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An experienced cruise worker has revealed the six marketing traps that first-time passengers always fall victim to.
Lucy Southerton, 28, has amassed just under a decade of experience aboard cruise ships around the world.
He regularly shares his insider knowledge on his YouTube channel. Sailing as a crew – Lucy said she’s seen “every trick in the book.”
“I’ve seen how they force you to spend money when you’re on board,” he said.
‘How they encourage you to go to certain places at certain times so that everyone is spread out. He’s actually very, very smart.
From loyalty programs to all-inclusive packages, Lucy shared the six most common marketing strategies to get you to spend more.
Experienced cruise worker Lucy Southerton, 28 (pictured), revealed the six marketing traps that novice passengers always fall victim to.
From loyalty programs to all-inclusive packages, Lucy breaks down the six most common marketing tactics
1. All Inclusive
Disclosing that cruises are one of the most expensive ways to spend a vacation, Lucy stated that tourists spend 50 percent of what they initially paid for the cruise while they set sail.
He also dropped another bombshell, joking about how customers are often enticed to spend more before they even set foot on the ship.
“One thing they try to do to get you to spend more money actually happens before you even set foot in the business,” he said.
According to Lucy, cruise ships often ask customers if they would like to spend a little more on their vacation by opting for an “all-inclusive” package.
An all-inclusive package could include things like WiFi, drinks, dining experiences, and even a possible upgrade.
However, according to the cruise worker, these deals are not always worth it.
Sometimes the WiFi won’t be up to par or you may not be able to consume as many drinks, meaning you paid a lot for very little.
“If you figure it out and you drink eight to 10 drinks a day and you think it would be worth it to get the drink package, get it,” he said.
But it’s something you really need to consider. This should not be a spur-of-the-moment decision when booking your cruise.
“Because even if they tell you, ‘This will save you money,’ it won’t always save you money.”
Buying all-inclusive packages, such as drink deals or WiFi, can be a waste of money as you may spend more than you consume.
2. Offer of improvements
Similar to all-inclusive packages, this process, called a “hack” by Lucy, happens before you even set foot on the boat.
When you book your cruise, you will be asked if you would like to bid on upgrades to your room.
According to Lucy, many people who bid for a superior room eventually discover that they paid more for the superior room than if they had booked that room to begin with.
‘It’s very easy to get caught up in the bidding process. It’s exciting to think you’re going to win,” he said.
“But obviously it can be a little discouraging when you realize you’ve paid $100 more than you would have paid if you’d booked that.” [the cabin] first of all.’
Lucy recommends researching the rooms you want before bidding to know their asking price so you have a spending threshold.
3) Excursions
The most common onboard marketing strategy is excursions, according to Lucy, who said they are often “pushed” to customers.
Moving on to the spending traps that onboard customers fall into, the cruise worker was quick to point out the high prices of excursions.
Explaining why cruises “push” excursions, Lucy divulged that it was because they don’t want to spend with other companies.
She claims they also want to discourage you from exploring the harbor on your own.
“They’ll tell you things like, ‘It’s a little dangerous. You may not return to the ship in time. “It’s safer to do it with an excursion,” she said, although he also revealed that this is true.
She added: ‘[However] There are only a few cases where I think it is worth paying the premium price to take a tour.
“The cruise lines are going to want to get as much money out of you as possible, so they’re going to push this.”
Once again encouraging viewers to do their research, Lucy urged them to research the places they are going and plan ahead.
4) Change of itineraries
When you buy your cruise, you sign a contract with the company and, according to the experienced cruise worker, the fine print says that the ship can change your itinerary spontaneously.
The cruise expert explained that a change of plans usually comes with a very good reason, such as bad weather and the inability to dock.
He told how many disappointed tourists had often told him that they were going to ask for compensation because the ship had deviated from their travel plans.
However, Lucy dropped the bombshell that regardless of whether the ship doesn’t stop where you expected, you are not entitled to any compensation.
“The reason I feel like this is a gimmick, because they don’t explain it to you in detail, is because they tell me on the phone, ‘They can change the itinerary.’
“What a lot of people don’t read is the fine print,” he said.
5) Free items
Lucy also warned that the free charms and items given out on cruises often have a downside.
The cruise expert, who was also previously a shopping ambassador, shared that he would be giving away hundreds of items in hopes of driving more traffic to his store.
‘If they give a hundred for free [items] “And one person buys something, it makes a lot of things worth giving away,” the cruise expert said.
“Especially if it’s a jewelry store and a person buys something for $10,000, which happens.”
Lucy added that the marketing strategy wasn’t necessarily a bad thing: “Who doesn’t love a bit of retail therapy?”
“But I just want you to know that the reason there is something free or a free informational seminar is simply because they want you to buy something.”
He added: “There’s nothing wrong with it, but know that we’re not doing it out of the goodness of our hearts.”
6) Loyalty programs
A cruise ship worker revealed that loyalty programs often discourage passengers from purchasing for better experiences.
The last “trap” that the cruise worker revealed to viewers was the loyalty programs.
Disclosing that every cruise company has one, Lucy shared that they are designed to prevent you from shopping elsewhere.
Once you progress through the scheme and start getting better perks, you’ll be less likely to look for packages with other companies, according to the content creator.
“This prevents cruisers from trying new cruise lines,” he continued: “Adding that loyalty program will make it harder to move away from that.”
Although Lucy was not explicitly urging people not to join loyalty programs, she urged her viewers to keep in mind that this was a marketing strategy.
Sometimes those who participate in loyalty programs can also miss out on benefits, as the onus often falls on the consumer to know what they are entitled to.
She told prospective cruisers to visit their onboard loyalty manager to find out what they could get.
“These little tricks aren’t bad, but they are things we need to keep in mind because the less money we spend per cruise, the more we can afford to continue,” he said.
