Question about opinions

[Alan the sponge]

I am new to this forum and please excuse what is probably a pointless question. I am planning my first Carnival cruise on the Conquest and see so many negative write ups here on this site about this ship and Carnival in general. My question is then has anyone ever booked a cruise or even decided to cancel a cruise based on what's written here? Because I am.

 

Alan from Orlando

[MSRussell]

Welcome!! Some people have too high expectations, that everything should be perfect. I took my first cruise last April, not knowing what I would be getting into, and LOVED it. I'm going on my 4th next month.

To me, it's great having someone else wait on me, and if there are problems, they will take care of it.

Melanie

[tak81288]

Hi~

 

You have to take the opinions on here with a grain of salt and some people are more likely to complain then commend.

 

Also, as you browse this site a little more, you will find that some people only like certain cruiselines, so will bash the others.

 

Lastly, keep in mind that the people that post on this website make up a VERY SMALL % of the actual amount of people that cruise every year.

 

Carnival is one of the largest cruiselines and has ships full of thousands of passengers sailing every week because they know what they are doing and have thousands of satisfied customers weekly. I wouldn't cancel a cruise based a handful of opinions that you are reading from complete strangers.

 

Definitely, continue with your cruising plans and have a great vacation!

[cmjb4ever]

Just look forward to having a good time. My first cruise I tried Princess because I heard bad things about Carnival. After trying Princess (and disliking it), I tried Carnival and loved it! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

[Ontario_Cruiser]

I am sure people have, but I do not know why you would. Why would you put that kind of power in the hands of faceless strangers? You really do not know who these people are, where they are coming from, what kind of day they had, etc.

 

Can you find things less than perfect on any given cruise? Of course you can, and you can dwell on those things and have a bad vacation. But there will also be things done very well. You can also choose to focus on those.

 

When I read a review, I look for the facts that they are reporting, I look at the pictures, and I inform myself that way.

[firefly333]

People are going to nitpick the little things .. but to cancel a cruise because this or that wasnt perfect to me would be over the top and make no sense.

 

People are just saying what they think could have been improved. No cruise will be perfection .. what could they strive for otherwise.

[riffatsea]

I don't know anything about the Conquest or its itinerary.

As you can see though, there are MANY folks on this board who love Carnival and go on many cruises each year!

I'd read the reviews carefully to see if those things that people complain about are things you would be upset about too.

THEN I'd read some of the positive reviews and compare them.

Only you can decide if you want to still go on the ship.

I can understand your hesitancy.

[Justsyd]

The only way for you to know for sure if it's for you is to take a cruise, and make up your own mind. I wouldn't let the opinions of others stop my cruise!

[2CuteKiddies]

We loved our cruise on the Conquest and have another Carnival cruise booked!

 

As an example of nitpicking you might hear, I was in line at Sur Mer getting lunch, right when they were ready to open. There were, maybe, 6 or 7 people in front of me. A guy standing directly behind me groans "lines, lines everywhere". The ship holds 3,000 passengers and he's complaining about 7 people in front of him for lunch!

 

By the way, if you book the Conquest and like seafood, do NOT miss Sur Mer. They have great fish and chips, but are only open for lunch. It's somewhat hidden, upstairs at the back of the buffet.

[serene56]

Many people only find this site when they have something to complain about.

A person who had a good cruise is not going to look for a place to tell people how great it was.

 

 

When we were first booked on Princess- I worried in great deal about all the reviews of the Caribbean Princess- how it was full of old people and how bad the food was-- and how there was nothing to do at night--

 

we went and had a blast and wish we could afford to cruise princess more then we do--- but being platinum on Carnival I will keep going back.

 

 

I say-- go- enjoy- form your own opinion. (i am so glad I did that)

[HeatherC430]

i've LOVED every carnival cruise i've been on! i agree with the others...that most people will always find things to complain about. even if you encounter some things on your cruise that you could complain about...it would never affect the overall experience of the cruise itself!

 

i can understand how you feel...after reading several bad reviews of the Dream (on which i'll be getting married in april). at this point, i've stopped reading those reviews! i'm sure i'm going to have a wonderful cruise & refuse to let others sway my opinion of it!

 

good luck!

[Shelbyjane56]

I am new to this forum and please excuse what is probably a pointless question. I am planning my first Carnival cruise on the Conquest and see so many negative write ups here on this site about this ship and Carnival in general. My question is then has anyone ever booked a cruise or even decided to cancel a cruise based on what's written here? Because I am.

 

Alan from Orlando

 

No offense to you, but there are far more people who like, love and adore Carnival than you could ever imagine . Why not go on a cruise with carnival and find out for yourself instead of making assumptions about people you dont know. We always prefer to decide what we like or dont like instead of letting someone else decide for us. To let someone on a forum decide for you, isnt an intelligent move (in my mind) For some reason there seem to be a lot who are quick to put down cruises they go on and they are the most vocal at times, Where as there are far more who love it and therefore quite a few dont post anything because they loved it. Of course no cruise is ever perfect, its called life. In the end you should make the decision :) Have a good cruise whichever you might choose

[mrpayroll]

IF you read NOTHING but negative reviews about a certain ship , i would be worried. Go to the ship review section and read many reviews. I'm sure you will fine lots of people who have opposite opinions.....

[wecca]

When I read a complaint/issue, I remember the old saying "If you have an bad experience you will tell 10 people but if your experinces is good you may only tell one." So you may see more complaints than good times.

[frogman68]

We just took our first cruise.

I loved all the negative reviews I read.

When I got on the boat and it was the total opposite it made our cruise so much better.

Just like life if you are looking for a reason to complain you will find it if you look for a good time you will find that too

[Toddcan]

I was in the SAME boat (haha!) as you when I was planning my first cruise. I read a lot of negative things about the Pride of Aloha that I called my Travel Agent to cancel. She explained what a lot of people above me have said: there will always be unhappy people who want to nitpick or complain.

 

We went on the cruise and loved it.

[klmorg]

I am new to this forum and please excuse what is probably a pointless question. I am planning my first Carnival cruise on the Conquest and see so many negative write ups here on this site about this ship and Carnival in general. My question is then has anyone ever booked a cruise or even decided to cancel a cruise based on what's written here? Because I am.

 

Alan from Orlando

 

I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER even consider doing that. You gotta remember this is a faceless internet message board for cruise critics. I've read alot of negative stuff that I have NEVER personally experienced myself on any of my cruises. I don't give a lot of weight to most opinions, good & bad; I like to find out for myself & make my own determinations. And so far, I have been mighty pleased with the results!!

[cruznlobo]

Cruising is great, it doesn't matter which line you are cruising with. Our kids went on a Princess cruise and came back and complained. Then told us that we should go on a cruise with them because Princess is so much better than Carnival. We have only complained once about Carnival. That was on the Glory...Our complaint was that the towels were too white!

 

Go and Enjoy!

[okwriter]

GO on your cruise and then come back and let us know what YOU think! I'll bet you have a ball!

 

We just returned from the Legend and we overheard someone say, "They serve the same food every day." Nothing could be farther from the truth! Gee, you could eat something different every day for a month and never eat the same thing twice!

[golfadj]

We have been on cruises had a great time come back and someone on our roll call had a miserable time and writes a terrible review.

 

A vacation is never perfect and very often what you make of it.

[ricew001]

We have been on cruises had a great time come back and someone on our roll call had a miserable time and writes a terrible review.

 

A vacation is never perfect and very often what you make of it.

 

Exactly it's what you make out of it.

 

I just wrote this long reply to the negative Nancys out here on a different post and decided to give it up because it would fall on deaf ears.

 

I have found good info out here, but..... honestly have been VERY TURNED OFF by the negativity. Don't let them get you down.

 

I have been on Princess and Carnival and going on Carnival in 19 days and can't wait!

 

I am sure you'll have FANTASTIC things happen on your cruise and some things that aren't exactly what you ordered...but that's life and if you have a positive attitude you WILL have a great time!

 

Happy sailing!

[pcrum]

Our first Carnival cruise in recent years (I really don't count the 80s cruise, because the line has changed so much since then) was on the Sensation. The reviews were lousy, but living in Orlando with a limited time frame in which to travel, the dates and port location of the Sensation fit our itinerary perfectly!! If I had listened to all the reviews I read of this ship (and keep in mind this was before the recent enhancement adding the water works area, Serenity area, etc), I would have cancelled the cruise. But, we went on the cruise and we all had a wonderful time. My kids, who were young teens at the time, said it was the best cruise they had been on , including Disney and HAL! We've been on 6 additional Carnival cruises with a 7th booked for spring break. Needless to say, we all have specific things we look for on a vacation, but for us, Carnival fits the bill. Enjoy your cruise and take all reviews with a grain of salt!!

[chachi]

I have loved every one of my Carnival cruises. I enjoyed my RCI cruise, but not as much. I decided to cancel my NCL cruise due to reviews. I only booked because of the Hawaiian itinerary. The more I read, the more nervous I got. I decided to cancel and do a land vacation instead. No regrets, it is not worth the stress. I was planning the cruise for 2 other people. One had been on a Disney cruise, and the other had never cruised. I knew that I would be able to enjoy myself no matter what, but did not want to risk the enjoyment of the others.

I would read the reviews and make an informed decision. There may seem like a lot of negative reviews, but there are many more positive ones.

Also, look at what they are upset about. Many of the things that bother others would never bother me (example- a temporary tattoo didn't last very long, slow breakfast service, changes in the past guest party, receiving ship pins).

In the end it is your decision. I hope you give Carnival a try, but if you're nervous, it is not worth the stress.

[djhsolara]

I am new to this forum and please excuse what is probably a pointless question. I am planning my first Carnival cruise on the Conquest and see so many negative write ups here on this site about this ship and Carnival in general. My question is then has anyone ever booked a cruise or even decided to cancel a cruise based on what's written here? Because I am.

 

Alan from Orlando

 

To the OP...please consider this...

 

There are how many guests on the ship...2000-3000? How many posts do you see on here about your sailing...not even a small percentage of that number. When I read things on here prior to my very first sailing I thought everyone on the ship was going to be a CC member...but the percentage of CC members to total number of people on the ship is small...so take it all with a grain of salt and remember that anyone can find something to complain about and this is the forum for them to do it. There is MUCH useful information on this site but there are also many opinions...and everyone is entitled to that, whether it good or bad.

 

Read what you want but remember that your sailing will be what you make of it...just like any vacation that you would take anywhere. :) :)

[sand_and_sun]

We are going on our 4th Carnival Cruise (we leave in 60 days) and we absolutely can't wait! I think a vacation is what you make it. We tend to be easy going people that don't require much to have a great time. We are grateful that we are able to take a winter vacation and we have a blast! GO...have a great time... and write a review when you get back. :)