Just a little confused

[Living4acruise2day]

Just noticing after reading numerous reviews that many people compare one cruise line with another. ie: The food is better on Holland, the service is better on Celebrity, the entertainment is better on Royal, etc. etc. Since I am a relatively new cruiser, with only two under my belt, it makes me wonder "why" people compare one line to another. Are they not different Products? I mean, I certainly would never shop at ONE store. I go to different stores for certain products. Hope I am making sense. I just get concerned when I see a rave review and then two seconds later, see someone that didn't care for it at all. :confused:

[AmberCascades]

Different people like different things. That's not so confusing. And sometimes people like different things at different times.

 

E.g. my favourite line is Celebrity, for many reasons. But we went on NCL's POA because we really wanted to do that itinerary. Some people want the activities like slides and skating and rock climbing. Others want to relax and enjoy quieter pursuits.

 

Where people run into problems is if they are looking for an exciting, noisy, hairy-chest-contest filled cruise, and they end up taking a Cunard transatlantic. There is going to be disappointment.

 

I like hearing from people who compare lines because it's interesting to know what others find are pros and cons. Their cons might be my pros.

[eandj]

Yep. Some folks come here and ask to compare various lines. Since most advice is subjective, what info a newbie gets should be taken with a grain of salt.

Some lines however, DO have a general "atmosphere" that might attract a certain demographic. We enjoy X, but when doing a multi generational family trip, we'd choose Royal Carib. Our experience shows that choice fits the kids and younger adults due to entertainment and on board activity. Oceania is one we've done with friends who like real good food and a quieter scene. Princess seems to be well rounded for most. HAL has some nice itineraries but lacks for me in nightly entertainment. I could go on. We've cruised very often and look at itinerary first then choose the line and ship that fits our mood.

[rose6]

If you disregard the most negative and the most positive reviews of any cruise experience, you will probably have a more accurate picture of what to expect. Cruise vacations are increasing in cost and the feedback from fellow cruise passengers help us to determine how best to spend our cruise dollars. It is not just the comparisons between cruise lines, but also current evaluations on a line we have previously sailed that are helpful in determining what to expect when booking a cruise. Over time, cruise lines will change as the management has changed. The overall quality of the cruise experience may have been enhanced or diminished, and it is helpful to know what you are purchasing. In summary, I appreciate the opinions of my fellow cruisers.

[Cruise Raider]

It's funny ... we were on our 20th something cruise when some friends mentioned that the more people cruise, either the more critical they become or the more defensive they become about a specific thing or cruise line.

He did make sense ... sometimes, you see people getting in fights on these boards or even worse, while on a cruise about something they feel very strongly about. You do most certainly always see people comparing different cruise ships and cruise lines, some of which is not so productive.

 

In over 50 cruises, we have picked Celebrity as our favorite ... does this mean the others are not good?? Not at all ... Celebrity just suits our tastes better for the most part. And ... even though Celebrity is my favorite product, I still book on many different lines to keep it fresh and experience something a little different. It is rather difficult to stand by and not compare the aspects of different ships and different lines when you cruise often. Certain lines do some things better but some things not so well. But in all those cruises, I have always tried to find something I love about the particular sailing I am on ... and have only had a horrible time once ... sailed on the same ship the following year and loved it!!

[H2OH!]

I too love the comparisons. What bothers one person may or may not be an issue for me/us. I take the reviews with a grain of salt. Over the years we have all read rave reviews about, lets say, a restaurant, remodeler, cleaning lady etc and for some reason it did not measure up to my/your expectations...which is why I take all of the qualitative data in and sift out what's important to me.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Just noticing after reading numerous reviews that many people compare one cruise line with another. ie: The food is better on Holland, the service is better on Celebrity, the entertainment is better on Royal, etc. etc. Since I am a relatively new cruiser, with only two under my belt, it makes me wonder "why" people compare one line to another. Are they not different Products? I mean, I certainly would never shop at ONE store. I go to different stores for certain products. Hope I am making sense. I just get concerned when I see a rave review and then two seconds later, see someone that didn't care for it at all. :confused:

Shopping in department stores is somewhat analogous; some enjoy Target or J C Penney for their price points while others love to walk through Harrods to see their more upscale exotic merchandise. Of course, it's not a true analogy since you would never stay 24/7 for a week or two in a single store!

 

Cruise reviews are personal and very subjective; especially regarding food experiences. Please do not be turned off by the extremely negative or positive reviews. Whether reading reviews on Cruise Critic or Amazon, I always place more credence on reviews that provide balanced critiques - pointing our both the pros and cons of their experiences with a product.

[Fouremco]

As a broad statement, different stores sell a lot of the same products, so comparing stores doesn't make quite as much sense as comparing makes of stoves or jeans or TVs.

 

I've been driving the same make of car now for over 25 years, and just bought another one today. If this were Car Critic, I could point out why I think that this manufacturer provides a superior vehicle, with more advanced technology, better service, superior warranties, etc., compared to other makes. Others would chime in and provide their subjective view on which car they prefer, and why.

 

Whether it's cruises, cars or Caribbean ports, we all have our favourites and are happy to share our opinions with others. As long as some rationale is provided, a reader can start to get a feel for the cruise line or individual ship and a sense of whether or not he or she would be happy aboard.

 

As others have mentioned, you need to take the highly positive and highly negative reviews with a grain of salt, but if you read enough threads and posts you'll get a fairly accurate picture.

[caribill]

Just noticing after reading numerous reviews that many people compare one cruise line with another. ie: The food is better on Holland, the service is better on Celebrity, the entertainment is better on Royal, etc. etc.

 

Actually, what I see after reading many posts is:

 

o Celebrity has better food than other mass market cruise lines.

o Celebrity has worse food than other mass market cruise lines.

o Celebrity has better service than other mass market cruise lines.

o Celebrity has worse service than other mass market cruise lines.

o Celebrity has better entertainment than other mass market cruise lines.

o Celebrity has worse entertainment than other mass market cruise lines.

[hubofhockey]

It is important to understand the differences and there are some classes of ships on different lines where there is a real difference (Oasis Class on Royal Caribbean). It's also important to understand the demographics of a cruise line. If you are young or have a young family, Royal Caribbean or Carnival might make sense. If you are older and are vacationing without kids, Princess and Celebrity might make more sense. If you are looking for a more premium and refined experience on a smaller ship, then maybe consider Oceania, Azamara, or Regent. At this point, we decide where we want to go, and look at options from there. After Adriatic and Alaska, we'll look for best match for us for Southeast Asia. There is no way that we would limit ourselves to doing it on any certain cruise cruise line.

 

Just noticing after reading numerous reviews that many people compare one cruise line with another. ie: The food is better on Holland, the service is better on Celebrity, the entertainment is better on Royal, etc. etc. Since I am a relatively new cruiser, with only two under my belt, it makes me wonder "why" people compare one line to another. Are they not different Products? I mean, I certainly would never shop at ONE store. I go to different stores for certain products. Hope I am making sense. I just get concerned when I see a rave review and then two seconds later, see someone that didn't care for it at all. :confused: