Have a Minute To Help Us Out? We're Redesigning Our Ship Review Page!

[mlbcruiser]

First of all, t's nice that someone is trying to find out what CC's readers think and what they like about the ship review section. Getting such input makes sense.

 

I agree w/some of the previous posters: The name of the ship needs to be more prominent. (Someone said it needs to "jump off the page".)

 

I disagree w/the opinion that the reviews need to be done in a way to give a certain "slant" to a ship. I think someone mentioned they need things like photos that give cruising seem more "sexy" or to impart that cruising is sexy - something like that. These are not supposed to be ad campaigns! Just honest to goodness reviews by people who have cruised on the ship.

 

Ads along the sidelines are probably a necessary evil, but yes, they were a bit distracting and too prominent.

 

It would be helpful to know:

 

1. The age of the person writing the review.

2. How many cruises they have been on.

3. Their sail date.

 

(Or did I miss this info. somewhere on the page?)

 

All of these things are useful when determining how similar the reviewer's opinions might be to the reader's.

 

I liked the professional pictures of the ship's interior, and explanations of dining options, activities, etc. The deck plans are a handy addition as well. (While I enjoy seeing cruisers' own photos, I think there would end up being too many!)

 

As for colors? They seemed o.k. and appropriate.

 

What I didn't find all that important or helpful was the groupings of reviews according to cabin type and rating given.

 

Thanks for asking!

[williamsk]

To begin with, I love cruise critic reviews. I have almost always used cruise critic to select a ship. That being said, based on the review you linked to, here are some areas to consider:

 

Would like a date the review was created. Is the ship really worthy of 4 stars now that the newer ships have so many more amenities? Is it worn out? It is really hard to tell if the review is outdated.

 

perhaps average passenger review number next to author's numbers for each area rating

 

Less moving adds or if you have a moving ad, get rid of some of the others- too distracting. Advertisement overload!

 

Actual photos taken by passengers

 

info on secret csabins

 

Avoid language that raves about the ship in brand terms. I primarily want facts. I tend to discount reviews that sound like cruise line literature

 

Under entertainment- add dance floor square area (like social/ 'ballroom' dancing, but so many of the ships are inadequate)

 

Split reviews of the three and under crowd by year. Why? There are a lot of differences in policy in those first 3 years. Include a minimum sailing age. Those of us with toddlers or babies often have to search other sites or articles. I want a quick one stop shop.

 

Another idea- under kids area, perhaps allow kids (no name or nicknames allowed) to post their own review of the ship or kids club by age. An adult reviewer is likely to have a very different perspective.

[widdo]

Plenty of info for new cruisers. Keep up the good work

[AAAAmerican]

The Independent Traveler, Inc. AKA Cruise Critic Reviews of Ships is inasmuchas sipping great American Whiskey.

 

 

 

 

My, last, Great Uncle who just passed away in his 108th year and was the Mason's eldest 33rd degree. ..said it so very well on our last visit with him..

 

" We are Family..Family We Are!"

Hon. E. Floyd Yates, Sr, .A VIRGINIAN American

:cool:

 

 

 

 

 

Having great ability is not as well as doing thing better than par.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews

 

The Speed of Sites / Pages loading is critical to any Internet firm.

 

Having slow loading older pictures on the same page for decades..is kinda absurd..

 

Navigation in any journey afoot, , a ship, a plane, a Website...etc.. is vital too..

 

So many problems crop up when the navigation goes awry and/or no maps/charts and/or Site Maps are available..;).

 

 

 

[AAAAmerican]

 

Having the Listed Godmother and Bell Ringer for each ship benefits all online as well offline on CruiseCritic.Cpm .

 

 

 

The Titanic had no Godmother and was never christened.;)

 

 

[Pirateskigirl]

It is very informative. I like the photos and the deck plans. I agree with others that the ads need to be minimum and in one place. Bigger font for the ship name.

Good information for newbies and cruisers checking out new cruise lines.

[cruzin w chris]

pictures do need some work. also i would like to see updated menus for the dining room on the page as well.

[DougandEric]

The date of the last CDC/FDA score should be added. When was the score shown given - last week, 2 months ago, 6 months ago? Perhaps the score could be a hyperlink to the actual CDC score page for the ship?

[matj2000]

-Put a larger photo of the ship on the page.

-Larger graphics of ship name.

-Move the advertisments under the ship photo elsewhere.

-Make the "member review" section stand out more.

-Have the actual sail date, passenger age range, cabin #, how many previous cruises taken, put into all reviews. I would rather not read a review from an 78 year olds first time perspective..sorry

 

-A review filter that you can just bring up reviews from select catagories such as couples, families, gays, retireies, ect. Like "Trip Advisor" does.

-Have the deck plans larger on the page. (before you click on it)

-Get rid of the stock photos.

-Have large passenger submitted photos/videos like "Shipparade".com does.

-Get rid of the generic review on the page. Nobody really reads that.

-Get rid of the "why go" part.

-Add ship facts/details : build date,tonnage,cabins, ect.

[DCguys]

I have spent hours and hours pouring over these review pages. Some of this is repeat, but here goes:

 

-I also neglected to notice the deck plans on these review pages. The look of these pages is a bit cluttered so things don't jump out at you

 

-date the ship was built, refurb dates and date of next anticipated refurb should be right at the top!!!

 

-photos, photos, photos! The link to the photos isn't very noticeable and then you get small, official photos. Sure, put some of these in, but anyone can find these photos on the cruiseline's or TA's webpages. There should be member photos in the reviews and outside. I want to see recent photos of things like bathrooms, the cruise terminal, "secret" rooms or unusually large balconies. CC members know what other members want to see. If you're afraid of there being too many images, only show the most recent in each category (dining venues, cabins...) and by all means...

 

-...show member photos of FOOD! The food quality is hugely important to many when selecting a ship. I dug all over the web to find food photos taken by real people for their personal blogs... Up-to-date menus should be linked to the first page and member photos by venue should be linked too. Something may sound tasty on a menu, but look totally unappetizing.

 

still, these reviews are already very very helpful. Thanks!

[plane10]

I have never sailed on Celebrity, so I like the information the Ship Review page presents. I like reading reviews from those who have experience with a cruise line and with a particular ship. Deck plans are good. The page is colorful and creates interest. The photos are small.

I don't care for the ads.

[KBD1516]

Hi everyone!

 

We're in the early stages of redesigning our ship review pages, and we'd really like your input, because it matters to us.

 

For example, take a look at our existing Celebrity Millennum page.

 

Then, tell us anything and everything; we really want to know what you think! Some topics to get you started:

 

• If you were sailing on Celebrity Millennium, do we have everything you need to make a decision about the ship?
  
• What other information would you like to see on the page?
  
• Is there too much of something on the page? Too little?
  
• What about the colors? Do you like them? Any suggestions?
  
• If there were one single thing you could change on the page, what would it be?
  

We're really interested in your opinions and ideas, so let it out!

 

Oh, and thanks!

 

Laura

 

The photos were hard to deal with - you should make it a slide show.

 

You need a photo which shows the overhang over deck 9. I booked a cabin and did not know about the overhang on the balcony until someone on CC told me. That person sent me a photo showing that side of the ship. This is really important to me because I am not sure that I will be happy with the balcony on the cabin I am sailing in Oct 22.

 

In general, the page seems to give me too little information. If I were new to it, I don't think I would see anything that would POP or make me feel that I really wanted to be on this particular ship.

[Cisco333]

I read the reviews quite often and find them very informative. Everything I want to know is usually on the review page. The pictures could be bigger but I like everything else just the way it is.

[mohavemommy]

I have to agree with many other posters here that more photos are a must. That is one of the first things that I seek out when sailing on a ship that I have not been on before.

[mary_228]

I always sail with my children and am often most interested in reading reviews from families who have sailed with their children. So if reviewers have not rated the youth program, then I would prefer to avoid those reviews until I have narrowed my choices a bit.

[sunshine88]

Cannot find the answer anywhere. Help!

[Vanessa L]

Would like to see a "good" and "bad" section similar to what another online site does now, they post the most recent 5 star review and the most recent 1 star review. In addition, you can click on the stars and read all the reviews for that category. I know you can sort these lowest to highest, for example, but in doing so, all the "not rated" reviews come up first. This puts me back in the place of having to sort through those to find what I need. I think that the "not rated" reviews should be at the end of the list, no matter how it's sorted.

 

Agree with others that the sponsored links are horribly distracting and should be at the bottom of the page. That way, they're there is someone wants to see them, but not distracting for those who don't.

 

Also agree that the site is almost generic in its coloring scheme and fonts. It needs to be dressed up a little to make it unique.

[exlonghauler]

Just got back from a sail on the Norwegian Pearl !! Had a super time !!! I thought the food was maybe not the best but everything else was awesome !! Astoria was a real treat !! Met some new friends on and off the ship !! They know who they are !! I was accompanied by my lovely wife Huggs !! Was a treat meeting the cruise critics on board !!! We even got bumped up to first class for the flight home !! Our favourite airline is Alaska lol !!!;) Anyways take care all hope to chat again soon !!

[cruisinbee]

The review does give a lot of info...but the page seems too unorganized with all the ads interfering with the info about the ship. Maybe the layout could be changed with all the ads together instead of scattered on the page. We usually do check out the Cruise Critic reviews before we book a cruise and they have been very helpful.

[Grand Sophy]

I think the review page is great. I always read the review page for the ships I might be taking and it is done well. I like all the detail. I tend to read as much info as I can about a ship and destinatioin. I like the options for specific concerns (headings) and alway like the photos and really like the deck plans. I like to get to know a ship before I get on it so I navigate better once I am aboard.

The only thing I need to know more about is how easy it for a disabled person to navigate the ship. My mother in law is contemplating a cruise with us and I need to know door widths, is there room for a walker in the bathroom? are there door sills to high for a wheel chair to easy roll over? space between the beds, that kind of thinking.

Thanks for asking.

[kybowler]

I like the layout. Colors look great. The best feature for me is the ratings by category (food, family friendly, etc).

[archergal918]

The page is easy to navigate. I am very happy I found this website and know that it is going to help me have a much better experience than I would have had trying to figure things out all by myself!!:)

[JonconOH]

I agree that the photos of the cabins should be larger. Also, I would like to see an overhead drawing of the cabin showing the placement of the furniture, closets, bathroom, deck etc. of each type of cabin, along with the photo.

[wwaggone]

It would be nice to separate the reviews by destination, time of year, and also by date and possible duration. Many ships sail many different itineraries and based on the time of year and length of the cruise, the passengers and their respective reviews change considerable. I know when I was trying to find a review of Radiance of the Seas, all the reviews were either old or reviewed Alaskan voyages when I was going on a Mexican Riviera cruise.

[falcon20]

good