Reviews, helpful or not?

[Divi]

I was just reading some member reviews and I was amazed at the different opinions/ratings of the same cruise. It's almost comical.

No wonder first time cruisers can be so confused. If I had never sailed on HAL, I wouldn't know what to think!!

Obviously, attitudes, expectations and personal tastes all play a roll determining how much you enjoy something.

Like most things though, whether they be restaurants, movies, cruises, you just have to see for yourself.

Deen

[Wayfairers]

When talking in person, I've learned to ask questions before asking for opinions that let me know that person's experiences beyond what they are talking about... be it snorkeling, restaurants, cruise lines, hotels, etc. I once had someone describe an awesome hike so I took it and it was actually on the low end of my experiences. Found out later it was their 2nd hike where it was probably my 500th hike.

 

When on CC it is almost impossible to understand the past experiences of the person offering the opinion so I usually do additional research.

[iriemon]

I think you have to take all the reviews with a grain of salt. Everyone has different tastes, needs, etc. Some people think they should be treated like a king or queen and when that doesn't happen they gripe. I know I have been on cruises and written a review and saw other reviews for the same sailing and I wonder if we were on the same ship. When we go we always go with the attitude that nothing is perfect and we are not going to let little things ruin our vacation. We roll with the waves.

 

Now true there are people who have had really bad experiences and I appreciate them bringing it to our attention because it not only helps us cruise critic members but the cruise lines also read this board. We still think being on a cruise is better than sitting at home :)

[3rdGenCunarder]

If it's a first and only post, I'm less inclined to rely on it than if it's from someone who has posted more. I'll look at other posts to try to get a sense of the person's likes and dislikes, general attitude.

 

For example, if someone says the service was bad, I'm curious. So I'll check other posts. If he/she seems easygoing, I figure, wow, they must have had really bad service. If he/she seems like a "finger snapper," I figure any service isn't going to be good enough to please them and take the comment with a few grains of salt.

[jtl513]

Obviously, attitudes, expectations and personal tastes all play a roll determining how much you enjoy something.

I think it helps to look at the poster's profile to see what their experience is. Maybe they are normally luxury line cruisers, and HAL was a big let-down. Or like Wayfairers' friend, maybe they are new cruisers and everything was more wonderful than it would be be to old hands. :)

[amster65]

I just read them for the fun of it. Read one today on front page of CC. Couple had a lousy cruise on RCCL because they could not blend their babies food in the kitchen blenders. No crib and no baby changing stations. WOW, give me a break, who takes a 2 year old and an infant (6 mos) on a cruise. I remember taking my son to Disney when he was two, it was a nightmare he go hot and bored in no time. Cant imagine taking them on a cruise with hardly anything to do. So much for reviews.

[George C]

I love reading these reviews, amazing that same cruise will get terrible or great reviews. B ut as said before take everything with a grain of salt and I trust people that have taken 10 or 20 cruises way more than a someone who has taken one or 2.

[ninkb]

But take them with a grain of salt. But if I'm checking out a ship or a port, I want to read many reviews to see what is similar about them. It gives me at least an idea of what to expect. But then, I know that I'm different from anyone else (and so are you :)) so I have to go and see for myself.

 

But basically, I appreciate the time and effort that go into reviews. Thanks to all who have posted!

[Palmetto Lady]

I can't imagine taking a 6 mo. old baby on a cruise. I can't imagine taking a six month old baby anywhere except to visit grandma.

That being said, part of the problem was that there were expectations from what was available on a previous cruise on the same cruiseline.

[gelo7]

I like reading cruise reviews, but they do not affect my decisions about booking a cruise.

[RuthC]

I never read the reviews in the Reviews section of CC, but always read the "Live from ..." and post cruise reports on the HAL board.

When I read what's posted here, there's some later give & take in the thread, and that helps fill out the report. Then, too, much of the time I "know" the poster from other threads, and know how to take what they are saying.

But in no case does anything I read in these reports make up my mind whether or not to take a given cruise. I've been around long enough to know what I want to do.

[DeepWaterMariner]

I selectively read some of the reviews posted, particularly if it is for a ship we are going to sail or have been on recently. I've generally given up reading reviews from people who have little cruising experience because they are often overly impressed with the experience or have had their expectations set to high. Even though we have been cruising for years and reading reviews since they began showing up on the Internet I still learn a thing or two that is helpful on occasion. Our experience allows us to separate the chaff from the grain.

[YOW]

For cruise reviews, hotel reviews, etc -- I treat it like judging in the Olympics: throw out the high scores and the low scores, and work with what's left.

 

Then I look for patterns. Isolated complaints may not mean much, but frequent comments regarding similar issues do catch my eye.

 

YMMV

[Krazy Kruizers]

I tend to ignore the reviews of a poster that comes on for the first time -- and then we never see that person again.

[Sir PMP]

I was just reading some member reviews and I was amazed at the different opinions/ratings of the same cruise. It's almost comical.

 

 

Just don't read them....

[Softtop67]

I read them all and tend to look at the trends rather than the specific experiences. Anyone can have a bad steward or a bad meal, but when several complain of poor service or food it will raise a brow. I believe i can learn a great deal from others, moreso as a group, since individual tastes and expectations differ greatly

[eh2zed]

I like reading the reviews. Have learned some valuable info and tips. But yes I also look at the OP profile to have some context for their comments. If it is all negative and a first post I totally ignore.

[tangerinebunny]

For cruise reviews, hotel reviews, etc -- I treat it like judging in the Olympics: throw out the high scores and the low scores, and work with what's left.

 

Then I look for patterns. Isolated complaints may not mean much, but frequent comments regarding similar issues do catch my eye.

 

YMMV

 

I so agree. Patterns say a lot.

 

But it is fun to see the different attitudes we all display -

 

'It was so hot in our cabin that we couldn't bear it @#$% 1 Star'

vs'

It was so hot in our cabin that our popcorn popped by itself! wowie! 5 Stars'

[Roz]

What amazes me are the bad reviews of cruises I was on. I leave the ship having had a wonderful time from start to finish, and someone else is complaining about dirty cabins, filthy bathrooms, cold food, poor service, indifferent crew, etc. in their review. Huh? How could 2 people come away from the same experience and have 2 totally different perceptions of it?

 

Roz

[SwissMyst]

In the beginning reveiws were helpful to sort it all out between different ships and what to expect. Now that HAL brand loyalty has been earned after numerous trips all on different ships, we know what to expect and what to overlook.

 

HAL ships pass the 80% satisfaction test for us and we like the fact if we know one of them, we now know pretty much the rest of them regardless of changes of names.

 

That being said, I am sorry they are losing their unique interior decor and are using the exact same color schemes and furnishings when they refurbish - that would be something I would like to see change for more ship individuality, but I'll file that gripe down there in the 20% category because the 80% HAL satisfaction over the big things still controls our own decisions - and reviews both top and bottom no longer matter.

[happy cruzer]

Love reading reviews. If something in a review concerns me, I just ask a question on the cruise line board to see what others experienced. Then you have enough opinions about the detail.

 

Things do change over time. So it's good to check in to see what's going on.

 

Plus some can be very entertaining.

[cruiseapril]

Like to read reviews on the forums first and then read some in the Review section. Look for balanced reviews.

 

The answers to questions in the forums are usually more important to us than the reviews.

[vbmom87]

As others have mentioned, I would only take a review somewhat seriously, if it was posted by a regular CC poster. If the poster has no other history on CC, I would disregard it.

[kazu]

Reviews can at time be helpful - especially in cabin choice. I take a lot with a grain of salt, but it helps to know a few things for expectation purposes.

 

We are about to sail on the P'dam and we are thrilled. I have warned dh that the ship is old, the light might fall off the wall and there may be rust (what! rust on a ship at sea:rolleyes:). In any case, we choose to sail on this ship and expect to have a good time.

 

Every review has to be weighed. I always find it amazing that someone can't find us in time to get info on their cruise, but can find us after to complain (post #1). constantly amazes me;)

[vbmom87]

I always find it amazing that someone can't find us in time to get info on their cruise, but can find us after to complain (post #1). constantly amazes me;)

 

It is amazing now, isn't it? We posters need to watch for this and simply not respond.