The Myth of the Royal Cheerleader

[A2Mich]

No cruisers should behave the way the cruisers you encountered across the hall from you. A cruise ship is not a 'college dorm' where during Greek Week you might see some ridiculous behavior. The cruise line after the very first call, should have made their point crystal clear -- especially since you were not the only complaining cruisers. But like any business, they struggle when it comes to possible offending any paying customer,,,,but to me, you are just as important a 'paying customer' and the offenders in this case.

 

As to the mobility scooter issue.....I try to remember that one day in the future, that person in the mobility scooter might be me. I don't understand how you ended up with bloody ankles since you have the ability to move out of their way.

 

I live in S. Florida, so people in mobility scooters are 'aplenty'.

 

The mobility scooter issue was a result of having been in a line and unable to move due to nowhere to go and being rear-ended by said scooters. It was only a few times, though annoying nonetheless. While I can certainly understand people's needs for mobility devices, they also need to be aware of how to properly drive them, as well as others being cognizant of their presence.

[JKrise]

I have come to the conclusion that there remain royal cheerleaders.

Ok...and so what.

That's their right.

 

The whole 'cheerleader' label is a remedy of years gone by when the RCI marketing department got caught compensation posters to promote RCI online. If my memory serves me...this was about 5 years ago.

RCI quickly terminated the program. But the label stuck.

[Paulette3028]

The mobility scooter issue was a result of having been in a line and unable to move due to nowhere to go and being rear-ended by said scooters. It was only a few times, though annoying nonetheless. While I can certainly understand people's needs for mobility devices, they also need to be aware of how to properly drive them, as well as others being cognizant of their presence.

 

I surely would not want to be 'rear ended' by a scooter driver, but in post #99 you wrote "It is, however, when you end up with bloody ankles due to being hit multiple times with mobility scooters." that seems more extreme. I am sure you were cognizant of their presence, as much as they were cognizant of yours.

[John&LaLa]

I surely would not want to be 'rear ended' by a scooter driver, but in post #99 you wrote "It is, however, when you end up with bloody ankles due to being hit multiple times with mobility scooters." that seems more extreme. I am sure you were cognizant of their presence, as much as they were cognizant of yours.

 

It is not uncommon to get "bumped" by a scooter. End of story

[Paul65]

The whole 'cheerleader' label is a remedy of years gone by when the RCI marketing department got caught compensation posters to promote RCI online. If my memory serves me...this was about 5 years ago.

RCI quickly terminated the program. But the label stuck.

 

Interesting theory, but no. The "cheerleader" label has been around for much longer than that, and has pretty much always been used as a form of ad hominem to discredit another poster.

[xxHadleyxx]

I surely would not want to be 'rear ended' by a scooter driver, but in post #99 you wrote "It is, however, when you end up with bloody ankles due to being hit multiple times with mobility scooters." that seems more extreme. I am sure you were cognizant of their presence, as much as they were cognizant of yours.

 

In my experience most scooter riders are courteousness and careful and most other passengers are courteous and aware and mostly try to stay out of the way (though they tend to be bad about rushing elevators)--but there have certainly been those riders who either lack experience and cause accidents or who simply do not care or feel entitled (just as other passengers can also be rude, cut people on scooters off, etc).

The worst I have seen was on a Disney cruise about 5 years ago--one woman repeatedly bumped people, ran over toes, knocked over a fellow passengers with a rollator, etc--always going too fast and trying to go into overly small already between tables, etc without letting people get out of the way first and often yelling at people she deemed in her way simply because they happened to be where she wanted to go and had been there before her arrival.

We were in the dining room when she ran over someone's whole foot (they had backed against a wall trying to get out of her way as she barreled down a hallway and could not go more out of the way unless she had slowed down and stayed behind them as they walked). You could hear bones break and that woman was in a cast later in the cruise--and we did not see the woman with the scooter again :rolleyes: Yes, that was particularly bad and not the norm at all--but I can certainly believe (based just on past experiences) that the poster you quoted had some rude or entitled or very poor scooter drivers on a cruise---it happens from time to time even though most are good--and since the scooters are large and heavy when it happens it is noticeable and sometimes very problematic.

[setsail]

Interesting theory, but no. The "cheerleader" label has been around for much longer than that, and has pretty much always been used as a form of ad hominem to discredit another poster.

 

Yep, the term has been used as long as cc has been around. A quick check, this one from 04

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=37299&highlight=cheerleader

 

In cc guidelines it tells you to expect fans on the cruise boards, they are there because they like that cruiseline

[richstowe]

Yes there are cheerleaders on each of CC's forums . There are more of them on this forum then for any of the other cruise lines.

They are a small minority with some impressive post counts . Some of the worst have made their presence felt on this thread .

In the end they don't matter nor do the haters . In fact the rabid fans can provide a valuable service for new cruisers.

That is when they confine themselves to just giving valuable information and not spinning the truth .

I can't really think of any service the haters provide .

Edited June 4, 2016 by richstowe

[mcatmcat]

I can hand pick the people that actually give you the facts as it is without leaning to one side or the other. This forum is a great source of information but sometimes you need to make your own conclusions since some people are really bias. You can only read comments from people that are registered in the forums meaning that there are millions of users that never reply a comment since they are not allowed to do it. Taking me to another conclusion, the ideas and believes from some cruise critic' users don't even represent 1% of each sailing.

 

You might read that the drink package is a great value and eating at special restaurant is amazing. You immediately believe that's the norm since you read it and most people are also doing it based on the replies. But again, cruise critic users are less than 1% in each sailing.

 

Advices in here are great if you have experience but just because you read it here doesn't mean that's what the vast majority of people do with their cruises vacation.

[grandgeezer]

Yep, the term has been used as long as cc has been around. A quick check, this one from 04

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=37299&highlight=cheerleader

 

In cc guidelines it tells you to expect fans on the cruise boards, they are there because they like that cruiseline

 

The problem is when then chastise and demean people that had a cruise that didn't live up to their expectations not the expectation of the masses.

[MichaelCMTX]

The problem is when then chastise and demean people that had a cruise that didn't live up to their expectations not the expectation of the masses.

 

For an opposing viewpoint though, some folks' expectations need a bucket of cold-water reality. Some-- this is some not all-- of the "I'm calling the President" "I want a refund" "Worst cruise ever" "Never again" complainers seem to feel anything less than perfection is intolerable.

 

The ships are built, staffed and maintained by people, and there are a lot of people boarded and transported on them. When something needs fixed, you can't exactly get parts shipped overnight or more staff rotated in. They can be at the mercy of Mother Nature and if she's in a mood the week of your vacation, you're stuck. It's gonna happen.

 

Haven't had a bad cruise yet. Yeah, there have been a few bumps in the road like a water leak, inattentive MDR waiters, little issues, but for me RCL seems to get it right more often than they get it wrong. We've spent a lot of money on vacations NOT on cruises and had airline issues, hotel issues, transport issues, weather issues. Why is it they seem to hold Cruise Lines to a higher standard than these other vacation providers?

 

But my folks were at this since the late 1970s and one of their solid (and from what we see on this forum, highly accurate) pieces of advice are to avoid new ships and ships just out of drydock. One time they were docked beside Allure or Oasis on an early voyage and trying to reboard all the passengers was complete mayhem. Better now? Absolutely. But I've seen it here with Quantum, Anthem, and now with Harmony and Empress, and I'll bet with the next one to follow. "Oh boy, can't wait to be on the first-ever sailing / Oh geez, Worst. Trip. Ever. Never again, RCL!!"

 

Also from having been at it since the 1970s the've seen the change in service level; but have always noted that while today you may have to go to the specialty restaurant for the better steak and the ships carry more people, for your money you get far better accommodations and facilities today. So when I hear the complaints about Empress's pool being too small and things were cramped, this is a ship that was state of the art... 35 years ago. They can remodel to their best ability but there's no magic wands in the tool box.

 

I wouldn't call myself a cheerleader, but I have realistic expectations, reasonable tolerance for error and circumstances, and (very fortunately) some experience beyond my own, this forum, and that of my Travel pro to turn to.

[Paulette3028]

For an opposing viewpoint though, some folks' expectations need a bucket of cold-water reality. Some-- this is some not all-- of the "I'm calling the President" "I want a refund" "Worst cruise ever" "Never again" complainers seem to feel anything less than perfection is intolerable.

 

The ships are built, staffed and maintained by people, and there are a lot of people boarded and transported on them. When something needs fixed, you can't exactly get parts shipped overnight or more staff rotated in. They can be at the mercy of Mother Nature and if she's in a mood the week of your vacation, you're stuck. It's gonna happen.

 

Haven't had a bad cruise yet. Yeah, there have been a few bumps in the road like a water leak, inattentive MDR waiters, little issues, but for me RCL seems to get it right more often than they get it wrong. We've spent a lot of money on vacations NOT on cruises and had airline issues, hotel issues, transport issues, weather issues. Why is it they seem to hold Cruise Lines to a higher standard than these other vacation providers?

 

But my folks were at this since the late 1970s and one of their solid (and from what we see on this forum, highly accurate) pieces of advice are to avoid new ships and ships just out of drydock. One time they were docked beside Allure or Oasis on an early voyage and trying to reboard all the passengers was complete mayhem. Better now? Absolutely. But I've seen it here with Quantum, Anthem, and now with Harmony and Empress, and I'll bet with the next one to follow. "Oh boy, can't wait to be on the first-ever sailing / Oh geez, Worst. Trip. Ever. Never again, RCL!!"

 

Also from having been at it since the 1970s the've seen the change in service level; but have always noted that while today you may have to go to the specialty restaurant for the better steak and the ships carry more people, for your money you get far better accommodations and facilities today. So when I hear the complaints about Empress's pool being too small and things were cramped, this is a ship that was state of the art... 35 years ago. They can remodel to their best ability but there's no magic wands in the tool box.

 

I wouldn't call myself a cheerleader, but I have realistic expectations, reasonable tolerance for error and circumstances, and (very fortunately) some experience beyond my own, this forum, and that of my Travel pro to turn to.

Lots to agree with here.

[A2Mich]

It is not uncommon to get "bumped" by a scooter. End of story

 

Thank you. And yes, we were bumped on more than one occasion. And, for the record, those instances were not representative of the majority of scooter users.

[A2Mich]

I surely would not want to be 'rear ended' by a scooter driver, but in post #99 you wrote "It is, however, when you end up with bloody ankles due to being hit multiple times with mobility scooters." that seems more extreme. I am sure you were cognizant of their presence, as much as they were cognizant of yours.

 

My being cognizant of another's presence has no bearing on their actions. Being struck by a moving vehicle, though at obviously relatively low speeds, is not a painless experience. Cognizance has very little bearing on things when standing still in line and being struck by an inattentive driver. Had I not been paying any attention and stepped out in front of someone driving that would be one thing, and I would be at fault. Imagine in your mind you sitting still at a red light and being struck from behind by a driver not paying attention or stopping - they rear-ended you - only one person is at fault, and it was not the person that was stopped.

[Fouremco]

Interesting theory, but no. The "cheerleader" label has been around for much longer than that, and has pretty much always been used as a form of ad hominem to discredit another poster.

To which I would add that the term appears on most (all?) of the boards for other cruise lines, not solely on RCI's.

[Fouremco]

But my folks were at this since the late 1970s and one of their solid (and from what we see on this forum, highly accurate) pieces of advice are to avoid new ships and ships just out of drydock. One time they were docked beside Allure or Oasis on an early voyage and trying to reboard all the passengers was complete mayhem. Better now? Absolutely. But I've seen it here with Quantum, Anthem, and now with Harmony and Empress, and I'll bet with the next one to follow. "Oh boy, can't wait to be on the first-ever sailing / Oh geez, Worst. Trip. Ever. Never again, RCL!!"

 

I wouldn't call myself a cheerleader, but I have realistic expectations, reasonable tolerance for error and circumstances, and (very fortunately) some experience beyond my own, this forum, and that of my Travel pro to turn to.

If you and your folks have been cruising since the 1970s, your expectations are going to be very different than those of a first time or limited-experience cruiser whose expectations have been formed by glossy brochures and websites filled with hyperbole. Sure, you and I and most CC members who have been around these boards for any length of time know that inaugural cruises and those following dry dock are probably best avoided, but there's a huge segment of the passenger base that is totally unaware of the potential pitfalls, and the cruise lines aren't going to warn them off. So the " 'Oh boy, can't wait to be on the first-ever sailing / Oh geez, Worst. Trip. Ever. Never again, RCL!!' " passenger has very right to be upset. You can't sell one thing then deliver something inferior and not expect a negative reaction. Saying that these passengers had unrealistic expectations is simply an undisguised attempt to shift the blame.

[ctsharpie05]

If you want entertainment value on this front go to the DisBoards, where "fans" debate and discuss all things Disney.

 

 

 

For better or worse, I think any company that has done well enough to earn a following of some kind can generate polar opinions on boards and in general. At some point people care enough to feel invested and entitled to express an opinion one way or another and those with opposing views feel compelled to respond. I guess it's the best and worst of brand loyalty.

 

 

I have never had any issues on Disboards.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

Edited June 5, 2016 by ctsharpie05

[MichaelCMTX]

If you and your folks have been cruising since the 1970s, your expectations are going to be very different than those of a first time or limited-experience cruiser whose expectations have been formed by glossy brochures and websites filled with hyperbole. Sure, you and I and most CC members who have been around these boards for any length of time know that inaugural cruises and those following dry dock are probably best avoided, but there's a huge segment of the passenger base that is totally unaware of the potential pitfalls, and the cruise lines aren't going to warn them off. So the " 'Oh boy, can't wait to be on the first-ever sailing / Oh geez, Worst. Trip. Ever. Never again, RCL!!' " passenger has very right to be upset. You can't sell one thing then deliver something inferior and not expect a negative reaction. Saying that these passengers had unrealistic expectations is simply an undisguised attempt to shift the blame.

 

My folks have cruised since the 1970s. They rightfully understood at that age I couldn't appreciate the experience and it wasn't worth the money. I first cruised in 2009.

 

My point was there are PLENTY of folks right now on CC with the "Worst cruise ever" posts and stories and tales of woe and gloom immediately after drydock, refurbs, or inaugural voyages, and these are not rookies seduced by brochures and commercials who've joined here since Quantum and Anthem came into the fleet.

 

If you're here now in this Forum, awaiting the next fleet addition or dry dock refurb, and expecting perfection, for everything to work and for no construction to still be taking place and even for that booked in advance cruise not to potentially experience a cancellation due to delays in the process, I say your expectations are unrealistic. That's not shifting blame, that's watching Lucy holding the football and thinking "don't do it, Charlie Brown. You know how this is going to end."

 

"All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again."

[skagen]

Yes, there appear to be "Cheerleaders".

 

Absolutely. I know this post is 3 pages back but I know when I first joined a number of years ago I felt like "wow, there are a lot of apologists here!".

 

In part I thought perhaps that RCCL themselves might have a seed or two. (Honestly not unheard of in terms of PR).

 

The reality of course is that the board is filled with people heavily invested in RCCL in terms of loyalty - lots of D, D+, some P, where not just perks but ingrained (not derogatory - think lots of good memories over the years) likely build in a general bias on the boards to defend RCCL (consciously or not).

 

But yeah, "there appear to be "cheerleaders"" - totally agree. And I am myself slanted positively towards RCCL and have a general bias for them too.

[Paulette3028]

My folks have cruised since the 1970s. They rightfully understood at that age I couldn't appreciate the experience and it wasn't worth the money. I first cruised in 2009.

 

My point was there are PLENTY of folks right now on CC with the "Worst cruise ever" posts and stories and tales of woe and gloom immediately after drydock, refurbs, or inaugural voyages, and these are not rookies seduced by brochures and commercials who've joined here since Quantum and Anthem came into the fleet.

 

If you're here now in this Forum, awaiting the next fleet addition or dry dock refurb, and expecting perfection, for everything to work and for no construction to still be taking place and even for that booked in advance cruise not to potentially experience a cancellation due to delays in the process, I say your expectations are unrealistic. That's not shifting blame, that's watching Lucy holding the football and thinking "don't do it, Charlie Brown. You know how this is going to end."

 

"All of this has happened before, and all of this will happen again."

 

I have been blasted because I, similar to you, feel that people need realistic expectations for going on a just out of drydock or on an inaugural cruise. Considering that sailings are booked months, if not years before the completion of a ship, it is almost impossible to imagine what problems that will cause delays will happen.

 

I wish it wasn't so....but the way to avoid it,would be to wait until a ship was 90% complete (I was hedging at 100%) before making it available to be booked. Too many people want to be on that first sailing -- NOT I. No cruise line will do that. Even then something could go wrong.

 

I have only cruised on Royal, and that probably means to some that I should be classified as a 'cheerleader', but I would disagree because I have no problem labeling what they do wrong as wrong. So far, I have not been interested in other cruise lines for any number of reasons....mostly, DH and I have enjoyed cruising on Royal and nothing has given us reason to look elsewhere. But we have had some issues on board or prior to boarding and got them resolved. NO BUSINESS runs perfectly smooth.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Paulette3028

[grandgeezer]

For an opposing viewpoint though, some folks' expectations need a bucket of cold-water reality. Some-- this is some not all-- of the "I'm calling the President" "I want a refund" "Worst cruise ever" "Never again" complainers seem to feel anything less than perfection is intolerable.

 

The ships are built, staffed and maintained by people, and there are a lot of people boarded and transported on them. When something needs fixed, you can't exactly get parts shipped overnight or more staff rotated in. They can be at the mercy of Mother Nature and if she's in a mood the week of your vacation, you're stuck. It's gonna happen.

 

Haven't had a bad cruise yet. Yeah, there have been a few bumps in the road like a water leak, inattentive MDR waiters, little issues, but for me RCL seems to get it right more often than they get it wrong. We've spent a lot of money on vacations NOT on cruises and had airline issues, hotel issues, transport issues, weather issues. Why is it they seem to hold Cruise Lines to a higher standard than these other vacation providers?

 

But my folks were at this since the late 1970s and one of their solid (and from what we see on this forum, highly accurate) pieces of advice are to avoid new ships and ships just out of drydock. One time they were docked beside Allure or Oasis on an early voyage and trying to reboard all the passengers was complete mayhem. Better now? Absolutely. But I've seen it here with Quantum, Anthem, and now with Harmony and Empress, and I'll bet with the next one to follow. "Oh boy, can't wait to be on the first-ever sailing / Oh geez, Worst. Trip. Ever. Never again, RCL!!"

 

Also from having been at it since the 1970s the've seen the change in service level; but have always noted that while today you may have to go to the specialty restaurant for the better steak and the ships carry more people, for your money you get far better accommodations and facilities today. So when I hear the complaints about Empress's pool being too small and things were cramped, this is a ship that was state of the art... 35 years ago. They can remodel to their best ability but there's no magic wands in the tool box.

 

I wouldn't call myself a cheerleader, but I have realistic expectations, reasonable tolerance for error and circumstances, and (very fortunately) some experience beyond my own, this forum, and that of my Travel pro to turn to.

 

I've done a lot of cruises over a period of time. My first cruise I didn't know what to expect. As I cruised more my expectations were built on what the cruise lines gave me all the time. They set the bar not me. Over the last several years they have lowered the bar and as minor as some of the changes were, they aren't what I expect them do be. There is absolutely nothing I consider better now than what it was a few years ago.

We still cruise but not as near as we did in the past. In the past, we cruised for the thrill of being on the sea with everything they had to offer. Now it's based strictly on ports of call. Same thing with on board spending, they have priced just about everything outside the amount we are willing to pay. They have the right to charge whatever they want and I have the right not to pay it. Instead of hundreds of dollars a week, we spend 0 and have noticed no change in the experience.

Out of 37 cruises, we were unlucky enough to have one worst cruise ever. We have never asked for received any compensation for the things we didn't enjoy because of cutbacks.

[Colonialdame]

Just an observation. Looking back, we sailed early in the inaugural seasons of the Grandeur, Mercury, Silhouette, and Anthem. The only problems we felt were enough to actually impact our overall enjoyment of the cruise were on Anthem. We felt that Anthem was discombobulated in a variety of arenas to include technology, staff knowledge of their ship in general and food service in particular. Needless to say we have been back on Grandeur many times and will become DD on her next month. We were sad to see Silhouette leave Cape Liberty as we like to cruise locally but have enjoyed the refurbished Summit. Glad we still have drivable choices and can limit flying.

 

Reviews of Anthem seem to have improved. Truly, she is a beautiful ship but somehow we are not anxious for a do over. Not yet anyway.

[tiessa]

There are certainly those who have problems with anyone who disagrees with their POV. Call them cheerleaders or self centered or narrow-visioned. Some people, for whatever reason, cannot understand that their experience may different than the experience of others and must attack them aggressively and rudely.

 

 

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[ctsharpie05]

The cheerleader exists. I have seen several cases just today. Especially on Empress threads. It's disgusting.

 

 

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[scootersdad]

Yes, there appear to be "Cheerleaders".

 

It is called cruise "CRITIC" and there are cheerleaders who like to see their post numbers climb. I noticed they are strangely silent here.

 

IF, repeat if, RC wants to improve they need to know when and where they fall short.