Affiliate Disclosure
This page explains every commercial relationship on CruiseSolutioner.com, how our affiliate links work, and how those relationships affect — or more precisely, do not affect — our editorial recommendations. Last updated: April 2026.
Amazon Associates Program Disclosure
“As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”
This statement is required verbatim by the Amazon Associates Program Operating Agreement, Section 5. It appears in the footer of every page on this website and at the top of every post containing Amazon affiliate links.
What This Means in Plain English
CruiseSolutioner.com (“this site,” “we,” “us,” “our”) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and its affiliated sites.
When you click a link on this site that points to a product on Amazon and then make a purchase — of that product or any other product during the same Amazon session — we may earn a small commission. This commission comes entirely from Amazon, not from you. You pay exactly the same price you would if you had navigated to Amazon directly. There is no surcharge, no hidden fee, and no price increase of any kind.
How Amazon Affiliate Links Are Identified
All Amazon affiliate links on this site contain our unique Associates tracking tag in the URL. The tag looks like this in the URL:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/PRODUCT-ID/?tag=YOUR-TAG-20
In addition, affiliate links are labelled at the post level with the notice “This post contains affiliate links” or “(paid link)” immediately adjacent to the relevant link or product section. These labels appear before the first affiliate link in any piece of content, not buried at the bottom.
Our Relationship with Amazon
We are an independent website. We are not employees, agents, franchisees, or representatives of Amazon.com, Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. Amazon does not review, approve, or endorse our content. Our participation in the Associates Program does not imply any special relationship with, or endorsement by, Amazon beyond the standard affiliate program available to all qualifying publishers.
We do not receive preferential treatment, early access to products, or any other benefit from Amazon beyond the standard commission structure available to all Associates.
Amazon Associates Compliance Checklist
- Required statement displayed verbatim on this page and in the site footer
- Per-post affiliate disclosure notice appears before the first affiliate link
- All affiliate links carry the Associates tracking tag
- No false claims of special relationship with or endorsement by Amazon
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Affiliate links marked
rel="nofollow sponsored"per Google policy - Disclosure page linked from site footer, homepage gear section, and all posts with affiliate links
FTC Endorsement Guides Compliance
What “Material Connection” Means for This Site
Under 16 CFR Part 255, a “material connection” is any relationship between a publisher and a brand that could affect the weight a consumer gives to a recommendation. The FTC requires that all material connections be disclosed clearly and conspicuously — meaning they must be difficult to miss and easily understandable by an ordinary consumer.
The following material connections exist on CruiseSolutioner.com and are disclosed throughout the site:
Amazon Affiliate Commissions
We earn a commission when readers click our Amazon affiliate links and make a purchase. The commission rate varies by product category (typically 1–10%). This is a material connection that could influence which products we recommend and in what order. See Section 1 for full Amazon disclosure.
Display Advertising (AdSense / Ezoic)
This site displays third-party advertisements served by Google AdSense and/or Ezoic. We earn revenue based on ad impressions and clicks. Advertisers do not influence our editorial content. See Section 3 for full ad disclosure.
Other Affiliate Programs
From time to time we may participate in additional affiliate programs beyond Amazon Associates (for example, cruise booking partners or travel insurance programs). Any such relationships will be disclosed in the relevant post with the notice “This post contains affiliate links” and this page will be updated within 30 days of joining any new program.
Sponsored Content
Any post, review, or guide that has been paid for or partially funded by a brand will be clearly labelled “Sponsored Post” at the top of the page, before any content. Sponsored content reflects the sponsoring brand’s perspective and is clearly distinguished from our independent editorial content.
How “Clear and Conspicuous” Is Implemented Here
The 2023 FTC revision tightened the definition of “clear and conspicuous” to mean that a disclosure must be “difficult to miss and easily understandable by ordinary consumers.” We implement this standard as follows:
Editorial Independence Statement
The existence of affiliate relationships does not influence our editorial decisions in the following ways:
- We do not recommend products solely because they pay higher commission rates.
- We publish negative reviews and critical assessments of products we link to.
- We recommend products that are not available on Amazon where they are the better choice.
- Advertisers and affiliate partners have no right of review over our content before publication.
- Products we review are purchased independently or tested personally — we do not accept free products in exchange for guaranteed positive coverage.
Our primary obligation is to the reader. If a product is not good for cruise travelers, we say so — regardless of its commission rate.
Google AdSense & Display Advertising
CruiseSolutioner.com displays third-party advertisements to help fund the free content on this site. These ads are managed through Google AdSense and/or Ezoic, an ad management platform.
What This Means for You
- Advertisers do not select or influence our content. The ads you see are served automatically based on page content and your browsing history — advertisers have no editorial access.
- We earn revenue per impression and per click on display ads, not per purchase. This is distinct from affiliate commissions.
- We do not control which specific ads appear. If you see an ad that you believe is inappropriate or misleading, you can report it to Google directly via the “AdChoices” icon visible on the ad itself.
- You can opt out of interest-based advertising using the controls described above, or by installing the NAI Opt-Out Tool in your browser.
Ad Labelling
All display advertisements on this site are clearly labelled “Advertisement,” “Ad,” or carry the AdChoices icon (△). Advertising content is visually distinct from editorial content. We do not publish native advertising, advertorials, or sponsored articles that are visually indistinguishable from our editorial content without a clear label.
In-Post Disclosure Policy
This section explains exactly how affiliate disclosures appear within individual posts and pages on this site, so readers always know what to expect before clicking any link.
Standard Post-Level Disclosure
Every post or page that contains one or more Amazon affiliate links will include the following notice — or substantially similar wording — displayed in a visually distinct box at the top of the post, before the first affiliate link appears:
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure →
Link-Level Labels
In addition to the post-level notice, individual product links are labelled as follows:
Link Attributes
All affiliate links on this site carry the following HTML attributes in compliance with Google’s Webmaster Guidelines on link schemes:
<a href="https://amazon.com/..." rel="nofollow sponsored" target="_blank">
The rel="nofollow" attribute tells search engines not to pass PageRank
through the link. The rel="sponsored" attribute explicitly marks the link
as a paid or commercial relationship per Google’s published guidance.
Where to Find Our Disclosures
Pricing, Availability & Amazon API Compliance
Product prices and availability shown on this site are accurate as of the date of publication or last update, but may have changed since then. Always verify the current price directly on Amazon before making a purchase decision. CruiseSolutioner.com cannot guarantee that any price displayed on this site is current or accurate at the time you read it.
Amazon Product Advertising API
Where this site uses the Amazon Product Advertising API to display product information (prices, images, star ratings, availability), the following Amazon required disclaimer applies:
“Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.”
This disclaimer is required by the Amazon Product Advertising API Terms of Service wherever product data retrieved from the API is displayed.
Commission Rates
Amazon’s commission rates vary by product category and are set entirely by Amazon — we have no ability to negotiate these rates. The existence of a commission does not cause us to recommend a product in a higher category over a better product in a lower category. Our gear recommendations are based on research and usefulness for cruise travelers, not on commission rate optimisation.
For reference, Amazon’s publicly available commission rates for the categories we most commonly cover are approximately: Luggage (3%), Camera & Photo (3%), Electronics Accessories (4%), and Outdoor & Sports (3%). These rates are set by Amazon and subject to change without notice.
No Guarantee of Purchase Outcome
Nothing on this site constitutes a guarantee, warranty, or assurance that any product will meet your needs, perform as described, or arrive in a satisfactory condition. Product reviews represent our honest assessment based on available information at the time of writing. Your experience with a product may differ from ours. For all purchase-related issues, contact Amazon Customer Service or the relevant retailer.
Questions About This Disclosure
If you have questions about any affiliate relationship on this site, believe you have found a disclosure that does not meet the standards described on this page, or want to report a post that appears to be missing its disclosure notice, please contact us:
[Your Street Address]
[City, State, ZIP]
United States