Does the Port Shopping talk bug anyone else?

[RoofingPrincess]

That was the best thing about my Antarctica cruise, no sales pitches on board, I guess the penguins haven't figured out how to sell stuff yet.

Thanks for the grin this morning, smoosh! Great mental image, penguins hawking fish or ice or something!

I have an Antarctic cruise on my Bucket List....

[PescadoAmarillo]

When we first started cruising (1997) and as recently as 2002 on our South America cruises, port talks really were talks about the ports we would be visiting. They were generally conducted by the cruise director, and shopping was not even mentioned. We used to go to those, and they were helpful, and, in the case of some CDs, a lot of fun. We really didn't encounter the first "shopping" port talks until we started cruising the Caribbean (late 2001), and it was obvious from the daily schedules that they were going to be totally different. We've never been to one, and, frankly, I find the people who conduct them to be generally irritating (listening to them at the gangway or flipping through the TV channels).

 

BUT, I've met a lot of people onboard who go to them and take their advice, and come back to the ship loaded with new watches and jewels. We were on a cruise once with traditional dining (table for 10) and we went to dinner the evening after St. Thomas and every other woman held up a wrist flaunting a new (or, in once case, upgraded) tennis bracelet. Geesh, and we had spent the day scuba diving. Guess we didn't get the memo.

[blindrid]

Don't know why it would bug you. I've never been to one and they don't bother me.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Castle Rock...is it snowing there right now? Can you believe this weather?

[MichCook]

To each their own. Be we've never attended a shopping talk. We prefer to enjoy the ship and ports in other ways. We're not big shoppers...but, if, in our wanderings, we happen on a shop and see something that catches our eye for the grandkids, we'll purchase it. The grandkids enjoy receiving postcards from every port we visit.... it's their game "Where in the world is Grampy & Me'me`". :D

[pekachryn]

In the "old" days, they didn't have those talks be separate from the "what to see" port talks. They would just quickly mention what things were notable to buy in certain ports and concentrate on what to see. I didn't cruise for about 10 years, and things changed. Now they are just an infomercial for the vendors who pay. Sometimes I catch the talks on the tv for a second, but that's it.

[pekachryn]

We were on a cruise once with traditional dining (table for 10) and we went to dinner the evening after St. Thomas and every other woman held up a wrist flaunting a new (or, in once case, upgraded) tennis bracelet. Geesh, and we had spent the day scuba diving. Guess we didn't get the memo.

 

I've met people whose main goal of the cruise was to buy that coveted tennis bracelet. I'm a shopper, except when I travel. There's too much else to see.

[jalpert]

Castle Rock...is it snowing there right now? Can you believe this weather?

 

Denver is getting hit on and off, nothing sticking though :-)

[cruisePRN]

They are really sales pitches for Princess :eek:

[caribill]

When we first started cruising (1997) and as recently as 2002 on our South America cruises, port talks really were talks about the ports we would be visiting. They were generally conducted by the cruise director.

 

 

Although those talks often just desribed available Princess shore excursions, you could still ask qquestions abou tthe port and get good information about what to see.

 

I have really missed that type of port talk the last few years.

[usha]

I'm one of the 3% of the adult female population that hates to shop. When I'm on vacation, you can't PAY me to waste that time shopping. Needless to say, you won't see me at ANY port shopping talks, on ANY cruise.

I always feel so bad for the husbands being dragged by the ear to every Little Switzerland and Diamonds International on every stinking caribbean island! The poor guys just keep their mouths shut, and their Visas handy.:( Oh, well....:rolleyes:

[Go-Bucks!]

We went ONCE, and walked out halfway through. The woman was nothing but a shill for Princess approved shops, ie shops that pay Princess a handsome monthly fee for the recommendation. We found it insulting that Princess called it an information session. It wasn't.....and to make things worse they insisted on handing out worthless coupons to entice you to go into stores that one would normally walk right by. We were waiting for her to try to sell us a time share or a condo.

 

Hey, that's a nifty idea: Princess could make the ships into time shares!! Then we could buy our own "week" each year and switch around to different ships by trading with others. Then when you go to the time share sales pitch during your cruise, they could give you a nice gift (for surviving 4 hrs. of hardball sales techniques) like a shore excursion or a free spa treatments! I admit I'm a "time share pitchee" survivor - when I was younger we would go to them and get great gifts like 3 days in a hotel at DisneyWorld and Germaine's luau on Oahu. It wasn't too hard to turn down the pitch 'cuz we were too poor to buy into them anyway! ;)

 

I also went to the "shopping talks" on my first cruise, but when I realized that it was just a sales pitch I left and never returned. And this was on Carnival - it's not exclusive to Princess. :cool:

[Idratherbeatsea]

You have to wonder how much more you spend when you fregent these shops. The port talks are conducted by a private company the recommended stores pay that company a fee and they in turn pay Princess a fee. Thats a double whammy if you ask me.

[tvaud]

I'm one of the 3% of the adult female population that hates to shop. When I'm on vacation, you can't PAY me to waste that time shopping. Needless to say, you won't see me at ANY port shopping talks, on ANY cruise.

I always feel so bad for the husbands being dragged by the ear to every Little Switzerland and Diamonds International on every stinking caribbean island! The poor guys just keep their mouths shut, and their Visas handy.:( Oh, well....:rolleyes:

 

I too am missing the "shopping gene." I can never understand those people who have to spend their whole vacation shopping for everyone at home. I want to see things on the islands...maybe buy something to remember the vacation and that's it.

And btw, I am missing the "shoe gene" too.:eek:

[Cruisin' Chick]

I research too, and I have been to several ports before,but would it hurt business that much to tell people who had never cruised before or been to that port before where a t-shirt shop is located? :confused:

 

I mean one that doesn't change color in the sun:D

 

Ah, but if there's something wrong and it doesn't change color, they will do something for you.:D :rolleyes:

 

Even if you don't research actual stores, you can always just walk around in the port, past the DI and others on the "list." Most of the time, we don't buy anything other than a tee shirt. Then we go back to just looking at the buildings and sights (I'm not the ziplining/adventurous type so walking around is more my speed).

[Arsinoe]

I am a total non-shopper. Having worked as a TD, I am also well aware that the stores give kickbacks to the companies that lead customers to them.

That said, I sometimes enjoy the demonstrations of local crafts. For example, if one has never seen glass-blowing, it is fun to see the demonstrations in Murano, or the cameo carving in Torre del Greco, near Pompeii, or the wood inlay near Sorrento, etc.

Beyond that, I say look but don't buy, unless you see some small trinket that is unusual.

With only a few short hours available at each port, I don't want to spend time in shops. Would rather save my pennies for future travel.

Arsinoe