Cruise Vacation Opportunity... Meeting First?

My inlaws went and got the free cruise.. Yes, you pay taxes and ALL fees.. No flights included. Also the cruise is only for certain dates.. Since they were retired it was not a big deal..

I haven't been to one but my mom has. They tried to sell her a time-share. It is an extremely high-pressure sales pitch and they can be quite nasty and rude if you don't buy anything. I guess you have to go into it being prepared for the pressure from the sales people and be ready to keep saying 'No' if you don't want to buy.

Nothing is "free," especially vacations.

Wow, a cruise! That sounds too good to be true but maybe true? Here is my experience. Me and my husband were not offered a cruise but 4 days in Vegas and something like $100 in restaurant gift cards. We did receive what was promised after the presentation, I think it was for a Time Share. They do push pretty hard after the presentation to get you to buy into it. If you stick to your guns and don't get suckered into purchasing the time share you should be ok.

We went to Vegas, but they did offer upgrades for and additional cost, which we paid for. All in all it was a good deal. We paid a lot less than if we had paid for it all ourselves. I was a little nervous when we were checking out thinking we would be charged for the room, but everything went smoothly with no problems. I think I would do more of those presentations except that I can't stomach someone trying to sell me something that I either don't want or can afford.

Hope this helps

I have been to several timeshare meetings and I will NEVER attend another.
It is not worth the free stuff...LOL only because...one of our 90 min. presentations went for 4 hours!!!!! yes...4 hrs!!!! it was in Puerto Vallarta and boy they do not take "NO" for an answer. and by the time they accept the "NO" they are very rude. I would love to get all of the free stuff that they offer, but I just can not sit thru those presentations...lol
good luck!!!!

We went to one at Disneyland for the Disney Travel club or whatever they call it. All we were getting was a $50 gift card, and boy did it take a long time. The salesman was totally annoying, and kept coming back with "better offers" for us. Of course we had no intention of buying after we realized the money involved and we told him so at the end of his presentation.
He tried to get us out of there without giving us our gift card. We actually had to ASK for it, and the guy was very cold to us. Not a pleasant experience, even with Disney.

It all depends on the personality of the person doing the "90 minute" presentation! Obviously, they're trying to sell you spmething. We've been to presentations where they smile, thank you and hand you the prize voucher as soon as you say, "No, thanks," and others where they do everything but physically restrain you for 3 or 4 hours while they give you a hard sell.

Make sure you read all the fine print on the fees. Sometimes it's a great deal; sometimes they add up to more than you'd pay booking online with a cruise discounter.

We did this at a Hilton time share in Hawaii.
We paid a fairly nominal fee - I think $500 for the week and our family of 5 stayed at a really upscale resort in Hawaii. We had miles to redeem so there was no airfare costs for us. We had to attend a 2 hour presentation on a new time share property. If we had the money, we totally do a timeshare, but we don't. So, we just said thanks, but no thanks, and walked away.
I think it was totally worth it!

I have taken advantage of two of these opportunities that did not promise a cruise but did have free or almost free rooms in Carmel and San Francisco for 3 nights that included money toward a dinner and in the case of San Francisco, a concert. One was through Hilton (or Hyatt?) which now owns the HIghland Inn in Carmel. Very low pressure and well worth the time for what we got. In San Francisco it was for a time share in the hotel and they wanted you to experience a free room. Again worth it. We got offered a deal back east that offered free tickets into Busch Gardens amusement park for the family if we attended a presentation. That one was high pressure and we felt kidnapped longer than the time that was expected. We got the ticket, but that time it wasn't worth it. I'd give it a try. You could always "dis" it on facebook if it doesn't pan out.

They are real vacations. You will be required to sit through a 90 minute "HIGH PITCH" to buy into a time share at the Hilton resorts. They will go on and on and on. They will then sit you down with a represenative who will pressure you sooooo bad into buying or even "trying" their time share. This part will go past the 90 minutes. You will end up there for over 2 hours. They will have a hundred options and finance options. They will go on and on asking you all of the time for a credit card. IF YOU can put up with that, then go for it.... I will tell you though, these people are good.... real good.... They will even let you "post date" checks. (LOL)... If you still say no, they will let you go and give you the vochure for the free cruise, but they are very very rude to you and do not look for them to tell you good-bye or show you the way out.... The cruise also has to be taken within a year and they have a ton of blackout dates. Now know, cruise port fees and taxes will still run you a few hundred of dollars. Also note, it does not include air. (I know you say you live close to port). IF you drive, you will also pay to leave your car at port. You will also be required to purchase your cruise insurance. You are responsible for any charges on the ship and know that you have to pay out a few hundred dollars in gratituties that have to be paid. Those in themselves will run you close to $300. So if all of this is ok with you, go to the talk and enjoy your vacation.

As long as you are positive you can say No (don't even bring your checkbook, credit cards). They are a HARD sell and are VERY good at their jobs. Don't fill out any paperwork unless you are sure it doesn't commit you to anything (now or in the future). The meeting will be longer than 90 minutes and they won't give you the voucher until the very end (you will be lucky if they hand it to you. We had ours "thrown" at us). They don't allow kids in the meetings. If you can do all that, go for it and have an amazing vacation! My husband and I got a great weekend in Palm Springs as a result of ours, but the "presentation" wasn't a positive experience so I am not sure we will ever sit through one again.