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As we ramp up our coverage of cruise travel for our members in Australia and New Zealand, we'd like to give you a sneak preview. And we'd love your valuable feedback. Please have a look at www.cruisecritic.com.au

 

Keep an eye out for AU/NZ features, which you'll see spotlighted on our home page, and our new deals page, which showcases what we think are the best value cruises out there for you. You will also find more local ports and ships listed.

 

Also, don't miss the new blog (cruisecritic.com.au/blog).

 

At this point, our blog plan is:

Monday - Deals & Steals (the best hand-picked bargains, sourced by the editorial team)

Tuesday - Talking Ship (discussing a different ship each week)

Wednesday - Hot on the Forums (an interesting topic that I choose from these AU/NZ boards, so get chatting!)

Thursday - World Watch (overseas cruise news and tips)

Friday - Happy Hour (a fun topic to end the week)

 

Please feel free to leave your comments right here on this forum.

Thank you!

Louise Goldsbury

Cruise Critic

Australia Editor

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I have just had a look at the page. It looks good.

Feedback: I use an ipad solely and there is video on the page that says flash player required. Can the video content be available to all platforms. Other than that, good job.

 

Linda

 

 

Maybe the videos could be on youtube with a link here then they can be seen on all devices.

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All you need to do to get any of the above is become a TRAVEL WRITER. Isn,t that right Louise:D:D:D

 

 

But I can't write real good, in fact some people say I's illiterate but my mummy and daddy was married.

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I have just had a look at the page. It looks good.

Feedback: I use an ipad solely and there is video on the page that says flash player required. Can the video content be available to all platforms. Other than that, good job.

 

Linda

 

Helpful feedback, thanks, I will pass it on to the tech team.

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By the way, did you see yourselves starring in the blog last week? In future, we will be setting up a Comments area so you can comment on the blog topics too.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com.au/blog/hot-on-the-aunz-forum-the-aussie-dollar/

Edited by CruiseCriticAUeditor
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By the way, did you see yourselves starring in the blog last week? In future, we will be setting up a Comments area so you can comment on the blog topics too.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com.au/blog/hot-on-the-aunz-forum-the-aussie-dollar/

 

 

Commenting on the blogs will be a plus, I think, with some reservations.

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What are your reservations?

 

 

Probably the same reservations that I have about CC forums in general, that being able to hide behind anonymity leads to posts being made that are sometimes in my opinion purely invented.

 

I freely accept that this applies to a minority of posts, but there are some posts and threads that are clearly unbelievable and I think that the anonymity adds to this.

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Probably the same reservations that I have about CC forums in general, that being able to hide behind anonymity leads to posts being made that are sometimes in my opinion purely invented.

 

I freely accept that this applies to a minority of posts, but there are some posts and threads that are clearly unbelievable and I think that the anonymity adds to this.

 

If you are talking about Trolls, they should be reported then and allow the administrators to deal with them.:D

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  • 2 weeks later...

As someone brand new to cruising, I'd like more info on choosing a cruise line that would suit me best. I'd like to know the differences between the cruise lines, who their target market is, if they cater well to different age groups, families, young people, old people, rich people, "regular" people (haha - as in I'd feel totally out of place on Cunard, for example!), entertainment wise, etc etc. Would my teen enjoy Celebrity, and Princess? More in depth on which cruise suits which kind of person, I'd really appreciate that kind of thing.

 

I'm going on Carnival very soon, but many of their itineraries are the same, so even if I love them, I'd like some other options.

 

I'd also love a look at reviews, ie I find myself getting put off by many bad reviews of almost all ships (!) and would love a "review of the reviews", how genuine are they, are they fair. For example I like the idea of P&O's itineraries as well as their advertising of ship amenities, but then I read reviews and it puts me off. Then I see by people's signatures, many long time cruisers having sailed them repeatedly, so can they really be that bad?

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As someone brand new to cruising, I'd like more info on choosing a cruise line that would suit me best. I'd like to know the differences between the cruise lines, who their target market is, if they cater well to different age groups, families, young people, old people, rich people, "regular" people (haha - as in I'd feel totally out of place on Cunard, for example!), entertainment wise, etc etc. Would my teen enjoy Celebrity, and Princess? More in depth on which cruise suits which kind of person, I'd really appreciate that kind of thing.

 

I'm going on Carnival very soon, but many of their itineraries are the same, so even if I love them, I'd like some other options.

 

I'd also love a look at reviews, ie I find myself getting put off by many bad reviews of almost all ships (!) and would love a "review of the reviews", how genuine are they, are they fair. For example I like the idea of P&O's itineraries as well as their advertising of ship amenities, but then I read reviews and it puts me off. Then I see by people's signatures, many long time cruisers having sailed them repeatedly, so can they really be that bad?

 

I found the best way to find out what cruiseline/ship suited us was by reading the cruise critic reviews. For example:

Celebrity Solstice Fellow Passengers

The typical Celebrity passenger is mid-50's, traveling as a couple, sophisticated and appreciative of the better things in life. The majority are from the United States, but that balance, as well as the ratio of couples to families with kids may shift between the Caribbean and European seasons.

 

The member reviews can be a bit confusing. I asked myself if some of the reviewers were on the same cruise at all, because they differed so much from ours, but the one time we ignored the bad reviews for a particular cruise line/ ship we regretted it. I tend to agree that if the reviewer is a repeat customer then it must be pretty good.

 

I think any review that is totally negative needs to be questioned. For example we hated almost everything about our last cruise but when I did the review, I made sure I mention anything positive in the interest of fairness.

Edited by chrisandkaryn
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The member reviews can be a bit confusing. I asked myself if some of the reviewers were on the same cruise at all, because they differed so much from ours, but the one time we ignored the bad reviews for a particular cruise line/ ship we regretted it. I tend to agree that if the reviewer is a repeat customer then it must be pretty good.

.

 

And then you get reviews where they say they are a repeat customer, but it is the worst they had. ;)

 

Honestly, I don't think any line is trying to give you a bad cruise - or has bad service.

 

However, individual cruises can have issues, and more complicatedly, individual experiences on the same cruise can vary widely. You can be in a section of the ship affected by water leaks and smells, yet someone on another deck never even goes near there. 2 different experiences! Then you get the surly waiter who you see every night (I've had that), but people at most other tables get fine ones. Again, 2 different reports. Or a whole variety of other different circumstances that lead to two different perspectives - both reasonable. For some, wear and tear or 'style' is very important. To others, they're not as big a deal. The first may not enjoy a certain cruise as much as the second, who doesn't notice or doesn't mind. But again both reviews are accurate - it just comes down to your own preferences.

 

That's not to say all reports are credible. But imo the best thing to do is work out what you prefer and then assess the differences you discern as to how you rate them. OTOH, you can just go and enjoy the travel experience, learning along the way. Not everything in life has to be perfect, so just find what suits you.

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  • 3 months later...

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