Cruise Resale Site Scams and How to Avoid Them
If a cruise cabin is sold by a stranger at a bargain price, check before you pay.
Get a Real Cabin QuoteA cruise resale site, a classified ad or a social media post offering a cabin far below the going rate should make you cautious. Cruise bookings cannot normally be resold privately, so a seller who promises otherwise is either mistaken or dishonest.
Red Flags on Any Cruise Resale Site or Ad
- Payment by wire transfer, gift card, cryptocurrency or a person-to-person payment app.
- A price far below what the cruise line charges for the same cabin today.
- The seller cannot give you a booking number you can check with the cruise line.
- Pressure to pay today because “someone else wants it.”
- Promises to “transfer the ticket” after you pay, with no line or organizer involved.
- Prize calls or texts offering a free cruise — with port fees or taxes due right away.
What the FTC Says About Cruise Scams
The Federal Trade Commission has pursued “free cruise” telemarketing for years. Its January 2020 FTC consumer alert on “free cruise” robocalls describes recorded calls offering free cruise tickets for a short survey, followed by live telemarketers pushing upgrades and per-person port taxes and fees. The FTC’s advice: hang up without pressing any numbers, and report illegal robocalls at DoNotCall.gov. Fraud of any kind can be reported at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Travel Is Safe has a broader guide to travel scams, from fake booking sites to rental fraud.
How to Check Any Cruise Offer
Find the booking yourself
Look up the booking number on the cruise line’s own website or app. Your name, ship and cabin should appear.
Check the seller
A real agency has a business address, a track record and, in states such as California, Florida, Washington and Hawaii, a seller-of-travel registration.
Pay by credit card
Card payments to a legitimate business give you dispute rights that wire transfers and gift cards do not.
Ask an advisor
Not sure? Send the offer to our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise before you pay anything.
Cruise Resale Scams: FAQ
I already paid a stranger for a cruise. What now?
Contact your bank or card issuer immediately, keep every message and receipt, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Then check with the cruise line whether any booking exists in your name.
Are all “free cruise” offers scams?
Legitimate lines and agencies run promotions, but a prize call or text offering a free cruise for a survey, with fees due now, matches the pattern the FTC warns about.
Classified Ads for Cruises
Online classified sites and social media marketplaces occasionally carry posts offering cruise cabins, vouchers or “prize” cruises. Treat them like any other private sale of a named booking: the line, not the seller, decides whether you can sail.
Not Sure an Offer Is Real?
Send us the details before you pay. Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will tell you what the same cabin costs from the cruise line.
Check an Offer