cruise line reviews - the good, the bad and the ***?

[Boopuff]

I know reading through the Disboard that most people on here are Disney fans and most reviews are positive and very helpful. But reading reviews on other sites makes me wonder what ship those people were on. I've read some crazy reviews that deteriorate into full on crazy rants, weird reasons for disliking the cruise and full on bologny. One reviewer slammed the cruise claiming that they arrived at the port and didn't have a reservation! They wanted full compensation for Disney loosing the reservation...??? Another family wanted the kid club crew to administer insulin for their child, wanting full compensation... Yet another person rambled on about the trip to Atlantis blaming Disney for crowds there.. I find it just crazy. Anyone read any other crazy complaints?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I know reading through the Disboard that most people on here are Disney fans and most reviews are positive and very helpful. But reading reviews on other sites makes me wonder what ship those people were on. I've read some crazy reviews that deteriorate into full on crazy rants, weird reasons for disliking the cruise and full on bologny. One reviewer slammed the cruise claiming that they arrived at the port and didn't have a reservation! They wanted full compensation for Disney loosing the reservation...??? Another family wanted the kid club crew to administer insulin for their child, wanting full compensation... Yet another person rambled on about the trip to Atlantis blaming Disney for crowds there.. I find it just crazy. Anyone read any other crazy complaints?

There's always someone complaining about some perceived slight. I read reviews, both good and bad, and figure the truth lies somewhere inbetween.

 

[jahber]

I've had people I know come back from vacations (including cruises) and tell me they had unbelievably bad service. And many times as I listen to their stories, I find myself wondering when the unbelievable part comes in. It rarely does. Sometimes it's probably just lost in the re-telling, but sometimes it's the person and their perspective (I've learned from experience). Like Princess Scmoo, I try to assume the truth is somewhere in between--but I also sometimes wish I could get character references for reviewers. Like, does this person usually exaggerate? Do they always overreact to everything? It would make it easier to know if there really is such-and-such problem EVERYwhere, and so on.
Edited to add: I learned this on our first Carnival cruise. There were no obviously drunk people, no lewd frat boys, no crew members being rude, no poorly maintained ship, none of the over the top ridiculous stuff people swore ran rampant on every single Carnival death ship cruise.

 

[Ofinn]

Ive always heard the 3 and 4 star reviews are probably the most accurate and objective. I havent seen those kind of bad reviews on dcl maybe becauae theres so few reviews. Ive looked at reviews on non dcl ships. You really have to sift through all the reviews to find good reviews and I dont mean reviews that are good about the ship just reviews that are well written and objective.

 

[disneycruisegal]

Yes!! I was on another site and read a two star review of a Disney cruise, blaming Disney for a rude neighbor, she asked for a room change, which was accommodated but she had to be downgraded to a lower deck. Well, sorry, you can't kick some else out of a room because you want your same catagory. And then she did not leave the ship because she feared running into the rude neighbor. And her whole trip was ruined. Ummmmm, not Disney's fault.

I read another review complaint that it was really hot, in the Bahamas in June. And there was , not one breath of wind. Again, ummm,sorry, Disney can't control the wind.

I wonder if these people work for other cruise lines. I really wonder. Or do they go through life having unattainable high expectations. Smh.

 

[Boopuff]

My personal favorite was the one rant from a family of 7. They went to Castaway Cay. The DD spent the day collecting shells. Guess what? She tried to bring a bucket full back onto the ship. The writer stated that they felt like criminals and the bucket was confiscated, the DD in tears, holding up the crowd, the writer felt like crying and their cruise was RUINED!!! I believe anytime you travel you can't bring back any food/plant/animal stuff. I'm sure DCL must have similar rules.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

When I see an overly negative review, I will pull up other reviews the same person has written. Often every single review they've written is overly critical and filled with unrealistic expectations. If that's the case, I will disregard their review. If their other reviews are more balanced, then I'll give their negative review more credence.

 

[Sytrace]

My personal favorite was the one rant from a family of 7. They went to Castaway Cay. The DD spent the day collecting shells. Guess what? She tried to bring a bucket full back onto the ship. The writer stated that they felt like criminals and the bucket was confiscated, the DD in tears, holding up the crowd, the writer felt like crying and their cruise was RUINED!!! I believe anytime you travel you can't bring back any food/plant/animal stuff. I'm sure DCL must have similar rules.

On our first cruise we had (actually still have) a cool Minnie mouse bag with a zippered and insulated bottom. I did not know it at the time, but my daughter had put a few shells in there with the sunscreen can and when we went back onto the ship, the xray machine picked up the shells. lol
She had no idea that she couldn't bring them aboard and wanted to go take them back to where she found them herself. The guys at the xray were really sweet and told her it was okay and that most people wanted to bring home the shells too. They would make sure they got back to the right place etc.

On a recent cruise there was a family of 4 with two young ones and 2 adults who were seated near us on loungers on CC. The mother was upset about something to do with food which started off an argument with hubby and ended with her yelling at her two kids.
If I recall correctly (it has been awhile) the gist of the argument was that the Mom was angry at Disney because by the time she got the food from Cookies back to the lounge chairs it was cold. And then that led into something that happened on the first days of the cruise which she was not happy about how GS handled her issues. All in all, she was not a happy camper. Ironically, the husband and kids ate the cold food with no problems but she left hers sitting on the lounge chair for the birds to come get after she stormed off back to the ship with the proclamation that once again Disney ruined her cruise.
I felt sort of bad for the hubby and kids as they were having fun digging for shells and enjoying some great weather.

 

[Dug720]

My personal favorite was the one rant from a family of 7. They went to Castaway Cay. The DD spent the day collecting shells. Guess what? She tried to bring a bucket full back onto the ship. The writer stated that they felt like criminals and the bucket was confiscated, the DD in tears, holding up the crowd, the writer felt like crying and their cruise was RUINED!!! I believe anytime you travel you can't bring back any food/plant/animal stuff. I'm sure DCL must have similar rules.

They do. AND they make it abundantly clear in the Navigator, signs, and I'm pretty sure the CD has announced it at the end of the previous night's show. That they didn't know shows that they pay zero attention to any kind of instructions.

 

[Dug720]

I read another review complaint that it was really hot, in the Bahamas in June. And there was , not one breath of wind. Again, ummm,sorry, Disney can't control the wind.

Or things in the water at Castaway Cay. Actually I think it was on here where someone stated their one issue with their cabana was the jellyfish in the water. Sorry, but I don't believe "a completely glassed-in area of water with no sea life present EVER" is in the benefits of cabanas. It is the OCEAN and it is THEIR home!

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

Ughhh, we see people ALL the time that are constantly asking us why we like cruising on the DCL. Their complaints always have to do with things they would know if they did research before ANYTHING.

 

[Ofinn]

I may have to start reading DCL reviews for the entertainment value. I've cruised DCL enough that I don't read reviews, but I read reviews on other lines and sometimes they are hilarious. I agree with pp a lot of the bad reviews come from people that aren't prepared. You really see this a lot at WDW.

An example is our upcoming Carnival Vista cruise. Since Carnival pulled out of Turkey and we aren't visiting a non European port they are required to charge a Vat Tax of 10-25% on drinks and goods bought onboard. Some people have been so enraged by this. Even going as far as to remove tips to offset the tax. It's not Carnivals fault they are just following the law of the land and it's certainly not the crews fault. My thought is if money is so tight your put out by a hundred dollars or so in taxes maybe you shouldn't be taking an expensive European vacation. The fact that Carnival is allowing them to bring any kind of alcohol they want onboard at every port( aka Disney's old policy) also seems to be lost on them. A little research and they would have known this before cruising.

Another complaint I see a lot is the limit on alcoholic beverages that can be bought with the drink packages. Not to be judgey, but if 15 drinks a day is not enough....I don't know what to say to this. Again people not reading the policy before buying.

I have cruises booked on Carnival and NCL and I'm fully aware of the extra charges, what to expect and how they differ from DCL. If I don't like either cruise line it won't be because I wasn't prepared.

 

[PlanoNana]

DD and I went on an Alaskan cruise on another cruise line before DCL went to Alaska. We had a good time but I could have written a negative review about several things because the cruise just wasn't up to the standards we've come to expect from DCL. But we just figured you get what you pay for and nobody does details like DCL. That experience has made us really appreciate DCL.

 

[disneyholic family]

I know reading through the Disboard that most people on here are Disney fans and most reviews are positive and very helpful. But reading reviews on other sites makes me wonder what ship those people were on. I've read some crazy reviews that deteriorate into full on crazy rants, weird reasons for disliking the cruise and full on bologny. One reviewer slammed the cruise claiming that they arrived at the port and didn't have a reservation! They wanted full compensation for Disney loosing the reservation...??? Another family wanted the kid club crew to administer insulin for their child, wanting full compensation... Yet another person rambled on about the trip to Atlantis blaming Disney for crowds there.. I find it just crazy. Anyone read any other crazy complaints?

i find it the most entertaining to read crazy reviews from cruises that i was on...
sometimes my jaw drops and i really wonder if the person was on the same ship i was...

for example, we were on RCCL radiance of the seas last year in alaska...
the service was outstanding!!! truly....every crew member was fantastic right down to the guy wiping the banisters on the staircase...smiling...asking how we were...all the time...wonderful friendly service..
at the bars, in the restaurant...everyone...even guest services....perfect, attentive, friendly service...

then i read a review by someone who had been on our cruise...the very same cruise..
complaining how unfriendly the crew was...how no one at the bar would take their order..(we never waited more than half a second and that's despite the fact that we were on a drink plan and never tipped...and they knew it...still they were on us immediately taking our orders)..
this review just went on and on and on and on about how terrible everything was....
we couldn't believe it....they couldn't have been on the ship with us....everything was so very perfect....it just boggles the mind that their experience could have been so different...

 

[Kuzcotopia1]

They do. AND they make it abundantly clear in the Navigator, signs, and I'm pretty sure the CD has announced it at the end of the previous night's show. That they didn't know shows that they pay zero attention to any kind of instructions.

I took a "seashell" home from Castaway once.

I had found a sand dollar in the water and was like OMG YAY! So I put it inside my bathing suit until I went back to shore, then I put it inside a plastic bag I had (please note: I'm the stupid idiot who clearly doesn't read the signs). When we got home I opened the bag up and it smelled so bad.

I learned 3 things that day:

1. Don't take "seashells" home, whoops!
2. Sand dollars are not seashells, they are live creatures.
3. I had that live creature in my bathing suit for awhile.

 

[BigredNole]

There are people here that will complain about Disney as well. Some pay $25,000 for a Concierge Suite and will complain that there was an ocean breeze during their cruise.

As for the one with DCL losing a reservation, I would not be surprised it happens. Disney lost our honeymoon reservation. I had to be the one that provided all the proof that we had a reservation, it was fully paid for, and prove they screwed up. This was 5 days before our arrival. Once they agreed it was their fault, they took care of correcting it.

 

[RedSox68]

There are people here that will complain about Disney as well. Some pay $25,000 for a Concierge Suite and will complain that there was an ocean breeze during their cruise.

As for the one with DCL losing a reservation, I would not be surprised it happens. Disney lost our honeymoon reservation. I had to be the one that provided all the proof that we had a reservation, it was fully paid for, and prove they screwed up. This was 5 days before our arrival. Once they agreed it was their fault, they took care of correcting it.

It doesn't even seem fathomable that they could allow this to happen -- although many postings have blasted their computer capability and slow speed for booking online. I'm glad they corrected it -- but it would have been awful to arrive day of and find that out! That's why I print duplicates of every confirmation and email LOL.

I like reading the various reviews here and on Cruise Critic, but you really have to be open-minded about the comments and critiques. I take information from each one, but really step back when it comes to the super critical over small items that could happen at any resort or on any cruise line. Every single cruise we have taken has had "something" that one could complain about (ship vibration, wrong dinner orders, bad attitude of a crew members, etc.) if they were that narrow minded about their trip, and none of those incidents make it into my trip report or review -- unless it is something that is an overall consensus of a standard practice that could disappoint someone else sailing (like the voluminous critiques of the Pride of America in Hawaii -- all of which were true and worse than we expected once onboard). Even on DCL we have had many incidents of "disappointment", that for us were a blip and lasted exactly as long as the moment did and then it was over (for us). It doesn't keep us from sailing on that line again or staying at that resort again.

 

[jlynch924]

I recently read one review where the critic said that there was literally "nothing to do" on the ship "most of the time."
...
I'm thinking this guy never got his Navigator? Never walked through the ship? Never went on deck? I can't fathom how anybody could think that there is nothing to do most of the time.

 

[RedSox68]

I recently read one review where the critic said that there was literally "nothing to do" on the ship "most of the time."
...
I'm thinking this guy never got his Navigator? Never walked through the ship? Never went on deck? I can't fathom how anybody could think that there is nothing to do most of the time.

Agree! Even just walk the halls and look at the paintings and decor, etc. -- or people watch!

 

[DisneySunPrincess]

I know reading through the Disboard that most people on here are Disney fans and most reviews are positive and very helpful. But reading reviews on other sites makes me wonder what ship those people were on. I've read some crazy reviews that deteriorate into full on crazy rants, weird reasons for disliking the cruise and full on bologny. One reviewer slammed the cruise claiming that they arrived at the port and didn't have a reservation! They wanted full compensation for Disney loosing the reservation...??? Another family wanted the kid club crew to administer insulin for their child, wanting full compensation... Yet another person rambled on about the trip to Atlantis blaming Disney for crowds there.. I find it just crazy. Anyone read any other crazy complaints?

This! No way on earth did this happen. LOL. If they had ANY confirmation documentation, something would have been done. And further, was there no concern on their part that they had not received their travel package with luggage tags, etc? I mean, I suppose if you booked it less than a month before you might not get that in time, but the reality is, you would have SOMETHING to prove that you had booked the cruise. A call to your credit card company to prove the money had been taken. There is something more than a little fishy about that one. And honestly, if that actually did happen, they have no one to blame but themselves. Odds are they were not organized travelers. I have every email and document ever sent to me with regard to my cruise in my important papers folder that I keep with me on Embarkation Day. It has our birth certificates, all documentation I have about the cruise from my original confirmation, to a question I asked my travel agent. Most will never be needed, but I come prepared for anything. That review was probably written by the CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines. LOL! Just teasing.