What I get out of negative reviews

[Calicruiser101]

Wow, that was a great report you wrote up. I enjoyed reading all you different catagories for the different types of reviews, too funny. I agree if the review is so negative and the reviewer as not one happy or positive moment there must be something else going on. I also agree w/ (I think it was Kurbafan) that if many people post negative reviews perhaps that means there truly is a problem that the cruise line needs to investigate or work on. Well, very interesting and fun read, thanks.:)

[mjmiller]

Great analysis. As I read thru your points, I was thinking to myself "yes, seen that. Yes, seen that too." Too funny, yet true.

 

I do read all the reviews I can get my hands on, but I definitely spend more time with the good reviews, because I look for ways to make my cruise even better. Why do I want to start a vacation looking for the bad stuff?!

 

I have never had a bad cruise (or other vacation), and I won't either. To me, it's all a matter of attitude. And I'm one of the lucky souls who tends to see the world thru rose-colored glasses!

[Snoozeman]

I agree with others, excellent analysis!;)

[crystalblue0610]

People took the time to read that:eek:

 

My eyes get watery looking at the screen for a while

[Wennfred]

I know that most of the Negative Reviews that I read on here about Carnival are from people that are used to cruising with Celebrity or on other cruiselines and or hear stories from their friends at work to not take a Walmart type of cruise etc.

 

As soon as I start to read the negative review I immediately look down at their signature to see how many RCCL or Celebrity cruises they have been on and then it starts to make sense.

 

 

 

Fred

[ALVINF]

Sorry, this is the first time I have posted a thread to Cruise-Critic. I was not aware that it was going to use my font settings as I was using GoBe in BeOS to create the message, it never crossed my mind that fonts settings from my odd-ball software would make it into the forum.

In the future I will try and remember to double check using preview.

 

Yes the font was small but personally it didn't bother me and I enjoyed reading it because it is so true. Something I have learned reading posts on Cruise Critic is that no matter what is written in your original post, there is always somebody waiting to pounce on it with a negative comment.

[cusyl]

I have also noticed that there is a pattern with the negative threads. Really large people who don't get much exercise seem to suffer alot on cruises. I'm not passing judgement, (I have a few pounds to loose myself :o ) I've just noticed a real pattern. They complain about the layout of the ship, how far they have to walk, quality of the food and whine about the seating at the shows. Then later in the review you will notice they are whining about the medical facility as they twisted an ankle or something else related to their self imposed handicap. Oh, and then there's the whining about how slow the elevators are. It's like the whole review revolves around food and how much they've had to exert themselves beyond their usual comfort levels.

 

I'll probably get flamed for this but we all have to take personal accountability into play sometimes when we are rating services that we've received and most of the time how we behave influences the outcome.

 

Not flaming, but I am a large person and have never had a bad cruise.

Self imposed handicap is in a way true, but it's a disease. We certainly don't get this way on purpose. :(

[bakechef]

Not flaming, but I am a large person and have never had a bad cruise.

Self imposed handicap is in a way true, but it's a disease. We certainly don't get this way on purpose. :(

 

I agree, I have been up and down the scales myself, and are currently on the upside. It is not like we decide that we want to be fat and just go at it, with reckless abandon, it sneaks up on you. Some people are genetically designed to not gain weight easily, while there are those of us who have to basically have to eat like a bird to stay at ideal weight. I too have never had a bad cruise, I barely used the elevators on my last cruise.

 

MAC

[bakechef]

Yes... that was way too much information for me, an overload!! Still the topic is one that interests me... Very recently we went on a Queen Mary 2 cruise, our first time on a luxury liner. After ten or so wonderful cruises on Mass lines this was the first cruise that we walked off of the ship and said never again... Although the ship was beyond beautiful the service was so bad and indifferent that it had an effect on our overall enjoyment.

 

When I posted our picture review, what could I do. I had to address this area of disappointment as well as what we liked.... Man oh man the faithful Cunard fans doubted my opinions and suggested that the reason the service was so bad was because people we ordering double entree's, and the passangers brought it upon themselves. It was so fustrating to me to put together the good and the bad, hours of work only to have my opinions questioned....Geez it is my opinion .... Actually, it pissed me off! A partial negative review does not mean you are a complainer, it means you had a cruise that something went wrong....

 

I will post the link for anyone interested... Click on the Queen Mary Holiday Review. WWW.Justcruisin-SV.com

 

Awesome review page by the way. I read the QM2 review, and it seemed pretty good to me. I understand how you could be disappointed with the service. It seems to me that people who spend too much on a vacation, are doing it to impress others, or to imply that they have higher standards than most, and will defend their choice to sail Cunard at any cost. I am sure that many many people have had wonderful trips on this ship, and will continue to have many more, but I am sure that any ship can have an "off" cruise, but I would expect those to be rare on a Cunard ship, since they have the audacity to charge the prices that they do.

 

I will stay lower priced mass market, I have yet to be too disappointed, with a cruise.

 

MAC

[TCF]

I started reading the reviews just before our first cruise a couple of years ago. Talk about confusing...how can these people be on the same cruise line on the same ship....I would ask myself.

I evolved a 'system' of reading or ignoring reviews.

1. If it starts..."We had to wait for hours in the hot sun on the dock to get on the ship...old people were passing out and being kicked the side of the line and the company did nothing...no bathrooms...no water"...I read no further because I know where it is going.

2. If a similar problem arises from a number of different people on the same cruise shows up as part of a broader positive review then I pay attention and do some digging.

3. I remember that there are some things about my own house that I don't like...but I don't sell it or burn it down!

The bottom line is that we have never had a bad cruise...now we have not been cruising twice a year since 1947 either...so I guess our lesser cruise is still out there waiting for us somewhere.

Our last cruise was on Princess. It is natural to compare cruises. Princess Coral mini-suite was considerably smaller, and was more expensive, than the Cat 11 we got on Carnival Triumph. Buffet food was way better on Coral than what we got on Triumph. Per diem cost was $20 pp cheaper on Triumph...not a deal breaker for sure. Would we sail either line again...absolutely!

There is no doubt that reading fellow cruisers reviews is time consuming hard work....but if part of that time is used to sort out the fact from the fiction...most people who post here provide really valuable information and advice. The kind that makes our cruises so very much better.

Just my thoughts.

Tom

[JudyKa]

I agree, I have been up and down the scales myself, and are currently on the upside. It is not like we decide that we want to be fat and just go at it, with reckless abandon, it sneaks up on you. Some people are genetically designed to not gain weight easily, while there are those of us who have to basically have to eat like a bird to stay at ideal weight. I too have never had a bad cruise, I barely used the elevators on my last cruise.

 

MAC

 

Same here, MAC.

 

Enjoyed the review, ECP, though.....very well thought out and a tad humorous. Thank you for your thorough research and opinions.

[2Ports]

Okay, what did I miss?

 

You obviously missed the fact that here at the Carnival board we try to keep things positive, unlike your poorly thought out, negative, Carnival-bashing post! :p :p :p

[ECP]

A few of my favorites:\

1. The voice announcing floors in the elevators was annoying.

2. Carnival didn't offer anteseptic wipes outside the dining room

3. The servers had accents

 

1) I bet the vision-impaired traveler have a different opinion on the voice. In Toronto the subways and some buses have voices, and I sure find them handy when it is too crowded to see out.

 

2) I can see why someone says that if the news reported an out-break recently to the cruise. But on the other-hand, everything from the kitchen is clean, and I can wash up when I get back to the cabin.

 

3) Wow! Go on a cruise to see new places/cultures, then complain when you meet them. Same on a number of negative reviews about the Destiny. A number of people complain about all the Spanish speaking people, I see it as local culture coming on-board the ship to meet you. To me, that is A+ service!

[ECP]

What I learn from negative reviews is the same as I learn from positive posts..........Nothing. If my brain is engaged and the thread is labeled as a review, I don't click on it. Why? Not a single person on the Internet knows my likes and dislikes, nor do I know theirs, so why should I care if they liked their cruise.

 

Nothing to learn? How do you find out which tour guides or tours are good or bad then?

 

More than one positive review has told which guide on which island I should checkout to see if I can get them.

 

And a number of mixed/negative reviews have warned me who the scam artists out there are.

 

I find them worthwhile reading just for that information alone.

 

How do you do it? If you don't mind telling?

[Safetyal]

While I read all kinds of reviews, I personally go with the Olympic scoring approach. I throw out the highest and I throw out the lowest and look at the overall trend of the ratings.

[hubofhockey]

I appreciate all the reviews and the time people take to write them. For the most part, I'm not looking at overall scores or general statements but specifics about the ship, certain activities, certain foods to look for, certain excursions, etc. I really don't care if someone say that they'll never cruise Carnival or RCCL again. Who cares? Tell me something that will help me out. I find the overall editor ratings on CC to be pretty good and fair.

[vjmatty]

I appreciate all the reviews and the time people take to write them. For the most part, I'm not looking at overall scores or general statements but specifics about the ship, certain activities, certain foods to look for, certain excursions, etc. I really don't care if someone say that they'll never cruise Carnival or RCCL again. Who cares? Tell me something that will help me out. I find the overall editor ratings on CC to be pretty good and fair.

 

I agree... subjective information is what it is, one person's opinion. I prefer objective details or facts rather than opinions... what were the shows, the meals, activities, description of the ship and cabins, things to do at each port... this gives me a better idea of what to expect than a categorical statement that "the food was bad" or that "the service was poor".

 

If you have a negative opinion about an aspect of the ship and want it to be more helpful, back it up with objective facts, i.e. "the steak was always overcooked" or "our waiter gave me the leaky tire when I asked for a cappucino". These give a more clear picture of what you found offensive and lets the reader decide if it is something he or she can live with.

[mek]

Wow - negative reviews must really bug the OP to write such a long and detailed post. I've never quite understood why some people take them so personally as if their children are being attacked. If there is a common thread to the complaints, then I take notice. Most of the time, someone has had a bad experience and they simply want to vent. It's great that these boards are here for the good as well as the bad reviews. I find it interresting that there are those who post that people should lighten up because it's only a vacation. To them I would say - lighten up, it's only an oppinion.

[vjmatty]

Wow - negative reviews must really bug the OP to take the time to write such a long and detailed post. I've never quite understood why some people take them so personally as if their children are being attacked. If there is a common thread to the complaints, then I take notice. Most of the time, someone has had a bad experience and they simply want to vent. It's great that these boards are here for the good as well as the bad reviews. I find it interresting that there are those who post that people should lighten up because it's only a vacation. To them I would say - lighten up, it's only an oppinion.

 

:confused: I thought the OP was pretty objective and humorous at the same time... and I can't tell from his post if his "children" are Carnival, RCCL, Princess or any cruise line for that matter. I am thinking you may not have read the entire post very carefully?

[JunieBJones]

"Report special needs as soon as possible before the cruise"

Complainers think everything they do is special!

Dark cloud people. We all have them in our family. I own a Bed & Breakfast and there are just people like that. Not to say that most of them live in California, but most of them live in California! (I can say that I am from San Diego!)

[mek]

Humm - you're missing my point. I can't imagine why anyone would take the time to write such a l-o-n-g post about negative reviews. Why do people care so much about them??????

[vjmatty]

Some people enjoy writing, whatever the context may be... the use of comic references in the OP leads me to believe that is the case here. ;)

[mek]

Perhaps, but since so many get flamed for negative reviews, I think there is probably more to it than simply a case of creative juices flowing. :D

[MrPete]

-------------

 

Okay, what did I miss?

 

Nothing.

 

After being around these boards for 10 years, you've captured it all quite nicely.

 

Enjoyed the read! :D

 

(BTW, you should custom this to the NCL and Princess boards, and post it there. I'd love to see the responses you get from those two groups).

[skoolmom]

Great Essay on Negative reviews.

 

My favorite negative comment concerned the lottery (not a cruise).

 

A woman won several million dollars in a statewide lottery and then had the nerve to complain that she had to drive over a hundred miles to pick up her winnings! :eek:

 

Some people will complain about anything!