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Free Charms???

CABCruiser

By CABCruiser,
in Royal Caribbean International

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CABCruiser

CABCruiser

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On a recent Carnival cruise, if you attended the onboard lecture about shopping in the ports, you were given a Diamond International card, which entitled you to a free charm at each port you visited. You received a bracelet for the charms at the first port. Does RCI do this? We are doing the eastern Caribbean with them in January, and I would love to continue to collect these "free" souvenirs.

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stonerb

stonerb

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This is a program that has been going on for some years now. It isn't just RCI, NCL and several other cruise lines have it. You get a coupon and take it to a DI store and they give you the bracelet. Afterwards, each time you go to another port that has a DI store, you can present the card (or cards) and they will give you another charm (or charms) for your bracelet. It seems that DI has a store, anyplace a cruise ship may dock. They even have a store in Las Vegas (I don't know of any ships that dock there but they must have heard someone say, "My ship just came in.") In St. Maarten last winter, DI had thirteen stores. You couldn't turn around without bumping into one. It is apparently a very effective way of getting people into their stores as you will see when you encounter the crowd at the redemption counter (that is often in the back of the store so you must walk through to get your charm). It is a fun activity and I think we have about five pounds of those charms. I know we have them from some 14 different ports from Skagway to Barbados.

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PTarbay

PTarbay

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Are these like nice charms you would actually wear, or are they cheesy? I mean are they sterling or what?

Honestly they're nothing I wear but it's kind of fun collecting them and I bring all the free little gifts back to my neice and she loves them.If you buy the coupon books there are a lot of little freebies and a nice color changing tote bag that came in handy.Also if you plan on buying jewelry there are some good discount coupons.

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hermang

hermang

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Honestly they're nothing I wear but it's kind of fun collecting them and I bring all the free little gifts back to my neice and she loves them.If you buy the coupon books there are a lot of little freebies and a nice color changing tote bag that came in handy.Also if you plan on buying jewelry there are some good discount coupons.

However the DelSol Totebag is worth the $20 bucks you pay - pretty much everything else you can get free except for some of the on board items.

 

The charm braclets are gold plated - but it will be my grand-daughter's first charm bracelet and for that it is pretty nice.

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hermang

hermang

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I remember paying $5 for the charm - you got the bracelet free...

you can also go to the DI website and buy all the charms for about $20...

If you want more than one charm or if yoou have more than one bracelet - they may charge ya the $5. We have two slips so we each go separately. Now that we have two grand daughters can't do for one with out the other - or so says the wife. Fortunately my grandson doesn't wear earings or charms bracelets as he too is only 4 1/2

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CABCruiser

CABCruiser

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Glad to see I can get more charms. But now I see on the DI site I missed one in Belize:-( Oh well, that's one more reason to plan another cruise in the future! Yeah, I know I can get the whole set for under $25 online, but that's just a little secret I won't tell DH! :D

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Sarapdot

Sarapdot

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I got one of these vouchers on our Carnival cruise last year. Went to the store and was told I had to buy the bracelet for $20. There were no charms offered, just the bracelet and they told me it wasn't free like the people on the ship said.

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hermang

hermang

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This comes from the shopping lecture? What coupon books?

On RCCL and Celebrity in particular and I am sure Princess and Carnival as well - they sell a "Shopping in Paradise" book for $20 bucks at the port lecture. For the most part it is a rip off as you spend halff a day in each port running around for free crap. However - the DelSol tote bag is worth the $20

and some of the onboard coupons are an added attraction like bingo etc.

 

In the caribbean we got a free "Cuban cigar" yes it was and not bad as well as free drinks - water/beer/soda in some of the stores.

 

DI gives away a free charm braclet and charm in the first port - you don't need the book but rather a card you get from theport lectured. You also get a slip of paper that you bring to subsequent ports and go to DI for a different charm for that port free. If you want more than one charm it is $5.00

 

These are NOT 14k but gold plated. Nice for the grandkiddies

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AerynSun_JohnCrighton

AerynSun_JohnCrighton

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On RCCL and Celebrity in particular and I am sure Princess and Carnival as well - they sell a "Shopping in Paradise" book for $20 bucks at the port lecture. For the most part it is a rip off as you spend halff a day in each port running around for free crap. However - the DelSol tote bag is worth the $20

and some of the onboard coupons are an added attraction like bingo etc.

 

In the caribbean we got a free "Cuban cigar" yes it was and not bad as well as free drinks - water/beer/soda in some of the stores.

 

DI gives away a free charm braclet and charm in the first port - you don't need the book but rather a card you get from theport lectured. You also get a slip of paper that you bring to subsequent ports and go to DI for a different charm for that port free. If you want more than one charm it is $5.00

 

These are NOT 14k but gold plated. Nice for the grandkiddies

 

Hmm... I could always give it to my friend's daughter. She's 5 now.

 

I wanna buy some 'real' charms for myself...

 

the books sound like it MIGHT be worth it.

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Tillie

Tillie

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Honestly they're nothing I wear but it's kind of fun collecting them and I bring all the free little gifts back to my neice and she loves them.If you buy the coupon books there are a lot of little freebies and a nice color changing tote bag that came in handy.Also if you plan on buying jewelry there are some good discount coupons.

 

Thats Exactly what we did last year.

 

We were at the brunt of a lot of teasing about being sure we collected them all. But this year my daughter and neices already gave me their cards from last year to be sure we collected the charms from all the new ports we go to.

 

My Daughter even brought it with her on her recent trip to aruba and got a charm from there.

 

I agree I wouldn't wear it either but seeing how excited the girls were makes me happy we did it.

 

Tillie

Navigator of the Seas 10/29/05

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