What's with the negative reviews?

[juliea344]

Why are there so many bad reviews of RCCL cruises under the review section. I have to try not to get scared off from other ships when I read them. But I know my last cruise was nothing like the reviews make it sound so I guess I can't give them much credit. I just don't understand it.

 

Sent from my XT1575 using Forums mobile app

[crewsweeper]

Some folks have too high of expectations, romanticized fantasies of cruising, or a single bad experience that snowballs in their mind and permeates their memory of the cruise. Others are just Negative Nancys, and Complaining Chucks in life anyway.

 

However, if even in good or average reviews of a ship there's a common thread on complaints, it's probably a good idea to at least be aware, if you've booked the ship and look for avoidance or work around.

[JTBCruiser]

We are still relatively new with only 7 cruises under our belt but I read reviews with a grain of salt. As the previous poster mentioned, look for trends both good and bad but to us, it is just getting away, we do more R&R vs. participating in the numerous on board activities. We look forward to different ports & excursions. If the glass is 1/2 full I need to top it off.

[BillOh]

Why are there so many bad reviews of RCCL cruises under the review section. I have to try not to get scared off from other ships when I read them. But I know my last cruise was nothing like the reviews make it sound so I guess I can't give them much credit. I just don't understand it.

 

Sent from my XT1575 using Forums mobile app

 

One thing, most of us don't post reviews in the review section we do them here in the main Royal section. I'm guessing many people who make the effort to go to that section have an agenda or bad experience to relate. If you ask about really good reviews of a particular ship, people will reply with links to threads in this section.

[leinhto]

Many complaints are sailing specific and the next one right after that can be a totally different experience. I've never read a review that made me not want to choose a particular ship or sailing, even for what appears to a be a legitimate complaint.

[juliea344]

One thing, most of us don't post reviews in the review section we do them here in the main Royal section. I'm guessing many people who make the effort to go to that section have an agenda or bad experience to relate. If you ask about really good reviews of a particular ship, people will reply with links to threads in this section.

Right, in here the reviews are usually glowing. Actually I wrote a positive review on the boards but not in the review section. Hmmm, can't say why I didn't put it there too. Maybe that section is for the Negative Nellie's.

 

Sent from my XT1575 using Forums mobile app

[dwayneb236]

I've only been on one Royal cruise but from some of the reviews I've seen you would think they are the worst cruise line in the world. If half of the complaints I've read were actually true and as pervasive as some people let on then Royal would probably go out of business. Some people have crazy high expectations and think the world revolves around them.

 

You'll get the standard "well I paid X amount for my cruise and I expect service". Unless it was something egregious, I'm very easy going. Humans will be humans and aren't "On" all the time. We all have our days where we just don't want to be there and unfortunately it can affect our performance. "Things Happen". But it's not the end of the world if your service was only So-So in the MDR.

 

Some of these reviewers make it seem like if they don't get a towel animal one night then their whole cruise is ruined.

 

Relax, it will be ok. Heck, you're on a cruise.

 

By the way, we had a great cruise. My only complaints were about idiot cruisers, none of the staff.

[reallyhooked]

Why are there so many bad reviews of RCCL cruises under the review section. I have to try not to get scared off from other ships when I read them. But I know my last cruise was nothing like the reviews make it sound so I guess I can't give them much credit. I just don't understand it.

 

Sent from my XT1575 using Forums mobile app

Take them with a grain of salt. I remember our 1st cruise, didn't know about cruise critic. We were on top for Sail away & I said where are the town people ( watched Love Boat ) I still have to laugh. If you enjoy cruising go & be patient. Some food I like, the same with entertainment. We've been blessed to be able to see places we never dreamed of.

[bigque]

My first cruise in 2008 was on Sovereign of the Seas. I didn't know about CC Forum at the time and I searched the CC Review Section for reviews about Sovereign. Back in 2008 the reviews were such that you would have thought that sailing on Sovereign would be the worst thing I have ever done in my life. Out of all the reviews I read back then there were only 2 or 3 that were positive. I read these after I had booked the cruise and I had seriously thought about canceling the cruise but I didn't as we always wanted to go on a cruise and we went not knowing what to expect. We thought the whole ship was going to stink of raw sewage from what we read and the food would be awful! Well we had the best time of our life on Sovereign and enjoyed it so much that we have been cruising ever since. We did not experience any of the negativity that we read about and it made me not to really look at those reviews again but I do read the ones here in the forum. When I do my reviews here I also post them in the review section so that people searching reviews can get a more objective review that an all negative review! :cool:

[egh170]

Welcome to the "ME" society

[TM38Rob]

My advice is to see what the review is about and how it might affect you. If someone writes a bad review about food items I would never eat, then I discard that review as it wouldn't necessary apply to my experience. Basically, I look at reviews to see how I can make my experience better. If the review is about long lines, I'll plan to get there early, etc.

[George C]

It is easy to complain about certain things, RCCL and other lines have been cutting back on staff and quality of food, but still the best bang for the dollar although it has changed so much in my 60 cruises, we still cruise once or twice a year and have no plans on stopping

[TC1957]

I think you should probably take most reviews (positive and negative) with a grain of salt. Really negative reviews may well be from someone who had one justifiable horrible experience that they allowed to sour the entire cruise...or they had unrealistic expectations. Conversely, really positive reviews may well be from someone with the attitude that any day spent on a cruise is the best thing since sliced bread and absolutely nothing that could possibly happened can make the day anything less than a day spent in Eden.

 

I prefer reviews that point out the good and the bad...and when I prepared the two I have posted that is what I tried to do. Because so many things (food quality, entertainment quality and service) are subjective I try to relate them to something. For example, if I think a steak at Chops was fantastic I might say it is "comparable to Oak Steakhouse" which was rated by Travel & Leisure as the top steakhouse in the US...and if it was bad I might say it was like eating at Western Sizzler.

 

Just my thoughts.

[Punchy]

I only put trust in the 2-4 star reviews. I am looking for gotchas or hidden gems in the reviews. 5 star reviews are people wanting to tell how awesome their trip was and 1 star reviews are fun to read because its easy to turn the lens on most of them. Never been on a perfect cruise as there should be something to improve on.

[zanydoc]

Aren't some of these ultra-negative reviews from trolls? I look to see how long they've been cc members and if they have any other reviews or posts before deciding if the review is legit.

[Skyesong]

I also think some people just like to bring others down. I put up on facebook that I had booked a cruise on Voyager, and someone immediately got on and wrote this whole long diatribe about how awful it was. I've actually banned her now from discussing it with me. She's a born whinger, and nothing is ever good enough for her.

 

If you go into things with a bad attitude, you shouldn't be surprised when you get back what you give out.

[Sascol]

One thing, most of us don't post reviews in the review section we do them here in the main Royal section.

 

I often wonder why so may people post reviews here vs. in the review section of the website? I always go to the review section first as they are organized and easy to navigate through. I can get right to what I need without searching much.

[Sascol]

I look to see how long they've been cc members and if they have any other reviews or posts before deciding if the review is legit.

 

Not sure what # of posts or how long one has been enrolled on CC has to do with the validity of a review? If I have an experience to share (good or bad) about something, I may join a message board and post to share my thoughts. Just because it is someone's 1st post vs. their 1000th post does not make their thoughts any less meaningful.

 

Look at it this way - a user's 1st post is not tainted by all of the severe negativity often seen here by someone who may post all of the time.

[NewSalt]

My experience was much like Bigque's above. I found CC two weeks before we took our first cruise, which was on the Celebrity Summit. After reading the reviews, I was sick. She was old, tired, rusty, with gross, disgusting food.

 

I still remember how my jaw dropped when we boarded and I walked into the atrium. Elegantly gorgeous. I did find a little rust here and there, but it's a ship that sails on salt water. Rust happens, but I never saw more than a small spot. And the food was pretty darned good.

 

We just got off the Anthem, and it was a great trip with nothing I could complain of. The idea of posting a review crossed my mind, but I really didn't think another "Great ship, great service, good food" review would add much to the board so I decided not to bother. (Although we loved Jaimie's and our waiter, Pietro, so much that I may just start a thread on that.). However, if I had had a problem that wasn't resolved, I would have been much more motivated to vent about it.

 

Just human nature.

[juliea344]

The first thing I do is look for the reason behind the bad review. If it's lost luggage, a rude bartender, bad weather, or anything trivial or uncontrollable I usually disregard. I mainly only look at the review section for cabin reviews and prefer the trip reports on these boards for a better overview of the entire cruise. I just found it striking how many of the recent reviews are 3 stars or less. I almost skipped Windjammer entirely due to the reviews. It turned out to be my favorite place for breakfast and lunch!

 

Sent from my XT1575 using Forums mobile app

[gkbiiii]

Why unfavorable reviews of Royal Caribbean & its current ships?

 

1. Many long time, senior level Crown & Anchor members, remember when Royal had high standards, which set the standard, throughout the industry.

 

2. Endless pricing increases and obscene mandatory gratuities.

 

3. New ships have much less passenger space, as those much loved spaces were converted into cabins.

 

4. Steakhouse etc., at $50.00 per person, plus upgrades for Lobster, etc.

 

5. Fewer trained staffing aboard and inconsistency with customer service on land.

 

6. The failure of the Quantum Class of Vessels: think NCL's dream ships.

 

7. Poor quality meals in Buffet and Main Dining Room, & Room Service: eat much better at home or Golden Corral.

 

8. Endless nickel & dimming and a loss of those "little extras", which made cruising fun.

 

9. Getting to be a poor value compared with Mexican All-Inclusives.

 

10. Lastly, the only thing still impressive, are the ship's themselves. Royal is becoming like the airlines: American Airlines was outstanding in the early 1980's, but just like American of 2016 RCCL is on the down spiral, (reduction of standards and increased been-counter cutbacks) with hefty price increases, at the same time.

[dwayneb236]

My main prerogative is to have fun and relax and not sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff. Did I have fun and relax on my last cruise. Absolutely 100%. I'll pay whatever and not care. I also don't go on 10 cruises a year so to me it's always exciting. I'm not hardened and bitter when things don't go perfect and not like the good ole days.. I'm not a snooty snob so I don't need a lot of looking after. Not that anyone here is of course.

 

From what I understand there are several cruise lines out there who cater to the upper crust more so than Royal. They may have to cut back to only 6 or 8 cruises a year to afford them though.

 

My wife and I are LEO and we have had a rough couple of years of people hating on us for things we have absolutely nothing to do with. Just nice to get away from that, and if a crew member didn't smile at me one night, well I'll get over it.

 

Just to be clear, this was not aimed at anyone in particular, just an opinion of mine. But I'm a VERY simple country boy so I'm sure some would discount my views, but hey, they're only opinions and don't affect else anyone. Right?

[meatloafsfan]

If I were to write a review of my recent Freedom of the Seas review, it wouldn't be glowing and wonderful. The cruise was decidedly "Meh". It felt like a stream of constant upselling - from dining to drinks to faux activities that were really just sales. Our room steward was blah, our main server was blah (our assistant server was good), and the food was lackluster (except for the specialty restaurants). And the beds were terrible! There were some good points (adult pool was great - good temperature and fresh water; soda machines worked consistently and loved the specialty coffees at café promenade) but not enough to pull the overall cruise experience above just okay.

 

After debarking the Freedom, we got on the Celebrity Summit for 9 nights and it head and shoulders above in all categories.

 

Of course, we got off both of those cruises realizing how much we truly enjoyed the Carnival experience and how eager we are to return to Carnival later this year.

[dwayneb236]

My main prerogative is to have fun and relax and not sweat the small stuff and it's all small stuff. Did I have fun and relax on my last cruise. Absolutely 100%. I'll pay whatever and not care. I also don't go on 10 cruises a year so to me it's always exciting. I'm not hardened and bitter when things don't go perfect and not like the good ole days.. I'm not a snooty snob so I don't need a lot of looking after. Not that anyone here is of course.

 

From what I understand there are several cruise lines out there who cater to the upper crust more so than Royal. They may have to cut back to only 6 or 8 cruises a year to afford them though.

 

My wife and I are LEO and we have had a rough couple of years of people hating on us for things we have absolutely nothing to do with. Just nice to get away from that, and if a crew member didn't smile at me one night, well I'll get over it.

 

Just to be clear, this was not aimed at anyone in particular, just an opinion of mine. But I'm a VERY simple country boy so I'm sure some would discount my views, but hey, they're only opinions and don't affect else anyone. Right?

 

Ok, I just re-read this and it kind of depicts me as being envious of those who can cruise often. Well this is factual and I am EXTREMELY envious of those people. I love cruising as I'm sure most here do. So I'm starting a begging for money page to cruise more...I kid I kid.

 

And meatloafsfan, I love Carnival too. Always have a blast.

[Son of a son of a ...]

When we first cruised, it seemed like the price varied by cabin class. Now it seems like price is still tied to cabin class, but quality is also being tethered to cabin class. Hardly anyone complains about the suite life unless it is the price, but that was paid long before boarding. We bounce between lines and adjust our expectations based on the price we pay, not on the line.