Reviews - What Benchmarks Used?

[ABoatNerd]

A good afternoon CruiseCrazies:

Question - When Undertaking A Review - What Benchmarks Do You Use?

I am a Celebrity and Crystal cruiser. I am intrigued as to why cruise reviews can be so varied.

I suspect:

1) Most folks provide a review based on THEIR view of what they SHOULD receive VS

2) Reviewing on what they ACTUALLY received based on THE ADVERTISED product offering from official cruise lines information only

My cruise reviews are constructed to highlight the VARIANCE between the advertised product offering (the words, pictures of food, etc) and what I actually received. I do not "personalize" my review, ie on what I thought I should have got.

It is my impression this is a different approach from most of the cruise reviews I have read over the years.

WHAT DO YOU THINK FOLKS?????????

_____________________________________________

Some background on why this is interesting. I believe most consumers are entirely too lenient on the providers of products, consumers excuse poor product delivery because most consumers are timid/consumed by political correctness/lazy/worried about creating a scene - and generally refuse to demand their entitlements.

In every industry, and cruising too, this of course, allows the service providers to extract maximum price while continually providing less value.

Having cruised since 1989, I have provided many cruise reviews.

Warning to people reviewing this post, I am a very informed and highly demanding consumer. I stand up for my entitlements that I purchased and I adhere to the parameters of the cruise product (dress code, courtesy, timeliness etc) without complaint. I show only moderate lattitude for those with poor attitudes or those who are ill informed in the basics of their job or for lazy service providers.

Before booking a cruise, I examine the precise attributes of the cruise lines product, service, and experience offering from the web site, brochures, ads. I identify key words and pictures that seem to describe the experience that I CAN PURCHASE - ie like quiet ambiance, discreet service, attuned to your every need, exquisite food etc, etc, etc, etc. I then decide if this is what I want to purchase.

I take a copy of the promotional information to ensure I have a hard copy of the product offering I purchased. On numerous cruises I have used this promo information to extract concessions from the line when I did not get what I was promised. Handing over the promo information at the customer desk is quite intimidating and usually gets immediate attention.

Note, THIS IS KEY!!!!

Customer Expectation - I expect the cruise line to provide me their advertised product offering from the moment I set foot on the ship - every single time - all year - on every cruise. Unless the cruise lines makes it clear in their advertising that certain times of the year the product will not be exactly as offered or in stated extenuating circumstances, I will not release the cruise line from providing exactly what they said they would and what I paid for.

I will not exempt a cruise line from every deviating from their advertised product offering due to the typically offered excuses:

1) It is the summer/holidays - To excuse away the nusiance of hords of out of control kids

2) We need group bookings - To excuse away the lack of use of public rooms/dining rooms to service large group bookings

The excuses from the cruise lines go on and on and even customers repeat them.

Consumers, demand your entitlements and do not let the cruise lines off the hook.

Ann Landers said it best - "No body can abuse you without you having given them your permission"

Good sailing to all

ABoatNerd

[cruisinmama]

Ummmm, well ok.....I think you can do your review any way you want...

I like hearing what Cruisers did and the "personalized parts ...just b/c something went wrong or was bad on the ship for them I don't automatically think it will be when I'm on...I like hearing all aspects...

I had a few bad times on my last Cruise.I don't really think it could happen again to someone else..Its what makes these boards interesting I think...we all see things differently..But I do pay attention to Port reviews as I wish I had headed the advice on one of ours...again its up to YOU how much you take it in...

As I am not a big food person..."sounds odd" but anyway...if I eat every day and its not growing something.. or really bad tasting I'm happy...lol....others who eat and have more shall I say more taste buds than I would of course be a better judge of meals than I....as I don't eat like regular folks due to illness...

I think if you go to have fun and your able to eat & drink..and the ship doesn't crash ..lol..and you don't FALL overboard , hell it was a good vacation..oh yes and you didn't loose any kids during the trip..Your a step ahead..

Again I go on vacation to have fun and not worry about every little thing..or critique every "product" while on a ship...we save all year for our trips and we go on with a open mind and as we have control over how much fun we choose to have we make the best of it..

Maybe others who are much more Cruise savy than I will have other points of view..again thats what makes boards fun and interesting to come too..

we all see things in a diff light...If we all were the same way, what a boring world it would be!! hmm, I think thats a song lyric :wink:

Again JMHO

[GottaCruz]

Very well said , cruisinmama. You took the words right out of my mouth. Gotta find a gif for that. :wink: Cheryl

[hamster92256]

You said it Cruisemama, if I want to nitpik the service, the food, and or everything else I could stay at home. Yes it is nice to know there is someone out there who would like to spend their vacation making people who work in the service industry miserible, I just hope that they hold their proffession to the same high standards. No sub par performence for them.

[Jason]

Hey ABoatNerd,

Since you seem to be a pro at writing cruise reviews, how bout you send me all the ones you have so I can post them for everyone to read.

[KeithnRita]

We don't set benchmarks when we write a cruise review, we just report how our cruise went. We are not demanding people and understand that every little thing will not be perfect. People are not perfect. You have your good days as well as your bad days. We cruise to relax and have fun. We don't let the little things bother us. We've only had good cruises, better cruises, and great cruises.

If, in our opinion, things have changed for the good or bad, we will report it. We can only give our opinion, no one else's. On our last cruise we reported that some things that were provided in the past, have been discontinued. That's the sort of thing we look for when we read a review--that we are taking with a grain of salt.

Perhaps you could post a link to your reviews, or as Jason asked, send them for him to post on this site. :smiley: :smiley:

[ABoatNerd]

Benchmarks For Cruise Reviews.

Thanks to all who have/will respond to the post. It is a topic I have not seen raised on this or other cruise sites.

Interesting perspectives on doing reviews - some based on formal elements (me), some more casual. Just like the range of people

Kindest Regards to all who post

Happy and safe cruising

ABoatNerd

[hazelson]

Personal opinions - I think we all like to just "call them as we see them". Most of us on here a pretty easy going. I would hate to be on a cruise and be thinking about what I can find wrong to put into a review - ain't gonna happen! Chill!

TTFN Jennifer

[boba]

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: When I take a cruise, I hope I get to the ship on time and it doesn't sink with me on it. Other than that it's time to relax, or party or both. DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY NOW. P.S has anyone seen my kids? last I knew they were on the pool deck. :wink: :wink:

[Suzila]

I have to agree with your second post, ABoatNerd, in which you said that reviews are 'just like the range of people'.

One of my hobbies holds a national convention each year and the first time I attended, I was amazed at the range of people...we all had the same interest, the hobby, but when it came down to it, there were people at the convention I'd never socialize with much less becomes friends with. And then there were people I was attracted to...intelligent, knew what they were talking about, people I'd want to spend more time with.

The range of people cruising is phenomenal. Some people expect a cruise to follow exactly what a brochure shows. Some people are on the ship for a good time, to relax, and could care less what activities are going on, other than drinking and lying by the pool.

If all these people post a review, when I go to the review board to find out if I'd be likely to enjoy being on that ship, I'll read all the reviews, and decide for myself.

Same as if I'm buying a book on Amazon.com. If I have an interest in the book, I'll read the reviews. Some people may have enjoyed the book, some may not. But at least I'll have an idea about whether I want to spend my money on the book from reading the reviews.

On our Alaskan cruise I picked out an excursion to experience the white water rapids at the Mendenhall Glacier. The brochure said specifically, that it would be an 'easy-going, pleasant trip down the rapids on a raft with metal sides, and no chance of tipping over'. I am not adventurous. However, I was on the cruise with my hubby, and (then) two teen-aged boys. When we got to the place where the excursion started, we were singled out by a tour guide (because he saw the boys) to get in the raft that had no metal sides...just a very large rubber raft. They dressed us up in a life vest, rubber boots up to our hips, raingear, etc., 'in case we fell in'. The people in the metal-sided raft had their easy-going trip down the falls...we, on the other hand, experienced something I hope never to have to go through again...but I am soooo glad I had the chance to do it. It was an absolute thrill and something I'll never forget. (the boys, by the way, still have the scars from my nails digging in to their legs!).

You write that you are a very informed and highly demanding consumer. Yes, so am I, as I think most of the people on this cruise board are. In actuality, I was expecting an easy-going, drift down the falls, like the other people on the metal-sided raft received. I didn't get what I wanted. However, I did post a review about this experience on another cruise board and explained how it came about and why, and what a thrill it was for all of us.

I think when you're on a cruise, and on vacation you should relax a little and enjoy whatever comes your way. Unless of course, you're a x and not on vacation, but working to report in a magazine, etc. You said you bring a copy of the brochure with you on board ship and expect the cruise line to provide you with the advertised product everytime you step on board. You see, I would have missed out on the experience of a lifetime if I had complained about the fact my raft didn't have metal sides, as advertised.

I think I prefer to 'go with the flow' when on a cruise, instead of being as rigid as you seem to be.

Just my opinion. Sue