People Keep Falling For These 7 Crafty Cruise Port Tricks! 

When I went to Lisbon the first time, we took a cab who offered the three of us a tour for $70 for all three of us. We spent the entire day seeing Lisbon sights, he would stop, tell us to go down this street and he would pick us up at the end of the street in 45 min to an hour, he took us to an excellent and inexpensive local restaurant, and we had a great day. It was an excellent tour! His charge, $70. We tipped him well, but it was one of the best experiences ever!

In many countries taxi drivers are the worst scammers. But not in Istanbul, I overpaid a taxi driver who then went all his way to find me at a private reception to return the money. I gave him a large tip and thanked him profusely. A honest man

I’ve watched so many travel scam videos, and I’m going to keep doing it! I always think I’ve got them down, I know what to do and not do, then some brand new scam pops up! I saw Ilana’s video about the purse scam in Turkey. I NEVER would have been watching for that. Thanks to all of you cruise RU-vidrs for looking out for us, and making us aware!

I have never fallen for a scam on any holiday and i have perfected the fck off and leave me alone face so i rarely get any hassle. Just remember 99% of the crap you buy on holiday will just end up stuck somewhere in a cupboard. Enjoy the experience you don't need to shop 24/7

This is one reason why I always take the ship’s excursions and in over 25 cruises, never had a problem.

There are so many nationalities represented on a cruise ship. I always recommend asking someone on the cruise staff if they're local to the port you're visiting. Our Jamaican head waiter hooked us up with his cousin for an island tour. She also met us at the end of Dunns River Falls and escorted us through the very aggressive market, telling people to leave us alone. :-) As two young single women, we never felt safer. The locals may not worry about scamming you, but I trust the cruise staff.

I and my wife were in Barcelona when we were approached by a man who spoke colloquial north country English. He was carrying a suitcase and stated he had overspent his money and had to get to the airport to catch a flight. He wanted money for a taxi. The way he carried the suitcase seemed to indicate nothing inside. I suggested he go to the British Consulate and ask them as I too was flat broke.

Even here in the states I take pictures of a rental car before I take it and when I drop it off.

Just to put things in perspective: I recently got home from a 4-week trip around Egypt, most of it solo. I didn’t get scammed or have any trouble at all, as I know the ropes there pretty well. Four entire weeks - not a single problem. So I fly home, and have to spend a night in the big city as I have missed the last train home to my small town a couple of hours away. Exhausted (I hadn’t had any sleep for about two days), I dropped my bag in the hotel room, grabbed just my wallet, and headed across the street for a quick meal before I collapsed. Within one minute of leaving my hotel, my wallet was lifted out of my pocket - right outside the second-largest police station in the country. Luckily, my travel wallet never holds more than one credit card and a small amount of Egyptian currency. I cancelled the card instantly, so no financial loss, but lesson learned: your own home base can be just as risky as the big wide world. Or, to put it differently - the big wide world isn’t necessarily more dangerous than your own home base.

Watch for spa scams on the ship too! I booked a birthday massage when I was on QM2 and the massage was great, but after, the therapist said she wanted to give me something, and put a few products she used in a bag. I thought it was a gift or possibly included with the massage considering the cost. Got to the front desk and she’s handing me receipt after receipt, for the massage, for the service tip, and then a $300 charge for those products! I cam back about an hour later and returned them. The spa didn’t see, happy but I was not going to pay for overpriced spa products!

Great tips, Gary! I appreciate you keeping us in the loop. Unfortunately scammers are everywhere. NYC is full of them as well. Last week I saw a person who was pretending to be a Buddhist Monk in Timesquare. He was putting small cards with golden Buddhas in peoples hands and saying its for good luck. Then asking for donations to rebuild his temple and getting quite aggresive if someone refused. I was filming Broll for a project I am working on and I saw him (2 hours later) walk down 2 blocks, take off the robe and get into an 80,000 dollar tesla to drive away. I didn't know Buddhist Monks drove electric!

I got news for ya sparky: If you bought a $250 shirt on vacation, you were scammed already.

Great tips! I discovered an anti-pickpocket tip by accident. I was going on an excursion that included swimming so I wore my swimsuit under my shorts. As I was getting ready to leave my room and put my key card, some cash, meds, and my ID in my shorts, I realized that my swimsuit also had pockets so I put everything in the swimsuit pockets instead of my shorts. Not only that but they were pockets with velcro flaps that folded over. I would have to practically be molested for anyone to find it!

Good advice... I spotted another kind of scam last week. I was at a big concert with a friend and we needed to buy tickets for public transit from the ticket machines. Many of the machines were labelled as out of service and the two that worked had a long line, but we knew that type of machine often had issues so we thought nothing of it. It appeared that the line was slow because neither machine managed to read cards. People were trying multiple cards but eventually they had to give up and pay with cash. An older gentleman was staying near the machines and helping people through the process of paying by clicking through the procedure on the screen, he said he was local and happy to help, because the machines often had issues. In exchange for his help he was asking for coins and small bills, which many other travellers were giving, because they were honestly confused by the ticket machine and unable to complete the purchase on their own. When we and my friend got near the head of the line, we noticed that the gentleman was actually pressing a button to cancel the payment before the machine had read the card. He hid this by talking a lot and pointing elsewhere, like asking to check if it was asking for the card's PIN code, and he was tapping on the screen multiple times under the guise of 'sometimes it gets stuck'. When it came to our turn, I physically put my body sideways to block him from touching the screen as he was trying to do even though I told him we didn't need help. Sure enough without his assistance, the machine worked and we were able to pay with a card in no time. I told the people after us that 'the machines are fine now' and I think they understood what had been going on. I thought it was just a trick to ask for a few coins, but the place was crowded and it could have been a way for an accomplice to check how much cash people were carrying and where we kept it.

When receiving rental car have THAT DAY'S newspaper. Take close up of date, then further photo including front page. That pics of vehicle with page in each photo. Repeat with fresh dated newspaper / photos upon return. Same set up when renting a room etc. Prove before n after situations

In Naples a few years ago, we had the opposite experience with a Taxi driver. We agreed a price for 4 people (ourselves and 2 Canadian women.) He took us to Sorrento, Positano and Pompei stopping at some photo locations along the way and giving us time to wander around each town and location by ourselves. Thoroughly nice man and would not hesitate to use him again (if we could ever find him.)

I had a guy in Italy try and rob me. He may still be in the hospital. This was years ago.

Brilliant idea from a RU-vidr in this thread. Never travel with an expensive watch. When I travel, I do the same thing. I'm a watch addict and have many luxury watches. But when traveling, I only bring my cheap Casio W800H-1BV reverse LCD, all-black digital watch that I bought at Walmart for $21.97. It's water resistant to 100m too. It's a great watch in its own right, but will never target you.

I would also advise people to not take any free drinks from vendors or merchants in ports of call. On my first cruise the Liner made an announcement cautioning travelers to avoid drinking anything free, and only consuming from local restaurants. It was because of this announcement that I saw why this is so important. People at the port of call were trying to drug people with free drinks laced with something so they could steal their stuff or keep them hostage.

We travelled to Vanuatu and stayed in Port Vila for one week. The prices in the shops were quite reasonable and we bought a few things. The day before a cruise ship was going to dock locals told us to buy what we wanted that day because all the prices would be doubled over night. We saw shop owners changing the price tickets. The next day we looked in the shops and it was as they said. Prices more than doubled in some cases.

While on a trip to Europe, we stopped in Cologne, Germany. I spotted a woman holding what appeared to be a sick and weak child. She was begging for money to get help for her child. I gave her a Euro and went on the excursion. When we got back on the bus our guide told us not to give money to the 'gypsies' because they drug their children to make them look sick and weak in order to get more money. I wish our guide had told us about this before we left the bus.

Good advice as always. I've shared the link on Facebook as I believe that loads more people inside the cruise community and those going to any seaside or city break should find the content relevant too.

I had an attempted pickpocket in Italy on a crowded train, and had my pocket picked on a crowded bus in Italy. Beware of people pressing against you in a crowded place.

My friend always wears a plastic Casio watch. She says Pick pocket will see you are both cheap and careful.

When we go to and from the hotels and airports in foreign countries we always use a limousine service which is set up by our travel agent. It even includes the tip which is built into the price. It is only about 20% more then taxis and no hassle.

I was on a crowded bus in Dublin and felt a woman bumping against me. I realized her hand was in my pocket. I yelled “Get your hand out of my pocket” and made her empty her pockets in front of me. She gave me back what she had taken and got off at the next stop. The Dubliners around me on the bus thought that was pretty funny of me! My little kids were impressed!

Great video, presentation and production. When paying with a card in foreign countries, I only use a debit card. I have two debit cards. When the price is confirmed, I Zelle the exact amount to the debit card with a zero balance. So if the price is $75, that's what I transfer. If they attempt to bang the card for more, it's declined.

I know Egypt quite well, and have travelled there as an older solo woman traveller a number of times. I have found that whether I’m hiring a casual taxi to take me around, or using a hired guide, a five minute chat ahead of time pays off: no perfume, alabaster, papyrus, jewellery, etc. I feel for these people - the bit extra they make for taking you to these places is an important part of their income, so you can’t blame them for trying. I guarantee them an extra-generous tip at the end of the trip if they steer clear of these places. Also, when it comes to taxis, negotiate the price before you even get into the car. Make sure you clarify the currency - ie Egyptian pounds, not Pounds Sterling for instance, the number of passengers, whether one-way or round trip, baggage charge, etc. Drive the price down a bit, he expects that, but at the end of the trip give a generous tip. Keep in mind, a tip the equivalent to a cup of coffee at home will make a difference to his day.

We had a taxi driver in Bali who was amazing. A fabulous island tour for 4 of us in a modern air conditioned van. $50 US total for the whole day . He stopped at sights to allow for photos. Took us to a great local restaurant for a delicious lunch with incredible views.

Very useful information! My son recently went on.a Caribbean cruise. His fiancé was getting her hair braided by a street vendor, and a woman insisted on doing hie hair as well. He didn't ask the price and was in shock when they asked for $160 US. He paid them without trying to haggle and said he removed all the beads they'd put in his hair.about 15 minutes later. After that, he ignore all other street vendors. Lesson learned!

It really makes me want to stop cruising to hear these things. I've never fallen victim to these scams, but it's a lot of work to stay vigilant and keep yourself safe.

I love the currency exchange app idea!! I recently came off a cruise and fell for a taxi scam. A man pulling a piece of luggage, implying he was a fellow cruise tourist, asked what airport we were going to and said he had a car. In the moment we (my party and another couple) thought he was indeed a fellow passenger and would be reasonable. As we got closer to his vehicle several blocks away we started asking the price. He wanted $90 per couple!! That would be even more than taking an uber! We got their safely, but now I'll raise my eyebrows a bit more and be more skeptical of the people in front of the port, even in the US.

I have not had anything happen but I was just talking to friends that were pickpocketed in Rome. What’s crazy is they took the money and credit cards from the wallet and replaced the wallet without him knowing! So sad that this happens!

Yep the tricksters are getting even more creative. Some interesting twists on some old favourites here. We normally take photos of rental cars but your idea of videoing it is a really good idea that we will adopt. Great video thanks Gary.

We went to Cozumel, and my husband took a photo with someone who was in costume but told him we had no cash. The guy told him it's ok and asked if we could just buy him a water so we got him a big bottle. I kept telling my husband they work for donations, but he didn't listen, so we were lucky he was kind.

Great video and great tips! I'll also add, be very careful if you have expensive cameras, etc. with you. On a South American cruise, my stepdad had his expensive camera out and a bicycle thief rode close by and snatched it right out of his hands. Not only did they get the camera, but all the cruise memories stored on it.

These are all great Crime Prevention Tips for anywhere...even at home! Thank you very much!

It baffles me why people would waste valuable time and money on a cruise doing shopping and auctions

Great video as usual!! Thanks. A lot of these I’ve haven’t heard of. Thank you so much for the warnings

I’m Argentine and live in Buenos Aires I’m so sorry to hear you got scammed. We have different types of dollars. Blue, tourist, official and you get different values. If you come to the city be aware don’t use your telephones on the street and don’t use gold or Rolex.

Excellent advice, as always Gary. Hiring motorbikes, or cars, can now be a very expensive mistake whilst abroad. Be very careful where you buy bottles of water as in many countries people collect empty bottles from rubbish bins, or recycling points, and fill them with ordinary tap water. To make it feel like the cap has never been undone they carefully heat the plastic lid with a lighter. Only buy bottles of water from a reputable shop, not a street vendor 🫢🚱🤮

As you mentioned, I advise my travel companions to never accept anything someone hands to you! Once you have possession of the item, they will not take it back and expect you to buy it.

I refuse to buy high end items while on vacation/holiday. I go for the cheap stuff so people think I am on a very tight budget. Also, I don’t allow strangers to take pictures for me on my phone. It’s selfie style or nothing.

Unlike what was said here, I'm ALWAYS on my guard. I trust NOBODY! The only time anybody is trustworthy is when it's in their motivated self-interest. When that isn't in effect I don't trust anyone, even family.

For car rentals, we always take several pictures of the car and signal any damage that is actually there to the rental car company representative before driving it.

I remember going to Casablanca in late 90's. A street vendor was selling "leather" belts which looked very nice for £10. I wasn't interested in a belt so he knocked the price down to £5 and then down to £2. I bought one at £2. Back on the ship, lots of passengers had these belts, some as cheap as two for £1. Anyway, they didn't last long, they were actually made of laminated paper.

A taxi scam that I find anywhere, not just with tourists is the ‘are you from here?’ If you say you’re only visiting you’ll often get taken the long way around because you don’t know any difference. Always say you know the area well.

II've been on more than ship-sponsored "shore excursion" that was pretty much a tour of tourist traps and shabby markets, eg. "Best of Nassau" - every.single.stop was an "opportunity" to buy stuff. In contrast, we sped by the National Art Gallery at Warp 9!

I vacationed in Mexico several times & our hotel doorman would ALWAYS confirm our taxi fare BEFORE we even got in the taxi. He explained that the fare was determined by what “zone” you were traveling. So when venturing out on our own, we always get the price from the driver before getting in the car.

Wow! These are excellent tips! Thank you so much!❤

Once again great video and tips. Thankyou

So far I have been lucky, and not been scammed, but I believe it’s thanks to you. You have kept me on my toes.

Thanks for the great tips!!

Thanks for the reminder to photograph the hire car BEFORE getting in and BEFORE walking away at drop off. Three hire cars ahead of us in North America, appreciate the reminder. Great videos Gary. So many insightful tips for us travellers.

As Always Great Video! Thanks Gary.

I take the grandkid and she loves getting the free bracelets. My wife loves buying jewelry so I keep her out of the jewelry shops when I can. She also gets GREAT cruise deals because of it that actually can add up to more than the jewelry after a few cruises. I also carry little cash and keep a decoy wallet in my pocket with credit card (singular) and cash in another pick pocket proof place. Oh, the big discounts for my wife on the cruise lines is a result only from buying jewelry on the ship, NOT on shore. We rarely buy onshore but you can get some great deals and haggle for a lower price. We actually get more credit on some cruises than what our cruise costs. He gave great tips.

I've watched your content for quite sometime and always enjoyed it. Lots of great points in your video, as well as in the comments. Scams can happen anywhere. But regarding cruise excursions, I think it's best to use the vetted travel suppliers that are offered by the cruise ship. If anything goes wrong, you have the cruise line on your side. Oh, and always, always buy the travel insurance. Eventually, Murphy's Law catches up to us all and something will happen during your travels, so be prepared. Thanks again for the great content.

My husband and I just got back from an Alaskan cruise and we were on the hunt for some native Alaskan artwork. At a store in Juneau, they had tons of native looking artwork, like statues and carvings and whatnot. We almost purchased one when I happened to flip the statue over and see a "Made in Bali" sticker next to the price tag. Needless to say we walked out immediately and noticed the store didn't explicitly say it was native made artwork, but it was "native arts." Definitely something to look out for when wanting to support local stores and not the giant chains.

Thank you Gary! Another great video! You’re the best!!!! ❤❤

I love those inside-the-waistband wallets, and even use them in the safest countries, from petty crime, that I travel. Because they're great for not forgetting or misplacing anything, and having a ritual for putting things away properly.

Again, great tips. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you so much for these warnings.

The best taxi and car service experiences I have ever had anywhere was in Mexico City, Mexico. As for the scams, many of these are as old as time and they target tourists in general, not just those who cruise.

We booked a Viatour in Athens. It was a city tour including the Parthenon. For some reason, it got late and the woman said we wouldn’t have time for the Parthenon because we were going shopping…….. We told her no, we didn’t care about shopping, we wanted to see the Parthenon. So ridiculous and she did do what we asked but that was strange.

I have ripped a $20 bill in half to secure a taxi return trip promised during an oversees vacation that I had and promised the other half upon return. Drivers don't seem to mind. American dollars tapped back together have worked well for me.

I've been to Purto Vallarta 11 years and I never had any issue with taxi drivers, using them up to 10 rides on each stay.

Grabbed taxi in Cozumel to Paradise Beach. Driver told us it was at capacity but he knew a better place. Thanks to videos like this I knew it was a Sam and insisted he take us to our original destination. He did, had a great day. No problem getting in.

Thanks for the wonderful tips👍🏾

This is why i absolutely love people like you and watch because they make me so aware of all the scams from all over the world Thanks to you 👍👍👍

Great tips..thank you for sharing.

Thanks so much for your video. Very helpful

I had a taxi driver try to scam me at the cruise port in Fort Lauderdale. It was also scary because I was a woman alone and he was angry.

Thank you Sir!!! Great info❤

Summary: Never get off the ship while carrying anything you value. More realistic summary: Keep your ID, emergency cash, and anything else you MUST carry in skin-tight storage right next to your body. ('Anything else' must include your travel agent's contact info, your cruise line's contact info, your embassy's contact info, and a credit card with enough money to get you home. That's your 'oh shit' kit.)

Great tips about not unlocking your phone! I can see that in the heat of the moment when confronted with a kooky request, that you might not think it thru, how bad it could get it your unlocked phone suddenly springs away!!

A lot of taxi drivers are master scammers but I did meet a decent one in Taipei who was my driver for the entire day for less than 100$ and bought me lunch…depends who you meet

As a solo traveller, I often take selfies which aren't very good, but I'm always suspicious when a stranger offers to take my photo in a tourist hotspot. This happened to me yesterday in Cherbourg, even though the offer turned out to be totally genuine!

Love Cruising. Thanks for the tips.

Gary, excellent. What a great video! Thanks for putting this out. Excellent info.

Thanks Gary and thanks for sharing what some people might think of as embarrassing experiences. It’s good to know it can happen even to the experts like yourself. On the occasions when I realized I might have paid too much for something, I learn from it and then forgive myself from self recrimination. Not the usual tips that are on all the videos either 👍

Never gotten scammed, Gary - but knock on wood! Some of these are very easy to fall for. It helps that I’ve done so much travel in Pharma consulting over the years.

I have only purchased from two vendors wandering a Mexican beach selling their original art. Both were in costa Maya as we ate lunch on the beach. Two different trips. They took a palm leaf and created a flower as I watched. They asked for tips and I gave each of the $10 as they were polite and adorable and it is my favorite Mexican port.

I live in Vienna and sometimes see folks in the more touristy areas stopping to watch some street performer. I always shudder thinking that - likely - at least one person crowded around is being pickpocketed by the performer's accomplice(s) while they're distracted. Perhaps they really are just street performers looking for a Euro, but the big city kid in me can't help but see scams around every corner. As my grandfather always said, "watch your back!"

Another Taxi scam we feel for is we got into a cab in Cozumel with a beach club in mind. After we were on our way, he told us it was closed but he knew of another similar place. It wasn't actually closed and the place he took us to clearly knew him and gave him a kick back. Luckily, that place wasn't bad at all and we really enjoyed our day

I always take a small, inexpensive camera with me to take photos in crowded tourist areas. It's less likely to attract thieves, and in the event it is lost, damaged or stolen, it would not be as hard to deal with as losing my phone. The quality of these cameras is much better than it used to be. I print out any information I might need ahead of time so that I don't have to pull out my phone.

I’m from Australia and often see couples taking photos of each other and always ask them if they would like me to take their picture. It’s sad to think they may look upon me as a scammer when I have best intentions of creating beautiful memories for them 😀🇦🇺😀🇦🇺

I always carry small bills so has not to get that “ I don’t have change”. Same with taxi I always agree on total price and yes No Shopping. We all have learned the hard way. I check converted price first. Great video! Made me think also.

Great video! I have never been on a cruise, but I was warned in Jamaica to shop before the cruise ships arrive, because the prices would triple. We saw it firsthand.

Outstanding insight and content 😊

My husband and I got in a taxi in Puerto Vallarta and said we wanted to go downtown. We didn't do our homework first, so we didn't have a specific location name to give to him. He took advantage of this fact and drove us up into the mountains to an overlook, completely outside of town. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice view, but we didn't ask to be taken so far. My husband was starting to think that we might be getting kidnapped or something. By the time he took us back to where we actually said originally we wanted to go to, he shook us down for $40 American. We just paid it because we didn't want any problems with this guy or any friends he might have who could have potentially gotten violent with us. The lesson we learned is to always know exactly where you are going in these places and do your research so you know how far it is.

Some great tips again Gary. Many thanks!

Thank so much 🎉, for these great tip's

Thanks to videos like this one, when I was in port, all I bought were a couple of handmade ornaments and a beach bag for $15 total. And our excursion was booked through the cruise line. I detest scams!

Great tips, thank you.

Same thing happened with me in Cairo. The tour guides in Cairo certainly took you to their friends to shop….

This is all great information, thank you! When we were on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera we talked with a passenger, who did not want to go on one of the cruise tours, but rather went off on their own. They grabbed a taxi and told them what they wanted to see. This guy drove them all over, going many miles out of the way and charged them accordingly. They were almost late getting back to the ship, and THAT would have been a disaster.

Thank you for sharing this info. I am passing it on to my parents. They are leaving for a month long cruise across Europe in November.

On my last cruise, they offered the charm bracelet, where you could get one or more charms at different locations on ship, as well as jewelry stores at the Port. I had no problems getting the charm without buying anything else.

Dude was sketching on the Brooklyn Bridge and selling skyline drawings. Once I got home figured out it was a print. Honestly got it for decent price and love it.

I haven’t fallen for any because I’m cheap lol. And when I’m traveling solo which I do most of the time, I have my RBF in full effect. Someone tried to get me to buy a “leather”purse in Jamaica at a ridiculous price and I said nope and quickly walked away. If I’m cruising then I always book the excursions through the cruise line.