limb or serious injury, trip delay, etc..

 

I know what my billable time is worth so, if it is going to take me more than couple of hours to deal with, a few hundred $$ is just not worth it to me. Of course, it may be for others, that is a personal decision to be made.

 

Also, if she did go to the ship doctor, there is the bill for that to add in. I don't know what they charge, but its not a free service, that I do know.

When we were on a Princess cruise a couple of years ago I sprained my ankle walking down the stairs. Went to the ship doctor, got crutches and an ace bandage and a bill for $235. I also missed an excursion the next day, but Princess refunded the excursion charge to my account because I had gone to the doctor; not sure how a private tour company would have handled my absence. As far as putting in an insurance claim, it took about 30 minutes to accomplish and I received the entire $235 back.

 

Last month due to a weather delay in Atlanta, we got $532 back because KLM flew us into the wrong Oslo airport on a connecting flight from Amsterdam (long story) and we had to take a taxi at midnight to get to the Oslo hotel we had booked which was around 75 miles away. The other Oslo airport we were supposed to fly into was only 25 miles from the hotel. Hey, when it comes to $$$, I don't like leaving any of it on the table if I can help it. If I'm going to buy trip insurance and pay their hefty fee, I'm going to use it if I have to.

[Turtles06]

... You also want to look on the HAL site and look at the reviews for the excursions. ..

 

 

We returned recently from the Viking Passage on the Zuiderdam, and I logged on to HAL's web site about a week ago to review the two HAL excursions we had taken (one was excellent, btw, and the other had one of the worst guides we've ever had, anywhere), but could not find any way to post a review. I know that functionality used to exist, as I recall seeing reviews many, many months ago when we were planning this trip. Finally, I called the HAL shorex desk, and they told me that when HAL launched their new web site, the option for guests to post reviews was not carried over to the new site. They are hoping this functionality will be restored. :eek:

[Lady Chew]

We prefer to take private excursions, but under certain circumstances we have booked with HAL.

 

However, we have learned that if there is something that we really, really, really want to see, something that is really important to us, you cannot count on the cruise line excursions. We had a turn-around day in Civitavecchia in August, and one of the EXC tours was to Ostea Antica. We've wanted to go there for ever and it had never worked out, so this time we booked it. The tour was cancelled at the last minute because not enough people had signed on, and we didn't have time to find anything else. Bummer. If we had booked a private tour, we could have gone. Next time … !!

 

There were a few other EXC tours on the same cruise that disappointed us as well. Itineraries were changed, we didn't spend enough time where we wanted, etc etc. But, we also had a few that were completely excellent.

 

Overall, though, private is the way to go! Just gotta do the research!

[cruisemom42]

We returned recently from the Viking Passage on the Zuiderdam, and I logged on to HAL's web site about a week ago to review the two HAL excursions we had taken (one was excellent, btw, and the other had one of the worst guides we've ever had, anywhere), but could not find any way to post a review. I know that functionality used to exist, as I recall seeing reviews many, many months ago when we were planning this trip. :eek:

 

This is what scares me about the ship tours. I'm very picky about guides.

 

The possibility of getting a full or partial refund for a bad tour from HAL holds no comfort for me when there is no possibility of a do-over. If I have a bad tour in Istanbul while on a cruise, there is no way I can arrange for a better tour (or try to get around on my own) tomorrow.....because tomorrow we'll be dozens or hundreds of miles away.

 

(P.S. I've read online merchants are trying to get away from customer reviews -- apparently they are all too effective when they aren't glowing....)

[KruisingKaren]

In terms of ship's tours: we only do them when there really isn't another good option (either privately or on our own), or when missing the ship is just not an "option," i.e., the last port in Europe before a westbound crossing of the Atlantic.

 

What - you wouldn't want to do the I Love Lucy thing where she missed the cruise and had to be dropped on the deck of the ship from a helicopter? Tee Hee. One of my favorite episodes. :')