Have you ever been told to not believe everything you hear or read on the internet? This advice holds true for cruise ship reviews.
While many cruise guests like to read reviews of different ships before booking their sailing, this isn’t always the best idea.
Here are six reasons why you should think twice before you let online cruise ship reviews determine your vacation plans.
In This Article:
Reviews are Subjective
Unlike other forms of research, reviews are largely subjective. They are based on opinions of how good or bad the experience was, rather than irrefutable facts.
For example, one cruiser may love the standard fare in the main dining room while another guest despises the menu.
Alternatively, one cruise guest may think the onboard comedian’s set is hilarious, while another may find their material to be derogatory or offensive.
As a third example, people are always mixed on cruise ship waterslides and if they are too thrilling, not thrilling enough, or just right.
Even what someone considers as too big or too small of a space, such as when speaking to cruise cabins, is a matter of opinion.
While I could go on forever with listing different examples of where cruisers might disagree, the key takeaway here is that reviews are subjective and not everyone will like or dislike the same things.
Everyone is Looking for Something Different
Related to being subjective, every cruiser and travel party is different and will therefore be looking for something different onboard.
For example, an adult couple embarking on a romantic getaway may be looking for a more relaxing experience onboard with spa treatments and no shortage of fine dining.
Because of what this couple is looking for, they may have a better time on an adults-only cruise line like Virgin Voyages than on a more family-friendly ship from brands like Disney Cruise Line or Carnival Cruise Line.
Meanwhile, families will likely have a better time on cruise ships that feature amenities for kids, such as water parks and big kids’ clubs.
When I cruised with my parents as a kid, I was always happiest when we sailed with Disney Cruise Line.
I felt there was the most for me to do onboard Disney’s fleet between waterslides, the interactive kids’ clubs, the family-friendly Broadway-style shows, and character meet-and-greets.
Of course, another child could have disagreed with me and preferred the family-oriented amenities on another cruise line.
People React Out of Extreme Emotion
Of the record-breaking 37.7 million people who are embarking on cruises in 2025, the vast majority will have a perfectly pleasant time.
But when they return home, their instinct won’t be to go post about their vacation online.
The people who do write cruise ship reviews usually do so out of extreme anger or extreme joy, and the former are more likely to start typing first.
And as unhappy cruisers are more likely to try to spread the word, it’s possible that you may find an abundance of bad reviews that make the experience onboard look worse than it is.
Somewhat similarly, YouTubers and influencers who post about their cruises will often go to extremes in order to get clicks.
For example, titling a video with something like, “I went on the worst cruise ship in America” will get a lot more engagement than a video titled, “here is my perfectly enjoyable cruise experience.”
There are Two Sides to Every Story
Cruise reviewers can sometimes be unreliable narrators.
They will tell you their side of the story, while the cruise line may have a different version of the story, and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.
Of course, there are sometimes situations where things don’t go to plan or an interaction with a crew member rubs a guest the wrong way – and it’s okay to feel disappointed.
However, some people will take their stories to social media, Reddit, or other review sites to complain and look for sympathy, often leaving out key reasons for why they didn’t get their way.
For example, I once saw a former guest (who shall remain nameless) complain on Facebook that she was unjustly confined to her cruise cabin with no compensation.
About two hours later, I returned to the thread and saw that another passenger had posted a video of the woman appearing heavily intoxicated and climbing deck railings while insulting security team members who were asking her to stop for her own safety.
In her post, she failed to mention how her behavior led the crew members to take action to protect her and others onboard. Instead, she wrote that the crew members just “didn’t want her to have fun.”
Of course, this is an extreme example. But I have seen countless posts where former passengers were upset about not getting their way and the reason was due to a very valid policy.
Not All Complaints are the Same
Before making a decision about cruise ship reviews, and particularly negative reviews, consider the importance of the complaint.
No cruise ship is perfect, and there are times when things do go wrong.
Someone who is frustrated because a crew member was legitimately rude to them or because their cruise cabin flooded definitely has a right to feel upset.
However, we see a lot of ridiculous complaints in the cruise news industry, such as raging over the type of butter in the main dining rooms to wanting everyone to stop hunting for cruising ducks because one person doesn’t like the game.
I’ve also seen plenty of people rate a cruise ship poorly because they encountered bad weather during their sailing, which, believe it or not, the cruise line has no control over.
People like this may bring down a vessel’s star rating on review sites, but not always for the most valid of reasons.
Things Change All the Time
Especially when you are looking at older reviews, keep in mind that things may have changed onboard.
Cruise ships go to dry dock at least once every two to five years, which is when big refurbishments can be completed.
The cruise lines are constantly looking for ways to innovate and enhance the experience onboard, so amenities that might have previously been missing or problematic may now be available and/or fixed by the time you would be sailing.
For example, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Pearl will be going to dry dock near the end of 2025 and will be returning to service with a whole new venue: The popular Vibe Beach Club.
Similarly, Carnival Liberty returned from its 2025 dry dock visit with a whole new bar and aqua park onboard, as well as a redesigned mini golf course.
The Research You Should Be Doing
If you are going to read cruise ship reviews, they should only be a small part of your research.
Try to read a lot of reviews from different sources so that you can look for overall patterns and trends in the responses rather than relying on what may just be a couple of outliers.
But as an avid cruiser who has been on more than a dozen sailings, I sometimes don’t even read reviews at all. Shocking, I know!
Instead, I like to focus on the facts to see if a specific cruise ship is the right choice or not for my next vacation.
For example, I like to look at different cabin types and configurations to see what would suit my group best.
I also look into the entertainment and amenities onboard. I like a little extra thrill, so I prefer ships that don’t just have swimming pools and spas, but also waterslides and other experiences.
These days, some cruise ships have rock walls, ice skating rinks, escape rooms, ziplines, and even rollercoasters at sea.
Families may also want to look into kid-specific venues, such as if a ship has onboard kids’ clubs, its hours, if reservations are required, and what activities their child might do there.
I also look into dining options onboard and what is included or considered a specialty venue or included in my cruise fare.
You can also look into a ship’s statistics, such as when it was built and its size, including gross tons, the number of passenger decks, and guest capacity.
Some cruisers have a preference between newer or older ships, as well as between bigger or smaller cruise ships.
And perhaps most importantly, I do the math to see if the experience I would want to have onboard fits into my budget.
I factor in the cruise fare along with add-ons like specialty dining, onboard packages, and spa treatments to see if a specific ship or cruise line makes sense for me to book from a financial standpoint.
But as long as you focus on factual research while keeping your specific travel party’s needs and wants and mind, your next cruise vacation will surely be one to remember.
