I want to express my deep dissatisfaction with a deceptive practice that occurred during the Millionaire's Row cruise by Island Queen. During the tour, a supposed "raffle for tourists" was organized, in which we were informed that we had won a cruise. However, to claim the prize, we were required to attend a presentation the following day at a hotel.
What was not disclosed at that moment was that this presentation was, in fact, a sales pitch to sell a travel membership from the company Holidays Lounge. The presentation was extremely long (over 4 hours), filled with false promises, confusing information, and misleading conditions that resulted in a terrible experience.
We believe that allowing such fraudulent raffles onboard your cruises damages your reputation and exposes your customers to dishonest practices. In our case, this situation ruined our trip and made us waste valuable time trying to resolve something that should never have happened.
However, I must clarify that my dissatisfaction is not based solely on participating in a raffle but on how it was conducted and the consequences it brought.
A genuine raffle should reward winners with something tangible, like a dinner, a cocktail, or a tour, without additional conditions beyond enjoying the prize. In this case, what you present as a "raffle" is, in reality, a deceptive process.
To claim the prize, we were not only required to pay a $40 USD deposit (which, although supposedly refundable, generates distrust), but we also had to attend a presentation without being informed of its purpose or provided with clear details. This presentation lasted over 2 hours (in our case, more than 4 hours), making us waste valuable time during our trip.
What is most concerning is that this presentation turned out to be a sales pitch for a completely false and misleading travel membership, designed to trap tourists without giving them the opportunity to research the involved company beforehand.
What you allow onboard your cruise cannot be considered a legitimate raffle. These practices not only ruin the customer experience but also severely damage your company’s reputation, as they facilitate questionable activities by other entities.
I hope you reconsider allowing such "raffles" and evaluate the risks and consequences these practices bring to your customers and the trust in your service.