Two Florida residents are urging cruisegoers to be careful when booking a cruise. According to News4Jax, the friends thought they had secured a dream vacation, only to find out their booking was a scam.
The duo said they responded to a Facebook ad promoting a heavily discounted Royal Caribbean cruise. Contacting someone they thought was a legitimate travel agency to book their voyage, they received what they thought was real confirmation details for a 3-night itinerary aboard Utopia of the Seas.
The 236,860-gross-ton ship is currently offering 3- and 4-night itineraries from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas that visits Nassau and Royal Caribbean’s private destination, Perfect Day at Coco Cay.
Nyeasha Lambert of Jacksonville and Rochelle Price of Ocala, Florida, made regular payments for a $523 cruise through Cash App. However, on the day of departure, the friends were turned away, as their reservation never existed.
“It was embarrassing,” the 71-year-old Lambert told Northern Florida media, saying she was literally crying, saying, “What just happened?”
The couple reported the incident to authorities and are warning others to always book directly through a cruise line or a trusted travel advisor.
Authorities are investigating the scam and emphasizing fraudulent travel offers are on the rise, particularly during the holiday season, when people are eager to secure deals.
Protecting Yourself From Cruise Scams
Unfortunately, stories like these are not uncommon. In 2023, an 83-year-old woman contacted authorities about a travel agency that had taken her payments but cancelled her Alaskan cruise a day before she was set to depart, without refund.
Investigators discovered a fake travel agency and arrested a man for scamming thousands of dollars from elderly passengers to take his own vacations.
Another woman in England, age 64, lost £6,300 on a Caribbean cruise she booked through a fraudulent company on eBay.
Spotting a scam can be tricky, especially when an offer seems too good to pass up. But the adage holds true: If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
However, the deal Lambert and Price thought they were securing is not that far off of Royal Caribbean’s official pricing through its website. Currently, 3-night roundtrip cruises from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas begin at $585, including taxes and fees.
Read Also: How to Save Money on a Cruise: Cash-Savvy Spending Tips
However, one red flag in the transaction was the payment method. Unsolicited deals that require payments to be made through apps like Cash App or other peer-to-peer platforms are often untraceable and provide little to no recourse for refunds.
Unlike credit cards, which offer fraud protection and the ability to dispute charges, payments made through apps are considered final and are nearly impossible to reverse, making them a preferred choice for scammers seeking to make a quick buck.
In the case of the eBay scam, eBay is typically a safe platform that offers a Money Back Guarantee if purchases are completed through approved payment methods. However, the guarantee does not apply to travel tickets or vouchers.
Before booking a cruise, guests should take the time to compare a deal in question to similar offers from legitimate sources. As scammers can create websites that look real and post fake positive reviews, experts advise travelers to check review sites like Google Reviews, Trustpilot, or the Better Business Bureau.
Of course, contacting or booking through a cruise line directly can confirm the authenticity of a deal and guarantee a reservation.
