Admit Your Worst Cruise Ship Rip-Off Nightmare

[Milwaukee Eight]

14 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

Not with this age group I'm afraid -- that ship has sailed

Speak for yourself. 😇

[livingonthebeach]

Just now, Milwaukee Eight said:

Speak for yourself. 😇

 

Never had that problem I belong to the "fairer sex"  🤰 ♀  🤪

 

[Joebucks]

Honestly, not a lot of major things. Life has taught me enough to know that alcohol is expensive, things people are trying to sell me aren't really bargains, add-ons add up, etc. I don't overdo with research, but I like to comb the basics, and have some preparation.

 

The biggest that comes to mind is Montego Bay taxi. 20 minutes down the street for 2 people, $100 round-trip was the most excessive taxi I have ever seen. That was even us going off the beaten path to find something cheaper.

 

I also bought a bottle of agave-distillate in Cozumel for $65 and later found it sold in Mexico for about $20. However, my friend and I really really enjoyed our bottles. It also comes from a distillery in Mexico that is near impossible for me to get. So in that sense, I'd do it again.

[lovelife]

32 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Thank your son for his service. And you as well for being an Army Dad

 

Mom........you are welcome.

[John&LaLa]

4 minutes ago, lovelife said:

 

Mom........you are welcome.

 

Apologies

[lovelife]

9 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Apologies

 

No prob.  I've guessed wrong many times.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

I used to explain, but eventually started saying thank you. 

I just started with the thank you.

[Bailey & Sophie]

5 hours ago, MechE31 said:

 

They normally have a vending machine down by the medical center for reasonable prices.

 

Last Harmony cruise, I went to guest services to get quarters for the machine and they gave me a handful of whatever I want.

 

Good info. Thanks. I now always make sure I pack a new 500-count bottle with me. 

[bigrednole]

14 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We have a 30 year old 'souvenir' from our first cruise. 😉

I know it is not RCL, but this reminded me of Disney's commercial

Little Souvenir

[sparks1093]

Not a rip-off per se but we definitely spent more on the ship's photos than we should have on our first cruise.

[denamo]

On 7/13/2020 at 2:30 PM, PCWalton1 said:

On Ovation for our port stop in Korea the ship communicated the customs was face to face and made it sound like we would not get off the ship until at least 1 pm and we had a tour that started hours before. However if we took a ship's tour we would get off the ship at 10 am.

So we cancelled our private tour and signed up for a ship's tour. Half they places we were suppose to go to were closed so we twice ended up in markets walking around looking at thinks like mushrooms, pot/pans, and luggage. Lunch was at a third floor buffet with a broken escalator. Food would have embarrassed Panda Express. We left the ship at 10:30 in the morning and didn't get back until 7:30 in the evening. 40 minutes was spent at a palace, the rest was driving around or wandering marketplaces.   

Tough going on that one, Bill.  One of our all time favorite excursions was with you in Panama!  Would do it again.  Cheers!

 

[denamo]

4 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Not a rip-off per se but we definitely spent more on the ship's photos than we should have on our first cruise.

Did that on our first cruise as well.  Good memories, though.

 

[TravelinGert]

Our first tour we didn't book through the cruise line to get the in this particular case slightly cheaper tour price. Got off the ship and had trouble finding directions to the meeting point point which the website we paid our $10 reservation fee to had said would be easily located by asking the tour operators gathered at the dock.

 

Eventually someone told us "Stand here" and we did. Got on the bus and were told you pay at the end. Finally at the end we lined up to pay and discovered this was not the tour we'd reserved but another operator giving the same tour. Still ended up cheaper than the same tour from RCI but my husband was a little steamed we'd wasted that reservation fee and hadn't confirmed we were getting on the right tour bus. Personally suspect some collusion going on there. Oops! Yeah I said that.

 

Now we just wait to book at the dock. Never failed to get the same tours for less.

[shofer]

21 hours ago, Viajera7 said:

My biggest mistake was not checking my passport until the day before my cruise. I still went to Florida to meet my cousin and her daughter ( my goddaughter) who took us to Port Canaveral. We explained the situation and we were allowed to go to the Check in counter. The agent told us that if a relative had a copy of my birth certificate  and send a copy to them, they would let me board.  Since that was not the situation, I told my cousin to go by herself and I would stay in FL for my Spring Break vacation. She is not a Solo traveler like I am many times  so she said that she would be happy if we stayed in her daughter’s house. We went back to her house but on the way I treated them to a couple of nights in hotels by the beach including breakfasts. My cousin stayed with us for a couple of days more and drove to her house so she didn’t have to take all of the vacation days. My goddaughter took me to many places that I had not seen, we had a wonderful time and we got even closer. I had traveled to many places in the world but that is one of my favorite vacations.

 

PS: I gave a copy of the birth certificate to my brother during the next visit to his house and I have a specific place to put my passport now.

 

 

We forgot our passports when we took our adult children and spouses on their first cruise.  No excuse, it was our 10th cruise.   Our TA went to our house w/a locksmith to open the door, retrieved the passports off  hubby's dresser and FedEx'd them to our hotel.  Thank goodness we went a day early.   Lots of anxiety but we made it onboard and had a great week with our family.

[sparks1093]

12 hours ago, denamo said:

Did that on our first cruise as well.  Good memories, though.

 

Absolutely! I am the family photographer so whenever we go anywhere we always have lots of pictures but I'm not in any of them. At least with the ship's pictures I'm part of the group and not "and that's dad, taking the picture".🙂

[pasodancer]

Retired Army here (both of us) and loving what Hampton Roads has to offer retirees.  Now, if we could only get a decent cruise ship in port, life would be fabulous.

[shofer]

Considering our first cruise was 27 years ago, some of these things didn't exist then.   But I would say # 2 & 6 were our bloopers.   Even in 2013, I took a cruise with my 90 y/o Mom and I booked ship's excursions for her comfort.  For our Med and Baltic cruises, we did all private excursions and have never looked back.  For our next Caribbean 7 day cruise, we won't even get off the ship.

[sdrocks]

Not really a mistake, but when novice cruisers let RC do all the booking of rooms,flights, etc.  Didn't take long and

after talking to many other cruisers I can do it better myself.  (IMO)  Have booked several family cruises for our kids,

spouses and grandchildren and have not had a problem.  I'm very detailed oriented and try to think of every eventuality.

Also these boards have been the most invaluable help .  Always get reliable information from more experienced cruisers

than myself.  We've done 25 so no longer novices.  Hope we can cruise again someday.  We're really wanting to book a 

family one in 2022 for our 50th wedding anniversary and our granddaughters high school graduation.  Our kids and grands

love cruising, especially when it's paid for by their parents.  Lol.  Wouldn't have it any other way.

[GTO-Girl]

On 7/13/2020 at 11:11 AM, Sea Dog said:

It wasn't t-shirts or trinkets for me but my bottle of Blanton's bourbon that I got at the duty free shop on board. It made my suitcase overweight and cost me $75 making it $150 bottle of bourbon.

There is a great shop in St Martin that has awesome prices on all their Blanton’s. (better than onboard prices and a huge variety)

 

We are hoping to get back there one day!!

[sfaaa]

 St Martin offers the best liquor prices in Caribbean. I always load up every time I go there. 

[BirdTravels]

Our biggest rip off were the "$10 Watches" which you end up throwing out because they are so cheap and fall apart after a few days. 😞

[livingonthebeach]

6 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Our biggest rip off were the "$10 Watches" which you end up throwing out because they are so cheap and fall apart after a few days. 😞

 

Indeed.  But they sure do look good at first -- for the first few days as you say.  Most of the stuff on the $10 tables are junk -- occasionally there are some things that last and are pretty decent.  What bothers me is the hoards of people that descend upon the tables like vultures and trample each other for a $10 trinket.  It's like the Black Friday of cruising without the TVs. 

[GTO-Girl]

3 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Indeed.  But they sure do look good at first -- for the first few days as you say.  Most of the stuff on the $10 tables are junk -- occasionally there are some things that last and are pretty decent.  What bothers me is the hoards of people that descend upon the tables like vultures and trample each other for a $10 trinket.  It's like the Black Friday of cruising without the TVs. 

We always say “look at all those people doing their Christmas shopping”.....😂😂😂😂

[Sea Dog]

20 hours ago, GTO-Girl said:

There is a great shop in St Martin that has awesome prices on all their Blanton’s. (better than onboard prices and a huge variety)

 

We are hoping to get back there one day!!

Gulmohar's Whiskey Paradise. The only place I've ever seen the whole Blanton's series. They also had a Pappy Van Winkle 20yr for $2,500 and Pappy 15yr for $2,000. A little too pricey for me.

[molsonschooner]

10 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Our biggest rip off were the "$10 Watches" which you end up throwing out because they are so cheap and fall apart after a few days. 😞

I bought a $10 watch 6 years ago. I only wear it on cruises. Just change the batteries, still works great