www.CostaRicaTicas.com

CRT has been a invaluable resource for a newbie going to CR. So much so that I signed up for the VIP membership. Upon signing up... I did feel a bit like the VIP membership was a bait and switch. Here is the link for those that care to reference.... https://costaricaticas.com/join-now/

I had already booked Zona II at a negotiated rate, so the main reason for me signing up was the VIP photo gallery, which is definitely the main selling point on the website.

"CRT VIP Photo Gallery
VIP Members enjoy access to our exclusive gallery of thousands of member provided photos. If you are thinking about coming to Costa Rica or are looking for inspiration between trips, the gallery is an incredible resource that you won't find anywhere else."

as well as..

"Access to the VIP Photo Lounge with thousands of photos of girls in Costa Rica and the world."

I do not plan on taking advantage of any of the VIP discounts (I scanned before signing up), nor do I really need the "VIP Avatar in the Forum Section that lets everyone know that you are a V.I.P. !"

The main reason for signing up was for the photo gallery. I understand that there is a reason for this, and pending litigation (after much research), but this is not a recent development.

Anyway I am a big fan of CRT, and will think of the membership costs as a donation to a very informative site. I'm not angry per say... but I do think the admins need to update the "join now" link for accuracy.

yeah I have to agree, it was the biggest selling point for me as well and was disappointed when it didn't exist

if you go to the sportsmanlodge your crt discount will pay for your membership right there. just show it to the bartenders before ordering and your discount should be applied to your check. if your staying at zona im sure youll visit the sportsman a few times

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You do costa rica your way and I'll do it my way

Since you're staying at Zona II use the CRT card for a discount on an hour with 1 of the ladies working there. And you should have gotten a voucher/postcard with the CRT card for 1st time drink order.

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If you see me at the bottom, please bring me my running shoes!

It has been just about a year since they took it down. Seems like plenty of time for the owners to delete "VIP Photo Gallery" from the list of what's included in the mebership.

Again... the knowledge I gained alone is worth the cost. The discounts you can receive more than make up for the $40 bucks or so.

My issue is that most of the information/content I learned was free. I was enticed to sign up for VIP due to a VIP photo gallery. In hindsight I would gladly pay the dues owed for the info alone. This may be due to active/responsive members like Pops, Orange, Bashful, BangBang, Rac, hotdoggg, etc...

My worry is that there are a few active members keeping CRT alive... rather than the admins that run the site and benefit from membership fees. An active mongering community can only keep thing afloat for so long... it's not difficult to browse old forums and see that by page 3, you are seeing VIP TR's from 3-4 years ago. I know there is a tight knit group of veterans... but for a newbie, we rely on the content of the CRT website to be true and accurate. A simple editing of the "join now" page would solve any and all issues raised here. I am happy to pay dues (and feel indebted) to all the wisdom. I am just asking for a bit more transparency in what seems like an otherwise VERY reliable website.

Keep in mind many (or a majority) of your paying customers have no issue paying cien or more for a chica, and likewise would pay any amount for trusted, reliable, source of information.

The first step towards fixing chica economics could be fixing mongering economics.

No one, rich or poor, likes to feel duped.

I should probably edit this one statement to say...

Keep in mind many (or a majority) of your NEWBIE paying customers have no issue paying cien or more for a chica, and likewise would pay any amount for trusted, reliable, source of information.

crnewbiemonger, it is good that you brought this subject up. Us veterans who do most of the posting never see the sales pitch for joining. Hopefully, the admins will see your posts and take some action.

As a non VIP member you do not have access to all of the forums and are limited in the number of posts you may make. Not sure why you would turn down a discount at a hotel or other establishment.

While I would love to see the alleged VIP Photo Section, I joined for access to the VIP forums and for the discounts. I have 1 month to go before trip #2 begins and I've already saved 208USD w/o leaving the comfort of my couch!!! And I'll save a 'Lil Mo when I'm on the ground in The Gulch I wish I had known about this Forum before trip #1

If you're a once and done kinda guy for visiting Costa Rica, a $39 VIP Card might seem useless. BUT, if you're a repeat Monger, not having the VIP Card is just DUMB Economics!

NJ

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If you see me at the bottom, please bring me my running shoes!

I would like to see the fee gone. As a guy that has been to CR a few times but now travels to Thailand, DR, Philippines, Cambodia, ect. It makes no economic sense for me to pay for a membership. So I post all my TR’s and stuff on sites that are free but make their money by ad revenue/or wave fee to those who post. I have dozens of TR’s that will never see this site because I have no access to the TR’s with pics. I don’t really think it’s doing the board any favors when you have guys with TR’s with 100k+ views across the boards that can’t post them here. I have thousands of posts on other boards and like 100 here since 2005 because of the way it's set up.

Anyway, I don’t like the setup of this board. I think TJ amigos is a lot better where they wave the fee for those that post a lot of pics and TR’s.


I did really like the map when I was a VIP member, and yes the discounts did pay for the card in one trip. But I don’t go to CR every year so it really makes no sense to keep it.