Do You Believe Every Tale of Woe Written Here?

[sail7seas]

From time to time, we read a post that to some (maybe even most) doesn't 'ring true'. It doesn't pass the smell test according to each individual's credibility judgment. Every day in life we decide conciously or not to believe certain things to reject others.

 

What do you think posters should do if they do not believe something that is written here? If someone says they just returned from whatever ship and say something that you just don't think to be truth, should you ignore it and say nothing? Write a gentle response saying how odd? Hit the red triangle to say you think it might be a troll? Pat the poster and say 'so sorry you experienced' this and let it sit unchallenged? Or ......... what is your suggestion?

[Linda&Vern]

I usually laugh, say to myself "ya, right" and move on without replying. Of course, if the thread keeps going on and on I then have to check back in to see what others are saying - guess I'm snoopy? :D

[krewzin]

I say, heat up the tar and start pluckin' chickens.

 

 

:D

[Druke I]

I certainly don't agree with all posted here - but unless I feel very strongly about it - I usually say nothing and let it slide.

[iancal]

No, but if I was not there I can hardly comment. Perception, time, and personal agendas serve to alter the facts considerably. Nor do I believe the cruise line is perfect and that no one who complains has a real issue.

 

There is a happy medium somewhere in between those who refuse to believe that HAL can do no wrong and is perfect in all ways and those who seem to complain, complain, complain about the smallest details.

[scopewest]

I read for the entertainment value. Luckily I've been on enough cruises so that I can think yes, that probably happened, or no way, you're embroidering the truth because you're upset. Or you're a freelance writer working on your writing skills, hoping to get published.

[SwissMyst]

From time to time, we read a post that to some (maybe even most) doesn't 'ring true'. It doesn't pass the smell test according to each individual's credibility judgment. Every day in life we decide conciously or not to believe certain things to reject others.

 

What do you think posters should do if they do not believe something that is written here? If someone says they just returned from whatever ship and say something that you just don't think to be truth, should you ignore it and say nothing? Write a gentle response saying how odd? Hit the red triangle to say you think it might be a troll? Pat the poster and say 'so sorry you experienced' this and let it sit unchallenged? Or ......... what is your suggestion?

 

Best place to start with a first-time, no-history poster is to give the tale as much credence as getting the story from a total stranger sitting next to you on a bus.

 

I worry when a first-time, no-history poster maligns HAL as a company. Industrial sabotage crosses my mind. The internet is our modern version of the Wild West with no sheriffs and lots of shoot-outs. And barmaids with a heart of gold and circuit riding preachers who provide temporary sanity amid the lawlessness. And then the guys with the black hats ride into town again and it is time to lock up the women and children.

 

When we miss the verbal intonation and visual clues that set off our intuition alarm systems on the net, it takes longer to reach accurate conclusions, if at all. Therefore, without all the normal external clues that touch our internal perception systems, I think it is reasonable to not immediately accept any "tale of woe" for its face value.

 

Still does not answer your question - then what? But I do support those follow-up posts that register caution and skepticism. And back to the Stranger on the Bus internet filtration system. I think it is great when posters here end up meeting each other face to face because it rises the credibility quotient 100% when they post as strangers to the rest of us.

[sail7seas]

<snip>

Industrial sabotage crosses my mind

 

 

 

Or maybe they work for the competition and are happy to tall tales to create some bad PR?

 

 

*we were posting at the same time. :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I fall into a couple of categories -- either I will start with "so sorry............." or I will check to see how many posts the original thread starter has -- if it is the first -- I now just ignore that thread and move on. Maybe I will go back to it later.

[RuthC]

Sometimes a report is so outlandish that it must be challenged with a "not in my experience" type of reply---the "how odd" example you cite.

It would be a shame if a new cruiser were to read such a report, out of few read, and not see another point of view. It helps to bring the report into balance.

[fann1sh]

I'm all for "ignore and move on".

 

And I may be credulous, but I think there's usually a grain of truth in most rants.

 

The exception are the "hot topics" and "popcorn threads", which will remain nameless.

 

Some of those rants seem designed to promote an agenda, and intended to provoke shooting wars. In those cases, I snoop, check the poster's profile, and satisfy myself the OP is a zealot/kook/selfish jerk/rude idiot who keeps discussing the same issue over and over.

 

Sometimes I can't resist a reply, because I think HAL is being given the wrong signals on hot topics: an illusion the a majority wants changes in HAL policy. IMHO :cool: it's just a minority of trouble makers.

 

Oh, and let me get this off my chest. I roll my eyes every time I see a post that begins, "We pick out cruise by itinerary, not for ship policy A, B, or C". Said poster then proceeds to explain why they ignore HAL policy A, B, and C, and inconvenience others by pleasing themselves. Cruise lines are not a Chinese restaurant menu. You can't pick one from column A, one from Column B.....

 

Accept the package, or cruise another line. Sorry to sound so harsh. But why are there so many, "It's my vacation, and 'll do whatever I want, and the heck with YOU" types?

[SwissMyst]

New "rule" to add for HAL passengers:

 

1. Always use a safety pin to attach your rings to your clothing if you take off during a manicure. Ask the manicurist for a safety pin if you do not have a secure alternative location for them.

 

2. Do not force your balcony door to stay open 24/7.

 

3. Do not flush anything that does not belong down your cabin toilet.

 

4. Keep your fingers away from your face. (eyes, nose, mouth)

[Linda&Vern]

Here is something that really, really bothers me. I read the CC Member Reviews section frequently. There is nothing you can do when someone writes something that either is not true - or writes something they feel is true, because they didn't understand the process to begin with. I am bothered because someone "thinks" they had all these unfortunate incidents - when really they were standard procedures.

 

Here are some examples from one review - there are many others:

 

(1) We cleared the security & check-in at noon, then proceeded on board. At the top of the ramp we were hastily informed "Your staterooms aren't ready, we're sending you to the Lido for lunch" while being hurried into an elevator with a restaurant worker who made sure we went directly to the Lido and not to our rooms. (The problem?)

 

(2) Two hours after boarding the ship, an announcement was made that we could finally proceed to our cabins. (The problem?) It was a total of 3 1/2 hours after boarding that our luggage arrived on our floor. (The problem?) Fortunately I was among the passengers sitting in the elevator lobby waiting for luggage, so I took it to the room myself. (Why?)

 

(3) They bumped us up to a category J room ... We were thrilled! And then we got in the room … You MIGHT be able to fit 4 members of the Lollipop Guild in this room, but it would be tight. (I checked the Zuiderdam deck plan ... this room was not a quad or even a triple!)

[Oceanwench]

Anyone can be anything on the Internet ... take things with a grain of salt. :rolleyes:

 

Ignore what doesn't ring true.

Rather than judge harshly, move on.

If someone writes terrible things about a specific cruise and you were on the same cruise and had a different experience, say so. But don't call the other poster a liar. :eek:

 

Don't forget - just as there might be people conducting PR campaigns for the competition by negative posts about HAL, there are also people conducting PR campaigns FOR HAL too! Champions. Again, a grain of salt. No cruise line is perfect.

 

The number of posts doesn't always reflect credibility - nor does the lack of posts.

Sometimes a person might have a bad experience on a HAL cruise and comes here to vent. It's just human nature. The person might want some type of satisfaction and feels that is achieved by sharing a negative experience. Bad PR.

 

I work for a newspaper, and not a day goes by that we don't get a call by someone who wants a story written about a bad restaurant, car dealer, doctor, homeowner association, grocery store, dentist, hospital, florist, landlord ... the list goes on and on. More often than not the caller is not a reader/subscriber, but want to use the newspaper to get even with someone!

I see some of these "one-time wonders" on CC, posting the first time to tell about some injustice they perceive from HAL.

[navybankerteacher]

Best place to start with a first-time, no-history poster is to give the tale as much credence as getting the story from a total stranger sitting next to you on a bus.

 

I worry when a first-time, no-history poster maligns HAL as a company. Industrial sabotage crosses my mind. The internet is our modern version of the Wild West with no sheriffs and lots of shoot-outs. And barmaids with a heart of gold and circuit riding preachers who provide temporary sanity amid the lawlessness. And then the guys with the black hats ride into town again and it is time to lock up the women and children.

 

When we miss the verbal intonation and visual clues that set off our intuition alarm systems on the net, it takes longer to reach accurate conclusions, if at all. Therefore, without all the normal external clues that touch our internal perception systems, I think it is reasonable to not immediately accept any "tale of woe" for its face value.

 

Still does not answer your question - then what? But I do support those follow-up posts that register caution and skepticism. And back to the Stranger on the Bus internet filtration system. I think it is great when posters here end up meeting each other face to face because it rises the credibility quotient 100% when they post as strangers to the rest of us.

 

The first time poster does tend to stretch believability a bit - as does the " I heard from someone" introduction. The missing rings tale of woe has both -- the tale was originally posted by someone saying they had heard it from someone else -- then, months later, a first time poster comes along and claims the sad story is hers.

 

Call me a skeptic, but I do wonder. I am truly sorry for the person if the story is true, but the presentation of the story does rais question -- as does the extreme crelessness with such valuable and sentimentally important objects. Again, I feel for the person if the story is true -- but still wonder.

[photomikey]

Recently a poster said that she'd seen a person make four (count 'em, FOUR) trips to the buffet (because, you know, he was struggling without having a tray), and as he returned for #5 (to get a glass of water?) she saw a lido steward wisk away the entire meal because they thought it had been completed. So, allegedly, a steward took four full and untouched plates at an otherwise clean table because they thought the meal was done?

 

Yes, I generally use the smell test.

[foodsvcmgr]

Not much point in confronting those with outrageous views - they are

unlikely to recant no matter what you say, either on CC or unfortunately

when you actually encounter them while aboard ship!

 

I think the roots of the problem of most chronic complainers are:

 

1. They are chronic complainers no matter where they are or what they are doing.

 

2. Unrealistic expectations - particularly new cruisers or new to HAL who

may have taken brochure hype too literally. Sometimes the cruise lines can be their own worst enemies there.

 

3. Unreliable or rose-colored memories of the "good old days", obviously

some things like French service in the MDR were better, but a lot of things

were not, i.e. tiny cabins in converted transatlantic liners, etc.

[Gablin]

My first post on Cruise Critic was done at the suggestions of some friends and acquaintances from a general travel board. I had posted an experience there and received several comments that I should post it on some message boards devoted to cruising, as it had happened on a cruise.

So I did, here and one other (not to be mentioned) cruising site.

 

I received a great number of negative comments, including several indicating that, since I had not been back all day, I must be a troll or some other kind of bad poster. When I went back to Cruise Critic in the evening, I was amazed at the negative replies, and the misunderstanding of my intentions.

 

However, I hung in here anyway, as there is much to learn from others. Besides, those negative comments are just words on a screen. They are not like getting nasty looks in person, which could happen if one is overly critical of another's favorite ship/politician/neighbor/child/department store/make of car/whatever.

[Oceanwench]

I hung in here too, despite being called a liar when I posted that I had seen someone wearing jeans in the MDR several years ago. :eek:

I guess I should have taken photos.

[HeatherInFlorida]

My first post on Cruise Critic was done at the suggestions of some friends and acquaintances from a general travel board. I had posted an experience there and received several comments that I should post it on some message boards devoted to cruising, as it had happened on a cruise.

So I did, here and one other (not to be mentioned) cruising site.

 

I received a great number of negative comments, including several indicating that, since I had not been back all day, I must be a troll or some other kind of bad poster. When I went back to Cruise Critic in the evening, I was amazed at the negative replies, and the misunderstanding of my intentions.

 

However, I hung in here anyway, as there is much to learn from others. Besides, those negative comments are just words on a screen. They are not like getting nasty looks in person, which could happen if one is overly critical of another's favorite ship/politician/neighbor/child/department store/make of car/whatever.

 

This is just one example of something I've seen happen more times than I want to remember on this board and from my perspective it's unforgiveable. Never having posted on this site doesn't make anyone's experience any less real.

 

I tend to take people at their word, give the devil his due, etc. In time, if a person is just a troll, or less than honest, it becomes apparent over time. But it's not fair to all the people who come here to honestly tell their experience to simply discount a report that doesn't match our own. I believe in trust but verify, but first trust.

 

Sure, there are times when a post seems completely off the wall and we all realize there's no way it could be as bad as the description, but misery is in the eye of the beholder and if you've had a really bad experience it tends to take over your entire impression. If someone had a lousy cruise, I see no reason to doubt they did ... might not have been bad for me, but it was bad for them.

 

But when a post seems to be an obvious troll (and I don't mean just saying they didn't like HAL....it happens;)), I say let it go. If everyone ignores it instead of getting defensive thereby giving it credibility, it will quickly fall to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th page and into oblivion.

 

As for "industrial sabotage", I think the cruise lines have better things to do than drop trolls into our midst. But assume that possibly some clerk in the back room is possibly doing that, I suspect they're more apt to be the people we think we know so well ... not a newbie. They will have signed on and been 'playing' with us for years ................... you just never know;).

[startwin]

Why do we have to judge a posting and decide if it's for real or not? Take things at face value unless you know FOR SURE that it is otherwise. Read and move on.

[KirkNC]

From time to time, we read a post that to some (maybe even most) doesn't 'ring true'. It doesn't pass the smell test according to each individual's credibility judgment. Every day in life we decide conciously or not to believe certain things to reject others.

 

What do you think posters should do if they do not believe something that is written here? If someone says they just returned from whatever ship and say something that you just don't think to be truth, should you ignore it and say nothing? Write a gentle response saying how odd? Hit the red triangle to say you think it might be a troll? Pat the poster and say 'so sorry you experienced' this and let it sit unchallenged? Or ......... what is your suggestion?

 

For me it depends on what the poster has said. Some things are challengeable and some are not. As a general rule, I try to avoid getting in a contest with posters as that usually is a waste of time.

 

Kirk

[DougandEric]

When I see a thread that starts out completely negative and it's a first time posting, I tend to believe either the person is just an incredibly negative person in all matters or is a troll. If after a couple of days they never come back to post again, I assume the troll assessment was correct. Some may say they got frightened off because of all the defensive comments from others but if you truly had the experience you stated, you should defend your position. If you can dish it out, you should be able to take it. Usually, however, someone responding takes the original post off topic and it's goes downhill from there - this is where I stop reading - there's no way to get back to the original topic ever again!

[ironin]

I always keep a salt cellar handy. ;)

 

Otherwise, I basically agree with almost everything Heather already wrote above. That said, I do tend to heavily discount if not completely ignore the second and third-hand hearsay reports that pop up. I admit that the seemingly endless speculation that crops up on occasion is grating. (There are time that I want to say, "For heaven's sake, just call and get an answer!" Or, "Why don't you wait for the facts?") The rampant speculation about possible ulterior motives of this or that poster is inappropriate IMO. Angry first-time posters don't bother me - sometimes people just want to vent - but if they persist in their anger or become increasingly irrational, I try to glide by them. Anyway, JMO. YMMV.

 

P.S. All of this applies to just about any board here on CC.

[mamaofami]

When I first discovered this board (CC), I was told by a friend not to bother with it because only people who are unhappy with their cruise experience will post here. Over the years, I've read many posts that don't ring true, but I've also made some wonderful friends, cruised with some of them, met some of them in person, learned how to post pictures here, which camera to buy, how to pick an i pod and most recently all about the kindle. And, that's not to mention all the cruising info I've learned.

 

There are always unhappy people in the world. Their expectations are so high that nothing would please them. I agree with both Ruth and Heather. If we see something that feels to be so untrue that it will taint someone's experience of HAL, we should say something. Or, at least one person should say something, and then we should just ignore it and let it die a natural death.