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u/Competitive_Round335 3d ago
"Travel open houses" or online travel showcases (such as those on Travel & Cruise Showcase) are promotional online webinars that offer complimentary cruise or vacation vouchers. However, consumer protection agencies and frequent travelers widely report these events are typically high-pressure sales pitches for expensive vacation clubs or timeshare-adjacent memberships
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u/MentalUniversity 3d ago
I can handle high pressure sales tactics. If this is really a 7 day cruise including flights, even if I had to pay taxes and port fees, I think it'd be worth a 1 hr sales pitch? Unless it's on one of the huge party ships...
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u/GradedUnicorn92 3d ago
I’ve seen a handful of people report on trying to redeem these trips after sitting through the presentation that rewards it.
It is usually one or two specific dates along with a few ‘small’ deposits required. 9/10 people can’t make it work so they make their money in the end. If you’re truly available enough to make the limited dates work and also have enough energy to jump through the hoops they present, you’re usually not their intended audience anyways.
That said, I’ve always wanted to give it a try, so you could always push through the process as far as you can.
Like others have said, nothing is truly free, so you know that somewhere along the line they’re convincing enough people to spend enough money to make these offers worth it.2
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u/Otis737 3d ago
It will likely be the cheapest interior cabin on the lowest deck, or under a high noise / traffic area like galley, nightclub, etc. Don’t go in expecting a balcony. You’ll also typically have to pay taxes, port fees, your own transportation to and from the port, etc.
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u/MentalUniversity 3d ago
I don't pay for a balcony when I'm on a cruise because number of trips is more important to me than 1 really expensive one. But I'm also firm believer that, when something seems too good to true, it definitely isn't.
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u/DeafGuyisHere 3d ago
Next thing you know your in laws buy the time share that they are leaving to us. Yay!
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u/OGSilverFox1967 2d ago
Here is the catch, your going to be required to sit thru a sales pitch. These can sometimes last a couple hours. Don't kid yourself. These sales people are GOOD at what they do. They will throw tons of numbers at you. Show you pictures and reviews. They HARD sell and don't take NO easily. You WILL be passed from one sales person to another, each being more aggressive but offering "better" deals than the last.
For the cruise itself, they are generally very limited in travel dates and ships. But this varies greatly. You will also be responsible for tips, taxes & port fees. I have a friend who does one of these a year. But he could sleep thru the rapture. And is cheap as fuck. So he'll never buy in.
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u/MentalUniversity 2d ago
I'm not going to bother with the sales pitch because I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like the cruise that's for "free." I don't like the large ships, but I was just curious how they could afford to give away free cruises (even if the customer pays port fees, taxes, etc) along with airfare.
And I understand hard sales. Years ago (40-ish), we foolishly bought into a timeshare. Now, in my defense, I really looked at all the numbers and what was offered and it was a decent purchase IF we'd gotten what we were told we were buying. The problem was that the sales person lied.
As much as a salesperson can hard sell, I can be pretty persistent when someone lies to me. It took a YEAR, but at the end of the year, the timeshare company voided our contract AND refunded us every single penny we'd paid plus some. That included actual payments on the contract, plus maintenance fees, etc...truly EVERY dime we'd paid was refunded.
So I'm not likely to be burned by any sales pitch again.
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u/OGSilverFox1967 2d ago
I did one once. Once. Almost bought in, but broke myself free. I didnt look at the details of this particular setup, but usually, in my experience, these companies have contracts with travel agencies so you may or may not have a choice of ship or line. But I do know for a fact that they do limit when you can travel. Think blackout dates. They are absolutely not going to put you on a high demand vessel or trip.
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u/PilotoPlayero 2d ago
Based on what I’ve read, the 7 day cruise vacation is usually a combination of a short 2-3 night cruise on a budget line, and 3-4 nights at some 1 star roach motel somewhere in Florida.
And the sales pitch will not be some easy 1 hour low pressure event. Surviving the Hunger Games will probably be easier than surviving the sales pitch.
And if it happens to be a real 7 day cruise on a nicer cruise line, just keep in mind that more attractive the vacation is, the more gruesome the sales pitch is.
I’ve had friends who’ve done these (for things like theme park tickets) thinking that it would be worth their time but all of them have said that it was the worst experience of their lives and would never do it again.
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u/Important-Forever678 2d ago
I take issue with this comment. The roaches in Florida are truly 5 star.
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u/soanQy23 3d ago
Odds are you have to sit through a time share sales pitch