Experienced cruisers have these first-timers wondering if we made a mistake???

[Happy ks]

I've been reading the boards now for 4 years. It always seems as though the positive reviews get a once over by a few posters, with a "thanks for the great review". The negatives, well, people are ready to jump all over them. I also think it is human nature, if you do have a bad experience, to try to shout it to the world. Many times I have read bad reviews by people who register just to slam whatever bad experience they have, then they disappear.

I also envy your first cruise, there's nothing like it. The ships are beautiful, the service is usually outstanding, it's like nothing you have done before. Prepare yourself for any mishaps, don't take it all too seriously if something should go wrong. Take advantage of the dining room, the shows, the nightlife, the games etc.... Or, lay back and let the world slip away, it's up to you. We try to stay away from the buffet, any chicken dish, and lounge chairs around the pool. Of course, we like to be waited on, hate reheated chicken and the noise level around the pool.

I've only been on 7 cruises so far, RCCL twice, both times were outstanding. My husband and I are trying to go on as many different lines as we can before our turn on earth is over.

Have a wonderful cruise!

Kathy

[Oneill32]

We went on the Mariner in early April, in the middle of the spring break season. Leading up to the cruise we saw some so so reviews on the Mariner on the internet. We also saw a lot of posts about drunk and misbehaving teens. I thought that I had made a mistake booking this cruise, it was our first and everyone was very excited about it. All my fears were groundless. The food was great, we were planning on having dinner at Chops or Portofinos, but there was no need to. The meals in the dining room were superb, and we greatly enjoyed the company of our new found friends. By the third day of the sailing, we all agreed that it was our best vacation ever. My wife was in heaven, no meals to cook, no beds to be made, and shows to see every night. Our kids loved Adventure Ocean and made many nice friends. We had such a great time that within two weeks after coming home, we booked the Mariner again for next spring break. Go with an open mind and you will not regret it.

[jagmanss1]

One final note..... JUST GET OUT THERE...... Start a Roll Call if you don't have one already, Get to know your fellow cruise mates from these boards, Even if you don't meet the 25 for an official Meet & Mingle party... Plan a place to meet them.... Trust me, You will have friends for life.... The people from these boards are not only a great source of info,But a GREAT bunch of people that all have one thing in common.... Cruisin'... And yes even the ones that complain..... You will want to cruise with them again, But may not be able to for one reason or another and will be a bummer..... Guess what??? You will meet others that will become friends on your next cruise and so on.... But you will have cruise buddies for life and will hook up again on another cruise, That is what is great about these boards and Cruise Critic..... Forget about the negatives.... Some will not like a port, You may like it, Everyone has there opinions... Take all with a grain of salt and you will be fine and want to GET OUT THERE AGAIN.......

[img]http://community.the-underdogs.org/smiley/happy/icon_beer.gif[/img]
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=4169e1&cdt=2004;11;14;22;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]
UNTIL OUR NEXT ADVENTURE

Adventure of The Seas 11/14/04
Enchantment of the Seas 11/1/03
Sovereign of the Seas 11/28/02
SS Oceanic (Big Red Boat) 10/98

[Tatka]

I probably should say..cruising is terrible so all these new 100000 people won't try it and we'll still have nice discounts, but I can't.

Cruising is great. Think of it this way...Do you like all inclusive resorts in Caribbean? Ship it's basically the same but it lets you see many places rather than staying on the same beach for whole week.

You just have to try different lines to figure out which one suit you more. If you are very active and need rock climbing, ice skating, parades Voyager class is right for you.

If you prefer more refined cruising try Celebrity or luxury cruising.

My husband wasn't on Celebrity with me so he had nothing to compare Splendour food with and thought it was very good though.

Anyway, you have to try to find out!

One thing I noticed that cruise crowd is usually closer...I conversed with many people in the pools and jacuzzis, during our dinner while on land vacation we didn't get to know anybody.

------------------------------
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Zuiderdam 8/21/04 FLL - Key West - Cozumel - Grand Caymans - Half Moon Cay - FLL
<LI>Splendour of the Seas 05/15/04 Barcelona - Marseilles - Villefranche - Livorno - Chivitavecchia - Naples - Barcelona
<LI>Century 07/12/03 Eastern Caribbean FFL-San Juan - St. Thomas - St.Maarten- Nassau -FFL
<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/91 Moscow - Astrahan' - Moscow (honeymoon)
<LI>Komarno(Volga)07/90 Moscow - Astrahan'- Moscow
<LI>Admiral Nachimov(or Nakhimov) (Black Sea)04/1986 Odessa - Batum [/list]

GO BRUINS!!!!

[banderboo]

Have you ever looked at the list of cruises in the signature line of most of those who complain. If they really had a miserable time and everything was bad would they book so many cruises with RCI.

Diane
Explorer of the Sea 12/5/04
Legend of the Sea 9/12/04
Voyager of the Sea 8/24/03
Sovereign of the Sea 07/01

[abridalmaven]

The only mistake you made is believing such negative people. Have you ever gone on a perfect vacation? This is not a perfect world and if you think it is then you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Things can and do go wrong, anywhere, anytime.
Having said that in my entire life I have never had a bad vacation, were things always perfect, no, but I never let that get in the way of having fun.Only you can make yourself happy. If things have to be perfect for you the you are better off never leaving home.

[img]http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/stone/27/names/b/barbara02.gif[/img]
My vacation pics
[url="http://community.webshots.com/user/abridalmaven"]http://community.webshots.com/user/abridalmaven[/url]
Norwegian Dawn May 23
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;5;23;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[PhoenixCruiser]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DChabira:

This board is an incredible tool and you can get a great deal of very valuable information from it, but take a lot of it with a grain of salt.

I love to read the board and exchage stories but a great deal of what's on here is BS.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

My thoughts exactly!!!

Have fun planning, and believe me, you will enjoy your first cruise [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

###

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=191970&cdt=2004;6;26;17;1;00&timezone=GMT-0400[/img]
Navigator of the Seas 6/26/04

<center>
<a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm">
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/logos/time98.gif[/img]</center>

[Pshkbb]

you have definitely NOT made a mistake. My DH and I have taken quite a few cruises and LOVE RCCL. Of course there are always a few things you'd wish were different but that is usually the case with any vacation or experience.

Don't let some people's negative comments deter you from having a GREAT trip. Is the food five star cuisine? No, but I have yet to have a meal that was really bad - you can order anything from the menu and if you don't like something - they will always get you something else.

Do people hog the deck chairs? Sure but you can always find one - it may not be your first choice but you will find a chair and as soon as you are lying down in you will forget all your troubles.

IS the medical staff incompentent? doubful but they are general practitioners so they won't be experts on everything - they are there for the usualy cruise complaints and to help if more assistance is needed.

Is the staff overworked? Maybe - but a friendler group of men and women I have yet to encounter.

All in all, RCCL is one of the best vacations around and you will have a fabulous time - just don't go looking for problems - if you do you will find them somewhere and if you don't then you will have fun.

Karen

[FOXTROT]

Don't worry about the negatives. There are always people around that focus only on the negative side of things. The food was great, the service outstanding. We had a fantastic time on the Mariner. Don't miss the ice skating show. Who cares if things are less than prefect(are you always perfect at your job?). Don't sweat it & enjoy yourselves.

Sovereign 598
Sovereign 599
Sovereign 500
Voyager 1100
Explorer 501
Radiance 1101
Majesty 302
Adventure 402
Enchantment 1102
Monarch 103
Legend 403
Navigator 1103
Mariner 304
Grandeur 404
Sovereign 504
Serenade 1104
Jewel 105

[RM]

More then 15 cruises on RCI.......2 more already booked so can it be that bad?

Up next Mariner of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=dc143c&cdt=2004;6;20;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0400[/img]
Then Jewel of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=008080&cdt=2004;12;18;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0400[/img]

[pd9845]

Hey NJreindeer -

I'll be on the same cruise. Sign up for our roll call.

Don't worry, we'll have a blast!

Mariner of the Seas - August 29th 2004
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=191970&cdt=2004;8;29;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[magicolor_girl]

I left for my first cruise on 10/25/03. On 10/31/04, I'll be leaving on my 4th cruise. 4 cruises, all with RCCL in a 12 month period. Why? Because cruising is an awesome experience - an amazing vacation. I have to say that on my previous 2 cruises, I had [I]nothing[/I] at all to complain about. Not one thing.

Working in customer service I am very clued in to the fact that some people will complain about everything and will never be happy. I take the things written on these boards with a grain of salt. Even reading negative reviews, I'm so looking forward to being back on the Voyager next Sunday. Come what may, I'm going to have a fabulous vacation. Why? Because it's my [I]vacation[/I] and I have the right attitude!

Voyager of the Seas 10.26.03
Voyager of the Seas 01.11.04
Voyager of the Seas 06.13.04
Explorer of the Seas 10.31.04

[Slacks]

nj,

There are people on these boards who, if they found the perfect cruise for $500, would complain they weren't being charged enough. I strongly urge you to ignore them and have the time of your life. There's no vacation quite like a cruise, and thus far RCCL is my favourite of the three lines I've tried.

Cheers,
Rick.

2004 Navigator of the Seas [url="http://messages.cruisecritic.com/2/OpenTopic?a=tpc&s=927093444&f=408097554&m=3813073867"](Read Review)[/url]
2002 Rhapsody of the Seas
2000 Voyager of the Seas
1997 SS Norway
1995 SS Norway
1991 MS Meridien
1990 SS Norway

[MGilly]

Okay, now for the flip side. I LOOK for the negatives! Why? Because we so rarely find them! My husband and I have taken 3 cruises on Carnival and three on RCI. We'll be on another RCI cruise (to Alaska!) in about a week and a half. Why do I look for the negatives? Because they are what can make for the funniest stories! How boring to hear about how wonderful and perfect everything on our vacation was! <grin>

To be honest, we've never found any problem we've encountered on any cruise to be something we could not handle. Any time there was anything wrong with the ship (okay, the ONE time we found beer cans from a previous passenger in our cabin), the housekeeping staff was only too gracious about taking care of it AND sending a bottle of wine to our dinner table to make up for any inconvenience! The only other time we had a "problem" was with the people at our table at dinner on our first RCI cruise. We didn't know at that time that we could have requested a seating change, so we cringed through dinner the first couple of nights and then decided we'd make the best of it - and found a LOT of humor in the situation for the rest of the trip!

Really - if you can't turn lemons into lemonade, life can be pretty unpleasant! We just enjoy everything we can about life and look for silver linings in every cloud. A vacation is to be enjoyed. All the complainers just spend way too much time sweating the small stuff. Life is too short for that! Go with an open mind and enjoy all the wonderful surprises you'll find.

[goingtocruise]

Mistake taking a RCCL Cruise? Yes, because after coming back you won't be able to think about anything else besides finding a way to get to go on another cruise. I'm talking being obsessed by it. I took my kids on their first cruise in 2001, another in 2003 and another in 2004. All agree that cruising is the best vacation.(better than Disney World). Also agree that the best of the three was RCCL Navigator of the Seas. We did however enjoy all three. The least liked was the Carnival Glory. We actually like plain, everyday food. Son would live on Jack's Pizza, but tried many items in the dining room. Favorite time on the ship was dinner time. Enjoyed meeting tablemates. RCCL had wonderful food (especially soups). Carnivals dining room food wasn't much to our liking but we had a great time laughing at the presentation of some of the food. Inside jokes all the time. Servers great. Dinner still the best time. Never went hungry. Food everywhere (which means somewhere there is food that you will like). Most people are very nice and polite that we have come in contact with. There were a few exceptions to that on Carnival when ports were canceled, but it was definitely a show to watch when guests argue with ship security. Never knew they would actually threaten with putting them in the Brig. Kids took all the situation in, great conversation starters. Really, I can't think of a better decision than to take an RCCL cruise. I admit there are things that don't always go as planned, but there are many other opportunities waiting all over the ship. Have fun, you didn't make a mistake booking this cruise.

[lisajoy]

For seven months all I could do is ask my DH "Why are we going on a cruise?". I would have rather gone just to a resort. Now I ask my DH "Why haven't you booked our next cruise?" You will love RCCL. Plus you can't believe half of the crap people say on these boards. Make your own fun. I like to complain, but I also like to compliment RCCL on providing me such great service.


EOS 4/04

[dgund]

We were on the Navigator (sister ship to the Mariner) in April. We found the food in the dining room to be very good and the service excellent. The alternative restaurants, Chops and Portofinos, were just incredible for food snd service. The buffet was also very good with alot of different choices. The ship is beautiful and our stateroom attendant was great. On sea days the pool area is very crowded, but we arrived around 9:00 A.M. and basically had our choice of chairs. They did have crew members removing items from chairs that had not been occupied for a long time. For us, this cruise was seven wonderful days in heaven. No complaints at all. I don't feel you have made a mistake booking the Mariner. Relax and enjoy your cruise. I only wish we were going with you.

[Chloe Girl]

njreindeer:

Last month we were on the Mariner and had a wonderful time.

Yes, the chair hogs were out and yes there were children in the solarium hot tubs, but a cruise is what you make it.

From our experience, the food was not cold and even the room service arrived on time, tasty and hot. One warning though, they serve runny brown beans with your room service order unless otherwise told no to; we found that out on the first morning.

Joey, Our room steward, was fantastic and catered to our every whim.

V&M

Jewel of the Seas April 2005
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=111111&cdt=2005;4;23;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]


Mariner of the Seas May 2004
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=111111&cdt=2004;5;16;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]


Navigator of the Seas May 2003
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=111111&cdt=2003;5;3;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]


Explorer of the Seas November 2001
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=111111&cdt=2001;11;24;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[CRUSINGAL]

I think that the only thing you will be really disapointed with is your next cruise. Why do I say that? You are going on one darn pretty ship for your first experience. Just my opinion, but if you go on something like SOS the next time, you maybe dissapointed with how little the ship is. Should you go on this cruise... HECK YA! I am going on the Mariner this coming November and I am about to pee my pants with anticipation. I am also booked to go to Hawaii for two weeks the following April and I have to tell you... I prefer cruising any day.
Go with a positive attitude and you will be just fine. Lots of people still need to learn to stop sweating the small stuff.

11/28 Mariner Cruise... Yahooey!
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ffd700&cdt=2004;11;28;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[njreindeer]

I can't tell you how much better you've all made us feel.. Honestly, when I wrote that post yesterday, we were *this close* to cancelling the cruise and just booking another vacation at Sandals instead (went to Sandals St. Lucia on our honeymoon, absolutely loved it). With all of your stories - which we LOVE to read, they never get boring! - and encouragement to watch out for the people who wouldn't be happy unless they were complaining about something, we absolutely CANNOT WAIT for our cruise now!!! DH just left for a long day at work with lots of meetings, and I told him that if things get rough today, just keep thinking that 12 weeks from now we'll be on Mariner. I'm afraid that he won't be able to concentrate at all now!

Thank you everyone, thanks for your reviews and stories and for reminding us not to worry about the small percentage who could find fault in anything.

I can't wait 'til our first cruise!!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

njreindeer (Helena)

Time 'til Mariner on 8/29/04 -- our first cruise!
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=4169e1&cdt=2004;8;29;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[TheWog]

No you didn't make a mistake. We went on Disney Magic in January and loved it and are now trying RCI with other adults. We will have a great time and you should too. Don't let other people sway you as they will have a different view of it. Did we get the exact chairs we wanted no, were they near the pool, yes. Our service was outstanding at every turn, so that was great for us. So just go into with a positive attitude and you will be back here raving about what a great time you had and the next cruise you have already booked.....

Disney Magic 01/10/04
Enchantment of the Seas 01/22/05
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2005;01;22;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[hstrybuf]

We're booked for our second RCI cruise and wouldn't have booked again if we hadn't enjoyed our first cruise with them. Hopefully the positive responses here will outweigh the negatives you've read elsewhere. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

[img]http://www.bensleyraceteam.com/Ani_Gif_Images/bookworm2.gif[/img]

Navigator OTS 10/04
Legend 04/04
Grand Princess 09/03
Dawn Princess 01/03
Enchantment OTS 10/02
Destiny 01/02
Sensation 08/99

[ugyvel]

njreindeer--If you look at all the "negative" posts (and I still don't believe there are that many), I think that you will find that only a very small percentage of them said that they wouldn't cruise or would switch to some other line. Most seem to be loyal RCL cruisers who are hoping for their 'ideal'. Many already have future RCL cruises booked.

Golden 11/01
Monarch 12/02
Fantasy 6/03
Serenade 9/03
Radiance 11/03
Mariner 6/04
Enchantment 9/04
Legend 3/05

[CrimsonCruiser]

We just got back from the 5/30 Mariner.

At the Radisson, on the morning of the sailing, I encountered returning passengers from the 5/23 sailing. Making small talk, I asked them about their recent cruise. There were several negative comments mixed in with their response.

I got on the ship a few hours later and did not experience anything like what they did. My conclusion is that a cruise a what you make of it, and among 3,600 people you will find a wide range of experiences. The overwhelming majority find a very positive experience and keep coming back.

Don't let the vocal minority decide what your experience is going to be before you even step foot on the ship.

<applet code="countdown.class" CODEBASE="http://*************/java-sys" width="203" height="25">
<param name="font" value="lcdb0">
<param name="year" value=2004>
<param name="month" value=5>
<param name="day" value=30>
<param name="hour" value=17>
</applet>



HAL Zandaam 06/2000
RCCL Voyager 07/2002
RCCL Mariner 05/2004

[CGTNORMANDIE]

HI HELENA!!!

You have to understand that most of these threads deal with complaints. As you can see...we also have many "ship daft" cruise addicts who are just overjoyed to tell you their stories.

Take the NAVIGATOR and have a ball. I just got off the phone with an old friend who I had been trying to talk into a cruise for the past 5 years. She just got off the ADVENTURE and told me, "they were hooked on cruising"

STOP WORRYING AND START CRUISING!!!

ROSS

RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH 1965/TS BREMEN 1971/RMS AMERIKANIS 1972/SS FRANCE 1973/SS FRANCE 1973/QE II 1975/QE II 1975/TS LEONARDO DaVINCI 1976/QE II 1978/TS GALLILAO 1984/ MV REGENT SEA 1988/MV ZENITH 1992/SS NORWAY 1993/MV HORIZON 1998/GTS NORWEGIAN SUN 2001/GTS CENTURY 2002/GTS SUMMIT 2003/GTS JEWEL OF THE SEAS 2004