Attention! Big Warning for Shore Excursion Bookings
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- HUGE WARNING FOR THOSE BOOKING SHORE EXCURSIONS.'
It's true booking shore excursions through the cruise lines can be expensive. They do however come with some perks. First of all if the excursion is late getting back to the ship it will wait for you unlike 3rd party booked shore excursions. Another big perk is what happened in todays video where passengers all lost thier money.
I always book through cruise line, sometimes its more expensive but I'm also paying for peace of mind.
Carnival did not have any excursions at all for the greenland stops so that is why we booked with her
I always book with the ship. If a shore excursion is cancelled, you receive a refund immediately. If you have a credit at the end of a cruise, they will credit your credit card.
@@lorrainekelton6425 I often book at the port but these bookings are hop on hop off busses, tuktuks, etc. Anything that is lengthy or has an element of danger like a helicopter or lengthy tour is through the ship.
Carnival didn’t offer excursions for this cruise. Brand Ambassador John Heald told us to look elsewhere so that’s exactly what we did.
Carnival did not have any excursions on the 2 greenland stops which is why many of us booked with her.
In that case, I probably would have booked with her too. Who would have expected anyone to do what she did. Can't she be charged with fraud.@@kassimer1one427
@kassimer1one427 WHY don’t you file a dispute with your credit card? You’ll get your money back
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It’s so sad that there are so many scammers out there.
You are so thoughtful of others. Just sayin. Thanks for always thing of others first and for enlightening us on things to watch out for.
You’re smart Don for not getting involved with booking shore excursions for others.
Agreed. Sounds exactly like the Travel Agent that left people in port because she didn't pay their cruise fare on time.
I can not understand how people like this lady can live with themselves!😢
I can, people can be very dishonest
They've got different values, clearly
Because they are sociopaths and don't have the same conscience that normal people do.
@jayholiday256 REAL reason is that she’s willing to refund the money, but she’s already spent it. I’ve seen it happen many times where a business has no savings, so it cannot issue refunds. (Then they declare bankruptcy to avoid lawsuit.)
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Can you imagine Don leading 50 people on a shore excursion, and the stragglers don't show up on time to get back to the ship ~ so 50 people miss the ship leaving. What liability. Or, if you lead a group, and someone gets hurt, guess who will be sued along with the cruise line ~
Sandra's Cruise Tours stole excursion money from a lot of people on the Carnival Legend. This was the first time in 50+ cruises we booked with a 3rd party.....never again. We had multiple conversations with her confirming the refund policy. After Carnival said no excursions would be offered in Greenland we went ahead and booked with Sandra. 9 months after the cruise and quite a lot of people haven't been refunded! She advised us to claim the loss with our travel insurance company (fraud?) Or to accept her offer of 50% refund? We didn't trust her at that point and filed a credit card charge back. Once we did that she lied to the CC company and stopped all communication. She picks & chooses who get a refund (if anyone does). If you are one of her cheerleaders then it improves your chances. We are trying to warn others to avoid being ripped off by the shady business ethics of Sandra O'Leary!
Tell the credit card company that they either refund your money, or you will close the account & not pay the $200 stolen by Sandra O’Leary
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Thanks for covering this story. I unfortunately was one of the people Sandra O’Leary from Sandra’s cruise tours scammed. I even asked her on her Facebook advertisement if it was refundable if we did not port due to weather and dhe responded it was refundable. The reason I booked with her is carnival did not have any excursions at all for the greenland stops. I did book my other excursions with carnival so recieved ibc when they were all cancelled. She is still selling tours for other cruises so she has not yet stopped. I know one is a panorama cruise.
Thank you Don for picking up my story. You did a great job reporting on it and i appreciate the time you took to help get the word out
Thanks for always taking the high road Don. I appreciate your honesty and candor
Beware of the scammers. So many online
Too many people. For whatever reason, it seems to be at the heart of most of the problems. You have a very hard job, glad you can enjoy it ⚓️
Very smart call, Don! Shore excursions add a whole other layer of complexities and headaches you don't need!
Thank you! I needed this reminder!
Those 400 should hire someone to bring her to justice!
And get her some jail time.
We tried. She is in Canada and we are in the USA. Lawyers wouldn’t take it
@@jillar7911 It is a Police matter, and the Police in Canada take fraud seriously.
Problem is many are from the states and she is Canadian so we were unable to find anyone that would take the case. Many if us did report it to the police but after sending our information we have not heard back
@@kassimer1one427 Then...You must go to the media. CTV News (CP24), likes to feature interesting events. This lady is Evil.
Thanks for always protecting the customers .
We’re so glad your still here and healthy Don 😊
That same person was offering shore tours on our iceland Carnival Pride cruise at the end of August last year. We saw lots of chatter on the cruise Facebook group of how much cheaper her tours were - dozens of people were booking. To me, a more expensive cruise tour is worth the peace of mind, so we only book tours through the cruise, or sightsee ourselves once ashore. Anyway, we missed one port due to a storm and received our day tour money back from Carnival straight away. Then we started seeing lots of posts on Facebook about passengers not being able to contact this woman re their missed port tour refunds. After the cruise we left the Facebook group, so I don't know if people got their money back or not. Now I guess I know. Tony reported on the same person yesterday, and there are many comments on his feed that people are still chasing money. I don't know if she was on our ship or not, there was no mention of it. Great video!
Safer booking through cruise
Legitimate agents don't handle the money, they are paid by the vendors. When I book my clients, the money goes directly from the client to the vendor.
Exactly
Very wise of you Don.
Makes total sense, Don! You're a smart man!
I agree! I never take money. I book directly with the cruise line and I explain to people the reason. That Monica lady is a perfect example.
We've never booked ourselves with a third-party shore excursion. We want that guarantee of getting back to the ship!!
That would be difficult to do. I'm glad you try to get with your group and spend time on the ship. You do you Don and that's all that matters.
Good policy Don!!!
Good for you for not hosting excursions and not dealing with those funds. I can imagine it is very busy just hosting a group cruise with so many people wanting a chance to visit with you.
Keep up the good work!
Smart way to do it Don.
Always book shore excursions through the cruise lines
It's sad that there are so many dishonest people willing to be scammers.
Good advise!
I’m with you I don’t like having other people’s money.
It sickens me the amount of scamming that goes on. Makes you question everybody. Just do your research.
You are right Don, besides it is not your job! If something goes wrong then they would blame you! Not your responsibility!!
Yes handle no money. I am happy to do our group research but everyone pays the cruiseline/agency directly and do your own excursions. Everyone also gets a copy of the contract because when you book groups you get free rooms depending on your group size. I don't want anyone to think i take a free ride. The money is divided back to all attendees or we pull a name out of a hat for the free fare. We slso advise everyone the agent gets a commision from the cruiseline. Full disclosure so no one thinks any finny business is going on.
I love getting off and booking through local people. Cheaper and better! I don't want to prepay either!
Arranging group excursions would be too cumbersome. I agree with your thoughts on this issue.
This a the best way to protect yourself when you are a person with integrity!
I hope your heath is improving and GOOD
Carnival did not have any excursions for my Aug 2023 trip to Greenland. Heald even said there would be none in Greenland ports. So we booked with Sandras tours. Just before the cruise date, Carnival finally added a few excursions. I had no prob with Sandra and was happy to have the excursions. I was lucky....she definitely stole those folks money on the Sept cruise. But please note...we booked only because Carnival. had no excursions till the last minute. How can they have a cruise without offering excursions? Went thru that again on the Transpacific....took forever for cruises to appear.
Shore excursions are great but they can be pricey
This sounds logical and very reasonable.
I have booked private excursions and didn’t have a problem but I could have had one.
I am looking for a _Canadian_ agent. I contacted Don and was told he's not taking any more customers. I was then referred to two American agents. It's great that Don is doing well, but American Agents can't book on Canadian accounts.
That’s sounds ridiculous. Doesn’t Don work for a travel agency in Canada? You would think no legitimate business would turn down customers.
If that's the case, I'd ask them to recommend another Canadian agent that works for his agency Only Travel.
@@skeletor9121is it possible that the Don he contacted was the scammer that’s been posing as Don?
The agency he works for is Travel Only. As far as I know it is a Canadian company and Don lists his contact information in the description of his videos. If not listed in this video look on his other CZcams channel Dons Family Vacations. It is listed there. Good luck Don and niece do a great job….even being Canadian. Lol
Why does it take so looooong to get to the point. My god
Seems like he stretched it out to get to that CZcams special ten minute mark as this video is ten minutes and five seconds long.
It should have been two or three minutes.
Hi Don, People are just money grubby.
I book with the ship excursions but also 3rd party companies. I really research the 3rd party and read the cancellation policies thouroughly.
The difference with this cruise sailing and many others she preys upon, there were no excursions available. In fact, Carnival even indicated 3rd party may be the only way to go for Greenland. The fact they she offered refunds on her website and changed it once we did not make it to port, was the shadiest part of it. She also disappeared at the first port because people were asking for their money back. I did not book with her but I want every one to know how crooked she is. Not just with the Greenland cruise but dozens of others.
I just got off the NCL Jade a week ago and I booked three shore excursions through them. Well one turned out to be not as advertised and less than good. So I went to the excursion desk on board. Told them exactly how it went and they were fast to offer me a partial refund. They apologized profusely and told me they’d pass our experience on to corporate.
I was happy with the partial refund.
I would never book an excursion through a third party as if they are late getting back to the ship, it WILL leave without you. If you booked through the cruise line they must wait for all excursions booked through them to get back. Is it a few dollars more, yes, but who cares. Cheap price for insurance.
I’m now only booking through the cruise ,
Yes we would be sad if you were gone. It is a wise thing to not handle everyone's money. Keeps you clean and out of questions.
Best to book thru the ship- more money, but safer
Group cruise excursions would be fun but I understand the logic of not wanting to be liable.
Because I'm a solo cruiser and that is why I book shore excursions through the cruise line. Except for my cruise in January I have booked 1 excursion through Shore Excursions. We're in port from 7 am - 5 pm, tour leaves at 10:30 and is only 2 hours long so I think I'm pretty safe.
You can go through these two companies: get the guide or Viator, you should be fine. Gone with these company several times & no problem. Recently, using them with my Mediterranean cruise.
I have booked a cruise with them for November. I'm also a solo cruiser but HAL didn't have a shore excursion I wanted. So I'm a little nervous. The excursion is 6-8 and we leave at 10 so I hope I'm okay!
totaly understandable
I always do the math. If the savings by booking myself are enough to justify the risk of not making it to the port, then I'll go it myself. Otherwise I'll go through the cruise line.
It is sad when someone cheats others out of money
I would imagine changing your terms and conditions AFTER the fact wouldnt hold up in court unless they were provided a potential to back out upon that change.
Book through the cruise lines, gives you peace of mind. They make sure you get back to the ship and the shore excursions are reliable.
You could do multiple shore excursions per trip just make sure they are on different days. Have the people sign up themselves and pay and limit each to 50 people.
I always pay the extra to go through the cruise line
I myself like to book my excursion through the cruise lines just works better for me. yeah these scammers are so sad but there is dishonest people all over the place.
I understood. Have you ever took the train from the Seattle airport to downtown Seattle?
Excursions are a personal choice but the safest option is with the ship
You should always book your shore excursions through the cruise line. It may be more expensive but so less hassle.
I always book through the cruise line
I’m astounded by how many people plop down money to buy a cruise without doing one iota of research of any kind and then complain profusely about condition of ship, itineraries, port times, shore excursions, dining times and venues, room locations, drink packages…. I can go on and on…..
There are many third party providers of excursions who are very reputable and come with return to ship guarantees & clear cancellation policies. We’ve been using third parties since 2011 with wonderful & very economical results. And all over the world too.
We have too. We have found the tours to be not only cheaper but better quality.
Booking through the ship is a huge piece of mind. I remember the story about that lady. Awful
Sad that the excursion lady was so dishonest. I don’t blame you for not doing excursions. Why complicate things?
I always book with ship. I don't want to book and find out we can't get to port and the hassle of trying to get my money back.
I hope the scammer is brought to justice
Are you able to resell tours sold by the cruise line and offer a discount (and keep commission) or are those tours sold by the cruise line only?
In terms of refunds, the credit card companies are equipped to retain funds until the day of travel such that if flight is cancelled or company goes under, they are able to refund customers directly without involving bankruptcy court.
Very wise decision not to book group excursion - no one is upset.
It's a shame people like this prey on travelers. I hope they do catch up with this person. And every one gets there money back. We always book with the cruise line or a reputable third party for excursions.
I think its a very sensible decision not to handle money.
Smart not to touch money
Let others do that work and deal with payment issues
I wouldn't book any off shore excursions period. Just walk around or stay on the ship.
There are some very legit tour companies out there that guarantee your return to ship...on time, and way cheaper than booking through cruiseline. I've done 15 cruises and have yet to book through a cruiseline. Never an issue. Knock on wood.
Always with the cruise line but I am tempted to try shore excursions group
I’ve had good luck with toursbylocals.
Shore excursions group very good and reputable. In Alaska, Alaska shore excursions. In Turkey Celsus Travel, just fabulous. One of our best port days EVER! Ephesus or Istanbul.
@@NYnative61 Thanks
Thanks
Don, just wondering,do u do group cruise to Antarctica
I book with ship but I go out on my own a lot
Hi Don not everyone enjoys same activityies.
I made this comment on another channel, when booking anything from an outside source take screenshots or print it out. Phones make things so simple these days and a screenshot is a simple click, make sure you have a time and date showing of when it was taken as proof.
Screenshots were taken. We have her own words saying 100% refundable. She changed it to no refundable after the cruise
we did do that, but when we filed credit card disputes she claimed it was not refundable and showed them what she had changed on her website after the fact. She also sent the CC companies heavily redacted pages with no context who she was talking to . When we questioned the cc companies they thought they were conversations between the consumer and her and we tried to clarify it wasn't they didn't investigate further. Frustrating to say the least but I will never book with an outside tour agent again.
You have legit third party excursion companies. One that we use is Viator.
Would the cruise lines work with you to do custom excursion?
Omg 300 n 400. That's a lot of people. will you do smaller. Groups.
Doesn’t Don have someone helping him with his travel. I sure he will he glad to help book your cruise
Booking with vendors is always a risk, right? I booked with a vendor in Bermuda, someone I never met, who had a business, and it all worked out. But it didn't have to. Did these people have trip insurance?
I would be horribly sad if you were gone. I’d never learn as much as I am learning from you
That TA should be arrested
Accessible for the excursions so that’s why you don’t have an excursion too
Book through the cruise line
Basic answer is that not everyone is interested in the same excursion
Yes I would be sad . Wow awful people scam.
LOL, you get what you pay for. Those 400 people were trying to save a few dollars. You get what you pay for.
Wassup
Scammers are just awful people.
If you look on the comments on Tony’s report on this you will find that the complainer had been reimbursed. I was on the same cruise and received my refund early on.
What complainer? Nearly half the people have not received refunds. The issue here is she lied and changed the terms after the cruise
Who is the complainer your referring to? I've not been reimbursed and neither has Jill, not sure where your getting your information from.
Remember, this guy is a Travel Agent, and a shill for certain companies, he's only giving advice that benefits himself, and his free travel.