Buyer Beware

[Iamcruzin]

Years back the "shop & port" talk was actually someplace to gather some useful information but in the past 10 years has morphed into the sales pitch you attended. It's a big & profitable business to steer you into their recommended shops in order to get their cut of the action.

 

I'm still amazed at the numbers of people that still attend the sales pitches and are reluctant to walk out. It hasn't taken you long to find out what some people never realize.

The only logical suggestion is to make your purchases at home from a local & reliable dealer who won't dazzle you with their fancy salesmanship. At least if you're unsatisfied after an independent appraisal you can bring the item back for a refund.

Try & get the cruise line to make them refund your money if you not satisfied. :D

You must be talking about my sister in law. She is a very seasoned cruiser and continues to buy that coupon book at the shop talks. She also gets suckered into buying the gem stones that are becoming extinct. Extinct my a$$! It's called controling the market.

[nschurr]

If a cruise line steers into the direction of certain stores

you should put up your "Red Flag".

Princess gets a huge percentage from each purchased made.

Which means - inflated prices!!!!!

 

I have never gone to one of the shopping lectures on board,

I bet'cha Princess doesn't tell the passengers they're paid to plug certain port merchants. :rolleyes:

 

If you have never gone to one of the shopping lectures, how do know which stores to avoid?

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

I was amazed on our last cruise how many people were buying the watches and jewellery onboard. I knew the cost prices and retail prices of all the watches (I worked in jewellery at the time). The so called 50% off were more like 5% off. You could get them cheaper at home in a sale.

 

Costume jewellery is a personal purchase - if you like it and you don't care that you are paying good money for junk then buy it. It was way overpriced on the ships. As for the "gold and silver" by the inch, well, I won't go there. Good value for presents for little girls.

 

Perfume is a better bet, however, our daughter wears a particular brand of perfume. We priced it from Myer (large department store) $45 for 25ml

on the ship $75 for 50 mls and onshore in Vila $85 for 100mls. Do your homework, if its a good buy get it.

 

I now work in electricals, I want a new laptop. I will wait until within 30 days before we sail to buy and haggle for a good price at home and then get my 10% GST back at the airport. No way can duty free prices match that. (In Australia we get our government sales tax - GST - back on goods bought within 30 days of travelling overseas - I don't know if it is the same in the USA or elsewhere)

[California Native]

Normally, I would agree about this and I do make it a point to stay away from these stores...

as we all know you need a magnifying glass to find the diamond dust in your free diamond earrings...hey, I was a sucker once!! :D

HOWEVER...

there is always an exception to the rule...

and I found that in Skagway, Alaska..with a family owned store..They are Alaskan natives, 3rd generation ...

they ran an ad in the onboard Shopping guide...

they did it because they felt the advertising would help them against

all of the non local stores that have swooped in for the season and leave with their money,

but not contributing to the community.

These store owners also lived in Sitka, but since cruise lines aren't going there as much they moved to Skagway...

very nice people with wonderful merchandise at competitive prices, they own 2 stores in town. When you purchase from them ..

you provide braces for their kids and food on the table.

Here's one of them..

http://www.northtoalaskagifts.com/about_us.php

I'm still working on my port report for Alaska, but I will be featuring local stores that I scoped out for my fellow cruisers...a

nd as a reminder when that report comes out ...

I'm NEVER ever "paid to play"

K.

[MMEPhilly]

Joe May's port talks are also (thankfully) devoid of shopping "hints". Joe primarily is a port lecturer for South America, although we also had him once for a Holy Land cruise.

 

Joe May was on our South America/Antarctica cruise last January and most of his port talks were actually about the sites, not shopping. Maybe five minutes at the end of each port talk was about shops and what the local specialties to buy were, but I never got the impression it was a hard sell.

Like past posters have mentioned, just do your homework before you even leave home. I like to research the ports we will be in and what the local specialties are and if stores have websites, I try to look at them before I even leave home to see what I might be interested it, so we can make full use of our limited port time. I look for what is near the dock and near any stops we might make on our excursions. I look in guidebooks for maps as to locations of stores, as well as visit the websites of the tourism board for that city/country, etc. They tend to have free local maps you can download and print if you want to avoid the ones from the cruise line with their "deals."

[DrivesLikeMario]

Just so you know - it's not just Princess - almost ALL cruise lines have these types of shopping talks with their store "recommendations" who are actually companies that have paid MAJOR money to be one of the cruise lines' "recommended" shops.

[Woobstr112G]

The spa is a huge rip-off. I always do my massage at home before I cruise. I pay 45.00 per hour and I would not spend the money that the ships want for a one hour massage. They are not the best massages either. They then start on all the sales pitches about how you should by their spa lotions, scrubs, and etc. I am on vacation and don't want to be bothered to listen to their sales pitch. I just stay out of the spa.

 

But we all know this about the spa when we board...So we should expect it.....It shouldn't be a suprise to anyone.....

 

Bob

[rdsqrl]

At least they dont have advertising for these stores on the walls or your plates as dinner. Welcom Mr.PAX, you are checking into the XYZ stern gold and diamond section of the ship.

 

The shops pay Princess to advertise for them with a kick back on sales. No different then WalMart paying for time on TV and paying the station to broadcast the commercial.

 

As many have said just turn it off or ignore it.

Think of the revenue opportunities Princess is missing: on my upcoming cruise, I could be traveling on the "Miller Lite Crimean and Aegean" itinerary, staying in "Federal Express Cabin #" and dining at "Toyota Table #." Although I'd rather sit at the GEICO table -- that gekko is sexy.

[kimchee1212]

Yes, our tour guide in Skagway told us that Princess owned all of the shops--not a huge surprise, and that they all go to the Caribbean in the winter.

[California Native]

Yes, our tour guide in Skagway told us that Princess owned all of the shops--not a huge surprise, and that they all go to the Caribbean in the winter.

 

That is NOT true, see my post above...

Imagine you were this famiy and the damage you and that tour guide could be doing to their business...

THIER LIVELIHOOD to put food on the table.

In fact please let me know what tour that was and I will make a few phone calls, so that tour guide can be corrected immediatly

[tootsiescurly]

Just got of the Golden Princess on Saturday and I must admit I was prepared for the upsale with coke, coffee and such however I was a bit surprised at how much Princess actually has their fingers in everything you do.

 

So we got on the Golden on the 20th and the 21st was a sea day and of course they have all the wonderful information about what to do and enjoy. At first we had a nice little card about an information meeting that would talk about shopping opportunities at the various ports we would be visiting AND they promised free maps of each port. Now never being to any of these places, I thought a map might be useful. Well, we get reminder cards about this meeting, announcements and it's on tv. I should have started thinking hmmm at that point in time. So off to the meeting. Now these maps that they had were not general maps to each port but detailed maps of the shops that Princess suggested you visit b/c they were guaranteed and had the best prices. Are you going hmmm yet? So after 30 minutes (which I really was not expecting the whole thing to last over that time) they were still on places to shop and what to buy at the first port (Juneau). So I left and thought nothing else of it. Until they replayed the entire thing over and over and over on the Princess channel. Then had a follow-up meeting about it and were giving away free charms to come buy and visit the professional shoppers. Really, are you going hmmm yet?

 

Now being a girl I like to shop and truthfully have been sucessfully doing it for some time. So I popped into several jewelry stores just to see what they had. And surprise I found a ring I really did like. Well just so happened that the professional shopper from Golden was in there and looked at the ring after the salesman had made his "best" offer and assured me it was a good deal. Well I don't like to make hasty uniformed decisions, so what did I do while I was enjoying the port -I called my trusted hometown jeweler and told them the cut, carot - every detail that I had on this ring and it had been written down for me by the salesman. Funny thing was - the shops that Princess had been so pushing us to visit b/c they got the best deals (fewer middle men and such) was asking TWICE what it should have been. Then I started noticing that the shops that weren't Princess certified were the ones that had prices more along the lines of what they should have been.

 

So my suggestion here is that if you're planning on purchasing jewelry. Do your homework and be an informed shopper.

 

Lesson learned early by seasoned cruisers - NEVER buy jewelry while on a cruise. Buy t-shirts, keychains, booze and other cheap chachkees but never ever jewelry!

[Toto2Kansas]

Yes, our tour guide in Skagway told us that Princess owned all of the shops--not a huge surprise, and that they all go to the Caribbean in the winter.

 

I would guess your tour guide was telling a joke that you didn't get! ;)

[Sandytoes]

I assume Princess gets a percent of your sale so naturally the crap oh I mean stuff :) has to be marked up.

Definitely!!! No doubt about it. :rolleyes:

[Huckster1]

OK, lots of thoughts, opinions, etc. Let's look at some realism for a minute. First, a cruise has to sell 105% of their cabins to BREAK EVEN. The extra 5% comes from children and 3rd passengers in the cabins. What makes them able to keep the fares low is the opportunity o make profits in other areas. Nobody on this board can realistically say that cruising is not the best value in travel. We are going in Oct for 7 days to E. Carrib (balc). Total cost is $152 total for each day. Can you get a nice hotel and food for that? No. So the drinks, photos, gift shops are overpriced to make a profit. You have the opportunity to accept this or just cruise. The same with the shopping. ANY business has the right to make a profit. Don't denigrate Princess or any other cruise line for diong what ALL companies need to do.

 

As far as prices, my wife has wanted a Philip Stein watch far a long time. The double dial, diamond bezel mini could not be found anywhere in the states for less than $1195 plus tax ( check Ebay even ) We bought it in Cozumel for $800.00. This was from a Princess recommended store. There are deals out there, you just have to know what you want, what the price normally is in the states and do your homework.

 

P.S. Do not buy Tahitian pearls in Tahiti or Tanzanite in the Carribean. Both are MUCH cheaper in the states.

[grandmato4]

I think attending the port talks which are really sales pitches are a first time cruisers initiation right to cruising ;):D The OP has now offically been initiated !:)

 

Although I have to admit that every once in a while when we are cruising we decide to add a bit of humor to some of these things that are normally irritations to people and have fun with them. On one cruise on formal night we actually asked every photographer we could find to take our picture. Gathered them all up the next day, had a few good laughs and did purchase the best one. On an Alaska cruise we did go to a port talk for a few minutes to watch all the passengers that were actually taking it serious and those that were becoming more and more irritated and did purchase one of the coupon books. While waiting for shows or activities to start took the downtime and marked all the freebees that our grandchildren would like when in port "If" we ran across one of the stores ran in and got the freebee and left. Our picking up the freebees kind of resembled a scavenger hunt and without trying to collect them all it was amazing how many different things we brought home. 4 young grandchildren were thrilled with all their goodies we brought them back from that cruise. Cheap things of coarse, but treasurers to young children ;) All for the total price of $25.00 and a 30 second stop in a store we were passing anyways which certainly didn't break grandma's bank:) Grandpa wishes I'd limit my purchases for the grandchildren to a total of $25 on every cruise but that's not often to likely happen again:D

 

On every cruise we always collect the charms at Diamonds International- we have two cards. My granddaughter thinks its a big deal that she has an identical charm bracelet to grandma's from all of Grandma's cruises and she looks forward to the new charm(s) each cruise even if some are duplicates at this point. She's already gotten old enough to have a seperate charm bracelet with good charms but the first thing she always ask for when we return is her "grandma's cruise charm".

[caribill]

[quote name='nschurr']If you have never gone to one of the shopping lectures, how do know which stores to avoid?[/quote]

Just look on the port map that the ship distributes.

[CrusinAgain]

Well I have been on Princess, Carnival, NCL, and Royal Caribbean and all of them do the same shopping show and throwing freebies down into the audience. All of the maps look the same from ship to ship as well as the stores. You already know by now its mostly expensive stores on the list and the cruiselines get a cut but they are also suppose to stand behind the item you buy and help you through any claims of return. We mainly go to see what freebies we can catch and to get an idea of how the port is layed out. They all have those shopping books also. Strange thing with NCL is they are always running around during any of these shows before it starts with lottery scratch off tickets and they are the only ones who do this so far.

[Cruisin' Chick]

It hasn't changed since my first cruise 15 years ago. Those maps are available as you are leaving the ship. But I prefer to bring my own maps. You can get those at websites for many of the ports. Also check the Auto Club for their guide book (I'll tear out the relevant pages and take with).

When we're going shopping, we know to walk beyond the Diamonds International and other "recommended" stores. You'll find much of the same stuff at many stores anyway.

[spongerob]

[quote name='rdsqrl'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=indigo]Think of the revenue opportunities Princess is missing: on my upcoming cruise, I could be traveling on the "Miller Lite Crimean and Aegean" itinerary, staying in "Federal Express Cabin #" and dining at "Toyota Table #." Although I'd rather sit at the GEICO table -- that gekko is sexy.[/COLOR][/FONT][/quote]
Why stop there? We could have the CitiBank Princess, Anheuser-Busch Princess...Why, with the revenue that naming rights might generate, we could all cruise for free!

[rcacace]

[quote name='nschurr']If you have never gone to one of the shopping lectures, how do know which stores to avoid?[/QUOTE]

[quote name='caribill']Just look on the port map that the ship distributes.[/QUOTE]

I think the top quote was meant to be a statement & not a question. :D

[CrusinAgain]

[quote name='spongerob']Why stop there? We could have the CitiBank Princess, Anheuser-Busch Princess...Why, with the revenue that naming rights might generate, we could all cruise for free![/quote]

On the Mariner of the Seas, there is actually a Royal Promenade room (an inside room that looks out over the Royal Promenade) that is named "The Sweet" because it has Ben and Jerry's cows outside the windows of it and the room is all done in black and white due to Ben and Jerry's cows. The icecreme stand of Ben and Jerry's is directly beneath it. People tried to grab this room first even though it is a partially obstucted inside room.

[DNArocks]

We have been on land resorts in cities that cruise ships visit. We are warned by the hotel and business people not to shop on the days that the ships are there. They automatically change prices on those days.

This was one of the reasons why it was so difficult to get my husband on a cruise.

Go ahead and shop, just beware. If you love a piece it may be worth the price. Just understand you are paying an upcharge. Sometimes it is worth it. I simply like being an informed shopper.

[Demented_Avenger]

This is a great thread! My wife and I caught on to this shopping scheme the first cruise we went on. Who knew that Tanzanite was such a precious stone? - LOL. Even the in stateroom book or magazine has the same pitch in them.
Seriously, there are some good points here. Many ports merchants depend on cruise ship passengers for a living. Its the big jewelery outfits that try to take advantage of us and of course the cruise lines get their cut.
We pretty much stick to the touristy stuff like T-shirts. But I did find a great buy on a Citizen watch in St. Thomas and I have found some inexpensive silver jewelery in Cabo San Lucas and Matzalan. Theses were out of the way stores that were NOT on the recommended store map. Leather goods are also inexpensive in Mexico.

Funny thing is, I am the shopper. My wife hates it... LOL
Cruise on...

Demented

[CrusinAgain]

I have found watches on the ship cheaper than the island stores even after getting them down in price. Same model number. So I bought it from the ship after looking at every port and every store that carried Seiko watches of what I was looking for.

[Iamcruzin]

[quote name='Toto2Kansas']I would guess your tour guide was telling a joke that you didn't get! ;)[/quote]
That just reminded me of a joke that our snorkel tour guide in St Thomas told us. He said,'' Don't worry about sharks we removed them from the water and put them in the jewelry stores in town".