Carnival cruise line chief warns customers of scam at popular Mexico destination

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A senior official at Carnival Cruise Lines is warning travelers of an “unstoppable” scam which is prevalent at a favorite Mexican destination. 

Writing on Facebook, John Heald, brand ambassador for the company, advised tour guests against purchasing a popular souvenir from ports – and in particular from salespeople on the picturesque island of Cozumel. 

Heald says that it’s very common for vacationers to buy vanilla to bring back as a gift for their family, their friends, or even themselves.

But more and more shops are selling dirty water instead of the aromatic spice, and the cruise line says they are powerless to stop it. 

Heald warned: “We apparently have Vanilla Gate going on with reports that some shops in Cozumel are not selling pure Vanilla but watered-down versions of it.

“There are calls for us to ‘do something about it’ and to ‘close the shops down’.

“I understand that there are a lot of people who love buying vanilla in Cozumel.

“It is a tradition in the same way people buy massive sombreros and Mexican blankets and Viagra from the pier-side drug store.”

Heald also warned that Carnival is powerless to stop it — and so, he warned travelers not to buy them in shops to be on the safe side.

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He added: “Seriously, we do not own the shops in Cozumel, we don’t have any control over what they sell and we cannot close them down. Please shop carefully.” 

However, in the same post, Heald reminded travelers that Carnival would soon be unveiling its own port, Celebration Key, on Grand Bahama Island. 

And because this is a port that Carnival owns, the company has a lot more control over what is, and isn’t, available in the souvenir shops. 

That also means that they’ll be able to weed out shop owners suspected of trying to sell counterfeit vanilla to their travelers.

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