Reviews on Cruise Critic!

[books0209]

I just finished reading the two reviews posted here, re:July 1, 2008 cruise.

 

Night and Day, Black and White, thats the difference from the two Cruisers.

 

Trafalgar, thought it was marvelous, out of a 1-5, 5 being the best they gave the cruise a score of 5.

 

RickP on the other hand, thought nothing was good, except the cabin steward did a great job cleaning the ship. The score he gave was generally a 2. Not good.

 

Then I went to all the reviews for the Caribbean Princess, and the scores were all over the place: Some great, some average, and some terrible.

 

As a frequent cruiser, I have never found any of my 23 cruises to be as bad as Rick thought, and never as great as Trafalgar, although, I seem to get closer to Trafalgar in thinking than RickP.

 

I have decided that the last two reviews, I read, will be my last I ever read. Im not sure objectivety plays any part in the writing of any reviews, rather emotion of the moment, and escalating minor problems, to major, and looking for the utopian vacation, which I have found never exists.

 

My advice from a seasoned Cruiser to all, Chill Out, enjoy the moment, and try not to ruin any vacation with, trite, overblown, negativety.

[Colo Cruiser]

I just finished reading the two reviews posted here, re:July 1, 2008 cruise.

 

Night and Day, Black and White, thats the difference from the two Cruisers.

 

Trafalgar, thought it was marvelous, out of a 1-5, 5 being the best they gave the cruise a score of 5.

 

RickP on the other hand, thought nothing was good, except the cabin steward did a great job cleaning the ship. The score he gave was generally a 2. Not good.

 

Then I went to all the reviews for the Caribbean Princess, and the scores were all over the place: Some great, some average, and some terrible.

 

As a frequent cruiser, I have never found any of my 23 cruises to be as bad as Rick thought, and never as great as Trafalgar, although, I seem to get closer to Trafalgar in thinking than RickP.

 

I have decided that the last two reviews, I read, will be my last I ever read. Im not sure objectivety plays any part in the writing of any reviews, rather emotion of the moment, and escalating minor problems, to major, and looking for the utopian vacation, which I have found never exists.

 

My advice from a seasoned Cruiser to all, Chill Out, enjoy the moment, and try not to ruin any vacation with, trite, overblown, negativety.

 

 

That is why I take them with a grain of salt. :cool:

[gargoyle999]

Throw out the high and low and then average the rest. Don't they do that for ice skating in the Olympics or something? :D

[Colo Cruiser]

Throw out the high and low and then average the rest. Don't they do that for ice skating in the Olympics or something? :D

 

 

They also do that for Rock climbing/boxing on RCCL. :cool:

[cruzinchris]

Night and Day, Black and White, thats the difference from the two Cruisers.

As much as I enjoy reading passenger cruise reviews, one must remember that everyone will have a different shipboard experience depending on their previous cruises and current expectations, among other things. Some folks will see the glass full most of the time, while others say that it's half empty ;)

 

I read reviews for enjoyment and as further research for an upcoming cruise, but I don't/won't focus on the glorifications or abominations set forth by the writer.

 

Bon Voyage!

Chris

[mii]

If I took reviews of a ship to heart I would never cruise again so I rarely read them. The ones that I do read I choose to pick out certain subjects that I am interested in about the ship. The rest I take with a grain of salt.

 

Marilyn

[PescadoAmarillo]

Throw out the high and low and then average the rest.

I think that's a good idea. Frankly, we've never had a bad cruise either (we've had an isolated bad incident(s) on each cruise), but I do believe that there are people for whom their vacation is a perfect storm of bad things. It can happen, but chances are it isn't going to happen to me. Also, some reviewers speak only so glowingly of everything that it's hard to believe that nothing went even the least bit wrong.

 

And then there's the differences amongst travelers. I am extremely picky about cleanliness and dining room service, less so about the entertainment quality. Some one else might judge their entire cruise by the casino payouts. Take the middle range of view and they are more likely to apply to the broadest spectrum of passenger,

[Kellie in Texas]

Usually the only people who take the time to write anything are the ones who are reallllyyyy pleased or realllllyyyy disappointed, mad, whatever. The majority of people who are satisfied with what they got don't take the time to write a review or even post a message. Same thing with any kind of reviews: restaurants, dry cleaners, whatever. You usually only get the polar opposite opinions, so yes, you definitely have to have your salt shaker with you when you read. ;) Kellie

[Spikesgirl]

What I do is keep a travel journal and then let folks know that it's available if they want to read it. Cruising, like life, is deeply personal and what can be fabulous for one could be awful for another. We had cold rainy weather on our sea day during the British Isle cruise - great for me, I love to cuddle up with a good book, not so great if you were looking to catch rays (didn't happen on that cruise at all). Both my husband and I are pretty easy going, deal with last minute changes well and do let small things trip us up.

 

Example, Chris has a teak lounge chair collapse under him. He wasn't hurt, but Princess couldn't do enough to make it up to him, free flowers, free wine, apps coming out our ears. For some folks, that wouldn't have been enough, but for us, we felt Princess was overly generous and very attentive.

 

The best thing to do is form your own opinions and not rely upon others to make them for you.

 

Cheers!

[Melissa5920]

People who have extreme emotions of either disappointment or happiness tend to want to share their experience because it is a sense of release. Perhaps by writing a review and focusing on everything that goes wrong gives them a sense of releasing a little of the negative energy built up inside. Perhaps they should journal instead.. :D

[katisdale]

I was on a cruise on the old Royal Princess and had a great time. After I got home I wrote a glowing review here on CC. A few days later I read another review of the same cruise and it was like we were not on the same ship at the same time. At first I could not believe it but then decided that since we had different stewards, chose different meals and went on different excursions it was possible her experiences were so different from mine.

[Casshew]

Great post, books. You are absolutely right, sometimes the reviews of the same cruise are polar opposites! I would suggest reading for entertainment value and to learn things and get tips. I love reading all the reviews - good or bad.

[judyjbest]

I read the reviews to find the consistent problems being reported from one review to the next, then I can decide if that's a problem that (a) can be overcome, (b) I can live with, or © would ruin a cruise for us.

 

As ships start aging with specific problems, that's good information to have. When a bad CD or entertainment invades a ship, that's good information to have.

 

But, I never book a cruise based on the overall rating of reviews ... that's not a good factor!

[jpg1747]

I read the reviews in much the same was that I read some of the threads, purely for entertainment purposes. I've never had a bad cruise, although I did manage to make myself unhappy on one cruise because I went with a bad attitude. In hindsight, it was as good as any other cruise I've been on. I learned my lesson and now go with a totally different attitude and always enjoy myself desite any minor little glitches that may come along. Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

I read them once in a while. While I would not go to the extreme of never reading one again, I do take them with a grain of salt like Colo said. People are different therfore their experiences differ. With 3000 people on board your likely to get 3000 different opinions.

[footer6]

I read the Caribbean Princess reviews of the July 1 cruise which were mentioned by the original poster. There were four reviews ranging from "great" to "terrible." I think that the disparity has more to do with the extent to which particular people allow negatives to affect them than with the actual onboard experience. I was on the 7/1 cruise (my first Princess cruise). Many of the complaints are valid. The itinerary changes did disappoint many people. I would have liked to have arrived earlier in San Juan, and to have stayed later in Tortola and Grand Turk, but the ship's top speed didn't permit it. Under the circumstances, there was nothing else Princess could have done.

As far as Rick P's complaint that there was nothing to do in Tortola, I, personally was glad to visit a new island. I was going to the beach in St. Maarten, and I went to a much nicer beach in Tortola. As to air conditioning, your experience depended on your cabin location. My sister was on Caribe deck and had to turn down the air conditioning. My cabin on Emerald Deck was never as cool as I would have preferred (at the coolest thermostat setting, the air ran constantly for 9 days and never really got cold). That said, it wasn't uncomfortable to the point that it affected my enjoyment of the trip. The fact that you could arrive more than 30 minutes early for shows (in the Exploration Lounge) and still not get a seat was frustrating, but it wouldn't stop me from returning to Princess. The reviewer who complained of "overbooking" can't be taken seriously. If all the cabins are filled, the ship is fully booked, not overbooked. Princess didn't have anyone sleeping on cots in the passageways. Anyone who paid attention would have known that the CB carries over 3,100 passengers and that the cruise was sold out. All in all, while there were some negatives on this trip (as with any trip), we had a great vacation. Don't let the reviews scare you off.

[wizard-of-roz]

Footer: I wanted to read what you wrote but it was difficult....in the future may I suggest breaking-up your paragraphs....it's much easier to read that way! Just a humble suggestion, nothing personal!!!! ;)

I couldn't believe what one of my fellow workers had to say about her Princess cruise, this past week. Then I remembered WHO she was and HOW she looks at life, in general, and, I simply nodded, smiled and walked away!

"Different gallies for different girlies!!!!!!"

[Alanscruise]

I was on a cruise on the old Royal Princess and had a great time. After I got home I wrote a glowing review here on CC. A few days later I read another review of the same cruise and it was like we were not on the same ship at the same time. At first I could not believe it but then decided that since we had different stewards, chose different meals and went on different excursions it was possible her experiences were so different from mine.

 

This very thing happened to me when I wrote about my Carnival cruise. I thought it was very nice and really enjoyed the food and service. I had a wonderful cabin and steward. Other passengers on the same ship and same crossing hated the whole thing. That is what really taught me that I am the one in charge of my own good time.

 

This is an interesting topic. Thanks!

 

Alan

[Sandytoes]

My advice from a seasoned Cruiser to all, Chill Out, enjoy the moment, and try not to ruin any vacation with, trite, overblown, negativety.

I NEVER let anyone or any review get to me.

 

So my advice to you is -

keep on cruising and don't worry

what the moaners, groaners,

complainers, grippers and critics have to say.

 

Sail on!!! :D

[RonnieS]

Life is too short to sweat the small stuff.

 

....or Don't sweat the petty stuff and don't pet the sweaty stuff.:D

[madjohn]

I read the reviews of the ships I would like to go on or are booked on. I actually like the reviews that are negative becuase they offer more specific information. And almost all the time the problems people had or displeasure they experienced seems (IMHO) unimportant or trivial.

 

John

[sammiedawg]

I value other people's opinions but agree it is good to see the average rating from many people, throw out the total raves. I dont necessarily throw out the low ratings, especially if they are experienced cruisers. We're generally easy to please but we had one bad cruise so I know it can happen.

[Love Boat Dream]

Wow! I just read the reviews in question. I was on the CB on 7/1 also. I didn't post a review because I covered everything in my "Live" posts.

 

I had a great time! Yes, my cabin had a/c problems and I had to call 3 times for adjustments, but it didn't ruin my trip. (I don't think the a/c problems had anything to do with the engine problems btw) The food was great, the service was excellent and the ship was spotless.

 

For the entertainment: Sarge was hysterical. One of the reasons the theater was so crowded and they had to broadcast it through MUTS is because he was so good!

 

Yes, the port situation could have been better, but that didn't ruin my trip either!

 

Your cruise is what YOU make it!

[Maverick430]

I just finished reading the two reviews posted here, re:July 1, 2008 cruise.

 

Night and Day, Black and White, thats the difference from the two Cruisers.

 

Trafalgar, thought it was marvelous, out of a 1-5, 5 being the best they gave the cruise a score of 5.

 

RickP on the other hand, thought nothing was good, except the cabin steward did a great job cleaning the ship. The score he gave was generally a 2. Not good.

 

Then I went to all the reviews for the Caribbean Princess, and the scores were all over the place: Some great, some average, and some terrible.

 

As a frequent cruiser, I have never found any of my 23 cruises to be as bad as Rick thought, and never as great as Trafalgar, although, I seem to get closer to Trafalgar in thinking than RickP.

 

I have decided that the last two reviews, I read, will be my last I ever read. Im not sure objectivety plays any part in the writing of any reviews, rather emotion of the moment, and escalating minor problems, to major, and looking for the utopian vacation, which I have found never exists.

 

My advice from a seasoned Cruiser to all, Chill Out, enjoy the moment, and try not to ruin any vacation with, trite, overblown, negativety.

 

Great post and great advice. I will always form my own opinion. I have never had a bad cruise, however some were better than others. From what I hear, Princess has the best of everything.

[Woobstr112G]

Imho, if you have any experience in cruising, then you know what you are getting into. This will let you book a cruise accordingly. If you are new to cruising, then use the boards and other venues to assist you in booking a cruise. With this in mind, a cruise is what you make of it. Sure there will be things that are not up to par, but is this reason enough to gripe the whole cruise and thereby let it ruin your cruise?

 

Bob

 

Future: Diamond Princess Aus/Nz 01/09

Future: Emerald Princess Med/Trans Atlantic 10/08

Constellation Europe 07/06

Summit Alaska Repositioning 05/05

Summit Panama Canal 10/02

Rhapsody Of The Seas Alaska 09/01

Spledour Of The Seas Baltic 09/99

Veendam Eastern Caribbean 07/96

Holiday Western Carribean 07/93