I am really scared

My husband booked this cruise but after reading a number of negative reviews. I am worried about going. The treatment on board worries me and we don't like to complain. I wonder if we should just sacrifice the deposit and just go to a land holiday. I am very worried that I will be unhappy for 14 nights. Is anyone going on the 29th July 17:confused:

All you have told us is that you have a 14 night cruise booked departing 29 July 2017. Without knowing what ship and itinerary, we can't help you. EM

Not sure what line you are on, but bad reviews are just one person's opinion of the experience shared by several thousand others. I always, always, always read reviews (both positive and negative) with a shaker of salt handy. I am sure if you go in with an open mind you will have a blast. At the very least you'll have 14 days with your husband without either of you worrying about cooking or cleaning and how bad can that be?

I am so sorry, we are going on the crown princess leaving Southampton

What are you scared of??

I would not worry it will probably be better than you think

Nothing in life is perfect but most cruises are not all bad

If you have a problem with service or food speak to the person in charge & it will be fixed

Enjoy

Thank you for your kind remarks

We've been on the Crown Princess (29 nights) and done a sailing out of Southampton (on Caribbean Princess). There's no reason why your trip shouldn't be one of the great times of your life. Go expecting a grand adventure and there's a very good chance it will happen. Just don't expect perfection and don't get hung up on small details that really don't matter. Keep in mind that some reviews are written by someone with an ax to grind, or because their personal (and often over-inflated) sense of 'entitlement' wasn't quite met - the vast majority of people on a cruise have a great time even if it's not absolutely perfect. That's why there are so many repeat cruisers on the same cruise line, even the same ship. Have a great trip!

My hubby and I have cruised three time on the Crown Princess,the last being 2013,if I recall correctly.

We always enjoyed sailing on this ship. It is lovely,especially the Piazza (atrium) area.

The captain on those cruises was Captain Nash. I am not certain if he is still the captain of the Crown.

We found him to be a professional and friendly gentleman.

Hopefully,you have booked a cabin with a balcony. We always found that space a place of quiet and peace if the crowds in the public areas are a bit too much to handle.

As far as service goes,we have found on any cruise we have taken, being respectful and kind to the staff / crew results in pleasant and timely service.

I do wish you a good cruise.

Try it,you may like cruising vacations.

If you do not like the experience,then you can always return to land based/resort vacations

Your cruise is what you make it!

On our first cruise (Celebrity) we became friendly with a couple from midland UK. We both had fixed, late dining in the evening. They hated it, we had a ball.

They were very unhappy about the whole cruise, but we loved it.

Same ship, same cruise, different attitude.

Go with a positive outlook and be prepared to enjoy yourself! :)

Some negative reviews are par for the course.

I laugh. After every cruise I come home & read the reviews about my sailing. I am always amazed at the people who thought their lives were ruined.

My last cruise had a boarding problem. NCL was about 3 hours late letting us board & we were all crammed in what was becoming the hot stuffy waiting area. In fairness it was pretty miserable but the US Coast Guard had found a mechanical problem it wanted fixed before we boarded. It got fixed. We were allowed on board & we only departed about 1 hour later & didn't miss a port. It was still better than getting stranded at sea.

If you can't find a single positive review it may be best to stay away. I once stayed in a hotel that had all negative reviews & was very sorry I didn't listen. I also stayed in a place that had all bad reviews but had recently changed owners & undergone a renovation; it was great.

Take the bad reviews with a grain of salt. Go with an open mind & enjoy your trip!

Please read this review by someone who is a very experienced cruiser:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=557915

Expect a clean and well maintained ship, good to excellent food and a nice staff and nice entertainment. Enjoy your cruise and ignore all the negative Nelly's. Most of us who have been members here a long time notice these posts - often one of us were on the same cruise and our experience was NOTHING at all like the negative review we are reading.

I agree. I figure for every vocal complaint there are 50-100 quietly satisfied passengers.

As others have noted, you're going to find some negative reviews of every cruise ship that is currently operating. I can honestly say that with only one exception, I've enjoyed every cruise I've ever taken. Has everything on every vessel been exactly what I expected - no. However, I don't let little things ruin my cruises. I am eternally grateful that I am physically able and have the financial means to go on cruises. Most cruise ships are beautifully done, well managed, and the staff goes out of their way to help you enjoy your trip. While I've only been on the Grand Princess and Regal Princess, and am booked on the Royal Princess, I think you'll have a wonderful time. So join in the excitement of pre planning everything and once you step onboard, let the relaxation and happiness abound!! :)

A cruise is merely a vacation. The "service" should be just fine! More service than you'd get at most hotels!

Stop reading reviews! Folks with complaints are ALWAYS more vocal than those who had wonderful trips!

It will be great!

We had our best ever cruise on Crown Princess 14 nights out of San Juan Puerto Rico.Lovely ship I would be amazed if you did not have a lovely time. By day 2 you will be sailing through Bay of Biscay which can either be calm or bumpy so as a precaution bring some travel sickness pills with you.

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My husband booked this cruise but after reading a number of negative reviews. I am worried about going. The treatment on board worries me and we don't like to complain. I wonder if we should just sacrifice the deposit and just go to a land holiday. I am very worried that I will be unhappy for 14 nights. Is anyone going on the 29th July 17:confused:

We are on this cruise. It will be our 61st with Princess and never had a bad one. We did this itinerary last year and there are some lovely ports. You often find that the ones who complain are those who have nothing better to do. If there is a problem thrn they will always try to sort it on board if you explain in an appropriate manner.

We have found the food always to be good and plenty of venues to choose from.

I'm sure you will have a great cruise.

My hubby and I have cruised three time on the Crown Princess,the last being 2013,if I recall correctly.

We always enjoyed sailing on this ship. It is lovely,especially the Piazza (atrium) area.

The captain on those cruises was Captain Nash. I am not certain if he is still the captain of the Crown.

We found him to be a professional and friendly gentleman.

Hopefully,you have booked a cabin with a balcony. We always found that space a place of quiet and peace if the crowds in the public areas are a bit too much to handle.

As far as service goes,we have found on any cruise we have taken, being respectful and kind to the staff / crew results in pleasant and timely service.

I do wish you a good cruise.

Try it,you may like cruising vacations.

If you do not like the experience,then you can always return to land based/resort vacations

And if it's not your 'cup of tea' (No pun intended..) you can always say you at least tried one. My stepson, DIL, and their 3 children did a Disney cruise from Hawaii islands to the U.S. on either 10 or 12 day repositioning cruise, and I think from her indifference attitude that perhaps 2 things turned her against it.

1)The length, if you've never been on a cruise 10-12 days, with all of them sea days, it can be extremely long, if you're not used to shipboard.

2) She has a VERY high stress position job with a major US firm, similar to a departmental vice president and it's not uncommon for her to work 10-12 (or longer) hour days /and even called at all hours on her 'off days' even holidays. I believe she just could NOT separate her forced 'free time' from thinking about 'the office'. Of course, this could happen to anybody who's not used to being at sea for so long. Just my thoughts.

Mac

Your cruise is still 6 months away, you should be able to get a 100% refund from Princess. There are several other choices out of Southampton. happy cruising

I have found that people who have written 1 negative if you look at there other reviews they will be mostly negative. I always look at the writers history. Some people are always looking for the bad.

Enjoy your cruise, don't sweat the little annoyances.

Good point. "This is bad" only matters in comparison to "this is good".

My husband booked this cruise but after reading a number of negative reviews. I am worried about going. The treatment on board worries me and we don't like to complain. I wonder if we should just sacrifice the deposit and just go to a land holiday. I am very worried that I will be unhappy for 14 nights. Is anyone going on the 29th July 17:confused:

How many positive reviews did you read?

DON

My husband booked this cruise but after reading a number of negative reviews. I:confused:

DH & I are going on the POA in March. I just read the reviews & if I'd never cruised before I too would be worried. They are overwhelmingly negative BUT almost all of them were written by people who wrote their first review. A few of those folks have been on other cruises & I give some of their opinions more credence. For example, universally people say the food is awful. Then again, I've never had an extraordinary meal aboard a cruise ship but I also understand you are not going to get the same food on a mass market cruise line as a restaurant with Michelin stars.

Many of the reviews complained about stuff that isn't the cruise line's fault. One actually complained that the ports were ugly and industrial. Another was mad that they got an obstructed balcony when they booked a balcony gty.

You have to read between some of the lines when you read reviews.

Your cruise is still 6 months away, you should be able to get a 100% refund from Princess. There are several other choices out of Southampton. happy cruising

OP is from the UK where for its residents deposits are almost always non-refundable (unless insurance that specifically includes the deposit amount is engaged at time of booking)

Give some people a bar of gold and they'll complain it's too heavy.

As long as they remember to take the weevils out of the gruel you'll be fine.

Regardless of negative reviews, we've never had a bad cruise. I think the negative postings are more like 1 out of 2,000.

IMO don't pass up a cruise experience based on some negative comment.

I am so sorry, we are going on the crown princess leaving Southampton

I (plus my husband, sister and brother-in-law) were just on a 31 day cruise Los Angeles to Rio (Dec 4 to Jan 4) on the Crown Princess. We had a great time and the service was wonderful (our best ever - and we have over 20 cruises on Princess) in the MDR, the Adagio Bar and Vines. We also thought the food in the MDR was very good to excellent. We didn't eat in the buffet so I can't comment on that.

Of course I don't know you and your preferences and interests and you don't know me and my preferences and interests so your results may vary. I think the really important thing is to not work yourself up so much ahead of a cruise that unhappiness becomes a self-fullfilling prophecy.