Are Brits Harder to Please Than Yanks?

[Bundles917]

Since the Solstice class ships began summering in Europe I've noticed a trend in the reviews; particularly in the feedback with the Eclipse.

 

The 'cruise-from-hell' reviews are often authored by Brits. While the 'loved-the-experience-can-hardly-think-of-one-negative' reviews are mostly written by U.S. passengers.

 

Now, this is not a blanket observation that all posted, recent reviews from English passengers are discerningly downbeat. No. There are patches of praise. (But in some of those platitudes there is often criticism that reads overly discerning. One example is a recent complaint of too much live music on-board.) And, yes there are U.S. based reviews that are less than flattering.

 

But review for yourself the overall differences in feedback from when the Eclipse (and her sisters) were in the Caribbean this past winter (with presumably mostly U.S. passengers) versus now with ships embarking out of Southampton. Either the S class ships have lost some luster crossing the Atlantic or Brits are less restrained than Yanks in expressing candor. Or possibly expectations levels vary on either side of the Atlantic?

 

Just a curious 'out-loud' ponder...

[dzcruisers]

Since the Solstice class ships began summering in Europe I've noticed a trend in the reviews; particularly in the feedback with the Eclipse.

 

The 'cruise-from-hell' reviews are often authored by Brits. While the 'loved-the-experience-can-hardly-think-of-one-negative' reviews are mostly written by U.S. passengers.

 

Now, this is not a blanket observation that all posted, recent reviews from English passengers are discerningly downbeat. No. There are patches of praise. (But in some of those platitudes there is often criticism that reads overly discerning. One example is a recent complaint of too much live music on-board.) And, yes there are U.S. based reviews that are less than flattering.

 

But review for yourself the overall differences in feedback from when the Eclipse (and her sisters) were in the Caribbean this past winter (with presumably mostly U.S. passengers) versus now with ships embarking out of Southampton. Either the S class ships have lost some luster crossing the Atlantic or Brits are less restrained than Yanks in expressing candor. Or possibly expectations levels vary on either side of the Atlantic?

 

Just a curious 'out-loud' ponder...

 

Would you think there would be a change in demographics between the Caribbean and Europe? Perhaps a younger cruiser in the Caribbean!

[Lois R]

Hi, I read that recent review "CRUISE FROM HELL"...I am only using

caps because the reviewer did too. It wasn't a very detailed review

but just sounded like they did not enjoy themselves at all:eek::rolleyes:

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Since the Solstice class ships began summering in Europe I've noticed a trend in the reviews; particularly in the feedback with the Eclipse.

 

The 'cruise-from-hell' reviews are often authored by Brits. While the 'loved-the-experience-can-hardly-think-of-one-negative' reviews are mostly written by U.S. passengers.

 

Now, this is not a blanket observation that all posted, recent reviews from English passengers are discerningly downbeat. No. There are patches of praise. (But in some of those platitudes there is often criticism that reads overly discerning. One example is a recent complaint of too much live music on-board.) And, yes there are U.S. based reviews that are less than flattering.

 

But review for yourself the overall differences in feedback from when the Eclipse (and her sisters) were in the Caribbean this past winter (with presumably mostly U.S. passengers) versus now with ships embarking out of Southampton. Either the S class ships have lost some luster crossing the Atlantic or Brits are less restrained than Yanks in expressing candor. Or possibly expectations levels vary on either side of the Atlantic?

 

Just a curious 'out-loud' ponder...

 

Well I'm US based. Recently sailed the Eclipse out of Southampton. If that had been my first Celebrity cruise, it probably would have been my last. Crew was the most disengaged bunch I've ever met. Service in Bistro on 5 was nonexistent. The lido was a scrum. Not Celebrity's finest hour.

[Denny01]

No idea if there are differences and if so, are they due to one group expecting more. I do get a kick out of how some reviewers rate and grade - one recent review gave the Eclipse all '5's' and '5+' except for a '4' for The Spa and a '3' for excursions, but then gave the cruise a '3' for Value For Money....What??? Go figure that one out.

 

Den

[Project_gal]

If you generalise, British culture/taste is different from that of our North American cousins. It is why some Brits love travelling to the USA and some Americans love visiting the UK while others, from both countries, prefer holidaying elsewhere. Although we have never cruised on a British cruise line, I understand that there are differences in the experience they provide compared to the American cruise lines. Many Brits who have cruised many times before from Southampton will be trying an American cruise line for the first time and the different style may not be to their taste.

 

In addition, cruising is growing fast in the UK. Others choosing Celebrity from Southampton for their first cruise may be people who will have discovered that cruising is not for them whatever cruise lines they selected. Most Americans will not choose the Med for their first ever cruise.

 

Finally, there is possibly a cultural difference in review styles. On our first cruise, it was clearly explained by a number of experienced US cruisers that anything less than "excellent" on our feedback indicated that we had received bad service. It is the same on eBay where a "neutral" feedback score is seen as "bad". In the UK "excellent" traditionally means "exceptional" and not "met expectations" and it is more likely that "failed to meet expectations" becomes "the cruise from Hell".

 

Or perhaps Eclipse is just going through a bad patch. If you follow these boards over time, most ships do at some time or another.

 

Sue

[gosport11]

Theres no P or O in celebrity,It takes a little while to get used to plated service,few vegetables, and the staff,maybe its to do withthe British tipping culture,also the extras to pay for upset the brits as well if they arent used to it that is where the value for money comes in

Im not fussed who i travel with as long as we enjoy our selves

[uktog]

I will be back on Eclipse in 5 weeks time so will be able to tell if it is going through a bad patch (I hope not)

Project Gal and Gosport 11 have summed up most of the reasons you are getting some of these reviews - the biggest is the number of first time cruisers and first time Celebrity guests who come with ""unusual" expectations

There will always be valid and genuine issues, I will not be surprised if I do not find some. Will I flag them up in a review = maybe it depends on what it is and regular X cruisers know when to shout and when to ignore

 

The biggest single issue seems to be the cost of drink (there is another UK review site and if you see some of the reviews on there you will realise ones on here are moderate!!). Some Brits do not like to pay anything other than supermarket prices for a drink. My son works as a Bar Manager in a 4 star (not 5 star) hotel. A spirit and mixer costs in $ around $7 there, it is the going rate in hotels and yet he gets abuse most Saturday nights from function guests about the prices of drinks and has to handle issues re "carry ins" - bottles of vodka sneaked in ladies handbags. These same overnight guests then slag the hotel of on tripadvisor, the more travel savvy ones usually write great reviews about the lovely staff - do you see a pattern here?

 

I do not want to generalise but many of these reviews are typical of the less travel savvy (does not need to be cruise savvy) UK traveller.

 

I will let you know our experiences when we get back

[spursdebs]

Theres no P or O in celebrity,It takes a little while to get used to plated service,few vegetables, and the staff,maybe its to do with the British tipping culture,also the extras to pay for upset the Brits as well if they aren't used to it that is where the value for money comes in

I'm not fussed who i travel with as long as we enjoy our selves

 

as a "Brit" although i prefer being called English, this nonsense about Brits not tipping is just that nonsense, i think what we resent is being told we HAVE to tip and the amount we HAVE to tip,and i am always astounded when we are still expected to tip for rude or bad service why? although i would always compalin if something was not right as soon as possible and give people the chance to put it right , i always leave the proper amount due and when my family were young spent years as a waitress relying on tips and made a good living at it and in those days there was no minimum wage, i have noticed on trip adviser it is normally the Americans who have huge expectations of hotel rooms especially when visiting Europe normally the rooms are to small which of course is because the buildings are older than 10 minutes, and an obsession with coffee makers? (been spending way to much time on the Vegas forum) and just for the record i have pre paid gratuities upfront but if someone went out their way to do something extra for me i would tip further, i enjoy visiting the USA for their customer service and do think we could learn a lot from it .......

 

debs

[ladylemondrop]

I think the UK cruisers are just used to a very traditional cruising style in the old fashioned way, Cunard, P&O etc, whereas Celebrity is a "flashier" more glitzy style, (which I personally love). We did notice that the charges on board for spa/bingo etc are really high compared to other cruise lines, but I generally feel people are people you cannot label any of us. I have witnessed some really uncouth behaviour from some people on board (yelling at the pool staff from the jacuzzi for more drinks to be brought immediately) and I am sure you get negative people in every walk of life, and also (thankfully) a lot of really happy cruisers! We love Celebrity, and enjoy being with many different cultures on board but thats just us...

[fgc15527]

I am from the US. My one constant Re: Eclipse has been that the staff including the executive staff go out of their way to make my cruising experience great. I first sailed Eclipse in Jan. to the Carib. Ship shows signs of use in places but it is a beautiful ship. Cruising the Caribbean was low key....cruising the Baltic was an experience I will never forget. St. Petersburg is a must see. The Brits I met seemed to enjoy the cruise. Overall dining experience was good. Since I am a frequent Celeb guest I would like the menu to be changed more often but the quality and service was good. I know happy cruiser had problems disinbarking in Petersburg in May. 6/18 cruise leaving the ship in St. Petersburg went smoothly. We spoke to guest relations early on and any previous problems were rectified. Great that cc post brought it to our attention because we were able to address the situation early on. Those going to Moscow left the ship first. Our private tour left right after. Best Capt. Club experience I have had in 7 cruises.

[Ems2]

I am a "Brit" and with my DH sailed out of Southampton last month on the Eclipse on our first ever cruise.

 

We had a truly wonderful time and apart from some early morning noise above our cabin had absolutely nothing to complain about. I did have high expectations and was not disappointed. The ship is beautiful, her crew are magnificent and we enjoyed it so much we booked our next cruise whilst still onboard.

 

We didn't realise we could pre pay our gratuities so we opted to have them added to our onboard account daily and still gave our cabin stewards extra.

 

The drinks did cost more than we are used to paying at home but we were on holiday and not concerned at all, although I can understand why those on a smaller budget would be.

 

There were some rather obnoxious passengers but luckily these were a very small minority and easily avoided. We met some really lovely people, amongst them was a great couple from Las Vegas, she was a hoot!

 

We can't wait to get back onboard.

[karenbeanpole]

The guy who hated the Eclipse in his review just shows what kind of person he is - perfect snob!

 

The Eclipse is NOT going through a glitch - we were on it in June and we found to to be an amazing ship in every way. Yes, the drinks are pricey, yes, the shore excursions are pricey, but we expected it. If you go into a 5 star hotel anywhere, it is pricey and you expect it. STOP MOANING!!!

 

There are obvious cultural differences across the Atlantic. Brits are not very forward (now I am talking VERY generally) about their praise, and tend to moan more when things are not right. However, they tend to moan afterwards, not so much at the time of the "offence". Americans tend to be a bit more exuberant (general again) and actually set out to have fun. So everything they see and do is with that purpose in mind - fun. They ARE going to enjoy.

 

Perhaps it is just a personal thing - what we each expect from that particular cruise holiday.

 

Book your cruise and be thankful you have the money to afford it and the health to enjoy it, then GO ENJOY!!!

[Esprit]

Brits just love to moan a lot. That's why I prefer to sail with a variety of nationalities aboard.

 

The pain of being charged in dollars I can live with instead of being on a ship full of Brits!

 

When we sailed on the "Indy" out of Southampton two years ago I was embarrassed to be associated with some fellow passengers when we docked around the Med'

[Fixit2010]

Us Brits do not have a tipping culture as we believe we pay for an automatic level of service in the goods or services we generally pay for. More often or not we are used by being fleeced by our government on fuel or for a next to 3rd world service on out outrageously expensive transport infrastructure.

As such when we pay for something, we expect to get it without forking out more money for what we should have to start with. Also employers in the UK pay their staff a salary now that does not include boosting it with tips to meet a minimum pay. When we go away, we simply expect to receive what we have paid for.

 

If I worked in a society where to get what i wanted, I have to pay a tip on top of any such service charge, I too would be insistent on getting it just so.

 

Personally I think Americans who are much more used to a service industry culture, complain far more than us Brits. How many Brits complain if their steak is not at least 16oz? or that their fried egg is just not so?

 

Don't take my word for it. Anyone sailing in the next few weeks, just stand for a few minutes in the MDR or the buffet and just count the complaints about food and note which side of the Atlantic that person is from.

[Thornbird]

OK so strictly speaking I'm neither, but I'm closer to beign a Brit than an American, and feel the need to defend my lot (I'm first gen Aussie, with one English parent and 3 English grandparents). People underestimate the cultural difference between the two countries - resulting in the same thing being good to one group and offensive to the other. Since X is an American line, those things are mostly going to please the Americans and upset the English. Pleasant, festive atmosphere to an American is liable to be loud, unceasing noise to a Pom. Everyone I know who has worked hospitality in Europe has said that Americans routinely complain at how small the portion are, which makes me suspect that a key part of what makes a good meal for them is that it is a generous meal. Brits (and most Europeans) tend to prefer a smaller meal, and may object to the waste of massive portions. I know I and most people I know prefer service that is quiet and unobtrusive. I hate having to make small talk with a hairdresser and really value the one I've found who doesn't mind if I read a magazine while she works. Likewise with waiters, I'm always polite to them, but I'd rather have a conversation with my table companions - friends or family who I actually know (may be different on a cruise where it's the same person every day for a week or two, but I haven't experienced that yet). Whereas most posters here seem to really value chatting and making friends with their service staff. It's not a big difference between American friendly and English intrusive, so not surprising it sometimes goes the wrong way. One thing where X seems to have really pleased the English - and me - is the addition of a kettle in the state rooms. I've seen lots of Brits write about how much they appreciate this change. I hate not having a kettle - to the point that my family bought a small kettle in Europe when travelling there because it made living away from home that much homelier. I've never once seen an american say this was something they wanted.

[38anchor]

I am British and love love love to sail the US lines. We have sailed RCI many times, albeit out of US ports and just adore the 'can do' attitude by the crew.

 

We have also sailed P&O once before (after our RCI experiences) and it wasn't a positive experience.

 

There were MANY differences, especially with the service, and although P&O had many advantages over RCI (drink prices, tipping policies) they were no way good enough to make we want to ever cruise with P&O again.

 

I do appreciate we may have had a one-off bad experience, but that has put us off for life.

 

On that cruise, we also met many English passengers who had previously sailed with American lines, and really didn't enjoy the experience at all.

 

Personally, I think its horses for courses - there is a line out there for everyone, and its just a matter of finding the one that suits you, no matter where you are from.

 

As a side note, we have also heard many BAD reviews coming from Independence sailing out of Southampton. We did hear this was because the crew are just not used to dealing with British passengers (and yes, the tipping practice does get mentioned here) and therefore the service is not a patch on what it should be. I do think mixing American practices (ie auto tipping, expensive drink prices etc) isn't necessarily going to work on a ship that is sailing out of the UK and full of UK passengers.

[SueOverend]

We were on the June 18th sailing of the Eclipse to the Baltic and we loved it. Haven't posted a review yet and yes I know I need to make the time. The crew were great, the ship beautiful. Only complaint was a few "not so good" meals in the main dining room and a poor shore excursion in Copenhagen. Everything else was fantastic and would happily sail on her again at the first opportunity.

 

I think a lot of the negative British reviews come from peope who are seasoned P&O cruisers, who are trying Celebrity for the first time. It is a very different experience on P&O and much more "British". A lot of Brits don't like change and Celebrity is very different in many areas. I think a lot of passengers forget that the cabins are on the whole cheaper on Celebrity, but the drinks etc are much more expensive. Swings and roundabouts I feel. I just hate it when people spend their entire cruise moaning - you should always make the best of every situation, enjoy and be thankful that you're on a beautiful ship, sailing on the ocean.

 

We'll be sticking with Celebrity!

 

Sue

[4774Papa]

In general, I believe Brits have more in common with North Americans than continental Europeans in general. I lived in Germany for four years and have traveled to most of the countries in Europe, some several times. I worked with Germans and other nationalities.

 

First, Brits and North Americans have more of a sense of politeness and common courtesy than continentals.

Second, we speak the same language and our culture and legal system come from the same origin.

 

There are probably differences in expectations, but I would be happy on a cruise with Brits.

[FiggyWig]

I'm ENGLISH... have a cruising history of just two trip... First on the US - Solstice, and 2nd on the British - Thompson Celebration.... it didnt take too much thinking about for our 3rd cruise... we will be back on Solstice next month:D.

 

The British ship was full of .. well ... British, and it saddens me to say that I too was one of the moaners - but that was only because the ship gave me plenty to moan about. You didnt hear a peep out of me on Solstice with the exception of plenty of wows and aahs !!

[TRadle]

I haven't read the entire thread, but just read an article this past weekend in one of our newspapers (don't recall which one...either the Wall Street Journal or Chicago Tribune) where they were discussing this very thing! They said that Americans were less likely to make negative remarks while the English will not hesitate to tell someone its rubbish.:)

 

That could be the difference in the reviews.

[Delboy1]

My observation having been on several cruises with people from the States and UK is that us Brits are more likely to complain to each other and post our true feelings in reviews or feedback forms rather than complain at the time. We are used to tip 10%. Americans are far more demanding of good service but are willing to tip 15% or 20% when they get it. I noticed this when staying at a hotel in Barbados when Brits were on the whole relaxed about slow service but American guest could get impatient and sometimes rude.

[Orator]

I remember a story about 4 men sitting arround a dinner table. Three were Americans, one was British. One of the Americans told a joke that was met with immediate laughter from the other two Americans. Their British friend gave no reaction. The Americans wondered why their friend didn't laught at a rather funny joke and thought perhaps he didn't get it. The next moring the group met for breakfast and the Englishman couldn't stop his laughter. "That joke last night", he said " was quite funny and I can't help but thinking about it." While the Americans had forgotten about the joke, their friend was still laughing. Perhaps a cultural difference? I've met rude people on both sides of the pond. I've met some of the most wonderful people from both sides of the pond.

[excitedofharpenden]

I'm ENGLISH... have a cruising history of just two trip... First on the US - Solstice, and 2nd on the British - Thompson Celebration.... it didnt take too much thinking about for our 3rd cruise... we will be back on Solstice next month:D.

 

The British ship was full of .. well ... British, and it saddens me to say that I too was one of the moaners - but that was only because the ship gave me plenty to moan about. You didnt hear a peep out of me on Solstice with the exception of plenty of wows and aahs !!

I haven't been on a Thomson cruise, but can imagine those two ships are worlds apart. Not sure how the prices compared. I think I know which one I'd choose too;)

 

I was on a short cruise to Ireland on Eclipse earlier this year and thought it would be full of moaning Brits. It wasn't. Quite the opposite. I have heard stories about longer cruises to Europe on Eclipse with lots of Brits and it didn't make good reading. There are moaners everywhere, but I think we have it down to a fine art here. We love to moan, but don't often actively try to resolve the issue we are moaning about. We love to queue too. I don't think I am a moaner, but I'll queue until the cows come home:rolleyes:

 

I enjoy Celebrity because it doesn't "feel" British and I am truly on holiday.

 

Phil

[dkjretired]

Since the Solstice class ships began summering in Europe I've noticed a trend in the reviews; particularly in the feedback with the Eclipse.

 

The 'cruise-from-hell' reviews are often authored by Brits. While the 'loved-the-experience-can-hardly-think-of-one-negative' reviews are mostly written by U.S. passengers.

 

Now, this is not a blanket observation that all posted, recent reviews from English passengers are discerningly downbeat. No. There are patches of praise. (But in some of those platitudes there is often criticism that reads overly discerning. One example is a recent complaint of too much live music on-board.) And, yes there are U.S. based reviews that are less than flattering.

 

But review for yourself the overall differences in feedback from when the Eclipse (and her sisters) were in the Caribbean this past winter (with presumably mostly U.S. passengers) versus now with ships embarking out of Southampton. Either the S class ships have lost some luster crossing the Atlantic or Brits are less restrained than Yanks in expressing candor. Or possibly expectations levels vary on either side of the Atlantic?

 

Just a curious 'out-loud' ponder...

 

I was very curious to read the "cruise from hell" review and was astounded to read that it was probably the cruisers from hell. God forbid they go to the buffet, what snobs. And the comment about Blu not being open early enough for them was ridiculous. You chose the early excursion not Celebrity.

 

HOwever, after going through the numerous reviews I found that all of them except the "cruise from hell" were extremely positive. Even the one that said "not so good" was for the most part very positive. I therefore don't understand what the complaint is about the Brits.

 

I did have to laugh at the one comment earlier about us Americans wanting coffee pots in their rooms. I guess they forgot to note that Celebrity put teapots on the Eclipse for the Brit portion of their cruises.