Beware of Misleading Cruise Promotions on the Internet

Not a day goes by without us receiving an inquiry regarding confusing cruise promotions that clients are finding from Internet searches, other travel agency websites, emails in your inbox and brochures sent by the cruise lines.

If you Google a cruise line, most likely you will see paid ads from travel agencies that appear to be “Official Sites” from the supplier. Many of these websites are attempting to fool you in order to gain your business by advertising “Up to 81{625323b24af37c24f5a97fddb81c67dba8bd357996214eb0318c02ab7c1b66cd} Off” or some such hook to lure you in. 81{625323b24af37c24f5a97fddb81c67dba8bd357996214eb0318c02ab7c1b66cd} Off? Really? Can you get a $1,000 cruise for $190? Not happening.

The best way to find an official site is to type it in to your top browser bar. A few examples would be www.oceaniacruises.com, www.celebritycruises.com, www.vikingcruises.com , www.crystalcruises.com , and www.taucktours.com There are even some cruise lines that have shorter versions to make it easier to find. A few examples are www.rssc.com, , short for Regent, www.rccl.com, short for Royal Caribbean, www.expeditions.com, short for Linblad National Geographic. IMPORTANT. If you click on any of these, to finish reading this Blog, click the back arrow at the top of your browser.

2 For 1 cruises advertised by some cruise lines are from inflated “brochure” rates. Nobody pays brochure rates for those. Some websites may advertise “Fast Deals” which only show the cheapest cabins in any one category; inside, ocean view and balcony. Taxes and fees are often extra. Again, another lure to get you to make a phone call.

Everyone loves amenities, especially when they are free. You may find ads that have numerous amenities on select sailings. But, they may not apply to the cruise you are looking for, or, the top amenities may be for the highest price cabins, which are generally suites. Mainstream cruise lines like Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Carnival and Norwegian change their promotions quite often. Such changes may be BOGO deals (true buy 1, get the 2nd at half price), amenity changes, and cabin category rates. Watch out for the expiration dates and disclaimers.

We here at Key Traveler are advocates for true pricing and promotions. We all love to save money. But, there is no dollar amount that equates to trust. Finding you the right cruise or even the right land tour at the right price is what we do.

Happy Travels.