Question about "certificates" received in mail advertising cruises.
 

I was wondering if anyone knows anybody who has ever actually purchased a cruise from these deals that you get in the mail. I recently received an offer from Ramada Plaza resorts in florida for a Cruise as well as a couple nights in las vegas for $698 per person. Of course you must pay up front, and then you pick your dates etc. You also must decide during that phone call or you lose the deal. Today, they called back because they had leftover packages and they are selling them for the discounted price of $198 per person.

What's the catch with these offers? They claim that they do it so they can advertise by word of mouth. Does anyone know about these?

I can't speak to this specific offer, but generally these things are at least legitimate. However, by the time you've jumped through all of the hoops and complied with their restrictions, I suspect you will find that it's not worth your time.

Stay away from these!

There are so many issues with Ramada Plaza - just do a search on the internet or check with BBB in Florida (I think that is where they were operating from).

The rule of thumb for all kind of calls - if the won't send you something in mail (letter, booklet) - meaning they won't put their promises in writing - HANG UP!

I don't know about this offer, but usually things like this are written in such a way that they are just-inside the law, but do not give you what you think you are getting.

For example, I read where one company was selling "cruise vacations" for $99. In reality, you paid the $99 and were put on an old cruise ship that "sailed" for 6 hours to the Bahamas. In the fine print you then learned that you had to pay for a hotel, of their choosing, for 7 nights, at a price that was almost double what you'd pay if you called and booked the hotel yourself.

Other offers force you to sit through high pressure time-share sales presentations or (in the fine print) you don't get your return air-fare ticket, etc.

Hope this helps... just one more example of "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" :)

I read about a couple who thought this was a great deal and booked it for their honeymoon. Well - they were put in a cabin with another couple. Be very careful!

STAY away from it. I would not deal with anyone who insisted that I make my mind up then and there (not to mention calling back the next day to try and sucker you yet again). If it is too good to be true, then it probably is not. Stick to a good ta, an online ta, and priceline

Well, they didnt call back the next day, it was a couple weeks. They claim some of their "packages" didnt sell and they were clearing them, and calling people back to see if they wanted them at a discounted price. I threw away the certificate so i can't give any more details, but i am always skeptical about such "deals" when i get them in junk mail.

They claim it's a deal so you can talk about it to others, I'm sure you have to sit through some sort of time share presentation too. I was hoping someone had a personal experience with a similar offer to share. Until i actually heard from someone who did this, I would never be the person to try it and end up hating my vacation!

This sort of reminds me of the trip some friends of mine took to Las Vegas. In exchange for a good rates, they had to attend a 90 minute presentation on time shares. Four hours later, the high pressure was finally over.

I don't know if this is the same gimmick with your cruise, I just see all kinds of red flags with the "make up your mind now" pressure.

Most importantly, NEVER give your credit card number to anyone over the phone unless YOU initiate the call.