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      Frequently Asked Questions

FAQ's about our tours: FAQ's about making a reservation

What days are your tours?

Please go toy our Home page and scroll down. More days might be added during the season.


Do you cancel if the weather is bad?

Only if the weather is extremely bad we will cancel the tour with a 100% refund to participants.

We do not cancel the tour just because of rain or snow showers. A little precipitation has never stopped us from having fun and it never will.


Is there any parking close to the departure point?

Tours departure from 8th Ave midtown: On Sundays you should be able to find street parking, on Saturdays you probably with have to drive a little further west. Many parking garage in the neighborhood.


Are there any age restrictions for children?

All Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.

Age restrictions for each tour can be found at our home page.


Can I smoke on the bus/van?

No absolutely not, smoke/bathroom stops will be made.

 


Does the bus/van have restrooms?

We usually use 15 passenger vans without lavatory. We do make frequent toilet stops and extra stops will be made on request.


What language is spoken on your tour?

All tours are guided in English. Upon prior request for groups of 12 people or more we might be able to provide a translator.


Who is your tour designed for?

Our tour is structured to satisfy anyone with just a little love for nature and history. Whether you are a stressed out New Yorker caught in the fast pace of the city life, a tourist looking for something else than the usual tourist attraction such as the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State building, or someone who feel like doing something really romantic for a significant person in your life, Hines Tours is your answer!


Do I need to be in great physical shape to join your tour?

No, our tours are based on leisure adventure. Anyone in relatively good health can participate. Please see our physical level grading system on our home page. We strongly recommend though that people with the following medical conditions DO NOT join our tour:

  • Recent surgery
  • Muscle injuries effecting walking
  • High blood pressure
  • Previous heart conditions
  • Difficulties with ascending and descending stairs

Will your tour accommodate an individual in a wheelchair or with a stroller?

Due to the fact that most of the venues visited are natural habitats and that we usually travel in a 15 passenger, we can unfortunately not accommodate wheelchairs. If you not bound to a wheelchair and use a “collapsible” wheelchair, we might be able to accommodate you for some of our tours, please contact us.


How safe are the tours?

All possible steps are taken to ensure your safety. All our tour guides have basic first aid qualifications. Hines Tours prides itself on running safe tours and reserves the right to change the tour itinerary without any notice to protect participants from any injuries. The tours are carefully structured to minimize any potential injuries and there are rules to be followed to ensure your safety. Joining our tour is at your own risk.


What is the lunch like?

On the tours where we provide lunch, we do the best to ensure that your lunch will always be a quality experience. Dependent on the tour, lunch will either be at a diner/restaurant or box/picnic lunch outdoors in the nature.

Non-alcoholic beverage will be served during lunch. Vegetarian options will always be provided.

On a few of our tours, we will not provide lunch, this will give you a greater flexibility for lunch options and a better opportunity to taste the food served by the venues that we visit.


Can I/we consume alcohol or take drugs during or before a tour?

No. Apart from essential medication, drug use and consumption of alcohol is NOT permitted prior to or during our tour. Only exception is our wine tasting tour and October fest tour and a few other tours during lunch/dinner. We do expect that you will not drink more than you can take care of your self and You do NOT display a conduct which may disrupt the pleasure or safety of other people.


What does your tours include?

Please see our "Home Page"


Will I have to sign a release form?

Yes, All Hines Tours participants are required to sign a liability release form. 

On some of our tours an additional waiver from our vendors has to be signed as well. Joining our tour is at your own risk.

 

 


Can I bring my pet on your tour?

No. We do NOT allow any pets on our tours.


Should I tip the Tour Guide/Driver and if so how much?

Tipping your guide/driver is up to you and totally left at your discretion. As a general guideline, most satisfied customers tip $10-15 for a day tour, $30 for a 2-3 days tour and $50 for a 4-5 days tour.  Gratuity for waiters at restaurants are included in the tour price.


I usually drive on my own, why should I join your guided tour?

Our guided tour have many advantages, some of them are:

  • You will not have to plan anything in advance
  • We know the area; you will see things you might not discover on your own
  • You will learn about the history of places we visit on the tour
  • You will spend your day more efficiently, with no wasted time
  • You can relax while someone else is driving for you
  • Last, but not at least. You will have a great opportunity to meet new friends 

What do I need to wear and bring on your tours?

 

Please check for each tour individual at the bottom of each "Tour Details" page.


How are you able to make your tours so inexpensive?

We pride ourselves on making affordable tours for everyone, without compensating on the service level and quality of the tours. We make our website ourselves (You might have to live with a few grammatical mistakes), make our own advertising materials, guide our tours ourselves (Except for local guides at the venues that we visit), doing this we pass on the savings to you, our customer. Please note when you compare prices with other tour companies, please pay attention to what exactly the price includes. Most of our tours includes everything including meals and all activity fees, we do not even add any taxes to our tour prices.



Is it safe to use my credit card over the Internet?

Yes! We have a secure connection. We use Verisign as our SSL certificate issuer. Your information can’t be read by anyone outside of our company when you make your reservation.

Customer information is strictly confidential. Credit card numbers are submitted directly to the credit card organizations. 

If you are unsure about the safety of this method, you can also fax your order form to the following number: 1-646-349 9605. (See our fax order section!)


How secure is my Credit Card information?

All of your credit card information is kept very private and secure.

We use your information solely to process your credit card payment, to communicate with you, and to periodical compile broad demographic and web site usage information about our customers in general that does not contain anything that could be used to identify you personally. (See our Privacy Policy)

The only exception, we are obligated to fully cooperate with federal and international authorities that prosecute credit card fraud. We will give complete information on all fraudulent credit card transactions. This is for your protection! We want to make sure that no one unauthorized uses your card.


What kind of payments do you accept?

We accept credit cards, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover and US Postal Money orders or a personal check. You can also pay through your PayPal account if you have one. Send all US Postal Money orders and personal checks made payable to:

 

                                      Hines Tours LLC

                                        4521 Smith Ave.#7

                                    North Bergen, NJ 07047

 

PLEASE NOTE: We must receive any personal check at least 4 business days before the tour date. When paying with credit card make sure that your billing address matches your credit card billing information. We use Address Verification System; if your address does not match we will not be able to process your reservation.


How can I make my reservation?

The fastest and easiest way is to make your reservation is here on our web site, you will also avoid a $6 surcharge which applies for phone, fax and mail reservations. If you want to reserve by mail, use the previously cited address (using US postal money order or personal check), by fax at 1-646-349-9605 use our Fax/Mail reservations form, or by phone at 1-646-403-5653.

 

Note. If you prefer to pay by sending a money order or personal check it is advisable to call or email first to reserve your seat. Your reservation will not be confirmed until before we have received your payment.


I am not very good with computers. Can you guide me with making a reservation?

Please click here to get help with making a reservation.


Do you accept International reservations?

Yes we do.


Do I have to pay tax or any other fees?

No. The price we have listed is final. Only if you make your reservation over the phone by fax or by mail a $6 surcharge will apply. We do advise you to bring a little cash though. See the answer to "what do I need to wear and bring on your tours".


How far in advance should I make my reservation?

It is advisable to reserve as soon as possible. Always check our website for added tours in case of sellouts. Please contact us up to the day before a day tour for any cancellations. 


When will I receive my ticket?

You will NOT receive a paper ticket for the tour; if you make your reservation here on our website, you will receive a confirmation email within a couple of hours. You can print it and bring it with you. If you are paying direct through your PayPal account it might take 1-2 days for you to receive a confirmation email.


Any discount if we are a group of people making a reservation?

You can save money by forming your own group of minimum 7 people and a 8th person will travel for free on our regular tour dates.

We will also make special arrangements for groups outside our regular tour dates for all groups such as companies, youth organizations, church outings, etc.


What are cookies, and do I have to accept them?

HinesTours.com only uses cookies with temporary information to keep track of what you have in your internet shopping cart. They do not contain any personal or private information, and we do not store any data into your computer. Cookies cannot harm your computer.

You must accept cookies to shop at our website. CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW TO ACCEPT COOKIES 


   

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