Woman reveals hidden cruise costs after winning 'free' five night vacation
A woman has highlighted the 'hidden' details involved after winning a 'free' cruise trip.
Millions of people opt for a cruise break every year - from top-tier service to the chance to visit multiple countries in one trip, it's easy to see why the vacation is such a popular choice.
While there are some budget-friendly options, most cruises come with a bumper price tag, leaving it out the question for plenty of wanna-be cruise-vacationers.
One person claims to have won a free trip with a leading Asian cruise liner - yet, even that comes with some hidden costs, it seems.
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Taking to Reddit, they posted a photo of their alleged prize letter, from StarDream Cruises.
The company covers destinations across Asia, connecting countries in Southeast Asia - like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia - with East Asian, including Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.
The trip in question is for a five night cruise for two people, departing from Taiwan onboard the company's Star Navigator ship.
The winner has until November 2 to redeem their prize - though a few terms and conditions are attached.
Posting to the R/Cruise subreddit for advice, the person explained: "I recently won a 5-night cruise onboard Star Navigator with StarDream Cruises (Balcony Stateroom for 2). It sounds amazing, but I’m wondering if anyone here has claimed something similar."
Diving into the details, they explained: "The fine print says: I still have to pay visa fees, port charges, gratuities, etc. Blackout dates apply.
"I must book at least 1 month ahead. Not transferable or refundable."
Finally, they asked what they should expect 'in terms of costs or experience'.
"Did you enter a contest with this cruise line to win a cruise? If not, it’s tied to something and not worth the hassle," one person responded, which was voted the top answer.
A second weighed in: "As some wise guy said, there is nothing free in this world. If something seems to be too good (like free), it comes with lot of strings attached."
Others theorized the 'free' trip could have come after the Redditor attended a timeshare presentation.
"Usually these type of giveaways come after you sit through a timeshare presentation or signed up for a raffle," one user explained, as somebody else noted: "It feels like there should be another catch lingering somewhere like sitting through a timeshare presentation or an expectation of certain levels of casino play if you've been offered this based on past gambling, but it's a legit cruise line and they're telling you to contact an email address with their domain."
They speculated: "It could just be that they're desperate to fill cabins and would rather someone was in it and spending money on board than if it was empty - they're not losing money on the port fees etc, so it's not outside the realms of possibility."
Another simply laid it out: "No idea if this is reputable or not but reputable sweepstakes with a cruise as a prize often require you to pay visa fees, ports fees, and gratuities. Blackout dates is just another way to say there has to be room for you to claim a specific cruise."
A StarDream Cruises spokesperson told UNILAD: "The prize winner may contact our Reservations Team directly at [email protected], attaching their prize letter for validation.
"Our team will be happy to assist to check on the validity of the prize letter, or enquiries on cabin availability, bookings and clarifying any terms outlined in the prize letter. With regards to sitting through a timeshare presentation or something similar, we do not practice that."
Topics: Cruise ship, Reddit, Social Media, Travel, Money
Ellie Kemp