The perfect reviews. What do YOU look for?

[hazeleyez3]

On the Royal Caribbean board: Only information and pictures about the ship and cruise line.

 

On the Ports of Call board: Only information and pictures of the ports.

 

On the Cruise Air board: Only information about flights.

[OCruisers]

Short Paragraphs Please!

 

LuLu

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[bigque]

As everyone can see there are tons of different ideas that people like to see in a review which is why it is good that there are so many reviews on any given ship on any given cruise so that you can pick out the type that you like to read. Having done a review as I said previously I know it takes a lot of time and effort to do these reviews especially with pictures and you can usually find the type that is most enjoyable to you somewhere on CC and from what I see most of them get 1000's of views once they are posted.

[hellsop]

I do not care to hear about your trip through the airport or the restaurant where you dined the night before boarding. That has nothing to do with the cruise. I am interested in your night-before hotel only if the review is on the thread dealing with night-before hotels.

 

Contrarywise, the logistics of getting to and from ports are interesting to me because I pretty much know what to expect from RCI now, the differences between the ships, especially within classes I'm already familiar with, are far fewer than the similarities. So where someone chose to stay and why, at what port, and by what means they got to and from there are a big deal to me, ESPECIALLY if it's new. Hearing (hypothetically) that "there's a new continuous shuttle departing every 30 minutes on turnover days, between Newark and Port Liberty, for $12pp each way but they only take credit cards not cash and here's where to catch it at the airport" is a hundred times more interesting to me than yet another "first impressions of Explorer's Promenade" photo.

[Desert Cruizers]

I hope to present a very good review of next years Australia trip which will be quite long, with cruises and a land trip totaling 54 days. Perhaps I better start the pre work now.:)

[Scottifer]

• I like to see a lot of really nice high quality images that are imbedded in the post. The more images the better.
  
• I tend to avoid reviews that have them attached or are small.
  
• I don't want to see pictures of your family.
  
• I want to see good pictures of areas of the ships.
  
• I do like to see pictures of activities aboard the ships.
  
• I want to see the cabins.
  
• I don't want to see your stuff strewn about the cabin (please hide any underwear :)).
  
• I like to see details about shipboard activities, cruise compasses and menu's.
  
• I don't necessarily need to know about your port activities, unless you do something really unique, or are on a cruise that is rarely reviewed, a lot of the islands have been really reviewed.
  
• I don't need to know your medicine schedule aboard the ship.
  
• I do like to see pre-cruise hotel reviews, those are always helpful.
  
• I don't like to read about nit-picky stuff, I usually start skimming at that point.
  
• I like review that focus on really unique aspects of the ship, things that aren't normally reviewed.
  

That would be my ultimate review wishlist.

[EmpressofPurple]

Wow, in the same way that people enjoy different aspects of cruising, clearly people enjoy different aspects of cruise reviews!!

 

I fall into the "more details, please!" category. I LOVE reading long, chatty reviews that tell me everything from who's feeding your cat while your away to what you learned about the cruise staff lives to what you did in port. I truly view my review-reading time as a vicarious cruise, when I not only get to experience the cruise itself, but the writer's lifestyle (which may, of course, be very different from my own).

 

This is, in fact, one of the things I love about cruising itself: that so many of us, with so many different interests, can share the same vacation. Think about it: if you enjoy the active aspects of a cruise, you could rock-climb, zipline, flow-ride, play basketball, jog, have a spin class, swim in the pool, use the gym, take Yoga, learn line-dancing, go the disco, etc. at a land resort that specialized in "active vacations"... but you would never meet the folks who love the piano bar, the theatre tour, the comedy club, playing mah-jong by the pool, relaxing with a book, playing trivia in the Schooner bar, going to the casino, etc...

 

I love that we can each pursue our own interests, while meeting and enjoying the company of people both similar to and very different from ourselves. If we only stay in our own little world, we never have a chance to learn and grow!

[kyriecat]

I like to reviews where the topics are grouped together rather than chronologically. For example, I want to read everything about the cabin at once then keep all food together, shows, excursions, etc.

 

I don't like reading the reviews that are chronological (or some random order). I don't like skimming through the breakfast menu or show schedule to find some buried information about a tour guide.

[HappyCruiser383]

Such great responses! Thank you all so much. :D Cruise Critic should use this thread to create a "How to write a great review" article.

 

My Mother wanted me to add that she likes to read about how to get from the airport to port, how much etc.

 

Ya know, something that I haven't seen are pictures of various people during formal nights. I always hear that the Alaska cruises are 'less formal' than other cruises although I haven't SEEN any examples. Is it a bad thing to take pictures of crowds of people during formal night to show on a review? :confused:

[KansasK]

I'm OK with most of the pre-cruise reviews and with most of the reviews that I have read. Everyone is entitled to their own approach and style.

 

I don't like when the OP stops the review for an extended time. No doubt life stepped in and they could not spend time on it, but I get tired on looking for it and checking it. I was reading one where the OP was keeping a running score between RCI and Disney. I never did see the end of it.

 

I also don't like when a reader of the review clicks "quote" and copies a long set of pictures the OP already posted that will need to be skimmed through again. Sometimes multiple posters do this.

 

Negative reviews are not my favorite because though most reviews are just one person's viewpoint, negative reviews tend to suffer from tunnel vision because the OP is so involved in what went wrong. Many posters also are not tolerant of the review being the OP's first post and pounce on them with negative posts. I like peaceful comments.

[A&L_Ont]

 

I also don't like when a reader of the review clicks "quote" and copies a long set of pictures the OP already posted that will need to be skimmed through again. Sometimes multiple posters do this.

 

I agreed. It is also nice to cut out the relevant part of the quote.

[hazeleyez3]

Ya know, something that I haven't seen are pictures of various people during formal nights. I always hear that the Alaska cruises are 'less formal' than other cruises although I haven't SEEN any examples. Is it a bad thing to take pictures of crowds of people during formal night to show on a review? :confused:

 

We went to Alaska on Princess. For the most part, men wore suits and women wore dresses.

 

You could probably find some pictures on the "Cruise Fashions and Beauty" board.

[Warm Breezes]

When you are reading a cruise review, what are you hoping to see? :confused:

 

Are there pictures you never see but wish somebody would take some?

 

My favorite parts are port details. I love it when people go into detail about the ports.

 

What are YOU looking for?

 

Arleen

• Cruiser statistics....number of travelers, ages, where they are from
  
• Dailies
  
• Kid Club Dailies
  
• Menues
  
• Pictures from around the ship/ports (interesting places to see)
  
• Details on excursions they chose....if they would recommend it to someone else or not and why
  
• Balanced reviews on service, food, entertainment....what they liked and didn't like and specifically why they liked or disliked it. The why is important because their reason maybe something that wouldn't even phase me or actually be something I liked. We are not all the same after all. Sometimes I have a diffent opinoin than DH so I would mention his opinion as well and his reason for his opinion.
  
• If they had issues what did they do to try to resolve it and what did the cruiseline staff do in response...was the issue resolved? Some people have complaints like they didn't like the food but instead of asking for a different dish they suffer through it eating food they don't like and then just come on to complain about how bad the food was.
  

[oneputt18]

I dont consider those threads reviews myself :) I appreciate the time and effort a few put into those while on their vacation. I am always too busy having fun to even use the internet myself.

 

I do when the OP states they are doing a live review.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Forums mobile app

[Langley Cruisers]

When you are reading a cruise review, what are you hoping to see? :confused:

 

Paragraphs. :)

[Rocketlady]

Love the pictures . Wish more people would talk about the casinos. I spend a lot of time in there as I know a lot of others do too but won't admit to. I do the bingo games sometimes.

for what they take in I don't feel the pay out enough in prizes.

 

And I like the reviews of the stage shows to the rest of the entertainment.

 

Food I don't care about.

 

Yes, I like the reviews of the hotels and transportation to the ship.

[navybankerteacher]

For a review to mean anything to me it should have specifics, not just likes and dislikes, but why they liked/disliked something. It should be terse and to the point, not rambling, and should provide some information about the tastes and preferences of the reviewer. I am not going to be swayed by the general impressions of someone whose preferences are unlikely to be somewhat similar to mine.

[trish1c]

I want to see:

1. details -- simply telling me the whole cruise was fabulous or horrible doesn't help. Why? Be specific.

2. objectivity -- things like food are so subjective; I don't trust reviews that tell me that I too should love lobster night; Quest because it was the "funniest thing ever!"; etc.

3. balance -- not everything was perfect nor was it usually the worst vacation in history (certain Canrival & Costa voyages exempt)

[Aldeya]

DETAILS! Details...sprinkled with humor :D.

The reviews that were absolutely invaluable to me when I was planning our last cruise were those that contained unbiased and specific data... Menus (invaluable in choosing where you want to dine), Photos (food porn, venues, cabins, ports, etc.), Cruise Compasses (because then I can get an idea of what things I would have done at that particular time), excursion details (where did it pick up, when did it drop off, what was included in the price, etc.). Opinions are subjective, facts stand alone. I like my steak still mooing, my sister likes it resembling shoe leather... our opinions on a steak house will vary accordingly. So, I enjoy reading people's opinions and WHY the liked or didn't like certain things, but I want that to be the side dish to the main course... the main course being good hard detailed FACTS.

 

THis is the kind or reviews I'm looking for. DETAILS, all of them!:D

[Aldeya]

So where someone chose to stay and why, at what port, and by what means they got to and from there are a big deal to me, ESPECIALLY if it's new. Hearing (hypothetically) that "there's a new continuous shuttle departing every 30 minutes on turnover days, between Newark and Port Liberty, for $12pp each way but they only take credit cards not cash and here's where to catch it at the airport" is a hundred times more interesting to me than yet another "first impressions of Explorer's Promenade" photo.

 

This kind of very detailed reviews I look for. Many, many times these details which I learned about from reviews saved us time and money on our cruises.

[terri-eddie]

I like the reviews that start from home and finish with disembarkation. I've found several pre-cruise hotels and restaurants based on reviews that included that information. I like a chatty style with some humour.

 

Paragraphs are important, and don't get fancy with font color...stick with the default color, enlarge it if you must, but please don't use orange or red or pink....too hard for my eyes!

 

I like photos that I don't have to click a link to see. I also prefer them not to be full screen sized! I've never done a review with pictures, so I don't know how much flexibility there is to choose sizes, but some people do it, so it must be possible!

 

I like the review to begin with an introduction of the main characters, and a picture is nice, so I know who I'm "traveling with".

 

As many have mentioned, details are important. I need to know which excursions are enjoyable and which are not as good as they sound on the websites, and what amenities are available at chosen beaches, and maybe the easily-missed hidden gems of a given port.

 

From reading through all the posts on this topic, it appears that a reviewer will never please everyone, no matter what information he/she includes or leaves out. I hope we can all agree to disagree, and if a review doesn't please you, just skip out of it and look for another one.

[Gunner22aa]

Objective, not emotional ones. I also take each and everyone of them with a grain of salt. I've read two reviews of the exact same cruise and many times have found them to be diametrically opposing. One reviewer says it was the cruise of a lifetime and the next suggests that the maiden voyage of the Titanic would have been better in every way. I actually heard a lady complaining on my last cruise on the Diamond Princes that the ship was "nothing like what she saw in the CUNARD brochure" Reviews boil down to personal expectations for the most part. Yes, things go wrong on ships, mechanical breakdowns and alike but mostly its people looking for a champagne experience on a beer budget.

[srlafleur]

I consider reviews like Olympic gymnastic judging - the highest and lowest scores get tossed.

So, if you want to be taken seriously, give me the real thing, in detail and very specific. If something was bad, what was bad about it? What you consider absolutely unacceptable, I might consider a minor inconvenience. What you love, I might not care about at all, one way or another.

And please keep it to first-hand experience. If you heard from a cousin's friend's neighbor that the steak was "always" overcooked on a certain ship, I probably won't buy it.

[Markanddonna]

Ah, a topic I love! I happen to be pretty good at writing reviews as Cruise Critic has always chosen every one of my reviews to be "the review of the week". I was even on the main page for two months a few years back. I have even had people send me thank you emails about my reviews. CC sends little gifts to you if you are chosen...

 

I have to agree that I don't like the "live reviews" as they tend to get lost in all the trivial commenting. I also don't like reading huge reports that are more like a diary of everyone's foods and every activity. I only write reviews that need to be submitted because those are the ones that can be accessed quickly and efficiently to help others.

 

Helping others: that is the reason I write the reviews! I take notes during my trip and carefully craft my review in Microsoft word and then revise and edit before I send it on. I do write about the airports and hotels because that part of a trip can help get the cruise off to a great start or conclusion. It is important to write in small paragraphs with either a title for each section of a short main idea sentence.

 

Details, referenced facts and specific resources are the most desirable parts of a review. I write to help people seek out the best experience, stay within a budget and make the best selection on a variety of topics. I disregard reviews that have comments like "all the food was inedible" and also ones that show that the writer has a bad attitude and are very demanding. I also don't tend to pay too much attention to the 100% glowing reviews, especially from first time cruisers as they don't often have the experiences to properly discern. Once again, I look for their details.

 

I also assess the writer's background and status on the ship to see if the review can be helpful to me. A person in a suite who has top level privileges on the ship often has a very different experience than the masses. That's all about knowing the author and the audience. So important in this genre!

 

I really appreciate reviews as they have helped me become a pretty competent cruiser on a budget. Thanks to everyone who attempts to share.

 

Remember: paragraphs are your friends...

[Nebr.cruiser]

I like reviews that aren't too long, are concise, and, most of all have paragraphs!

 

A few pictures are ok, but not too many. Generalities don't help much, except possibly about food, since food likes are very subjective.

 

I don't really want to read much about all the pre-cruise stuff either; packing, flights, hotels, etc.