Are the cruise reviews bogus?

[bclinton]

I have to ask? I submitted my NCL Pearl Alaskan cruise review 3 days ago. It has yet to be posted. My review was not good.

Edited June 18, 2014 by bclinton

[lady_cruiser]

Every cruise line I've been on; Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival I had to pay extra for photos, drinks, specialty restaurants. casino, bingo, purchase at the art auctions, purchases at the on-line shops and specialty coffees. Just to name a few of the nickle and diming I see.

 

The more you cruise the more you will learn which items to budget for and which items you can do without for the one week you are on the cruise. We paid over $700 for our sea pass account on our first cruise. Our last cruise (#17) we had a balance of $20 something.

 

As for your review not being posted, give it time. If it isn't posted within a week or two, try resubmitting it.

Edited June 18, 2014 by lady_cruiser

[Keith1010]

No, they are the real thing.

 

We sailed two cruise lines and I wrote two reviews and submitted them shortly after we returned. Each one took about one week to post and I got an e-mail informing me of that.

 

Keith

[big al]

I have to ask? I submitted my NCL Pearl Alaskan cruise review 3 days ago. It has yet to be posted. My review was not good.

 

If you submitted it on the Cruise Critic "official" review site, then it might take a few days to post..you can also submit one on the Norwegian thread/ section- there it will not be reviewed and goes in right away...

 

Big Al

[bclinton]

No, they are the real thing.

 

We sailed two cruise lines and I wrote two reviews and submitted them shortly after we returned. Each one took about one week to post and I got an e-mail informing me of that.

 

Keith

 

Okay, thanks. I was hoping it was that :)

[Keith1010]

You are very welcome.

 

Keith

[George C]

I always submit one, sometimes takes several days before I can see it

[sparks1093]

No, they are the real thing.

 

We sailed two cruise lines and I wrote two reviews and submitted them shortly after we returned. Each one took about one week to post and I got an e-mail informing me of that.

 

Keith

 

This has been my experience as well.

[srlafleur]

I consider them real, of course, but if I'm using them to help decide on a cruise (something I rarely do, in reality), I'll proceed like judging in the Olympics and throw out the best and the worst.

Then I read carefully for info on things that matter to me.

But I tend to book first, then read reviews later to help me temper my expectations, select excursions, or whether to bother with the special dining and entertainment.

[leaveitallbehind]

I consider them real, of course, but if I'm using them to help decide on a cruise (something I rarely do, in reality), I'll proceed like judging in the Olympics and throw out the best and the worst.

Then I read carefully for info on things that matter to me.

But I tend to book first, then read reviews later to help me temper my expectations, select excursions, or whether to bother with the special dining and entertainment.

 

I consider them real as well, but only from the perspective of the person posting it. IMO they are biased - good or bad - towards the personal expectation of the individual posting them, which may also be based on a specific agenda regarding certain experiences or incidents they experienced that may not reflect the ship or cruise line objectively. And it seems as though many who take the time to write them do so to express a negative opinion - perhaps as implied by the OP's comment - which certainly is their right.

 

The analogy of the Olympics is good in that nothing on a typical cruise is as terrible or as perfect as some may report it - the reality lies somewhere in between. And I would ignore food reporting entirely as that is purely subjective.

 

CC members only represent about 5% of the total cruising population, and only a very small percentage of CC members post a cruise review. As I have said before on other similar threads, this represents far too small of a cross section of the cruising public or broad enough of an opinion base to worry about.

 

While perhaps "real" as stated, I don't follow them nor worry about what would be said in a review in terms of my cruising decisions. Just my opinion and others certainly may legitimately feel differently.

Edited June 18, 2014 by leaveitallbehind

[sherilyn70]

Sadly they are often real. I see a lot of poorly written ones out there. I don't take the one that just complain with little to no explanation seriously (ie the food sucked, the service was horrible) and tend to only read the ones that go into detail. Knowing a little background about the reviewer also helps me determine if we have the same likes/dislikes or expectations.

 

You should have received an email when you submitted the review (I just did this yesterday myself). Did you get this email? If so then you'll receive a second one from them along with the link to the review as soon as it is posted.

[marshhawk]

I write a review every time I Cruise. One for the Actual Review site, and one for the cruise line thread. It is read and then posted, it takes about 4 days to a week to post.

 

Are some of them bogus? Heck yes. I have read reviews that talked about the ship, different public areas, pools, etc, and it is apparent that the writer has never ever been on the ship they are reviewing. Why these are posted as a review I have no idea....??

 

And the person who writes about a horrible cruise, when the problem they had occurred in a port, embarkation, or on an excursion. I especially enjoyed a review I read where the writer complains about the service and food on the Lido deck area, but ate at the MDR, and stated that he thoroughly enjoyed the food there, but he only ate there- once.???

 

My Mom always used to say "where ever you go, there you are" I didn't get it until I got older, but your vacation, like your life is what you make it. You take your attitude with you. If you cant change the wind, adjust your sails, and you will cruise happy!

[sail7seas]

I think some of the reviews posted can be an 'axe to grind' but it's not hard to figure out the writer may have a bias. I like to read the reviews and if I see a recurring comment, I take it more seriously than if it is referenced only once.

 

[sparks1093]

I have to ask? I submitted my NCL Pearl Alaskan cruise review 3 days ago. It has yet to be posted. My review was not good.

 

Your review is posted now.

[LauraS]

I write a review every time I Cruise. One for the Actual Review site, and one for the cruise line thread. It is read and then posted, it takes about 4 days to a week to post.

 

 

 

Are some of them bogus? Heck yes. I have read reviews that talked about the ship, different public areas, pools, etc, and it is apparent that the writer has never ever been on the ship they are reviewing. Why these are posted as a review I have no idea....??

 

 

 

wil!

 

 

Thanks for writing reviews and submitting them to us for the site.

 

However, I want to address your comments I quoted above. What you are stating is your opinion only and isn't based in fact. We have real people reading every single review, plus we have an open door policy regarding verifying any discrepancies submitted to us. If you see something let us know and we will vett it out

 

Laura

[sherilyn70]

Yes, I just read his review... and it leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't explain anything really. He complained about an external service, he complained about the gambling and shops. Yet for some reason food and shore excursions were rated as 2... with absolutely no explanation. Apparently he went to shows since he rated them as a 3, but no mention of that either. Same with the spa. This is a perfect example of a review I wouldn't take very seriously. But hey, he did point out to us how generous of a person he is since he felt he needed to mention he tipped the room attendant $100. :)

[jammen]

I have to ask? I submitted my NCL Pearl Alaskan cruise review 3 days ago. It has yet to be posted. My review was not good.

 

It does take time, keep on looking..:D

[bclinton]

Yes, I just read his review... and it leaves a lot to be desired. It doesn't explain anything really. He complained about an external service, he complained about the gambling and shops. Yet for some reason food and shore excursions were rated as 2... with absolutely no explanation. Apparently he went to shows since he rated them as a 3, but no mention of that either. Same with the spa. This is a perfect example of a review I wouldn't take very seriously. But hey, he did point out to us how generous of a person he is since he felt he needed to mention he tipped the room attendant $100. :)

 

You said complain? I said ripoff! A big difference. If you have money to throw away I fully recommend sailing on the Norwegian Pearl.

[marshhawk]

Thanks for writing reviews and submitting them to us for the site.

 

However, I want to address your comments I quoted above. What you are stating is your opinion only and isn't based in fact. We have real people reading every single review, plus we have an open door policy regarding verifying any discrepancies submitted to us. If you see something let us know and we will vett it out

 

Laura

 

Thanks, Laura. If I find such a review again I will definitely flag it to you. I guess I get defensive about ships that I have been on, and thoroughly loved.:)

[sherilyn70]

You said complain? I said ripoff! A big difference. If you have money to throw away I fully recommend sailing on the Norwegian Pearl.

You keep saying that with very little explanation. Gambling is always a rip off. You didn't really talk about much else. Why did you rate services on board so low but not tell us what was wrong?

 

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