The $99 Bahamas Cruise – Is it a Scam or for Real?

I keep getting questions about this $99 Cruise to the Bahamas!  Friends ask about it, my followers & readers too!  It's everywhere - online, in the papers, and now on an infomercial almost as long as the Cruise itself. In this article, I’ll give you the facts on who’s offering the real $99 Cruise deal, and which Cruise offers you should say “bon voyage“ to.  As a veteran traveler, I know how to do my research!

When asking if a $99 Bahamas Cruise is a fake, scam, or a scheme – the answer is – it depends on who is offering it. There are a number of companies who do offer the Cruise for $99. Some offer it for $99 per person, and some for just $99 for TWO travelers. Before we start naming names, let’s highlight just a few things to help separate a real deal from one you should be skeptical of.

1. Can you easily contact the company? Companies or websites that display a prominent phone number and email address (& respond to inquiries within 24 hours), are more likely to be authentic than those who only provide a contact form. Companies that invest in their phone numbers or email addresses can also be a tip off – perhaps the phone number is customized to match the company offer, which requires an investment likely to be made by someone running a legit offer. On the same note – be wary of sending anyone money with a regular joeschmo@gmail.com address. A real company should offer a professional email address.

2. What’s the fine print?  Every offer has fine print. Not only for the company’s benefit, but the customer too! Fine print can include important details like expiration dates, additional fees, blackout dates, and other relevant information a customer would need to know before booking! In regard to travel offers, companies with nothing to hide will let customers know up front that they will be expected to pay port fees, government taxes or other minor fees up front, whether there are black out dates, whether there are any timeshare presentations, or other things that can heavily impact the trip.

3. Customer experience matters! First impression – what does their website tell you? Does it have good content and information? Or it the information vague? Does the site look professional with real photos & graphics? Or does it seem dated?  When you call – you should be greeted by polite, enthusiastic people, who are happy and able to answer all your questions. If you end up speaking with someone who is able to answer your questions, send you additional information, and seems relatively happy to do so, they are likely well paid at a reputable company. If you hear the radio or tv blaring in the background of someone’s home “office”, or the rep on the line can’t answer your questions, deflects or dodges them, it’s not a good sign.

The saying holds true – if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. The $99 Bahamas Cruise offer is indeed, a very GOOD offer. But how good is it? And who offers the real one? Before we get to that, let's explore how the $99 Bahamas cruise is even possible!

Why It’s $99.  Since time eternal, the number 99 has been a seller. Psychologically, it’s better than seeing a round number of $1.00 or $100, and marketers know this. Not that we begrudge them saving us a penny on our purchase! The offer of $99 or even $99 per person is very buyer friendly, and deals like this often become very publicized, well known & well liked…if they’re legit!

How the $99 offer benefits the Cruise line. Because of the huge costs involved in operating today’s luxury ships, cruise lines want to sail with as few empty cabins as possible. They turn to their trusted wholesale and marketing partners to sell excess inventory at deep discounts, allowing the cruise companies to still get full fare on the travel packages that they sell directly to customers for retail prices. More guests means more people will also spend additional money on alcohol, at their on board casinos, purchasing souvenirs, and partaking in excursions & other activities that benefit the cruise and their partners.

Who’s Got The Real Offers?  I have chosen to highlight the top 4 companies offering the $99 Bahamas Cruise that you’re likely considering buying from to help you make a decision on which one to buy from based on your needs.  


Cruise99.com

This company meets some “good” criteria at first glance. Decent looking site, visible phone number, ok graphics. 


We did our own online research, as well as called this cruise offer directly to get the real deal on this offer. Here’s what we found!

BBB Rating: We could not find any information on the BBB for this company. 

PROS: This Cruise is offered by Caribbean Cruise lines, and they have their own infomercial for this cruise offer. We liked that there was a video on the site. It was fun to watch & got us excited about all the fun stuff there was to do on the Cruise. The phone number is easy to see and a rep answered quickly. The website was ok but seemed to leave a lot of questions unanswered, presumably so people would call in. For example there was no information on sail dates, itinerary or schedule times, cabin details, or on board activities. Each page only included a brief paragraph of information which was not exactly rich with details. The rep we spoke with was helpful & pleasant. On their site it claims “The Cruise is $99 for 2 people. Really! All your gourmet meals, 24 hour room service, on-board entertainment and non-stop fun are included! And no blackout dates!” 

CONS: This is untrue. This offer also requires additional fees not clearly listed. It requires fees of $59 per person, and an additional $20 “processing fee.” We have nothing against additional fees, in fact, we expect them. But please tell people up front. Strike one for vagueness. The most significant issue we saw with booking this Cruise is that along with “No blackout dates”, they do not mention anywhere on the site that guests are required to book 60 days in advance. This sucks the fun & spontaneity out of a weekend trip immediately, as many people call in expecting to book right away, or according to their needs or work schedule, only to find they must plan 2 months in advance. With additional research we discovered that once the cruise is finalized (2 months in advance), there are no refunds available and no changes can be made to the cruise, passenger name, or cruise date, unless you spend additional money for insurance. (None of this info is listed on their site either.) 

TIMESHARE PRESENTATION: Yes. This Cruise offers an additional option to stay longer at Grand Bahamas Island for “just a few small fees”. (We pressed for info on exact figures and were not given an actual number). Unless you live in California or Illinois, you will be attending a soul sucking timeshare presentation for half the day (morning or afternoon) on this wonderful island paradise. Also not mentioned anywhere on the site, except briefly, & very vaguely, on their Terms & Conditions page. 

Overall Grade: C-. Caribbean Cruise lines are reputable, so the Cruise is probably fun. It is “basically” $99 plus a few fees. We would have liked to see much more detail available online like cabin styles and the fun factors of the ship, and the vagueness of the site is a bit unsettling. Also, no email address. If you’re able to book 2 months in advance, & don’t anticipate any changes in your schedule for those 2 months, this is probably a safe option. Also, if you’re in the market for a new timeshare property, this is top pick. 


99BahamasCruise.com 

This $99 Bahamas Cruise offers the cruise through a wholesale broker called Travel Tickers. Travelers may recognize their deals on Groupon as well. The Cruise line for this offer is Bahamas Celebration, a popular turn around 3 day 2 night Bahamas Cruise. This Cruise offers many on board activities, and lets guests explore the Bahamas for the day with dolphin encounters, horseback riding, snorkel tours & more once at the island. Real reviews about the Cruise Line Bahamas Celebration can be found at CruiseCritic.com.
 
BBB Rating: “A” rating with the BBB.
 
PROS: The website for this offer has devoted an entire section to this Bahamas Cruise offer with full details & photos of cabin styles, available sail dates, each restaurant, and on board activities. The phone number is easily visible at all times, and there are real photos of the cruise ship front & center. The itinerary is listed clearly with time schedule so there is no guessing involved. The fees are also listed up front with no guesswork. Their site names port charges, taxes & fees, and states that booking can be done anytime with no advance notice. The rep we spoke to was very nice and knowledgeable about the Cruise & its policies. The fees were explained to us clearly without us asking, and we were sent a follow up email within minutes with all the pertinent info. The rep confirmed there was no timeshare pitch for using this offer and guests can book anytime, no advance notice required. In addition, cabin upgrades began at just $50.
 
CONS: The site offers many other travel deals, not just the Bahamas Cruise, which may be distracting for cruise focused customers. The phone lines for this offer were a little long to get through to a rep. We were told this was due to the fact that it was one week before spring break & their lines get tied up around this time with so many guests booking at once.  
TIMESHARE PRESENTATION: No. Not only is one not required, it is not even an option with this Cruise. 

Overall Grade: A. This company & cruise are both well established with good reputations. They offer the cruise for $99 for two, have up front fees, no timeshare pitch & no advance booking required. The Cruise details are plentiful and customer service lists their phone number & email address for questions. Points for clarity & integrity. Bahamas Celebration is also a well known & well liked cruise line with a solidly favorable reputation, so guests are sure to enjoy themselves. The Cruise is $99 for two travelers, and guests do not need to pay any port charges or fees until they have chosen their dates & cabin style, which can be a nice break on the wallet for some. We would recommend that they put a few more people on the phones so that guests can get through faster, but we assume they are busy for a reason, so our grade is an A. 


99DollarCruise.com 

Our first impression of this company was not good. Although they come up a lot in the search engines, we do not believe it is because they are offering a great deal, but rather because of clever SEO marketing.
 

BBB Rating: This company was listed, but not rated by the BBB, although there was an “Alert!” marking for the company. The phone numbers the BBB had for this company are disconnected, and directory assistance did not have a listing for this company's address.
 
THE SCOOP: Hey, sometimes the BBB is outdated – so ignoring the above statement, we gave them a call during regular business hours and were greeted with a message that led to a free voicemail account. With no message. There was no email address listed. But hey, no one’s perfect – moving forward right? The site offers 3 different Cruises, including a Bahamas Cruise, but does not give any detail for any cruise, except to state that it is a Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral or Miami. There was no detail given for cabin styles, ship name, travel dates, on board activities, or anything else a customer would find useful. The phone number was only visible on the contact page, and leads to nowhere. The only sign of life this site seemed to offer is that their “BUY NOW” button is working just fine.
 
CONS: Everything else. We would sooner recommend you Cruise through shark infested waters on a giant steak.  

TIMESHARE PRESENTATION: We have no idea.
 
Overall Grade: F-. This site & company have done everything to deflect sales from start to finish. The site is dated, contact info limited, with no details to offer customers. The fact that they will still take your money is not a good sign either. We confirm this is a full fledged rip off and no one should buy from this company.

TravelTickers.com

This company offers a very vibrant website with full color photos and a very fun feel. Has a visible phone number and email. I am a little thrown that all the images are "too" bright, but we press ahead!

 

PROS: There is good information on this site, fun photos give a good experience of what life will be like aboard this $99 Cruise, which also uses the Bahamas Celebration (told you it was popular.) To book, you can buy online or call in, which we did. The service was excellent. We spoke to Ray who introduced himself with genuine appeal, and he spoke to us like friends. He asked if we had ever cruised before, if we had a budget, and offered a few travel tips that could have saved a good deal of money had we really bought this offer. He clearly outlined the fees required which were $80 for port fees, $60 for something he laughingly called a “cruise fee” and $20 for taxes. These are fairly normal fees he explained, which the government does not give discounts for, unlike their awesome company, which did give discounts. Kudos for Ray for enjoying his job & company. 

CONS: I still don’t know what a “cruise fee” is, but for just $60 we can assume this may be a small profit for the cruise or booking center. For $99 for two people, it’s hard to begrudge them that. The site offers only 4 testimonials, which, as we all know, anyone can write, but still it seems a little sparse. 

TIMESHARE PRESENTATION: No. This cruise offer guarantees there is no timeshare presentation, and similar to the other offer, no blackout dates, and no advance booking required. 

Overall Grade: B+. I enjoyed the service experience most of all, our rep followed the theme of the website, which was vibrant and fun, which also left us feeling that the Cruise would be the same. With the reputation of the Bahamas Celebration cruise line, it’s a great bet, even with the “cruise fee.” We give this company & offer a B+.

So there you have it!  We give the winning score to 99BahamasCruise.com, but there are other options. There are other companies that offer similar deals, but we chose to analyze the top 4 being heavily marketed to the most people on every search engine, commercial, and advertisement this year. I hope you find this guide, and our experience, useful as you plan your own $99 Bahamas Cruise!

- Daisy





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