Cruise Ships & Port Shopping - Article - CRUISE LINES EXPOSED

[frequent cruiser]

Please see the article at http://www.ecotravelernews.com

[tomc]

Everybody who's surprised, please raise your hand.

 

Nobody? Ok, back to the deck chairs.

[frequent cruiser]

I guess you approve of this practice then.

[serene56]

Shame is--the article states only Carnival does this.. I was on Royal and they too had a super shopper onboard to lead us to the best stores.

And that goes back to my first cruise in 1999. Not saying I agree with the practice but it is done. You dont have to shop at those stores. Just be a careful consumer is all.

[Shelli]

Throughout history, and throughout the world, it's always been a case of caveat emptor, or "buyer beware." In other words, it's the consumer's job to make sure s/he isn't taken. On all of the cruises I've been on, it's been very apparent to me that the ship *must* be getting kickbacks on the various "recommended" stores. Did you believe they were just doing it to be nice?? While I did believe the onboard shopping advisors were cruiseline employees, it doesn't surprise me that the whole thing is a business. And who among us hasn't noticed that no port vendor is pushed as hard as Diamonds Int'l??

 

I think one should note, however, that the author of the piece is biased because she is angry with DI. As she states: "I personally have sent the same ring on three occasions to be repaired, with the same stones falling out, and on each occasion have had to pay the shipping and insurance. I am frequently in ports of call where there are Diamond International stores and in every instance the jeweler in residence has refused to repair the ring."

 

Just remember (as we all should): Caveat emptor.

[tomc]

frequent --

 

Not a matter of approving, but --as the others have said-- that's life on a cruise ship and it's not new. Ecotravel makes it sound as if some dark secret has finally been exposed; it's been a common practice, not only in the cruise industry, but on the Senior Citizens bus trips (I worked for a participating restaurant 34 years ago).

 

Anytime a name is mentioned, or a store is promoted, you can bet money changes hands. At least seven years ago, I saw a store in southeast Alaska with a sign that read something like this: "We will not pay NCL to advertise us on their ship."

[tef43]

... just like "Dog bites Man" being the lead story for your evening news.

 

Frequent - All of the topics that you originate seem to have the same underlying theme. Some might say that you have a personal agenda here.

[frequent cruiser]

I hope that the articles open the eyes of those that are unaware.

[tomc]

It's good for that reason. I hope that people will have learned to be aware just in life generally. But the smiling folks on the cruise ships are there, as we well know, to sell, sell, sell.

 

May I get you something, sir? Ma'am?

[Lovebirds]

We always check the onboard TV shopping recommendations and get the maps. That way we know which places to avoid! It doesn't take a marketing degree to figure out that there are fees and commissions being paid for all of that promotion. Better to scout out the places where the locals shop instead of paying inflated prices at the "convenient" places by the pier or right next to where the city tour bus makes its first stop.

[pd933]

We have a timeshare in Aruba and we noticed that at DI they put a sign in there window the night before a ship hit port and the day after it was gone. Also we were intersted in a ring and had made several trips into the DI store and the day a ship was in port they pretended that it was our first visit, both the salesperson and the manager we were dealing with did this to us. Never will I deal in this manner. They are looking for impulse buying and will not seriously consider any offer. We did end up buying a ring in Aruba from a local jeweler that was recommended to us by friends with a long relationship with this jeweler.

[JanetMarie]

For these very reasons posted above, is why I do not really shop the islands. Linens, maybe. Jewelry? No way. When I can buy it from my jeweler at 60% off, nope. Stateside is fine for me. ;)