Worried about bad reviews

[old faithful]

I am cracking up... and your secret's safe, I won't tell mom!;)

 

BeachBumMama - any chance you and pdonegan will be sailing on the Jewel in two weeks - I think I would enjoy crusing with you!!

 

Old Faithful

[old faithful]

I guess i felt like typing today - lol

 

I think crusing and life in general is all about how you look at it & how you react ... for example, Last week it was finally warm enough to drive home with sun roof & all four windows open ... when my plans fell through I never went back to my car - the next morning I realized that I left all windows and sun roof open and it rained all night long ... I busted out laughing - that was foolish on my part - I hope to never do that again

 

And I just extended my stay in Miami one night so I do not have to rush to make a 11:00am flight - I read on the boards that it might be hard to do - So now I will leave Monday the 9th =) You have to love gettng unused snow days back =)

 

Old Faithful

[7SeasLover]

:eek: That wasn't when we sailed with you' date=' WAS IT??:eek: [/font']

HA! At least you remembered your cologne so I could borrow it and smell good while dining with Captn! ;)

BON VOYAGE, GIRLFRIEND!! You deserve a wonderfully relaxing cruise! (Although I'm not sure *relaxing* is a good thing for you!! :rolleyes: )

 

~d

 

Ha ha ha! No, it wasn't when we sailed together. Ha ha ha! I remember your dinner with the captain and the perfume. Nice stuff, eh?

[BeachBumMama]

BeachBumMama - any chance you and pdonegan will be sailing on the Jewel in two weeks - I think I would enjoy crusing with you!!

 

Old Faithful

Any chance there is space in your suitcase? I would even sleep inside it under the bed!:D

I wish but I'm afraid not. Just returned about 2 weeks ago and planning for a possible Bermuda in the fall and Mexican Riviera early 2008. Both are itinerary driven cruises but I'd love to get on the Jewel. Which I will someday, but in the meantime you'll have to let us know how it was when you get back. I've read some wonderful things about her.

[QuakeRubie]

I too was concerned about all the negative reviews. I think many in this forum are whiners. Our cruise on the Pearl was very nice. Cagney's was great, our waiter was great, the kids loved the cafeteria. Drank plenty of beer by the pool, etc. The food elsewhere in the ship wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. It was brown, hot and plenty of it (as the saying goes). The Pearl had great programs for the kids. The bowling alley was cool. Did the SCTV show, and that was decent.

 

Ya know, if you are looking to go on a cruise and want the cruise line to make your good time for you, you may be dissapointed. They provide the environment, but the good time is up to you.

 

We sat next to a grumpy older couple at the SCTV show. They didn't have anything good to say about NCL. In fact, we saw them in the elevator the next morning, and they were still grumpy.

[BeachBumMama]

We sat next to a grumpy older couple at the SCTV show. They didn't have anything good to say about NCL. In fact, we saw them in the elevator the next morning, and they were still grumpy.

And you may see the same couple one day on RCL saying the same things. And then on Celebrity, and then on Carnival, and etc., etc.:p

[Oakview]

I just got back frm the POH and thought it was wonderful. I was fortunate enough to receive an upgrade from an A4 to an A3 thanks to our Butler so my friend and I could have separate beds and not sleep together. I've read reviews since the POH was put into servic e last year and decided that too many people expect perfection and because they're on vacation WANT perfection. Case in point: I arranged the cruise, got upgrades due to price reductions after final payments, not only for my daughter and me but also for our friends. They had no clue how to negotiate any of the changes and even though they had never sailed in suites prior to this cruise they found fault with almost everything during the week. However, it dawned on me that nothing is ever right for them so why should a week on a ship be any different? My daughter and I enjoyed everything and just about everyone. The concierge was rather elitist and I noticed he never greeted people in the elevators or hallways as most of the other staff did. I also made note that practically every man or woman on the ship would say aloha or hello and inquire if we were having a good cruise. I look at things in a positive manner and usually can make lemonade out of lemons so the week was wonderful . Never have I been privileged to see such beauty and where else would you see the lava flow, whales, and the NaPali Coast all in one cruise?

 

I have had a great time on every cruise I've been on so far because I have made up my mind before I board the ship that it's up to me to make the most of the time I have and to be as happy as possible. No one wants to be around grumps and I've found a little kindness and a smile can make the worst person or situation improve dramatically. Cruising is no different.

[BeachBumMama]

I just got back frm the POH and thought it was wonderful.

Welcome back even though I know you don't want to be here.:) It sounds like you had a fantastic time and your words couldn't be any more true.

[beachchick]

Go here for a great review of the Pride of Hawaii - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=476505 She has a wonderful lon-g-g-g-g-g review of their Hawaiian Cruise. I really do think she is objective in her review. If you cut and paste all her individual posts and print them, it ends up being about 40 pages long, but worth the read. She reviews the ship, dining, each port, accommodations, shore excursions, shopping, etc. I printed it and I am in the process of highlighting what is important to us. You can always read negative reviews and I usually take them with a grain of salt, consider the source and go on. Some people are just into complaining - and no one or nothing will please them. They should buy their own cruise ship and do it the way they want. :rolleyes:

 

Oh my goodness! Is it really that long?:eek: Well, I can be kind of verbose I guess, especially when I'm enthusiastic about something.

 

Mahalo so very much for your nice comments.:) I tried to be as objective as possible. I'm not the type to make long, vague complaints. However, when I do have a problem or complaint, I want to state it as dispassionately as possible rather than ignore it.

 

No, our cruise wasn't perfect. Yes, it was wonderful. Would we do it again? Yes, if the price was right. The thing is that we know we prefer land trips to Hawaii, so that is a factor in our decisions. However, we thoroughly enjoyed finally being able to do the Hawaii-only itinerary, and we enjoyed the PoH very much. We had no problems severe enough to cause us to say "never again" to NCLA. In fact, we had no problems any more severe than you might have on any other mass market cruise ship.

 

beachchick:D

[Socref124]

Sometimes it's a give and take relationship.;) And of course all it takes is 1 or 2 service people having a bad day and they don't give it a thought as to the impression it leaves on a persons overall experience. I tend to look at cruises as individual experiences and not in a general 'overall' single view in reflection of the cruise line.

 

This isn't to be disagreable or debate you on the subject or for bickering 'in defense of' purposes, I LOVE my freestyle but I'm not a diehard NCL cheerleader.

 

Your experience on the Star left you with a bad taste, but at least you were open minded enough to give cruising another try.

 

And because the NCL itinerary is more appealing to you than anything else out there, at least you are open minded enough now to not let your first experience stop you. If you did, you would surely deny yourself yet another opportunity to have a wonderful cruise experience. Hope it works and you'll have a fabulous time.:D

 

I think you hit it on the head. We try not to let one or two people ruin our time and out of 1,100 employees on a ship, 2 or three could be having a bad day each day of the cruise. If you are unfortunate to run into 1 or 2 of these each day, it could cause a less than favorable impression. If you then close your mind, you could rob yourself of a lot of pleasure, ot the opportunity to have a wonderful cruise experince in the future. I was trying to explain to the OP that there is good and bad on all ships, let alone cruise lines. I also tried to advise them to be leary of someone saying negative things about a ship or line that they have never been on. And finally, I agree with you 100% that you have to have an open mind and do what is best for you. Like I said, when we go back to Hawaii, we will be looking at NCL or NCLA because of the itinerary and our choices. I always try to look at my cup as being half full and never ever half empty.

BTW, I did not take your post as being disagreeable or wanting to debate the merits of NCL or Carnival or anything. It took it as a very positive and reinforcing comment. Thanks

[Oakview]

beachchick, I thoroughly enjoyed your review and read word for word.

Having just sailed the POH it brought back things that I had forgotten so quickly since my cruise 3/5-12. Your detail is amazing and I agee with everyting you wrote. We also had Dennis (Patrick was great also) and found him to be professional yet warm and genuine which we did not find in the concierge Daniel. We did not use nor need the concierge so it is a moot point. All our encursions were made on-line a couple months prior to embarkation. Dennis is the one who held the two bedroom A3 for us after it's occupapnts upgraded to the Garden three bedroon villa upon embarkation.

 

I found that on this ship the passengers as well as the majority of the crew was unusually friendly.

 

I feel this trip was a rare privilege because of the beauty we witnessed on all the islands visited. Staying at the Moana Surfrider with our balcony overlooking the gorgeous banyan tree , hawaiian musicians, and the ocean was to me a bargain after my friends told us about their 70's room at the Princess Kaiulani and the "ladies of the evening" hanging around the front entrance. My friends choices were their own and they griped about almost everything the whole week. My point is that to me the entire trip was humbling because of the rare sights we were fortunate to experience. How many people see a lava flow, Na Pali coast, and dozens of whales unless they cruise?

 

I have come to the realization that some people can't be pleased in a normal restaurant so those same people are going to complain and find fault with any meal,flight, cruise, or trip they take. I choose to look at the positives and not dwell on the negatives. Nothing nor no one is perfect so enjoy life as it comes and dwell on the positives.

[pd4travel]

BeachBumMama & Old Faithful...

 

Thanx for your positive reactions to my comments. I've got stories that would make your toes curl! I've seen people abusing crew members verbally & even physically. It is absolutely CRAZY.

 

I was on (I think) the Dawn just after the tsunami wiped out western Indonesia. There were about 100 crew on that ship, who had no idea if they had homes or families left in Indonesia, Sri Lanka & coastal India. I wanted to vomit when I saw how HORRIBLY a small percentage of passengers acted, bearing no understanding of the overall grief of the crew whatsoever. Make no mistake, I am a really pacific person, but I physically threatened more than a handful of profoundly rotten, ugly, selfish rat-bas**rds on that trip!

 

The connection to the thread is: I know for sure, that each of those truly troubled individuals went home telling anyone who would listen how bad the service was, how their vacation was ruined, and how they would never sail NCL again. Sure some of the crew was sullen & distant that trip... THEIR FAMILIES - ENTIRE EXTENDED FAMILIES - were WIPED OUT!!!!

 

I'm on the Jewel in May, and can't wait to go. It will be 6 months since my last cruise (Spirit last September), which is quite a while for me. I've been known to go once a month. I'm on Costa Magica just 2 weeks after coming home from the Jewel. You know what - I'll have a great time on both - because that's what I do. I have fun.

 

If any of you remember Adrian Lewis, who was an outstanding cruise director on NCL for years, he had a GREAT line, that I continue to use in my own work: "If we gave people a suitcase of $100 bills in their staterooms, within 20 minutes, there would be a line at the front desk of people complaining they weren't crisp or new enough."

 

That sums it up so well - some people are simply insatiable. I don't know when it happened, or how, but there is this WILDLY unachievable expectation of absolute perfection on a cruise ship. I've often blamed it on travel agents over-promising, but now with so many folks doing their own internet booking, so I'm not sure.

 

Cruising is what it is: a business that exists to give people enjoyment --> staffed by incredibly hard working HUMAN BEINGS, who make mistakes; have bad days; get colds and flu; strain muscles & joints; have allergies; get headaches; get told their mother 5,000 miles away was just run over by a bus; get dumped by their partner; or just simply 'space out' for a second. Personally, I think that if a glass with water spots, or an overcooked pork chop wields enough power over someone to RUIN a vacation, that's a person in need of some serious medication and/or therapy.

[beachchick]

With that said, my DW and I are planning on going back to Hawaii in 2009 and are looking at NCL. I'd love to do Carnival but not four or five days in a row at sea and NCL doesn't have sea days unless you take the cruise to Fanning Island. Something to remember, most people only make comments regarding negative experiences so when looking around you will not hear of the millions of people that had a great time on NCL, Carnival or any other ship. This is one of the reasons I love these boards. You can go on the ship review section and find out how people rated their cruise. Since they were on the particular ship they are reviewing. It's not like the message boards where you hear people that have never cruised NCL talking about how bad the line is. Check out the reviews of the ships and go and have a great cruise;) . Good luck.

 

This may already have been addressed, but...have you looked at the new 10 and 11 night Pride of Aloha cruises starting either later this year or next year (can't remember)? They will remain entirely in the Hawaiian islands, but add an extra day at one port or more AND will have a couple of "sea" days cruising along various coastlines. The sea days will include things like cruising around Molokai or puttering along the Hana area of Maui. This will give a different perspective as well as allow pax to see parts of Hawaii they might not otherwise see. It will also give pax an often much needed relaxation time on the cruise.

 

I'm not kidding in the least when I mention how many pax (and their kids) were basically burned out by day 3 of our PoH cruise because they had planned to pack every single port minute to the brim. Some of the kids especially got super cranky and over tired. It's not fun for anyone to be so over stressed, and especially not fun for parents to have to discipline exhausted kids, who really can't help being so tired. (I want to thank the parents we saw who didn't just let the kids "whine/cry/yell/scream it out" with tantrums--sorry, meltdown is too "nice" a term to describe a true tantrum. Every single parent we saw who was dealing with upset and tired children was right on it and not allowing the behavior to disrupt other pax cruising. I suspect many naps also occured.) I also noted that by day 4 there were more pax either leaving the ship later or coming back earlier for some down time, especially with the kids.

 

Yes, I am one who advocates planning relaxation time in Hawaii. And yes, there are a few who have been unhappy with my opinions. I never said I was unbiased and, frankly, we've just seen too many people over the years (land trips and cruise) who end up seeming to dread yet the next "big adventure" for the day. If adults want to go, go, go until they drop, that is their free choice. If parents are cruising with kids, they owe it to their youngsters to remember that kids need that down time; it's not usually optional.

 

DH and I are not fans of more than 1 or 2 sea days on a cruise, but we did find ourselves missing having a day "off." So much so that we declared Maui our "sea days" because we had just been there and we go to Maui every trip to Hawaii.

 

So if you want a couple of sea days, but still staying in the islands, consider the new PoAl itinerary. It may just give you the best of both worlds.:)

 

beachchick

[beachchick]

Argh...Double post, sorry.

 

However, allow me to edit it to this:

 

Oakview: I am not at all surprised that Dennis held the A3 for you. IMO, he is an absolute gem. We had such a good experience with him, exactly as you describe as being professional and personable at the same time. We never felt as if he was "acting" the part. He was just being himself. We had Eric as our concierge and really only talked to him a couple of times. He was very nice, but we simply didn't use his services much (over and above the daily basics of having the invites, letters, and VIP stuff delivered).

 

I know excactly what you mean about people who complain all the time (or try to make things more difficult than they are or just can't possibly be happy or who want you to have as miserable a time as they think they are having). Yep, why should a cruise be any different?

 

I'm glad to know you had a terrific cruise, and happy that you enjoyed my review. (Don't you wish you were back there on the ship right now with Dennis bringing you the daily goodies?)

 

beachchick

[Socref124]

This may already have been addressed, but...have you looked at the new 10 and 11 night Pride of Aloha cruises starting either later this year or next year (can't remember)? They will remain entirely in the Hawaiian islands, but add an extra day at one port or more AND will have a couple of "sea" days cruising along various coastlines. The sea days will include things like cruising around Molokai or puttering along the Hana area of Maui. This will give a different perspective as well as allow pax to see parts of Hawaii they might not otherwise see. It will also give pax an often much needed relaxation time on the cruise. beachchick

 

I haven't noticed that yet. Thanks, that sounds like something we would like. I can still remember when coming back from Fanning Is, we could see The Big Island, Maui, Molokai, Kocolavy (sp) and Lanai from the front of the Star. It was beautiful and one of the highlights of our trip. I appreciate letting me and others know about this itinerary.

[kebboli]

I just returned form the Wind and was worried because you either never hear anything about that ship or it was all negative but we had a wonderful time. Now there were things I didnt think were great but it didn't ruin my trip. Like the food, I overall thought it was just ok on the buffets everyday but by no means did I ever go hungry. Also I am only in my 30's and most of the cruisers were older and in there 70's but I knew this when I booked and personally I get along great with older people more than ones my own age so I was just fine. Two of my best friends are in there in their 60's.:D The chair hogs and savers are on all the boats so thats nothing new you just do like at Walmart parking lot and circle til ya find one. lol And as far as Fanning Island it was my favorite place. But again I wanted a nice beach day with out all the hustle and bustle. I shopped til I dropped at all the other places didn't need to here, it was a beautiful relaxing sunny day and I loved it!! I would go again just to go there. Ya just have to go with a good attitude and have fun. You can have problems on any ship at any time even the better rated ones.

Aloha