what about port taxes? it's from a place called Diamond Holiday. anyone heard of it?
2006-10-08 05:26:10 · 13 answers · asked by kelleygaither2000 1 in Travel ➔ Cruise Travel
You're being scammed big time. Why do people fall for these things? Anytime there's a "prize" with a "fee", it's fraud.
2006-10-08 05:29:21 · answer #1 · answered by stevewbcanada 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Do any of you even know what port fees are? I would say obviously no. Is it a scam, possibly I don't know. Also I have to say kudos to Dave, he is a smart man. Run from this and go book one through an agent. But in answer to your question at hand.....
Port fees with the Cruise are what the Cruise line pays to the islands/destinations they dock in. They then in turn put this in the package to have to pay. Ok so lets say you won a "free cruise", Nothing in life is truly free except for Love and even that tends to cost us sometimes =) Plus if a cruise is given by say for example a cruise line, they are only giving you a room to which they already own. Port charges/taxes they don't own, so yes you do have to pay those. Say you win a free airline ticket do you think that will be 100 % free? No it won't you will pay for the airport, government taxes and possibly entrance fee if the country has one.
Not saying I am telling you to go with this, but it isn't illegal what they are doing as some others said about "reporting them". If you choose not to do it, no big deal just don't do it. If you choose to report them, they will tell you the same thing I am telling you. Nothing is illegal here, like it or not, not all prizes are "completely free".
Diamond Holiday, NEVER heard of them sorry. So to reiterate again paying taxes is normal and you will never get out of paying them on any free cruise or with the air because why would they pay the taxes for you? They wouldn't.
Best of luck to you, have fun if you go!
2006-10-08 14:16:00 · answer #2 · answered by Pam 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Always read the fine print when you enter a contest. It will say if you win, you are responsible for getting to East Gehagan, or wherever the ship departs from. Also you may have to pay various taxes, fees, etc. All these things may cost more than the cruise if you live, say in North Dakota. Another thing to note is if you can cash in for cash instead of the cruise. It sometimes turns out to a racket by the sponsors to make you pay more for the cruise than it is worth.
2006-10-08 05:40:48 · answer #3 · answered by eferrell01 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
There are hundreds of company's that use the name Diamond.
Some of these offers are promotional and require you to pay an administration fee.
They then tell you that your ship is sailing from a port that requires you to fly half way round the world and you will have to pay the flight there and back.
When you get to the ship, providing it has not already left, then you will be asked to pay port taxes.
In other words this is a BIG SCAM and would end up costing you more than it would if you were to go to your local travel agent and booked one.
If you value your money, BIN THE LETTER and save your money for a decent holiday.
2006-10-08 05:41:31 · answer #4 · answered by Bladerunner (Dave) 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
That does sound like a scam to me. There are tons of cruise message boards that you can post questions to experienced cruisers and they can answer you back. Or go to a reputable travel agent and ask them what they think before you pay any fees.
2006-10-09 16:57:34 · answer #5 · answered by NCbarbergirl 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I did win a cruise from Kraft foods at my local grocery store. They paid for almost everything. We had to pay the cost of trips/sight seeing off the boat but they paid for everything else. At tax time, we got a form to turn in with our income tax with the amount we won and had to claim it but it did not mess us up or anything with taxes.
I did call them several times to make sure it was on the up and up. Ask lots of questions and make sure of what they expect you to pay.
Have a great trip!
2006-10-09 17:02:31 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
When we give away a FREE cruise you are only responsible for personal expenses. Like: Drinks, shore excursions, pictures, things that are outside the normal cruise fare.
I'd double check before you give them any money.
Good Luck
2006-10-09 03:24:56 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Don't believe it. I have heard of people paying fees that are higher than the cruise would have been.
2006-10-11 16:20:18 · answer #8 · answered by Southern Apostolic 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is a scam. Don't give them any info whatsoever and just plain trash anything you get.
2006-10-08 07:12:59 · answer #9 · answered by T 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's a rip-off, you shouldn't have to pay anything if you really won something. Don't send them any money, instead report them.
2006-10-08 05:33:28 · answer #10 · answered by hey blondie 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋