Reviews on Cruise Critic!

[Latitude 20]

....or Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff.:D

 

A great quote from the late Mr. Carlin. Although he was a bit more angry and crude than we would have preferred, he was a comic genius. Other favorite "Carlinisms:"

 

>Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

>If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?

>I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

>Could it be that all those trick-or-treaters wearing sheets are not going as ghosts but as mattresses?

>If a person with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself is it considered a hostage situation?

>Is there another word for synonym?

>Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do practice?

>If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

>Would a fly without wings be called a walk?

>If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

>Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

>What was the best thing before sliced bread?

>If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown too?

>If you ate pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?

>If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

>Whose cruel idea was it for the word 'lisp' to have a 's' in it?

>Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?

>Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?

 

Apologies for the off-topic post.

 

Kathi & Leo

[willysgrandma]

I look at the average for the ship. If someone has a problem on their cruise, of course they will rate it poorly, you have to take them with a grain of salt.

 

I actually enjoy reading all of them, because you can kind of tell if the person writing the review is a PITA.

 

However, if you read a complaint and see it in several reviews, you can kind of assume this is an ongoing issue.

 

If you see one person complain about about something and it is not repeated, you can assume it as a one time problem.

 

Some people let one small issue ruin their whole cruise. I have yet been on ANY vacation that I could not pick apart and find something didn't go perfectly. When I become a perfect person, then I feel like I can nitpick. Until then........roll with the punches!

 

I do have to tell you that when we were getting ready to sail the Pride of Aloha when she first came out, we read all the horror stories online about the problems with the ship and the service. I felt forewarned is forarmed and expected the worst. I was pleasantly surprised that while there were problems with the cruise, it wasn't as bad as had been reported by the time we cruised. That was a good thing and should be kept in mind when you read bad reviews.;)

[Melissa5920]

A great quote from the late Mr. Carlin. Although he was a bit more angry and crude than we would have preferred, he was a comic genius. Other favorite "Carlinisms:"

 

>Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

>If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?

>I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

>Could it be that all those trick-or-treaters wearing sheets are not going as ghosts but as mattresses?

>If a person with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself is it considered a hostage situation?

>Is there another word for synonym?

>Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do practice?

>If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

>Would a fly without wings be called a walk?

>If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

>Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

>What was the best thing before sliced bread?

>If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown too?

>If you ate pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?

>If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

>Whose cruel idea was it for the word 'lisp' to have a 's' in it?

>Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?

>Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?

 

Apologies for the off-topic post.

 

Kathi & Leo

 

Best post I have read in a while.. thanks :D

[flag fan]

Latitude 20 -- Yes, off-topic, but hilarious; thanks for posting.

[cruzinchris]

The quote below is from one of the recent reviews of the Caribbean Princess:

 

"...Consider requesting "table for two" in the restaurants...it spares one from having to deal with the personalities who book a cruise to do just one thing...and that is complain. We find that isolating ourselves from such negativity adds a great deal to our vacation."

 

This is among the reasons that DH and I prefer a table for two when we dine on the ship. We've been seated with other passengers at breakfast and/or lunch who immediately launch into a litany of complaints about the cruise and assume that we feel likewise. I'd rather go to the dentist than listen to dining companions nit-pick about every aspect of the cruise while I'm trying to enjoy a meal.

 

Bon Voyage!

Chris

[Maverick430]

The quote below is from one of the recent reviews of the Caribbean Princess:

 

"...Consider requesting "table for two" in the restaurants...it spares one from having to deal with the personalities who book a cruise to do just one thing...and that is complain. We find that isolating ourselves from such negativity adds a great deal to our vacation."

 

This is among the reasons that DH and I prefer a table for two when we dine on the ship. We've been seated with other passengers at breakfast and/or lunch who immediately launch into a litany of complaints about the cruise and assume that we feel likewise. I'd rather go to the dentist than listen to dining companions nit-pick about every aspect of the cruise while I'm trying to enjoy a meal.

 

Bon Voyage!

Chris

So true. Every cruise line is going to have their ups and downs. There is no reason to nit-pick every detail. Any cruise is better than a day working.

[missalf]

I read reviews for future reference, maybe something to keep an eye out for or to get a differen tperspective on a ship I haven't sailed. Do they ruin the trip, or cause me to cancel my cruse..heck no! In fact, you can almost feel the unhappiness of the people coming through when their expectations weren't met (and who can say whether they were just too high in the first place, eh?).

 

I find them helpful from a logistical perspective -- shore excursion descriptions, crowded ship areas (although whose to say that my sailing will be as/less full), onboard attendants who have been singled out for commendation, the best desserts/drinks, etc.

 

Hey, I'm on vacation. I can be happy looking out at the ocean with my DH beside me in a cardboard box as long as I've got a good book and a fully tummy (and maybe a good cocktail). How long I'll be happy there will probably depend on the book and the cocktail :p , but good company makes all the difference.

 

Take the reviews for what they are, personal opinions. They won't reflect my or your opinions, personal preferences or standards but can be used as an informative tool for preparation purposes.

 

It's a vacation, if you go into it looking to b*tch about something and with impossible expectations I'm sure you'll find a way, but if you go to have a good time and are willing to roll with minor inconveniences (hey, we're all human) then you'll have a much better time.

 

Anyway, FWIW, that's my 2cents worth.

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

Reviews are so subjective as you all know. What makes one person happy infuriates another. I take all reviews with a grain of salt also.

[Love Boat Dream]

A great quote from the late Mr. Carlin. Although he was a bit more angry and crude than we would have preferred, he was a comic genius. Other favorite "Carlinisms:"

 

>Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

>If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes?

>I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

>Could it be that all those trick-or-treaters wearing sheets are not going as ghosts but as mattresses?

>If a person with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself is it considered a hostage situation?

>Is there another word for synonym?

>Isn't it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do practice?

>If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

>Would a fly without wings be called a walk?

>If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

>Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

>What was the best thing before sliced bread?

>If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest drown too?

>If you ate pasta and antipasto, would you still be hungry?

>If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

>Whose cruel idea was it for the word 'lisp' to have a 's' in it?

>Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?

>Why is the alphabet in that order? Is it because of that song?

 

Apologies for the off-topic post.

 

Kathi & Leo

 

Loved it! Thanks for the chuckle!

[Times Prince]

We had the good cruise / bad cruise polarization from the Roll Call folk on our last cruise. I don't know what ship the bad cruise people were on, but my wife rated the cruise as the best out of the 11 we've been on.

 

The odd thing is that some of the things were common to us all and the opinions ranged all over the ratings scale.

 

Some things I see but don't worry about are: shows, entertainers, who the CD is, how the weather was, who the captain is, who the steward was. All these can change from one cruise until the next.

 

And even our worst cruise (hurricane force winds) has turned into our best stories.

 

It really is all in how you see life. Our glass is more than 1/2 full, and with our beverage of choice! ;)

[abbydancer2003]

I was recently listening to a restaurant owner on a radio show talking about some of the online review sites. He said the problem with them is that somebody goes to his restaurant once, and if there's a problem that rarely happens, but it does to that person, it's online forever. In contrast, a professional reviewer will go 5-6 times (anonymously) to make sure the review is accurate. The owner did say his favorite review was the one where somebody said they liked the urinal in the restroom.

 

One thing my husband and I noticed - we've never had bad service on a cruise or other vacation. In listening to how others treat the staff, those that complain about service may be contributing to it. We treat the crew we come in contact with as professionals in their field, and I think that contributes to our overall satisfaction with the experience.

[RonnieS]

I agree with many of the posters here that most of the negative is a little overdone and have to take it with a grain of salt.

 

I think perhaps some of that negativity is the result of too high expectations. The cruise lines advertise a blissful experience, the trip of your dreams, your cares just float away (pun intended). So when people don't experience that then there must be something wrong.

 

I've never had a bad cruise. Sure, some have been better than others. But I've always came away satisfied with the experience. And always look forward to my next one with great enthusiasm.

 

Ron

[domdombus]

It is probably a good thing you won't read anyone else's reviews anymore because you read them with too much passion, but knowing that means you won't stop reading them.

You have to understand this is not a newspaper or a magazine where a writer gets scrutinized for what they are writing and is forced to friendly it up or dumb it down.

This is a board where people mostly post their opinions regardless of what is the actual facts.

 

In fact if you have not realized that yet then I must inform you that the Caribbean Princess has shut down a generator to conserve fuel. They will turn it back on when gas averages around $3.50.