When reading the reviews, remember...

[UConn1]

I have seen a some posts lately where people are very concerned about whether or not they booked the right ship after reading the reviews. I suggest that you keep in mind something that we all know and that is that people are more likely to want to review/discuss/spread the word about a bad experience as opposed to a great experience. We all do it. We, as a society, have a mentality that the good stuff is just expected and doesn't need to be repeated. We make sure everyone knows about a bad cruise, but few take the time to write review about a great cruise.

I, on the other hand, did not write a reveiw about my one and only bad experience on Carnival, but I did post reviews about my good ones. Many of the bad experiences, like mine, were very specifically individual and I did not feel the need to post it. As someone mentioned on the Gripes board, knowing a little more about the person who wrote the review would be helpful. If someone who normally cruises Cunard, suddenly finds themself on Carnival, then yes, their expectations will not be met and they probably will not have a good review. I am not saying that all bad reviews are like this - some are very valid and the problem was caused by the cruiseline, and not by the person's expectations.

Read the reviews, but take them with a grain of salt. What would be a negative situation for one person, may not be of any concern for you.

Just my opinion,

Jodi

[TheDMan]

Very well said Jodi. I have been guilty of second guessing booking decisions after reading reviews. But you are right, people are more likely to spread bad experiances than they are good.

[hazelson]

Well put UConn1 - If you are close enough to kick someone in the butt you are close enough to pat them on the back.

We tend to be easy to please but some of the reviews are really off-putting.

Again - well said.

ttfn Jennifer

[Mike M]

Well put Jodi. I tend to use reviews as tools and look for trends in multiple reviews. If there is a trend in bad service then I may think twice about the ship.

You are correct that people will report the bad and often never mention the good. I too never wrote a review of my cruise on the Ocean Princess. I considered this cruise well below par. However, my mental attitude was about 40% of the problem. I wasn't too happy of a camper and things that I would have normally let slide bugged the heck out of me.

On my last two Royal Caribbean cruises I believe the food has been sub par. Poorly prepared, often cold, bland, low quality ingredients and very poor dining room service with long waits between courses. People that were on the same cruise thought the food was great. So there are two different opinions of the same cruises.

I read a number of reviews of the Norwegian Star prior to my Alaska cruise and I thought I would be walking on board a vessel of bad food and surly staff. Well, the food was in the upper third of all my cruises and the staff was in the upper fourth in terms of service and friendliness. I wonder where all the surly folks went?

So take reviews with a grain of salt and use them as tools and not as the gospel. They are great, they give you insight, but aren't the final determination. Use your own judgment and don't rely on one or two.

Take care,
Mike

[LisaK]

i totally agree, and i take it one step further - read Anne's reviews for a professional overview.

[Mike M]

Lisa,

Good point. No matter what some of the folks say. Anne isn't a "paid shill" of the cruise lines and her reviews are basically unbiased.

Having said that, just remember, that everyone has preferences and a frame of reference and just because someone recommends it or rates a line highly in one area it doesn't guarantee that your opinion or perception of a cruise or line or the actual product will end up being the same.

There are few "shill" professional reviewers out there that I put no credence in their opinions. Give them a comped cruise and few free shrimp and they'll write anything they are told to.

Take care,
Mike

[Kuki]

Give them a comped cruise and few free shrimp and they'll write anything they are told to

Not me. I don't even like shrimp

[Mike M]

Kuki,

You NEVER do what you're told.

Mrs. K can vouch for that.

Take care,
Mike

[UConn1]

Lisa and Mike...very good point to read the reviews of a completely unbiased reviewer like Anne. I know she will "tell it like it is" and with her experience on all levels of cruising - she will know what is expected at each level and write a review accordingly.

Thanks for the nice comments. I just know that had I relied solely on passenger reviews, I would have missed out on some great experiences!

Jodi