A Grain Of Salt
Using Reviews In Your Cruise Buying Decision Process
by Chris Dikmen
 

Editor's Notebook: Cruise Report provides the resource for the collection of cruise reviews for Cruise Reviews Online.

Tasteless food is much more easily swallowed by adding a pinch of salt. Hence the saying "take it with a grain of salt." The same could be said for reading what others have to say about a cruise ship, cruise line, or destination. With the advent of the Internet, EVERYONE now has the ability to share their opinions and views with the world. Pre-Internet, consumers relied on "professional" reviewers and editors who would review products and services in newspapers and magazines. You would think that the flood of available information would make the decision process easier. Actually, it has had the opposite effect. Now consumers feel compelled to digest a mountain of information before making any purchasing decision.

Consumers have more information at their fingertips than every before. Cruise review websites, like CruiseReport.com, ( Cruise Reviews Online ) are a great resource for information and have become part of the cruise shopping process. Cruise Lines are motivated to provide better customer service and value to prevent negative reviews from appearing on websites. Overall, the existence of consumer and professional reviews helps to improve the quality of the cruise industry.

Consumer-Written Reviews
Many websites, CruiseReport.com ( Cruise Reviews Online ) included, offer you the ability to read what non-professional, everyday consumers have to say about a cruise line/ship. Then there are the ubiquitous comments that can be found on social networks and forum websites. While this information serves a valuable purpose, there are a few things you should always keep in mind.

Negative comments are more common than positive ones. People, in general, are simply more motivated to complain than to praise. Part of the reason is that people expect a good experience when they travel, so many do not feel there is any reason to take the time to write about it, after all, that is what they paid for. However, when someone has a bad experience, they are often motivated to get revenge on the cruise line by putting out a bad review.

Consider the credibility of the reviewer. If the reviewer has nothing good to say about the cruise line/ship, it always makes we question their objectivity. After having been on more than 80 cruises, I have never been on a ship where I could not find something to praise. Years ago, we had a bad experience on Delta Queen Steamboat. It was so bad, we actually jumped ship, got off early, rented a car and drove home. Now that's bad! Our complaint had to do with the accommodations to which we were assigned. The stateroom was so noisy, we were unable to get any sleep for two nights in a row. Fortunately, it was a river cruise in the USA and we had the option of getting off and driving back to Dallas. However, the food, entertainment and lectures on board the ship were both excellent. Also, our experience with the accommodations was not the same as everyone else on the boat, we just got assigned a stateroom in a very bad location.

Some consumer reviews are unfair and unreasonable. We receive approximately 25 reviews per week at CruiseReport.com ( Cruise Reviews Online) and we read each and every one before they are put online. If we consider a review to be grossly unfair to the cruise line, we simply do not put it out for public consumption. Some "reviews" are nothing more than a copy of a complaint letter to the cruise line. Only about one out of ten reviews submitted are actually released.

Look for other supporting reviews. If you read a negative review about a cruise line/ship, take the time to look for other consumers who have written similar experiences about the same line/ship before letting a negative comment sway your decision. If you can find three or more consumers with similar complaints, then a problem may actually exist. If one person hated the cruise and every other review you read praises the ship/line, then you might want to ignore the negative comment.

Read responses to the review. On CruiseReport.com ( Cruise Reviews Online) we allow people to comment on each review submitted. So, if someone else disagrees with the reviewer's point of view, they can make their thoughts known. Review comments are shown at the bottom of each review page.

Post questions about a ship or cruise line to social networks. There are many forums and social networks targeted at cruise enthusiasts. CruiseReport.com has a Facebook page where you can post your questions or comments.

Look for "Featured" reviews. On CruiseReport.com, we identify consumer reviews that we feel are exceptionally well written with a icon next to the review name on the  cruise ship reviews, ratings and rankings page.

Professional Reviews

In addition to consumer reviews, there are the professional/editorial reviews that you can find on many websites, in newspapers and in magazines. On CruiseReport.com, ( Cruise Reviews Online ) we feature our latest editorial reviews on our home page. You can also identify our professional/editorial reviews by the icon next to the review on the cruise ship reviews, ratings and rankings page.

Professional reviews are typically written by travel journalists. Some travel journalists are freelancers who earn a living by selling their articles to magazines, newspapers and other journals. Some may work full-time for a particular publication or website. At CruiseReport.com, the majority of our editorials are written by myself and my girlfriend/business partner, Rickee Richardson. Admittedly, we are not professional journalists by education. My background is in Internet technology and Rickee's is in airline management. Nevertheless, we are extreme cruise enthusiasts with a passion for the industry and are basically self-taught when it comes to our journalistic skills.

Even Professional Reviews Require Salt

Just because a cruise review is written by a so-called "professional" journalist does not mean everything in that review is iron-clad. As a consumer, you should still remain skeptical. Most travel journalists are invited to cruise inaugurals and ceremonies so that they will write about the new ships. These media events are paid for by the cruise lines and are designed to promote the ship. Often, journalists are wined and dined by the cruise line during a media event. There is nothing wrong with that, but you should be aware that a 2-day inaugural sailing of a ship full of journalists and travel agents is not going to result in a fair evaluation of the ship and crew.

When journalists travel on a week-long or longer sailing, it is common for the cruise line to provide the journalist with complimentary cruise accommodations. Some cruise lines even provide air transportation and other complimentary items during the cruise. Again, there is nothing wrong with this, but it is something you should, as a consumer, be aware of. It would be impossible for a travel journalist to pay for all of the cruises they take and still earn a living. However, when a cruise is complimentary, a journalist may be hesitant to include negative comments in their assessment of a ship. With printed media, there is always the concern about advertising dollars spent by the cruise line being put in jeopardy by releasing a less-than-glowing review.

At CruiseReport.com, we have always had a policy of being fair and balanced. If we see something that we feel should be mentioned, even if it is negative, we will include it in the review. As a result, we have had cases where a cruise lines no longer invites us back to review their ships. So be it. Cruise lines that are featured on CruiseReport.com ( Cruise Reviews Online ) are confident in their product and are willing to undergo the scrutiny that we insist upon. We always allow the cruise line to preview a draft of our reviews and give them the opportunity to respond. If they do respond, we always include their response in the review.

So Who Can You Believe?

At the end of the day, you have to follow your gut feeling. You should never trust any one person, website or publication to drive your decision. As a consumer today, you will simply have to do your research. And, don't forget to rely on the advice of your travel agent, after all, they have a vested interest in your satisfaction. The good news is that the plethora of information available puts you in a much better position to make a good decision. Always keep in mind that, regardless of what one person may have to say about a cruise line/ship, there will someone else with a completely different view.

Just remember to take everything you read with a grain of salt.

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