How do you manage a shared tour charter?

[Fishboy1947]

I’ve participated in shared tours where the fees are handled by the tour provider. But I also see many private tours where there are different prices for groups of 5 or 8 and we are just traveling as a couple.  I know we can try to put a group together on the roll call but how do you handle the payments, if we have to pay upfront?

[Sea42]

For the tours where we have joined others for a small group, each person is given the information needed to pay the vendor directly pre-cruise or payment is made on the day of the tour.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We have participated in quite a few private tours that we found through these boards and either joined others on the tours already arranged or a couple of times started the tour group.  Everyone has always paid the tour operator directly, on the day of the tour.

 

I would not want to have to handle or be responsible for collecting the money from others on the tour.

[travelingman]

I have arranged several private tours where the tour operator had to be paid up front and their was no accommodations for several individuals to make payments.  In those cases I have made the total payment up front and luckily everyone showed up for the tour and paid me.  In one case we all met up at the meet and mingle and they paid me then.  If I remember correctly we had someone else join toward the last minute which reduced the overall rate and I refunded some money to everyone who had already paid me.

I will admit that anyone doing this is taking a chance of someone not showing up and the organizer is stuck with the additional cost.

Fortunately this has never happened to me.

Best case scenario is where the vendor will let everyone pay their own payment directly.

 

Stan

[leaveitallbehind]

IMO the last thing I would want to do as a roll call organizer with strangers is be in any way responsible to handle payments with, or on, anyone's behalf for a tour.  I would simply suggest the tour I was interested in doing and see if any others want to join, and then make public the tour provider for everyone to contact and deal with directly.  If you want to plan to meet ahead of time on board to get acquainted, fine.  But that would be the extent of my involvement - everyone would be responsible on their own to follow through and show up at the prescribed time.

Edited March 12, 2022 by leaveitallbehind

[navybankerteacher]

If you do accept responsibility for organizing, simply insist that participants give you their shares up front —you do not want to be holding the bag for someone who drops out at the last minute.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, leaveitallbehind said:

IMO the last thing I would want to do as a roll call organizer with strangers is be in any way responsible to handle payments with, or on, anyone's behalf for a tour.  I would simply suggest the tour I was interested in doing and see if any others want to join, and then make public the tour provider for everyone to contact and deal with directly.  If you want to plan to meet ahead of time on board to get acquainted, fine.  But that would be the extent of my involvement - everyone would be responsible on their own to follow through and show up at the prescribed time.

Yes, that is exactly what I did when I e-mailed the various tour operators in St. Petersburg, and chose Alla. After DW picked out which of the tours offered she thought was best. I then put it on our roll call. We ended with 10. We all discussed the tour as Alla allowed it to be modified as long as all agreed. Everyone paid when we were on the tour, not before or not to me. Each couple registered with Alla as joining our tour.

 

Note this was in 2007, not the present situation with Russia.

[cruisemom42]

There's not a one-size-fits-all solution. Ideally I look for a tour provider who either accepts payments from multiple parties in advance or on the day of the tour. The problem with "day of tour" payments is occasionally someone doesn't show up -- and then the arranger is usually on the hook for the extra. (Sometimes the tour manager will reduce the cost but not always.)

 

I've also been places where the best reviewed tour provider or the one willing to provide the itinerary I want will only accept payment from one party. My philosophy with these is that I've traveled thousands of miles to see X, Y and Z who knows when I will be back?  I will take a private tour there even if it is a tour for one (I travel solo).  Any additional "sharers" are just lessening the amount I'd pay if I went alone.

 

For the OP:  You can always request a price for the size of your own party only. Sometimes it will be reduced, as they can use a sedan rather than a mini-bus or van. Sometimes not. Either way it can be priceless to enjoy a day doing precisely what you want, at your own pace, without having to worry about the logistics.

 

Europe, my most frequent cruise destination has much better public transportation and tourism infrastructure than, say, the Caribbean. An option I use whenever I can is to just sightsee on my own, using buses, trains, taxis where needed to get around. Often in larger cities many of the main sites are grouped together and within walking distance. It can be gratifying and fun to spend a day this way, and the more you do it, the easier it gets...

 

 

[Fishboy1947]

3 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

There's not a one-size-fits-all solution. Ideally I look for a tour provider who either accepts payments from multiple parties in advance or on the day of the tour. The problem with "day of tour" payments is occasionally someone doesn't show up -- and then the arranger is usually on the hook for the extra. (Sometimes the tour manager will reduce the cost but not always.)

 

I've also been places where the best reviewed tour provider or the one willing to provide the itinerary I want will only accept payment from one party. My philosophy with these is that I've traveled thousands of miles to see X, Y and Z who knows when I will be back?  I will take a private tour there even if it is a tour for one (I travel solo).  Any additional "sharers" are just lessening the amount I'd pay if I went alone.

 

For the OP:  You can always request a price for the size of your own party only. Sometimes it will be reduced, as they can use a sedan rather than a mini-bus or van. Sometimes not. Either way it can be priceless to enjoy a day doing precisely what you want, at your own pace, without having to worry about the logistics.

 

Europe, my most frequent cruise destination has much better public transportation and tourism infrastructure than, say, the Caribbean. An option I use whenever I can is to just sightsee on my own, using buses, trains, taxis where needed to get around. Often in larger cities many of the main sites are grouped together and within walking distance. It can be gratifying and fun to spend a day this way, and the more you do it, the easier it gets...

 

 

My question on touring on your own is, do you get much more from the experience if you are with a guide? We are going to Athens in Oct, you laid out a nice, doable walking tour. Will we miss much being on our own, realizing we need to read up on the attractions beforehand?

[George C]

I wouldn’t organize a tour that required full payment up front.

[donaldsc]

55 minutes ago, George C said:

I wouldn’t organize a tour that required full payment up front.

 

I have organized many tours that have required full payment up front.  I do verify how they handle it if the ship does not make the port.  I also require that anyone who joins my tour pay in full by a specific date or they are removed from the tour group and I have had to do this a few times.  I have never had any problems w any of these policies.

 

I don't see the problem of paying for the tour in advance.  To me, this just serves to protect the tour guide from being stiffed by a group that does not show.

 

Just think.  You pay in advance whenever you book a ship tour.  Why shouldn't you pay in advance when you take a private tour.  I don't see what the difference is.

 

DON

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, Fishboy1947 said:

My question on touring on your own is, do you get much more from the experience if you are with a guide? We are going to Athens in Oct, you laid out a nice, doable walking tour. Will we miss much being on our own, realizing we need to read up on the attractions beforehand?

 

The key is knowing what style of traveler you are. I am an enthusiastic researcher -- I will probably read dozens of books to prepare for a normal 7-10 day cruise: guidebooks, history, biographies, fiction, even archaeological reports. And I make copious notes. I enjoy mapping out the logistics but even more I like coming to grips beforehand with the same kind of information that a good guide can provide.

 

Not everyone enjoys this. Some just want to show up and learn on the spot. Some prefer to have a guided tour as their first introduction and then will go home and read more about the place afterwards. Some just want a driver/guide who tells good stories and passes the limoncello around. There's no right or wrong -- just understand what you like and plan for success.

 

I went back and reminded myself that you'll be traveling with three young adult grandchildren. If they were younger, I'd say a full-day guide would be a good use of money. I traveled with my son for many years and as a young to mid-teen, he would have paid much greater attention to a guide than to mom trying to tell him anything, lol. We had a private guide for two days in St. Petersburg and it was well worth it.

 

But from about age 18 onward he has (at least in my opinion) enjoyed a mix of guided tours (but not all day), plus some time to just wander, plus time to enjoy a nice local meal. 

 

I can't stress enough how important it is to get their input. For example, a couple of years ago he and I traveled to Venice and Florence for about 12 days in total. We based ourselves in those cities but also did some side trips. One thing he really wanted to do was to go to Pisa, see the tower (and climb it) and take the usual crazy pictures -- Instagram rules.  At first I tried to talk him out of it, since I'd been to Pisa as a teen and thought it was a terrible waste of time -- touristy, kitschy -- I would rather have spent the time in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. But I listened to him, we spent the morning doing it, and to this day it is one of his favorite memories.

 

Edited March 13, 2022 by cruisemom42

[LHT28]

most of the group tours I had organized   we all just paid the tour guide after the tour ..

one I had to pre pay & I collected the funds (cash) once onboard a couple of days before the tour  so if anyone changed their mind I could find other to take their place

I made it clear that if people dropped out  the remaining people would have to pay extra to cover  the tour cost

The ship did not make the port so had to return the $$ to the group then I had to collect from the tour guide

will try not to pre pay tours again for other people  🤔

[Heidi13]

15 hours ago, Fishboy1947 said:

I’ve participated in shared tours where the fees are handled by the tour provider. But I also see many private tours where there are different prices for groups of 5 or 8 and we are just traveling as a couple.  I know we can try to put a group together on the roll call but how do you handle the payments, if we have to pay upfront?

 

I have organised many private tours in many countries around the World. When the vendor requires payment up front, I will only book if the vendor provides a per person rate and collects the funds, whether in advance or day of tour. 

 

From a risk perspective, I will not personally pay in advance for group and then try to collect the funds, nor will I book a tour where the cost depends on how many turn up. I am OK with a per person price, then a discount for all, if we fill the van. However, I will not accept a per person cost that increases if a couple doesn't show. 

[Hlitner]

22 hours ago, Fishboy1947 said:

My question on touring on your own is, do you get much more from the experience if you are with a guide? We are going to Athens in Oct, you laid out a nice, doable walking tour. Will we miss much being on our own, realizing we need to read up on the attractions beforehand?

That is a terrific question worthy of an entire thread.  Based on nearly a half century of extensive travel I think there is no answer that applies to everyone.  Some of us are more comfortable doing "our own thing" then others.  DW and I will venture off on our own almost anywhere in the world and routinely use rental cars, trains, buses, and our feet.  We know others who do not like to get off a ship unless they are part of a large group cruise line excursion.  And we know lots of folks who prefer small private tours.

 

From my perspective, being own is a trade-off.  We actually experience many things that only seem to happen when we our doing our own thing on our own schedule.   We obviously miss out in some information (especially history) that can be related by a decent guide.   If you do your pre-trip homework, take advantage to audio-tours in some places, and enjoy some adventure then being on your own can be very rewarding.  Just the thought of standing around a rest stop while waiting for everyone to go to the bathroom, finish their shopping, etc. is enough to drive me away from most tours/excursions.  

 

You also need to have a level of comfort on your ability to get back to the ship on time...or have a Plan B if you do miss the ship :).  DW and I have been on our own in hundreds of ports all over the world and seldom worry about getting back to the ship because we follow a few basic rules.  1.  Go to your most distant places early in the port day.  2.  Work your way back towards the port as the day progresses.  3.  Get back to within walking distance of the port in plenty of time to alleviate any anxiety about missing the ship.  4.  Always have a Plan B (and maybe Plan C) if things go wrong.  And regarding that last statement we have some variations.  If we know that we can easily catch up to the ship the following day (such as if the ship were moving from Naples to Civitavecchia) then we might cut things a bit close when returning to the ship.  But if it is impossible to catch the ship the following day (such as if is on an island) then we make sure to work our way back to the ship with plenty of spare time.   Following these basic rules for decades we have never, ever, missed a ship although we have come too close on a couple of occasions.  There have been a few times that we intentionally missed the ship (because we planned on staying somewhere on land) but we had always warned the Guest Relations desk and our cabin steward that we would not be back until the following day.

 

Hank