What is the review you didn't write?

[marshhawk]

When we cruise I keep a check list, and write a review when I get home. But after my Alaska cruise, there was so much WOW! and so many wonderful moments, I found I couldn't write about it-Alaska may be huge, but the cruise was so personally emotional I couldn't do it. If you write reviews, is there one cruise you didn't write about? And why?

[Keith1010]

The last few years I tried to write a review about each cruise.

 

Keith

[Krazy Kruizers]

The first few years we cruised, there wasn't any Internet -- thus no reviews -- but I did keep notes.

For about 5 years I did do "Live" reports for some of our cruises. It was rough as the Internet was slow and sometimes I couldn't get on.

Then a few years ago, I stopped -- just didn't feel like doing "Live" reports or a review when we got home. Still have some of my notes from our cruises.

Alaska does have a lot of "wow" factors.

[NMLady]

Although I keep a daily journal of each cruise, I don't write reviews. Not sure why. I enjoy reading other people's reviews, especially live ones.

[Dcoy]

Three years ago I went on a 94 day world cruise. I would have had to write a novel to cover everything.

 

Don

[herbanrenewal]

I didn't used to write reviews but I've gained so much insight from others that I have been writing reviews of last couple of cruises. At first it was so much work - I would have to keep looking up names of things, going back to planning notes. Then I decided to start with my planning notes rather than starting with photos.

 

From the framework of planning notes I can review everything from the specific tours to highlights of the ports - what impressed me most, and what I would have skipped if in the same place again. So the process has changed. Part of the planning process is to outline what I expect to do each day, with transportation and tour info. With editing from plans I have much more specific comments on what I did and what I thought about each place. I also try to do this every night during the cruise while thoughts are fresh. But I don't post live for two reasons - I'm not wasting time on the cruise with slow internet connections; and I don't want people thinking my house is empty while I'm posting from half way around the world.

 

When I get home I just add some photos and post my review. There are so many reviews and such extensive info on the ships that I rarely comment on the cruise ship experience, mostly on the ports of call, pre-cruise and post-cruise port experiences.

[Strophic]

I was very thorough in making sure that I wrote a TripAdvisor review for every place we visited last year, but I completely forgot to write a Cruise Critic review for the cruise itself. I am hopefully going to write one this year.

[lamchops]

I used to do reviews of every cruise as it was an annual trip. It gave me a chance to review my planning notes and photos as well as helping DW do her scrapbooking. We've been holidaying twice a year recently and have fallen behind. I will only review the non North American lines as I feel it's helpful to have as much feedback on the European lines as possible.

 

My sinorama review has hit 198 posts and 59K views so it's all downhill from there.

[pghsteelerfan]

This is actually about a review that I actually wrote, but almost didn't write. In April 2010 while researching Grand Turk, which was a port on our upcoming cruise that I really knew nothing about, I stumbled upon Cruise Critic. I was able to get some great ideas for Grand Turk, but I also found other valuable information/tips for that upcoming cruise. Just before our cruise, I found some great picture reviews from other members on the Carnival boards. I was addicted!!! Several months after our cruise, a Carnival Victory review (southern itinerary out of San Juan) from early January 2010 by CC member Dirkgun popped up again that I missed when it was first posted, but I really enjoyed reading it, and loved the pictures, which actually showed just how scenic the ports on the southern itinerary are. After reading, I was *sold* on the southern itinerary out of San Juan. That itinerary out of San Juan was definitely going to be our next cruise, which ended up being a few years later, on Valor in 2013.

 

In between those cruises I continued to read many reviews, and was really focusing on the southern itinerary out of San Juan, which I also enjoyed, but there weren't as many as the western/eastern/Bahamas itineraries. But I was able to get some great information & ideas for things to see/do from those that I read. After our cruise I thought about doing a review then realized doing a review would be very time consuming, so I decided not to. In the meantime, I continued reading reviews by others and with each one I read and enjoyed, the more guilt that I had. Guilt because other CC members were taking time to share their experiences, which were very helpful to us in planning our cruise to get so much more out of it. Several months later I was really going through cruise withdrawal and my conscience also got the better of me. So, the best way to relive a great cruise AND clear my guilty conscience? Write a review!!! And so I did. Better late than never, and that's actually how I titled my review of Carnival Valor out of San Juan to the southern Caribbean. I found that it wasn't the chore that I thought it would be and actually enjoyed it. Through that review, I got to *know* several others through comments who had either done that itinerary or had upcoming cruises. I'm still in touch with several of them through a certain social media page. On our Liberty 2015, also on the southern itinerary out of San Juan, we actually got to sail with one of those couples and really get to know them.

 

The real downside to that review, and the two I did for our two cruises after that, is that once November rolls around, all of the pictures I added to those three reviews are going to go "poof" into thin air. I used Photobucket as my host site and Photobucket wants me to "upgrade" to their Plus 500 Plan, which is $400 a year, when my current subscription ends in November. If not, my account will automatically revert back to "free account" and my third party hosting capabilities through Photobucket will be disabled. I'd love to keep those pictures in the reviews, but just can't justify the $400 *ransom*.

Edited August 25, 2017 by pghsteelerfan

[luckyinpa]

1st trip ever was on NCL breakaway in haven. i splurged because i figured id never go on a ship again. i came back and wrote huge review especially geared toward newbies

 

i had to go on a cruise again soon. it was in my blood, i was hyper until i booked. 2 months later i found a steal and went again and wanted to document it from the perspective of having 2 kids vs not the first time. i never went back and reviewed the ship which admittedly was a poor ship for indoor cold weather activities.

[marshhawk]

pghsteelerfan-you just gave me the answer to why I couldn't post pics anymore from photo bucket. so thank you for that information.

 

everyone wants pics, but sometimes that is the hardest thing to post. i guess i will just have to feel guilty about Alaska, but will carry on with the Caribbean.:o

[VennDiagram]

delete

[pghsteelerfan]

pghsteelerfan-you just gave me the answer to why I couldn't post pics anymore from photo bucket. so thank you for that information.

 

everyone wants pics, but sometimes that is the hardest thing to post. i guess i will just have to feel guilty about Alaska, but will carry on with the Caribbean.:o

 

Please don't feel guilty about not doing a review about Alaska. I understand your reasoning and others should as well. I felt guilty because I read so many (including a few of yours, which I enjoyed) and felt like I was *taking* from others without giving back. Before I did the review, I did answer questions posted by others (Carnival boards; Ports of Call section) if I knew the answer, so I was at least contributing in some little way. :)

 

You are also welcome for the explanation of what's going on with Photobucket. It's really a shame, so many great reviews too and I know how much time goes into each one.

[marshhawk]

pghsteelerfan-my DH took a terrible fall this year, fracturing his skull in 4 places. I was trying to use photobucket to help him with his memory, so far not so good, but I know he has been trying. Maybe I should let him read some of my reviews, but he lost the sight in his right eye when he fell and working and reading have become a real challenge/. I kept saying for months that we would have our memories, and in one instant, that became a lie. Thank you, and thanks again for the info.

[pghsteelerfan]

pghsteelerfan-my DH took a terrible fall this year, fracturing his skull in 4 places. I was trying to use photobucket to help him with his memory, so far not so good, but I know he has been trying. Maybe I should let him read some of my reviews, but he lost the sight in his right eye when he fell and working and reading have become a real challenge/. I kept saying for months that we would have our memories, and in one instant, that became a lie. Thank you, and thanks again for the info.

 

marshhawk, I am so sorry to hear about your husband's terrible fall. Very sad the memories you thought you had are now gone. I will be keeping you both in my thoughts.