Reading cruise reviews

[Fredr]

For those of you who are considering going on a cruise, and are reading cruise reviews, please consider the following:

 

First, many cruise critic members who write cruise reviews have their bias. Some younger reviewers think that anyone over 60 years old is ancient and should be avoided. Other reviewers are techies who need Internet speeds greater than what is found from their computer rooms. And if the Internet sped isn't there, then the cruise is worthless.

 

Second, food is a very subjective subject. I have been on 35 cruises and there have been some dishes that didn't quite turn out to my satisfaction. However, overal the food has been very good to excellent on the many ships I have sailed. The greater issue here is...are many of reviewers real experts in the culinary arts? Are they trained chefs or like most people learned to cook from their parents or grandparents or are self taught. A suggestion for you...ask the waiters what is the specialty that evening or lunch. I remember one cruise where the Executive Chef was an Italian. He was superb in the Italian cuisine but not so good at American or Canadian fare. On a cruise you try to determine what is the best things coming out of the kitchens.

 

Third, another very subjective subject is entertainment. You can't please everyone. Some passengers really enjoy the production shows, others classical violin or piano. Agian based on 35 cruises most of the entertainment will be satisfactory or above.

 

I could go on. In closing you have to do your research when selecting a cruise. And reading reviews should be a part of that research but read the reviews very carefully and if possible elimnate those who show malice or a real bias.

[Keith1010]

I go with what I cal the 80/20 rule.

 

In other words if overall 80% or more of the people say something is good or not so good I accept it as fact until I experience it for myself.

 

Most of what is in reviews is subjective other than items such as what time you boarded the ship and those items that are fact based.

 

You've given good advice which I also agree with.

 

Keith

[sparky-elpaso]

Also agree. Plus you can usually tell if the reviewer "did their homework" before their trip. A bit of research goes a long way. I use Google Earth to look at a port or city (you can even measure distance and things like that) and a photo site like Flickr to see pics of hotels, restaurants, tourist stops, etc. - gives me an idea of what the place is like.

[beachbum53]

Any type of review, whether it's about a cruise ship, a product, or a service, should be taken with a grain of salt. I don't give much to credence to reviews that are 100% negative, where the reviewer complains about or finds fault with every little thing, and has nothing good to say. Nor do I take seriously a review written by someone that apparently views everything through rose-colored glasses, has nothing but praise, and gushes on and on about how everything is/was absolutely perfect. I think that some first-time cruisers set their expectations way too high, only to be greatly disappointed when things don't go exactly as they had planned. When we go on a cruise, or a land-based vacation, we keep our expectations reasonable, appreciate it when things go well, and deal with set-backs as best as we can when things go awry.

[paul929207]

I do not care what is being reviewed, I take it with a grain of salt. Everyone has biases and everyone's experience is different.

[Karysa]

Something else to keep in mind. Weather is one thing that I think can have a huge impact on a vacation. Sometimes it takes reading a few reviews on a particular cruise before someone mentions that it rained off and on on both the sea days and in the port of ------.

[sparks1093]

This is important when reading reviews::)

[kcwingwalker]

For those of you who are considering going on a cruise, and are reading cruise reviews, please consider the following:

 

First, many cruise critic members who write cruise reviews have their bias. Some younger reviewers think that anyone over 60 years old is ancient and should be avoided. Other reviewers are techies who need Internet speeds greater than what is found from their computer rooms. And if the Internet sped isn't there, then the cruise is worthless.

 

Second, food is a very subjective subject. I have been on 35 cruises and there have been some dishes that didn't quite turn out to my satisfaction. However, overal the food has been very good to excellent on the many ships I have sailed. The greater issue here is...are many of reviewers real experts in the culinary arts? Are they trained chefs or like most people learned to cook from their parents or grandparents or are self taught. A suggestion for you...ask the waiters what is the specialty that evening or lunch. I remember one cruise where the Executive Chef was an Italian. He was superb in the Italian cuisine but not so good at American or Canadian fare. On a cruise you try to determine what is the best things coming out of the kitchens.

 

Third, another very subjective subject is entertainment. You can't please everyone. Some passengers really enjoy the production shows, others classical violin or piano. Agian based on 35 cruises most of the entertainment will be satisfactory or above.

 

I could go on. In closing you have to do your research when selecting a cruise. And reading reviews should be a part of that research but read the reviews very carefully and if possible elimnate those who show malice or a real bias.

 

Agree and well said!

[Travel R]

First, there are two types of reviews on CC - there are those "official" reviews listed with each of the ships, then there are the review threads where a member provides many details, sometimes one or more posts detailing all of the occurences during each day - and many of those include pictures (sometimes 100's).

 

As others, I take the "offical member reviews" with a grain of salt. Many just give a quick synopsis of their trip, and many do not go into any detail as to what they liked or disliked. Stating that the "service sucked" without providing any details is just not helpful to anyone. Then there are those reviews that go on and on about one "horrible" experience they had, although it was only one thing on the entire trip that they had to complain about.

 

In addition, the rating system is completely innacurate. 1 star is the worst rating and 5 stars is the best, but exactly what do each of the ratings mean? [i know it is not a star, but using "star" as an example.] For example, is 3 stars average, or is it good, but not great? Also, some of the ratings these reviewers give are inconsistent with what they wrote. For instance, I have seen members give food 2 stars, yet not mention anything about the food (good or bad) about the food - or they may say that the food was good and give it 2 stars. Once again, not very helpful. The reviewers that just write something for the sake of complaining - take those with less than a grain of salt.

 

If someone does complain, take a look at what they are complaining about. If it is only the food, food is extremely subjective, and what they found inedible may be the best dish you have ever tasted. Are they complaining because of a specific instance which looks like it may be a once-in-a-lifetime issue (the sprinklers were set off in your room for no reason), or is it something that may regularly occur (regarless of what time you got to my time dining/anytime dining, etc., you always had to wait at least an hour to be seated). Also, think to yourself, will the issues that these members are complaining about really affect your own cruise? Someone may be complaining that the buffet was always crowded and it was a hassle to find a seat (which has happened to us). However, it did not affect our cruise in the least, while others may write that it destroyed any enjoymend during their entire cruise. As mentioned above, also beware of subjective opinions - food and entertainment especially are praised an panned based on an individuals perception, which may be very different than your own.

 

Another item that was mentioned above - was the member complaining about something that a little bit of research would have solved if done before the cruise (and I know not everyone does tons of research). If you like a promenade on a ship, but cruised on the same line on a different ship without a promenade - don't complain, you could have easily seen that for yourself. Also, was the problem something that could have been easily fixed while on the cruise? For instance, if someone complains that you had a horrible waitstaff all seven days of your cruise - which ruined their entire vacation, but never said anything to the waiter or maitre d' or did not ask to be moved to a table with a different waitstaff, then you should say to yourself, if I was in that situation, I would do something about it on the cruise (yes, you may have had bad waiters on day 1, but receive fantastic waiters on day 2 thru whenever - which has also happened to us).

 

On the other side of ship are the full thread reviews also written by members (some by rookies and some by cruise veterans). They will give you information about most aspects of the ship, excursions, ports, service, pre-and post cruise, etc. Most of the time if they did not like something, they will tell you why (e.g., the chicken was not good on this evening because the meat itself was overcooked, the portion was very small, and the sauce was too spicy for their pallet). Many of these reviews also give you tips and suggestions about different activities and excursions. There are some that include pictures of almost every inch of the ship (and if they were part of a cabin crawl, pictures of staterooms in various categories). Although their word is far from authorities, they should be taken with more than a grain of salt (but also keep in mind which aspects of their review are subjective, which may include how salty they think the food was).

Edited November 22, 2013 by Travel R

[Karysa]

I like reading reviews from novice cruisers best. The more times someone sails on a specific line the less likely I am to read the review no matter which area of cc it is on. The review from a seasoned cc'er on one of the first Carnival Sunshine threads was so off and pro Carnival compared to the other reviews it was actually laughable.

[sherilyn70]

Unless the reviews all list one common issue in problem I tend not to take it seriously.

 

I was reading a review that was very very well written the other day and when it came to food it seemed they were often surprised or disappointed in the choices they had made. They'd make a claim that something wasn't what they expected (even though it was what I would have expected or was as described on the menu) and I had to write it off as limited food experience. As an example, they ordered swiss steak and expected an actual steak cut (like sirloin) when I know that is not what that preperation is.

[JimAOk1945]

Before going on our first cruise to Alaska, I spent many hours reading through CC reviews and threads to learn as much as possible. I finally came across a review of Ketchikan that was a real eye-opener.

In it, the OP mentioned that it had rained heavily all day . . . but he wasn't surprised because he knew from reading CC that Ketchikan is in a rain forest where there is a high annual rainfall.

So when we went, we knew there was a high probability of rain and we were prepared. I've read other reviews where people were unprepared (they only packed shorts and flip flops for the entire cruise) and were miserable.

Doing research (with a grain of salt) by reading the reviews on CC pays off big time!

Edited November 22, 2013 by JimAOk1945

[mom says]

If you are reading cruise reviews and believing that everything you read is accurate, then I've got some great real estate that you might be interested in. While I give greater credence to the "official" cruise line/ship reviews, I tend to regard individual reviews as a lovely form of entertainment or a way to kill a bit of time.

 

But then I tend to have a skeptical attitude to any type of review, whether it is for a cruise, a product or a service. I agree with the PP who follows the 20/80 rule, although I think that even that is a bit generous.

[Fredr]

Friends,

 

All of your comments are well taken, especially about Ketchikan. I surely hope though that people considering a cruise read CC reviews as these reviews often contain valuable information. And read the reviews with a grain of salt? Does this mean that they should read the reviews with a salt shaker at their side?

 

Here's wishing all a joyful holiday season.

Edited November 22, 2013 by Fredr

[JimAOk1945]

Friends,

 

All of your comments are well taken, especially about Ketchikan. I surely hope though that people considering a cruise read CC reviews as these reviews often contain valuable information. And read the reviews with a grain of salt? Does this mean that they should read the reviews with a salt shaker at their side?

 

Here's wishing all a joyful holiday season.

 

Like! :D

[mom says]

Friends,

... And read the reviews with a grain of salt? Does this mean that they should read the reviews with a salt shaker at their side?

 

Here's wishing all a joyful holiday season.

 

Only if you also have plenty of limes and a premium tequila at at hand.

Feliz Navidad.

[dorisis]

This is important when reading reviews::)

 

Like! Almost any cruise is what you make it.

[headhunterke]

I work in the travel industry and people are far more likely to write their frustrations off when something went wrong instead of writing something positive when things went well.

I always take those reviews with a lot of salt. I've read reviews on hotels in New York saying they did not like all the activity late at night. It's NYC for crying out loud. If you need peace and don't like lights at night, get yourself a camper and get into the desert.

 

When I write a review, I try to describe all the main factors (food, cleaning, service, quality of room etc.) and get into detail about things that deserve it. Both good and bad.

I agree with all of you saying something can't been 100% negative or 100% negative. I'm giving a +1 to the rating system. IT's all about how you see it. If you stay a lot in 5* hotels, then not a lot of places are going to get 4 or even 3 stars. I tend to give starts according to the 'official rating' of the hotel.

 

If a hotel is listed as a 3 star, I give 4 stars if the stay exceeded my expectations. It's all about perspective imho.

And some people just don't know what that is.

[Talisker92]

I find this an interesting thread. There can be 2 people on the exact same cruise and one will love it and one will hate it. It is a matter of education and expectations.

I have been on 40+ cruises and my wife on 14.

We just came back from a Russian River cruise. The food and selections were not as great as an ocean cruise, but we knew that going in.

The scariest one I was on was when a lady on our bus to the Mississippi Queen (a paddle steamboat in New Orleans) saw a Carnival ship docked and asked if that was our ship!!!

[Cruisin' Chick]

Just for kicks after we booked a cruise last year that was a repeat (same ship and itinerary) of our previous cruise, I checked out the recent reviews posted on the front page of this site. I found one review where the reviewer obviously didn't know the name of the ship they were on (said they were on a Med Cruise on the Golden Princess just a few months before, which was ridiculous as the Golden has been doing the Hawaiian/Alaskan cruises for a few years). Another reviewer had said the worst part of their cruise was the entertainment. They absolutely hated all the Hawaiian music. Well, gee golly:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:. I guess if you don't care for Hawaiian music, maybe you should book a Russian cruise. Plus, if one checks out the positive reviews about that ship/itinerary for the past few years, one comment in common in many of the reviews posted in the Princess board are the recommendation for that cruise because of the musical duo that's on board.

 

A major advantage to the reviews posted in the forum is that if you find vague comments or complaints, you can ask questions.

[Aimeesangle]

Thank you everyone for all your insight to reading the reviews.it will come in very useful.as a newby both here and to cruising I'm really excited and looking forward to both my cruise and learning as much as I can before we go. :) :) :)

 

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[preschool teacher]

I read the reviews for little tips here and there.....but I've enjoyed all 17 of my cruises and even the one I liked the least was still good....I don't take reviews as gospel....I love crusin......