Were these people on the same cruise as me?

[Elvis1209]

I've been reading the "members reviews" to see if my review has been posted. (It hasn't)  It seems that 9 out of 10 reviews are negative.  I have no complaints.  Of those complaints that were cited, I just didn't see it.  Now, we were in the Haven so we got exceptional service to begin with.  But, when we were at the bars and restaurants, we got nothing but good service.  This was before anyone ever saw our Haven sea pass.  I guess some folks are just impossible to satisfy!  

[Asawi]

There was a "live" report here  from a cruise I was on earlier this year.  When browsing through it I frequently thought the same as you say in the headline. The person writing had lots of complaints and I just kept thinking "WHAT??".  I guess it shows how differently we can perceived things.

[yakcruiser]

I have been on cruises before where I had a great time. I would go back and look at the reviews a few weeks later and found out I was on the ship from hell. I was beginning to think I am too easy to please.

[Laszlo]

29 minutes ago, Elvis1209 said:

I've been reading the "members reviews" to see if my review has been posted. (It hasn't)  It seems that 9 out of 10 reviews are negative.  I have no complaints.  Of those complaints that were cited, I just didn't see it.  Now, we were in the Haven so we got exceptional service to begin with.  But, when we were at the bars and restaurants, we got nothing but good service.  This was before anyone ever saw our Haven sea pass.  I guess some folks are just impossible to satisfy!  

Some people don't know what to do if they are not complaining. On on last cruise in January, 12 day on the Getaway we had a couple who I must have seen 2-3 times a day who were alway complaining to someone. They had become a running joke with the Haven Staff. It started within 20 minutes of boarding, they were both irate because they had to wait 10 minutes to be seated for lunch in the Haven Restaurant and it only got worse. I felt bad for the staff who had to deal with them. I've truly never seen anyone like them. They were sitting next to us at dinner one night and they had ordered soup, it came out and it was too hot and they complained to the waiter, waiter took it back a few minutes later new soup comes out...... guess what... Its too freaking cool.... I wanted to reach around and smack the both of them.

 

I've read horrible reviews and then realized my wife and I were on the same sailing and we really loved everything about the cruise

Edited November 2, 2023 by Laszlo

[Liljo22]

I see you list the Escape in New England.  Were you on any of the cruises that were affected by the storm?  I have found with really bad reviews that the reviewer is upset at something out of the cruise lines control but it causes them to scrutinize everything going forward. 

 

Traffic/parking at the port was terrible?   That now compounds into service being terrible on board because they are still upset about the parking situation.  

[UKstages]

this notion that people who "complain" are negative naysayers who can't be pleased is a nonstarter. these folks are, by and large, good people who are sharing their honest opinions.

 

and, yes, virginia, it is entirely possible for people to have widely divergent views of the very same cruise depending on their cabin, their choice of restaurants, excursions and shows, as well as the staff and other passengers they interacted with. plumbing problems, odors and noise problems are also factors which may not have influenced your thoughts about a particular cruise, but may have been of paramount concern to them.

 

why people feel compelled to believe positive reviews, but dismiss negative ones, remains a mystery.

 

were these people on the same cruise? yes they were, but they likely had a very different experience.

Edited November 2, 2023 by UKstages

[uneamie]

20 minutes ago, UKstages said:

this notion that people who "complain" are negative naysayers who can't be pleased is a nonstarter. these folks are, by and large, good people who are sharing their honest opinions.

 

and, yes, virginia, it is entirely possible for people to have widely divergent views of the very same cruise depending on their cabin, their choice of restaurants, excursions and shows, as well as the staff and other passengers they interacted with. plumbing problems, odors and noise problems are also factors which may not have influenced your thoughts about a particular cruise, but may have been of paramount concern to them.

 

why people feel compelled to believe positive reviews, but dismiss negative ones, remains a mystery.

 

were these people on the same cruise? yes they were, but they likely had a very different experience.

While I can agree with some of what you say because we all see things differently (thus our very divided country USA), that said, "the soup is too hot"??? this is one for the books in my opinion. 

Edited November 2, 2023 by uneamie

[Elvis1209]

1 hour ago, Liljo22 said:

I see you list the Escape in New England.  Were you on any of the cruises that were affected by the storm?  I have found with really bad reviews that the reviewer is upset at something out of the cruise lines control but it causes them to scrutinize everything going forward. 

 

Traffic/parking at the port was terrible?   That now compounds into service being terrible on board because they are still upset about the parking situation.  

No, I was on the cruise after that!

[graphicguy]

Yeah.....I often wonder what my fellow cruisers experienced that was so different than what I experienced on the same exact cruise?

 

Go figure.

[stinkyharriet]

3 minutes ago, Elvis1209 said:

No, I was on the cruise after that!

My sister & I were on the Escape October 8-15 and had a fantastic time.  Really no complaints at all.  The crew were fantastic, we liked the entertainment and the food.  Rarely had to wait more than a minute at any bar, always got seated very quickly at the MDRs (we tried all 3) and O’Sheehans.  The tender boat process was very well run. We didn’t get to see Rumours because people were lining up early but we definitely could have if we really wanted to.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, UKstages said:

this notion that people who "complain" are negative naysayers who can't be pleased is a nonstarter. these folks are, by and large, good people who are sharing their honest opinions.

 

 

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah.....I often wonder what my fellow cruisers experienced that was so different than what I experienced on the same exact cruise?

 

Go figure.

Two things. 
 

First, people have different expectation. Some book a mid-stream cruise line and expect a luxury cruise or private yacht experience like they see on TV. Then complain when there are 4300 other people on their private cruise. Q

 

Second, people feel empowered by hiding behind anonymous avatars and bully the cruise line. “I stood in line for 20 minutes to get a drink even though I knew that the next bar a minute away had no lines.”  
 

We went to WDW this summer, the happiest place on earth. 1+ long lines with 110 degree heat indices. The grand kids needing liquid going in or out every 15 minutes. You waited in line or did death marches across the parks to your next lightning pass. Every food stop was $100+. BUT,,, we expected it. We had no complaints (other than tired feet). I could have nit picked everything from the lines to the flowers that attracted bees to the temperature which the park should have done something about 🫠

[Ellis1138]

I was on one of the Escape NE/Canada cruises that was affected by the storm, where we lost Halifax and had to sit by Staten Island for a day and a half. I had a Studio cabin, did a little forum report here and didn't do a big review. I had an amazing time and enjoyed myself immensely. I loved the ship, the crew, the facilities, the food was good enough for me.

 

Other people said the best thing about the cruise was getting off of it. They had a terrible time.

 

Both experiences are valid. Vacations and cruises have so many moving parts and sometimes things don't go how we planned. I've had a few (but thankfully very few) times where things didn't go to plan or expectations, so I understand how someone on the same ship and sailing as me could be miserable at the exact same time that I'm exhilarated. 

[CruisingAlong4Now]

2 hours ago, uneamie said:

While I can agree with some of what you say because we all see things differently (thus our very divided country USA), that said, "the soup is too hot"??? this is one for the books in my opinion. 

People sue (and are very rewarded) for their coffee being too hot.  So why not soup?

[ChiefMateJRK]

I've been on many cruises and never had a meaningful complaint.  I guess the time they cancelled a pre-paid SHOREX, didn't notify me and didn't want to issue a refund was likely the closest.  But, that too passed.....😎

 

disclaimer: after a small amount of complaining, they did issue a refund.....twice.  I let NCL HQ know that I owed them money, but they just let it pass....🤣

 

I love cruising on NCL!!!

[DominicAUS]

13 hours ago, UKstages said:

this notion that people who "complain" are negative naysayers who can't be pleased is a nonstarter. these folks are, by and large, good people who are sharing their honest opinions.

 

and, yes, virginia, it is entirely possible for people to have widely divergent views of the very same cruise depending on their cabin, their choice of restaurants, excursions and shows, as well as the staff and other passengers they interacted with. plumbing problems, odors and noise problems are also factors which may not have influenced your thoughts about a particular cruise, but may have been of paramount concern to them.

 

why people feel compelled to believe positive reviews, but dismiss negative ones, remains a mystery.

 

were these people on the same cruise? yes they were, but they likely had a very different experience.

I agree to a certain point. More  people will complain and will be a keyboard warrior instead of saying how amazing their trip was.
 

That’s why there are more bad reviews as they feel compelled to tell everyone.

 

An example, I was on my first transatlantic cruise on the Epic, met so many lovely people who I still call friends today, we were in the haven, however had great service across the whole ship, weather was perfect and they changed 1 port but did amazing to add Antigua, instead of St Maartin. Overall nothing at all to

complain about. 
 

I was at Orlando airport in the lounge at the bar and having a drink alone, thinking about my trip when I overheard these 2 people complaining about their recent cruise, I couldn’t leave it and asked where they came in from and of course were on the same cruise. They were telling the bar person how awful the cruise was, the service was awful blah blah. So I asked, what cruises have you been on, what were you expecting, they said oh we sail Cunard in first class, (Queens Grill) I said oh I didn’t see you in the haven, and they weren’t and I said them why are you complaining, you’re not comparing apples with apples. I said it’s like bitching about a flight in economy when you flew in first class. There is no comparison. 
 

As others have said, people’s expectations are far from reality. Read reviews make up your own mind and go with open mind. I bet you’ll have a better cruise

[david_sobe]

Every cruise is subjective.  Most people are motivate to write a negative review than a positive or neutral one.  Having said that, your clarifier "we were in the Haven" definitely gave you a different perspective than some of your other cruisers 😉

[SomewhereGirl]

Just because you had a great cruise and someone else didn't, doesn't mean you're right and they're wrong.  Every guest doesn't interact with the exact same employees. People are going to have different experiences, and they are entitled to to their opinion the same as everyone else else.

Bully a cruiseline?  Please.

[Capitan Obvious]

15 hours ago, UKstages said:

this notion that people who "complain" are negative naysayers who can't be pleased is a nonstarter. these folks are, by and large, good people who are sharing their honest opinions.

 

Why do you say "sharing their honest opinions" instead of just saying "sharing their opinions"? Why the need to include "honest"? It isn't like anyone was arguing that negative opinions were dishonest. When you use a broad brush this way, it comes across as pushing a narrative and not the actual experience. 

 

Can't we also say that people who are positive are, by and large, good people who are sharing their honest opinions as well? Or is it just easier to rip them down and dismiss them with passive-aggressive labeling like "cheerleader" or "apologist"?

 

15 hours ago, UKstages said:

why people feel compelled to believe positive reviews, but dismiss negative ones, remains a mystery.

 

Not really. It comes down to perceived motivation. Our society has become one geared to "compensation" the "I'm aggrieved, what can you do to make it up to me" position. This is exemplified by the rise of the "Karen" who always needs to "speak to the manager". Heck, how many times on these very boards do people want to go straight to the CEO with every little grievance they can think of? 

 

It is easy to dismiss the portion of negative reviews that are obviously overblown drama created in the hopes of getting "compensation".

[cabogal]

I think that people are more apt to write about their bad experience than their good experience.

[Two Wheels Only]

5 hours ago, Capitan Obvious said:

This is exemplified by the rise of the "Karen" who always needs to "speak to the manager". Heck, how many times on these very boards do people want to go straight to the CEO with every little grievance they can think of? 

 

"I need the CEO's email address because I didn't get towel animals and I need to express my disappointment." - maybe once or twice a month on Cruise Critic. 😉

[carohs]

I'm a complainer. Well not really, but a lot of things bother me in the moment and I tend to say something about it. I don't feel I'm complaining, but simply stating how the situation bothers me and letting my emotions be known. I also do the same with positive emotions. Sometimes I'm looking for validation or empathy, but I'm never looking for "compensation." Anyway, not everyone shares their bad experience to put down the cruise line. Stay away, never sail them again, that kinda thing. I like to read all reviews, even the complaints, usually with many grains of salt, because it helps me manage my expectations or prepare and have patience when running into these possible experiences, which in turn leads to a better enjoyment of the cruise once onboard. So yeah go ahead have your cruise, complain in your review if you want. If the internet isn’t a place you can vent your grievances, where is?

[Two Wheels Only]

1 minute ago, carohs said:

Sometimes I'm looking for validation or empathy,....

 

You've come to the wrong place...😅

[Yesimapirate]

Recently,  a large number of my neighbors were posting on purpose community group board how excited they were that a restaurant with "real pizza" was opening up locally. 

 

That restaurant was Domino's.

 

People have a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences.   Terrible to one may be amazing to another.   If certainly doesn't make people who disagree with you complainers or stupid....... unless they think Domino's is authentically real pizza.😁

[dancingfish]

First I agree wholeheartedly that people who feel they had a bad experience are more likely to post a negative review than someone who had a great time. This is the world we live in.

Second: 

"First, people have different expectation. Some book a mid-stream cruise line and expect a luxury cruise or private yacht experience like they see on TV. Then complain when there are 4300 other people on their private cruise."   

 

So many people have decided that cruising is their thing but they don't want to wear pants for dinner or partake in cruise ritual.. then they complain that the cruise isn't like the upscale photos they have seen... Taking a vacation should be something special IMO, and we should treat it that way! Enjoying every moment. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, dancingfish said:

So many people have decided that cruising is their thing but they don't want to wear pants for dinner or partake in cruise ritual.. then they complain that the cruise isn't like the upscale photos they have seen... Taking a vacation should be something special IMO, and we should treat it that way! Enjoying every moment. 

Isn't "not wearing pants for dinner and not partaking in cruise ritual(?!)" part of enjoying every moment?