Frequently Asked Questions
GIFT VOUCHERS
HOW DO I BOOK USING MY GIFT VOUCHER?
Firstly, lucky you! Simply register for an account here add your voucher code on the first page as shown circled on the picture below, or at checkout. At checkout, please tick the box to ‘redeem your voucher’ and your balance will be reduced by the value of your voucher.
MY GIFT VOUCHER IS SHOWING AS NOT RECOGNISED BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN ON TOUR WITH YOU YET?
If you have already applied your voucher to your Taste and Tour account by entering the code, the credit will be sitting in your account and can be used in the final payment page.
If you have previously used your voucher to book, and then cancelled your tour and need to rebook, your credit will be sitting in your account. Your voucher has been applied and is therefore 'spent'.
DO YOU SELL GIFT VOUCHERS?
Yes! Gift Vouchers are available to purchase HERE. You can gift a specific experience or a voucher for any value from £10. If you aren't sure who will be using the voucher, simply write 'Guest' in the name field. We can post them in a fancy holder and envelope first class or email them directly to you. If you opt for postage, you get them emailed too. If you are ordering over 10 vouchers, get in touch with us and we will help.
All Taste & Tour NI Gift Vouchers can be redeemed against any of our tours and experiences.
If you are having any issues, call us on 02890 457723.
MY GIFT VOUCHER IS ABOUT TO EXPIRE, WHAT DO I DO?!
Don't panic! Gift Vouchers are valid for booking tours for 12 months from the date of purchase, but you don't have to attend an experience before it expires, you can join us anytime in the future - just get it booked before the expiry date!
BOOKING OR CHANGING A TOUR
HOW DO I BOOK A TOUR?
It's easy, promise! Please register for an account here You’ll need to verify your email address by clicking a link that is emailed to you. Once your account is verified, it will take you back to the website and you can pick a tour and date that suits and proceed to checkout.
HOW DO I AMEND OR CANCEL A TOUR?
You can amend the booking ie guest name or dietary requirements, or cancel your booking up to 72 hours before your tour in your account page of the website. If you haven’t set up an account but have a booking, simply click here to reset your password using the email address you used to book. Click on upcoming tours and you can view and edit your booking. Please note, you can only change your tour date twice and it must be 72 hours before the tour start time.
I NEED TO CHANGE DATE AGAIN AND HAVE ALREADY CHANGED IT TWICE, WHAT DO I DO?
Additional date changes are at the discretion of Taste and Tour and should we approve it, there will be a £5 admin fee. There is a considerable amount of admin that needs to be done to facilitate changes every time a booking is amended eg notifying a minimum of 5 venues. We don't make a profit from this fee, but we can't do it for nothing.
I HAVE MISSED THE 72 HOUR CANCELLATION POLICY DEADLINE, WHAT CAN I DO?
IF YOU CANCEL AFTER THE 72 HOUR CANCELLATION PERIOD, you will not be able to reschedule using your account on the website. We can only rebook you if we resell your ticket. You will understand that if someone can’t make a flight or theatre show, and it being no ones fault, they are not automatically rebooked. If we can’t resell your ticket, we will credit your Taste and Tour account with 70% of your ticket price if you contact us between 71hrs – 48hrs before your tour, 60% if over 24hrs and finally, if you need to cancel within 24 hours of your tour, 50% of your tour price.
Unfortunately if you don’t show up, you will forfeit your whole ticket price, so please let us know as soon as you know if you can’t make it by emailing [email protected] or call 02890 457723
I CAN'T GET BOOKED, THERE ARE NO DATES?!
We hear this quite a lot, but there are always dates to book! We have always been booked up about 3 months in advance. Don’t wait, get your tour booked as they fill up fast as thankfully, for us, they are pretty popular! Book your place, sign up to some waiting lists and if an earlier date comes up you can transfer to it. Just don't hang about!
WAITING LIST
WHAT DOES ‘WAITING LIST’ MEAN?!
Waiting Lists show when the tour is fully booked. If you join a Waiting List and someone cancels, you will be automatically contacted by email to let you know. Guests can cancel their own tours at any time, so we have no idea when or if this will happen.
These tickets are available on a 'first come first serve' basis and once they're gone, they're gone, so act fast!
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF TICKETS BECOMING AVAILABLE?
We just can't say! It varies from week to week, but we do tend to get more cancellations the week of the tour as reminders are sent out 7 days before it.
WHEN WILL I KNOW IF PLACES BECOME AVAILABLE?
As soon as someone cancels, our system will automatically notify you by email. We can't say when someone will cancel.
CAN I JOIN MORE THAN ONE WAITING LIST?
Absolutely! You can join as many as you want.
PRIVATE EXPERIENCES
I WOULD LOVE A PRIVATE EXPERIENCE! HOW DO I ARRANGE THAT?
What good taste you have! Private experiences are usually for 12 or more guests, for less than 12 there is an additional . Click here to find out more and make an enquiry.
REFUNDS
We don’t offer refunds on tickets or vouchers. This is noted at point of purchase, on the tickets and vouchers and in our terms and conditions. There are a few reasons for this, one is that it costs us money to receive your money, another is that we have extra admin to do with refunds and that costs us money too. It’s also against money laundering regulations to give the recipient of a gift voucher a cash refund. Feel free to regift them, who wouldn’t want a tour with us! Just make sure the new recipient of a ticket sends us their up to date details as tickets are connected to your account/email address.
THE PRACTICAL STUFF!
DO I NEED TO BRING MY TICKET?
We try to be as green as possible, so please show your ticket on your phone. If you forget it, don't worry, our tour guides have a list of guests.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I’M LATE?
We send out reminders the week before your event and we call you on the day in case you are running a bit late, so if it's an unknown number, it's us. If we can’t get in contact with you, we hold everyone back a few more minutes in case you turn up but we have to move on without you if you're not there. Always contact us on 02890 45 77 23 and we will direct you.
WHAT TIME DOES MY EXPERIENCE START? WHERE DO WE MEET? HOW LONG IS IT? WHERE DOES IT FINISH?
Please check your tickets or on the Upcoming Experiences section of your account Your ticket will tell you where to meet and what time your experience starts. For tours, our Belfast Food Tour is 4 hours long, all the other public tours are 3-3.5hours long. We always finish in the city centre, we don’t leave the city centre, and we usually finish in the Cathedral Quarter. At The Spirit Circle, Sensorium lasts for 2.5hours and Belfast By The Glass is 1.5hours.
I HAVE REDUCED MOBILITY, ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES SUITABLE FOR ME?
Each experience is different. Do get in touch if you have mobility issues and we will assist you. Unfortunately The Spirit Circle experience involves stairs and due to the age of the building, there isn't a lift.
I HAVE AN ALLERGY OR DIETARY REQUIREMENT, CAN YOU CATER FOR ME?
We can usually deal with all dietary requirements if it is noted on your booking. We cannot cater for dietary requirements that we are not made aware of prior to your arrival.
Please note the Whiskey Walk, 5 Stop Brunch and Crafty Beer and Tasty Bites Tour are not suitable for those who are Gluten Free. The Crafty Beer and Tasty Bites Tour and 5 Stop Brunch are not suitable for vegans. Please detail any Dietary Requirements when prompted during the booking process. You cannot progress further with your booking if you do not click an option regarding dietary requirements, even if it's 'none'.
We don’t prepare the food you eat on our tours, so we cannot 100% guarantee what is in or what has been around the food that you consume. We have had numerous guests with all kinds of allergies on tour without incident but please ensure you bring an epi pen if required, better looking at it and all that!
The Gin Jaunt is not suitable for those that dislike gin. The Whiskey Walk is not suitable for those that dislike whiskey. The Craft Beer Tour is not suitable for those that dislike beer. We know, we know.. but people do book these things!
WHY DO YOU NEED MY TELEPHONE NUMBER?
We will only contact you if we need to speak to you about your experience eg in case we need to cancel or change our meeting place or if you haven’t arrived at the meeting place. Your number will not be shared with anyone else and we will not use it for marketing purposes.
ARE CHILDREN WELCOME ON THE TOUR?
Unfortunately, children are not permitted into one or two venues we visit on all tours. Therefore our public tours are for 18s only.
I HAVE A TOUR BOOKED, WHAT IF IT RAINS?!
Bring an umbrella!! We tour all year round, come rain, hail and even if there is a glimpse of sunshine! We have fun, whatever the weather. Just wear the right clothes.
I DON'T WANT TO EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING, CAN I COME ALONG WITHOUT A TICKET?
Believe it or not, this has happened more than once and it puts our guide in a very awkward position so please don't do it. It's a bit like taking a seat in a theatre with your eyes shut and not paying for your seat. We provide an experience, it's not just about the food and drink consumed while you are with us, it's much more than that. We also have limited availability, so we cannot accommodate anyone who turns up to enjoy an experience with us without buying a ticket, or we wouldn't be in business!
CAN I BRING MY DOG?
Sadly we can’t bring dogs on the tour as some of the venues are not dog friendly, but we do have them in our office!
SUSTAINABILITY & OUR GREEN POLICY
DO YOU HAVE A GREEN ACTION PLAN?
Yes, our green action plan is here.
DO YOU HAVE A SUSTAINABILITY POLICY?
Yes, our sustainability policy is here.
HOW CAN I GET TO YOUR TOUR LOCATIONS BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT?
We fully support greener modes of transport and ask that you 'leave the car at home' to better enjoy our experiences. Belfast is well serviced by many public transport providers and you can find details of these here.
CAN I WALK OR CYCLE TO YOUR TOURS?
Belfast is a very walkable city and indeed, all our tours are by foot. If you want to walk to us all our tours are near public transport. For cycling Belfast has a number of options whether on your own bike using the cycle network or by using Belfast Bikes.
HOW CAN I ENSURE I'M BEING A GOOD GUEST ON YOUR TOUR AND IN MY WIDER TRAVELS AROUND BELFAST?
We have a 'Good Guest Principles' helping hand which you can access here.
HOW DO YOU MINIMISE THE AMOUNT OF WASTE PRODUCED ON YOUR TOURS AS I'M CONCERNED ABOUT MY IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT WHEN TOURING WITH YOU?
Our guides start all tours with housekeeping which includes appropriate use of recycling bins, reusable shopping bags and food waste. Taste and Tour provide eco-friendly compostable plates and cups to venues on our tours where the venue themselves would normally use plastic or non-biodegradable paper items with approximately £3k per year spent on sustainable alternatives to plastic and paper packaging.
Our tours are also on foot and we suggest all guests take public transport to attend a tour. This is noted on our website 'leave the car at home'.
DO YOU SUPPORT ANY LOCAL CHARITIES?
Yes, we are proud to support many local charities through both donations, gift of staff time and awareness raising. Our list of supported charities can be found here.
DO YOU HAVE A POLICY ON ETHICAL SOURCING AND PURCHASING?
Yes, this can be found here.
DO YOU HAVE A POLICY ON EQUALITY & DIVERSITY?
- Yes this can be found here.