The Platinum Passport for shopping

[Iluvboatrides]

We just returned from a nine day cruise on the Vision of the Seas....Alaska to Los Angeles. The first morning at sea we purchased the Platinum Passport for shopping in the three ports we were visiting. It is $20.00 and you receive a very fat little book that is full of coupons from several stores at each port. They tell you that the "gifts" have a value of over $300.00.... :confused: "a great way to collect some of the gifts you like to take back home, etc." It sounded pretty good...but after collecting the first couple gifts I realized that the quality is poor to fair. We were only able to do this in the first port, after that, there was NOT time to go to each of the stores and collect the items. I decided I would spread the word that you really want to think about doing this.....it is not such a wonderful idea like it is presented by the person who gives the talk on shopping in ports. I was not the only person who felt this way. Use that $20.00 to purchase something you really want to have.:D

[BigDogCruiser]

I agree. I purchased one of the books for the Caribbean on eBay for $3.50. If I hadn't taken the low risk approach I might have been suckered into buying one on the ship. The best deals are the free tote bag (with purchase) from Del Sol and free Caribean music CD's. The jewelry isn't worth the effort. Now, if you intend on making a large ($$$) jewelry purchase at a place like Diamonds International you can make back your $20.00 very easily. Just remember Caveat Emptor.

[wolfcathorse]

I bought one in Feb, got my freebies (the earrings and free gemstones are worthless) then sold it on eBay (not to you BigDog!) I think I broke even. The stuff worth something was the cocktail stir stick (handblown glass - Coz), the silver charm bracelet (Nassau), the Del Sol bag is a joke becuase there's nothing under $20 in the whole store and it says free bag with $5 purchase. I was going to get a T-shirt anyway so I got the bag (use it for groceries), and I get the charm from each DI store in the various ports, I got a water wallet, and there was a water wallet at another port that I gave to my sister. When they say free diamond earrings, you need a magnifying glass, no a microscope, to see the diamond chip. One free gemstone was so small I traded it up for a pair of peridot earrings plus another $20. The earrings are nice so worth it. I also used my VIP card to get a substantial savings on a tanzanite loose stone at Rachat Romero in Cozumel. I won't be buying another Platinum passport book!

[dougp26364]

We purchased one on our very first cruise. We've not purchased one since then. The "free" gems, earings or whatever amounts to what comes out of a Crakerjack box. This past cruise the wife decided to get the Goodmark stickers and walk into the store so they'd donate the 25 or 50 cents to charity. They gave us the "free" loose stones and I just gave them back to the girl. I was just going to throw them away anyway.

 

I'll admit the ships staff does an excellent job of selling this little piece of junk. I think Vision sold out of it the first day of the cruise. I saw a lot of people with those books going from store to store picking up their freebies so I guess some people get some enjoyment out of them. Personally, I'll just keep the money in my pocket and let those that enjoy those cheap pieces of junk jewelry have them.

[Merion_Mom]

I agree. I purchased one of the books for the Caribbean on eBay for $3.50. If I hadn't taken the low risk approach I might have been suckered into buying one on the ship. The best deals are the free tote bag (with purchase) from Del Sol and free Caribean music CD's. The jewelry isn't worth the effort. Now, if you intend on making a large ($$$) jewelry purchase at a place like Diamonds International you can make back your $20.00 very easily. Just remember Caveat Emptor.

I agree that they are next to worthless, and I'll never buy another one again. I DO like my Del Sol bag (mine was free, as I recall, but that was a few years ago), but the stores that were offering the "free Caribbean music CDs" were ALWAYS out of them, so I couldn't redeem that coupon. Really ticked me off.

 

Yes, I just love those microscopic tanzanite earrings. I'm embarrassed to even give them away at school as a prize. :rolleyes:

[Michelle!]

The stir stick in Cozumel were a good deal, I love mine. But for the most part, the book is a lot of time spent collecting useless crap. Alas, my best gal pal and I call it the ABOC - amazing book of crap.

 

Need I say more?:eek:

[sas80]

Hmmmmm

I think I kind of knew all this because, in the Daily Compasses, they tell you to go to store "such and such" to get a free gift...and I could see that the "free gift" was crap....

 

So, when I head about this shopping book that offered "free gifts" I figured that it was just more of the same.

 

Still though, on the bright side, at least it wasnt a $50 book, right?

$20 is not going to put you out too much....

 

One fun thing I have undertaken is to try to go to as many stores that offer a "free gemstone" just for browsing. Eventually, I figure, I will have enough loose gemstones to make an interesting piece(s) of jewelry....!

[MGoBlue2]

We just returned from a nine day cruise on the Vision of the Seas....Alaska to Los Angeles. The first morning at sea we purchased the Platinum Passport for shopping in the three ports we were visiting. It is $20.00 and you receive a very fat little book that is full of coupons from several stores at each port. They tell you that the "gifts" have a value of over $300.00.... :confused: "a great way to collect some of the gifts you like to take back home, etc." It sounded pretty good...but after collecting the first couple gifts I realized that the quality is poor to fair. We were only able to do this in the first port, after that, there was NOT time to go to each of the stores and collect the items. I decided I would spread the word that you really want to think about doing this.....it is not such a wonderful idea like it is presented by the person who gives the talk on shopping in ports. I was not the only person who felt this way. Use that $20.00 to purchase something you really want to have.:D

Oh, I'm sure it has a "value" of $300 ... just like when my wife buys $14.95 worth of some sort of make up and gets a free gift with a "value" of $46.00.

[antiquesearose]

Marketing folks undoubtly thought cruisers wouldn't mind whipping out a single "insignificant" $20 and cruisers would not resent the loss should anyone feel that way. If that'll keep cruise prices down, I guess that's a benefit.

[Hlitner]

Hye folks,, this is just another profit center like the art auctions, 600% + mark-ups on wine etc. Those $20 books a really pure profit for the cruise line. The stores pay to be in the book and the passengers pay to have the book. The cruise line pockets their money from both ends. There was a time when you could get those "free" gifts for free by just being a cruise ship passenger who walked in the store (I wonder how many thousands of "free emerald ear rings" are still out there is cruiser land).

 

Hank

[helen/steve]

In other words, dont waste your money on the book. it is worthless.

[Iluvboatrides]

In other words, dont waste your money on the book. it is worthless.

 

Helen, you are correct. The reason I posted my original thread I am hoping that someone who has never been on a cruise will read all of this and know from our experience that it is just a waste of their money. The way it was presented, it almost sounded like you DID NOT need to go to every store to collect the items....like they were going to hand you the Del Sol bag filled with the $300.00 "value" of wonderful gifts. Last November when I was on the NCL Star all I needed to do was to take a coupon from the daily paper in your room to one of the Del Sol stores and received the tote bag free....no purchase necessary. When I went into the Del Sol store on this trip I needed to spend $5 to receive the tote bag. Nothing even close to that amount you would buy. It is my hope that someone new to all of this will learn from our experience. I also feel the same way about their VIP shopping cards.....give it to the manager of the store and receive additional amount off of the jewelry you are looking at. It was an insult as to the amount one store was going to take off of the posted price on a pair of earrings. They advertise since it was end of season in Alaska at least 60-70% off of all jewelry....and their offer was not even 50%. BTW, beware of the Diamond International stores in Mexico...they never give up, and even want to deliver the item to your ship if you left your CC on the ship, and keep on insisting and also make insulting remarks. I saw a man who tried on a ring and was having a difficult time getting it off, well as far as they were concerned on, he had bought it. Real easy to get out the small saw that is designed for that, of course they mentioned offered that, only that he had a new ring. He was finally able to remove it. You will notice by my signature, I have been on a lot of "boat rides", and this was the first time I ever spent the time going to the onboard shopping talk the first day at sea. So, I thought I would give the Platinum Passport for shopping a try. It is worthless :cool: and certainly not worth the effort to go to all of the stores to collect your "junque"