I've done many cruise tours, both cruise ship tours and private tours. I had one bad experience in the Faroe Islands where on a private tour, we just made it back to the ship on time. Now I'm very careful when I book excursions.
A few things to consider if booking private tours
1. Is it a tender port or will you be docked. Timing a tour with a tender needed to get to shore can be tricky. We missed a tour as we couldn’t get on a tender in time.
2. How far away from the port is the “attraction” you want to see. The further away, the more likely we would take a cruise line tour.
3. How easy would it be to get to the next port on our own if we screw up and miss the ship? Have a plan B just in case. As long as you can get to the next port by car, taxi, train or bus, you may be okay. If it's another country you will need your passport and a lot of cash. Always take the port information so if you get delayed or lost, you can phone and let them know.
4. What is the cancellation policy of the private tour? Is there any refund if the ship doesn’t make it into the port (how often does the ship miss that port, if there is no refund, are you ok with that)
Finding the meeting spot is usually really easy, big signs, all tour operators in one area, bright coloured jackets, are all things the tour operators use. They want to find you as much as you want to find them. More and more use WhatsApp, so you have a number to call just in case.
