Is your ship sinking?

[C 2 C]

As I read through many threads, some posters make it seem that the Celebrity cruising experience is reaching all time lows.

 

Some long term cruisers and long time cruise critic followers take many of these posts with a grain of salt but new cruisers must be worried about their choice of cruise line for their upcoming cruise.

 

There are a number of sites that comment about people who are characterized by negative comments:

Chicken Little with "The sky is falling" is a fable that goes back centuries if not millennia.

Modern terms include Debbie Downer, Negative Nancy, and Pessimistic Patty

or Miserable Mike and Complaining Calvin.

http://greeneggsandlam.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/three-people-i-cant-stand-debbie-downer-negative-nancy-and-pessimistic-patty/

 

Of course, most of these are extremes, (or maybe not), however, upon closer scrutiny, and maybe a little introspective, if we find ourselves too close to any of these unpleasant sorts, could we, maybe, just maybe, make a little bit of an attitude adjustment.

 

I know that this website is called "Cruise Critic" but if you find that your posts are always raining on someone's parade or cruise, could you perhaps let a little sunshine through in a few posts?

 

I know that not every cruise is perfect but unless your ship has sunk it's doubtful that it was a total disaster. Please lighten up with the negatives and lets hear more from people who enjoyed their cruise.

[DebbieMacG]

As I read through many threads, some posters make it seem that the Celebrity cruising experience is reaching all time lows.

 

Some long term cruisers and long time cruise critic followers take many of these posts with a grain of salt but new cruisers must be worried about their choice of cruise line for their upcoming cruise.

 

There are a number of sites that comment about people who are characterized by negative comments:

Chicken Little with "The sky is falling" is a fable that goes back centuries if not millennia.

Modern terms include Debbie Downer, Negative Nancy, and Pessimistic Patty

or Miserable Mike and Complaining Calvin.

http://greeneggsandlam.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/three-people-i-cant-stand-debbie-downer-negative-nancy-and-pessimistic-patty/

 

 

 

I know that this website is called "Cruise Critic" but if you find that your posts are always raining on someone's parade or cruise, could you perhaps let a little sunshine through in a few posts?

 

I know that not every cruise is perfect but unless your ship has sunk it's doubtful that it was a total disaster. Please lighten up with the negatives and lets hear more from people who enjoyed their cruise.

 

 

Totally agree :) great post!

[junetraveler2014]

:) Great post. Agree fully!

[AmberCascades]

I love Celebrity! Okay, I've so far only been on the Century (but pre-cruise I was reading about how run down it was, etc.). We went in prepared to love her and we did. We do! We'd go on the Century again but so far haven't seen an itinerary and time that interests us. We are going on the Summit next week and I'm looking into the Infinity for 2015. If you want to have a good time and enjoy your cruise and the whole experience, then you will. If you want to look for holes in the carpet and rust on the railing then you will find it. It's up to you how you want to spend your vacation.

[TeaBag]

Great suggestion. I would cruise oftener if the budget allowed it. We enjoy every cruise.

[Pet]

I guess I come under the heading of an experienced cruiser with Celebrity having first sailed with them in 2002, and 15 times since, so recognise that standards in many areas of shipboard life have been eroded over the years (although certainly not all) from what I perceived back then. Certainly the pluses outweigh the minuses. Often, you just have to live with changes resulting from the bean counters getting to work, or cruise elsewhere. What I sometimes find surprising is that some fellow cruisers wait to get home to vent their spleen on sites such as this. If they have a genuine grievance (and I don’t mean the price of the drink or the quality of the entertainment) getting it rectified while on-board if at all possible must be the first resort. Certainly I have had some success with that approach in the past. Going in with both guns blazing will probably only result in a quick exit, complements of security, from the ship, but in my experience a more measured approach will normally have the desired effect. :)

[Ma Bell]

The biggest change is not on the ships, it's on these boards. It seems they have been overtaken with advice from people who seldom, if ever, set foot on a Celebrity ship.

 

Nothing is ever perfect but in all my years I've never had a "bad" cruise. I firmly believe you make your own joy in life.

[KiwiFunCruiser]

 

 

I know that this website is called "Cruise Critic" but if you find that your posts are always raining on someone's parade or cruise, could you perhaps let a little sunshine through in a few posts?

 

I know that not every cruise is perfect but unless your ship has sunk it's doubtful that it was a total disaster. Please lighten up with the negatives and lets hear more from people who enjoyed their cruise.

 

Thank's Cruisenut, you "hit the nail on the head". We thoroughly enjoyed our Solstice cruise last week, and yes there were some minuses, but they were outclassed by the many pluses.:)

[Karynanne]

Great post Arno. Cruising is a wonderful way to see the world...meet terrific people, and be pampered. All of our cruises have been great. Albeit some greater than others...but neverthe less great!

 

Karyn

[surebeatssailing]

I too agree with above postings. Always have a great time!!!

[varoo]

It is called exception reporting. People usually do not tend to comment on the norm, when things go as expected.

 

When we book a Celebrity cruise, we expect to have an enjoyable cruise with good food and service, and that is what we usually get for the most part.

 

Consider the types of comments we make in reporting on other aspects of our lives.

When we talk or write to others, we typically do not go around reporting that a tree did not fall on our house today, or that we did not fall and break a leg, or did not need to call the plumber.

 

We would comment about having a 70 degree day in January, not about having a 70 degree day in June. :)

 

 

I agree with Cruisenut that a newcomer might get a lopsided impression of Celebrity cruises from reading the comments on this forum alone. But the same could be said about the forums for the other cruise lines as well.

 

 

Edited January 21, 2014 by varoo

[MMOMOM]

As I read through many threads, some posters make it seem that the Celebrity cruising experience is reaching all time lows.

 

Some long term cruisers and long time cruise critic followers take many of these posts with a grain of salt but new cruisers must be worried about their choice of cruise line for their upcoming cruise.

 

There are a number of sites that comment about people who are characterized by negative comments:

Chicken Little with "The sky is falling" is a fable that goes back centuries if not millennia.

Modern terms include Debbie Downer, Negative Nancy, and Pessimistic Patty

or Miserable Mike and Complaining Calvin.

http://greeneggsandlam.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/three-people-i-cant-stand-debbie-downer-negative-nancy-and-pessimistic-patty/

 

 

 

I know that this website is called "Cruise Critic" but if you find that your posts are always raining on someone's parade or cruise, could you perhaps let a little sunshine through in a few posts?

 

I know that not every cruise is perfect but unless your ship has sunk it's doubtful that it was a total disaster. Please lighten up with the negatives and lets hear more from people who enjoyed their cruise.

 

Great post! I will say in reading posts lately, yes, there has been a lot of Celebrity bashing .... but then there's been a lot of HAL bashing too!! LOL!! I think you put it perfectly. We usually sail RCCI, but have been thinking of trying Celebrity. We've sailed HAL once and loved it on the Eurodam and we've done 2 on Carnival, when the timing and price was right. We love cruising ... some lines more than others, but I would never say that we had a bad time, that's for sure! What I find best in all of these type situations, boards/reviews, etc. is you have to sort of 'sift' thru them. After a while you can pretty much pick out the 'Will and Wendy Whiners'!! LOL!!! Some people just like to complain. I like to learn as much as I can about any ship I'm going on or any place on land I'm going to as well ... and go from there. If our budget permitted it, we'd cruise a lot more than we do ... but we go as often as we can and I'm thinking it's about time to seriously start looking and maybe booking! LOL! Thanx again for your post! Really enjoyed it! :)

[MVPinBoynton]

Arno,

You got that right! I wish your post could make a difference; but complainers like to complain. Hopefully new Celebrity cruisers have enough sense to look at all the info and make their own decisions after the cruise.

[drarill]

Thanks Arno!! Excellent post! We love cruising and we love Celebrity!! :):)

[yoshi14]

I've been on 20 plus cruises over the years, starting with NCL's Starward. For those who cruised back in the early 80's will remember the ship. It held about 750 some pax and even then it was a little old. I've sailed HAL and Celebrity. Of all the cruises, not one has been bad. Some better than others. One had engine problems and had to skip a port. Big deal. Still had a good time. Really slow dinner service, 2 1/2 hours for dinner and food wasn't that good. Still better than cooking it myself. Otherwise the cruise was great. The air conditioning went out on one cruise for several hours. Big deal, went out on the deck and played cards with friends and had free drinks. Had a great time. Unless the engine quits and you're floating around for days, or all the toilets backup into your room, or the ship sinks, you really can't have a bad time on a cruise. (at least I haven't). It's like life, you make of it what you want. You can chose to enjoy what life gives you or complain and be miserable.

[dodger1964]

Lots of critics on cruise critic.

 

Some will defend X religiously, others will bash it. I hope most are complaining to try and get things changed/corrected. (loud music comes to mind)

 

There probably is some of the "grass is greener" syndrome involved with some of the posts, and some nostalgia also...,"in the old days it was better".

 

I view the threads as a way to get things changed for the better.

[MissBreezy]

Thank you! Great post.

 

I've been lurking quite a bit lately and especially yesterday found myself taken aback by all the negativity. Some people's expectations seem to be so high that they could be in orbit.

 

Looking forward to all the great things I've heard about X when we do our first cruise in Sept. ;)

[Ceeborne]

As they say, the cup is half full or half empty. You can make that choice for yourself everyday. I always choose the cup that is half full. It keeps me happy.:(

[20pluscruises]

Lots of critics on cruise critic.

 

Some will defend X religiously, others will bash it. I hope most are complaining to try and get things changed/corrected. (loud music comes to mind)

 

There probably is some of the "grass is greener" syndrome involved with some of the posts, and some nostalgia also...,"in the old days it was better".

 

I view the threads as a way to get things changed for the better.

 

Thank you!

 

I just want Celebrity to continue to stay a step above the rest.

 

RCCL/Celebrity was the most profitable cruise line for the last two years...why ruin / dumb-down something that is already working?

[C-Dragons]

Thank you! Great post.

 

I've been lurking quite a bit lately and especially yesterday found myself taken aback by all the negativity. Some people's expectations seem to be so high that they could be in orbit.

 

Looking forward to all the great things I've heard about X when we do our first cruise in Sept. ;)

Great observation, and unfortunately the root of the problem.

You will have a wonderful time in September.

We love X, and are looking forward to each one of our upcoming cruises. :)

[Benjo8]

We've cruised on Celebrity 15 times over the past 22 years along with 6 other cruises on several lines; Caribbean, Mediterranean, Alaska, Bermuda, and the Baltics. Looking forward to Silhouette again in less than 3 weeks. Never had a bad cruise, never regretted taking a cruise vacation. I've posted this before and I will repeat it here: if early on in your cruise you have a problem, open your mouth and give them a chance to make it right or at least better. Don't sit silent and then bash the cruise line afterwards. I always complain to someone as soon as I experience a problem that could diminish my enjoyment of the cruise. Most of the time they make it right, and more importantly I at least feel that they value my business. Don't be afraid to speak up, it's your precious vacation time and dollars.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Benjo8

[upwarduk]

I've posted this before and I will repeat it here: if early on in your cruise you have a problem, open your mouth and give them a chance to make it right or at least better. Don't sit silent and then bash the cruise line afterwards. I always complain to someone as soon as I experience a problem that could diminish my enjoyment of the cruise. Most of the time they make it right, and more importantly I at least feel that they value my business. Don't be afraid to speak up, it's your precious vacation time and dollars.

 

That's exactly what Sue Denning (CD) asked us to do at our Meet & Mingle on Eclipse, Southern Caribbean, last March.

She said that just because our name is Cruise Critic, it doesn't mean that we HAVE to criticise, if we had a problem, bring it to the attention of the department responsible.

[Tudy]

I remember reading cruise critic as a newbie to cruising. I was very glad to find a place that gave me honest information: the super wonderful, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I think that we need to give new cruisers more credit for being able to decipher which posters are 1 or 2 standard deviations away from the norm, whether too positive or too negative. I know that I was able to quickly see who were the "Pollyannas" and the "Cruella DeVilles." I found that my cruise experience pretty much matched the norms.

 

I really hope that Cruise Critic remains an Honest forum.

[Northern Aurora]

Thanks to ~Cruisenut~ for starting this thread. I've also found the negativity rather curious, but strongly suspect we have been reading some "guerrilla marketing" attacks.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone,

 

Arno, thank you for your spot on comments.

 

I'm also not pleased with the recent wave of negativity, and a few cases of folks going out of their way to be mean spirited. It certainly makes the life of a moderator **far** more demanding & time consuming, than I ever signed up for :).

 

What I'm unable to wrap my head around, is how some folks become fixated on getting their point across at all costs. All of us have topics that we're passionate about. Passion is great. So is sharing our opinions... but attacking others, or attacking any particular brand (or employee) is not cool.

 

As I've said on numerous occasions, there's a way to get your point across, without being mean spirited or combative against your fellow members. Please ask yourself this question : Aren't we all here to help each other ? If not ? IMO, we should be.

 

If I may offer a suggestion - please consider reading your post 2 or 3 times before hitting the "submit reply" button. When reviewing your post, strongly consider it's content & value to our community. I continue to do this with every single post.

 

I don't know about you, but I consider each and every day a gift, and consider myself fortunate to be a part of our wonderful community, helping others, and most of all... to have cruising as a part of our lives. I'm forever grateful for our many wonderful cruise experiences & memories.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Host Andy