I, too, received that magical telephone call stating I had won a free Bahamas cruise after submitting an entry form at a local ice cream shop in Florida. However, being an investigator by trade, and knowing that something that sounds too good to be true usually isn't, I did some checking. First with the Better Business Bureau: 5th Ave Trading has a B rating but is not a member. There were 5 complaints forwarded to the BBB in the past 12 months, all of which were resolved. The good news is that this company actually responded to the complaints. The bad news is that the complaints ranged from deceptive advertising practices to requests for refunds. Second, I contacted the Federal Trade Commission. 5th Ave Vacations is registered with the state of FL, and there were no open complaints on record for this company. Third, I contacted the Dept of Agriculture in FL. There were no complaints on record for this company. Yet, the demand for fees upfront in order to 'receive' my "prize" bothered me, so I began researching cruise costs, beginning with the Discovery Cruise websit. What I found was that it is cheaper to travel to the Bahamas if I make reservations myself rather than use this "prize". The cost for a Bahama Cruise 'N Stay Vacation is $179, which includes all the port fees (not the additional $119 port fee that 5th Avenue charges) and when I looked further, I discovered that I could actually obtain my cruise and a hotel stay at a much better hotel, that is actually near the ocean, for $229 per person. And this is All Inclusive. All in all the cost to travel for this cruise that I "won", using only the fees that I had to pry out of the female that i spoke with (port fees at $238.00, administrative and booking fees of $180, and $15 hotel tax, per person, times 4 nights ($120) totaled $538. The cost for me to book this cruise on my own, at an All Inclusive hotel, was $383.98. And that includes the "port fees and other taxes". See for yourself: http://www.discoverycruiseline.com/home/hotels. My advice to all who read this is: DON'T DO IT!
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