Trying to not let recent reviews worry me

Hi - will be on Rhapsody of the Seas in 2 months time. This will be my seventh cruise and second on RCL. I've also sailed on Holland America and Carnival. We primarily sail for the itinerary and really like the one for our upcoming Med cruise. However, I've been taken aback and a bit unnerved by the volume of recent complaints on the boards, mostly related to RCL cut-backs that people feel are impacting their cruise experience. Also, the recent Cruise Critic member reviews posted by members on the Rhapsody are less than glowing - one review called the ship "tired", another posted about the noise, food, etc. Someone else posted about sewage smells on the lower decks.

I guess I am wondering - should I just take these reviews with a pinch of salt or did we make a mistake? We had been looking between RCL and the Norwegian Jade. We had picked RCL primarily because most of the ports were the same and we were getting a good deal on a GS and the flights were cheaper in and out of Rome vs. Venice. However, I'm starting to worry if we should have spent the extra $ and booked the Jade. The vacay is not cheap, with the cruise, airfares and tours and I would hate to think it could be impacted by a less than great cruise experience. That said, is there anything we can do to ensure no problems? A lot of complaints have been about food - should we book specialty restaurants? While we are flexible about what we eat, we are particular that the food should be well prepared and taste good. In past cruises, we've eaten in the MDR and been perfectly happy but should we change things up here? I normally have a positive approach (and we obviously found RCL good enough on our 4-dayer on the Vision last year that we were fine taking another RCL cruise), but honestly, some of the recent reviews are leaving me a bit worried.

... I normally have a positive approach (and we obviously found RCL good enough on our 4-dayer on the Vision last year that we were fine taking another RCL cruise), but honestly, some of the recent reviews are leaving me a bit worried.

I think you will find Rhapsody much the same as Vision.

We were on Rhapsody from Singapore-Dubai last month and wouldn't hesitate to go on her again. While I'm not too keen on the changes made to the menu fleetwide ?last year, and we noticed a definite drop in the standard of the beef in the mdr, everything else was fine. Rhapsody IS an older ship and while there was more rust on the hull than on the newer ships, it didn't detract from the cruise in any way

If we relied on reviews to determine whether or not to cruise a particular ship, we would likely never cruise! I have read negative review after negative review on ships we were about to sail but have yet to be disappointed.

Not everything goes perfectly all the time but the issues have been minimal and not enough to disrupt our enjoyment of the cruise itself. In 20 cruises only 1 was bad enough that I wish we had not selected the deck we had as noise was an issue at all hours. I did let them know onboard and also sent them an email after returning home. RCI stepped up on a subsequent booking which was greatly appreciated.

Reviews are useful, but take them for what they are; one person's experience. I could go on a ship tomorrow and have a totally different take than someone on the exact same cruise. You'll often see very negative and very positive reports from the same ship in the same timeframe. The best thing you can do is glean the important points from the reviews then try to go in with an open mind.

We were on Rhapsody earlier this month and are sailing on her again next May.

Yes, there were a few drain like smells, notably near the main lifts on deck 6.

Yes, the music was very loud sometimes (much too loud) and we unfortunately picked a cabin on deck 3 that had some noise from a store room above. Check what is above your GS.

Yes, there have been some cut-backs in service personnel but that is the same on all other lines we have cruised in the last couple of years.

Yes, a few people complained about waiting for MTD but that was really only on the first 2 nights and these can be pre-booked online before boarding.

I cannot comment on MDR food at dinner as we took the Ultimate Dining Package but the lunch we had in there was very good.

On the other hand almost all the staff we came into contact with were friendly and efficient. The fact that we are happily sailing on her again next year should tell you how satisfied we were.

You will have Suite privileges and access to the CL so can always get good coffee and will have 3.5 hours each evening of 'free' drinks and appetisers.

In the 35 cruises we have taken, it was in the top 5.

Nuff said?

Everyone is a critic. I think these people who have nothing good to say are probably hoping to get something for nothing or just make a name for themselves in their own mind. If you believe all that you read you will be making yourself crazy. We have been on the Vision for an 11 day cruise and had a nice time. We will be on the Serenade in December. Life is what you make of it. We have been in a JS and in a small cabin for a 3 night getaway to Nassau on the majesty. Going from a JS to cabin with just a window all we did was laugh and had a great time. Get info you might need about the ship and what you will be able to. Hope you have a good time.Stay sane!!!!

We had similar worries with Celebrity. We sailed on the Allure in Oct 2012 and she is a new, beautiful, huge ship with a total Wow pkg. we had a terrific cruise. Next we sailed Celebrity's Constellation in May 2013. All the reviews I read said she was old, tired, has poor food quality, mediocre entertainment, etc. I was very worried as we were traveling with friends who were loyal to RCI and I had convinced them to try Celebrity. Well, we were amazed by Celebrity. The crew and captain are some of the best at sea. The food and even the entertainment was better than the Allure. Now we are all Celebrity cruisers and loving it!

Don't worry about what you read, your cruise is what you make of it.

Hey Baby Bear (such a fun screen name),

Always keep in mind that cruise reviews are RELATIVE, and are based on the cruisers personal experiences, tastes, and expectations of what a vacation should be. There are situations that are like World War III for some, and a minor inconvenience to others. I've had people tell me not to sail on particular ships, yet when I boarded I had a magnificent time. Don't allow others to shape your opinion of a cruise ship or a cruise line, unless something of major catastropic nature has occurred (I can't imagine what that would be...). Check it out for yourself and formulate your own opinion. ;)

Thanks very much to everyone! I do feel reassured and you're right, everyone has different experiences, sometimes even on the same cruise. And no point worrying about it in advance - if we have a problem on board, we'll have to deal with it there. Cinnamon - thanks for posting, it's great hearing from a recent Rhapsody cruiser. Our GS is under the Windjammer Cafe.... Not ideal but that's where RCL put the GS rooms on this ship. In any case, I think we'll probably be too tired at night to hear any noise :)

One question - I assume the Ultimate Dining Package can't be ordered when on board, right? I was thinking that just in case we didn't like the food at dinner, we could maybe do the specialty restaurants. But I guess even if we don't have the package, we could just make reservations on board. We have a nice OBC from our TA, and since we're not big drinkers and will be having daily cocktails in the CL, we can use the credit on the restaurants, lol!

Reviews are one person's opinion.

Everyones has one.

As Bob said, if you enjoyed Vision you will enjoy Rhapsody.

We will be on Rhapsody again next year. :)

The Ultimate Dining Package can ONLY be booked onboard. I think!

We met two others who heard of it from us and started it on the 3rd day but that was an exception. They were in an OS. :). You normally have to start it on day 1.

However. Towards the end of the cruise we were getting a little tired of so much rich food and craving something simpler. In future we will do the 3 or 5 night Specialty packages and eat in the MDR on the remaining nights.

Here is a link to my blog. I'm not the best writer in the world but love helping to inform others.

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2221851&highlight=not+quite+live+from+rhapsody#

The best thing you can do is glean the important points from the reviews then try to go in with an open mind.

Keep in mind that is is usually more fun to complain than to complement.

yeah, chill and enjoy your cruise!

Hi - will be on Rhapsody of the Seas in 2 months time. This will be my seventh cruise and second on RCL. I've also sailed on Holland America and Carnival. We primarily sail for the itinerary and really like the one for our upcoming Med cruise. However, I've been taken aback and a bit unnerved by the volume of recent complaints on the boards, mostly related to RCL cut-backs that people feel are impacting their cruise experience. Also, the recent Cruise Critic member reviews posted by members on the Rhapsody are less than glowing - one review called the ship "tired", another posted about the noise, food, etc. Someone else posted about sewage smells on the lower decks.

 

I guess I am wondering - should I just take these reviews with a pinch of salt or did we make a mistake? We had been looking between RCL and the Norwegian Jade. We had picked RCL primarily because most of the ports were the same and we were getting a good deal on a GS and the flights were cheaper in and out of Rome vs. Venice. However, I'm starting to worry if we should have spent the extra $ and booked the Jade. The vacay is not cheap, with the cruise, airfares and tours and I would hate to think it could be impacted by a less than great cruise experience. That said, is there anything we can do to ensure no problems? A lot of complaints have been about food - should we book specialty restaurants? While we are flexible about what we eat, we are particular that the food should be well prepared and taste good. In past cruises, we've eaten in the MDR and been perfectly happy but should we change things up here? I normally have a positive approach (and we obviously found RCL good enough on our 4-dayer on the Vision last year that we were fine taking another RCL cruise), but honestly, some of the recent reviews are leaving me a bit worried.

My recommendation is to remember the comments posted are opinions only much like a theater review. I have seen theater productions and symphony concerts absolutely panned by the critics but I absolutely loved the performance. We all have different tastes. While amazingly there are those who would only sail on Carnival thinking it is a fantastic product and those who won't because they don't like the product. In a nutshell, don't read, go and enjoy, and come back and post and let us know how you liked it.

Here are 2 titles of reviews from th 4/15 sailing on Rhapsody (including rating):

Review 1: One of the best ever vacations!

Review 2: Disappointed

But read the reviews. If those things matter, go on another ship. Here is what "Disappointed" reviewer said:

"there is no laundry on the ship"

"both the pools are cold, not heated"

"The ship looks and feels old"

"Centrum... chairs are terrible...there weren't enough chairs...They would rope off two spaces every night I suppose for their special guests ...disgraceful"

That's it! That ruined this reviews cruise. For me, none of those are any big deal. So take all reviews with a massive grain of salt.

Our relative view. We sailed on the Rhapsody last year to Alaska and had a great time.

So booking her for a Med cruise in Sept was an easy choice.

The lack of chairs in the Centrum can also be related to how cool the shows there are- the times we caught the shows, it was packed.

I'd lean to you having a great cruise. Maybe take the negative reviews as "FYI" sort of. Yes, there isn't laundry, and the pools are not heated like every other cruise.

Anyway, we will have fun on our trip, that I know.

For whatever reason, negative comments in a ship review seem to have greater impact than positive ones even when the positive remarks greatly exceed the negative ones. Often the complaints are about things that wouldn't even matter to you, so take them with more than a grain of salt and realize that if you board the ship expecting to be disappointed you very likely will be, while, if you board in a positive frame of mind, any little problems will be just that- "little" and shouldn't change your overall assessment of your cruise.

In my reviews I add this disclaimer!

"I am first going to give my impressions and my opinions and things I noticed concerning the cruise and some of the most discussed topics here on Cruise Critic. What other people noticed and their impressions and opinions may differ"! :cool:

I have upcoming cruises booked on Rhapsody, Liberty, and Anthem. I'm looking forward to Anthem for the experience on the ship-- will barely get off. I don't expect that the experience on Rhapsody will be the same-- looking

to relax after 16 fun filled days in Italy and enjoy the ports in Greece. Given my different (not necessarily lower) expectations, I expect to have a good time. That being said, I will NOT be happy if my room smells of sewer!!

I have upcoming cruises booked on Rhapsody, Liberty, and Anthem. I'm looking forward to Anthem for the experience on the ship-- will barely get off. I don't expect that the experience on Rhapsody will be the same-- looking

to relax after 16 fun filled days in Italy and enjoy the ports in Greece. Given my different (not necessarily lower) expectations, I expect to have a good time. That being said, I will NOT be happy if my room smells of sewer!!

Me too Dena.

Hope the Liberty is well maintained and without any unexpected odors.

See you soon.

Barb