Truth and fiction

[Greciangirl]

I have been on many cruises and many different lines in alot of different ports in the world. Have all cruises been perfect? No! Have i ever had such a bad experience that i would never cruise that ship or line again? NO! SO IT AMAZES me to read the reviews that bash the ships and the people that will never cruise again on that ship. I have a hard time believing those who write those reviews. And the whiners and complainers...i feel those people no matter what vacation they choose are looking for their version of perfection instead of enjoying the experience! I absolutely have my favorite cruises but would never bash another cruise line just because it didnt make my all time favorite. Each cruise has unique features and a variety of passengers so come on cc members can we be a little more positive? Who's with me?

[SuiteTraveler]

I have been on many cruises and many different lines in alot of different ports in the world. Have all cruises been perfect? No! Have i ever had such a bad experience that i would never cruise that ship or line again? NO! SO IT AMAZES me to read the reviews that bash the ships and the people that will never cruise again on that ship. I have a hard time believing those who write those reviews. And the whiners and complainers...i feel those people no matter what vacation they choose are looking for their version of perfection instead of enjoying the experience! I absolutely have my favorite cruises but would never bash another cruise line just because it didnt make my all time favorite. Each cruise has unique features and a variety of passengers so come on cc members can we be a little more positive? Who's with me?

 

When we cruised on Getaway in May, they had not been boarding but 2 hours and an elderly lady on a walking frame got on the elevator with us and said, "I'm already disappointed in this ship!" Another lady on the elevator piped up, "Well, perhaps you should give it more than just 2 hours."

 

That's how I feel about the negative reviews. I've seen negative reviews because the person couldn't get the exact fruit they wanted at the specific time they wanted it. I've seen people whining because they NEVER saw their cabin steward, although the room was consistently made up. (Apparently they have NEVER hear of unobtrusive service.) I've seen people complaining because they had to actually request wine glasses for their stateroom. C'mon, not every person on the ship drinks wine. All you have to do is ask. Is that really unreasonable? So many goofy complaints about non-issues it is just unreal at times.

[Sizzlechest]

I can believe one of these three scenarios when super-negative reviews are posted:

 

1. They are miserable people who complain about everything and are never satisfied.
   
2. Something happened that really ticked them off (perhaps rightly so) and that put a negative spin on the entire trip. Every little annoyance became a huge issue.
   
3. Yes, there really were that many problems. Bad luck isn't limited to the casino.
   

I've been on two NCL cruises and one on Carnival. There were pluses and minuses for each trip, but I enjoyed them all.

 

 

On the flip side, there are more cheerleaders than dedicated bashers, so I don't share the OP's outrage. People who make ridiculous claims to defend NCL do more harm than any criticism would.

[pieshops]

There are tourists and there are travelers. We are travelers. When we were on the dawn and lost power with no ac and floating in the Caribbean. With people sleeping on deck because inside the ship was over 100 degrees, when they closed all restaurants and only served on deck with a bbq, when we did not make it back to Miami but instead arrived in San Juan. We just made like we had an extra port and enjoyed the adventure. Things happen it what you do after they happen that defines the experience.

[drb247]

What is almost as annoying is folks who expect NCL to be better than other cruise lines that are twice the price and/or who cater to a completely different type of customer.

[4774Papa]

I hate it when someone says that the food was uneatable. I have been on 13 ocean cruises and four river cruises and never had any food that was uneatable. I have been served something that I sent back for something else, as the dish was not what I expected or just not good, but I could have eaten it.

 

Also, some people seem to feel that they are on a crusade to destroy the reputation of the cruise line they are complaining about.

 

Still, I do read reviews with valid complaints. Imagine having your stateroom toilet overflow into your cabin. Imagine the air conditioning not working in your stateroom or other things that render your cabin a real disaster.

 

You can learn a lot from reading reviews, but it is best to read many before you make a judgment on that ship or cruiseline.

[Greciangirl]

I agree that some complaints are valid however obviously a toilet overflowing or air conditioning not working are isolated incidents so to bash the cruise line as a whole or state thats the reason they will never cruise that line again is what i take exception to. I.e.if these things happen in your home in which you are paying for would you hate your home and move out or never go back to again. Things happen nothing is perfect!

[abe3]

It's people that are misinformed about a ship or a cruise line on these message boards that come on here to post their negative thoughts based on hat they read on cruise critic.

[tmknies]

I am with you OP. Good and not so good for every cruise we have been on. ALways try and focus on the positive.

 

We did however cruise on Holland America several years ago and I just did not think we were the right fit for that cruise line. The ship was beautiful, the food excellent. Beautiful personal touches. However the overall clientele was much older than us and the overall feel was very sedate. Maybe in another 25 years it will be perfect for us but for now this is why we wont sail them again.

[tedly1960]

I have been on many cruises and many different lines in alot of different ports in the world. Have all cruises been perfect? No! Have i ever had such a bad experience that i would never cruise that ship or line again? NO! SO IT AMAZES me to read the reviews that bash the ships and the people that will never cruise again on that ship. I have a hard time believing those who write those reviews. And the whiners and complainers...i feel those people no matter what vacation they choose are looking for their version of perfection instead of enjoying the experience! I absolutely have my favorite cruises but would never bash another cruise line just because it didnt make my all time favorite. Each cruise has unique features and a variety of passengers so come on cc members can we be a little more positive? Who's with me?

 

Very well said!! Are you ever going to be happy about every little thing on any type of vacation? That is dam near impossible!! A few years ago I read a review by someone about a hotel we vacationed at in the Caribbean. She complained that the Italian restaurant was too dark....ever think the resort was trying to make it a bit romantic? I just laughed at her review. It is very easy to just discard these types of reviews when researching something.

[maywell]

There's no such thing as a 'perfect' vacation, there 'running smoothly as possible with as little hiccups as possible' and 'could had been worse /better' but never perfect. Problem is, some people interpretations of what is 'perfect' doesn't match the reality, cruise line/ship, port, and /or weather and their expectations turn into whining and complaining.

 

Don't get me wrong, there are legitimate complaints such as toilet problems and long wait for service. But problem with some of those complainers is they make a situation worse with their antics of not waiting, resolving it in time when it 1st happen and/or not understanding that situation is what it is.

 

Pieshops is right about the difference s between travelers and tourists - a traveler never assumes the experience is going to be same year after even on the same ship and/or iternary. A traveler knows how to solve most of their problems, no matter how big or small. A traveler learns from their mistakes /experiences and from others good / misfortune to better help themselves. A traveler take things in stride when something unexpected happen like rain on a beach day. A tourist is just none of those things a traveler is.

 

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[AKR2011]

I am with you, OP! Any day at sea is better than a day at home, especially since the three cruises my DH and I have taken have all been when it's been cold and snowy. We get snow from Nov-April, so any day at sea is perfect. I also have rarely had food that wasn't great, I always find great crew members, and never let the little things get to me. It's vacation, after all! And although we cruise exclusively NCL (we've never had a reason to go elsewhere), my feelings would probably be the same no matter what line we were on. If you love to cruise, you don't let little things get to you.

[mdvlprof]

Had a carpet soaking wet from issue with the bathroom. Didn't let it ruin vacation. DS front wheelchair wheel broke [not cruise's fault]. Didn't let it ruin my vacation.

 

Ship staff fixed bathroom problem. Lent us wheelchair until we found a port that had a replacement for the wheel.

 

Stuff happens.....

[hondorner]

In response to the question, "How do you define a luxury cruise line?" on another forum, I wrote the following:

 

"Cruising itself, in any category, on any ship from any cruise line, is luxury. All of them clean your room, make your bed, change your sheets, pick up your towels, cook your meals, do your dishes and clean up after you in general. All of them take you places you want to go, and all try their best to entertain you. What more can you ask? The differences are all personal and subjective."

[rvsullivan]

I can believe one of these three scenarios when super-negative reviews are posted:

 

1. They are miserable people who complain about everything and are never satisfied.
   
2. Something happened that really ticked them off (perhaps rightly so) and that put a negative spin on the entire trip. Every little annoyance became a huge issue.
   
3. Yes, there really were that many problems. Bad luck isn't limited to the casino.
   

I've been on two NCL cruises and one on Carnival. There were pluses and minuses for each trip, but I enjoyed them all.

 

 

On the flip side, there are more cheerleaders than dedicated bashers, so I don't share the OP's outrage. People who make ridiculous claims to defend NCL do more harm than any criticism would.

 

I hear this "cheerleader" title all the time. Of course we all know the first definition regarding sports etc. But it also is defined this way: "an enthusiastic and vocal supporter ", so I guess I fit that bill. By your description I guess it is a good thing, there certainly appear to be many, many more supporters than the jeerleaders. It's funny to me that if you disagree with one of the jeerleaders it makes you a cheerleader? Thank goodness the cheerleaders are the majority.

To the OP, good job, you hit the nail on the head!!!

[hansolosmom]

I always take reviews with a grain of salt. You can always tell if it's going to be bad when they start with the nit-picky stuff. You know - our room steward didn't meet us at the door or I had to wait 10 minutes to get a drink.

 

We've had good and bad experiences. Our Med trip on Celebrity wasn't the best but I wouldn't dismiss the entire line because of it. We'll give it another chance in the future. You have to roll with it and make the best of it otherwise you can let it ruin your entire trip.

[4774Papa]

In response to the question, "How do you define a luxury cruise line?" on another forum, I wrote the following:

 

"Cruising itself, in any category, on any ship from any cruise line, is luxury. All of them clean your room, make your bed, change your sheets, pick up your towels, cook your meals, do your dishes and clean up after you in general. All of them take you places you want to go, and all try their best to entertain you. What more can you ask? The differences are all personal and subjective."

You nailed it big time.

[Sizzlechest]

I hear this "cheerleader" title all the time. Of course we all know the first definition regarding sports etc. But it also is defined this way: "an enthusiastic and vocal supporter ", so I guess I fit that bill. By your description I guess it is a good thing, there certainly appear to be many, many more supporters than the jeerleaders. It's funny to me that if you disagree with one of the jeerleaders it makes you a cheerleader? Thank goodness the cheerleaders are the majority.

 

A cheerleader would be "an enthusiastic and vocal supporter regardless of how bad their team is doing." Cheerleaders are mindless drones who pretend everything is great all the time. They try to get the crowd on their side, but as anyone who's been to a sporting event knows, when the team is doing poorly, the booing is going to continue.

[SteveH2508]

I hear this "cheerleader" title all the time. Of course we all know the first definition regarding sports etc. But it also is defined this way: "an enthusiastic and vocal supporter ", so I guess I fit that bill. By your description I guess it is a good thing, there certainly appear to be many, many more supporters than the jeerleaders. It's funny to me that if you disagree with one of the jeerleaders it makes you a cheerleader? Thank goodness the cheerleaders are the majority.

To the OP, good job, you hit the nail on the head!!!

 

I guess if a line has more jeerleaders than cheerleaders they probably won't be in business long:eek:.

 

I have been both cheerleader and jeerleader wrt NCL. When someone is unfairly knocking them I will chip in. However, when NCL has screwed up (viz. the last few months and their poor implementation of changes), I will put my two pennyworth in as well.

 

I know they don't need me to defend them - they are big enough to look after themselves.

 

I can't help thinking that mindless cheerleading for a cruise line is to justify the cheerleader's choice of line - rightly or wrongly.

[punkincc]

I hear this "cheerleader" title all the time. Of course we all know the first definition regarding sports etc. But it also is defined this way: "an enthusiastic and vocal supporter ", so I guess I fit that bill. By your description I guess it is a good thing, there certainly appear to be many, many more supporters than the jeerleaders. It's funny to me that if you disagree with one of the jeerleaders it makes you a cheerleader? Thank goodness the cheerleaders are the majority.

To the OP, good job, you hit the nail on the head!!!

 

A cheerleader would be "an enthusiastic and vocal supporter regardless of how bad their team is doing." Cheerleaders are mindless drones who pretend everything is great all the time. They try to get the crowd on their side, but as anyone who's been to a sporting event knows, when the team is doing poorly, the booing is going to continue.

 

 

And it can really get convoluted here on CC! So much so that recently some "cheerleaders" were swearing that the halls were in deplorable condition :eek: ( in defense of NCL's carryout ban, because it would be impossible for NCL to get anything wrong;) ), while those who were protesting that they were in fact for the most part very clean were called the "jeerleaders". It was enough to make your head spin.

[bruadhin]

I think a lot of people are missing out on reality here.

 

They are putting 3000+ plus people on some of these ships each and every week. Someone is going to have a bad experience, it is going to happen. A person who is unhappy is almost always more vocal about it than someone who is happy.

 

Just because you had a great vacation in no way changes the fact theirs sucked for some reason. People telling them they are wrong and should have enjoyed it isn't going to change their opinion of whatever cruise line it was in the slightest.

[maywell]

What I find hilarious on CC forums (doesn't matter which cruise line it is, could be NCL, Celebrity, Princess, etc..) same people complaining about a line due to service, policies, pricing, decor, or whatever are the same ones still sailing after all these years of changes, bad AND good. That to me tells me; that a cruise line cannot be all bad if they can get someone that whines about stuff like that, to still pay

money willing to them.

 

 

Right now, there's people complaining about the changes to UDP - about the scheduled date of the actual change, what's included, the pricing, etc. Complaining about how limiting the free continental breakfast choices are, still complaining about the room service fee despite recent changes (takeaway reversal and free RS til 10am). Complaining about walking to the buffet and eating, again despite the change; complaining about 18% tips on specialty meals and drinks. Mind you, most on this forum haven't travel on NCL for while and are still whining like they got off the ship yesterday even though one of the new changes doesn't happen until August 2015....

 

Some people like to complain because that's all there is to them, even on a happy occasion like vacation travel. Sad but true.

 

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[DMH15]

A cheerleader would be "an enthusiastic and vocal supporter regardless of how bad their team is doing." Cheerleaders are mindless drones who pretend everything is great all the time. They try to get the crowd on their side, but as anyone who's been to a sporting event knows, when the team is doing poorly, the booing is going to continue.

 

Funny, I love sports and if my team does poorly I would never boo. I feel for the guys out there, sometimes they just have a "bad night".

 

I am accused of being a cheerleader. Maybe because my friends see me as an optimist. They would not see me as a mindless drone. That is just insulting. That being said, I do not have rose colored glasses on. I know my first butler on NCL was terrible. I also posted yesterday about a negative with NCL. As long as one complains in a respectful and calm way it is usually fine. Debate is good as long as it is done with kindness.

 

Ya know, there are a lot of people out there who have never been on a cruise. Many cannot afford it, even at an inside room rate. We are the lucky ones. I will not take it for granted. I have taken two 7 day cruises in the last 7 months and I have one booked for 2017. That's too far away so I am lookin'...

 

See ya at sea.

[amarvel]

while on our cruise last month we had many of these same thoughts. We are generally happy go lucky people. we have smiles on our faces, we are happy to be on vacation, we ask people how they are, etc. Thus I think others are more receptive to us. We always make friends with the staff, we chat and ask about their lives, and we always seem to get great service, etc

 

I think you get what you put in. If you walk around the ship looking for things that are wrong with it, your going to find things. And then just become unhappy.

 

And if a cruise isn't for you, then don't take one. Its not for everyone.

[rvsullivan]

What I find hilarious on CC forums (doesn't matter which cruise line it is, could be NCL, Celebrity, Princess, etc..) same people complaining about a line due to service, policies, pricing, decor, or whatever are the same ones still sailing after all these years of changes, bad AND good. That to me tells me; that a cruise line cannot be all bad if they can get someone that whines about stuff like that, to still pay

money willing to them.

 

 

Right now, there's people complaining about the changes to UDP - about the scheduled date of the actual change, what's included, the pricing, etc. Complaining about how limiting the free continental breakfast choices are, still complaining about the room service fee despite recent changes (takeaway reversal and free RS til 10am). Complaining about walking to the buffet and eating, again despite the change; complaining about 18% tips on specialty meals and drinks. Mind you, most on this forum haven't travel on NCL for while and are still whining like they got off the ship yesterday even though one of the new changes doesn't happen until August 2015....

 

Some people like to complain because that's all there is to them, even on a happy occasion like vacation travel. Sad but true.

 

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BINGO!!!! I think it's amazing that the same one's that were leaving forever and booking MSC, Carnival and the others, are still here. No comments on the things that are good and still searching for negatives in every new change. Even if it's a positive, i.e. modify the UDP, still nitpicking.