Guidelines

[CoachTerry14]

Cruise Critic has strict guidelines prohibiting blatant advertising, commercial sales and solicitation posts on all of our message boards.

Our Cruise Boards are meant to be a cruiser's exchange of advice and tips where cruisers can talk about their travels -- not a marketplace for advertising and selling services. There are thousands of cruise professionals online and if we didn't insist on a non-solicitation policy the cruise boards would be very quickly overrun with nothing but ads.

 

Cruise Critic defines advertising as an individual or company's attempt to generate business or other commercial enterprise, either directly or indirectly, by using our Cruise Board. Solicitation includes, but is not limited to, requests to be e-mailed, the posting of phone numbers for your business, and the the referrring to or posting of one's own Web site address.

 

Also, although third-party recommendations are the life-blood of the message boards, when, in the sole opinion of the message board staff, those public postings are too commercial or promotional in tone, excessive in quantity or if there is reason to suspect that they are disingenuous, or posted by the agent, themselves, under cover of "alias" screen names, such postings will be removed. While we welcome the third-party recommendation of your personal travel or cruise agent, they MUST be in response to a request for such information, and they must NOT contain contact information of any kind. Touting of your cruise agent is not allowed.

 

Cruise Critic reserves the right to approve or deny links which lead directly to or link to cruise-related material that is not located within AOL's Travel Channel or Cruise Critic. This does not mean all links will be removed, but rather reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

 

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Cruise professionals, tour operators and travel agents (and their associates, employees or designated representative) are encouraged to participate in the discussions on the Cruise Board and establish themselves as experts on a particular topic by responding to members' inquiries with useful answers. In doing so, you are welcome to sign your name and note your professional business. You may not list your phone number, business location, web site address, contact info or e-mail address. Responding to members' inquiries on the boards with an ad for your services is not allowed.

You may offer your services via private E-mail to members who have **specifically requested such information or services**. However, you should understand that unsolicited marketing mailings are considered a breach of Internet etiquette and are not looked upon favorably by its recipient.

 

Cruise Critic considers requests to be e-mailed for additional information as soliciting and will return those postings to Cruise Professionals.

 

Cruise professionals and property owners (and their associates, employees or designated representative) may not list or refer members to their World Wide Web sites.

 

 

terrygbennett@yahoo.com