First Time Cruisers, Look for "Trends and Patterns"

[Sthrngary]

Overview: I am sixty-seven and my wife is sixty-five. We have gone on thirty plus cruises. Our first cruise was our honeymoon 44 years ago. We have booked inside cabins and Owners Suites as well as everything in between. We have cruised every mainstream cruise brand. We have also cruised Premium, Premium-Plus, Luxury and Ultra-Luxury brands. We also have a cruise sub-category called a “Ship-Within-A-Ship” which is a VIP area on a mega mainstream cruise brand. Prior to selecting a new cruise brand, type/size of stateroom, or class of service; I do extensive research which I share here on CruiseCritic.com

 

My approach to Cruising:  I prepare for my cruise with the outcome that everything thing is booked and paid for prior to getting on the ship. Most of the brands I cruise are NOT all-inclusive however after I do my due diligence, the vacation is as close to all-inclusive as possible. I do not want to have surprises in the form of an expensive stateroom portfolio on the last morning of the cruise. I also read as many comments as possible from real cruisers who pay for their vacations. Unlike celebrities or influencers. Uniquely I read the good and the bad folks write because both educate me on how to get the maximum value and enjoyment out of my cruise vacation.

As part of my approach, I utilize what I learned in my business career related to consumer comments both good and bad as it relates to Trends and Patterns.

 

Trends and Patterns:  The best example is a recent negative comment about excessive noise in a stateroom of a specific brand, cabin type, locations, and decks. It became clear that this issue was happening often however not to everyone who was sailing on the ship. Some folks were terribly upset, and others said the noise issue was not on their cruise nor around the cruise ship where they were staying.

When the issue, complaint or complement happens enough times on social media, there is something to it. Is it going to be a guaranteed issue for you and your partners? Sometimes? Upset folks tend to post a lot more than those who are satisfied. So, it is less about the number of complaints that you have and more about the establishment of a trend or pattern.

 

The more you research the more you will recognize some familiar members of the social media community. A real melting pot of cultures, wants, needs, and motives. If you want diversity, you have it on a cruise vacation. Some members are chronic complainers. Then there is the person who complains but never actually cruises the brand or category about which they are complaining. At the other end of the spectrum there are the folks where every aspect of the cruise was perfect. A little hint, the nature of any cruise is it is NEVER perfect. It is a floating hotel in the middle of an ocean of water. Things happen which are out of everyone’s control.

 

What you are looking for to get even the closest indication of what you could expect comes from what I call a “well-written balanced review.” When you read it, you know it. As you read more of the balanced reviews, the picture of your potential cruise becomes clear.

 

Do more of the GOOD and manage the BAD:  Using the notion of trends and patterns, when you hear a lot of positive things about some item, put it on your things to do. Recently I heard that a Specialty Restaurant on the Oceania Ships is called Red Ginger. It was supposed to be truly outstanding. When I cruised, I went to Red Ginger and immediately did everything I could to dine there again. The alternative is when you hear a lot of negative things. Like again on Oceania, that they tend to miss a lot of ports. On this you must do what I call “managing your expectations.” This means, I tell my travel mates, there is a high likelihood that we will miss a cruise port. I emphasize this prior to the cruise so if it happens, we are mentally and emotionally prepared. If it does not happen then we feel very blessed. I use the strategy of “under promise and over deliver.” With your research list the positive and negative you hear about and make your vacation strategy accordingly. Sometimes, I can have a strategy of completely avoiding an item, so it never affects my vacation at all. It is as if that issue for others simply did not exist for me.

 

Cruises are What You Make of Them:  Only you can control your attitude. I learned early on when something disappointed me on day one, that I can choose to focus on that for the next week or let it go off my back like water off a duck. I let it get to me the first time, so my cruise experience was awful. Only happened once and never again. Attitude, Attitude, Attitude. All you can do is control your attitude.

 

One cruise the weather was bad, and the ship was moving right to left like crazy. Many of the passengers on the ship got seasick. Only one day of thirty cruises which was a week or more. My wife and I did not get sick. We do recall walking down the hall not being able to stay in the middle of the hall. We took videos of the water in the pool, had no issue getting into any restaurant we wanted, and had some funny conversations with other passengers while it happened. Unbelievably, that memory which always brings a smile to my face, is one of the clearest of any experience cruising.

 

On another occasion, we were having a horrible meal at a brands specialty restaurant steak house.  I said to my travel companions, folks, do not eat. We are going somewhere else. I quietly told the crew, who were spectacular, we were leaving and why. We left quietly without making a scene. Walked right into the next restaurant and had a fabulous meal. We did not spend the rest of our cruise complaining like most folks might consider. Instead, we let management know, and focused on the great meal we had. “Cruises are What You Make of Them.”

 

Conclusion: I tend to plan too much, in way too much detail. That is just me and it is a sport for me. You can plan far less and accomplish as much as I do, creating a wonderful experience. If you choose to do little to no research, due diligence, or planning; you then also must take accountability that you had something to do with the outcome. Blaming others when you did nothing to learn prior to the experience is unfair to the brand, your travel partners and yourself.

 

I hope this topic was helpful to you.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[Petula Snark]

Do you mind if I ask on which cruise lines you've had your best experiences?

[Sthrngary]

3 hours ago, Petula Snark said:

Do you mind if I ask on which cruise lines you've had your best experiences?

@Petula Snark You can ask, but I can't answer it.  WHY, because every cruise has a different desired outcome.  Family fun, Mediterranean journey, Adult Vacation, Specific Destination. and the list goes on.  The key is, know what you want, then match the brand, stateroom, and level of cruise quality to your goal. 

 

I hope that makes sense.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.

[Sthrngary]

Many moons ago, I was on all the major social media platforms.  Just like mostly everyone else.  Then a trend happened that created major confrontations.  So I deleted all those platforms and the ONLY social media site I frequent is CruiseCritic.com. WHY, because it is a kinder and gentler place.

 

Now my topic is look for trends and patterns.  Even thought this platform is much less confrontational, there still can be some folks that are over opinionated for a personal reason.  So to add to the topic which is designed to help new 1st time cruisers, here is a way to look at things. 

 

When you choose a brand, ship, cabin, itinerary, excursions and the list goes on, you go to the blog that focuses on those items.  You ask question and hopefully you gain answers.  You quickly notice that the answers are in three categories. 

 

10% GREAT:  10% of the folks that provide information are all about how perfect everything is for your brand.  The Brand can do no wrong.  These folks create an expectation that this is the ONLY brand to get you, the new cruiser, the best experience.  This creates unrealistic expectations.  How do I know this, I fell for it and it made me disappointed on that cruise. 

10% HORRIBLE: 10% of the folks commenting or posting say everything about the brand is horrible, awful the worst.  Each of these folks have a story to tell which has created this deep felling of disappointment.  Yet, they are as passionate about how them feel as the 10% GREAT guest feel. 

80% In The Middle:  80% of the folks have some what balanced comments.  Here is where we should spend out time.  Let us bring in the notion of Trends and Patterns now.  One brand build a new ship that is truly lovely.  Yet from the start, posts were happening about the thin walls and notice from one cabin to another. As time went on, there were conflicting reports of noise.  When we look at the Trend or Pattern, it becomes clear noise has been a legitimate issue for some.  To many people are making the comment and outlining what they felt.  That is an example of a trend or pattern that can help you.

 

Set Your Expectations Accordingly:  You make an evaluation if the 95% positive comments about the entire ship and experience needs to be not considered because of a 5% negative comment. If you make the choice to go on this ship, you give up the right to act surprised if you have some noise in your cabin.  The important part of this statement is you knew, you weight your options and you made a non-pressured informed decision.  That education approach will allow you to set realistic expectations for your upcoming experience.  That makes for a much better overall cruise experience.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.