Provence tour on Trip Advisor

[Sea Legs]

Has anyone done shore tours using Trip Advisor?  Most all of the tours through RCCL are sold out for Provence on June 13th.  Suggestions welcome.

[MeHeartCruising]

Yes and No.  I prefer to buy my tours directly from the tour company that is providing them.  That way I have direct communication with the same company that employs the person(s) doing my tour.  Trip Advisor, is a very good source of information.  But they are a re-seller for all the tours that you see them selling.  They do not actually provide the tour.  For me, this introduces the possibility of miscommunication with the actual tour company and possibly billing issues.  

 

Often you can figure out the name of the actual company doing the tour from the information provided in the description details of the Trip Advisor advertisement.  I then use that info and Google the company themselves.  They frequently have their own websites.  They also offer the tours for less than you see them on Trip Advisor.  I did this for 3 tours on my fall British Isles cruise.

 

On one of those tours a French Canadian woman had purchased the tour thru Viator (a similar service to Trip Advisor).  She thought she had purchased a French speaking tour from Viator.  She spoke no English.  The actual guide spoke no French.  She was not happy.  Had she communicated with the tour company directly, I think the issue might not have happened.

[tinkr2]

Ive had no problem using trip advisor . They used to not be resellers so I've used them for decades. However, I do like to find the company and book directly if possible.

[Afloat]

I don't know if you are interested in a private tour.

It was 6 years ago but we used:

tour.designer@provence-travel.com

 

Catherine was wonderful. She customized our tour to our interests. She was very knowledgeable and personable. The ship was supposed to put in at Seyne-La-Mer but instead docked in Toulon. She was there on time to meet us having gotten word to us on the ship. We enjoyed a visit to Cassis where we took a boat tour to see the Calanques. We then travelled to Aix. Catherine took us to a local restaurant that she new for a delicious lunch. We then toured Aix.

 

I would highly recommend her and would definitely tour with her again.

 

Enjoy your trip.