Would you rather Know or be surprised?

[aeonix01]

Would you rather know what's on a ship from front to back before you sail, or have it be a surprise?

 

I'm booked to sail shortly, and I've seen every video, youtube clip, and picture I could find about the ship I'll be on for the fist time. To some degree, I kinda think I might have liked to be completely surprised. I just couldn't resist the urge to look and know as much as I could.

 

What do you guys think?

[mudpievelour]

I'd rather know. That way I don't miss anything I'd really like to do or see.

[sjb317]

I like to be surprised. The only "research" I do is check out the ports to have an idea of what we might want to see. I don't want to look at Compasses, menus, or know what the entertainment is prior to

boarding :D.

 

Sherri:)

[cruzkitty]

I like to know a lot about the ship I am sailing. A bit compulsive, I guess. :D But with Ships like the Oasis and Allure, I think it will definitely be a Plus to know all you can about them. I do like some surprises onboard!

[bigeagle12]

I am the type of person that does tons of research prior to sailing.

 

However, if you can resist the urge .. you will be pleasantly surprised .. Explorer is a GREAT ship.

[jsmeeker]

can it be both?

 

I want to know what's on the ship. How many places to eat? where are all the bars? This is especially important if you have to book a dining reservation prior to boarding. I kinda want to have a general idea of what is available to I know what to go check out.

 

Of course, suprises are nice, too. I think the best way for me to be surprised is being suprised at the way the venues LOOK. That said, I still am a sucker for lots of pictures. I really like seeing ariel photos of the ship and trying to figure out where stuff really is while looking at the deck plans.

[Batcat]

Ive done a fair bit of reading about our upcoming cruise. Not in such a way to 'ruin' any surprise but just so I have an idea of what's on offer with dining, shows, activities etc. I do try to avoid photos and videos if I can though because I don't want to see every last detail. When I first booked all I wanted was to see as many pictures as possible but I managed to give up that obsession :D

[sherilyn70]

No matter how much you read about it, look at pictures, etc... I think you'll still find things you didn't expect if you look. :) I want to know everything the ship has to offer and what is where before I get on board. I'm not focusing on the things in the compasses and will think about activities and such after I get on board instead of micro managing my days.

[milton333]

Um, I've been reviewing Cruise Compasses with the same itinerary as my sailing on FOS and have been adding events to my TripIt itinerary. Like when the casino opens, when the movies are, when's tea time, etc.

 

In my experience, if you don't know about it, there's a good chance you'll miss it. And while it's fun to just relax and do nothing, I have regretted not experiencing "x" when someone mentions it as we wait in line to disembark, kwim?

[deltatango]

I have it, its called OCD for cruise ship reviews, videos, images deck plans etc etc also Cruise Critic :eek:

[Gone Fishing]

I like to know everything about the ship. That way the vacation starts months in advance. Checking everything out on line and deciding what to do is half the fun for me.

[zijlweg]

Most cruise ships are the same:

restaurants on the aft

theater in the bow

pools on top

shops, casino etc on deck 5 or 6

Only the beauty of the ship differs and that

will be visible only when are really there!

[cb at sea]

We (well, I!) pour over the deck plans, but until you're actually ON the ship, it's not reality!

I don't really care about seeing actual photos of the cabins....they are remarkably the same as the photos in the brochure!

[Woodmnky]

I need to know everything. I will admit it is a sick compulsion.;)

[Scottifer]

I love reading about the ship before I go, to me it just makes waiting for the trip that much more exciting. I'll read reviews of the ship and look at the pictures. Especially because my next cruise is on a Freedom class, seems like a huge ship, I gotta learn everything I can.

 

Of course I do this before all vacations, I love reading the books about the secrets of Disney before I go to Disneyland or Disney World.

[tripkat]

I'll admit....I'm a bit OCD when it comes to researching an upcoming cruise. I call it my 'virtual pre-vacation' and find it only gets me more excited. Having said that, there always ends up being those little surprises once we sail....something beautiful about the ship or a port.

[brianabrad]

I'm a planner at heart so I want to know and I want to know it all. If I could some how find copies of the dinner menu for each night I would probably have them printed and highlighted by now!

[Camlott]

I suspect the majority of the people who have found their way to CC fall into the "like to know" category, why else would they be here?

 

That being said, I know there are a few around here who could care less until they are on the ship.

 

I fall into the the "like to know" category to the point of OCD! I have become an Aft snob, so yes I do like pictures of the actual room since they differ greatly from the stock photo's!

[Tom_n_Sara]

I need to know everything. I will admit it is a sick compulsion.;)

 

I know how you feel.

 

Sara doesn't want to know, that's because she knows I will have studied all i can about our cruise.

[rthouse]

I am totally enjoying (obsessed) reading every review, every tip, every picture, and every video I can find about my upcoming Allure experience.

 

As tripkat said, it's like a "virtual pre-vacation. It absolutely fascinates me and it helps me manage the anxiety of waiting for almost a year and the fear of not knowing what I'm missing when I'm onboard the ship. This way if I miss something it won't be because I didn't know it was there.

 

The other reason for seeking out info is that I will be traveling with 8 family members who are novice cruisers. I'm sure that I'll be expected to be their "guide" so it will be good to know a few things.

 

Even with all that I've learned in advance, I have no doubt that I will still be WOWed when I board that beauty.

[Camlott]

I'm a planner at heart so I want to know and I want to know it all. If I could some how find copies of the dinner menu for each night I would probably have them printed and highlighted by now!

 

Here you go... same menu fleetwide for 7 nights.

 

http://www.retirease.com/Oasis%20MDR%20Menus.pdf

[will work to cruise]

We like to know. It helps with the over planning! :D

[Texas Teen]

I haven't even been on a cruise yet and I pretty much know about every ship in the fleet and what every area on every class looks like on the inside! :D I spend a lot of time looking at pictures of Royal Caribbean ships.

[Familygoboston]

A different take... I like to pre know my way around the ship and to plan my days aboard with the cruise compasses. And I think it's critical to research ports; what they offer, the culture etc. I feel it's the best way for me to be sure I experience what I want to, as easily as possible.( by avoiding the mistakes of those who went before;)) I also like to read reviews and see photos, BUT I don't like to read detailed reviews or see photos about shows and entertainment! I want to be surprised. So I whiz through the parts of the reviews about the shows!

[Booking It]

I LOVE reading all that I can about the ships. It's part of the experience for me.

 

When I get on board, then I can exclaim and say, "Oh, look! There's the balloon man. Look! There's the Tide Bar!" It's like all of those things that I've only seen on a computer screen are suddenly real.

 

It would be fun to be surprised, but I think that knowing ahead can still be a ton of fun.