Minimum Capacity Requirement?

8 would probably be a go. Less than that and I'm thinking they would contact you to see if you could move to another departure.

Do you currently have a tour and date in mind? You can call the office and ask how many are signed up.

Thanks for the quick response Pam! Yes we are doing Ireland for 14-days and then Scotland for 8-days.
I will give the office a call.

And let us know what they say, lol!! Might be different than what I have in my mind!

BTW, I've done the Best of Ireland and Best of Scotland and they are both excellent as I'm sure the 8-day Scotland trip is.

I hope you will try to get to Dublin a day or so ahead of the tour!

Looking at how many are already 'wait listed' and 'filling fast' ( 3 or less spots left), I suspect one of those being cancelled for lack of numbers is highly unlikely.

I also suspect the minimum number required isn't the same for every tour.

Let us all know what kind of answer you get.

Can't imagine only 8 people booking a tour; they fill quickly. But curious what RS office response will be. We've been on 3 tours, and one was the 14 day Ireland tour. It's fabulous.

I do know tours have been canceled due to low capacity. A quick forum search shows most of those reports are many years old though https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&filter=Travel+Forum&query=rick+steves+tour+canceled&utf8=%E2%9C%93

I don't know that they have a hard and fast number, and I suspect that one reason some tour dates go on sale is to up the capacity number. Best bet is to call the office and talk with them.

I was on a tour in April that had only 13 people! We had a full sized bus!

We did a Best of London tour some years ago that had only 9 people, 2 of whom were children (9 and 12.) I was surprised, but pleased, that it wasn't cancelled.

It did make for strange group dynamics. There was a family of four, an Iranian woman living in California, an older couple who met up once a year or so to travel together, and me and Stan, at the time in our mid-60s. The family didn't really interact with anyone else; the couple ditto, except at meals. Stan and I palled up with the Iranian woman, for the most part. We did get to spend some quality time with the guide, though.

Thank you everyone!! Sooooooooooo, at 8 people re-thinking happens on the RS tour side, but I was told that they very rarely cancel unless it is not a popular touring location. I was able to find out how many people are already signed up for our tours and we are good for both.....thank goodness!!

(My last RS tour was 2019), but don't they still tell you not to buy your airfare until they have "confirmed your tour"? Does that just mean that you are individually confirmed on that tour date, or also that that tour date is a definite "go"?

SQ I believe they mean you are individually confirmed on the specific tour date you selected- it can take a day or two after you sign up online to get the official reply from the RS office. It is fairly unusual to have a tour date canceled, but that wouldn't happen until closer to the tour date. It merits a close look at the conditions of your airfare (or getting trip insurance) just in case something comes up.

I agree with CL about what "confirmed on the tour" means....and yes, be sure to look at your airfare parameters before you book. IF something happened and your tour were cancelled, many times the folks here can help you formulate a last minute plan to tour on your own and still use your airfare.

@palarino - Thanks so much for letting us know what the office said. And YEA to having enough people for your tours to go! Wheeee!

Over the years (I've taken 15 tours starting in 2009) the number of people on a tour has increased. My first tour had 18. Now there are usually at least 24 and once 29. But this year I had a tour with only 13 people. Yes 13!! And we had the big bus after expecting to be downsized to smaller van. The tours are now so popular it's hard to imagine one ever being cancelled for lack of people signing up. But you could call the office to see what conditions cause a tour to be cancelled.