Are most of us just spoiled?

[JRG]

On 6/18/2023 at 9:13 AM, cruiserking said:

You can't really go by the ratings. People enjoy complaining it's a hobby for them. They go on a cruise vacation and can barely wait for the first snafu so they can start whining. 

 

I wouldn't stay we are spoiled. I think we're all really fortunate to travel and do so in style aboard these magnificent ship

 

You have a wonderful outlook on cruising!     What is really funny is that alot of the hobby complainers are actually not cruisers or cruise very very rarely,  but complaining on CC is the only life they have.

 

 

[Hlitner]

13 hours ago, JRG said:

 

You have a wonderful outlook on cruising!     What is really funny is that alot of the hobby complainers are actually not cruisers or cruise very very rarely,  but complaining on CC is the only life they have.

 

 

Interesting that this site was named "Cruise Critic" and not "Cruise Cheerleaders."

 

Hank

[jsn55]

30 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Interesting that this site was named "Cruise Critic" and not "Cruise Cheerleaders."

 

Hank

Well sure, what fun is there in reading complaints and moaning in a forum?  I get enough of that at home.  

[JRG]

Sometimes I feel like VanHelsing when trying to defend my point of view.  

 

BTW,  thank you for the trip report on the WDam,   It reminded me of the time Dan Rather chained himself to a palmtree to report on a hurricane. I appreciate alot of the travel trips you've given especially on the transit and excursion saving ideas and that's going to come in handy when we finally make it to Japan,   but things just don't seem right now to cruise there.

 

Having @cruisemom42 on board and commenting at the same time made for good CC reading because I don't remember that happening before and it was fun

 

We had been avoiding cruises like the plague,  but finally broke down and did the Galapagos islands with our lift and shift remnants,  but we are getting back into it and starting the planning stages again. 

 

Our standards for food have been raised considerably because of the quality of the food on the Celebrity Expedition so we are probably spoiled in that regard.

 

I used to enjoy buying our cabins long at low prices and slowly upgrading as market conditions changed and the cruisedate approached,   but its a little different now but we were definitely spoiled because we used to get such great deals.

 

 

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[Joebucks]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Interesting that this site was named "Cruise Critic" and not "Cruise Cheerleaders."

 

Hank

 

Should really be Cruise Complainers or Cruise Karens

[Hlitner]

5 hours ago, JRG said:

Sometimes I feel like VanHelsing when trying to defend my point of view.  

 

BTW,  thank you for the trip report on the WDam,   It reminded me of the time Dan Rather chained himself to a palmtree to report on a hurricane. I appreciate alot of the travel trips you've given especially on the transit and excursion saving ideas and that's going to come in handy when we finally make it to Japan,   but things just don't seem right now to cruise there.

 

Having @cruisemom42 on board and commenting at the same time made for good CC reading because I don't remember that happening before and it was fun

 

We had been avoiding cruises like the plague,  but finally broke down and did the Galapagos islands with our lift and shift remnants,  but we are getting back into it and starting the planning stages again. 

 

Our standards for food have been raised considerably because of the quality of the food on the Celebrity Expedition so we are probably spoiled in that regard.

 

I used to enjoy buying our cabins long at low prices and slowly upgrading as market conditions changed and the cruisedate approached,   but its a little different now but we were definitely spoiled because we used to get such great deals.

 

 

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We walked the walk with that Wdam review.  Since we returned we have booked several more cruises and none of them on HAL.  In fact, at least for now, we do not even look at future HAL options.  We recently booked a longer Oceania cruise (it will be our first time on that line) where, I am told, we will find a lot of ex HAL cruisers.  I think we will see a return of many last minute deals in the next year, as most of the future cruise credits, accumulated because of the COVID cancellations, are used or expire.  

 

Hank

[Kristelle]

Big difference between constructive criticism, valid complaints, relevant comparisons etc and entitled type complaining and behaviour

 

 

[winifred]

I agree we are spoiled and/or fortunate whatever you take from those words, I remember doing a short course of teaching English to students who came from many varied  parts of the world and our teaching instructor said avoid a lot ( not all) of holiday vocabulary as the majority of people from these huge continents will never go on a holiday.This stuck with me and I realise I am spoiled, fortunate but also very very lucky that myself and my family have had wonderful cruises and land holidays,

Has the quality changed? yes the world has changed, especially post pandemic. My husband fondly remembers the free sushi bar on Celebrity Equinox which is yes, you guessed it, now a pay for sushi bar, but that’s life.
I am grateful every time I step on a cruise ship, but it doesn’t stop me shopping for value for money or complaining if something goes majorly  wrong, but I know I am so much luckier (spoiled)  than the majority of people on this planet. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by winifred

[jsn55]

8 hours ago, winifred said:

I agree we are spoiled and/or fortunate whatever you take from those words, I remember doing a short course of teaching English to students who came from many varied  parts of the world and our teaching instructor said avoid a lot ( not all) of holiday vocabulary as the majority of people from these huge continents will never go on a holiday.This stuck with me and I realise I am spoiled, fortunate but also very very lucky that myself and my family have had wonderful cruises and land holidays,

Has the quality changed? yes the world has changed, especially post pandemic. My husband fondly remembers the free sushi bar on Celebrity Equinox which is yes, you guessed it, now a pay for sushi bar, but that’s life.
I am grateful every time I step on a cruise ship, but it doesn’t stop me shopping for value for money or complaining if something goes majorly  wrong, but I know I am so much luckier (spoiled)  than the majority of people on this planet. 

I liked this, but can I LOVE it???

[herbanrenewal]

I think it's just the same economic facts of modern life as impacts every aspect of society. Who isn't aware of inflationary changes in their budgets? Everything costs more and quality decreased... land and sea.At home or on vacation.

[CruisingAlong4Now]

I think many cruisers are like airline flyers.  They wanted cheaper fares and they got them.

 

Cruising has definitely become more accessible to more people due to the fare structure.  As was shown in Post #18 above by aborgman, cruising is less expensive than it was years ago in constant dollars.  When you are paying less in real dollars, you will get less in real service.

 

People wanted lower airfares.  They got them.  So, the airlines shoved more seats on the plane and started charging extra for what previously was included.  But for some people, this was wonderful.  They didn't care about the "before" because they didn't fly "before".  The basic current pricing allows them to visit Florida on vacay or visit relatives on the other side of the continent for very little money.  All their clothes are in the hefty backpack they wear so no baggage fees; they don't care that the backpack hits you in the face as they walk down the airplane aisle.  They take any seat, so no seat selection fees; they don't care that they spread out in the dreaded middle seat onto your space.  They are flying somewhere they could not have afforded "before".  

[Kristelle]

I agree wit h the gist of what you said Cruisingalong4Now - but you have painted the people who now can afford flying rather negatively.

 

It could just as easily be said they accept that people's backpacks might hit them in the face , they accept that others spread into their seat space - ie they are the reciprients of such things as much as the perpetrators.

[dsrdsrdsr]

My next cruise costs less per night in actual pound notes (no need to adjust for inflation) than my first, in 1993.  And nowadays we get our own bathroom!

 

The food is similar.  I don't want fancy dining with garlic in everything (or anything!) and twenty ingredients, and I don't get it.  I don't want a butler, I'm not at all bothered about chocolates on the bed (though I still get them) or towel animals.

 

I want a cabin and a bed, as much food as I want to eat, comfortable chairs in the public rooms, plenty of deck space, scenery, shore visits, Norway, some entertainment ...

 

And I Get It!  Yippee!  And on a smaller ship than in 1993, as well.  That was Canberra, 1800 passengers; this is Ambience, 1200 passengers.

 

I'm massively privileged, but not spoiled.  (I hope.)

[ontheweb]

11 hours ago, dsrdsrdsr said:

My next cruise costs less per night in actual pound notes (no need to adjust for inflation) than my first, in 1993.  And nowadays we get our own bathroom!

 

The food is similar.  I don't want fancy dining with garlic in everything (or anything!) and twenty ingredients, and I don't get it.  I don't want a butler, I'm not at all bothered about chocolates on the bed (though I still get them) or towel animals.

 

I want a cabin and a bed, as much food as I want to eat, comfortable chairs in the public rooms, plenty of deck space, scenery, shore visits, Norway, some entertainment ...

 

And I Get It!  Yippee!  And on a smaller ship than in 1993, as well.  That was Canberra, 1800 passengers; this is Ambience, 1200 passengers.

 

I'm massively privileged, but not spoiled.  (I hope.)

Except that mostly the ships have got bigger, not smaller, I agree with you.

[dsrdsrdsr]

13 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Except that mostly the ships have got bigger, not smaller, I agree with you.

Fred Olsen have 3 "small" ships out of the UK, Ambassador have 2.  Around 1,200 - 1,400 passengers.  A little bigger than smaller ships used to be, but still smaller than Canberra.

 

From reading here, it seems that in the US this size of ship is at the expensive end of the market.  Is that true?  Ambassador, at least, is the cheapest (or at least well up there).

[rp1004]

On 6/13/2023 at 6:33 PM, Bridget2 said:

We just finished our third cruise Princess to Alaska.  It was ok but somewhat disappointing.  So we're thinking of switching lines.  I'm perusing CC for a new cruise line.  Looking at Holland America.  Their general rating is only .1 higher than Princess.  Celebrity is a bit higher but not a lot.  So just for reference I checked out Regent and the rating is also just average!  I look at the reviews and everyone everywhere is complaining about the same things:  service and food are hit or miss, little communication,  staff knows nothing, etc. etc.  So my question is are we all just spoiled remembering our precovid cruises better than they really were?  Or are all the lines going downhill?

I think it is a combination of factors. I just finished my 25th cruise and the last 3 were just not meeting the expectation so I have also been digging into this in my spare time and this is my current conclusion(s):

 

1-Yes those of us that have been cruising a long time are spoiled, no doubt about this. 

2-The cruise industy as a whole has changed and are still facing challenges with both labor and supplies post covid, and that should work itself out in time. 

3-Some lines have actually used the pandemic to change their target audiences and  onboard experiences, therefore a line that appealed to you at one point, may no longer appeal to you.

4-The people who complain are always the loudest, and it is very difficult to find unbiased reviews

5-The gap in value that cruising used to offer compared to an all inclusive has been diminshed, but cruises are still a better value in my opinion

6-It is natural for cruisers to change lines over time as they age. Even if they don't, they are often changing ship size or itinerary to better suit what they want. The loyalty programs would have you think otherwise, but this is very natural.

7-There is a line out there that will offer you an experience that is closer to what you want, but you will most likely have to pay a higher fare. Keep in mind the higher fare also includes more so you may not spend much more at the end of the day. 

[ilikeanswers]

I don't know if I am "spoiled" but I do miss expedition cruises being expeditiony😝. Over time they have become more luxurified which obviously means the price goes up accordingly on top of which I don't real care for all those luxury trappings. I love the itineraries but I would be happy with a more simplified ship experience. Unfortunately that is the down side of change when you become the target market minority there will be less products that cater to what you want.

 

And I think that might be the core difference when it comes to CC. Most people on this site are prolific cruises who have experienced many cruises over many years so they have a lot to compare with while the reality is most cruisers only cruise a few times in their whole lives so they don't see the changes the way CC cruisers do and are more accepting of the changes than those who remember how it use to be. 

Edited July 12, 2023 by ilikeanswers