Frustrated with tour office........

[BirdExotic]

I have been on 25 prior cruises but this is our first with HAL. We are booked on the Veendam on 9-30 on there Amazon Explorer cruise out of San Diego. We have been trying to book tours and even though they are listed they are not available on line or on the phone. When you ask you get a different story from each person you talk to in there office, no one seems to have an answer and all use the same line, "call back in two weeks", well it's now been two months and I was just told again, call back.......... My question is this there normal m.o.? Would we be better off going through an independent tour company?

[Jade13]

I have been on 25 prior cruises but this is our first with HAL. We are booked on the Veendam on 9-30 on there Amazon Explorer cruise out of San Diego. We have been trying to book tours and even though they are listed they are not available on line or on the phone. When you ask you get a different story from each person you talk to in there office, no one seems to have an answer and all use the same line, "call back in two weeks", well it's now been two months and I was just told again, call back.......... My question is this there normal m.o.? Would we be better off going through an independent tour company?

 

Always go independent if possible. Check the SA cruise board. One def exception was HAL's tour from Corfu to Albania. It was great.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Many of those Amazon tours are just once a year thus HAL may still be working with the vendors to get the contracts done.

 

On a couple of our cruises, we weren't able to book a couple of shore excursions until 2 weeks before the cruises.

[Stevesan]

I have been on 25 prior cruises but this is our first with HAL. We are booked on the Veendam on 9-30 on there Amazon Explorer cruise out of San Diego. We have been trying to book tours and even though they are listed they are not available on line or on the phone. When you ask you get a different story from each person you talk to in there office, no one seems to have an answer and all use the same line, "call back in two weeks", well it's now been two months and I was just told again, call back.......... My question is this there normal m.o.? Would we be better off going through an independent tour company?

 

I visited your Roll Call. I see you have booked some tours on line, and so have others in your roll call.

As KK said, It's not unique to HAL that tour operators are slow to complete contracts with specific cruises. I've had the same experience with a few Princess tours opening up late.

Don't be frustrated. If you are not able to book precruise, then no one else can either. When/If availability for the tour(s) you want open up, you'll have an equal opportunity along with others on your cruise.

[kakalina]

This happened to us also on the Veendam Amazon cruise. Do not worry, if they do not show up prior to the cruise just make an attempt to be at the shorex office on board ASAP after you board.

If the office if closed fill out the appropriate forms that should be outside on the countertop and drop them in the slot. This will give you a small lead on others who wait for actual people to show up at the shorex office.

[BirdExotic]

Thanks for the information, as this has NOT been my experience with RCI, Celebrity, or even NCL [which I will no longer cruise on due to there poor service]. I will continue to check every day and wait and see. My real concern was Costa Rica as I am a rail buff [i know.....crazy at my age] and the office keeps telling me that the rail trip is one of the most popular and if that is true i don't want to miss it! Again, thank you for your response.