The Only Problem With Reviews

This is a quote from a recent review of the Riviera: "The Hollandaise sauce was less than stellar." I will say the person indicated their foodie "gold standard" is how well eggs benedict are prepared.

Should I cancel my upcoming TA or hope she's not at the next table?

No matter what someone will not be happy. Life is too short to pay much attention to those that choose to find fault.

Or, you can accept that different people find different things important.

Isn't that what reviews are all about? People with different expectations, passions, and experiences get to write about their impressions.

I assume the OP was being funny, but I don't understand the first response which exemplifies what one sees a lot on travel blogs where people only want to read/hear positive things and are quick to dismiss anything even remotely negative.

Actually, the main problem with reviews is that they depend on opinions. And we all know what opinions are like.

This is a quote from a recent review of the Riviera: "The Hollandaise sauce was less than stellar."

Reviews are much more informative when they provide details that describe the item being critiqued (albeit shampoo, towels, waiter service or the hollandaise sauce) - rather than just providing a subjective adjective (e.g. great good, less than stellar, bad).

For example, in this case it would be useful to know whether the hollandaise sauce in this instance too hot/cold, too thick/thin, curdled, split, under seasoned, too much lemon - or simply different from the who the reviewer is used to.

This makes it much easier to assess how the reviewers perception relates to the readers expectations and/or experience.

Eg - I can understand a reviewers comments about the sauce being cold being different to my experience (probably a delay somewhere in the delivery). Whereas comments about the sauce being split relate directly to the competency of the chef and the oversight of quality checks.

I often find that the writers of Reviews spend too much time discussing the ports and not enough describing the ship.

The line between Review and Travelogue has blurred to the point of nonexistence.

I'm sure that you did find Venice absolutely thrilling , and yes, it is a shame that you had rain in Dubrovnik, but a review of the itinerary is not the same as a review of the cruise.

Both have a value, but they ARE two different things.

I am debating about writing a review but anything I would say has already been said.

I do have an observation and it is not related to the ship or crew but the passengers. I felt and heard many complain about things like the hollandaise sauce or dust on the chandelier or other nit to pick.While most folks we met onboard were great and interesting and fun to be with, there were also quite a few that seemed"entitled" and just looking for something to complain about. It was always interesting to hear someone say " Of all my (10, 20 or more) sailings, XXX is not what I am used to". I heard a number of folks saying they were going to write the cruise line and demand action or they wold never sail on Oceania again....really???

We truly enjoyed the ship, the food and, the service but I am not so sure we will be back. Itinerary, for us, is the prime determining factor, not the cruise line. The new Celebrity Edge sounds like it may be worth a look.

I often find that the writers of Reviews spend too much time discussing the ports and not enough describing the ship.

 

The line between Review and Travelogue has blurred to the point of nonexistence.

 

I'm sure that you did find Venice absolutely thrilling , and yes, it is a shame that you had rain in Dubrovnik, but a review of the itinerary is not the same as a review of the cruise.

 

Both have a value, but they ARE two different things.

I agree.

I think the ports are best reviewed in another context. When I read a ship review I am most interested in the cabins, food and experience. How was the staff? If you had an issue was it resolved quickly and to your satisfaction? How was the general cleanliness of public areas? Describe the food and wine experience onboard.

I will be onboard Marina in May and plan to write a review. I have taken a few cruises without adding a review. I recently returned from my first Celebrity cruise (aqua-class) and plan to compare and contrast the two experiences.

The intent of my reviews is not just to share my experience, but to assist those people gathering information before they book a cruise.

I thank Don, Mura and Jim & Stan who were helpful in my research in 2012 when we started cruising.

This is a quote from a recent review of the Riviera: "The Hollandaise sauce was less than stellar." I will say the person indicated their foodie "gold standard" is how well eggs benedict are prepared.

 

Should I cancel my upcoming TA or hope she's not at the next table?

If the only thing someone can say negative about a cruise is that their "Hollandaise sauce was less than stellar", I would respond by saying "stay away from the Hollandaise sauce." To reduce any cruise, especially Oceania, to something so trivial is absurd. I can't believe someone would take the time to post such a minor detail, detail being so overstated. No cruise is going to meet everyone's expectations. As Disney said "Accentuate the positive." Why dwell on the negative?

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re: reviews...I've been to a particular luau on Maui and we're going back with a newbie cousin and wife. So, I was making reservations and, as I frequently do when something is rated 4.5/5.0 on tripadvisor, I cruise the 'terrible' reviews (54 out of almost 6000 in this case). Since this is a 'traditional' luau the show part is 'traditional', it apparently doesn't include fire dancing. So, guess what, many complaints were that there wasn't any fire dancing as in 'I took my grandchild and he was so disappointed that there was no fire dancing. What luau doesn't have fire dancing?'. One complained that there was a torrential rain/flash flood that wiped out the dinner (full refunds are provided) and they couldn't work them back in during there stay. We went to a highly rated (and turned out Excellent) resort south of Cancun. There was actually a review that rated it as terrible based on the fact that the ocean water there was "too salty". I love reviews, done a couple myself, but bring a large grain of salt and read between the reviewer's (particular bias) lines. Safe travels to all (and I'm really looking forward to the Eggs Benedict on Riviera in Sept).

Bad hollandaise sauce

Reason enough never to book that cruise line again

And if the hollandaise is great on carnival go for it

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Safe travels to all (and I'm really looking forward to the Eggs Benedict on Riviera in Sept).

Ya know, they really aren't that good, but it has nothing to do with the Hollandaise sauce. It's the muffin. But that's another story. They do so many other food items well, it's just some things stand out when they don't.

But it doesn't bother me, there are plenty of other breakfast items I enjoy.

While I agree that s travelogue is different from a review, there are aspects to the journey which could be in a review. For example, whether the ship is docked in an area closest to the destination. In some ports of call, the ship sails the river to dock close to city centre. Other ships may dock a hundred kilometres away. And a well chosen itinerary with sufficient time to see the key sites is important too.

So it is not just about the amenities, the entertainment, the food, and service.

While I agree that s travelogue is different from a review, there are aspects to the journey which could be in a review. For example, whether the ship is docked in an area closest to the destination. In some ports of call, the ship sails the river to dock close to city centre. Other ships may dock a hundred kilometres away. And a well chosen itinerary with sufficient time to see the key sites is important too.

 

So it is not just about the amenities, the entertainment, the food, and service.

I agree and I like a review to mention a particularly good or bad tour at a given port (though not the hop on/hop off bus-other options). Ports are as subjective as food but since I am choosing by itinerary, I like to hear different impressions. Also, Oceania wins on food if you base it on bread not sauce!

Also, Oceania wins on food if you base it on bread not sauce!

Who wins on sauce? :D

I am debating about writing a review but anything I would say has already been said.

I do have an observation and it is not related to the ship or crew but the passengers. I felt and heard many complain about things like the hollandaise sauce or dust on the chandelier or other nit to pick.While most folks we met onboard were great and interesting and fun to be with, there were also quite a few that seemed"entitled" and just looking for something to complain about. It was always interesting to hear someone say " Of all my (10, 20 or more) sailings, XXX is not what I am used to". I heard a number of folks saying they were going to write the cruise line and demand action or they wold never sail on Oceania again....really???

We truly enjoyed the ship, the food and, the service but I am not so sure we will be back. Itinerary, for us, is the prime determining factor, not the cruise line. The new Celebrity Edge sounds like it may be worth a look.

Sure Pete, all reviews are enjoyed. I'm sure there are many here that would love to hear the points of view of those new to Oceania. I think it helps the balance, even if I don't always agree with them.

Unlike some others here I still think Celebrity is a good cruise line, so I enjoy them both for what they are.

I agree and I like a review to mention a particularly good or bad tour at a given port

"Liking" the information is secondary.

I enjoy knowing the price of tablecloths, but that does not mean that I want linen prices included in Cook Books.

Who wins on sauce? :D

When I am on the sauce I always feel like a winner!

;)

In my many years on CC, I find that reviews differ depending upon the reviewers prior experiences (in addition to other things).

1. If you are comparing Oceania to their direct competition (Viking Ocean and Azamara), you have one view.

2. If you are comparing Oceania to Regent or other luxury cruise lines, there is another view.

3. If you are comparing Oceania to Celebrity or other premium cruise lines, there is still another view.

4. And, if you are comparing Oceania to mainstream cruise lines, you get another opinion.

This can be broken down even further when you compare restaurants available to Celebrity guests staying in the top suites (for example) this can be broken down even further.

If this isn't enough, think about how subjective food is. What is great to one person is mediocre to another.

In terms of the staterooms/suites, this is fairly easy to differentiate if you study suite sizes and amenities on different cruise lines.

Service, while somewhat subjective, should be excellent - no matter which cruise line you sail on.

Lastly, there is the issue of what I must politely call uninformed passengers that book a cruise line and are clueless in terms of what to expect and are therefore could be disappointed.

On TripAdvisor (sister company to Cruise Critic), I look up hotel reviews and look for what the majority of people have to say and go with that opinion.

EasyGoingGuy's post on luau reviews shows how the quantitative scores such as a Trip Advisor rating or the percentage who "love" a certain ship don't tell a full story. A good example is that a lowish percentage of raters "loving" Regatta pertains mostly to the size of the balcony staterooms and bathrooms or the lack of evening entertainment. One must delve beyond that percentage by reading actual reviews to determine if a particular negative factor is personally important.

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When I am on the sauce I always feel like a winner!SaveSave

Have I got the perfect G&T for you

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;)

Lastly, there is the issue of what I must politely call uninformed passengers that book a cruise line and are clueless in terms of what to expect and are therefore could be disappointed.

And then of course there are the ultracrepidarians....

:D

Hollandaise. What's the fuss about. I thought this was the time we get off from work like Labor Day, Memorial Day, July 4, etc. :)

Hollandaise. What's the fuss about. I thought this was the time we get off from work like Labor Day, Memorial Day, July 4, etc. :)

You are mixing up your Hollandaise - surely you are thinking of the Marseillaise (on Bastille Day - July 14th and not July 4) :D

Actually I did try their Hollandaise sauce at the Terrace Grill next to where they grill food. It was ok but to get the taste out of my month I was forced to eat three lobster tails, two jumbo grill shrimp, a lamb chop and two crab legs. All I can say is keep serving that sauce :)