Do Reviews Influence you?

Looking at a cruise with P&O,who we've never sailed with before, but reviews are very mixed. Do reviews make a difference to you?

it depends...if a review says the soup was cold....that's just a glitch. If a review says the ship had a hole in the middle of deck 6 and the crew kept pushing people into it....well, that's a different story!!!

Like most people, we take reviews with a pinch of salt.

A bad review can come from someone with a chip on their shoulder, or someone that's allowed one factor such as a poor flight to cloud their entire opinion, or someone with unrealistic expectations.

Conversely there are some who are very easily pleased - particularly first-timers or those who had their ticket paid by a relative.

Best to discount the top & bottom 10-20%, & go by the averages.

Then decide whether any frequently-recurring criticisms are things that are important to you.

P&O have a very mixed fleet, including a couple of leviathons & three adults-only ships one of which is very small, so perhaps best to concentrate on the ship you're interested in - there should be plenty of reviews available for any one ship.

As a broad idea, P&O is geared to British tastes, a little bit less glitzy than US ships (might be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your own tastes), currency is sterling which makes things simpler, on-board costs - esp drinks & gratuities - are way lower than on US ships.

We've been very happy with our P&O experiences.

Which ship are you considering, & who have you sailed with before?

JB :)

Yup, but more about the content than the number of "stars" or percentage points, since different things matter to different people --- what is a good item/experience might not be desirable to another. Also, what might make or break a person's experience might in fact be happenstance that might not come up on your voyage (eg, I'd take a complaint about the quality of food more seriously than a complaint about the weather or a complaint that the pillow was lumpy).

Like most people, we take reviews with a pinch of salt.

A bad review can come from someone with a chip on their shoulder, or someone that's allowed one factor such as a poor flight to cloud their entire opinion, or someone with unrealistic expectations.

Conversely there are some who are very easily pleased - particularly first-timers or those who had their ticket paid by a relative.

 

Best to discount the top & bottom 10-20%, & go by the averages.

Then decide whether any frequently-recurring criticisms are things that are important to you.

 

P&O have a very mixed fleet, including a couple of leviathons & three adults-only ships one of which is very small, so perhaps best to concentrate on the ship you're interested in - there should be plenty of reviews available for any one ship.

 

As a broad idea, P&O is geared to British tastes, a little bit less glitzy than US ships (might be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your own tastes), currency is sterling which makes things simpler, on-board costs - esp drinks & gratuities - are way lower than on US ships.

 

We've been very happy with our P&O experiences.

 

Which ship are you considering, & who have you sailed with before?

 

JB :)

Aurora to Norway. We've sailed with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, NCL and Cunard. Also sailed with Louis Cruises when they operated out of Tilbury, many moons ago.

I think the best way to approach reviews is with a healthy degree of scepticism. As others have said - discount the highs and lows and read as many as you can of the middling ones for the ship you are interested in. Ships vary almost as much as cruise lines.

Look for recurring themes for the areas that interest you or are important. Keep in mind that some things are deal-breakers to some and of no interest to others (e.g. for us we could not care less about chair hogs round the pool - we never use it but food is important (bearing in mind the subjectivity of food reviews)).

Some get bent out of shape about one poor service incident - "it ruined their cruise because their ice bucket wasn't filled one day". Others let it wash over them.

I have never sailed P&O - but - I have read a lot of reviews from experienced P&O cruisers recently who are bemoaning the drop in standards/food quality etc.. This has put me off trying P&O - I do not want to be stuck on a ship full of whinging Brits!;)

Whatever you decide - go in determined to enjoy yourself and don't sweat the small stuff. Any cruise beats being at work.

Fancy the itinerary, but as I'm the one pushing for it, I'm sure DH would be quick to moan at me if I've got it wrong :)

Aurora to Norway. We've sailed with Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess, NCL and Cunard. Also sailed with Louis Cruises when they operated out of Tilbury, many moons ago.

My favourite P&O ship. :)

At 2000 passengers she's just my size, big enough to have the amenities but small enough to be friendly.

Not adults-only (adults-only attracts a very elderly clientele), but Norway isn't a popular destination for kids - they prefer the Med or Canaries. So hopefully the kids you'll see will be mainly little-uns tied to mummy's apron & well-behaved.

Of the two main pools, one is outdoor & the other has a sliding roof, unusual & useful for Norway's unreliable weather. The stern area & its little pool is a very attractive, friendly & restful area, with its own bar & handy to the buffet - similar to some Princess ships, but a more attractive tiered stern.

Super cabins - most have a huge hanging section & dressing area between cabin & bathroom.

Buffet is the only big disappointment for me - poorer choice than RCI, Princess etc.

P&O don't have a great name for food, but we find the main dining room experience is fine. Waiters tend to be more reserved on P&O ships - not unfriendly but not in-your-face.

You will definitely find on-board costs significantly lower. Lower drinks prices, & no service charge. Gratuities at half the level of those other lines. No currency conversion costs.

And no restrictions on taking alcohol - including hard liquor - onto the ship, for consumption in your cabin.

Nearest equivalent of those you've sailed will be Princess, which you probably found less brash than the others?

If you can be flexible, most cruises to Norway are under-subscribed so there are late bargains with most cruise lines, though that might change with possible Russian ...... errrr "complications" ..... affecting Baltic bookings.

Norway is damned expensive. There are plenty of threads on Cruise Critic about smuggling alcohol onto ships. For Norway you might need advice how to smuggle it off :D

I don't think you'll go wrong with Aurora, but see what others think.

Reviews here on Cruise Critic, here's some more on a UK cruisers' website.

http://www.cruise.co.uk/search/reviews/ocean//6//

As you say, good and poor.

JB :)

I do pay attention to reviews; I'm pretty practised at figuring what what things would be a concern for me and what things are either happenstance or just don't matter that much to me.

For example, so many reviews for European hotels (on Tripadvisor, for instance) say "the rooms are small". Hmmm.....well, almost every hotel room in major European cities is small. :rolleyes:

Just last year I cancelled a planned holiday cruise on the new Royal Princess after reading a lot of reviews that brought up points of real concern to me. Celebrity got our holiday $$ instead and we had a great time.

No. What is good for me, May not be good for you. I found such great reviews on a cruise line, tried them, didn't like it at all.

Looking at a cruise with P&O,who we've never sailed with before, but reviews are very mixed. Do reviews make a difference to you?

No because opinions are so subjective.

If a review says the ship had a hole in the middle of deck 6 and the crew kept pushing people into it....well, that's a different story!!!

Isn't that called a water slide?:D

No because opinions are so subjective.

Not all reviews are opinion based. Some also include factual information that is quite useful. For example, it's not an opinion to say that balconies are 25% smaller on a new ship than on previous ships for the same cabin category, and to explain in real-life terms exactly how that impacts one's enjoyment of the space.

Looking at a cruise with P&O,who we've never sailed with before, but reviews are very mixed. Do reviews make a difference to you?

First, I presume you are asking about reviews by passengers? I completely ignore "professional" reviews, as they sound like advertising to me (and probably they are?)

That said...

Passenger reviews -- ooh, what a muddle! I tend to read only the terrible reviews -- I am just drawn to them in the way some folks are drawn to horror movies, I guess. I read them to ascertain what could have caused the reviewer to have such a terrible experience on a cruise ship (that didn't sink, let's say) as to write an abysmal review!

I think it is mostly folks who want to "vent" who write bad reviews -- they either are angry (often about details) and want everyone to share their anger, or they either actually have, or want folks to think they have, such high standards that no one can please them. To me, that boils down to: 1. ego, 2. elitism, or 3. standards that are impossibly high, anyway, so who cares?

And I have begun to notice (after four cruises on four different cruise lines) that I develop expectations based on the positive things folks say in reviews or comments, and it is my expectations being high that run me into trouble. If my expectations were more realistic, I would most likely be thrilled with my cruise, but when I pay attention to the cheerleaders for whom a cruise line or ship can do no wrong, I am commonly let down.

From the other side of the coin, when I consider my experience as a reviewer or commentator, I have noticed that my opinion of my own cruise changes as time goes by, and particularly as I begin to make comments about it on Cruise Critic! I am not one to vent or exaggerate little inconveniences and disappointments into "the ruination of all things," so as I review aspects of a cruise in an attempt to relay info to others on CC, I notice positive aspects of the cruise I might not have noticed initially. As I try to realistically explain my experience to others, I see the initial disappointments I might have felt fade a little in importance, and I actually see better how positive my cruise experience was. So maybe the take-away here is to read reviews that were not written the moment the reviewer got off the ship?

In general, I tend not to bother much with reading reviews (and particularly positive ones) but I still do a lot of research on aspects of a ship or cruise that I know interest me and make a difference to me personally. But even those aspects may end up to not count for much when I actually sail. Case in point: it was essential to me on our most recent cruise that I choose a ship with a wide wraparound promenade deck, as walking the deck on a previous cruise had been one of the highlights. Our most recent ship did have the promenade I was looking for, but guess what -- the weather was too cool, windy and rainy for me to walk on the deck more than once on a 7-day cruise! So in the end, other aspects of the ship (such as its sheer size) played a much more important role than that particular aspect I thought would be essential to my happiness!

My husband and I are so thrilled and thankful to be able to cruise at all that we in general try, and are able, to be pretty happy with any cruise we take, but I have noticed myself getting "pickier" a I cruise more -- not a happy thing, actually, as it can result in greater chance of disappointment. But I know myself better as a cruiser now, and I know what I value, and what I can realistically expect from any cruise. So I have developed a greater inclination to disallow other cruisers' opinions about a ship from affecting me, and simply go for what I want.

I like to read the reviews but unless they are universally VERY bad they don't influence me. I often think that some people write reviews because they've had a specific incident that has led them to be very negative or that they are the sort of people who always look for the bad in everything. The percentage of those on a ship of 2500-3000 who write a review is negligible and the vast majority of happy cruisers don't contribute to forums nor write reviews.

And to the OP who was asking about P&O Aurora, when we are at past cruisers get-togethers of the P&O loyalty club (Peninsular Club), Aurora is always voted the People's Favourite (!) and although we've never been on her we're hoping to do so later this year :)

i like the reviews they are helpful

Thanks everyone for your very helpful replies (or should I say reviews:D). I look on reviews as an 'extra' to the holiday, e.g our travel agent booked us into a hotel for a couple of nights during a touring holiday. When I looked on-line on tripadvisor the first few reviews were absolutely horrendous and it was with some trepidation we approached the hotel on the first night.

It was brilliant and I'm still trying to work out why people hated it. As we all know, reviews are very much subjective, one man's meat, etc... I was just curious how other people felt.

Obviously if there is a common theme running through all the reviews that would make me take notice, but some points raised are quite frankly laughable. I suppose if we were all the same the world would be a boring place!!!

Thanks again.

I am interested in other people's views re: their cruise experience, but I do not let their negatives affect my cruises. I prefer to approach a ship and an itinerary with an open mind, because everyone's experiences are flavored with their expectations of what they believe it will or should be like, and those can easily be set too high, based on hype and/ or experiences on other cruises. Every ship within a cruiseline will provide us with a slightly different cruise experience, as will every itinerary, even one you done before. And there are always those things that happen that could negatively affect your cruise experience if you allow them to. The "ship happens" sort of stuff ....itinerary changes due to weather, rain on a port day, etc.

To me, that's why an open mind and flexibility are a necessity, so I can have the maximum enjoyment of every cruise.

I do. Read them but it has never stopped me from taking. Any of my 18 cruises..

I have loved every cruise..even the one I liked the least..

Good luck and happy cruising...

We us the 50 -50 rule..

I personally find youtube videos more interesting for a feel of a ship.

Unless theres a heavy majority of bad reviews I dont really think about them. :)

Depends on how many they are, when they were posted and what the problems are.

But in a nutshell, no, a review will not make me cancel a cruise. I will be prepared for a potential recurring issue such as if most the reviews say boarding and security are a mess.

I personally find youtube videos more interesting for a feel of a ship.

 

Unless theres a heavy majority of bad reviews I dont really think about them. :)

Not to hijack but I've seen youtube mentioned before. What's the best way to find ship videos?

Also, I get a little concerned about poor reviews but like others have said try to disregard the ones who seem overly critical.

Not to hijack but I've seen youtube mentioned before. What's the best way to find ship videos?

 

.

Just type "YouTube Crown Princess" (or any ship's name) into your search engine.

If you've not used YouTube before:

- If you have poor broadband speed the vid may not work or may stick ("stick" isn't technical enough for internet-nerds, they call it "buffering" :rolleyes:)

- mainly the service is paid for by advertising, but most vids give the option to click on "skip ad"

- they're (all?) from amateur contributors, same as Cruise Critic. So there's good, there's poor, & there's a few trolls.

- you can adjust or mute the sound, zip the vid along or freeze it using a slider under the vid, much the same as when playing music on your computer. The mute button comes in handy when the vid comes with the contributor's idea of "good music". :rolleyes:

- you can click on an icon which gives you a full-screen vid.

- you'll see a selection of other related vids displayed on your screen.

Beware - YouTube is addictive :D

You'll start with cruise ship vids, then be attracted by cruise disaster vids listed on the page, they lead to other disasters, and you'll end up watching Russian truck crashes.

Next time you look at the clock it'll be 3am :D

I've never had any computer issues such as viruses with YouTube.

But I have tried to get live "streaming" from other vid websites - in my case soccer matches, and they DO create problems. Changing your home page, even Norton warnings of attempts to hack my computer. I no longer trust such sites, but like I said, no problem with YouTube.

JB :)

Looking at a cruise with P&O,who we've never sailed with before, but reviews are very mixed. Do reviews make a difference to you?

Things that matter to me in a review: Tips on the ship, layouts of rooms, things not to miss, excursion details. I try to pull out of them the things I would like/not like to see and try. Things that do not matter to me: subjective food reviews, entertainment reviews, service reviews, petty annoyances that the reviewers make into a mountain when it is really just a molehill. DH and I don't always agree on food or entertainment so why would I rely on what a complete stranger thinks. As for service...that could be subjective and relative to the situation at hand. After all, we only hear one side of the story here.