No, You Can’t Give a Sales Pitch to Other Guests on a Cruise

Most of us go on cruises to get away from it all, especially work.  But according to a recent social media post, some guests were bringing work with them on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship and pitching health products to other cruisers.

A reddit user took to the platform to ask if there was “a mutli-level marketing group on Wonder right now” after being “bombarded” with sales pitches.

What was supposed to be a relaxing cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas turned into a series of unwanted sales pitches for one passenger this week.

A cruiser shared their frustration on Reddit after being repeatedly targeted by fellow passengers selling “stem cell patches.”

“I Guess If it Were Me…”

The passenger, who is currently cruising in a walking boot, believes their injury may have made them an “easy mark” for representatives of a multi-level marketing (MLM) group on board.

“I have never in my life been bombarded with as many sales pitches for stem cell patches as I have on this trip,” the cruiser wrote. “In fact, I have never experienced it on any previous cruises.“

The interactions reportedly took place on the pool deck. The passenger stated,

“As I was sitting with my kids, enjoying the pool deck, the last frustrated gal to pitch me left me with ‘I guess if it were me, I’d be willing to do anything to get healthy for my kids….’ before walking away. Yuck.”

Identifying the Group

Reddit users went into investigation mode and began searching for the possible source of the high-pressure sales pitches.

One user located a “Bahamas Luxury Cruise” event for “brand partners” of the company LifeWave, scheduled for February 8–13, the same dates as the current sailing.

LifeWave is a multi-level marketing company founded in 2004 that sells phototherapy patches.

Another passenger, apparently confirmed the connection to the company, saying, “My wife’s aunt does that… and was just posting about being on a Royal cruise! I just checked and she’s on the Wonder of the Seas right now!”

Royal Caribbean’s Stance on Solicitation

Royal Caribbean’s official Guest Conduct Policy is clear on “inappropriate or abusive behavior.”

The policy states that guests are expected to be respectful and that “inappropriate or abusive behavior is not permitted,” which specifically includes “uninvited physical contact, solicitation, [and] harassment” among other things.

The policy also covers banners and flyers.  Passengers are not allowed to “place materials (including signs, banners, decorations, etc.) anywhere on the exterior of the ship, or anywhere on the interior of the ship (including stateroom doors, along corridors, etc.) without the express permission of ship management.”

Cruisers in the thread were pretty much unanimous in what the traveler should do next. “I would report them to guest services,” wrote one user. “No one should be soliciting you while on your vacation.”

Large Group Cruises

If you’ve been cruising for any length of time, chances are you’ve been on a large group cruise without even knowing it, unless you happened to notice 100 or more people wearing the same t-shirts.

Most of the time, especially on a large ship like Wonder of the Seas, these group’s activities go largely unnoticed. 

Other times, a large group cruise can change the entire feel of the vacation. I went on a cruise a while back that was a large group cruise for a certain brand of music, and it felt like more than 50% of the ship was in on it and half the lounges on the ship were reserved for this group.

If you want to check if your next vacation might overlap with a large group there are a few things you can do:

• Search for Event Calendars: Use a search engine to look for “Ship Name + Date + Group” or “Ship Name + Date + Convention.”
• Check “Theme Cruise” Trackers: Websites like Theme Cruise Finder list many large-scale organized events.
• The “Roll Call” Test: Check the “Roll Call” for your ship and sailing date on forums like Cruise Critic or even on Facebook. If a group of 500+ people is coming, the regulars usually know about it.

Bottom Line

Don’t be “that guy” that uses a cruise vacation to advertise your business or company.  Besides being a pain to others around you who just want to get away from it all, you might be breaking cruise line policy as well.

For the frustrated passenger on Wonder of the Seas, the discovery that this was a specific group event was a relief. “I was hoping it was a specific cruise thing and not just how it is now. I’d have to stop cruising,” they wrote.