Small group private tours

[BellsRUs]

We will have a group of 10 on the Sky Princess. A lot of the tours have sold out. I was wondering about setting up private tours through Princess. The info I found said you can travel in a car, van, or minibus. Has anyone used the Princess private tours? I’m guessing it would be similar to getting a cab for an island tour, but that Princess guarantees your return to the ship. If you have done this, is it a lot more expensive than a normal Princess excursion? Do we have to call Princess ahead of the cruise to arrange it? I couldn’t find any info on how to book the private excursions.

[neverbeenhere]

Whether by car, van or minibus, this "on your own" solution is perfect for passengers who wish to tour privately or want the flexibility of designing their own itinerary once onboard.

 

Above is what princess says. But I not so sure about guarantee if you are the driver. ???

[nini]

A private tour is one that you find your own company/ vendor and book it through them. As far as I know, "Private Tours" do not exist on Princess. But you can book shore excursions through Princess on their website.

Maybe you could cut and paste what you found?

[msmoger]

On some itineraries, at least in the pre-covid days, they would offer "small group tours" that could be anywhere from two passengers on up.  However, they were very expensive.  Much more than planning one on your own.

[riffatsea]

I don't know where you are going but in many ports you can use Google to find local companies that will put a tour together for your group

I would not do this through Princess

[wcflats]

We have for many years done our own private tours with local operators.  They have a vested interest in making sure that you are satisfied and get back to the ship in plenty of time. Prices are equal to or usually better than cruise ship prices. Never been disappointed.  Usually contact them through the internet before hand.  

[Papa Yoda]

Princess offers a Private Car excursion, half day or full day.  Driver included.  Cars hold 2 guests, SUVs hold 5.   For our cruise, a full day car is $999

[Ellaleah]

I am on the Ruby now.  I booked 4 tours thru them and will try to avoid it in the future.  The tours were very good, but I could have booked the same tour on my own for a lot less $.

[nini]

27 minutes ago, Ellaleah said:

I am on the Ruby now.  I booked 4 tours thru them and will try to avoid it in the future.  The tours were very good, but I could have booked the same tour on my own for a lot less $.

And typically, there are fewer people on the privately booked tours.

[BellsRUs]

Thank you, everyone!

[dog]

On 1/24/2022 at 12:32 PM, BellsRUs said:

We will have a group of 10 on the Sky Princess. A lot of the tours have sold out. I was wondering about setting up private tours through Princess. The info I found said you can travel in a car, van, or minibus. Has anyone used the Princess private tours? I’m guessing it would be similar to getting a cab for an island tour, but that Princess guarantees your return to the ship. If you have done this, is it a lot more expensive than a normal Princess excursion? Do we have to call Princess ahead of the cruise to arrange it? I couldn’t find any info on how to book the private excursions.

Non refundable 

 

get a private company and plan return to ship early enough so not to worry   

[Steelers36]

41 minutes ago, BellsRUs said:

Thank you, everyone!

You asked about availability and cost.  Obviously, you have heard of these.  I have seen them sometimes listed in the offered Shore Excursions when I have been browsing them.  It's quite an expensive way to go compared to DIY.  Nonetheless, if this is what you want, just look into the excursions they are offering.  I also very much doubt any of those special offerings will accommodate 10 people as they are intended typically for 2-4 people.  You need a large van to hold 10 people. 

 

You are best to find a good quality independent provider at each port (use TripAdvisor or similar).  You have a group to fill a vehicle and have your own small-medium group and your own guide.  I would not worry one bit about getting back to the ship.  The reputable companies would not be reputable if they didn't get their passengers back to the ships on time.  They do it over and over again year in and year out.

[nini]

I have found the private shore excursion vendors through Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic. But we do not use "Viator". I can weigh the reviews between the two sources and the results have been very good. Joining others on our Roll Call has worked well.

[caribill]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

 

You are best to find a good quality independent provider at each port (use TripAdvisor or similar). 

 

I suggest the Cruise Critic ports of call threads are the best place to look. These reviews will reflect cruise passengers' experiences.

[paul929207]

On 1/25/2022 at 5:11 PM, Ellaleah said:

I am on the Ruby now.  I booked 4 tours thru them and will try to avoid it in the future.  The tours were very good, but I could have booked the same tour on my own for a lot less $.

This has been the case for years. All over the world, we have taken excursions with private guides and drivers. Most of them were planned and booked with people on the Cruise Critic roll calls

[Rick&Jeannie]

20 hours ago, nini said:

I have found the private shore excursion vendors through Trip Advisor and Cruise Critic. But we do not use "Viator". I can weigh the reviews between the two sources and the results have been very good. Joining others on our Roll Call has worked well.

We have had very good luck on several occasions using Viator.  You get some "peace of mind" in that they serve as the middleman in dealing with the tour operator and they are generally very good regarding cancellations.  Yes...they tack on some overhead to cover their services.

[nini]

We compare it to booking a hotel room through a third party, when we get a better price and service going to the source... No middleman.