Ship Reviews

[CruiseCriticAUeditor]

Hi crew

If you read our ship reviews, I would really appreciate some feedback from our Aussie and Kiwi members when you have some time.

 

1. Which things do you most want to know about a ship when you are deciding if this is the right ship for you?

2. What do you not care about/is not relevant to your decision to book a cruise?

 

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

Louise

 

[Brisbane41]

To be 100% honest the only thing I would look out for is maintenance and upkeep. If items are broken and not working, the ship is not being looked after or cleaning and maintenance is not up to scratch leaving things substandard then it is a concern. Examples could include blocked shower heads where only a dribble comes out. Things like noisy cabins from night clubs, close to storage areas, close to lifts and excessive people traffic would get my attention.

 

I do not care about peoples opinion on food, entertainment, who the cruise staff was or subjective things like that which come down to a matter of personal opinion. I just skim over stuff like that and not bother to read it.

Edited January 14, 2019 by Brisbane41

[rabbit1971]

For me its traffic flow is important, as we have a son with mobility issues, also are certain areas congested. like public spaces, bars, do you have traffic  through resturants when your having a meal. what are the layouts of the rooms, what type of power points do they have and how many. Options for dining, do they have fixed time or anytime, what are the gym facilities like, is there an outdoor walking track, ratio of staff to guests.

 i agree that things like food and service can be very subjective , but getting an overall impression of whats available doesn't hurt either, especially in areas that are likely to be used by the majority, like the MDR and buffett, as in the range of options available.

 Just my two cents worth.

[LincolnLegend]

For me, especially at the moment, it is exactly what is on offer for children and adults. I've just had a friend ask me to find a cruise for 4, 2 adults and 2 children (all first timers) so if there is somewhere to go that shows what each ship has it would make life a little easier.

[GUT2407]

To be honest I’m not keen on them, many seem to be just rants.

 

i much prefer a review that is done on a thread where I can ask questions and decide if what they rate as important is important to me.

 

Read reviews of cruises I’ve been on and thought “was that really the cruise/ship I was on”?

 

 

[Pushka]

1 hour ago, GUT2407 said:

To be honest I’m not keen on them, many seem to be just rants.

 

i much prefer a review that is done on a thread where I can ask questions and decide if what they rate as important is important to me.

 

Read reviews of cruises I’ve been on and thought “was that really the cruise/ship I was on”?

 

 

 

And a lot of them focus on the excursions which I’m not interested in for that itinerary and mark the cruise low as a result. So I rarely bother. 

[Fletch1]

Nah......I am not keen on them either. Similar to the previous poster, I have read a couple where I have been on the same cruise and I thought I must have been on a different cruise. I read a review yesterday for a river cruise where the reviewer resurrected a previous review by another person for the same cruise and then proceeded to agree or disagree with them and explain why!!! I lost interest very quickly. 

 

I do like the "live from....." where you can ask questions and reviewers take the time to answer and reply. 

 

I too am interested in is reviews on cabins, in particular noise, space, etc. I don't think there are enough reviews of cabins. When I look at a cruise and see what cabins are available, the first thing I go searching for is a review of the cabin I am looking at. 

 

Also, port reviews take my eye as well in particular things to do in that port. 

[MicCanberra]

11 hours ago, CruiseCriticAUeditor said:

Hi crew

If you read our ship reviews, I would really appreciate some feedback from our Aussie and Kiwi members when you have some time.

 

1. Which things do you most want to know about a ship when you are deciding if this is the right ship for you?

2. What do you not care about/is not relevant to your decision to book a cruise?

 

Thanks in advance for your opinions!

Louise

 

I like the format / style of the ship reviews, and I find some of the information very helpful.

We tend to book a cruise using several methodologies.

The first method is that we pick a cruise due to itinerary that we want to do (tend to be international cruises).

The second method is that we do a cruise for an event / time period with family and or friends, i.e NYE or birthday bash, etc (tend to be cruises out of Australia).

The third method is by ship, new ship for us to try or new to Aussie waters or new anywhere.

 

I suppose the ship reviews help me with the 2nd and 3rd methods, but only if they are very on new ships. However, they do help with new cruisers and I direct people to cruise critic and the various areas with in it.

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, GUT2407 said:

To be honest I’m not keen on them, many seem to be just rants.

 

i much prefer a review that is done on a thread where I can ask questions and decide if what they rate as important is important to me.

 

Read reviews of cruises I’ve been on and thought “was that really the cruise/ship I was on”?

 

 

Louise is after input on the ship reviews, not people's cruise reviews.

[The_Big_M]

I've found some reviews very good, but others not so much.

 

One of the main issues is currency - sometimes reviews are years old, with the experience onboard not so relevant.

 

As for content though, the best are those that are detailed so you can work out what's relevant and important to you. Personally I value details on food a lot, so I can make a fair judgement. Details on condition don't matter so much though as that's subjective and either fixable, specific and not relevant. Unless of course it was something actually significant like trip hazards and broken glass, but given hospitality standards I can't imagine that happening on any line.

[Brisbane41]

In 

9 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

I've found some reviews very good, but others not so much.

 

One of the main issues is currency - sometimes reviews are years old, with the experience onboard not so relevant.

 

As for content though, the best are those that are detailed so you can work out what's relevant and important to you. Personally I value details on food a lot, so I can make a fair judgement. Details on condition don't matter so much though as that's subjective and either fixable, specific and not relevant. Unless of course it was something actually significant like trip hazards and broken glass, but given hospitality standards I can't imagine that happening on any line.

Any maintenance issues are a huge important factor to me.

 

If simple repairs are not being done to cut costs of for whatever reason then it detracts from the cruise experience for what you are paying big money to enjoy and use. When you fork out money for a cruise you expect the ship to be in working order. Example the Diamond Princess showers in certain cabins do not work and are nothing more than a miserable dribble. Apparently Princess is in the process of changing the shower heads to something of a smaller circumference which will allow a better flow. To me having cabins with insufficient showers sit for years is important to know.

 

Food I could not care less about. As long as it is better than the local McDonalds or local bowling club or Wests group restaurant then it is good enough for me. Food is subjective to an individual. The maintenance is not. If a TV is not working it is not working for everyone. That is not subjective. If a pool is empty because of a leak and can not be used that is not subjective. If the cruise line refuses to repair things then I simply avoid.

[The_Big_M]

3 hours ago, Brisbane41 said:

In 

Any maintenance issues are a huge important factor to me.

 

If simple repairs are not being done to cut costs of for whatever reason then it detracts from the cruise experience for what you are paying big money to enjoy and use. When you fork out money for a cruise you expect the ship to be in working order. Example the Diamond Princess showers in certain cabins do not work and are nothing more than a miserable dribble. Apparently Princess is in the process of changing the shower heads to something of a smaller circumference which will allow a better flow. To me having cabins with insufficient showers sit for years is important to know.

 

Food I could not care less about. As long as it is better than the local McDonalds or local bowling club or Wests group restaurant then it is good enough for me. Food is subjective to an individual. The maintenance is not. If a TV is not working it is not working for everyone. That is not subjective. If a pool is empty because of a leak and can not be used that is not subjective. If the cruise line refuses to repair things then I simply avoid.

 

That's fine that they're important to you. They're not so much to me, though you appear to be exaggerating to magnify the importance.

 

I am sure if there really was a 'miserable dribble' for every single cabin or if you claim that everything was not working it would be well covered here. And it would be rectified. I do not believe your statement that showers in multiple cabins do not work at all on Diamond Princess.

 

If OTOH, it’s just an individual issue with an individual cabin (or elsewhere), it would be reported (as I have done before), and is typically fixed within the day.

 

And as for food, that's great that you don't care what you eat. However, it's incorrect to say it's "subjective."

 

What is subjective - or actually your opinion - is how you find it. But if there is a charge for pizza, or the array of food only includes 3 salads, only with lettuce and e.g. no beans or anything else, and only 3 mains with no vegetarian options; all of those things are facts. Just the same as whether windows are frosted, or rails unvarnished, or whatever else, both are facts. It's only opinion as to whether either of those are relevant or important TO YOU.

 

And yes, for me, the selection and quality of food onboard is what I find "detracts from the cruise experience for what you are paying big money to enjoy and use" moreso than whether the shower stream isn't great - if it was actually a "miserable dribble" I'd get it fixed - or whether a pool is temporarily empty. I've never heard of a cruise where a pool is out of action for a year. I don't believe either of those 'maintenance issues' would affect more than a specific cruiser for one or two cruises, so doubt they have much relevance to a review months or even years later. Though of course it's worthwhile mentioning them at a point in time.

 

Edited January 16, 2019 by The_Big_M

[Docker123]

I quite like the current format as it covers most key topics.

 

i like to read the 1star reviews first (not just on here). Besides being worst case scenarios, they can be amusing. 5star reviews often seem to be welded on White Star enthusiasts praising the Titanic.

 

However, I do not take a single review as gospel. I look for what sorts of points keep recurring — the patterns in reviews. This may be food, noise, smells, entertainment, staff issues, organisation and management, ships being renovated during cruises, etc..

 

Then I have to figure out how these various factors come together for me in determining whether something is a good fit.

 

Also, usually learn far more in the threads than the reviews.

[GUT2407]

19 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Louise is after input on the ship reviews, not people's cruise reviews.

Ahhh OK seems few got it wrong.

[GUT2407]

I’d love to see a bit more coverage of accessibility.

 

Not just accessible cabins, but all the other issues?

 

manouverabilty especially when Steward’s carts are left out, areas that are in accessible, tours of the ship that may be un/available, how high the humps at joins are.

 

one accessible cabin, was to say the least, less than accessible, it was. A great cabin, but as there was a duct just near the door there wasn’t enough room to turn into your door way without much back and forth.

 

Then other tropes og disability too, menus in Braille, hearing loops etc. 

 

 

[Lanwood]

Another vote for maintenance updates and what was done. When the ship was last renovated, and what it had done when it was is often a big focus of my research especially when selecting an older ship.

[tb4]

I'd like to see information on how crowded the ship is (or not). Were there queues? Could you get a table at the buffet? How quickly did the theatre fill up?

[sewgood]

If deciding what ship/line to pick for a return cruise out of Sydney I would be interesting in reading about the onboard activities and night time entertainment.

If deciding what ship/cruiseline to pick for a cruise where I have not been to the ports before I would be interested in how long does it take to get off the ship as time in port is important to me. I may not be able to afford to fly to there for a cruise again , my bucket list is long.

I am interested in reading about maintenance in term of blocked toilets showers or airconditioning not working properly (cabins being too hot for sleeping) .

The cabin is important in regards to bed comfort as well as general cleanliness and does it have a bar fridge.

I am not interested in reading about worn carpet on the stairway or a bit of rust on the rails as this does not affect my enjoyment of the cruise.

[sewgood]

14 minutes ago, tb4 said:

I'd like to see information on how crowded the ship is (or not). Were there queues? Could you get a table at the buffet? How quickly did the theatre fill up?

Good points.

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, GUT2407 said:

Ahhh OK seems few got it wrong.

Yep not alone.

[Toryhere]

I think the format of CC ship reviews is very good.

Given that the reviews are of the ship and not of any particular cruise, it would be difficult to incorporate any information about ports of call and other details specific to any one voyage. 

The one thing I would say is that CC could desist from featuring the same old boring mega ships at the top of the review page and just have a page letting the reader link to any ship.

[CruiseCriticAUeditor]

Thank you all. This is very useful feedback, which I will be passing on to the team for a "refurb" of our ship reviews.