Cruise ship passengers have been warned about a little-known excursion scam that has recently impacted many travellers.
According to a cruise ship expert, many passengers have been caught up in new cruise scams that have emerged over the past few months. Cruise expert Gary Bembridge, in his latest Tips for Travellers video, highlighted how unsuspecting tourists are being taken advantage of, often by those posing as helpful locals or resort representatives. He warns cruisers to think twice before signing up for travel clubs, which can come with hefty fees and long-term commitments. He started the video by saying: “This one seemed to be an issue mostly in busy Caribbean and Mediterranean ports, but a couple on my recent cruise that called into ports on the Mexican Riviera got trapped too.
“On researching this scam for this, I discovered a new article had appeared on ‘The Points Guy,’ a large and well-known travel advice website, warning about the growth of this one.
“They spoke about how significant numbers of seriously out-of-pocket cruisers had been contacting them coming home from cruises affected by this one.”
The expert explained how it works. According to Mr Bembridge, at cruise ports, often at well-presented stands, friendly representatives offer what sounds like a dream deal: a free day pass to a beautiful resort, complete with transfers, food, and drinks – all in exchange for attending a short presentation.
But once at the resort and a few drinks in, guests are steered into a travel club presentation. It’s a classic hard sell: big promises of discounts on flights, hotels, and attractions – all for a steep up-front buy-in and ongoing monthly fees.
He added: “Caught up in the buzz and drink, many sign the contract to join the travel club. Only once back on the ship fully realising how much it will cost them, and how restrictive they can be, as they soberly reflect on it.
“Unlike countries like the USA and UK, the laws in those countries do not have ‘cooling off’ periods and so they are locked in for years with the provider having their financial details.
“So before accepting a day pass for anywhere, fully understand what your obligation is in exchange.
“Be extremely cautious if you go to any of these with the presentations and refuse to sign anything on the day and say that you’ll come back to them. There’s no such thing as a free resort pass in reality.”