TOP 3 SCAMS CRUISERS FACE OFF THE SHIP
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- čas přidán 14. 05. 2023
- TOP 3 SCAMS CRUISERS FACE OFF THE SHIP.
there are all kinds of people out there and some of them just want to steal your money. here are the 3 largest scams cruisers are facing right now.
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After one cruise, I will never use a local taxi ever again. We paid to get to a local beach from the cruise port, no problem. The return was a different story. They KNOW you have to be back at a certain time before the boat leaves, and the boat isn't going to wait for you. They can charge whatever they want, and leave whenever they want. Some refused to leave unless their van was full. Some wouldn't leave until the very last minute. This is why I ONLY do shore excursions that I arrange with the cruise line from now on.
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Really ? Been on 64 cruises and never take ship tour except in rare occasions of land not having options. Like Egypt. Rent cars or cycles or Uber where available for close destinations. Know your times,
I always do with the cruise arrangements. You can trust no one outside.
Happened to me in Jamaica. I gave the driver the $15 he asked for but I had their currency. He told me I didn't give him enough so I handed him a 20. As soon as he got hold of the cash he punched the gas and took off with $35.
There are always bad people out there, trying to take advantage of us, no matter where you travel to! It really is sad for the ones who are good people trying to help us.
The bird poop thing was tried on a friend of mine while he was in Nassau, I think the little thief is still laying on the ground there.
Take a picture of the traxis license plate before getting in the car or when you get out. Make sure you ask the price for your destination before getting in the car.
Good idea, but sometimes the driver develops total amnesia about your chat from the beginning of the ride. They always have home-court advantage with threatening to call police, etc.
In 1973 as a young fellow I caught a taxi from my hotel to the airport at one o’clock in the morning in Hong Kong. We had agreed the price before setting off. I had a pouch on my belt and the driver asked me what was inside. I just said personal things. He started telling me that we were travelling through a bad area where taxi drivers often got beaten up. A bit later he said he wanted a larger fee than we had agreed. I leaned over from the back seat and told him if he didn’t keep to our agreement he would be dead in the gutter with his throat cut as I had a knife in the pouch. I didn’t have a knife, just money and passport. It sorted things out and we parted on good terms. I was young and on my way home after months of travelling and didn’t take shit from anyone! Anyway, all the best Don, from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
Remembering going by taxi with my partner in Naples (Italy). When we reached the place I wanted to see the price on the taxi's display was 10 Euro - and the driver asked for 20 "because you are two people". Experiences like this one I had several times - so I tell guests on my ship in Italian ports: "Beware of scammers when you go ashore!"
I have been reading Rick Steve's European travel books for decades. He always talks about the bird shot scam. They target all tourists not just cruisers.
I would advise that you watch out for these scams wherever & however you travel.
Happy and safe travels.
Expect that everyone is out to steal and run many scams.
This "use a pre-paid card" went badly for me because the Cruise Tubers don't mention that not all cards are accepted outside the U.S. Wound up having to use them in the states and even that was problematic at the Florida theme parks as they ran it once and then couldn't process it again no matter how much was left. Scams everywhere. Please let people know which pre-paid cards are accepted and where to find yhem!!
I've thought of using prepaid cards the next time I'm overseas, such as Europe, but maybe I'd purchase them over there, such as in the airport or somewhere in town. I've been to Europe a few times, and my bank's debit cards have never worked (even when I notifiedthe bank where I was going), so I was lucky to have cash and traveler's checks.
Your best video ever, Don!
Please do a whole series on how to avoid scams and stay safe in cruise ports!
He just did
At the Miami port, at disembarkation, a guy was recruiting rides to the airport. Several of us went and the ride was absolutely great. The guy recruiting quoted us a price and the guy at the end collecting upped the price about what we would been if we tipped. We left it at that, and only gave him what he asked for. Disappointing.
It happened to a friend of mine on his cruise to Brazil, he was walking when suddenly a Child pointed to his shoe, it had dirt on it. El Niño took out a handkerchief and cleaned it and asked for $100. Obviously he wouldn't give the $100 to the Kid but suddenly he was surrounded by more than 20 kids with sticks, he had to get $100 and luckily that was all they took from him. You have to take care of your surroundings and not leave the tourist areas in certain ports
Couldn’t call the police there?
@@EM_ARCHER The children ran off in all directions and it is a common practice in such places
It’s call look down and walk away! Ppl need to walk away and or run in the opposite direction! Can’t believe ppl just stand there let things happen
@@EM_ARCHER As far as it was reported with cruise line staff
It was not dirt they put on his shoe. Same thing happened to me. Never let anyone touch you. I went onto such a rage ,they we afraid I was going to …….. out of them.😮
Great information Don! I'm now a single traveler and need to be prepared.
Lyft and Uber damage scam is an epidemic in some places. Orlando is particularly bad. After you get dropped off you get a $150+ damage bill with some photos showing damage from Lyft etc claiming you soiled the cab like spilt a whole milkshake or something. Unless you can prove you didn't do it which is near impossible Uber etc almost always won't remove the charge. Best advise it to take a quick photo after you get out. As annoying as that is.
This video is making me not to EVER to take taxis at foreign places! 😁
I think obviously legit taxis particularly at designated areas in train depots, airports, etc are probably fine but random ones out and about are sketchy!
"Tip" number 2 is bad advice Don! If people ask for overseas charges to be in USD, ie their home currency, the merchant's machine will perform a dynamic currency exchange at rates which are at least 7-10% worse than if one just did the transaction in the local currency and had the exchange done by their home bank. Better tip: Travellers should use a phone currency rate app to see how much the item they wish to buy should cost in their home currency, and then have the credit card charge processed in the local currency.
Years ago when we began traveling we were in Jamaica and cab ride to the hotel was $25. My husband paid the driver in cash in our dollars only to find out later the fare quoted was Jamaican money. The driver made out quite well!
This happens not only to tourists.Years ago, an old American he was from Texas was sent up to Canada to ride a train because of a multi million dollar transformer.He taxis from Toronto to Hamilton The taxis driver charged him 75 00 He paided the driver in cash in US dollars.After getting to Sarnia we took him to a bank to exchange his money for Canadian
In Mexico, always ask what the fare is to get to your destination before you get in the cab. Even if you do the route frequently and know what the fare is, ask anyway. Because if you don't, they can charge you any amount.
Do you need to exchange into Mx Pesos??
@@strongtowerman9661 It's always best to do so at a bank ATM. USD is accepted, but you'll be subject to a poor exchange rate by the "man on the street/taxi". It's a courtesy. As they would have to stand in line in the bank to exchange it themselves.
One time I was walking down the street in the Caribbean. We have been there a while, so we have ran into a lot of different people. A guy ran into me, and gave me a big hug... pretending that we knew each other. I'm thinking... where do I know this guy from?
- About 5 min later I checked my pocket for my money and apparently either he or someone else pick-pocketed me. Lesson learned.
I taught first the guy just wanted a cuddle. Many are loaning for a big hug❤?
@@strongtowerman9661 - I'm a guy.. so it was weird all around.
Don. I have been hard on you here but this is the best of your cruise travel advice. I have in my business life subject to some dozens of like scams in 41 different countries outside of cruise port scams.
This is good advice.
Take a picture of the license plate of the vehicle always before you get in it. If they aren't legit, they aren't going to stick around.
I travel to Portugal often and I know for a fact that by law the taxi drivers all retail stores and restaurants MUST provide you a receipt. Never leave a taxi without receipt. The police will fine the driver right there! Using Bolt / Uber is excellent to money transactions.
That's how I get around in Lisbon!
Thanks. Is Lisbon a nice city to visit? Expensive?
I have always followed the adage "The road less traveled ". You are a sitting (walking) duck when you exit a cruise ship, airport, tourist trap or coach bus. I just walk swiftly pass all the hawkers etc and find someone away from the maddening crowds at a cheaper price. This pretty much is the same for restaurants and stores. With today's technology you can audio or video record any transaction you negotiate you just pretend you are taking a selfie. Uber,Lyft etc is not available in certain areas and it might not be cheaper than a cab. When public transportation is available I prefer to use that. It doesn't matter where you are just be aware of your surroundings.
Be careful to know the local laws about recordings as some places have two party consent laws, and you could find yourself in trouble
@@joesonnefeld9296 Good point. (UN)fortunately due to a couple of reasons most of our travel is in the mainland of North America now so I know I'm fairly safe. Common sense goes a long way no matter where you are.
Thanks for the tips!
As a solo traveller my kids have warned me to never take a taxi as a solo woman
Exactly! And always have smaller bills on you . Don't ever use your card with taxis either. BIG SCAM
Thank you ,Don. 👍👍
Thank you for the heads up
We only use cash at ports. I have one card that only has so much money on it, and it's not connected to my other accounts.
Yes I did appreciate your video and all the good tips you give us!
Finally and good video with Tips & Tricks and safety while traveling abroad. Thank you Don!
I went on numerous taxi rides in the Caribbean. Rented the taxi to take me around the island.
The amount was always close to $30 cash. Took around 2 hours most of the time and some
took more. Taxis were clean and the drivers liked to show me their island. I did this 5 times on my last cruise.
Totally agree. You can trust the taxis in the Caribbean. Knowledgable and super friendly, see more of the island & find out so much more for much less than the ship tours. We used taxis for trips and tours.
Check the windows aren't too blacked out though...most are fine but 1 got one in St Lucia that was too dark to see outside properly.
I also Recommend getting their cards and WhatsApp so you can use them again and recommend to others.
If you go through the cruise ship You want have to worry about the scam from the taxi
Gives a whole new meaning too "pigeon drop"🐦
We hired an independent driver outside the port in Naples - the only reason I agreed was he didn't want payment (cash) until the end when he dropped us back at the port - not cash up front. We had a great day.
Thanks for the advice!
the only scam i've seen repeatedly is the "free item" scam in Nassau. Of course I never bite on this one, I've seen many people get caught up in it.
What is the free item scam? I'm going in fall, so would like to know!!
@@trestreasures4954 generally it varies. But it's usually bracelets, CDs or sometimes other trinkets.
Thanks Don you are the best!! Always reporting by facts and with great respect and passion for cruising! ive followed you for many years! Stay safe and keep being amazing =)
You should ALWAYS familiarize yourself with the exchange rate of the country you are visiting. Takes a few seconds to check. NEVER use your credit card in a third world or known scammer country. Use cash, even if it is US$. Almost all countries accept US currency, no need to convert to local currency. Check with merchant prior to completing purchase, otherwise no deal. Only use credit cards for hotel stays or at the airline counter at the airport. The rest of the time use cash, always have sufficient smaller bills, so there is no issue with getting change back, as the merchants sometimes use that as an excuse not to accept US cash. Carry a calculator and double check currency conversion calculation as a precaution. If it doesn't make sense don't buy. ❤
My credit card company is setup to notify the exact amount of any and all transaction that take place and it happens almost real time.
Thank you Great Video
Great advice bruh 👍
Good stuff, Don! We've cruised 25 times everywhere and haven't heard about those specific kinds of scams. Thanks.
One trick- put a maximum charge limit on your credit card. I have mine set that any single charge over $500 has to be confirmed by secondary verification.
Great pointers. Keep them coming
Thank you for the information.
Great advice thanks so much I'm elderly traveling with young disabled adults so it's very helpful
Great advice about the pre-paid credit card! Never thought about that.
thanks awesome video
Once in Rome we caught a taxi to the colliseum it was arranged by our hotel. After our look around the colliseum with our guide, we went for a taxi to take us back to our hotel. As we got into the taxi standing in line, we asked him how much please to out hotel, he wanted to charge us 4 times as much, he recond there was a marathan on in the town & thats why the price was high. We soon got out of his car & we walked back to the hotel. There was no marathon on that day he was just trying to rip us off.😊
Good afternoon. I don't usually comment but the taxi thing just triggered it can happen in my city in Canada just as well. When I call a cab I use one company only and I direct which way I want that cab to go. Sometimes it is very short trips others a bit longer but I take the quickest way there. I took transit bus to one place but wanted to take a cab home. Asked the store clerk to contact the cab company I use but he dialed another cab company which was a friend of his. The cab pulled up and I wasn't going to take it but since it was about -30 below I didn't want to wait any longer so I paid by debit, got a receipt and said if your friend ever did this again without my knowledge I will report both of you to the police. He took off real quick and I have never asked that store again to contact a cab for me. So it can happen anywhere just be beware. Thanks for the tips and hope you are enjoying your Disney trip. HAGD.
Good information
In the final analysis some of these foreign cruise ports are simply not worth visiting. This is why private islands have become so popular. I read that in some ports most people just stay on the ship to avoid the locals and all the scams.
Why I won't go to the Caribbean
Thanks for your info about scammers. Similar is when they try to sell you a necklace so they can get at your jewelry and wallet.
I traveled all over Europe and Asia and used taxis quite a few times. The worst place that I found was San Diego, California. I was taking a taxi from the bus station to my ship it was around $12.00 most of the time, but one evening the charge was over $40.00. Same pickup point to same drop off point. A young sailor is a target for the crooked taxi driver because he doesn’t have any way to deal with them.
That is wickedness that why I try my best to travel in groups
NOT A GOOD TIME FOR TOURISM 👿👿👿👿NO NO NO NO NO ❌❌❌
A friend of mine was ripped off at the Miami airport recently, getting a "taxi" from the airport to a hotel. She thought it was a legit taxi because she stood near the taxi counter just outside the airport. The driver told her he would charge by "time" and she thought OK, like a meter. But no!!! At destination, he showed her his phone and charged her $129 US. He asked if she was paying with a card. She gave him cash but I'm guessing things could have been made worse with a card. The next day, she ordered an Uber to the cruise port and it cost her $48 US. What a difference. For her, it's Uber from now on.
Time? In traffic jam?? Big mistake
@@Thewootanglife not everyone knows about uer. It is not allowed in my city
Thank you Don you give the Best information for us cruisers
If it was me I think I would rather stay home in Canada and go ice fishing much safer.
Good advice, we only carry xx cash and no CC, if we find something we can't live without, the ship is that far.
We have heard of the taxi scam before, haven't been victims yet we generally get the price in USD before getting in.
Never get out of a taxi while your luggage still in the trunk! In Barcelona port few years ago a whole family had to board the ship with no luggage. They all stepped out of the taxi, payed the driver and then he jumped in the car and left with all their luggage inside! Of course, police couldn’t do anything about it 😢🤷🏻♀️
I heard the opposite in Cancun. Taxi driver was rummaging through the luggage in the trunk, while the people were in the car and the door handles were broke and they couldn't get out.
@FeedScrn did they scream for help?
I missed you! I haven't cruised in awhile & here you are. I hope you are well.😊
Great tip
Don, you are looking good today. Am subscribed and did hit the like button. I don't like people trying to help. They are crooks. Like to purchase things for cash when in port. Yes, am well aware of that. Like the video.
We just got back from a Mediterranean cruise Enchanted Princess was incredible. But at every port inside the cities, a man comes up and asks where you are from( Ohio) he then proceeds to give you a free gift from Kenya, a bracelet with elephants on it. Then he asks if you like some for your grandkids and shoves 7 more on you. Then he says he wants to give my husband an Italian made leather belt and then another color belt. We said thank you for the gift. He said I want money. My husband handed over 25 Euros and he said more. It was all the cash we had left on us and we couldn’t even get a bite to eat. I was so upset. We learned at the first port that it is a scam at every port. Another scam is the taxi driver in Italy is in cahoots with a rug dealer. They give you a one hour tour of rug making and give you a drink and then high pressure you to buy a rug with free shipping to the US. Real sweet and funny until you say NO ! Their women work very long hours for $300 to take home at the end of the month.
It would have been helpful to have also covered Dynamic Currency Conversion in the discussion about payments by debit/credit card, and that you usually lose a large percentage if you choose to be billed in your home currency.
A few years ago we were in Mexico. I wanted to buy something bur didn’t have cash so I used a debit card. The receipt listed Mexican currency (pesos?). I walked over and sat down and immediately logged into my checking account and confirmed the amount was correct
At PV and Mazatlan in Mexico, I found it was best to walk out of the cruise facility to get a cab or pulmonia, you can negotiate for about 1/2 of the fare quoted right at the dock. Same for shops, you can get the same stuff in town as at the port for about half as much. A bit of Spanish helps. US dollar prices quoted are usually inflated, don't deal in USD, deal only in pesos, get some before you go. Everybody's phone has a calculator, not too hard to figure out the equivalent in your own currency.
Nothing but scams at cruise ports! My wife bought something in a shop in Cozumel and looked away for three seconds while the lady wrapped and bagged it....later on while on the ship my wife unwrapped it to find out the cashier had swapped it for something much cheaper! In Costa Maya asked the leader at the taxi stand for a ride to a certain beach club for drinks and food. He said you had to have reservations to get in there, so he recommended another beach club and the taxi took us there. We were overcharged on everything and then realized the taxi boss was in on it..... always always running some sort of scam....
Don...I always use a credit card (swipe not RF) and insist on the charge being in local currency. CC company always gives a better rate....any problems can be challenged.
Very good tips. We only take a pre-paid card, always pay cash when in shore and tend to go on cruise organised shore excursions to be safe. Such a shame when in shore that instead of the local taxi drivers being happy that there’s a ship in port, with all the business that that brings, that they have to rip off people. Once again, why I do shore excursions through the ship.
I keep my valuables in my top part, put your hands in that part you’re going to lose a hand . 😜 The valuables is money.
They make you want to stay on the ship. It’s ridiculous now with these scammers.
As for the seagull scam….. ppl need to say NO! No thank you!!! I will clean it!! And walk away!!!! Ppl don’t walk away anymore ??!!! that stupid of them …. I would not want strangers touching me and or my back pack!!
That bird droppings thing has been going on for many years here.
Thanks Don for sharing, and seeing the other ppl's posts as well. I got scammed in Vegas years ago. The MGM Hotel had free shuttle service to and from the airport, so, at 3am in the morning, in front of the hotel, going home, I waited for the shuttle bus to arrive to go to the airport. This black shuttle bus pulls up to the curb of the hotel and the guy says "shuttle to the airport" loudly. I asked him was this the hotel free shuttle. He nodded Yes. So, I got on the bus while he placed my bags underneath the bus. Once we got to the airport, the guy turns around and says "that will be $30". I said "Wait!!! What??!!!! No, this is the free shuttle service from the hotel you told me, right?".....He tells me "No, it is not, and please pay the fee" or he would call the police and hold my luggage. I couldn't believe it. Luckily, I had some cash, but had to give him my last $50 bc that was all I had. I called him a scammer and some other unkind names as I paid him. He handed me my bags, laughed, and waved good-bye, then drove off.
The prepaid cards generally only work in the US.
Use extreme caution in Barcelona, Spain me and my wife got there two days earlier because we were going on a cruise and we wanted to explore the city the hotel was exactly 3.9 miles from the airport. This guy conveniently got lost four times people about time he finally got us to the hotel. He tried to charge me €110 for the ride I became irate told him that I was going in and calling the police His attitude changed really quick. I gave his a** five and told him he better stop doing this crap the hotel manager apologized and said that yes the cabbies will try and rip you off people coming in town so be extremely careful with that county.
FYI about real bird poop…….NEVER wipe it off while it’s wet. Wait until it’s completely dry and then it just brushes off. 🐦
Thank you Don for helping people like myself we have been to Bahamas. They tricked me because I was going to purchase a large bag from Free Port I seen two maracas I wasn’t going to purchase at the time, but she sled them underneath the bag I was going to purchase yeh she got me ouch. If it wasn’t for you Don and others telling us about these crazies we wouldn’t know what to do thank you again
But how did she trick you with the maracas? I am missing something.
Thanks. These are new to me. We always get local currency from our bank before we cruise.
I wanted to add for point number 2:
First I understand that this can be very applicable in countries where their dollar is 1000+ to 1USD. And I’m sure this scam is real. Thank you for sharing!
BUT in countries like in Europe where the euro is close to the USD and close enough to the CAD, it’s best to let your credit card company or bank make the conversion because the exchange rate is also worse when it’s not your bank/a foreign bank and depending on your bank you may even have a preferential rate. Based on this I always select pay in euros on the terminal.
🎉hey Don
I just go places within walking distance from the ship, sometimes never getting out of the duty-free zone and still enjoy going ashore just as much. 3 cruises so far and only 1 we got a tram ride to see the sights that was fun and 1 other we walked into the town but still eyesight of the boat.
We have that happened in Mexico except that I freaked out and it turned out OK. As soon as we got back to the hotel, We got on our credit card website just to make sure they had not charged the pesos to dollars.
The dollar is weak against pesos these days. Have u notice?
I must be the odd ball, because I wouldn't pay another dime. I would tell him to call the police so we can get to the bottom of it! When Tony talked about this a few months back, it was suggested to make a comment like "my husbands brother is actually a police officer here, let me call him up, maybe he is free to come by".
Doesn't make me want to take a cruise in these areas at all!
Good to know of the seagull scam!
We never and I mean never use a card off the ship when we cruise cash only and if they don't except US dollars we don't buy it. If going to a bar or restaurant make sure they except US dollars before ordering.
ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS book shore excursions via your cruise. You can walk around some ports like the Bahamas and not have to worry about transportation. But if transportation is needed, best book through your cruise line.
I always did tours with NCL DAWN! it doesn’t make sense to do other wise!
Taxis, we go online to get a rough idea how much we should be paying. in Malaysia one taxi driver tried it on and tried to charge us 3 times as much, we starting walking away and said we walk into town , taxi driver went with what we said we would pay. in Hungary were ripped off from the airport to the hotel, we made sure we booked a taxi from the hotel to airport on the way back and was not ripped off.
I'm an avid cruiser (many different cruise lines) while I know there are scams out there I would hate for someone to hear this and be afraid. We have never had an issue with any taxi or walking around different cities. New people we meet tell us "don't go out of cruise port area its so sketchy" how are you ever going to learn the real culture of these ports if you don't go. We have taken many new cruisers in ports with us and had an awesome time. They would never experience these ports if they had stayed in cruise port area. We tell people walk with confidence because there are bad people that prey on the ones that look like easy target. Just watch surroundings and Always ask taxi the price fir everyone in cab, make them repeat it and say "that price is for all of us right?". Again I know these things happen, just hate for people not to experience cruising because of fear. Happy Cruising everyone!!
Hi Don. Thanks for the info. We are traveling to St John and Halifax in Aug. should we use US credit card or Usa dollars, in the port. Tks
Omg I never heard of the bird poop scam
Another scam my father was telling me, ATM machines not attached to banks. It happened to a friend of his in the Philippines and he never got his money. Use only ATM machines attached to official banks.
Hey Don. This is terrible. This is a fear of mine. I never use my credit or debit cards on islands or abroad. Cash only. I don’t trust. I’ve never been taxi scammed and hope I never.
You have to watch users and lyfts as well for scams
Unfortunately we got scammed by a taxi driver on our first trip to New York, we were annoyed but did not put us off returning to New York. We never use taxis now...once bitten twice shy.
Same thing happened to my husband and I at the Miami airport. We headed toward the taxi stop when a man approached us if we needed a taxi. He then showed us to a very nice vehicle whuich we got into and told him the address. A quick ride later and he told us it was 140 dollars! Turns out it was one of these private upgrade vehicles. My daughter did the same ride with a regular taxi for 40 dollars. We always now check for a meter or take an Uber when possible.
Had that happen in Buenos Aries I realized I was in a private vehicle and probably over-paid by double
Tried to do that at Seattle!
I NEVER accept any rides!
That happened to me at Heathrow in the UK