Reviews on both ends of spectrum? !

[Pier290]

I keep reading Equinox reviews. ...I either hear....

Best cruise ever, great food, excellent service, can't wait to go again.

OR....

worst ship, terrible food, horrible experience, won't go back.

 

WTH?! How can these recent reviews be so different from each other?!

 

Just when I'm all excited about reading outstanding reviews.....I read a recent horrible review that contradicts everything !

 

Totally inconsistent !!!

Thoughts?

 

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[music]

I think people like to complain. I was on this ship and am going back in May. I had a great experience on the Equinox, it was my first Celebrity cruise. A cruise is what you make of it, I choose to have fun and don't let the little things that apparently bother other people bother me. I can't understand why some people are upset over things, who cares what people wear, (seems to be an issue for some) I am on vacation and on a cruise, what could be better? The drink package...yup, got it!

[Cruise_Dancer]

Subjective reviews are subjective.

 

People have different tastes. Food that's comfortable and familiar to one person will be bland and boring to another person. Entertainment that's relaxing and low-key to someone will be dull and a snoozefest to someone else. A staff that seems involved and energetic to some travelers will be cheesy and in-your-face to others.

 

A good way to find evaluate reviews is find people who have taste similar to yours. Want to know if you can trust their food recommendations? What restaurants do they like? Want to know if you'll agree with their choice in entertainment? What'd they say about something else you liked or disliked? Find a baseline you can agree on and go from there.

[Pier290]

Yep. I agree...we are young but prefer Celebrity because it's so relaxing, clean, and classy. We ALWAYS purchase the BEV packages and get over our monies worth! ;) 77 more days!

 

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[davekathy]

Yep. I agree...we are young but prefer Celebrity because it's so relaxing, clean, and classy. We ALWAYS purchase the BEV packages and get over our monies worth! ;) 77 more days!

 

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Enjoy your Cruise.

[grandgeezer]

Is it coincidence that the two positive commenters mentioned having the drink package, I think not. From experience, I found the more I drank, the better the food tasted and how much better the service and entertainment got. RCL doesn't give the "free" drink package or discount their cruises to fill their ships.

[mom says]

Go to any website that has reviews. Show me one where the reviews are consistent. I've never seen one. Read reviews on TripAdvisor. Multiple reviews from people staying at the same resort at the same time, with diametrically opposed views.

 

As previously stated, these are all very subjective. People can have very different likes, dislikes and expectations. Some people are very easy to please. Some people are impossible to please.

 

And the other thing about reviews? More people will write a review of a bad experience than they will of positive ones. And almost no one writes a review on experiences that fall in between.

[TFLG]

Is it coincidence that the two positive commenters mentioned having the drink package, I think not. From experience, I found the more I drank, the better the food tasted and how much better the service and entertainment got. RCL doesn't give the "free" drink package or discount their cruises to fill their ships.

 

That "free" drink package aint free, and RCI is always sending me discount emails. Just got one today for 30% off.

 

I have not been on the Equinox in a little over a year but it was a great ship and we are on it again in June. I choose to have fun on my vacations, and I might bitch about some small details (like the abysmal bar service on the Eclipse last November) I don't let it ruin my vacation. Some people live to complain (my dad for instance). Every time he comes back from a cruise all he does is complain. Does not stop him from blowing my inheritance on another cruise:D (sarcasm button pressed, put the flame thrower down).

[richard1s]

On the last night of our December Reflection cruise I was standing in a short line at Guests Services to pay my state room charges in cash. Behind me was a guest who did nothing but complain to another guest in line about the cruise. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, pleased this passenger about the cruise we were completing. I didn't realize it was possible to compact that much complaining into about 5 or 6 minutes. He even complained about the length of the line; I pitied whoever had to listen to him when he got to the desk.

 

On the same cruise we had amazing service, great food, very nice wine, good entertainment and experienced one of our best cruises ever. There was not one darn thing I would have changed.

 

While nothing is perfect and I am certain that people do on occasion experience legitimate issues and problems, much of what you read on this site seems so incredibly trivial. I can't imagine how people can experience the "outrage" over the minor issues they describe or frustration, when things don't always go exactly their way.

 

I feel sorry for people like that; I can't imagine what it is like for some of the staff that they cross paths with during the week.

[Amber14]

We LOVED the Equinox when we sailed on her last March. Everything about that cruise was awesome...that's why we have 2 more cruises with Celebrity booked. After sailing Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, Carnival, and Celebrity; Equinox has been the best ship! Go, cruise, and have fun!

[villauk]

Yep. I agree...we are young but prefer Celebrity because it's so relaxing, clean, and classy. We ALWAYS purchase the BEV packages and get over our monies worth! ;) 77 more days!

 

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Just like your statement above, 'we are young', it's all subjective ;). To a 10 year old, 40 is old...lol :p.

[dkjretired]

To the OP, do the old Olympic Ice Skating scoring method. Throw out the good review and the bad review and put more consideration into middle ones.

[juda]

I so agree, we are on the Solstice in 4 weeks, have read so many good vs bad reviews, I decided to stop reading and just chill :)

[easyboy]

I so agree, we are on the Solstice in 4 weeks, have read so many good vs bad reviews, I decided to stop reading and just chill :)

Right. Especially if you have already paid and past final payment date:)

[greydog]

I keep reading Equinox reviews. ...I either hear....

Best cruise ever, great food, excellent service, can't wait to go again.

OR....

worst ship, terrible food, horrible experience, won't go back.

 

WTH?! How can these recent reviews be so different from each other?!

 

Totally inconsistent !!! Thoughts?

 

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Try going to the "Reviews" section of this board and select line, ship. There is a cruisers' "would recommend" overall statistic reported. A ship like Reflection is in low-80% 'recommend'. Oceania premium line low-80%. MSC cruise we tried was low-50%, which we would agree with. So that's a single summary stat on cruisers' overall opinion. HAPPY CRUISING

[mamamzee]

Prior to a cruise on HAL, we were upgraded to a suite. These suites have a special lounge for just those passengers. I thought it was lovely. When I returned I was reading Cruise Critic and a woman went on and on complaining that the toaster in that lounge was not convenient for her to toast her bread.

 

You NEVER know what bugs some people.

[Cruise Raider]

Go to any website that has reviews. Show me one where the reviews are consistent. I've never seen one. Read reviews on TripAdvisor. Multiple reviews from people staying at the same resort at the same time, with diametrically opposed views.

 

As previously stated, these are all very subjective. People can have very different likes, dislikes and expectations. Some people are very easy to please. Some people are impossible to please.

 

And the other thing about reviews? More people will write a review of a bad experience than they will of positive ones. And almost no one writes a review on experiences that fall in between.

 

Spot on!! I disagree with the post that stated 'people like to complain'. While there are those people, we can learn a lot about negative experiences that others have had ... just take them with a grain of salt but also view the cheerleader comments with the same eye.

I think more than anything, everyone has a different experience ... plain and simple. Some people might breeze through embarkation, others may wait for hours for one reason or another. Some may have gotten superb service where there may have been a series of fails for the pax right next door. Sometimes something may not even be an issue and the staff that are serving are apologizing profusely. One person at a table may be totally ignored whereas another may get everything they want. Heck, I went into a restaurant with a group once, the waitress finally came back around as everyone was finishing up and she totally forgot my meal. When I finally got it, it wasn't cooked properly and still cold inside, and I ordered it with salmon and got bacon?? Yuk! Now, everyone else at the table was totally happy ... me, not so much. Different experiences!!

BTW, I love the Equinox and have only had very minor issues to speak of and these could have been on any ship, even those that constantly get rave reviews, if those even exist. I hope you enjoy your cruise, regardless of which ship you take!!

[galensgrl]

I so agree, we are on the Solstice in 4 weeks, have read so many good vs bad reviews, I decided to stop reading and just chill :)

 

I experienced the same thing before cruising on a) the NCL Spirit b) the NCL Dawn and c) Hal's Veendam. Despite any bad reviews we read previous to sailing, all of our cruises were good to excellent. Wasn't happy with the food on our last trip on the NCL Dawn, but I have heard the food there has improved and they put in a couple of new restaurants to replace older ones. We would travel on the NCL Dawn again, we just needed a break to try different ships.

 

I'm the restless type, and after 2 cruises on the same ship I like to try something different. But it is all subjective where reviews are concerned. Now I read all reviews, even bad ones, and so far I have never experienced what most bad reviews complain about, or if I do it turns out to be minor, like a "crowded" buffet on embarkation. Never even been in a line for that really, usually busy but reasonable. There, my 2 cents, thank you for listening. And look forward to and enjoy that cruise!

Edited January 28, 2017 by galensgrl
spacing and typo

[helen haywood]

If people complain in a review but don't list specifics then I ignore it. If they list specifics then I analyze them. I read a review where a person was annoyed that maintenance was working on the cabin next to them at 2 am and it interfered with their sleep. Understandable but surely he would have wanted his overflowing toilet fixed at 2 am if it were his cabin! People complain about slow bar service when it turns out that they had to go to the bar and get a drink....not just wait in their seat for a bartender.

[cmalagngl]

We will be on the Equinox for the third time in three weeks. Our second voyage was last September and I thought the food in the MDR was better than our first cruise on her in 2015, and that was very good. It is all subjective but I am constantly dumbfounded at some of the stuff people complain about. In my mind it is the glass half full or half empty syndrome. We have sailed on over thirty cruises over a thirty year period on Carnival, NCL, RCCL, Windstar and Celebrity. I've never gotten off a ship at the end of a cruise and not been very happy with my vacation choice. The Equinox is fantastic and you will have a wonderful cruise.

[Siora7777]

I've quit reading cruise reviews unless it's actually on the cruise critics forum boards like this. A vacation is what you make it.

[CRZR58]

My take:

 

There are 3000 customers on board these big ships, so there are 3000 different experiences. Each trip is somewhat unique and trips where nothing went wrong would be highly rated while those with issues, even on the same ship won't be.

 

Stuff happens. It's how the staff handle it that makes all the difference. If they roll their eyes and say it's our fault, when it's clearly their companies, then that's a negative experience. If they fix the problem as best they can with a smile then it's positive. This comes down to the type of the problem and the individual you deal with.

 

What not to wear. Lots of complaints in this vein on CC, but I didn't hear any when I was on board. Basically, do what you want to do withing the rules of the night and ignore the rest of the folks and you'll have a good time.

 

I miss the good old days. Things change. Remember when men wore suits and ties on planes? Lots of folks don't like change. It is what it is. Don't sweat the small stuff.

 

Entertainment. To each their own. Some will love it. Some will hate it. Most won't complain about it until after the trip, so it shouldn't affect your trip.

 

Food. Hugely different experience for suite guests and those who use the MDR. 3000 meals a day times 3 meals means some folks aren't going to get hot food or even edible food (A couple of dinners in the MDR on our Equinox trip). Those who get good food don't seem to understand that everyone didn't get the same experience. Think of the MDR as banquet food and you won't usually be disappointed. Think of it as fine dining and you likely will be.

 

Embarkation/Debarkation. (See stuff happens.) Part of the experience is the ships people, part is the ports and part of it is the customs folks. I've gone right through and been on board in 10-20 minutes and I've had to wait 3 hours with no one telling us anything then staff just taking down the barriers and yelling run. It was just dumb luck that no one got hurt.

 

Cheerleaders vs Eeyores. Some folks love to complain, others see everything through rose coloured (Yup, I'm a Canuck) glasses. Lots, if not most threads have both types. Throw out the worst and the best and look at the rest.

[RosieRoo]

Everyone has their own opinion. Two people can be on the same cruise and have totally different experiences. I just read a review on the Eclipse where the person thought Celebrity was going downhill. I've sailed NCL, Royal, Holland and MSC in the last six months and did the Eclipse in January. While we enjoyed every one of those cruises, my husband said it was his best cruise in a long time and he was glad to come back to Celebrity. We thought the food in the MDR was far superior to anything we had on any of the other cruise lines and all our service was excellent. So, read reviews if you want, but go with an open mind and form your own opinion. Life is short. I consider myself lucky to be able to sail the seas as often as I do, so not much really bothers me.

[traveling6pack]

Sometimes I just go the high end luxury lines and read the comments there. The complaining is off the charts. I've had the good fortune to sail on Regent, Seabourn and Silversea and NEVER found one thing to complain about. Celebrity is awesome. Haters gonna hate.

[Pier290]

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