Private Journeys in the Caribbean

[20165]

Has anyone used the Private Journeys in the Caribbean?  We saw the option on the website but have no idea how it works. We would like to use it on our Caribbean cruise in late December.  Anyone have any experience with this?

thanks

 

[Mcgeneseo]

We did one in Aruba a year ago. It was fabulous but expensive. We had an obscene amount of OBC so it was worth it. I wanted to do it due to COVID. I contacted the Private Journeys by email and they set it up. High end SUV, knowledgeable driver and he gave us a tour of the entire island including Aruba Aloe. I asked about a time share that my friend has and he took us through it so I could see it. I'm glad we did it.

[Jim_Iain]

We did when cruising started up as we didn't want to be on group tours.   We had a great time.   Very professionally done.  

[the penguins]

8 hours ago, 20165 said:

Has anyone used the Private Journeys in the Caribbean?  We saw the option on the website but have no idea how it works. We would like to use it on our Caribbean cruise in late December.  Anyone have any experience with this?

thanks

 

Very expensive. Unless you have OBC to use I would get some some other quotes to compare. We use Toursbylocals but you have probably left it far too late to use them but worth checking their website.

[20165]

Thank you for the replies.  I should have asked this in the original question, but do you know if the private journeys are tied to the cruise ship, meaning the ship wont leave us if for some reason they run late?  We have booked excursions outside of our cruises in the past, but its a stressful day given there isnt a big incentive for them to have us back on time.  I dont mind paying a premium if its tied to the ship.

thx

 

[Atlantic Girl]

From the Private Journey Facts:

Yes, when you book a Private Journey with Celebrity Cruises, we guarantee that if your tour is delayed, the ship will wait for you. In the unlikely event that your tour is significantly delayed, and the ship cannot wait, we will make all the arrangements for you to return to the ship at no expense to you.

[Atlantic Girl]

I never noticed Private Journeys before either, but now you have me thinking. 🧐 

[20165]

3 minutes ago, Atlantic Girl said:

From the Private Journey Facts:

Yes, when you book a Private Journey with Celebrity Cruises, we guarantee that if your tour is delayed, the ship will wait for you. In the unlikely event that your tour is significantly delayed, and the ship cannot wait, we will make all the arrangements for you to return to the ship at no expense to you.

Ah, i missed that but its exactly what i was looking for.  Thank you for the info.

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, 20165 said:

Ah, i missed that but its exactly what i was looking for.  Thank you for the info.

Toursbylocals have exactly the same guarantee as standard.

[20165]

48 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Toursbylocals have exactly the same guarantee as standard.

They will hold the ship for them if the tour is delayed?

[the penguins]

5 hours ago, 20165 said:

They will hold the ship for them if the tour is delayed?

No, but as you will see the Celebrity guarantee is that if they can't hold the ship they will get you to the next port. X does not guarantee that the ship will always wait and nor do they define "significantly delayed". We book to return a minimum of 1 hour before the last boarding time and have never come close to missing the ship on a TBL tour.

We did come very, very close on a private Amazon River excursion when when the 2 tour boats with over 40 passengers total were unable to dock in their alloted spots. The problem was compounded by one of the boats jamming it's gang plank between the boat and the pier making it impossible for us to disembark. Just as we were getting very desperate ( we watched as our cruise packed up the carpet, awnings, barriers etc ready to sail) we managed to attract the attention of the last remaining officer on the Dock. The Officer quickly arranged for members of the crew to come and rescue us and the ship finally sailed about 30 minutes late.