There is no perfect cruise!!

[chrismch]

On each of these cruise line forums pax complaints can always be found and will always be found as you can only please all the people some of the time...Here's my list of bad experiences....RCL - the hall by our room smelled like a septic tank each time we were at port and the buffet lines were a zoo with people going this way and that (however others will say they would never cruise on anything but RCL)...HAL - not a whole lot of activities for the under 40 crowd ( yet others will say the line is elegant and gracious)...Princess - our waiter and asst would start taking away salt & pepper shakers, sugar, bread and butter as soon as the entree was served- talked to the headwaiter and then they became hard to find (others would say the dining is divine)...Celebrity - ports were missed or were delayed (others will rave about their wonderful excursions)...NCL - uneven service on their Hawaiin line(others rave about their midnight & gala buffets)...Crystal - missed a port (I rave about everything else)... My point in all this is that I still would cruise with any of these lines for the right price and itinerary and I think most others would too!:p

[rebeccalouise]

I had a perfect cruise in April on the Celebrity Constellation. Can't think of a thing I would change. I felt like I was in a dream.

[aloanldy]

I've been fortunate to have a few perfect cruises. Some not so perfect but still would go again, and a couple I wouldn't do ever again on that line.

My three perfect ones were with Celebrity, two of which were on Constellation.

 

While there is no assurance about ports, it's usually in the best interest of the passengers if they're missed.

[espmass]

Every cruise I have ever taken has been near perfect in it's own way. Luckily I have never experienced anything so bad as to make me remember it as a bad cruise. I have had two cruises on the Constellation that I would call perfect and hope to repeat this December.

[drfun48]

If I have good health and my family and friends with me ,the rest is gravy.Sure things could always be better...the food,the entertainment,the weather, the size of the balcony,the bedding,the itinerary,but a bad day cruising is better than a good day at work.

[lysolqn]

IMHO, how much you enjoy a cruise (or anything else) is a matter of how reasonable you are, how flexible you are and how realistic your expectations are.

[osiebosie]

All of our cruises have been fairly perfect except for one. And it was a doozy bad cruise. Everyone on the ship wanted off. There was a meeting called by one passenger who had spent alot of money on that cruise. I would say 75% of everyone on the ship showed up for it. We all said, "just take us to shore and put us off."

 

I threatened not to ever cruise with that line again (Carnival), but we did, and the last cruise was nearly perfect.

 

We have cruised on four different cruise lines over the years. I've lost count of all of the cruises.

 

Shay

[SheilaNC]

lysolqn,

I think you hit it right on! Flexibility and a calm and thoughtful approach to problems/requests makes for near perfect cruises. I can honestly say that we've never had a 'perfect' cruise. But we've also never had an unresolved problem, serious personnel issues, or a 'bad' cruise. Some better than others - usually related to the people we meet and the wonderful attention of the crew. I'll take a near perfect cruise any time and enjoy every minute.

[Druke I]

I agree - no perfect cruise, but some are certainly much better than others!

[bububr]

I have to agree with the few that say its about flexibility and expectations.

 

Mechanical things eventually break down and need repair even if they've been perfectly maintained.

 

We can't control the weather, nor the tides, nor the presence or existance of wild life, or in the event of a hurricane...beaches.

 

We can't control the personalities of who sails with us.

 

Accidents and unexpected events do happen in life, also on vacation when we are trying to escape life.

 

None of us can forsee the future ( well....some of us might be more cognitively sensitive ) so we have to adjust to changes as they occur.

 

The only thing we can do is be prepared for changes, and be willing to adjust to them. TOO MANY people let one small inconvenience or event damper the rest of their cruise. While I get dissapointed with a missed port, or cancelled excursion, I get over it real quick by looking at what I DO HAVE and HAVE SEEN or DONE and the dissapointment does go away.

 

We live in the real world people. Look around. If you can find some thing that is perfect 100% of the time, please point it out to me. As far as I know, I agree....there IS NO such thing.

 

Dave:eek:

[Roland4]

One need look no further than two threads on this board.

 

Mercury Alaska - FABULUOUS

Mercury Alaska - MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT

 

Same cruise, same cabin types.

 

Is one right and the other wrong? No, just different prespectives and different experiences.

 

We have been fortunate in that we have had only one "difficult" cruise experience. Multiple days of 20/30 foot seas and health issues at different times for both of us. But when we look back, the memories are of the different and unusual port experiences (the multi-color bus made entirely of wood), and the great friends we made on board. The other stuff is just detail.

[newmexicoNita]

I agree with the OP, nothing is perfect but we have probably never had a cruise that I wouldn't repeat. The closest to perfect was our Transalatic last Sept on NCL Jewel; missed a port, everything else was wonderful: worst probably was RCI about 6 years ago: not too much positive and yet it was still a cruise. Most of the problems were not the fault of RCI, the small, inside cabin was our first shock; then the weather was awful and we missed 2 out of 4 ports. Of course we have had better luck with certain lines than others, but as has been said, the attitude is what determines good or bad. Not only your attitude but that of the other passengers. If you seem to constantly run into the complainers and they are on every ship, you can be brought down pretty quickly; if everyone around you is upbeat, it is hard to find fault. NMnita

[JuneauWhatIMean]

My SIL, who just got off Mercury with us, said that on her flight home to Florida two groups of people just off the Zandaam did nothing but complain about the weather and lack of meaningful sights in Alaska. She was just floored because we had spent the entire week just ooooing and ahhhing about the beautiful scenery. And any rain we got was just a drizzle- who cares? One lady explained that she had scenery just as beautiful at her home in the Rockies. Please- stay home next time lady.

 

I think complainers create a snowball effect. They influence insecure people around them who may become easily convinced that they, too, are having a miserable time. And they certainly influence staff and end up receiving even worse service. Nobody likes a whiner. If you have a real problem get it fixed if possible. If that's not possible, make the most of your cruise. Suck it up and make some lemonade out of those lemons.:D

[Tatka]

I (or my DH) have been on almost all massmarket cruise lines.. They all have pluses and minuses. I also believe experience varies from ship to ship. Here is my take on pluses and minuses.

 

Celebrity: ( Century/Mercury)

 

+: Best food in the dining room, best omelet stations, special touches, great PAX/size ratio. Absolutely white gloved service in restaurants and state room. Good 7-days itineraries. Classy experience.

 

-: Really not much, except somehow they book 3 people in 2 people stateroom with rollaway beds. Was not impressed with lunch buffets. Pools are being closed too early. No free movies in staterooms.

 

HAL (Zuiderdam)

 

+: Large standard rooms, the best bedding, ability to stay in the room until your number called when debarking, nice PAX/size ratio, quality shows. Good 7 days itineraries. very good food. Quite interesting art collection on the ship, feels a bit like being in museum.

 

-: Service clearly lacking and slow in both dining and stateroom (understaffing?), not enough live entertainment.. or strange design of the ship which leads to missing on some entertainment. Don't really enforce rules (no kids!) in adult only pool. Not much going on for the kids/teens (except for great basketball court) Some strange problems with safe system and A/C all over the ship. Our A/C was too cold, and we couldn't adjust it at all.

 

NCL (Sun .. from my DH impression)

 

+: Nice shows and pools, nice sized ship

-: Good but not varied food in free dining rooms, smaller cabins

 

RCCL (Splendor of the Seas in Europe)

 

+: Very good service, beautiful ship, beautiful DR with huge windows. Nice solarium pool.

-: Weakest food we ever had on cruise ship.

 

Carnival (Liberty)

 

+: Good sized state rooms and great bedding. Good food in both DR and buffets(nice seafood stations). Nice decor, many great places although underutilized.

 

-: Not much respect for cruisers... maybe bad design, but lines everywhere including embarkation for 2.5 hours. Not enough space near the pools for 3500+ ship. Not enough "fun" factor for a line that proclaims itself as "Fun ships". MUTS underutilized

 

Princess (Caribbean)

 

+: Great idea of personal choice dining, good food in DR.. great selection in buffets (tons of seafood!!!), interesting nightly buffets. Huge ship split in smaller zones where you can feel like sailing a yacht. Great feature in MUTS with blankets and great selection of movies. Great number of live entertainment choices. Personal attention from room attendant. Pools are being closed very late. There are so many options keeping kids busy, you don't notice them even on sold out summer sailings. Very interesting art, and art gallery is very expansive!

 

-: Really not much.. Maybe absence of juices available for free during the day, only two production shows for the week. I would add one more port on 7 days itinerary to East Caribbeans.

 

 

I would probably sail with all lines (except Carnival, wanted to hide from all lines and people everywhere) But Celebrity and Princess (given price and itinerary right) would be our first choice.

[slotaddict]

I would say that I have been on 1 perfect cruise Celebrity Century 2001, all others except one, were near perfect. The Crown Dynasty was a train wreck, there was so much wrong on the ship, it was too much to write about. The cruise started off with 100 people missing embarkation because their plane was stuck in Florida, and the cruise went downhill from there. However, it was a cruise and there is nothing I like more in the way of a vacation. So it wasn;t all bad. A cruise is what you make it and I love them all.

[Lsimon]

My last cruise on the Summit was perfect for sure!

 

We had great times, met up with old and new cruise friends, ate great food, saw great sights, had great excursions, and we were treated fabulously!

 

Oh, I'm sure if I had kept my eyes open and my mind more focused, and/or if I had taken notes to remember, that there were a few non-perfect things that I could complain about. But I didn't focus on any of that during the cruise, and I can't remember anything non-perfect now.

[flagger]

I think though as consumers we should demand perfection or damn near close to it. Customer "no"-service from companies across the globe has desensitized us into a feeling that we should just take it because our "expectations" are unrealistic. While I well know there is no law against lying in an advert or marketing brochure, there are several who have had experiences that neither met nor exceeded expectations.

 

Whatever happened to the concept of underpromising and overdelivering? As I posted in my review, none of my disappointments even came close to asking for compensation, they did factor into my overall feeling on the experience. Watching how they have treated their customers since my last cruise gives me serious thought into not sailing with Celebrity again.

 

I happen to think telling someone there is no perfect cruise just gives a provider ammunition to lessen the experience for all.

[cruiser2004]

I have been on several cruises that I would say were perfect. My last cruise on the Summit was much less than perfect. True mechanical things will break, but my opinion is that most companies fix existing problems and do not just apply a patch, as Celebrity does with it's propulsion problems on the M-Class ships. On our cruise, try as I may, it was hard not to notice that you were missing over half of the trip that you had planned, for over a year. The service and entertainment were great while on board, but the treatment by land based Celebrity was, to be PC, 100% less than fabulous! I think instead of my having to make lemonade or lower my expectations, a better solution may be for Celebrity to fix their ships or at least inform passengers of the increased risk.

[Longboysfan]

I've been on a lot of near perfect cruises.

 

I say near because maybe others who were on the ship - because of me :eek: - may say different.

[Tatka]

I've been on a lot of near perfect cruises.

 

I say near because maybe others who were on the ship - because of me :eek: - may say different.

 

My last cruise on Caribbean Princess was as perfect as cruise can be... I really have to think hard to find even slight problem.;)

 

Same goes for my cruises on X. :)

[dmk]

chrismch

Thanks for staring this thread.

Life is to be enjoyed...and so is cruising:D

 

Oh, yes and thanks to the poster who explained who to add complainers to my ignore list. Now I don't have to read that stuff anymore. Ignorance is bliss

[newmexicoNita]

I think though as consumers we should demand perfection or damn near close to it. Customer "no"-service from companies across the globe has desensitized us into a feeling that we should just take it because our "expectations" are unrealistic. While I well know there is no law against lying in an advert or marketing brochure, there are several who have had experiences that neither met nor exceeded expectations.

 

Whatever happened to the concept of underpromising and overdelivering? As I posted in my review, none of my disappointments even came close to asking for compensation, they did factor into my overall feeling on the experience. Watching how they have treated their customers since my last cruise gives me serious thought into not sailing with Celebrity again.

 

I happen to think telling someone there is no perfect cruise just gives a provider ammunition to lessen the experience for all.

I disagree with you: I do not think we should expert or demand perfection unless we think we are perfect and as far as I know there has only been one perfect person ever on earth. This does not mean most of our experiences in cruising and other things have not been wonderful and memorable, but perfect is a hard thing to accomplish. I am lucky to have a marriage that most think is wonderful and some envy us, but it isn't perfect cause we are human. NMNita

[Drew B]

Expecting or demanding perfection seems a pretty good way to be disappointed each and every time. I think that if we don't expect perfection and try to just enjoy the things that are good, we are more likely to be happy even when things are far from perfect. I have been on cruises that have been (in the collective opinion of the passengers and everybody else) quite imperfect, and yet I had a great time. Isn't the goal to be happy?

[Captain Cosmo]

Expecting nothing - considering what we pay for these cruises - seems like a flawed concept. I don't think we can expect perfection but given that we're paying for a trip to certain destinations at certain times I think we have a right to expect that any cruiseline, airline, or bus tour will deliver as promised. For many, the destination and the timing apparently make no difference at all, but for some of us who look forward to our vacations and arrange for time off the destinations and timing are critical elements of whether or not we even get to take the vacation, let alone enjoy it. Given that the cruise lines take our money shouldn't we expect something in return? The dreaded "Cruise Contract" (which lack the required "mutual consideration" element that most contracts are required to have in order to be binding) aside, having no expectations won't keep Celebrity from becoming Carnival - only passengers who hold Celebrity to its promises can ultimately motivate the line to be honest and make an effort to ensure a good experience for everyone. Some posters are so smug on the issue of not expecting anything and turning a blind eye to any negative posts that they block them - and if ignorance is bliss then there sure are a lot of happy, uniformed people on these boards. Good for them - but why try to thwart the efforts of other cruisers who want Celebrity to improve, or at least stop its downward slide? When you tune the "whiners" out you risk not knowing something that could affect the enjoyment of your cruise. Is there a perfect cruise? - probably not. But it would be nice if X could at least start trying.

[Drew B]

Expecting nothing - considering what we pay for these cruises - seems like a flawed concept. I don't think we can expect perfection but given that we're paying for a trip to certain destinations at certain times I think we have a right to expect that any cruiseline, airline, or bus tour will deliver as promised. For many, the destination and the timing apparently make no difference at all, but for some of us who look forward to our vacations and arrange for time off the destinations and timing are critical elements of whether or not we even get to take the vacation, let alone enjoy it. Given that the cruise lines take our money shouldn't we expect something in return? The dreaded "Cruise Contract" (which lack the required "mutual consideration" element that most contracts are required to have in order to be binding) aside, having no expectations won't keep Celebrity from becoming Carnival - only passengers who hold Celebrity to its promises can ultimately motivate the line to be honest and make an effort to ensure a good experience for everyone. Some posters are so smug on the issue of not expecting anything and turning a blind eye to any negative posts that they block them - and if ignorance is bliss then there sure are a lot of happy, uniformed people on these boards. Good for them - but why try to thwart the efforts of other cruisers who want Celebrity to improve, or at least stop its downward slide? When you tune the "whiners" out you risk not knowing something that could affect the enjoyment of your cruise. Is there a perfect cruise? - probably not. But it would be nice if X could at least start trying.

 

Obviously if something happens that completely prevents you from taking your cruise or enjoying it, then it is much more than just a minor imperfection. That much is clear cut. If such an occurrence were to happen and it was in any way the fault of the cruise line, they should clearly compensate for it (up to and including a full refund). However, what constitutes "completely preventing" you from enjoying the cruise is what is at issue, here. For some people, seeing a spot on a glass in the dining room would cause them to claim that their entire vacation was ruined! For others, the ship could explode, and they would "oooh" and "aaaah" about the pretty light show, as they "prefer to see the glass half full".

 

Obviously, both extremes are absurd. However, there is plenty of middle ground whereby you can expect to get a good experience and value for your money without expecting everything to be perfect.

 

Oh, and as for the idea of Celebrity becoming Carnival, bring it on! I've had great cruises on Carnival, too.