Bar Crawl - paid participation. Allowed?

[Riemercruisin]

I have a question about onboard bar crawls. I understand that I need to mind my own business, but this intrigues me.

It's now the 3rd cruise group page that I'm involved in where a bar crawl/cruise crawl is offered by seemingly a professional organization. There are links for registration and T-shirt sales.

Is this approved by Carnival? Because, what happens if we pay and these events are forbidden/stopped by the cruise line?

[girlscruise2011]

I've seen this once and I wondered myself. From what I understand the "host" of the crawl isn't even the organizer, its a 3rd party who isn't even sailing. They have prizes too so you wonder how much money they are making on the T-Shirt sales.  I thought things like this were against Carnival rules but how would they actually know?

[mz-s]

A fool and their money.

[Saint Greg]

Carnival can't control what people do on social media. They chose to get rid of their message boards and promote that site. If you own a t-shirt business all you have to do is start groups for a bunch of cruises you aren't going on, enlist one person on each cruise to deliver the shirts, and you're in business.

[Roscoe13]

14 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

Carnival can't control what people do on social media. They chose to get rid of their message boards and promote that site. If you own a t-shirt business all you have to do is start groups for a bunch of cruises you aren't going on, enlist one person on each cruise to deliver the shirts, and you're in business.

You're correct but if you have not seen these advertised on SM, they are very misleading to the newbie cruiser. My cruise pals signed up for it my last cruise (January) and they didn't get their shirts (supply chain issues) nor their prizes as they won. 

[girlscruise2011]

11 minutes ago, Roscoe13 said:

You're correct but if you have not seen these advertised on SM, they are very misleading to the newbie cruiser. My cruise pals signed up for it my last cruise (January) and they didn't get their shirts (supply chain issues) nor their prizes as they won. 

Wow thats so wrong. How can people take advantage like that and at that point, what can you do? So wrong..

[jimbo5544]

I have seen variations, but not quite what you describe.  Someone on the cruise must coordinate, I assume they are getting compensated in some form or fashion for doing so.  There are all sorts of versions of this, usually tied to some travel group and on specialty cruises (Journey’s and an example), get into all sorts of things, most for pay.  Some probably cross the line (whatever that might be from the cruise line perspective), but not sure what sure what CCL can do.  The best way from my perspective is for them to tell their tale (either here on the site where they had the issue.  

 

I do know there are rules regarding selling thing ON the ships, but not quite what you describe.

[babsinpbg]

I've seen those "offers" too. My brothers and I like to organize a bar crawl when we cruise, and we provide theme hats, beads etc. on our own dime. Always a good time!

 

Aside from maybe buying a group shirt, I'd be suspect of anyone looking for money for a bar crawl.

 

[mz-s]

The cruise groups I've been a member of in the past few years have been overrun by spammers and scammers - and the folks who run the groups don't seem interested in doing anything about it (maybe they're in cahoots...). I don't even bother with them anymore.

[BlerkOne]

If they are putting anything on the shirts that is trademarked by Carnival - like the funnel - Carnival might be interested in reducing their profits.

 

Look for lots of duck sale scams - particularly as they get loser to being banned.

 

Operating a business on Carnival ships without permission is strictly prohibited.