Royal Caribbean passenger shares warning about a major scam
Cruise passengers have been scammed in a number of different ways recently.
Cruisers have fallen victim to a number of different scams over the past few years.
A few months ago, a number of people reported paying for cruises, then showing up at the port to find that they were not booked at all. They had fake tickets, and everything seemed in order, but they had sent their money to a scammer who had not actually booked them tickets.
Related: New lawsuit could delay Royal Caribbean’s return to key port
Cruisers have also had to deal with receiving calls from scammers pretending to be their cruise line saying they have an outstanding bill. Instead of hanging up and checking via the company's website, people have panicked and turned over their credit card information to people pulling off a scam.
People taking a cruise are especially vulnerable to scams because they're using systems that are unfamiliar to most people. It's always best to be extra cautious when it comes to everything around your cruise.
The safest choice is to use a travel agent. An agent will deal with the cruise line for you and make sure everything gets paid as it's due.
These scams, however, are not the only ones that have impacted cruisers. Cruise News Today's Doug Parker has all the details on a new scam and how you can avoid it.
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Royal Caribbean passenger warns on rideshare scam
Transcript:
This is Cruise News Today with Doug Parker.
Good morning. Here's your cruise news for Monday, February 10.
A cruise passenger is warning others about a potential scam at Port Canaveral after nearly being overcharged for an unofficial ride.
Yeah, the guests debarked Utopia of the Seas and accepted a ride from a man to Orlando who claimed to be an Uber driver but later discovered Uber was not involved at all.
Now, once they arrived to Universal Studios, the driver demanded $345 for the trip, but after a pushback, the guests managed to walk away paying just a hundred dollars.
A good rule is to always confirm that your ride is part of an official ride-share network by verifying the vehicle type and the driver and confirming fares before entering a non-ride-share vehicle.
PortMiami sets a record; Celebrity sets a record
And Port Miami set a new record on Saturday, hosting 10 cruise ships in a single day. These ships from seven different cruise lines saw nearly 68,000 embarking and debarking guests on itineraries ranging from short cruises to 27 nights.
Cruise lines included Oceana, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, MSC, Virgin, and Holland America Line. The Miami-Dade County mayor called the milestone a testament to Port Miami's status as a global hub for cruise travel.
(The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)
Have questions about booking a cruise? Schedule a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner Postcard Travel Planning, or call or text Amy Post at 386-383-2472.
And Celebrity Cruises has canceled two upcoming sailings on Celebrity Solstice for next January.
This is for an extended dry dock. The ship is said to require additional repairs, prompting more time in the yard.
Guests can pick alternate ships with a partial refund if at a lower price, a different itinerary on Solstice, or just receive a full refund.
The cruise line has not disclosed specific details about the repairs.
If you have a lead on a story, let us know. Tips@cruiseradio.net.
I leave you with some footage from the Blake Shelton concert over in Las Vegas over the weekend.
I'm Doug Parker with Cruise News Today. Have yourself a great Monday.
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