Length Matters???....AKA What Kind Of Review To You Prefer?

[discjoker]

I love reviews! I love reading them (all of them) and I love writing them. I have noticed that some reviews on Cruise Critic are long and very indepth and others are very short and concise. I myself prefer long, detailed, and indepth reviews. However, I am sure there are those who prefer shorter reviews. So, the question is, which do you prefer?

[jhannah]

I also enjoy reading reviews. However, I'm really not interested in what someone had each night for dinner (including course by course critique,) what time they went to the spa, how many times they did this or that. I prefer the basic meat regarding the ship and their impressions of their overall cruise experience. Throw in something to avoid or something not to miss, and that's enough for me.

[stormyc]

The longer and more detailed, the better... Hearing about a person's cruise experience is like the culmination of all the blah blah blah on this forum...:p

 

...by the way, I enjoy all of the blah blah blah, too - some of it's even mine. :o

[stormyc]

p.s. The long ones are improved by punctuation here and there...

 

and a few paragraph breaks are welcome, too! :)

[discjoker]

I also enjoy reading reviews. However, I'm really not interested in what someone had each night for dinner (including course by course critique,) what time they went to the spa, how many times they did this or that. I prefer the basic meat regarding the ship and their impressions of their overall cruise experience. Throw in something to avoid or something not to miss, and that's enough for me.

 

I love details but I would have to agree that there can be too much information. Ya know, I understand that the crab cakes were a little too "golden brown" for your taste but I really don't need to read about it. :)

[discjoker]

p.s. The long ones are improved by punctuation here and there...

 

and a few paragraph breaks are welcome, too! :)

 

Yes! You are so right. Some of the longest run-on sentences I have ever seen have been in reviews on Cruise Critic.

[discjoker]

I love details but I would have to agree that there can be too much information. Ya know, I understand that the crab cakes were a little too "golden brown" for your taste but I really don't need to read about it. :)

 

Actually since I like crab cakes I would appreciate info like that.

[stormyc]

Yes! You are so right. Some of the longest run-on sentences I have ever seen have been in reviews on Cruise Critic.

 

LOL! I KNOW! I start feeling like I can't catch my breath!! :D

[stormyc]

I also enjoy reading reviews. However, I'm really not interested in what someone had each night for dinner (including course by course critique,) what time they went to the spa, how many times they did this or that. I prefer the basic meat regarding the ship and their impressions of their overall cruise experience. Throw in something to avoid or something not to miss, and that's enough for me.

 

Okay, you DO have a point here... I don't really enjoy a complete list of what each person in their party ate each night. A 'best' and 'worst' list would absolutely be sufficient. :p

[Time2sail]

I like all of the reviews, but details are good. So, I vote for long is better.

[stormyc]

I like all of the reviews, but details are good. So, I vote for long is better.

 

Oh, that's a great example of an onboard review ...hard to beat the 'freshness' of an ongoing report. :)

[Ziggy7]

I enjoy reading everyones cruise experiences! So the longer the better but if its short and sweet, its ok too, to each their own :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I enjoy reading long and short reviews.

 

[peaches from georgia]

I enjoy reading reviews of all lengths, IF there is some organization- such as sentences, paragraphs, and hopefully divided into topics or subjects. No, I don't read on and on when a review is not only too detailed, but is the day-by-day 'first we did this, then we did that, DH had the eggs for breakfast' variety. :)

[Roz]

I like reviews that:

 

1. Are broken up into paragraphs by subject e.g. embarkation, food, cabin, service, etc.

 

2. Use complete sentences, beginning with a capital letter.

 

3. Use correct grammar.

 

4. Use appropriate punctuation such as commas, periods, question marks, etc.

 

5. Get to the point without belaboring the issue.

 

Roz

[elmorejj]

Roz you beat me to it! I was going to say the same thing! I also don`t really need to know what time you left your house, what airline you flew or which hotel you stayed at in your port city. The review should be about the ship and cruise.

 

Also, I wish people would proof their posts before posting, and correct spelling mistakes if possible..............jean :cool:

[RevNeal]

Keeping in mind that "long" and "short" are relative terms, I tend toward preferring the longer reviews. If well written, engaging, not pedantic, and containing the GOOD as well as the "not-so-good" and/or "bad" aspects of the cruise, a long review is my preference. If it's just going to be a rant on the things that one feels were done wrong, then shorter is MUCH better. :)

 

I like two kinds of reviews: Ship reviews ... i.e., reviews that focus on the particulars of a ship, lounges, lay-out, atmosphere, crew quality, etc. Those are always helpful, regardless of itinerary. Then, I like reviews that are itinerary specific. Writing one's review into segments so as to fill both needs while not mixing the details can be very helpful to a reader who is trying to find information about a ship on the one hand, or an itinerary on the other. One of the most helpful reviews I ever read was one that dealt JUST with the passage through the Panama Canal. It gave me a heads up on what to expect in the process, what time to be up and ready, what to look for, where to be, what to bring, etc. It was an excellent aid, and I'm thinking of writing one like it for my passage through the canal (if I have the time this summer!).

 

In short, longer is better IF it has something to say and is enjoyable to read. If it's just a whine from one end to the other ... then make it shorter, please. :D

[sail7seas]

I enjoy reading all the reviews but seeing as we were asked to vote, I cast my vote for the long ones IF they are written with paragraphing and punctuation. Some of the huge reviews that are all in one paragraph get my head swimming. They are too hard to read and I give up.

Thanks to everyone who posts a review.

[sail7seas]

I sincerely hope that the comments here will not dissuade anyone from posting a review thinking they need to be an English major to satisfy us. That is NOT what anyone is expecting or requesting.

 

Speaking only for myself........please, at least break a long review into paragraphs. It's so much easier to read and understand.

Thanks again to everyone who goes to the bother of posting a review.

[jhannah]

Say! Maybe we should post two reviews per cruise. One would be the more detailed (but not belaboring, as mentioned) and the other would be the "Reader's Digest" version! ;)

[CDRMark]

I love all reviews and second S7S's comment of thanks be to they who post them. I prefer detail (and am guilty of a multi day thread), but do not mind "reader's digest" condensed versions. What I cannot abide is the 'fortune cookie' review; you know them: "Food good; service bad."

 

Also, it goes without saying, (so I'll say it): please for the love of all that is good and decent give the reasoning behind the grade. "The water was too wet" comments cause my head to explode.

Cheers

MarkB

[Scrumpy]

I like a lot of detail and also comments/info that some would think were irrelevant. I'm in the process of reading some reviews that might more aptly be described as travel journals. I have enjoyed them very much. The comments were originally posted here on cruise critic and some of you may remember them. http://www.chesterh.com/cruises.htm (They are Celebrity cruises so far, not HAL). It is taking HOURS, but I think it's worth my time.

 

Having said that, I wouldn't want to spend nearly as much time reading something that wasn't entertaining, informative and well-written. You don't have to be Dostoevsky, but if you are going to write something extremely long, it helps to be engaging. Please expound on "good" and "bad" at the very least. I am trying to gather new info and also to see through someone else's eyes. I think it's hard to do that when reviews are extremely brief. I appreciate the effort anyone makes in a posting a review. If it's a choice between short and sweet or nothing at all, I will take short and sweet (or not-so-sweet). And, I'll hope that you stick around and answer questions.

 

Scrumpy

[TedC]

My favorite recent review (long) was by a woman who complained that the waiter placed a roll on her plate UPSIDE DOWN! I think it was in the Pinnacle.

 

Don't you just hate it when that happens? Perhaps HAL should label its rolls: "This side up."

 

(And I thought my wife was intolerant.)

[RevNeal]

TedC, the Toilet paper thread was a REAL hoot!

[RuthC]

I prefer the review to be longer and detailed, but a shorter review is all right if the reviewer will come back and answer questions.

I enjoy reading a review that covers well-defined topics (in paragraphs!) that I can read carefully or skip, that give examples to back up the opinion, and that are specific. I especially like it when people mention entertainers by name. If you say the magician was good it doesn't help me unless I know who he was when he's on my cruise.

I do read all the reviews on this board and appreciate the efforts of the posters.