Reviews....Don't really know what to think!

[mhurley0504]

We will be sailing on the Valor on the 29th. I have scoured cc and other sites for reviews. This is not our first cruise, it's the fifth so I probably should know better. It just amazes me how some many different people can be on the exact same cruise and have such varied opinions. Half give it 1 star. It was the worst experience ever, food was horrible, service horrible along with everything else. Then, the other half give it 5 stars. Best cruise ever, food, service and everything else outstanding.

 

I've decided a cruise is what you make of it. I've read horrible reviews on this ship and wonderful ones. I've decided to go with the mindset that I've not had a bad cruise yet and I certainly don't expect this one to be either:)

[riclop]

I take reviews with a grain of salt. Go and form your own opinion.

[freedomcruiser891]

It's the same with the triumph!! It is what you make it and most of the time people rant more than they praise a cruise. Cruising with a positive outlook makes it so much better! It's hard for me to be more optimistic at times but any cruise is better than sitting at work!

[mzlinda]

I think if one thing goes wrong, it's easy to start letting every little thing seem like a big deal. I like to read the reviews so I can set my expectations realistically but I usually think only a small portion of the complaints would bother me.

[JLee1973]

Reviews are subjective. I like to look at the pictures. Have all my cruises been perfect no, but they have always been better then being at work. They simply are what you make then out to be.

 

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[Hoosierpop]

When I read reviews, I take into consideration how specific something is and how likely an issue would bother me. For example, when I read someone say the food was bland, I don't give that any consideration since that person and I have could have very different tastes. But if I read that if you don't get to the serenity deck before 10 to get a seat several times, I consider that something to watch for.

 

I do enjoy reviews overall, even when they differ from mine.

[sarmat1]

We will be sailing on the Valor on the 29th.

 

We'll beat you to the Valor by 2 weeks. :p

 

I use reviews for factual information. As a general rule, I don't care necessarily about somebody's opinions (i.e. food, entertainment tastes are very subjective). However, reviews are helpful if the reviewer posts Fun Times or provides other useful facts about the ship or ports. I'll use those facts to form my own opinions. Happy sailing.

[love my grandkids]

We have been on about 30 or so cruises. Are some better than others? Of course.

 

However when you read a review and it is the worst thing ever will tend to discount. Also over time have seen repeated reviews from same folks and get to know them and have some understanding.

 

It is kind of funny when you go on a cruise with someone think they had a great time and than they come back and say it was worst thing ever.

[CruiseFan3035]

Sail on the Valor on the 22nd. First time sailing on her but we are certainly not new to carnival. We will enjoy it no matter what.

[nchikk]

In terms of passengers, Carnival is the leading cruise line in the world. They have thousands and thousands and thousands of repeat customers. Neither of the above would be true if the majority didn't like what they did. Go and have a great time.

Edited August 8, 2015 by nchikk

[evandbob]

We will be sailing on the Valor on the 29th. I have scoured cc and other sites for reviews. This is not our first cruise, it's the fifth so I probably should know better. It just amazes me how some many different people can be on the exact same cruise and have such varied opinions. Half give it 1 star. It was the worst experience ever, food was horrible, service horrible along with everything else. Then, the other half give it 5 stars. Best cruise ever, food, service and everything else outstanding.

 

I've decided a cruise is what you make of it. I've read horrible reviews on this ship and wonderful ones. I've decided to go with the mindset that I've not had a bad cruise yet and I certainly don't expect this one to be either:)

 

Well OP, I've been on the Valor 7 times, and if I wrote reviews, at least 3 of them would be different than the others. Each cruise is a different experience, and even if on the same ship, sometimes the crew has changed, sometimes officers are using different management techniques, sometimes the food quality varies, and sometimes the my attitude is different.

 

 

My last Valor cruise had several glitches, including a broken TV and a clogged shower drain in my cabin that the steward had done nothing about. I couldn't reach the platinum hotline from my cabin phone, so I personally went to guest services to report each problem. To Carnival's credit, each was fixed within an hour.

 

My wait team in the late dining MDR was another story. Despite only having 3 or 4 pax show up at my 8 top each night, the dinner entrée usually came out 45 mins to an hour after the appetizer and the waiters' song and dance. This was every night. It was the worst MDR dining that I had ever had on Carnival.

 

So I could have written 3 real positive reviews of the Valor, 3 just okay reviews, and one negative for the 7 times I've sailed her. The reviews would all be true.

 

I have you have a great experience!

[dallas52]

i read them just to see what they think, i always read the worse ones just to see what people think. Don't really care unless it is nasty.

[mhurley0504]

I agree with all that has been said. I do like to read the reviews, just find it somewhat fascinating that two people can be on the same sailing and have total polar opposite reviews:) I can't wait for the cruise and as I said, going with a positive attitude. Any day on a cruise is better than a day at home! To my two other posters that cruise before me, have a wonderful time!!!

[Pops, Esq.]

On both ship and excursion reviews, like to read the reviews (good and bad) so I can get some concept of what I want to do and what I want to avoid. I take both the highly positive and grossly negative with a grain of salt. Someone is either straight-up drinking the kool-aid or has an axe to grind. I also disregard those with lack of detail, as I am not here for the ultimate opinion, but rather for the details the review provides. A mixture of reviews (good and bad) pretty much tells me it's probably more of a what-you-make-of-it situation. It's only when reviews start to skew heavily in one direction or the other that I begin to think there is a good or bad thing going on.

[beachbum53]

First and foremost, a cruise is a vacation. I've often wondered, but never really looked, to see if there are forums for other types of vacations, such as skiing, seaside resort, staying in Las Vegas, etc. I'm sure there are, and, just as with cruising, there are probably a wide variety of reviews and opinions. The one thing I always wonder about the negative things posted in a cruise review is, what did the person do to try to get the issue(s) resolved while on the ship? Did the person go to Guest Services at the time the problem occurred to try to get the issue resolved, or did he/she not say anything until they got home and then decide to come on here and rant about how horrible everything was? In my job, customer service is very important, and I'll do everything I can (within reason) to make the customer happy. Unfortunately, there are some people in this world that, no matter how hard you try, cannot ever be truly happy about something. It's just in their nature to grumble and complain about everything. In cruise reviews, I look for common denominators. Do the majority say good things or bad things about something, such as food, entertainment, cleanliness, staff attitude, etc. If the majority say good things, then I'll discount the one that complains about everything. On the other hand, if the majority complain about the same thing, then that sends up a red flag that needs to be taken into consideration.

[Disneyjunkie]

I love reading reviews. But to honest, I don't care about the reviewer's opinion. I read to get an idea of what to expect, ideas of what to do in each port and to see the pictures.

 

We're sailing the Vista next summer. One review convinced me that flying Norwegian is a good option. Another cononce me to drop the idea of paying for an excursion for Pisa and Florence. His review (and youtube video)gave a very detailed info on how to DIY.

[cruise_girl2002]

We will be sailing on the Valor on the 29th. I have scoured cc and other sites for reviews. This is not our first cruise, it's the fifth so I probably should know better. It just amazes me how some many different people can be on the exact same cruise and have such varied opinions. Half give it 1 star. It was the worst experience ever, food was horrible, service horrible along with everything else. Then, the other half give it 5 stars. Best cruise ever, food, service and everything else outstanding.

 

I've decided a cruise is what you make of it. I've read horrible reviews on this ship and wonderful ones. I've decided to go with the mindset that I've not had a bad cruise yet and I certainly don't expect this one to be either:)

 

 

I no longer read reviews. some will nit pick on the smallest things (no soap in my room and that ruined my cruise lol). The last review I read was for rccl (it was my first rcl cruise at the time) I guess I set my expectations too high since everybody was saying how great it was, and I didn't think it was that great at all for the price I paid. Now I know better. I go with an open mind. not every cruise will be perfect, but it sure beats the heck out of going to work

[bar1068]

Reviews on here are pretty much useless to us, unless they contain pictures of a ship we've not yet sailed on, then they are of mild use just for perspective. From our first cruise to our most recent, too many "reviews" are just a bunch of rhetoric and many times filed with lies or untruths, or people who just want to agitatedor generate arguments, based on reviews we've read from ships we've been on. It seems many on here can't seem to cruise without reading reviews, for us, we've cruised enough on Carnival and other lines to know pretty much what to expect when we cruise.

[antiquitys]

I have been on nine Carnival cruises beginning in 2002. I hated the first one so much that I did not cruise again until 2007 when I had my favorite cruise. I have been on 7 more since then. Some were great, some good, and others were average. Why did I hate my first cruise I hear you ask? It was not Carnival or the ship. I was part of a group and did not enjoy the things the group wanted to do. When I cruised again with just my wife I loved it.

[cruizinisthebest]

I take reviews with a grain of salt. Go and form your own opinion.

 

This plain and simple. People exaggerate both positive and negative. I glean useful advice for reviews to help me with logistics only. The port of call boards on here are useful regarding excursions, and that's where I always put information in that regard on this site.

 

Nothing to be puzzled about. Pick the cruise you want for your own reasons and create your own memories.

[love my grandkids]

My favorite was a couple we cruised with and thought they were having a good time.

 

they come back and hated it and one of the biggest problems was room service never brought enough coffee mugs.

 

Dont know how many they needed but it never occurred to them to bring back some from lido so as not to worry about the coffee cup situation:)

Edited August 8, 2015 by love my grandkids

[Mrs CruisinCritter]

You are entirely right. We went on NCL for the first time back in April. Most of the reviews following the cruise said it was their best one ever however we thought it was the worst we've ever had. I'm curious to know what types of cruises the others have done previously.

 

We aren't big drinkers, but we went on a 3 day so I didn't have high expectations, but there was vomit all over the outer decks every evening and we were surprised to find it still there the next day not to mention they never cleaned the outer decks anywhere else including the great outdoors which was covered in sticky stuff and ants. That is only one of many things we found that we didn't care for, but others who were on the cruise said they didn't experience any of the stuff that we did.

 

We still had fun despite the negatives because as you said, a cruise is what you make it! Go and enjoy yourself! 😀

[amyj23]

We will be sailing on the Valor on the 29th. I have scoured cc and other sites for reviews. This is not our first cruise, it's the fifth so I probably should know better. It just amazes me how some many different people can be on the exact same cruise and have such varied opinions. Half give it 1 star. It was the worst experience ever, food was horrible, service horrible along with everything else. Then, the other half give it 5 stars. Best cruise ever, food, service and everything else outstanding.

 

I've decided a cruise is what you make of it. I've read horrible reviews on this ship and wonderful ones. I've decided to go with the mindset that I've not had a bad cruise yet and I certainly don't expect this one to be either:)

 

MHurley, we've never had a bad cruise either (we've been on 7)! We've only cruised Carnival. We did a B2B on the Valor (15 days) and everything was fine. I realize it was a few years ago, but still... We're not picky people. We've always loved the food, the service and had fun. I'm glad we're not nit-picky people, because that really ruins many of life's experiences.

[mhurley0504]

MHurley, we've never had a bad cruise either (we've been on 7)! We've only cruised Carnival. We did a B2B on the Valor (15 days) and everything was fine. I realize it was a few years ago, but still... We're not picky people. We've always loved the food, the service and had fun. I'm glad we're not nit-picky people, because that really ruins many of life's experiences.

 

 

You are so right Amy. I think some people just think the world revolves around them and they are paying to sail on the Queen Mary:p Never had a bad cruise. As you said, the food (my husband does't care for buffet food so we eat in MDR for all dinners), service and fun were all we could ask for! I'm sure things go wrong and everything's not always perfect, but it's all about the attitude;)

[amyj23]

You are so right Amy. I think some people just think the world revolves around them and they are paying to sail on the Queen Mary:p Never had a bad cruise. As you said, the food (my husband does't care for buffet food so we eat in MDR for all dinners), service and fun were all we could ask for! I'm sure things go wrong and everything's not always perfect, but it's all about the attitude;)

 

That sums it up! We'e been lucky that nothing has gone wrong for us. But I think something going truly wrong is the exception to the rule. And it seems like most staff kiss all of our butts so we could never say we had bad service. It's ALWAYS above and beyond! Or at least it has been in our experience. For two people that NEVER stay at 5 star hotels, this is the best we get treated on ANY vacation that we take! Enjoy your cruise! I know you will!