What I get out of negative reviews

[MistyRo76]

I enjoy reading reviews simply for the entertainment of it. If I need info, I know where to go to find it. I have learned a TON on these boards about cruising and about the different ports of call. Negative reviews should be taken with a grain of salt. Some people are negative just for the sake of being negative.

 

When I returned from the Glory in April, I posted a review. I included both the positive and negative aspects of our trip. The positives FAR outweighed the negative. And the negative were nothing that could ever keep me from cruising Carnival again. I also wrote a long letter to Carnival detailing the same infomation as my review. I work as a Customer Service Manager in the travel industry. As a manager, I would love to know when my employees/service is exceeding my customer's expectations so that the deserving can be recognized. But it's also important to know where our deficiencies lie so we can take steps to correct them. I didn't write to Carnival with the hopes of snagging the sometimes elusive on-board credit. But if they send me one to thank me for taking the time to write in....well I'm not gonna turn it down.

 

As an author of a review, my only purpose is to give others some insight (good and bad) as to what they might be able to expect if they take the same cruise. Hopefully someone with similar interests as me, will find some tidbit of info that they find useful and that can help make their cruise even more memorable.

 

Thanks for a very well written commentary on the subject of reviews. It did make me laugh and reminded of several reviews that I have written. It was also very on the money.

 

Misty

[jpg1747]

I use the reviews as a guide for what to expect, all the good things and some possibly not so good things. I don't let any of them deter me. But at least this way there will only be good surprises and no unpleasant ones.

[Traveler353]

Outstanding essey, I think that you have hit the nail on the head with this one. On my last cruise there was a couple at my dinner table. The husband was having the vacation of his life, his wife the worst that she had ever taken. She took every oportunity to let each and every one of us know that. Perspective is everything. I am sure that she was just as miserable in her every day affairs off the ship as well.

[cruisin1982]

Some people will never be pleased:mad: . When I read the reveiws it's funny how 5 couples from the same cruise have a great time good food and one reveiw from same crusie bashes it saying food was bad service was bad ect. The old saying can't please everyone. When I read reveiws if someone has 1 problem than I understand it. But when someone doesn't say 1 good thing about the cruise I just stop reading it. Let's remember we are not at home working but are on a cruise lets lighten up and enjoy:) :) !!

 

Mike

[hubofhockey]

Some people will never be pleased:mad: . When I read the reveiws it's funny how 5 couples from the same cruise have a great time good food and one reveiw from same crusie bashes it saying food was bad service was bad ect. The old saying can't please everyone. When I read reveiws if someone has 1 problem than I understand it. But when someone doesn't say 1 good thing about the cruise I just stop reading it. Let's remember we are not at home working but are on a cruise lets lighten up and enjoy:) :) !!

 

Mike

 

When I'm at home working, I get paid and I'm not spending $5 grand on a vacation. I'm looking for positives and negatives on here. That's what makes this a good website.

[ECP]

... we went on a Queen Mary 2 cruise ... this was the first cruise that we walked off of the ship and said never again

 

First, please check and make sure you are not cursed (just joking I think), this is the SEVENTH time I have tried to reply to you. Notice all the replies to others went fine. You, I try replying to and my computer crashes (twice), the board locked up on my reply, I accidentally closed the tab with the reply. Then still more board lockups. So here I go again.

[ECP]

... we went on a Queen Mary 2 cruise ... this was the first cruise that we walked off of the ship and said never again

 

I read your entire trip report. It is clearly a beautiful ship, and it is very clear that you love ballroom dancing on it. I think you should try it again on a longer cruise, anyone who loves dancing as much as your wife and yourself should never deny yourselves the pleasure if you can afford the cruise itself. It is clear that you love the ship itself, it's layout, design features and the only thing missing is the service.

 

I have a hard time believing that service is normally so bad, that is not the impression that travel sites, brochures, and just the huge amount of money invested in the ship would suggest.

 

However, I would suggest you check around and see if this short trip (4 days) was by chance a training cruise as well.

[ECP]

On my four(4) day Carnival trip the service was great. But I did notice some of the staff was being monitored and directed by supervisors who seem to be everywhere. One staff member (a young woman) I overheard being told not to do anything else, that someone would come for her later. She just stood there, trying not to cry. I think she knew she was fired.

 

Later, asking around the USENET I found out that Carnival uses their shorter routes for training/testing purposes. Which makes sense, why commit new staff to a 7-12 day cruise if they can't even do a four day run.

 

So that is what I wondered, could your problems be caused by your trip also being a training cruise? If so, then you probably will have a great time on a longer cruise.

[NAMVET]

I enjoy reading as many of the reviews that have or will pertain to me. I get a real big kick out of reading about what a miserable time someone had that was on the same cruise with me and we had a great time. People are people. No matter what race, nationality or sex they are, there will be people that go for the enjoyment and thrill of going and have a good time. Then there are those that go for the enjoyment and thrill of not having a good time and look for something to complain about. Diversity is what makes the world go round. Wouldn't it be a boring world if we were all the same.

A cruise is what you make of it. As cynical and pessimistic as I am, I have not had a bad cruise yet.:)

[ECP]

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??????

 

Because negative reviews could be helpful in avoiding the poor cruises/tours out there. People want the negative reviews that are useful warnings.

 

However, too many of the people posting negative reviews use it as an excuse to rant and vent without providing the needed info a useful review should give.

 

Another group of the negative reviews are just basically lies to puff up the poster's ego.

 

I dislike reading 9 useless negative reviews to find 1 useful negative review.

[ECP]

Wow - negative reviews must really bug the OP

 

I have two main objections to *SOME* negative posts.

 

1) Post with no useful facts. Like vjmatty #42 post pointed out. Stating "The steak was always overcooked", is useful. I now know to tell the waiter to request my steak cooked x minutes less than normal. Telling me "The steak was uneatable", tells me nothing. Was it well done, or too rare? There people who find one of either choice and maybe both to be uneatable.

 

2) Posts where opinions are stated as facts. Worse, they spread their opinions as facts to others who don't know better so they also assume that the person's opinion is fact too. Just talked to my mother's garden goods supplier, traded stories on past cruise and planned future ones. And yes, she had never done Carnival because she was told it is nothing but wild drunken parties all night. And she believed it, why would she not?

[Thirsty Cruiser]

People took the time to read that:eek:

 

My eyes get watery looking at the screen for a while

 

I would hope that is not a flame against a person who gave an insightful and entertaining perspective of negative reviews -- and who has subsequently apologized for the small font :)

 

IMHO, one of the better posts I have read in a long time.

[JPEvans]

Did anyone read the post a few weeks ago, when the poster was saying all the reviews of the ship were not honest. Because they had a lousy time. Expecting everyone to see life as they do

[mek]

Because negative reviews could be helpful in avoiding the poor cruises/tours out there. People want the negative reviews that are useful warnings.

 

However, too many of the people posting negative reviews use it as an excuse to rant and vent without providing the needed info a useful review should give.

 

Another group of the negative reviews are just basically lies to puff up the poster's ego.

 

I dislike reading 9 useless negative reviews to find 1 useful negative review.

 

Well, I think it's easy to tell legitimate posts from the plain stupid ones. But most people take the bait and then the thread goes on and on and on..... I've seen many people flamed because they dare to say something negative about this or that cruise line.

Too bad, it IS an open fourm, and we should be open to all oppinions. Sh#&*t happens and it can happen on our favorite lines, but as soon as someone posts something that has upset them, a multitude of cheerleaders get on and start attacking. You have to agree, some boards can get pretty nasty very quickly.

[MaryZ]

each review is that person's perspective of their vacation. Now if it starts out with problems every little thing that goes on will snowball.

So things that you might ordinarily shrug off tend to get on your nerves more.

We sailed the miracle in may. Lousy cabin steward, the worst we ever had.

Now, I know that isn't the norm. I've been on way more than enough cruises to be able to say it didn't wreck my view of cruising nor of carnival. It was unfortunate for us we got stuck with him, but he wasn't all that bad. I'm sure it could have been worse. He did make the bed :) Although I am very neat so it's not like he really needed to ever pick up after us. Never had to clean around things since I don't leave things around...lol

Our wait staff never, over the whole time, got to the point where they remembered we wanted shrimp cocktail every night and I wanted water. Every night it was the same thing having to ask for it. Now that is the first time we've ever experienced that.

Would I sail the miracle again? Most definitely. We loved the aft wrap suit and that is the reason we would. And I thought the ship was very pretty. I even enjoyed the dining room colors...lol

However, I chose to sail rccl this jan for two reasons. We love going out of our "home ports" although we live in ny, jersey is still a home port for us.

and rccl is sailing from here in the winter.

Perhaps had carnival kept a ship here, I might have considered it, but probably not due to the fact that rccl has the explorer here.

the only thing tho, is I just love those aft wrap suites. So already I am looking at the miracle when she goes back to florida for her itinerary. St kitts is calling me.

We have an aft suite on the explorer. But nothing beats that balcony and cabin on the spirit class ships.

although I do want to go to hawaii and back to alaska, so those two itineraries are calling me too. And someone on this board has it booked back to back for '09 and I am sooo jealous :eek: Since with two kids in college in 09 I'm not so sure we will have the cash flow to do that

So even tho the miracle wasn't up to my expectations in some areas, that cabin more than made up for it and I will certainly sail her again. As long as I don't see that same steward at my door...lol I will ban him from my cabin ;)

So, sometimes a little negative in a review is ok. Nothing in life is ever perfect, just don't let it ruin your entire perspective of the joy of cruising.

Take another cruise and usually that makes you realize that some cruises are so wonderful you want to do it again or when you do sail again you realize that just because one cruise wasn't as perfect as you thought it would be, the one you are on is so much better because everything is going well. And makes you fall in love with cruising all over again. And you can put all the stuff that went wrong on one cruise back into perspective.

Because you will find the good cruise makes you forget the bad cruise :)

[ECP]

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.

 

Just learnt of the hidden factor that none of us knew - QM2 is to be sold!!!!

 

Now I think if you went last year you would had had a great time. Let that be a lesson to us all.

 

Don't delay your cruises!

 

Edit: It was the QE2 sold - boy I messed up. Sorry.

[MrPete]

Just learnt of the hidden factor that none of us knew - QM2 is to be sold!!!!

 

Eventually in years to come, but hardly a ship that is maybe 2 years old. :rolleyes:

[ECP]

Eventually in years to come, but hardly a ship that is maybe 2 years old. :rolleyes:

 

 

Yes, I messed up badly. Sorry.

[SheriNtexas]

Exactly... after all we don't clean the bathrooms anyway ;)

 

 

LOL, that is exactly how i think! Reminds me of a comedian i heard the other day on satellite radio. He said, "Why is it when we are traveling, we will use EVERY towel, hand towel, AND washrag they provide, and NOT reuse them, yet when we are at home we will be looking for a towel and say to ourselves,'I used THIS one to mop the kitchen floor, so i'll just use the OTHER side'" rofl!! Funny how i have NO problem getting the floor wet while on a cruise, but I still hate how the shower curtains stick to you while you are in the shower!:D