Don't believe everything you hear!

[shipgeeks]

I love having the instant access to information that was never the case in my youth.  However....

As a veteran cruiser, I cringe at some of the things I read and see on "some other sites", with no way of knowing who is credible.

Example: "I just booked a cruise for my family, and the TA told me food is included.  Now I'm learning that we have to pay for everything we eat and drink."

Example:  "The app says there are only two shows during my 9-night cruise."

Example:  "I hear we have to dress for all the theme nights, but I don't know if we have 50s/white/tropical/80s/country-western/other.  How am I supposed to buy all my outfits?"

Example:  "What's the best way to avoid seasickness?"  Answers: "Highest deck -- Lowest deck -- all the way forward -- all the way back -- balcony only -- You can't avoid it, everyone gets seasick."

 

 

[mom says]

There has been a saying since the 1800s to the effect that you shouldn't believe everything you read. Originally referring to newspapers, it equally applies to just about any form of communication, whether print, online, or video. Cruise info is no diffrent, nor has it ever been.

 

TLDR: this is nothing new.

Edited February 26 by mom says

[CDNPolar]

For the forums that I frequent on CC, and as a veteran cruiser, I feel that most of the information shared here is credible.

 

There are opinions that differ and even though we "know" that mid-ship is best to avoid seasickness, others express opinions that never experience seasickness.

 

I sometimes cringe at advice shared on CC and I have been guilty myself of saying things that have been corrected or adjusted by others, but in general this forum I feel is credible because there are so many here that will steer a conversation in the correct direction if it needs to have the direction corrected - so to speak.

 

There are other forums however that I abandoned because the information shared is outrageous and then fighting is a common thing.

[lisiamc]

@shipgeeks - adverts in our newspapers are often somewhat breathless. They assure the interested reader that all meals are included, and all cabins have an en-suite bathroom, as if perhaps other cruise lines have a pay-as-you-eat policy, and shared bathrooms at the end of the corridor. So I can see why first-timers get confused sometimes! And many cruise lines advertise themselves as all-inclusive, when they don’t really mean it. 

[DeclanAllen]

I totally get where you’re coming from. The sea of information out there can be as choppy as the ocean itself! I think it’s always best to go straight to the source whenever possible. For instance, cruise lines often have detailed FAQs and customer service for clarifications. I suggest reaching out to them directly for the most accurate info.

Regarding the food, I suppose it’s a common misconception. While many dining options are included, some specialty restaurants and drinks might cost extra. It’s always a good idea to check the cruise line’s website or your booking details for what’s included.

[CDNPolar]

10 hours ago, DeclanAllen said:

I totally get where you’re coming from. The sea of information out there can be as choppy as the ocean itself! I think it’s always best to go straight to the source whenever possible. For instance, cruise lines often have detailed FAQs and customer service for clarifications. I suggest reaching out to them directly for the most accurate info.

Regarding the food, I suppose it’s a common misconception. While many dining options are included, some specialty restaurants and drinks might cost extra. It’s always a good idea to check the cruise line’s website or your booking details for what’s included.

 

Yes, what is included and extra cost is going to vary with each line.

 

So called mass-market lines have more add on expenses than the cruise lines that are in the entry to and luxury class.

 

Regarding @lisiamc comment about all inclusive, yes that is also something that you have to be aware of and scrutinize carefully.  Viking - our preferred line - tends to sell themselves as "all inclusive" which to me is not far off the mark.  There are only a few things that you must pay for above and beyond which one could argue are not needed by many.  Viking include "everything that you need" but needs are different for different people.  I personally would argue after 10 Viking cruises, that Viking are "all inclusive".

 

Also I cannot imagine that any cruise line today is advertising en-suite bathrooms?  Suggesting that this is not standard?????  Ouch!

[Theosprey247]

The best place to get information is most often the cruise line's website.  Often you'll hear what people wish were true on forums.

[shipgeeks]

A couple from today's browsing:

 

"If you don't take your passport ashore with you at the private island day, you will not be allowed back on the ship. There's no other way off the island, and no food, no hospital, nothing."

 

"If you have dinner in the main dining room, each person in your party has to leave $18 cash as a tip."

[BourbonLover]

7 minutes ago, shipgeeks said:

"If you have dinner in the main dining room, each person in your party has to leave $18 cash as a tip."

🤣🤣🤣 I'm sure they post this type of thing just to see who'll take the bait.

Give them 18 Philippine Pesos each which is US $0.31

[donaldsc]

10 hours ago, Theosprey247 said:

The best place to get information is most often the cruise line's website.  Often you'll hear what people wish were true on forums.

 

I would totally disagree w this.  If you try to find accurate information on the cruise company's WEB site you will often get inaccurate information and almost always promises that the cruise company wants you to believe will happen on the cruise.  

 

DON

[shipgeeks]

16 hours ago, Theosprey247 said:

The best place to get information is most often the cruise line's website.  Often you'll hear what people wish were true on forums.

I can see why people get confused about dining. When I look at my current booking, to browse excursions, there is a large section encouraging me to "book your dining package".  So that one is on the cruise line.  But, yes, regarding what one can take aboard, what is included in the fare, and much more, the cruise line website should be believed rather than "someone" who posts on a forum.

[Theosprey247]

7 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

I would totally disagree w this.  If you try to find accurate information on the cruise company's WEB site you will often get inaccurate information and almost always promises that the cruise company wants you to believe will happen on the cruise.  

 

DON

Can you give an example?

Edited May 25 by Theosprey247

[ldubs]

22 hours ago, Theosprey247 said:

The best place to get information is most often the cruise line's website.  Often you'll hear what people wish were true on forums.

 

11 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

I would totally disagree w this.  If you try to find accurate information on the cruise company's WEB site you will often get inaccurate information and almost always promises that the cruise company wants you to believe will happen on the cruise.  

 

DON

 

I think most of the info is there and agree that, for someone unfamiliar, it takes some effort to understand info on the websites.   Forums fill-in often needed clarification or missing info.  

 

I was on the NCL website for the first time not long ago. I was totally confused by the jargon.   I ran info a link in the NCL forum here that clarified everything for me.   

[donaldsc]

4 hours ago, Theosprey247 said:

Can you give an example?

 

One example on the AK cruise tours that say that you have 2 days in Denali.  This is what actually happens.  Your train arrives in about noon on day 1.  By the time you get into your room it is probably about 2 in the afternoon.  On day 2 your train leaves shortly after 1 PM in the afternoon.  That means that you have maybe 25 hours in Denali including your sleep time.  

 

I can come up with other examples of cruise company misrepresentations if you wish,

 

DON

[shipgeeks]

But still better than someone who posted something she heard from a lady at the grocery store, who went on a cruise once, or at least someone's brother-in-law did, and they said.......

[john watson]

On 5/25/2024 at 12:12 PM, shipgeeks said:

I can see why people get confused about dining. When I look at my current booking, to browse excursions, there is a large section encouraging me to "book your dining package".  

I think this sort of approach by cruise lines to passengers tends to imply that if you do not book a dining package you may well end up not getting anything to eat or alternatively you may be charged a higher price. Then one might tell ones friends that this is the way things are on board before someone has even done one cruise.

 

Regards John

[notscb]

On 5/25/2024 at 1:19 AM, donaldsc said:

you will often get inaccurate information and almost always promises that the cruise company wants you to believe will happen on the cruise.

 

Even if that were true, the cruise line is much, much more likely to follow the policies they publicly post versus some rando on this website (or other cruise-related forums).

[fruitmachine]

On 5/27/2024 at 4:36 AM, notscb said:

 

Even if that were true, the cruise line is much, much more likely to follow the policies they publicly post versus some rando on this website (or other cruise-related forums).

If a cruise line does not provide what was promised on the website/brochure, then those of us in locales with good consumer protection (like EU & UK) can do something about it.  That's why they will try their hardest to ensure that information is accurate.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Always double check ..

[Markanddonna]

Most info here is credible and rebuked by others if in error. The most difficult issues seem to resolve around dining arrangements since cruise lines are offering so many options and things are fluid 

[shipgeeks]

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of reviews/reports (more elsewhere, rather than on CC) from people just back from their first cruise, with enthusiastic questions from many who have not yet sailed.

The problem is that the posters seem to assume that their experiences are universal.

"Ships have a fridge in the cabin."  No, not necessarily.  It depends on the cruiseline, the ship, and perhaps the category of cabin.

"They will accommodate any dietary needs you have"/"They are not willing to make even the smallest concession".  If you want to check on which items are gluten-free, most likely the signs/menus/servers will help.  If you think your vegan meals should be prepared in a strictly vegan kitchen by a dedicated vegan chef, you will most likely be disappointed.

Although any advice (even mine) should be taken with a grain of salt, my observation is that reviews by those who just had their first cruise experience can be especially biased, with many errors regarding what others will find.

Don't believe everything you read!

[john watson]

I have cruised on various cruise lines and ships and got talking to someone at work who was looking forward to her first  cruise. She knows I am an experienced cruiser and we had a discussion.  This happens more than you think, normally after they have booked. On a previous occasion I conversed with a lady who had been booked on a weekend cruise to Guernsey on MSC.  We had a bit of discussion and the big thing she revealed was that she got sea sick but she said you don't feel the movement on these big ships. I agreed to this and told her that Guernsey is a tender port and one of the roughest transitions you may find. I am thinking this is a bad choice for her.  On return she reported she hated the cruise mainly down to tendering. The other woman who went on her first cruise said it was marvellous and when a  group was discussing what is a good fit for them and I laid out my opinions the woman who had been on one cruise said they were a good line for cruises.  I was thinking below the average yet people still pay a lot of credence to people who have just done one cruise.

 

Regards John

[CDNPolar]

22 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Recently, I've been seeing a lot of reviews/reports (more elsewhere, rather than on CC) from people just back from their first cruise, with enthusiastic questions from many who have not yet sailed.

The problem is that the posters seem to assume that their experiences are universal.

"Ships have a fridge in the cabin."  No, not necessarily.  It depends on the cruiseline, the ship, and perhaps the category of cabin.

"They will accommodate any dietary needs you have"/"They are not willing to make even the smallest concession".  If you want to check on which items are gluten-free, most likely the signs/menus/servers will help.  If you think your vegan meals should be prepared in a strictly vegan kitchen by a dedicated vegan chef, you will most likely be disappointed.

Although any advice (even mine) should be taken with a grain of salt, my observation is that reviews by those who just had their first cruise experience can be especially biased, with many errors regarding what others will find.

Don't believe everything you read!

 

18 hours ago, john watson said:

I have cruised on various cruise lines and ships and got talking to someone at work who was looking forward to her first  cruise. She knows I am an experienced cruiser and we had a discussion.  This happens more than you think, normally after they have booked. On a previous occasion I conversed with a lady who had been booked on a weekend cruise to Guernsey on MSC.  We had a bit of discussion and the big thing she revealed was that she got sea sick but she said you don't feel the movement on these big ships. I agreed to this and told her that Guernsey is a tender port and one of the roughest transitions you may find. I am thinking this is a bad choice for her.  On return she reported she hated the cruise mainly down to tendering. The other woman who went on her first cruise said it was marvellous and when a  group was discussing what is a good fit for them and I laid out my opinions the woman who had been on one cruise said they were a good line for cruises.  I was thinking below the average yet people still pay a lot of credence to people who have just done one cruise.

 

Regards John

 

I agree with both of you here.  I have a few friends and acquaintances that are skeptical about going on a cruise and then I start to ask them questions about what they like and don't like and what they think a cruise really is, and they generally suggest that they like my approach because I start to share with them the differences of the cruise lines and the demographics that they serve.

 

This does not mean that my advice is perfect, but I don't generalize my cruise advice.

 

I have seen where I have had brilliant response and caring to a dietary need but then another person on the same cruise line that had a horrible experience.  There is not always one general answer.

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

 

I agree with both of you here.  I have a few friends and acquaintances that are skeptical about going on a cruise and then I start to ask them questions about what they like and don't like and what they think a cruise really is, and they generally suggest that they like my approach because I start to share with them the differences of the cruise lines and the demographics that they serve.

 

This does not mean that my advice is perfect, but I don't generalize my cruise advice.

 

I have seen where I have had brilliant response and caring to a dietary need but then another person on the same cruise line that had a horrible experience.  There is not always one general answer.

 

Yes, not uncommon for one person to say best time ever and someone else on the same cruise says "never again".

 

There is one particular ship from one of the cruise lines we prefer that is subject to a lot of negative comments on these forums.  We enjoyed that ship immensely and would look forward to going again.  I sometimes wonder if these things take on a life of their own on the forums.    

[CDNPolar]

1 minute ago, ldubs said:

 

Yes, not uncommon for one person to say best time ever and someone else on the same cruise says "never again".

 

There is one particular ship from one of the cruise lines we prefer that is subject to a lot of negative comments on these forums.  We enjoyed that ship immensely and would look forward to going again.  I sometimes wonder if these things take on a life of their own on the forums.    

One thing that I have noticed on CC which is not a good or a bad thing, is that when a particular Cruiser is loyal to one or two brands, you cannot say anything negative about the brand without a "fight" of sorts.  I use the term fight loosely.

 

I have watched some folks venture into the Viking Ocean forum and say something negative after their first experience and be "beaten down" for that comment...  using beaten down loosely too!

 

Everything is subjective to our expectations, past experiences, and our overall mindset. 

 

I have had friends go places and they have an opinion good or bad, but then I question about something very specific and they did not experience that element...so I cannot take their review positively or negatively with any value to me.

 

I love the information I have gained and learned on CC, but some other sites that might be considered similar in nature I have long since abandoned because of the overall vibe.  I guess that you could say that I have a respect and trust for the information here over other sites.