Cruise Line Reviews on Trustpilot

[Arbalest123]

Many thanks to the latest responders to my original posting. Lots of food for thought!

Not sure I would feel comfortable with the 'ship within a ship' concept of the MSC Yacht Club especially jumping to the head of a queue (line). This seems to be something of a throwback to the old class system on cruise liners with the toffs in first class and the plebs in steerage. I think Celebrity do something similar with their Aqua Class.

This seems to be a very friendly and helpful forum and it's great to get responses from all round the globe (Australia, Canada, many different US states and one closer to home in Scotland).

Thanks again. 

[jollyjones]

For solo sailing on a smaller ship, look closely at Silversea.

 

Whilst the first price you see may seem too high, look for the itineraries with 25% solo supplement and price them out per diem, considering that once on board you do not need to spend anything more to have a great cruise. (You can if you want, but you don't need to pay anything extra).

https://www.silversea.com/best-luxury-cruise-deals/single-occupancy-supplements.html

 

Look at other lines, and work out the true bottom line. Find out what is included - drinks, excursions, wifi, gratuities etc, and what you will have to pay for once on board. Get to an estimate of the true per diem and then compare.

 

I used to sail mainstream lines years ago, but when my then line of choice upped it's solo supplement to 100% across the board, I moved to Silversea. When I added up 100% solo supplement with all the onboard expenses, I found SS to actually be comparable to the mainstream price for a vastly better experience.

 

Prices have gone up up up recently, but the comparison exercise is still useful.

 

 

[cruisemom42]

9 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

However their prices are way below those smaller luxury line ships. 

 

Not necessarily. Depends on the line and the deal.

 

I'm sailing in October on an Azamara 10-day Med cruise from Venice to Istanbul for just a few bucks over $3700. That includes gratuities and all beverages including alcohol (top drawer alcohol is more).  Not to mention a generous amount of OBC. No need for "premium" access as there are only 700 aboard at most -- no issue with crowds or getting on/off ship in a timely manner.

[Arbalest123]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Not necessarily. Depends on the line and the deal.

 

I'm sailing in October on an Azamara 10-day Med cruise from Venice to Istanbul for just a few bucks over $3700. That includes gratuities and all beverages including alcohol (top drawer alcohol is more).  Not to mention a generous amount of OBC. No need for "premium" access as there are only 700 aboard at most -- no issue with crowds or getting on/off ship in a timely manner.

That sounds like a very good deal for a solo traveller (as per your earlier post). Do you mind me asking whether this is for 'interior, oceanview, or veranda? Also did you perhaps book this way in advance in order to secure a better price? A Med/Adriatic cruise is one of the possibilities that I am considering and I'm sure you'll have a great time.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, Arbalest123 said:

That sounds like a very good deal for a solo traveller (as per your earlier post). Do you mind me asking whether this is for 'interior, oceanview, or veranda? Also did you perhaps book this way in advance in order to secure a better price? A Med/Adriatic cruise is one of the possibilities that I am considering and I'm sure you'll have a great time.

 

I booked it quite a while ago but there was a price drop in early 2023, so I was able to get a nice price adjustment. In fact, I saved so much money that I booked the following cruise as well. 

 

In the UK I'm not sure it's so easy to take advantage of price drops; seems like I've heard you are locked in when you put down a deposit. If it were me and I were cruising "same continent", I might wait until close to the final payment date or slightly after to look into picking up a good deal. Often people make the decision not to sail at final payment time and inventory goes up (thus prices tend to go down).

 

BTW, I am sailing in an inside cabin, but oceanview cabins were only a couple hundred more. I am not fussy about what kind of cabin I'm in as I tend to be out of it except when sleeping or dressing. 

 

[Toofarfromthesea]

9 hours ago, Arbalest123 said:

Many thanks to the latest responders to my original posting. Lots of food for thought!

Not sure I would feel comfortable with the 'ship within a ship' concept of the MSC Yacht Club especially jumping to the head of a queue (line). This seems to be something of a throwback to the old class system on cruise liners with the toffs in first class and the plebs in steerage. I think Celebrity do something similar with their Aqua Class.

This seems to be a very friendly and helpful forum and it's great to get responses from all round the globe (Australia, Canada, many different US states and one closer to home in Scotland).

Thanks again. 

 

For me it's no different than any kind of VIP treatment that is paid for.  For example, when my family visited the Sistine Chapel I paid extra and we, along with other people who had paid the extra, were allowed in an hour before the general public was admitted.  And I have no problem sitting close to the stage at a show because I paid $250 per seat when someone who paid $30 is near the back in the balcony. And I also don't see the objection to the ship within a ship vs. everyone else and cruising on a Regents 7 Seas while other people cruise on Carnival.  The purported class distinction is still there, it's just out of sight, because the Regents' passengers don't have to see the Carnival passengers.

 

But there are certainly a lot of people who have the same view as you.  For me it is only old class system when you are not allowed to have something because of who you are, who your parents were, and what you do, when you are able and willing to pay for it.

 

I think Americans and Brits generally just look at the whole class thing differently.  Possibly because of the UK's past of a very strong class system and the US's lack of same.

 

In any case, if your reluctance about MSC is allowable jumping of the queue, it is not mandatory.  It is your choice whether you ask a butler to escort you.

[Toofarfromthesea]

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Not necessarily. Depends on the line and the deal.

 

I'm sailing in October on an Azamara 10-day Med cruise from Venice to Istanbul for just a few bucks over $3700. That includes gratuities and all beverages including alcohol (top drawer alcohol is more).  Not to mention a generous amount of OBC. No need for "premium" access as there are only 700 aboard at most -- no issue with crowds or getting on/off ship in a timely manner.

 

I've looked before, but I'll look again.  

[Toofarfromthesea]

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Not necessarily. Depends on the line and the deal.

 

I'm sailing in October on an Azamara 10-day Med cruise from Venice to Istanbul for just a few bucks over $3700. That includes gratuities and all beverages including alcohol (top drawer alcohol is more).  Not to mention a generous amount of OBC. No need for "premium" access as there are only 700 aboard at most -- no issue with crowds or getting on/off ship in a timely manner.

 

So I popped up onto the Azamara website, and there's a 12/9/24 Caribbean itinerary that looks intriguing.  It's several hundred more than the Yacht Club itinerary I've been looking at but that is more than justified because it is 11 days vs. 7.  But if I do take a cruise it would be part of my dipping my toe back in plan, which means I'd be taking the train to Miami.  If I'm spending 2 days on a train each way maybe it makes sense to take a longer cruise.  Just like back in the day if I flew to Europe I wanted to stay at least a couple of weeks.

 

So thanks for the heads up.  I'm off to start educating myself about Azamara since I've never really looked into them before.

 

Cheers!

[SPacificbound]

On 8/7/2023 at 2:25 PM, Arbalest123 said:

I am new to this forum, have never been on a cruise, but am thinking of doing so.

What concerns me are the quite dreadful reviews that appear on Trustpilot for all the Cruise lines, even the super luxury lines like Silversea or Regent 7 Seas.

If the consistently low ratings and reviews that appear on Trustpilot are to be believed then I would be well advised to never go on a cruise!

I would be very interested to hear the thoughts of other members of this forum; are all these Cruise lines as bad as the reviews suggest?

Thanks in advance to all who take the trouble to respond. 

Just keep in mind-  Far, Far more people are going to take the time to write a negative review than a positive review. 

[ldubs]

I took a look at TrustPilot for a cruise line I am familiar with and enjoy.  I admit I am surprised by the high percent of one star ratings.  I could not possibly go thru all of them, but the few pages I read contained a lot of sour grapes type complaints, some (many) of which were simply not valid.  

[lisiamc]

With review sites like Trustpilot, it’s worth reading about the things that people didn’t like. If they all disliked something different, that sounds very subjective. If they all disliked the same things, it’s worth looking at, and deciding whether the issue is something that would affect you. If many childless people disliked a cruise line because it was full of kids, and you’re a parent of several kids, then this could be more of a plus point than a minus point for you!

[Mike981]

@lisiamc very good point.