Cruise Critic reviews

[clo]

23 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Some Royal ships have over 30 different food venues, while Azamara have only 4-5.

Isn't that due to the size of the ships?

[ak1004]

10 hours ago, Kate-AHF said:

The Silver Muse, when it launched, garnered three stars in the first 6 months.  Nearly all the reviews were from past Silversea pax, who didn't like the new and  "different" look, additional pax (a whopping 590) and the new restaurant procedures.  It's still trying to crawl out of those early reviews, with a current rating of 3.5 stars.  Having sailed on her in that first 6 months, that ship and her crew are in no way 3.5 stars.  It should be much higher.  I might note that the CC expert gave her 5.0.

 

That rating really gave me pause in using these reviews for guidance in choosing a ship or a line.

Yes - but this might be the case for any new ship. When Azamara introduced their third ship (Pursuit), the initial reviews were absolutely terrible. The first review mentioned: "The officers are very arrogant and aloof and only acknowledge repeat passengers. My husband complained about a few things but they didn't take any notice because we are only 2nd time passengers. My husband discussed this with a lady from the clique and she openly boasted how they would "listen to her" if she complained !! I have never experienced such an atmosphere and unwelcome feeling aboard a ship."

 

We sailed on the same ship few months later (it was our first Azamara cruise) and didn't feel anything even close to what this reviewer described. I fact, we spoke to the captain on few occasions, and on disembarkation the captain and other officers were standing at the gateway and personally said good buy to each guest.

 

This ship average ratings are still around 3.5. While not perfect, it is far from 3.5, in my opinion.

 

But then again, the reviews are the best you have - till you have a personal experience. And yes, you should learn how to read them and which reviews to ignore. But with most lines having thousands of reviews, I would think that the averages should somehow reflect the reality. For some lines (including Oceania), they just don't make sense.

[ak1004]

1 minute ago, clo said:

Isn't that due to the size of the ships?

Of course. But that means that the food is NOT the same on all ships. Some people would say that 4-5 venues on Azamara is enough for them because they are very high quality, other would prefer to have more choices and go on a big ship. My point was that different ships offer different options in terms of quality, number of venues, diversity of the food etc. and it's absurd to say that food is the same on all ships.

[clo]

1 minute ago, ak1004 said:

Of course. But that means that the food is NOT the same on all ships. Some people would say that 4-5 venues on Azamara is enough for them because they are very high quality, other would prefer to have more choices and go on a big ship. My point was that different ships offer different options in terms of quality, number of venues, diversity of the food etc. and it's absurd to say that food is the same on all ships.

Gotcha.  And it's just one of the reasons that we've tended to stay away from cruising for some years.  I found the food rather blah.  As I call it, LCD, lowest common denominator, feed the masses food.  So both our ports and the food is what has drawn us to Oceania.

[Paulchili]

37 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

But with most lines having thousands of reviews, I would think that the averages should somehow reflect the reality

I agree with you in general principle of averages but I believe that people who were unhappy are somewhat more likely to "vent" and air their grievances by writing a negative review. Conversely, satisfied cruisers are somewhat less likely to write a review (of course, there are plenty of raving reviews as well).

This tendency might skew the average towards negative reviews slightly (I think) ☺️

Edited August 3, 2019 by Paulchili

[clo]

3 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

I agree with you in general principle of averages but I believe that people who were unhappy are somewhat more likely to "vent" and air their grievances by writing a negative review. Conversely, satisfied cruisers are somewhat less likely to write a review (of course, thee are plenty of raving reviews as well).

This tendency might skew the average towards negative reviews slightly (I think) ☺️

I call it "quick to criticize and slow to praise."

[ak1004]

18 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

I agree with you in general principle of averages but I believe that people who were unhappy are somewhat more likely to "vent" and air their grievances by writing a negative review. Conversely, satisfied cruisers are somewhat less likely to write a review (of course, there are plenty of raving reviews as well).

This tendency might skew the average towards negative reviews slightly (I think) ☺️

100% agree. But this should be true for all lines. Still doesn't explain how Oceania average is so much lower than Azamara and Viking, and how in the world Regent gets average rating similar to Carnival.

[ak1004]

39 minutes ago, clo said:

Gotcha.  And it's just one of the reasons that we've tended to stay away from cruising for some years.  I found the food rather blah.  As I call it, LCD, lowest common denominator, feed the masses food.  So both our ports and the food is what has drawn us to Oceania.

We are in the same boat. While food is acceptable on lines like Celebrity or Princess, Oceania is simply in a different league.

[clo]

2 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

We are in the same boat.

🙂 

[Paulchili]

42 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Still doesn't explain how Oceania average is so much lower than Azamara and Viking, and how in the world Regent gets average rating similar to Carnival.

Agreed - hard if not impossible to explain.

Edited August 3, 2019 by Paulchili

[ak1004]

Did some more digging, and it looks like relatively low Oceania ratings were skewed by the smaller ships.

 

Riviera/Marina got both 4.12 average ratings, but four other ships all got under 4. Insignia was the worst, with 3.61 average rating. Nautica 3.98, Sirena/Regatta 3.80. 

 

btw, this is consistent with Berlitz ratings, where Riviera/Marina got 1599/1594, Sirena/Regatta 1398, Nautica/Insignia 1393.

 

Viking also gets very high marks from Berlitz (1690 area), Crystal gets ~1680.

[LHT28]

well I do not go by the reviews  when I book a cruise

I read them & sometimes  I even post my review  but it is based on MY experience 

some good some not

We usually go  on a cruise line  then if we like the experience  we will sail with that line again

if not we move on

 

If you go by the ratings  alone  you may find it not suitable  for your wants/needs

 

 

[clo]

51 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Did some more digging, and it looks like relatively low Oceania ratings were skewed by the smaller ships.

 

That's what I had wondered.  Thanks.

[clo]

42 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

well I do not go by the reviews  when I book a cruise

 

But if someone has not cruised at all or not on a bunch of lines/ships ????

[ak1004]

42 minutes ago, clo said:

But if someone has not cruised at all or not on a bunch of lines/ships ????

Exactly. You need to start somewhere.

[pinotlover]

I question how much QPR is factored into the ratings. Common practice when discussing wine is its QPR or Quality Price Ratio. Yes, wine A is definitely better than wine B, but is it 3 times better because that’s the price differentials? Same with cruise ships. Might the cruise be considered better overall but the QPR be considered low by some? A lot of cruisers that have taken Oceania aren’t foodies, quantities are as important as quality so O gets no extra food points because their quantity of food may in fact, via choices, lower than mass markets. 

[ak1004]

7 hours ago, pinotlover said:

I question how much QPR is factored into the ratings. Common practice when discussing wine is its QPR or Quality Price Ratio. Yes, wine A is definitely better than wine B, but is it 3 times better because that’s the price differentials? Same with cruise ships. Might the cruise be considered better overall but the QPR be considered low by some? A lot of cruisers that have taken Oceania aren’t foodies, quantities are as important as quality so O gets no extra food points because their quantity of food may in fact, via choices, lower than mass markets. 

 

I doubt this is the case. Take a look at some of the 1 star reviews. I didn't see a single one mentioning not enough food. And even if this was true, it should apply to all small ships. Oceania R ships get average of ~3.8 while Azamara SAME R ships get 4.35? It just doesn't make sense.

[LHT28]

25 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

I doubt this is the case. Take a look at some of the 1 star reviews. I didn't see a single one mentioning not enough food. And even if this was true, it should apply to all small ships. Oceania R ships get average of ~3.8 while Azamara SAME R ships get 4.35? It just doesn't make sense.

Azamara  has liquor included  ..this is important to some  who may come from mass market lines where you pay for your  drinks

 

I recall someone sailed Oceania on the O class ship ..they did the drink package but were put off by having to sign  a chit

They tried Azamara  & loved it

Go Figure 🙄

 

Rating are just  opinions based on personal preferences of those  voting 

JMO

[Mura]

I'm usually a suite guest (at least in recent years) and while I've never posted what I would call a bad review, I certainly have had some criticisms to make in the past.  Not severe ones, not many, but nothing is perfect -- no matter how much you are paying for the privilege.

 

And I agree that "all food" certainly is NOT equal.

[Paulchili]

6 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I recall someone sailed Oceania on the O class ship ..they did the drink package but were put off by having to sign  a chit

They tried Azamara  & loved it

Go Figure 🙄

I know someone else who is really bothered by that 😁

[doowopbob]

6 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Azamara  has liquor included  ..this is important to some  who may come from mass market lines where you pay for your  drinks

 

I recall someone sailed Oceania on the O class ship ..they did the drink package but were put off by having to sign  a chit

They tried Azamara  & loved it

Go Figure 🙄

 

Rating are just  opinions based on personal preferences of those  voting 

JMO

We always do the drink package and have never had to sign a chit.  You give them your card and they ring it up and give your card back.  Also on Azamara the liquor included is very basic. If you want anything better you pay for it. You couldn't even get the same wine two days in a row.

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, doowopbob said:

We always do the drink package and have never had to sign a chit.  You give them your card and they ring it up and give your card back. 

it was not always  that way

When they first introduced the Prestige Package  you signed at the end of the meal or when you left the bar

[cayman09]

When you read very divergent opinions from people on the same cruise you can begin to realize that experiences are all very personal. What passes for great service for some may be viewed as lacking by others. Perceptions of food may be affected by personal taste and/or ethnic experiences.

 

While I enjoy reading the variety of reviews of the same cruise by different cruisers, I take them for what they're worth, personal opinion.

[ak1004]

21 minutes ago, cayman09 said:

When you read very divergent opinions from people on the same cruise you can begin to realize that experiences are all very personal. What passes for great service for some may be viewed as lacking by others. Perceptions of food may be affected by personal taste and/or ethnic experiences.

 

While I enjoy reading the variety of reviews of the same cruise by different cruisers, I take them for what they're worth, personal opinion.

This is very true. Sometimes I was reading reviews on the cruise we were on, and I just kept asking myself: was it the the same cruise?

 

But then again, this should apply equally to all ships and all lines. Doesn't explain why "average" Oceania or Regent reviewers are so much more negative than "average" Azamara or Viking reviewers.

[Hawaiidan]

On 8/2/2019 at 8:04 AM, ak1004 said:

This might be true. But even cruise critic "expert" reviews sometimes don't make sense.

 

For example, they rate the Oceania Insignia 4 out of 5, but Celebrity Reflection 5 out of 5. Royal Allure is also 5 star. Marina and Riviera are 4.5. To me this is absurd. 

Yes    it is absurd... as  is the idea  of these ratings is somehow fair and impartial....  What is even more absurd is that we  all recognize this yet are still debating its merit..