Pushy local vendors at port

[Tim-n-Rick]

This is old news to you veteran cruisers but the more I cruise it seems like there are more and bolder local vendors at each port. I understand this is how they make a living but after a while they all sell the same thing and one can only own so many woven palm items. A polite "no thank you" seems to work in most cases but how do you avoid having to say it 70 times? My partner and I don't always want to take excursions because we want to see the "touristy" areas but it seems like that is the only way to avoid the harassment all together. How do you deal with the vendors and still buy some cheap trinkets for the folks at home?

[PROCRUISE]

This is old news to you veteran cruisers but the more I cruise it seems like there are more and bolder local vendors at each port. I understand this is how they make a living but after a while they all sell the same thing and one can only own so many woven palm items. A polite "no thank you" seems to work in most cases but how do you avoid having to say it 70 times? My partner and I don't always want to take excursions because we want to see the "touristy" areas but it seems like that is the only way to avoid the harassment all together. How do you deal with the vendors and still buy some cheap trinkets for the folks at home?

 

We agree with you completely but we've become really good with just plain "NO." We also find that after you move yourself out and way from the cluster of vendors who are waiting for you at the end of the pier, the shopping experience gets a little better, and often the "trinkets" are also better quality. We'll be using our own advice again on 3/25!!!

[gmhohio]

Of all the ports I've been in, Cartegena was the worst. You didn't dare look in vendor's direction because they would take that as an invitation to approach you. If you got in the van, they would knock on windows shaking their trinkets at you. No matter how many times you told them no, they would not take no for an answer...even when I told them in Spanish. One vendor thought I was Italian (we were on an Italian line) and tried to haggle with me in Italian. It was absolutely crazy...and not in a good way!

[Tim-n-Rick]

It was absolutely crazy...and not in a good way!

 

I'm glad I didn't read that before bed. That would have given me nightmares!

 

Seriously, I wonder if anyone has looked into any possible impact on tourism? I'm sure these type of tactics aren't new and they must work or they wouldn't have caught on.

[Schplinky]

St. Lucia was the worst for us. They wouldn't take no and if you cut them off, they called you disrespectful. I would guess we had about 40 different people approach us in the hour before we gave up.

 

Puerta Vallarta would be an example of a beach where although there were lots of vendors, they were polite. The approached often but a simple no from anyone in the group seemed to suffice.

[gmhohio]

I'm glad I didn't read that before bed. That would have given me nightmares!

 

In all honesty Tim-n-Rick, that wasn't the worst of it. At the very end of the walking tour or colonial Cartegena, there was the gauntlet of people with various physical malformities all with their hands or reasonable facsimilies all outstretched asking for money.

 

I won't be going back there anytime soon.

[Tim-n-Rick]

I won't be going back there anytime soon.

 

Oh my! I just can't imagine! I thought what I had experienced was bad.

[rummenroman]

Cruising in Columbia is a relatively new experience for "the locals." In time those same locals will see that it doesn't pay to act like that. I also would think the locals will start asking for security to keep the beggars away from the major cruise area. I know i wouldn't want to be reminded of work (i work with homeless youth) while on a cruise. I personally do not buy anything from someone that is pushy, i make sure the pushy vendor sees me going to the quite vendor and buying things (even if it costs me a little more). Its my way of trying to change the behavior of the pushy vendors.

[Tomato53]

We were on Celebrity Summit recently and hadn't planned excursions for St. Kitts or St. Lucia. We didn't want to be over-scheduled and had planned to just explore by foot. In both ports, we found the people soliciting for taxi excursions to be extremely agressive. Most backed off quickly after we said "no thanks" but some continued to walk with us and didn't give up easily. For us, they were much more of an annoyance than the vendors.

 

In both ports we spent less than an hour ashore, then we declared our own sea day and returned to the ship. This turned out great as many passengers were off the ship. We had no trouble getting chairs by the pool and the gym wasn't busy at all.

 

If we go to these ports again, we'll either plan an excursion or stay on the ship.