If you like statistics, this article is for you! Research shows that 49% of shoppers consider reviews equally as valid as firsthand recommendations from friends. (1) 95% of travelers read 10+ reviews before booking. (2) It’s been said under 2% of people will write a review. (3) If online reviews are perceived as trustworthy, should they influence your choice of cruise line as much as your choice of restaurants? Probably not.
Bad News Sells
It’s a sad fact, but bad news gets people’s attention. When you turn on TV news in the morning, the lead story is often about a shooting or a fire. (At least in the Philadelphia broadcast market.) The new industry had a saying, “If it bleeds, it leads.” (4) Bad news gets people’s attention. Finding things about a cruise you didn’t like (and adding them into the title) gets people’s attention.
Weather Is A Factor
Ocean-going cruise ships travel on the ocean. The weather can be unpredictable. If you get rough seas, you can’t blame it on the cruise line. The captain will often attempt to steer around the storm as best they can. If there is a storm between you and your port, there will be rough weather at some point. In our area a realtor remarked; “If you buy a house near a train track, you should expect, at some point, a train might come through.” (You can’t act as if this was a great surprise.
Is the reviewer giving all the facts? Suppose the review said, “The food portions in the main dining room are small.” Is that the entire story? Could you ask for seconds? Could you ask for a double portion? If you could ask for more food, then portion size is not that big an issue.
The cruise line is not responsible for passenger behavior.
Some people might write “The passengers were rude.” Suppose the ship holds 3,000 passengers. How many did the reviewer encounter? What standard was the reviewer expecting? You would not mark a restaurant down because the couple at the next table were arguing. You cannot hold the cruise line responsible for passenger demeanor.
The cruise line is nickel and diming us.
You might have seen this before. “They charge for everything. Lets nor forget “They are only interested in making a profit.” Let us assume cruising fits in two categories; the Mass Market and Luxury (Ultra Luxury). One might be priced at $200/pp per day with deep discounts available and the other at $500 to $1,000/pp per day. It is unreasonable to expect free drinks and inclusive shore excursions if you are paying an “unbundled” price. Some passengers might not drink alcohol or prefer to stay onboard in port. They don’t want to pay for services they might choose not to use.
Cruising on (ship) is not what it used to be.
Our memories can be very selective. Some people giving a bad review might remember when dinner stretched over seven courses. They might be forgetting cabins were smaller, Internet service was poor, TV reception was worse and stabilizers used an older level of technology. A fairer comparison would be to recall and compare the total previous experience, not only the parts you miss.
There are too many people not like us.
The reviewer might be referring to young children or older passengers. All cruise lines have personalities. You might consider them “target markets” or “sweet spots.” That is where a good travel agent makes a difference. They can guide you. You can think of a few restaurant chains catering to children. You would not have dinner there and complain there are too many kids around. You would have known beforehand.
There is not enough closet space.
A better expression might be storage space. Cruise ship cabins are much more standardized in size compared to thirty years ago. There is storage space under the bed. There might be space on top of the cabinets. Everything does not need to go in a closet or drawer. Some clothing (like the overcoat you wore on arrival) can be stored in a suitcase under the bed.
The cabins are tiny.
You might say, “You get what you pay for.” The online brochure should indicate the square footage of different grades of cabins. Logically, inside cabins are smaller than ocean-view cabins. Oceanview cabins are smaller than balcony cabins. Balcony cabins are smaller than suites. This is information you would have before you booked. It influences your booking decision. Once you step outside your cabin, all passengers should be getting the same uniform level of service in the public areas.
The entertainment was poor. Were the shows or music poor, or not to your taste? In the evening, the ship probably has a dozen active bars with live music. You might not like one, but have you considered the range of what is available? Although the live entertainment in the theater might not have thrilled you, was it the same show every night or did the entertainment vary? You need a full picture. Different entertainment appeals to different segments of the audience.
What are the factors that make a difference?
- Embarking and disembarking. Many cruise lines have you checking in weeks ahead of time, getting a credit card on file. This should speed up the embarkation process. (They still need to see your passport.) It should not take hours.
- Problems that don’t get addressed. If your toilet doesn’t work, that is a real problem. The ship should promptly send a maintenance person or engineer to address the issue. If it cannot be fixed, they should have a remedy, like changing your cabin.
- Delays in dining room service. If you have your meals in the main dining room, the meal should proceed like a symphony orchestra performance. They are putting on the same “show” every night. Assuming you did not make special requests, your entrée should not take 45+ minutes to arrive after you finished your first course.
Let us go back to the statistic indicating 95% of travelers read 10+ reviews before booking. If you check out reviews beforehand, you need to see a range including ones with differing evaluations. Obviously it needs to be about the same cruise line and ideally the same ship. That will help you get a more complete picture.
- https://www.b2breviews.com/how-many-people-read-online-reviews/#:~:text=99.5%25%20of%20shoppers%20read%20reviews,recommendations%20from%20friends%20and%20family.
- https://blog.textedly.com/online-review-statistics-for-2025-to-know#:~:text=In%20the%20travel%20and%20hospitality,reviews%20before%20making%20a%20booking.
- https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-ship-online-reviews
- https://ic4ml.org/blogs/if-it-bleeds-it-leads-crime-reporting/
