Galaxy

[swh&cv]

How is it that someone can cruise on the same ship, the same time, to the same ports and one report back a 2 and the other report back a 5+?! its very frustrating for us newbies to retain helpful info from you seasoned cruisers when you guys are all over the map. please be more objective and put your pettiness aside. we depend on you guys for guidance!!!:D

[Lois R]

Hi,:) that does not surprise me anymore.

How can 2 people cruise on the same ship at the same time

and have such different opinions about the same sailing?

We are all different individuals. We all have our own likes

and dislikes.

I am guessing your are asking about the Member Reviews

section? One is 5+ stars while the other is a 2 star.

 

I know they say (whoever "they" are) they say an objective

review is the best type of review.

That is probably (operative word...probably) the most

realistic type of revew. But as I have learned, many

folks find fault with lots of things while other people

find things almost perfect...almost.

 

I sailed in March too but never submitted my review.

(its back here on the X board somewhere). Was everything

perfect on my sailing? Nope....it wasn't but it

was closer to 5stars than 2.

Probably a 4 out of 5. I tried to be objective.

But I do know each time I return home I want

to book another cruise...so for me...it really is all good:)

 

Yours is the age old question.....How can it be so

different for 2 folks on the same cruise?

[nps001]

I do not work for Celebrity in any way, and I have always paid the full advertised price when cruising. I am in the hotel business. I guess that I am more forgiving than others as I can empathize when things are entirely perfect. When I go on a cruise, I don't look for the bad. As an example, people have complained about the back of the curtain having marks from the sliding doors. My attitude is who cares? I certainly don't look at the back of the drapes, as it doesn't affect my cruise experience.

 

As I tried to write in my review, the cruise was special because of the staff and fellow cruisers. While service is subjective, I can't believe that this same crew would give bad service. I can also tell you that (and I hope they read this and concur) that many of these cruisers we met with were frequent cruisers, and the majority said this was their best cruise yet.

 

If you have any specific questions, please let me know and I will answer them. Also, I posted pictured of the ship. You can get an idea for yourself.

[YOW]

Two cars collide. One eyewitness tells what he saw, the other describes her account. The way they view the event is shaped by numerous factors, such as vantage point, experience, paradigm, expectations, preconceptions, etc. The observations will differ; neither is necessarily right or wrong.

[Canuker]

Try looking at it this way:

Most people who cruise don't write a review at all. The ones that do, do so because they have something they want to write about. And that something is either "I had a good time" or "I had a bad time". I defy anyone to locate a cruise (or hotel or automobile) review that says "This was average".

 

So, the reviews that get published are, by definition, going to be at these two extremes. Filtering out the bragging and the ranting (i.e. opinions: "the food/entertainment/service was great".. "the food/entertainment/service was lousy") from the facts can help to give better perspective of what really went on.

 

For example, if the cruise ship left a day late, that's a fact, not an opinion. If the cabin steward keeps your ice bucket well-stocked with fresh ice, that's a fact.

 

Also, you tend to find that the more the reviewer has cruised before, the less likely the review will be a positive one. You know, the "same old same old" notion. And vice versa.

 

Treat these reviews for what they are - mainly one person's opinions. If the cruises really were as bad a some folk suggest, the industry would have collapsed by now.

 

Speaking personally, I've loved every cruise I've ever been on!

(but, that's just an opinion...)

[blyle]

How is it that someone can cruise on the same ship, the same time, to the same ports and one report back a 2 and the other report back a 5+?! its very frustrating for us newbies to retain helpful info from you seasoned cruisers when you guys are all over the map. please be more objective and put your pettiness aside. we depend on you guys for guidance!!!:D

Sometimes you have to ask specific question about the ship, ports etc! If someone sails a certain cruise line many times, they must like it and will not post a bad report. In the same vein if someone tries a new cruiseline they will always compare it to the line they love or have sailed many times (and get perks for doing so). On our first Celebrity cruise last week, we loved the Ports, the people we met and the service. The ship was average and reminded me of many others I have sailed. Now if you want to know about the sewer back up and smell on deck 8, that was not good. Did I enjoy my cruise? Yes, I had a fantastic time! Would I stop sailing other lines and only sail Celebrity? No. If you ask me a specific question I will be glad to answer it truthfully. You have to remember that the Galaxy is my first Celebrity ship.

[dkjretired]

How is it that someone can cruise on the same ship, the same time, to the same ports and one report back a 2 and the other report back a 5+?! its very frustrating for us newbies to retain helpful info from you seasoned cruisers when you guys are all over the map. please be more objective and put your pettiness aside. we depend on you guys for guidance!!!:D

 

I think you have to pick out what is important to you as each of the posters sees thing from their own perspective. I agree with the poster that if there is a spot on my shower curtain I personally could care less. Look at it this way, what would be a review of the food on a cruise from some guy who is a meat and potato man as opposed to someone who is a professional chef. They will look at things quite differently and you have to discern this in the reviews you read.

[tbelian]

Some 'tips' I think are important, for what they are worth:

• Don't rely completely on what you read here (it represent only a fraction of the overall cruising population)
  
• There are other cruise message boards
  
• A good TA is a valuable asset, especially for your first few cruises
  
• Everything can't be based on price, ie; you get what you pay for. A guarantee cabin is attractive, but in the end, it is what it is. You are better off picking the exact category and location you want. I think that is often a #1 source of disappointment
  
• Try not to make your first (few) cruises 'the trip of a lifetime'. Take a less expensive (read: not 'cheaper'), shorter cruise for your initial experiences.
  
• Remember it is a vacation, better than being at work, or in the hospital.

[Lsimon]

It is easy to understand how different reviewers can have such a different opinion. People are different. We’ve all seen those movie reviews on TV where one reviewer is thumbs up, and one is thumbs down. Here is some similar differences I’ve run into when reading posts and reviews and thinking of the cruises we’ve been on:

 

We were on one cruise where there was a large family from a different country and culture on board, they let their children run around a bit more than most would. We wrote a review saying how great the food and dining room staff was, another poster wrote about how those children ruined their dining experience.

 

We don’t really care for the shows on board but we know of lots of cruisers that think they are wonderful.

 

There is a piano player on the Constellation, Perry Grant, who has a unique performing style. I think he is just terrible! But he fills the lounge to standing room capacity almost every night and I’ve read he has some people that like him so much they’ll only sail when he is playing.

 

One person might go on a tour of an Island and think it is terrible based on the interior sights, shopping or their tour guide. I might go to a nice beach or day sail and think the place was wonderful.

 

The bottom line is that different people have different opinions about things, different likes and dislikes. Some of us even cruise for different reasons. You have to spend enough time reading the reviews and posts to try to identify with some of the posters. Try to figure out if certain opinions tend to be from your age bracket, or from people who do the same types of excursions you cruise for.

 

Also remember there are hundreds of different waiters, room stewards, and cabins on each ship. Some people will be lucky enough to get the best, and someone will get the worst. Most will get average which is usually really nice in this case. This is one area where research on these boards can sometimes help. Do a search through the forum on the cabin numbers (or the numbers of nearby similar cabins on the deck plan) and read what you find about your cabin location.

 

Also consider the final hypothetical situation that I’m sure happens all the time: Five people are standing near the pool as the ship pulls away from another busy day at port. One person is looking out at the beautiful scenery in awe and can’t believe there are seeing this beauty from a cruise ship while listening to a wonderful Caribbean Band playing great reggae island tunes. The second is basking in the sun trying to get a tan but a little annoyed at the music and wishes they had the classical music group playing instead. The third is thinking about how good the beers taste washing down the burgers and fries. The forth is there just to look over the T-shirts and jewelry on sale on the tables there and thinks the shopping is fun. The fifth is staring at a couple panes of glass along the deck railing that has become a little clouded from the salty sea spray, counting the empty deck chairs with a book and towel “reserving” them and looking to see if any children are going unsupervised into the hot tubs while becoming angrier and angrier about how they paid good money for a cruise on a ship that has such issues. Which one of these people are you?

[swh&cv]

what a handsome couple. we are also a gay couple traveling to greece so that was nice to see.

All i can say is that a picture is worth a thousand words so you just summed it all up for me! your pics were beautiful! thanks so much! what a relief!

wade

[usha]

Larry, I know exactly what you mean! It really takes all kinds to make a world, doesn't it? I remember two older ladies sitting out on deck on a gorgeous warm, sunny, but windy sea day. One of them turned to the other and flatly stated: "The wethuh is just tarrrrrrrabullll!" I almost lost it.:) And you see the people in the buffet with plates loaded down, yet some of them come back to report that the food is "inedible".:rolleyes: I love it. I know I read many accounts of what a disgrace the windows in Galaxy's Stratosphere lounge were. You know, we were up there several times, but I forgot to look! Guess we were having too much fun...

What really busted me up about your post was this:

"There is a piano player on the Constellation, Perry Grant, who has a unique performing style. I think he is just terrible! But he fills the lounge to standing room capacity almost every night and I’ve read he has some people that like him so much they’ll only sail when he is playing."

Thank you! I thought I was the only person EVER who wasn't crazy about Perry Grant!!! Truly, I can't take more than about 5 minutes of that guy, but I know he's like a superstar with most Celebrity cruisers. :confused: Go figure....

[tbelian]

I thought I was the only person EVER who wasn't crazy about Perry Grant!!! .

 

Actually no, count me in that group too! I've taken a look inside Michael's Club when he has been there, and, yes, he packs the room, but just not my thing.

 

Others have thought I was whacko to say I enjoyed Marc Preston the couple times we saw him on Celebrity. As is always the case, different people like different things.