So, I survived tulle h-e-double hockey sticks. Ashleigh's formal dress is well underway. Hope to work on it some tonight, but had some stuff to work on this morning first. The other thing I finally got around to doing last week was booking our Malta tour. I'd saved the email from touringmalta.com from last July and finally deposited that. The cost went up in the meantime by $40E to $445 E for 8 people and a guide. Not bad, IMHO. here was the details:
Full Day Private Tour with Licensed Tour Guide, for 8 passnegers, starting at 0830hrs/returnin at 1500hrs, on June 25th, 2013
Your itinerary includes the following:
Valletta (Barraka Gardens, Merchants/Republic Streets, St, John's CVo. Cathedral)
Blue Grotto
Hagar Qim Temples
Mdina Medieval City
Payment Details
Tour Amount EUR445.00
Deposit Paid EUR50.00 (plus 3% ccard/admin fee)
Balance Due EUR395.00
The balance is paid in Malta. You may prefer to pay in euro currency/cash to avoid the additional admin charges.
Entrance Fees
The above price does not include entrance fees into historical sites, temples sites, museums, optional boat trips and the cost of lunch.
Pick-Up Details/Meeting Point
The guide/driver will meet you as you disembark form the ship, kindly look out for your name on a hand held board. If you disembark earlier you must wait at the disembarkation point/next to the ship as it will be impossible to find you otherwise.
Important Notes Please Read
Our guide and transport are normally ready to greet you 10 minutes prior to the tour start time as specified above. However, if your ship arrives in port earlier, DO NOT assume that your tour will start earlier. The start time will remain the same unless you have contacted us in advance and we have agreed an earlier start time.
If your ship is delayed DO NOT assume that your tour will be cancelled. If you are aware that you will be delayed do try and advise us by email or phone. We are usually advised by the ships local agents that you may be delayed and whenever possible we will reschedule the tour to suit your arrival time. In this situation we will do our utmost to provide you with the full tour as booked.
We do not charge a per person rate, but charge a rate based on the size of transport and licensed tour guide (if included) required for your group. Therefore, if less people turn up for the tour, the amount due for the tour is the same because the same size transport will be used and the cost of the guide is the same.
Tipping/Gratuities
These are not included in the tour cost and if you would like to reward your driver and/or guide with a tip/gratuity this is at your discretion. There is no fixed amount, however as a guideline we normally recommend a minimum of 10% (of the tour amount) for a driver only tour or if your tour includes a driver and a licensed tour guide, 15% (of the tour amount) to be split 10% for the guide/5% for the driver.
Lunch/Snack Breaks
For tours that exceed 4 hour we normally recommend that a drink stop/break/lunch stop is included. By law and according to local regulation, drivers and licensed tour guides are entitled to the following:
At least a 30 minute break for tours of a 4 to 5 hour duration
At least a 45 minute break for tours of a 5 to 6 hour duration
A reasonable lunch break for tours of a 6 to 8 hour duration
If you do not want to stop for a break, your driver and/or guide can have their entitled break and you can enjoy some free time, whenever possible this will be at a historical site where you can continue with your exploring. Please note that drinks or food are not permitted in our transport.
Booking/Cancellation Policy (as it appears on the secure online booking form)
If you do not participate in, or make use of, the activity/s or service/s due to situations beyond your control (this can include cancellation of service by the operator, local operational reasons, cruise liners change itinerary, cruise ships do not enter port due to bad weather etc...) the balance due will not be charged and you will also receive any deposits that you have paid, excluding any special services that we may have already booked for you in advance, such as entrance tickets for special shows/tours/events which are not refundable from the provider.
If you decide not to participate or make use of the activity/s or service/s, for any reason at your own discretion, you will be charged the full amount as stated above.
If you have booked using your credit card, these details will be deleted from our records after we have received full payment.
Should you require any further information do not hesitate to contact us. We hope your visit to Malta is an enjoyable and memorable one.
Regards
Chris Sheridan