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I tried again a few weeks later, and was able to book myself and a friend on the January 20, 2018, Saturday-to-Monday cruise. Once again, they tried to upsell me to a pre-cruise package for $69 that included two nights' hotel stay at the Ramada Plaza in Fort Lauderdale with meals, and maybe with transportation to the cruise port or maybe they'd arrange it for $60 per person. (It was not clear -- despite the huge price difference with or without transport.) They reminded me about additional fees, such as gratuities, fuel surcharge (currently at $9 per person) and port parking (if needed, at $18 per day). I wouldn't receive an exact cabin number until three weeks before the cruise.
Booking the Free Cruise
You can also read both editor and reader reviews of ships to see if the experience is the dream cruise you're envisioning. Their spring break deal quoted prices starting at $149 per person. In this case, the actual scam seems to be the bait and switch tactics, unhelpful customer service, hidden fees and requirements and the difficulty of obtaining a refund for canceled cruises.
Was It a Scam?
It's a legitimate cruise ship -- but it's owned by Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line. You can ask for a number to call them back, but they might not give it. (Royal Seas would not, and would not honor their deal if I hung up and called later.) Know how your credit card company handles fraudulent charges, and document everything said to you on a call if you plan on taking the risk. Never give your credit card number for any purpose (such as verifying your identity) other than making a specific purchase.
The Free Cruise Offer: Scam or Legit?
But what if we're flying into West Palm Beach, I asked? The rep assured me I could call to get the documents sent to the port where I could pick them up. It was unclear why they didn't have everyone's documents at the port or sent to their homes or email addresses. Unlike a normal cruise reservation, when you pay for your free cruise, you don't walk away with a cruise booking number. You get a Royal Seas booking number that you use when you're ready to confirm a sailing date. A month or so before my cruise, a Royal Seas rep called me to confirm my sailing.
I spent a total of three hours on hold, including two at one stretch, and never reached anyone. On Tuesday, I found a different number and got through. This rep said I could switch to the two-night hotel stay (no mention of ferry) or rebook on another sail date. When pressed, he said I could cancel but wouldn't help with airline change fees. I could book an outside cabin for more money, or she could transfer me to the customer care team if I'd prefer a balcony.
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Posted: Tue, 03 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Even if I wanted to, the situation was impossible -- my friend's babysitters were no longer available, and I'd have to pay a second set of airline change fees plus a higher fare, turning a $100 ticket into a $400 ticket. So, I called back and canceled, guilt trip be damned. A few days before my cruise should have departed, I got a confirmation email from Royal Seas about picking up my cruise docs. I hope it was a clerical error because I did not have the energy to call back. Now I'm waiting to hear back from the compliance department, and watching my credit card for the refund.
Before you write off Royal Seas as a total scam, however, look at the company's Yelp reviews; some people actually do get a cruise out of the deal. There are many complaints -- about the high-pressure sales tactics I encountered, bait and switch with hotels, forced timeshare presentations, cruise cancellations and high fees when people don't book their cruise in the allotted 18 months and want to extend the offer. But at least with Royal Seas, no one is reporting their credit card number stolen or that they put down the deposit and never received the voucher to book. (Though there could be other scams out there that do these things.) For what it's worth, the Better Business Bureau rates the company as an F, says it's not BBB accredited and mentions the cruise scam at the top of the page. Be skeptical of hard sells and offers that sound too good to be true.
The Free Cruise Offer: Scam or Legit?
This is especially easy if you sign up for the deal online and there's a few days' lag time before they call you. A quick look at Yelp and the BBB website can provide a ton of information. If you have a ship name, you can look it up on Cruise Critic to see which company actually owns and operates it.
However, I would hate to have to pay the cancelation fee every time that Canrival had an up-grade promotion for new bookings. I have only cruised one other time and that time I did not price shop or watch the prices. Didn't realize that was an option so I just settled for the TA that I had at the time. But now thanks to cc I know better than to just settle on one price. If anything sounds suspicious or if your questions are not being answered to your satisfaction, ask to speak to a supervisor or higher-up.
All of this is sketchy, but it's not necessarily a scam if you get a cruise in the end.
Especially when dealing with customer service requests, they are often authorized to offer more than the first-line phone reps. This seemingly simple sales pitch began a yearlong journey of phone calls, complete with lightning-fast decisions, scheduling and hand-wringing, as I attempted to determine whether the free cruise offer was a scam, legit or something in between. I have used them for my last three cruises and find them to be excellent; they will match any quote (just got a $120 reduction last week on the Legend for December). Since we book category 11 suites, the price reduction is not an issue for us.
To start searching for the perfect cruise at the lowest possible price, visit Cruise411. If you want to shop and compare, you can always check with the following booking search engines to ensure that you are getting the absolute lowest price. Booking through Bahamas Paradise is the legit way to go, but as you can see, you'll be paying a lot more. My weekend cruise in January cost nearly $250 less through Royal Seas Cruises than this weekday offer. The other surprise was that I would need to pick up my cruise documents at Royal Seas' Welcome Center at the Ramada in Fort Lauderdale, nearly 50 miles away from the cruise port.
My experience with Royal Seas Cruises was definitely sketchy and full of hassles. I expect I'll eventually get a refund, though I'm not sure about the reimbursement of my airline change fees. I fully expect that it will take several more phone calls before I see any money. The following day, the supervisor called me back to say that she felt so bad for my situation that she pulled some strings and got us back on the cruise. What about the charter, I ask, and she says there were a few rooms still available (likely because I stuck with the inside cabin).
In mid-May 2017, I got the email confirming my interest in a free Royal Seas cruise, and just a day or two later, a representative called me about my free trip. The ensuing conversation was the epitome of a hard sell. When you see a free cruise offer from a company like Royal Seas, look them up online before you give them your money.
The rep told me that if I booked the outside cabin, I could upgrade at an undisclosed discounted rate later, but I couldn't do that if I booked the inside that day. Or I could choose an extended stay (saving over 75 percent!), with two nights pre-cruise in Fort Lauderdale or Orlando or two nights on Grand Bahama Island (in between sailings) at the Grand Lucayan Breakers Cay Resort. Total price for the cruise plus Bahamas resort was $998 for two passengers.
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