Cruise videos - what do you look for

[Toofarfromthesea]

In another thread the topic of the various people who create and post YouTube videos came up and I thought it deserved its own topic.  So, if/when you go on YouTube to look at cruise videos, what are you looking for, what is important to you and what do you disregard?

 

For me I'm looking to see how the ship looks.  I like ship tour videos that show the public spaces, restaurants - main dining and specialty - other included or pay extra food venues, theaters and other entertainment spaces, etc.  I don't really care about seeing the future cruises desk, the art gallery, or the shops.  I also like fairly detailed reviews of the various cabin types on offer, if possible.  Sometimes videos are shot when places are empty, and that is not nearly as helpful to me as seeing those spaces 'live' so I can see how crowded it gets and what the energy is.

 

When it comes to food and dining I like to see what the various venues are like and I like to see what the food looks like.  I also appreciate seeing the menu to get a sense of the variety and emphases of the food is.  I don't really care much about the opinion of the 'influencer' about the food because tastes and opinion vary wildly.  A real foody may rave about the nuance and sophistication of a dish while I might think it overcomplicated and excessively 'fancy'.  I would sum up the general principle as being much more interested in the objective thing than the subjective opinion of the reviewer.

 

On the ports, it really depends.  My future cruises are likely to just be Caribbean cruises which I look at as floating all-inclusives, so the ports don't matter much to me as I'll probably stay on the ship.  But on cruises to Alaska, the Med, or, say, the Baltic where I would be getting off the ship I would view what is shown in the video as simply the starting point for more intensive and extensive research, which may include looking for videos of particular cities and excursions.

 

So, under the general principles of it not being a one-size-fits-all world, and de gustibus non est disputandum, what do YOU look for in YouTube Cruise videos?

Edited August 6, 2023 by Toofarfromthesea

[Honolulu Blue]

9 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

In another thread the topic of the various people who create and post YouTube videos came up and I thought it deserved its own topic.  So, if/when you go on YouTube to look at cruise videos, what are you looking for, what is important to you and what do you disregard?

 

For me I'm looking to see how the ship looks.  I like ship tour videos that show the public spaces, restaurants - main dining and specialty - other included or pay extra food venues, theaters and other entertainment spaces, etc.  I don't really care about seeing the future cruises desk, the art gallery, or the shops.  I also like fairly detailed reviews of the various cabin types on offer, if possible.  Sometimes videos are shot when places are empty, and that is not nearly as helpful to me as seeing those spaces 'live' so I can see how crowded it gets and what the energy is.

 

When it comes to food and dining I like to see what the various venues are like and I like to see what the food looks like.  I also appreciate seeing the menu to get a sense of the variety and emphases of the food is.  I don't really care much about the opinion of the 'influencer' about the food because tastes and opinion vary wildly.  A real foody may rave about the nuance and sophistication of a dish while I might think it overcomplicated and excessively 'fancy'.  I would sum up the general principle as being much more interested in the objective thing than the subjective opinion of the reviewer.

 

On the ports, it really depends.  My future cruises are likely to just be Caribbean cruises which I look at as floating all-inclusives, so the ports don't matter much to me as I'll probably stay on the ship.  But on cruises to Alaska, the Med, or, say, the Baltic where I would be getting off the ship I would view what is shown in the video as simply the starting point for more intensive and extensive research, which may include looking for videos of particular cities and excursions.

 

So, under the general principles of it not being a one-size-fits-all world, and de gustibus non est disputandum, what do YOU look for in YouTube Cruise videos?

I look for different things in videos at different times.  Much of the time I'm looking for news from the cruise lines, and sometimes I want a more detailed explanation of what's going on than the news sites can give me.  Sometimes I look for a tour of the cabin class (if not the exact cabin) that I hope to sail on in the future.  Sometimes I look for where particular locations sit in relation to the rest of the ship.  Sometimes I want to get a feeling for what someone thinks about a cruise line who's sailed a lot on it - why do they keep coming back?  Sometimes I want to hear other opinions on a subject that's of particular interest to me.  

 

I do think cruise videos are of value to me and they've influenced me to a greater or lesser degree.

[Kristelle]

I've watched various cruise videos - things like packing suggestions,dress codes,  how not to get scammed, comparison of lines, what to expect on a river cruise (general not company specific)

 

Not so much for the decor,  I don't really care about that - or looks at the cabins, can do that on the company websites.

[shipgeeks]

After watching a couple, I decided I would never watch another one, and I never have.  Reading is my mode of gathering information, and I can be selective.  I have no patience for watching a video progress at the pace the maker chose, or sitting through the parts I have no interest in.

 

[whogo]

shipgeeks nailed it. The only thing I can add is that no-copywrite background music makes any video worse.

[cruisemom42]

Some people are "visual", some are not. I really don't watch any YouTube cruise videos unless they are specifically pointed out by someone here on CC and my interest is piqued enough to check them out.

 

Ship layout and decor are things I am happy to discover onboard. I don't understand the fixation with knowing every detail of the ship before boarding. I do look at schematics when choosing a cabin, but that's readily available on the cruise line's website.

 

The only "You-Tubers" that I watch more than as a one-off are those whose reputations have already been made/validated elsewhere. For example, I love Roman history, so I will watch Mary Beard or Darius Arya documentaries about aspects of ancient Rome. Both of these are respected academics and authorities on the subject matter as evidenced by degrees, publications, etc. 

 

By contrast, any fool with a camera and a little technical knowledge can become a cruise vlogger, it seems to me.

 

[Nebr.cruiser]

Like some others, I just don't have the patience to watch many you tube videos.  I don't need to know every detail either; After about 50 cruises, I'm pretty comfortable with what ships are like, and have never been on a ship that I didn't like anyway.  Sometimes, mostly due to weather, a cruise might not be ideal, but mostly the ships are fine.  Go with the flow!

 

I actually avoid most posts here or anywhere on the internet if it involves watching a video!

[MBP&O2/O]

When the 'presenters' act like the the president of the guild of village idiots and start with 'So guys .... ', followed by an inability to speak a sentence without saying 'err ...' several times ... then I turn off.

 

Professional or semi-professional only.

Edited August 6, 2023 by MBP&O2/O

[YourWorldWithBill]

Well, since you asked... I restrain myself from self-promotion here, but although I've only made three cruise videos, my channel is the same as my name here.

[Kristelle]

11 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

I have no patience for watching a video progress at the pace the maker chose, or sitting through the parts I have no interest in.

 

 

 

You can fast forward through any bits you are not interested in 😏

[Kristelle]

1 hour ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Well, since you asked... I restrain myself from self-promotion here, but although I've only made three cruise videos, my channel is the same as my name here.

 

In case anyone thinks this was a facetious post   - Bill really does have Youtube videos - although  I didnt watch them as they are about places I'm not planning to go to like Iceland and Norway

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 hour ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Well, since you asked... I restrain myself from self-promotion here, but although I've only made three cruise videos, my channel is the same as my name here.

 

Thanks for mentioning your channel.  I just watched your video on the Norway fjords since I had taken a similar cruise on MSC.  I liked your video.  You should make more.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Toofarfromthesea

[Aquahound]

I occasionally watch videos just to see what the inside of a ship looks like.  Some are better than others.  There's a guy from the UK who tends to do good videos, but I can never remember his name, so I have to weed through several of the "So guys....," and "errrr" videos that shipgeeks talked about.  

[YourWorldWithBill]

1 hour ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

Thanks for mentioning your channel.  I just watched your video on the Norway fjords since I had taken a similar cruise on MSC.  I liked your video.  You should make more.

Thanks very much for the compliment, and thanks for mentioning the channel, @Kristelle. I'll make more, slowly! As you saw, @Toofarfromthesea, mine generally are more focused on the destinations and what we saw there, with a portion about the ship. It takes me longer than it should to put them together.

[Markanddonna]

I like narrated, concise videos. I don't need to see every detail in the room. We know there are plugs and hairdryers. 

[DarrenM]

On 8/6/2023 at 2:25 AM, Toofarfromthesea said:

In another thread the topic of the various people who create and post YouTube videos came up and I thought it deserved its own topic.  So, if/when you go on YouTube to look at cruise videos, what are you looking for, what is important to you and what do you disregard?

 

For me I'm looking to see how the ship looks.  I like ship tour videos that show the public spaces, restaurants - main dining and specialty - other included or pay extra food venues, theaters and other entertainment spaces, etc.  I don't really care about seeing the future cruises desk, the art gallery, or the shops.  I also like fairly detailed reviews of the various cabin types on offer, if possible.  Sometimes videos are shot when places are empty, and that is not nearly as helpful to me as seeing those spaces 'live' so I can see how crowded it gets and what the energy is.

 

When it comes to food and dining I like to see what the various venues are like and I like to see what the food looks like.  I also appreciate seeing the menu to get a sense of the variety and emphases of the food is.  I don't really care much about the opinion of the 'influencer' about the food because tastes and opinion vary wildly.  A real foody may rave about the nuance and sophistication of a dish while I might think it overcomplicated and excessively 'fancy'.  I would sum up the general principle as being much more interested in the objective thing than the subjective opinion of the reviewer.

 

On the ports, it really depends.  My future cruises are likely to just be Caribbean cruises which I look at as floating all-inclusives, so the ports don't matter much to me as I'll probably stay on the ship.  But on cruises to Alaska, the Med, or, say, the Baltic where I would be getting off the ship I would view what is shown in the video as simply the starting point for more intensive and extensive research, which may include looking for videos of particular cities and excursions.

 

So, under the general principles of it not being a one-size-fits-all world, and de gustibus non est disputandum, what do YOU look for in YouTube Cruise videos?

I look for the ship tours too. Especially the bars, and outside areas. 

 

I dislike the official tours, even the celebrity ones, as they spend an unequal amount of time showing the retreat. A sort of "here's what you could have won" video.

 

Bearing in mind probably less then 10% of guests will be in there, I think about a third of the video is given to it.

 

The annoying thing is I could have afforded to pay for the retreat this year, but it's just an obscene amount of money for pointless extras.

 

The whole ship is luxury.  We don't need a class system being promoted.

 

So thats why I like the influencer videos better. They concentrate on what the majority will be doing.

[MBP&O2/O]

Aquahound .... lesB?

Used to do a lot of GoPro HD stuff? . Quite well edited productions  .... mainly Silversea?

[Honolulu Blue]

6 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

I don't need to see every detail in the room. We know there are plugs and hairdryers. 

I'm one of those geeks that likes to pay attention when they mention the plugs.  I've had cabins with one 110v outlet, one 120v outlet, and no USB ports; and I've had cabins with four outlets and half a dozen USB ports.  I think it's helpful to know which is which, besides the fact that newer ships tend to have more outlets and ports. 

[mnocket]

imho one of the things that both Vlogers and reviewers get wrong is that they seem to try really hard to capture images when the areas are empty.  I want to see people.  I want to see how crowded it is.  I want to see the demographics.  I want to see how people are dressed. I want to see people having fun (or not),  In short, I want to see a realistic representation of what it's like on board.

[BklynBoy8]

22 minutes ago, mnocket said:

imho one of the things that both Vlogers and reviewers get wrong is that they seem to try really hard to capture images when the areas are empty.  I want to see people.  I want to see how crowded it is.  I want to see the demographics.  I want to see how people are dressed. I want to see people having fun (or not),  In short, I want to see a realistic representation of what it's like on board.

 

I know someone that wandered around after Midnight with the ship empty and took photos.

 

So Bare..... I agree.....even the brochures show people active...

[ceeceeDee]

If it's a ship I haven't been on before, I like to watch a cabin tour of the category I have booked/interested in booking. Just so I know what the facilities are like. As for 'exploring the ship', I'll do that once on board.

[Toofarfromthesea]

10 hours ago, mnocket said:

imho one of the things that both Vlogers and reviewers get wrong is that they seem to try really hard to capture images when the areas are empty.  I want to see people.  I want to see how crowded it is.  I want to see the demographics.  I want to see how people are dressed. I want to see people having fun (or not),  In short, I want to see a realistic representation of what it's like on board.

 

I agree with this and I think I mentioned it in the OP.  I want a sense of crowdedness and I want to see what the energy is like.

[cruisemom42]

A lot of people aren't keen on being filmed on videos that are going to be publicly posted. I think if you do include people you have to make sure you have permission from them to post it. Could be a problem in a crowded setting -- perhaps that's why these You-Tubers avoid it.

 

I know I would be EXTREMELY upset if my mug showed up in an online video without my knowledge or permission.

[YourWorldWithBill]

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

A lot of people aren't keen on being filmed on videos that are going to be publicly posted. I think if you do include people you have to make sure you have permission from them to post it. Could be a problem in a crowded setting -- perhaps that's why these You-Tubers avoid it.

 

I know I would be EXTREMELY upset if my mug showed up in an online video without my knowledge or permission.

Exactly. I try to take crowds when you can't identify people.

[Kristelle]

I think videos are same as photos which you might put on Facebook or wherever - I take panoramic photos of people on a beach or suchlike but  I dont take close ups of faces unless people consent

 

(or they are obviously photographic implied consent like performers)