Tour Operator Cancellations

[zorrosuncle]

Like many cruisers, my primary reason for taking a cruise is to see the sights at the various stops along the way... On my last cruise, a repositioning, I found a few of my scheduled tours cancelled because "the tour operator didn't feel he had enough people to make it worthwhile".  Several others down the floor received similar notices on even different tours.  For me my cancellations were a major disappointment -- I would have taken a different cruise or different cruise line.

 

I am having difficulty understanding the rationale why an esteemed cruise ship company empowers a third party tour operator to disappoint me at will.  I studied marketing with the best and perhaps HAL forgets that a product which they market is made up of several component parts -- in this case, one of them being the tours.  I am pondering whether EXC means " Excellence" or whether it means "Expect Cancellations".

 

Is this going to be the new HAL?

 

ZU

[kazu]

20 minutes ago, zorrosuncle said:

Like many cruisers, my primary reason for taking a cruise is to see the sights at the various stops along the way... On my last cruise, a repositioning, I found a few of my scheduled tours cancelled because "the tour operator didn't feel he had enough people to make it worthwhile".  Several others down the floor received similar notices on even different tours.  For me my cancellations were a major disappointment -- I would have taken a different cruise or different cruise line.

 

I am having difficulty understanding the rationale why an esteemed cruise ship company empowers a third party tour operator to disappoint me at will.  I studied marketing with the best and perhaps HAL forgets that a product which they market is made up of several component parts -- in this case, one of them being the tours.  I am pondering whether EXC means " Excellence" or whether it means "Expect Cancellations".

 

Is this going to be the new HAL?

 

ZU

 

This is not new nor unusual for ships' shore excursions.

 

Note that while this may be the letter you receive, there can also be other reasons - insufficient staff to operate the tour, not a large enough/small enough vehicle available, etc.  Tour operators do not receive all the money you paid for your shore excursion so they need to reach a "break even point" of participants to be a bit profitable.

 

They do need x number of people to operate tours (numbers vary depending on the port).  Tour companies that let people book individually on their tours to form a group have the same requirement.  As an example,  Spain Day Tours (a well known company) requires a minimum of 10 for a tour to go.  If they don't have their minimum, the tour doesn't happen.

 

It's one of the reasons we do private tours since the commitment is in place.

[knittinggirl]

We've had a few cruises cancelled over the years.  A few times, it was cancelled due failing to meet the minimum number.  Another time, I was told to cancel by the Concierge because I had food allergies (and my second choice was full). 

 

Once on Princess, I had the wine tasting part of the cruise cancelled and replaced w/ shopping.  (No partial refund for removing the wine tasting.)

[Fouremco]

We very, very seldom book ship excursions on any cruise line, preferring to use the services of well established private providers, and we've never had one cancel on us for any reason. Maybe we've just been lucky. 

[cruisemom42]

My interests are a bit on the esoteric side, so if I were to consider a ship tour, that's one thing I'd worry about; i.e., that the tour I booked wouldn't "fill" and thus wouldn't run. I know it happens.

 

As it is, like others have posted, I prefer to avoid ship tours. I sightsee on my own whenever I can; otherwise I will try to arrange a private tour and/or guide.

[ChinaShrek]

2 hours ago, zorrosuncle said:

Like many cruisers, my primary reason for taking a cruise is to see the sights at the various stops along the way... On my last cruise, a repositioning, I found a few of my scheduled tours cancelled because "the tour operator didn't feel he had enough people to make it worthwhile".  Several others down the floor received similar notices on even different tours.  For me my cancellations were a major disappointment -- I would have taken a different cruise or different cruise line.

 

I am having difficulty understanding the rationale why an esteemed cruise ship company empowers a third party tour operator to disappoint me at will.  I studied marketing with the best and perhaps HAL forgets that a product which they market is made up of several component parts -- in this case, one of them being the tours.  I am pondering whether EXC means " Excellence" or whether it means "Expect Cancellations".

 

Is this going to be the new HAL?

 

ZU

 

How about when HAL schedules a stop in the Grand Cayman for December 25 and then two weeks before the cruise departure dates cancels all EXC tours for the Grand Cayman except for two?  That's what happened to me.  The itinerary for the cruise had been listed on the website for months and HAL knew we were going there on Christmas Day.  They had 12 different tours listed and then in the first week of December, they pulled all but two.  Why schedule a stop on Christmas if nothing is open?  Why schedule a stop when almost all of the tours will be cancelled?  HAL should know what is open and what is not open on Christmas Day years in advance.  I agree with the OP, it is either marketing hype or incompetence. 

[POA1]

Cancelations can happen even with independent tours you book yourself. I reserved a tour on August 2nd for a port stop in mid December. When I went to confirm the tour a week before our arrival, I was told that the tour operator was already booked. 

[boards]

We had land independent tours cancelled on a cruise to Hawaii.  We did find out until we stood outside the terminal waiting for the tour company to show.  Called their emergency number to find out the tours had been for lack of enough people.  They had sent us an e-mail while we were at sea.  This was a well known Hawaiian tour company, still in business today.  We visited Walmart on three of the islands.  

[cruisemom42]

7 hours ago, POA1 said:

Cancelations can happen even with independent tours you book yourself. I reserved a tour on August 2nd for a port stop in mid December. When I went to confirm the tour a week before our arrival, I was told that the tour operator was already booked. 

 

4 hours ago, boards said:

We had land independent tours cancelled on a cruise to Hawaii.  We did find out until we stood outside the terminal waiting for the tour company to show.  Called their emergency number to find out the tours had been for lack of enough people.  They had sent us an e-mail while we were at sea.  This was a well known Hawaiian tour company, still in business today.  We visited Walmart on three of the islands.  

 

Yet more reason to do things independently (and when I say that, I mean without aid of any tour or guide). Of course, nothing is guaranteed. One can also run into a transportation strike or unexpected closures on one's own.  Moral of the story = nothing is certain!

[Cruising-along]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

 

Yet more reason to do things independently (and when I say that, I mean without aid of any tour or guide). Of course, nothing is guaranteed. One can also run into a transportation strike or unexpected closures on one's own.  Moral of the story = nothing is certain!

I couldn't agree more.  The times we did things totally independently are the times I enjoyed the most.  

[zorrosuncle]

I have thought about independent tours, also, but HAL always seems to threaten you with being stranded without passport , clothes, or cash if for some reason you get back late.  Stories about what can happen (not just HAL) always seem to make the news services.   I have read several this year.  I wonder what percent of cruisers go with the independent tours.

 

ZU

Edited December 31, 2018 by zorrosuncle
typo error

[ChinaShrek]

18 minutes ago, zorrosuncle said:

I have thought about independent tours, also, but HAL always seems to threaten you with being stranded without passport , clothes, or cash if for some reason you get back late.  Stories about what can happen (not just HAL) always seem to make the news services.   I have read several this year.  I wonder what percent of cruisers go with the independent tours.

 

ZU

 

I think cruise lines should be required to report the number of passengers left in ports involuntarily.  This would be useful information.  Are certain ports more risky than others?  Are certain cruise lines or captains more willing to leave passengers behind?  Once we know this information, we can make better decisions about traveling independently in various ports. 

[thinfool]

18 minutes ago, zorrosuncle said:

I have thought about independent tours, also, but HAL always seems to threaten you with being stranded without passport , clothes, or cash if for some reason you get back late.  Stories about what can happen (not just HAL) always seem to make the news services.   I have read several this year.  I wonder what percent of cruisers go with the independent tours.

 

ZU

 

Because it is rare for an independent operator to be late returning, it is news!  Of course a good reporter will spin the information for the greatest impact on the reader.  It is his job to do so.

In 15 years we have never missed, or even had a near miss, using independent tour operators.

Their bread and butter is the tour business...they make sure they perform their tasks properly....no missed ships.

Otoh, it is in the cruise lines interest to have you be skittish about missing the ship and being left in a foreign country.  

In truth, if a ship sponsored excursion is late enough, the captain will sail without those passengers, especially if the next port is far away.

[kazu]

43 minutes ago, thinfool said:

In truth, if a ship sponsored excursion is late enough, the captain will sail without those passengers, especially if the next port is far away.

 

Absolutely - along with "if the tide is turning", the weather is unfavourable and an endless list of other reasons.

 

When we were in Monaco a few years ago, the N Amsterdam could not hold it's tender and had to leave.  there were a lot of passengers left whether they were independent or on ship's tours.  Fortunately our ship (the Prinsendam) was docked and Prinsendam to the rescue.  We boarded all their passengers and they stayed with us (we left late - it did NOT affect our next port) until the N Amsterdam could safely return.  We didn't leave until the Captain was sure that every tender had made it on the N Amsterdam.

 

the passengers were lucky that another HAL ship was in port to help.  Otherwise, they would have had an unpleasant wait.

 

I will say that the Prinsendam became a very crowded ship that day 😉 

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, zorrosuncle said:

I have thought about independent tours, also, but HAL always seems to threaten you with being stranded without passport , clothes, or cash if for some reason you get back late.  Stories about what can happen (not just HAL) always seem to make the news services.   I have read several this year.  I wonder what percent of cruisers go with the independent tours.

 

ZU

 

A sizeable percentage of passengers take private tours, at least in European ports. 

 

One can always take one's passport and at least one credit card, if worried about being stranded. I DIY or take private tours and have for years -- have never come close to missing the ship. Good, well-recommended private tour operators are very unlikely to return you late -- if only because their business depends on good reviews. 

 

(I've heard many folks say they are glad of having taken a ship tour because the tour came back late -- I submit that ship tours DO occasionally come back late.....because they know they can get away with it.)

[kazu]

1 hour ago, zorrosuncle said:

I have thought about independent tours, also, but HAL always seems to threaten you with being stranded without passport , clothes, or cash if for some reason you get back late.  Stories about what can happen (not just HAL) always seem to make the news services.   I have read several this year.  I wonder what percent of cruisers go with the independent tours.

 

ZU

 

I've done more private tours than I can count for many years now.

 

We have never missed the ship nor come close.  We usually leave earlier and are back before the ship's tours and have seen more.

 

I don't know what the percentage is but based on our roll calls over the years, I would say that a number of seasoned cruisers do.  

[Fouremco]

3 hours ago, zorrosuncle said:

I have thought about independent tours, also, but HAL always seems to threaten you with being stranded without passport , clothes, or cash if for some reason you get back late.  Stories about what can happen (not just HAL) always seem to make the news services.   I have read several this year.  I wonder what percent of cruisers go with the independent tours.

 

ZU

There are those who feel that their passport should be kept locked up in their cabin and there are those who wouldn't set foot in a foreign country without it. I subscribe to the second school of thought, always carry some cash and at least one credit card, and have never gone ashore naked, so HAL's threats really don't worry me. I've travelled extensively in my 70 plus years, and found that using a little bit of common sense and following basic security protocols helps to minimize potential problems. 

[kazu]

8 hours ago, Fouremco said:

There are those who feel that their passport should be kept locked up in their cabin and there are those who wouldn't set foot in a foreign country without it. I subscribe to the second school of thought, always carry some cash and at least one credit card, and have never gone ashore naked, so HAL's threats really don't worry me. I've travelled extensively in my 70 plus years, and found that using a little bit of common sense and following basic security protocols helps to minimize potential problems. 

 

We do keep our passport in the safe but bring a colour copy of the first two key pages.

 

Other than that we do the same as you and have had the same experience. 😉 

[cruisemom42]

16 hours ago, ChinaShrek said:

 

I think cruise lines should be required to report the number of passengers left in ports involuntarily.  This would be useful information.  Are certain ports more risky than others?  Are certain cruise lines or captains more willing to leave passengers behind?  Once we know this information, we can make better decisions about traveling independently in various ports. 

 

I don't think that's ever going to happen -- it would not be in the ship's best interest to post such statistics because the number/percentage left is small. Yes, it does happen that people get left behind, and from the ship's perspective even one person left is one too many as there is undoubtedly paperwork and hassle involved. Ship staff want all passengers onboard and accounted for. Hence, ships will do all they can to control the likelihood of getting everyone back on board before departure -- thus the pushing of ship tours.

 

But from a passenger point of view, the risk of being left is pretty minimal. My best guess would be that perhaps one couple or small group might get left per cruise (not per port), and of those, most of the time the reason for being left is their own poor time management (e.g., lost track of time while drinking/shopping/at beach), not a private tour. 

[Travrat]

20 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Absolutely - along with "if the tide is turning", the weather is unfavourable and an endless list of other reasons.

 

When we were in Monaco a few years ago, the N Amsterdam could not hold it's tender and had to leave.  there were a lot of passengers left whether they were independent or on ship's tours.  Fortunately our ship (the Prinsendam) was docked and Prinsendam to the rescue.  We boarded all their passengers and they stayed with us (we left late - it did NOT affect our next port) until the N Amsterdam could safely return.  We didn't leave until the Captain was sure that every tender had made it on the N Amsterdam.

 

the passengers were lucky that another HAL ship was in port to help.  Otherwise, they would have had an unpleasant wait.

 

I will say that the Prinsendam became a very crowded ship that day 😉 

Interesting. Years ago a similar situation occurred when I was on Masdaam. HAL rented buses and took everyone who was stranded to Ville Franche where the ship was able to dock.

[kazu]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

But from a passenger point of view, the risk of being left is pretty minimal. My best guess would be that perhaps one couple or small group might get left per cruise (not per port), and of those, most of the time the reason for being left is their own poor time management (e.g., lost track of time while drinking/shopping/at beach), not a private tour. 

 

That's been what we have observed on our cruises.  The ones that nearly "missed the boat" and came back running had plenty of shopping bags and had lost track of time.

 

The ones who did miss the ship and boarded at the next port had been in a bar and lost track of time.

 

 

[RDC1]

On 12/31/2018 at 1:16 PM, zorrosuncle said:

I have thought about independent tours, also, but HAL always seems to threaten you with being stranded without passport , clothes, or cash if for some reason you get back late.  Stories about what can happen (not just HAL) always seem to make the news services.   I have read several this year.  I wonder what percent of cruisers go with the independent tours.

 

ZU

I do not feel that I have been threatened by any cruise line including HAL.  I would say that part of their marketing for their tours are their guarantee that they will get you back to the ship if there is any problem on the tour. Bottom line when you are in port you are responsible for making it back to the ship on time and if you are not the ship, which is on a schedule, will probably leave without you.  Not a threat, just a statement of fact.

 

When people do miss the ship, the cruise lines normally do try to find your passport from your safe and give it to the port agent for you.