Everyone on Cruise Critic Negative or Cause For Concern?

[cruising mickey]

What are the complaints?

Sometimes the complaints are blown out of proportion.

 

I have read reviews when I really enjoyed the cruise and it was somebody else's worst cruise.

 

I've read many a negative reviews and, for the most part, they seem to be triggered by something that happened before even getting to the destination or something "small" which "offended" someone. Rule of thumb for me is to discount the most positive/negative reviews and go with the ones in the middle; often just going with my orginal instinct. Happiness on a vacation should be a way of travel and not a destination; It's what you make of it and put into it. If you're still "uneasy" with negative reviews, try another cruise review site.:D

[hawkeyefamilycruiser]

Some advice stolen from a lady named Rose on CC......But after reading it realized this is how my husband and 3 children think about cruising...:) Hope it helps!....Pull out that childlike awe and playfullness buried deep inside you, plan well before your cruise (which is so much fun to do!:)), don't let small things or inconveniences upset you, try new foods, talk with strangers, participate, let yourself go and you will enjoy yourself!! Be realistic about your cruise expectations-nothing is perfect-things do happen. If you cruise with a sense of entitlement you will be disappointed. Pack you humor, imagination, childlike curiosity, flexibility, and your brain. Leave your negativity and bad attitude at home! Someone will be cleaning up after you all week, making your bed, delivering room service, cooking all of your meals, and washing all or your dishes, leaving you cute towel animals to greet you, dazzle you with shows all at the same time that they are delivering you to exotic ports of call......Now, that being said.....Enjoy YOUR cruise! It is what you want it to be!:)

[swedish weave]

AND ---- This is the reason I do not read (nor write) reviews !!!!!

[lastinga]

We had a great time on the Legend! I hope you enjoy your trip.

My review is in my signature.

[bagelsnbrew]

As a moderator on several tech forums, my experience is that people tend to come to web forums to complain, not so much to praise. It may seem that there are a lot of complaints, but it's actually a very small number considering how may people are on each cruise. The other issue is that many people have an image of cruising that is unrealistic and based on 50+ year old movies. If you want that kind of experience there are luxury lines that will provide it, but at a high cost.

[waveblaster]

To my limited knowledge, there's only been 2 1/2 bad cruises that I know of.

Titanic

Concordia

and that Splendor one where the power was out for a week and it was stranded? That would be half bad for me.. lol

All the rest are good. There are always minor issues with all cruises, but attitude going in is key. Be positive and you will have a wonderful cruise.

 

Don't forget that Seabourn cruise on the movie Speed 2. :)

[gardeningmama]

I have been on the Legend out of Tampa twice and had a great time both cruises. Decide for yourself. Some people can't be happy with anything.

[BenjiRodney]

Keep an open mind and enjoy yourself. I am seeing that there at 10 negatives for each positive. It's getting harder and harder trying to say positive things on here without starting fights.

[3030]

Don't pay any attention to people who feel they are entitled to so much. Some people are just complainers and you will never stop them. I have been on 5 CC and have enjoyed all of them. Yes sometimes there are situations, but anyday in the sun is better than any day in front of your computer at work. While I am at it, PLEASE all you people who complain about the changes on CC, do you realize that people who smuggle in liquor and try to find other ways of getting out of paying for what they should only end up costing themselves money. If people only eat what they took and didn't waste so much food, kept their rooms half-way clean so those taking care of them didn't have to spend so much time picking up after these slobs and again, paid for their drinks, cruises would cost less and we would all benefit.

Enjoy your cruise and make your own fun!

[alisonpv]

I'm not sure if it's "exaggeration" or "negativity" so much, as I think just naturally people are more apt to TALK about their experiences if they are negative. Even on Yelp.com and other review sites, Often a restaurant will get lots of stars and the only people who leave commentary are the negative reviews...

 

Either way, I agree with most of the posters saying go in with a positive mindset and be ready for things to happen "unexpectedly" and roll with the punches :)

[beachbum53]

Don't pay any attention to people who feel they are entitled to so much. Some people are just complainers and you will never stop them. I have been on 5 CC and have enjoyed all of them. Yes sometimes there are situations, but anyday in the sun is better than any day in front of your computer at work. While I am at it, PLEASE all you people who complain about the changes on CC, do you realize that people who smuggle in liquor and try to find other ways of getting out of paying for what they should only end up costing themselves money. If people only eat what they took and didn't waste so much food, kept their rooms half-way clean so those taking care of them didn't have to spend so much time picking up after these slobs and again, paid for their drinks, cruises would cost less and we would all benefit.

Enjoy your cruise and make your own fun!

 

Geez! First you tell me I have to keep my room clean and not be a slob. Then you say "Enjoy your cruise and make your own fun!" Make up your mind! Which do you want me to do?:rolleyes::D

[mavvie]

My wife and I cruised the Legend in November, 2010 as our first cruise. We had always done land based vacations at 4+ star resorts previously. That being said, we have relatively high expectations of our holiday's and the Legend did not disappoint. I doubt much has changed in the last 2 years.

 

We thought the food was excellent in both MDR and buffet and the entertainment certainly surpassed that of the resorts we had been to. Our cabin steward was phenomenol as well as the rest of the wait and service staff. The only small issue I can recall is waiting in line for certain things like debarking at ports at waiting to get back on the ship. But hey, you are on holiday's, what's the rush? The weather is great, the scenery is beautiful and chances are you're with someone you care about.

 

FYI, we were cruising out of Tampa on the Western Caribbean itinerary. I am not sure if the Legend sails out of other ports.

 

Cheers

[sparks1093]

AND ---- This is the reason I do not read (nor write) reviews !!!!!

 

I suspect that if you did write reviews they would be the type I would pay attention to.

[serene56]

When I was looking to take our first Princess cruise, I too got real scared after reading too many complaints of bad food, bored on the ship, nothing to do at night, rude crew members.

 

Honey told me to stop reading them or read them as fiction and lets go and form our own opinion

 

We were truly WOW'd from moment one and am so glad I did not listen to the reviews.

 

Its like what has been posted above- people who have a bad time are looking for an outlet-- and will let you know.

People who have a good time rarely will post that findings

[T. Advisor King]

1. I think people are more likely to write a review if they had a negative experience.

 

2. Everything else being equal, it generally takes a lot more words to describe a negative experience than a positive experience. If you were to write a review that focused on six specific aspects of the cruise, three that were positive and three that were negative, you'd find that 70-80% of the text was dedicated to the negative, which would give the overall impression of a negative experience, even though it was balanced.

 

3. I think people who post to CC tend to be more experienced cruise passengers who are long past being impressed/awed by being on a mamoth vessel with comfortable cabins, warm weather and tropical beaches. As a result, they are less likely to notice or comment on those positive aspects they take for granted. The result is that they focus on things that a new passenger might not care about or even notice.

 

I also think that there is something about the all-inclusive nature of a cruise that makes it easy to blame someone if something goes wrong. If I take my family to Hawaii for 10 days and have a fabulous time, except that one or two things are imperfect (maybe the elevator at the hotel was slow and the jeep that we rented to tour Oahu one day was older and ricketier than the guy at the lot led me to believe), I don't really have anyone to blame but myself. On regular vacations, people make more decisions themselves and tend to take more responsibilities for those decisions. On cruises, I think there is a segment of the population that expects to put itself in Carnival's hands and give Carnival the responsibility for making their vacation perfect, which is unrealistic.

[sjn911]

Don't forget that Seabourn cruise on the movie Speed 2. :)

LOL..and the Poseidon Adventure....song..There's got to be a morning after..http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcLazPauA1c. :D

 

A Carnival Cruise, just like any cruise, has ups and downs in service bests and food bests. Carnival gives you the most bang for your buck with some extras that mean more to some people than others..they really made a splash with fairly uniformly large cabins no matter what level you are on and fairly large bathroom showers that have more leg room than most with shower curtains rarely clinging!!

 

I shop in Wallmart too because I now live in a small town and the economy..yes..they took some small family businesses out..but many still remain and I have an area growing enough that we just got TJ Max..an overflow budget store for all overstock at all levels of luxury and a Coldwater Creek and a Chico's very nice middle to higher end..but not luxury midwest and California style ladies clothes and good travel clothes. T shop these stores and sales. I finally got a Rival Crockpot (name brand good one) with center that lifts out in simple 3 heat settings and no timer at Wallmart because it only cost 18 bucks a couple of years ago and I now cook for a big family sometimes. one can get many good deals and name brands..perhaps a simpler model at Wallmart and in good areas in many demographics in US they are wonderful savings, Godsend's, and negotiate a good deal on goods and have ans excellent storage supply model and volume purchase..for perscriptions here..well i save 150 from my previous place in Oregon, in a few demographics..especially large cities..it has been hard for then to get into middle class areas and those are the "rough ones"....just like Carnival is a savings Godsend..to be able to take a cruise is luxury....many have forgotten IMHO...Sarah

 

I am writing this in silky black floral poly Wallmart jams next to a nice Sunbeam space heater...LOL...all purchased last 5 years in a lovely Montana one...Sarah

[77sue]

I am leaving in less than 2 weeks for my Carnival Legend cruise. I am extremely excited and have already started putting together things to pack.

 

I think I need to stop reading reviews and information. I wan to maitain a positive attitude, but I am a little worried. I just read the most recent 5 reviews for the Legend, and they are terrible. I know everyone has their own opinion and while one person may have had a subpar experience, another person may have had the time of their life. However, out of the 5 most recent reviews, not one of them is positive. Not one. I read some earlier reviews before I booked and saw some positives and looked past some of the other negatives, but 5 of 5 negative has me worried that I am going to "get what I paid for" - the Yugo of cruises.

 

Thoughts?

I would take the reviews with a grain of salt. Our first cruise was on NCL-4 days because I wasn't sure I would like cruising. I read the reviews-said the food was horrible, etc. Figured its only 4 days I can eat hot dogs and burgers and salad(thats all they said was ok). Got on the ship and could not believe how much and how good the food was. And IMHO Carnival food is much better. We have been on six cruises. Had one that we just didn't like and believe it or not it wasn't our most recent that we spent half the cruise running from Sandy. Not everything will be perfect. But I am still amazed that we get to get on a cruise ship! Enjoy your cruise!

[kenrod]

bsharynu,

No need to be concerned about the ship or the itinerary. We were on the Carnival Legend last week and had a wonderful time! This was our first time on this class of ship and frankly, I prefer the layout of it over the Conquest or Triumph class ships.

 

Before cruising, I too read as many reviews about the ship as I could on Cruise Critic. I was especially saddened to read about someone scratching the mirrors in the elevators. When we got on the ship, the scratches were "scratched over" as a temporary fix to the problem.

 

But other than that, the ship is in great shape. We had no complaints about the food. We also liked the crew. My family had an enjoyable vacation!

 

I hope you look past the negative reviews and enjoy your cruise.

 

P.S. Take me with you! I want to go again!!!

[wranglerguy]

Love the legend our favorite ship. Would book it again in a heart beat. Be cruise for summer vacation and would have this coming summer if it was here in a heart beat. Like people said. People are more prone to post negative reviews then positive ones.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

OIIIO

[TampaCouplePDB]

I am leaving in less than 2 weeks for my Carnival Legend cruise. I am extremely excited and have already started putting together things to pack.

 

I think I need to stop reading reviews and information. I wan to maitain a positive attitude, but I am a little worried. I just read the most recent 5 reviews for the Legend, and they are terrible. I know everyone has their own opinion and while one person may have had a subpar experience, another person may have had the time of their life. However, out of the 5 most recent reviews, not one of them is positive. Not one. I read some earlier reviews before I booked and saw some positives and looked past some of the other negatives, but 5 of 5 negative has me worried that I am going to "get what I paid for" - the Yugo of cruises.

 

Thoughts?

 

I think people who complain are much more vocal and just can't be pleased.

 

We've sailed on Legend twice and love her. :)

[chill6x6]

Here's a problem I have with CC, especially the CCL section.....

 

Review or comment type ONE:

EVERYTHING about said cruise was a disaster. From the moment the taxi dropped them off at the terminal NOTHING good happened. A nightmare. A train wreck. NOW I want a REFUND!

 

EQUALLY frustrating review/comment type TWO:

Nothing is more frustrating than to read comments from those that find ZERO FAULT in CCLs product. The comments are so sugar coated that anyone with a brain knows it's IMPOSSIBLE. If one finds anything that may need attention it MUST be the passengers fault.

 

Thank goodness for those that have the presence of mind to present pros/cons equally. Those comments/reviews are really very helpful.

[CdrescherRBL152]

Keep in mind that for every person who complains, an average of 10 enjoyed themselfs. People are more likely to write a complaint then a positive remark.

[onthehighseas606]

Your title to this thread says: Everyone on Cruise Critic Negative."

 

That is not true! Most have their own experience. What their expectations are may not be what you expect. What I find in something may not be what you experience. If you depend on what others experience and take it to the ship, you will sorely be in for a let down. Just relax and have an experience of your own. JMHO.

[amybear912]

Reviews can be really helpful for planning purposes... I like to read reviews for ships I am considering and for timeframes I am cruising...

 

It gives me an idea of weather or specific yearly events that may be happening in port during my cruise... I try to ascertain from the title if the reviewer is like us... For example, I skip over new cruisers... Their review is going to cover all those first cruise experiences and opinions that we had years ago... I also skip over reviews from people with kids... We don't cruise with children and therefore information about kid programs is irrelevant...

 

But I limit how many I read... I read mostly reviews that are favorable and limit myself to only a handful of negative reviews... I usually find that the negative ones complain about the same things... That tells me more about the cruiser than the cruise... usually the negatives are specific to the cruiser... They are circumstances that I feel the cruiser more than likely brought upon themselves... Such as, table mates or not getting clean towels because they hung them up instead of leaving them on the floor...

 

What would ruin a cruise for one person, is generally something that probably wouldn't even register with me...

 

Be discriminate about the reviews you choose to read and they can be very helpful...

[leadout_kv]

I agree, use reviews to assist with travel planning.

 

Regardless, I read all travel reviews, positive or negative, with a grain salt. I go on my vacation and formulate my own opinion. Sure, there are certainly many legitimate negative reviews but I don't let it sway my own opinion.