Do so called social media 'influencers' get free cruises and other perks?

[Mary229]

I do believe YouTubers are winding down.  They seem to be complaining a lot lately, maybe the freebies have ended.  Maybe the travel agents have complained. Certainly YouTubers are cheaper than hiring celebrities.  I can’t imagine Shaquille O’Neal comes cheaply. 

[mom says]

 

 

As for feeling ripped off; sounds like sour grapes. How about just naming the blogger who has 10 million followers. Because none of the lists of top cruise influencers shows anyone with anything even approaching that number.

Edited August 15, 2023 by mom says

[Aquahound]

12 hours ago, RBCal said:

I am on Valiant Lady now.  I can confirm that 'influencers' receive free cruises.  

I guess my opinion is…….so?  Why would someone else’s good fortune offend you?  
 

But I’m sure they appreciate all the attention you’ll bring them by future readers of this thread who search Valiant Lady reviews. 

[Toofarfromthesea]

15 hours ago, RBCal said:

I am on Valiant Lady now.  I can confirm that 'influencers' receive free cruises.  A blogger with over 10 million followers is on the ship and received two free suites.  They were proud of it.  

 

I feel ripped off but am still enjoying myself.

 

It takes a tremendous amount of work and organization to get 10 million followers.  So in that sense they earned the freeby, separate and distinct from disclosure issues.

 

As to feeling ripped off, one of the surest way to make oneself unhappy is to look at stuff someone else has that they don't have.

[RBCal]

I want to thank everyone for their 'well meaning' advice.  It sure is helpful for naive people like me who actuallly believe everything they read or watch in the internet.  I sure love getting skewed info from people who pretend to be watching out for us stupid newbies!

 

However, I'll be sure to use a VPN from a country which actually regulates scams on the internet.  Germany is great for that as well as many other European countries.

 

Make sure your IP address is easily found so Zuck, Bezos, Google, yada yada yada can sell your info (soul?) easily and figure out who to sue (god forbid!)

 

Love and Kisses!

 

However, since I'm a Virgin that's all you'll ever get.

 

 

 

[Host Kat]

Thank you @RBCal, and now this thread is closed.

 

BTW for those interested, please see the following from the FTC Disclosures for Bloggers and Brands section in the Guidelines:

 

FTC Disclosures for Bloggers and Brands

 

In 2009 the FTC created a set of rules and guidelines regarding disclosure of free products in exchange for writing reviews about those products. If you would like to read more about this, you can go here: FTC Endorsement Guides

However, much easier to read and understand is their FAQ: FTC Endorsement Guideline FAQ

As you spend time reading about the rules, it would appear very simple at first glance: disclosure is now required by the FTC rules — at least if you are not a “professional.” Continue reading and you will see it isn’t that simple!

You’ll also see it is not clear how the FTC will enforce these guidelines. The manpower doesn’t exist since the FTC is also responsible for policing telemarketers, business frauds everywhere, and spammers, to name just a few.

For purposes of our “cruiser-to-cruiser community”, since our environment is anonymous and we do not verify the information posted here based on the FTC rulings it is the responsibility of the vendor, advertiser or provider of the free product to counsel any poster or blogger regarding disclosure when they post information on the internet.

To clarify, please see the scenarios below about the various areas within Cruise Critic where user-generated content is collected.

• Forum Postings - If a poster reviews a cruise they bought, of course disclosure is not necessary. If they review a free cruise acquired via a contest disclosure is necessary. If a cruise company sends the poster on a free cruise and the poster does a review on the forum in any format – freestanding or in response to info requests, both the cruise line and the poster are responsible for disclosure.  If a tour operator offers someone a discount on a future tour if they mention their company, disclosure would be required. These are just examples; there are many other scenarios that would require disclosure.
• Submitting a Review for Publication to Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic requires everyone who submits a review for publication to our website (www.cruisecritic.com) to agree to the following:  “I certify that this review is my genuine opinion of this cruise and all tour operators/guides/businesses in ports of call. I have no personal or business affiliation with any establishment, and have not been offered any incentive or payment originating from any of these businesses to write this review”.

 

Since it is impossible for aggregate review websites to know exactly how someone acquired their cruise, tour or product, therefore it is unrealistic for us to be able to moderate for FTC rules.  The onus is on the cruise line, advertising agency, or tour operator/guide and the poster of the review(s) to comply with FTC rules for disclosure.