Quote:
Originally Posted by Arctic Fox
I have often wondered about the legality of this. The ship's tour is usually double the cost of doing the exact same tour privately, so they're making a huge profit. By scaremongering ahead of time (at the port presentation they always mention leaving private tours behind) they are coercing a lot of passengers into paying double. Without that leverage they would sell a lot fewer tours.
We avoid ship's tours because getting 50 old people off and on the bus takes considerably longer than getting eight on and off a minibus. Plus, with fifty people there are always a few that get back late and delay the tour even further, resulting in less time spent at the attractions.
We have never had a problem getting back to the ship on time as the third party tour companies know that their survival depends on maintaining a good track record.
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All true. We also used private tours. We were lucky and never had a problem. Many take the same gamble but are not so lucky. As fore the cruise line raking in extra money, that is the reason they exist. First and foremost, to make as much as they can.