First , the "Cruise Specialists" travel agencies.
Before I went on my first Cruise, the famous and super popular "Inside Passage" up the British Columbia, Canada and Alaska coast, I must have called a dozen of them in a major California city.
RESULTS: They all lied in telling me I would "see lots of Orcas and lots of other whales too in May."
I didn't see 1 Orca and only about a dozen whales in 13 days spent looking out from both sides of the ship!
The schools of small fish usually don't come in that early in the cruise season.
Why don't the travel associations protect the travel agents And the Travelers?
Where are the state Attorney Generals, since this is so common in California and probably all states?
Why are certain businesses clearly under policed, like Travel agencies, and Charter/Tour buses and Limousines, Restaurants in major cruise ship towns?
Second, I got food poisoning in St. Petersburg, a major stop for cruise ships, at one of the "recommended" water view restaurants! Why doesn't the Public Health depts inspect, signage grade, and more closely regulate these very lucrative, huge crowds passing, restaurants?
I was in food poisoning agony for days!
Third, the very common practice of "bait and switch" in airplane sightseeing the channels or fiords. I went to another major port, extremely crowded Juneau, and asked about a flight in a big engine Beaver or Otter instead of a cramped and tiny Cessna plane I had already flown in years ago.
The operater I chose had a brochure with a big engine Beaver on it but after I paid told me, "Lots of people cancelled, so if you want to go we will be using a (small, underpowered, cheaper, cramped) Cessna instead of the Beaver you signed up for. Ok?"
It was getting late and I really wanted to see the Inside Passage from the air for just 1 hour, so I agreed.
2 women and I were crammed into a very small and very tiny engine Cessna floatplane with a fat middle aged pilot! I really feared the passenger weight would keep us on the water, unable to take off! But the tiny Cessna engine whined and we took a long splashing run to finally, just barely enough power, get into the air and start to very slowly bouncing climb and head inland slowly! I sat in the second row and worried about swimming in the very cold water the whole time. The pilot was skilled but the little light plane bounced in the air currents a lot! Will we all get airsick ,,,? When we landed, I did Not tip! I noticed most airplane sightseeing companies at this major cruise ship port reserved the "right" to change planes. Never again!
Fourth, I booked a cruise ship to see a certain advertised route, including Glacier Bay.
That was "cancelled" with no appropriate refund amount to me!
Grrr.
I had paid over $1000. for a "luxury ship".
I call that "false advertising".
Fifth, There were many "personnel problems" I observed on the cruise ship and just tried to look the other way from the public swearing and yelling.
I was their paid in full before "onboard" captive for 13 days ,so tried to make the best of every Very Expensive day of cruise ship travel!
Good luck!!
