Celebrity Lies

[Taxguy77]

I don't know about your watch, but some items can be a bargain on the ship. I purchased a very nice budget watch on $10 night. A few weeks later, I was visiting my mother and she had the same exact watch on. She had purchased hers at a jeweler a year earlier for over $200.

 

A friend's brother bought him a "name" watch on a cruise for only $200.00. When he took it in to be cleaned a year later, the jeweler said to throw it away and by an inexpensive watch, it was a $5.00 works in a counterfeit case.

Maybe the "exact same". DW wondered why I didn't buy a rip-off of a $500.00 watch in Mexico for $25.00, I said I didn't like the looks of it that much.

[Gracie115]

It may not be an expensive brand, but my Ann Klein is a pretty big name brand, as is my old Timex. Never understood why someone would want to spend $1000's on a watch when the lesser brands tick just as well. :D

 

 

Oh my...do be careful...I made a similar comment on here awhile back about why would someone pay $500 for a Coach purse...after all it's just a purse and got burned by several posters making trashy comments about my lack of judgment.... not that it's changed my mind...:)

[4774Papa]

The fact is that almost all retailers, especially jewelry stores, claim to have the lowest prices. All such claims should be taken with a grain of salt as the only way to determine if the price on something is fair, let alone lower than others, is to do diligent shopping.

 

Let the buyer beware!!

 

Personally, we've seen the prices at the on-board shops (all categories and not just jewelry) as being a mixed bag. Some items might have great prices and some not so great.

WELL SAID.

Sorry, but I never buy expensive stuff on a cruise ship. Jewelery is normally marked up bigtime. With Internet, you can research the item that you want to purchase and find the best prices.

[kitty9]

It's not Celebrity's fault as they not control the stores. Every cruise line has stores that say they're the cheapest. Heck, even a lot of the stores in the ports say they have the best prices, and that's not usually the case.

[Lois R]

Oh my...do be careful...I made a similar comment on here awhile back about why would someone pay $500 for a Coach purse...after all it's just a purse and got burned by several posters making trashy comments about my lack of judgment.... not that it's changed my mind...:)

 

Hi Gracie,:) check out the Fashion Forum;) there are many different

folks in the world...some pay hundreds and hundreds for purses, shoes,

etc....it is what I call "Different strokes for different folks".

[Bridge Maven]

Shopping on a ship is a lot like shopping at an outlet center. Some things are less expensive because they are a good deal, some are less expensive because of inferior quality, while some items can be bought for less elsewhere. All of these places thrive on customers who do not have enough knowledge about the product they are buying.

[Lsimon]

There are actually some people out there who actually think that 'suggested retail price' actually means something other than an inflated price on which to base a completely false discount.

 

Even more people think that jewelry appraisals represent some sort of price that jewelry actually would sell at. These people think that if jewelry appraises for more than what they paid for it that it means they got a good price. This is not the case.

 

OTOH, there is nothing wrong with buying something you like at a place and time you enjoy shopping and then enjoying the purchase. You can't always put a price on that sort of experience. You'll certainly do better spending a couple hundred dollars at an on-board store than you would losing it at the casino. The important thing in doing either one is that you have a good time doing it and then don't look back.

 

We've bought jewelry at cruise store shops and at port stores. My wife enjoyed the shopping experience and had a lot of fun doing it. She also enjoys the jewelry and the memories of the cruises we bought them on. We might not have gotten the lowest price in the world for these items but it was more romantic and fun than searching the internet for the lowest price from our desk at home and clicking a button.

[skandls]

DH usually buys me a piece of jewellry when we travel. But these are from more exotic ports or 'special' trips. We keep these at a not TOO expensive price - and I have several pieces that are significant to me for the sentiment. My bracelet from the Gold Bridge in Florence was actually purchased a few blocks away. But it will always be my Ponte Vecchio souvenier.

 

If you want to buy an expensive watch do the research before you leave. I saw a watch I really liked on a cruise ship but did not get it because I thought it was too expensive. When I got home did the ebay thing and found out it was 'out of stock'. Now that its back in stock its $250 more.

[TLCOhio]

When I see a store claim they have the best price I give it as much credence as a sign at a restaurant declaring that they have the best food. This is an area where people need to take personable responsibility and not allow oneself to be easily persuaded by a store's advertising gimmicks (be it a store on a cruise ship or anywhere). Always do price comparisons when shopping for an expensive item and never trust a business' own self serving commentary about how they are the best and/or least expensive.

 

Well summarized!! There are lots of sales gimmicks and "tricks" used in marketing these days, including by cruise lines and others saying or claiming "50% off" and "2 for 1 pricing". Don't let emotion and/or a vacation/holiday period weaken your good judgement and sound business judgement.

 

The "sales standards" these days seem to be sinking lower and lower, both on ships and on land. Value is where the focus needs to be. Plus, do you really need it??? Pictures are a cheaper way for me to have "memories" from a trip than buying lots of over-priced "stuff".

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Recently back from a June 7-19 Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 47,840 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[Chicago Boy]

Couple of thoughts after reading the posts so far.

 

-It is fine to price shop ahead of time, but very often (at least in my experience) I am not looking for a particular item or style and don't know ahead of time what inventory the ship will have, so I am not sure how I can shop ahead. Certainly you can look onshore after you have seen what the ship has, but even in that case all you will know is how the price compares to the ship and prior ports - you can't know what the next ports will bring price-wise. I understand if someone is looking for a particular item this suggestion is a good one. It also can give you a general idea of pricing, but practically speaking this idea only helps sometimes.

 

-As to the fact of Celebrity not owning/running the shops. True. But in my opinion, they are accountable for the veracity of statements made by the vendors on their ship as well as quality of service and so on, and should be conducting due diligence. Some may not agree, but that is my opinion. Many cruisers are not aware Celebrity does not run these venues and presume (reasonably so in my opinion) that they do. There may be fine print somewhere onboard that says otherwise, but I suspect many people do not see or take a note of that.

 

-It seems to me that the ships do give the impression, if not outright state in print and/or presentations, that the ships pricing is the best. I can't prove this and can't quote specifics as it has been eight months since I've cruised, but for my own curiosity I am going to take a look at what is said and done in my upcoming cruise. We'll see if I am remembering correctly.

 

I for one have never thought Celebrity operates or owns the concessions aboard their ships. It's just like going into a department store and shopping the various designers. They are leasing out the stores space. I would imagine it is the same thing on an cruise line, not just Celebrity. I have never found any where in print where Celebrity says their prices are the best. I have found that they do recommend certain shops in the ports they visit because they are reputable. If my memory serves me correctly, I have seen in print that if a certain item of jewelery appraises for less off the ship they will make up the difference.

[Highlander1]

I don't know about your watch, but some items can be a bargain on the ship. I purchased a very nice budget watch on $10 night. A few weeks later, I was visiting my mother and she had the same exact watch on. She had purchased hers at a jeweler a year earlier for over $200.

 

I'd stay away from that jeweler, sounds like your Mom may have bought a $10 watch for $200:o. I know you'd like to believe you bought a $200 watch for $10, but, whats the chances?:rolleyes: Of course its possible your Mom bought something authentic and you bought a knock off, but chances are slim you got a $200 watch for $10. Like any sales, they sell everyday, you buy once in while, its their game.

 

Buy your stuff where you know its on the up and up.

[Bridge Maven]

Even though these vendors are not owned by Celebrity, since they do business on their ships and people pay them with their cruise card doesn't Celebrity have some responsibility for them. In my opinion, the situation is comparable to jewelry concessions within a department store, such as Macy's, Sak's, etc, where customers can use their department store's charge card, as well as return merchandise bought at that concession to the department store for a credit to their account.

[iancal]

One of the largest department stores in America regularly sells mattresses under the banner of 50 percent off. So do many other stores.

 

I don't think anyone pays full retail for a mattress set because the regular prices are a complete sham.....just like the watches at 40 percent off.

 

I did buy a watch on a HAL ship. It was on one of those big 40 percent off promos. I bought it because I liked it and knew that the price was fair...not really on sale, not really a bargain. In fact, I saw the same watch in Sawgrass the day we got off the ship. It was selling for about $7 less.

 

You may remember, years ago, when some cruise lines listed itinerary pricing in the brochures. Their list pricing was also a sham...they actually sold the cabins at 50 percent off the listed brochure prices in order to encourage people to book immediately and make them feel that they got a great deal. Internet accessability and on line TA's put an end to that nonsense.

 

If you believe all of the claims, then I may have a few fantastic bargains that you might be interested in buying.

 

The only price that matters is the bottom line. The rest is just noise.

[Bridge Maven]

One thing about watches is that if you buy one from a local jeweler in your neighborhood, many of them will give you a good discount if you just ask. A few years ago I wanted a specific Movado watch that our local jeweler didn't have so he showed me his catalog, ordered the one I wanted, and sold it to me for considerably less than retail. Since I had shopped around I had a good idea of its value and felt comfortable knowing that I was dealing with a local merchant who had a good reputation.

 

Years ago I bought a lot more during a cruise because there were things in other parts of the world that were not available at home. However, now you can find almost anything anywhere so that incentive no longer exists.

[loosygoosy]

We, and friends of ours as well, have in the past looked at the ship's merchandise, inquired as to the price and then headed off to the next port of call to check out the prices. We get each store we go in to mark the item and price on the card. We then go back on board and see if the ship will give us a "better" price. It has worked many times. If not, then we get the item at the next port of call (in the Caribbean many stores have a shop on each island) or we forget about it. Half the fun is the bargaining.

 

We purchased a watch on the island for $175 (legitimate major jewelry store) when the ship's vendor wanted $475 - and have purchased a watch on board for $3,200 that was $3,900 in port! Just depends on the day!

 

The only thing to keep in mind is - Do I need it, want it, love it...and can I afford what it costs. The rest is not important.

 

Compare it to cruise pricing.....if you talk to 10 people on board your cruise you will see that each of them paid something different - sometimes more than you paid and sometimes less. As long as you paid what it is worth to you you can't lose.

[iancal]

We ALWAYS ask for an additional discount. What is the worst thing they can say? My understanding is that the retail markup on jewellry/watches is 300% so there is lots of room for more discount.

 

In today's economy you would be surprised at the discounts you can get and where you can get them simply by asking-at home and on vacation.

[The Big Booper]

Years ago the ships, especially RCI, would have watch nights where in they would be selling what they claimed were discontinued watches for a flat $49.95 each. We liked the watches and over a period of 4 years bought five of them for the two of us.

 

The batteries would go for 3 years and then die. We would always take them into a jeweler at a local mall for a new battery and say that we got the watch as a gift, could they tell us about the watch. Invariably they would say that it was a five year old model and went for $150-200 when new.

 

So in those days the ship's promotional pricing was accurate, buy a discontinued model and save. Not any more.

[Gonzo70]

 

They do not recommend these stores because they are reputable, they recommend them because these stores pay a kickback to the cruise line in exchange for the recommendation.

[Bridge Maven]

They do not recommend these stores because they are reputable, they recommend them because these stores pay a kickback to the cruise line in exchange for the recommendation.

 

Gonzo, I agree with you, but unfortunately the people who give the port talks on Celebrity ships are very misleading about this fact.

[Gonzo70]

Gonzo, I agree with you, but unfortunately the people who give the port talks on Celebrity ships are very misleading about this fact.

 

That is true; my wife was suckered by them on one of our first cruises.

[Lsimon]

They do not recommend these stores because they are reputable, they recommend them because these stores pay a kickback to the cruise line in exchange for the recommendation.

Gonzo, I agree with you, but unfortunately the people who give the port talks on Celebrity ships are very misleading about this fact.

 

OK - now this is hitting on one of my pet peeves and this is truly the place where the marketing on board is a lie. Celebrity, unfortunately, allows the same underhanded, dishonest and disreputable marketing practices on its ships that the rest of the cruise line industry does. There are two main areas where I see this: Recommended cruise stores and the art auctions.

 

The cruise lines run this scam where they hold "port talks" where a port, or shopping, consultant, provides information on "recommended" stores. The scam is that they are leading people to beleive that the port talks are presented in the best interests of the passengers and that the recommeded stores get on the list because they pass muster according to some customer service or reputability measure. The fact is that this is all advertising dollar driven marketing and the recommended stores get on the list by paying advertising dollars and in some cases a commission to the marketing company who in turn shares the loot with Celebrity. The port consultant's (shopping consultant's) only objective is to generate revenue by getting people to shop at the recommended stores. They will even go so far as to escort a big ticket jewelry shopper to a store that is in on the scam to help them buy a big ol' expensive piece of bling. Their job depends totally on the marketing revenues and not at all on customer service in terms of honest guidance.

 

The art auctions is a huge scam selling overpriced art using deceptive tactics.

 

If you have any doubt of either of these statements of mine do a little googling on "cruise art auctions" or "cruise recommended stores" with or without terms such as rip-off or complaint and you'll have no problems reading about tons of unresolved problems.

[ghstudio]

lsimon....excellent post.

 

One should also read about how Celebrity stands behind their guarantees/warrantees and how the stores stand behind their warrantees while you are googling on the internet. Actually, you can probably search here on cruise critic about problems buyers have had having problems resolved with "celebrity recommended stores". Don't believe any of that stuff you get on board about how the stores have been checked and agree to do wonderful things on their warranties.....and don't expect any help from Celebrity if you have a problem...."it's not our problem, it's a franchise...deal with them".

[Bridge Maven]

OK - now this is hitting on one of my pet peeves and this is truly the place where the marketing on board is a lie. Celebrity, unfortunately, allows the same underhanded, dishonest and disreputable marketing practices on its ships that the rest of the cruise line industry does. There are two main areas where I see this: Recommended cruise stores and the art auctions.

 

The cruise lines run this scam where they hold "port talks" where a port, or shopping, consultant, provides information on "recommended" stores. The scam is that they are leading people to beleive that the port talks are presented in the best interests of the passengers and that the recommeded stores get on the list because they pass muster according to some customer service or reputability measure. The fact is that this is all advertising dollar driven marketing and the recommended stores get on the list by paying advertising dollars and in some cases a commission to the marketing company who in turn shares the loot with Celebrity. The port consultant's (shopping consultant's) only objective is to generate revenue by getting people to shop at the recommended stores. They will even go so far as to escort a big ticket jewelry shopper to a store that is in on the scam to help them buy a big ol' expensive piece of bling. Their job depends totally on the marketing revenues and not at all on customer service in terms of honest guidance.

 

The art auctions is a huge scam selling overpriced art using deceptive tactics.

 

If you have any doubt of either of these statements of mine do a little googling on "cruise art auctions" or "cruise recommended stores" with or without terms such as rip-off or complaint and you'll have no problems reading about tons of unresolved problems.

 

Lsimon, there was an article in the New York Times a few years ago about the Park West art auctions at sea, which discussed their deceptive tactics. Here is a link for that article.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/arts/design/16crui.html?pagewanted=all

[Tiggertastic]

We could buy a brand new Citizen blue angel on board for $50 less than our jeweler wanted to replace the strap and glass on the existing one.

 

The ship watch was a bargain.

 

They are certainly cheaper than you can buy them in the UK - we've bought 3 watches on ships and haven't found them cheaper elsewhere

[Bridge Maven]

Lsimon, there was an article in the New York Times a few years ago about the Park West art auctions at sea, which discussed their deceptive tactics. Here is a link for that article.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/arts/design/16crui.html?pagewanted=all

 

Regarding the article in the link of my previous post quoted above, this is just one example of how deceitful Park West's business practices are:

 

"On the back of Park West invoices, issued on the ship, the appraised value is described as “the price a client would have to pay to replace the work through a reputable retail art gallery.” Yet on the Park West appraisals themselves, shipped to buyers along with their artwork, the appraised value refers to the “current Park West Gallery retail replacement price.”