What spoils your cruise?

Most recently I have had a couple of criticisms regarding various cruise liners with different reasons as to why my clients will possibly not consider cruising with the same cruise company again.

Reason, small or large can effect an individual persons cruise and spoil their overall enjoyment and make them go back to maybe a more familiar cruise line that they have cruised with before.

Here are some of the most recent feedback I have received and why the client may not cruise with the company again. But remember, what might not float your boat may float someones boat….

My client in the summer was aboard a Holland & America ship in the Mediterranean, my client complimented the cruise liner on cabin, the wonderful and attentive staff and some of the best food he had had at sea, but my client claims the entertainment was awful. In fact my client described one particular show (which had me in hysterics) the headlining act was an ex gymnast, apparently started off showing you how he warmed up, a few moves and then showing them how he warmed down, and they classed that as entertainment!! My client said he was expecting something spectacular as the gymnast took so long to warm up, to be very disappointed with a 5 minute gymnastic show. My client also commented that most of the entertainment was finished by 10pm and there was not much going on in the bars to make you want to stay out for a drink or two and had never gone to bed so early on a cruise or any other holiday before.

This was a real shame that the entertainment was so poor as the client, a very regular cruiser, loved everything else about the ship and service received, but entertainment is an important factor for him and his wife and therefore they will not consider cruising with Holland & America again, just for this reason. Now some might thing that is silly, especially when everything else was so right on the ship, but for him this makes his holiday and you have to consider, when you are on a ship you have no where else to go to seek entertainment.

Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, P&O, Cunard, Celebrity, Princess, Carnival cruises, all these have fantastic entertainment and are highly praised for the entertainment they provide for their cruise guests.

Norwegian Cruise Line offer the Blue Man Group, RCCL are bringing big named shows like Mamma Mia and We Will Rock You to name a few to their ships. Cunard have performances from RADA, the National Symphony Orchestra. Carnival have a list of various well known artists performing live on board from different genres of music. P&O bring fantastic acts such as comedians and artists on board for a few nights at a time. One of the best acts I personally saw on board P&O was the Opera Boys, AMAZING.

A more recent criticism that I received last week was the swimming pools. My client had just returned from a 10 day cruise and was highly disappointed that the MSC ship he was on did not have a heated swimming pool. The ship the client had returned from had been based out of the UK for all of the summer months and had only sailed between the UK, Netherlands, France, Northern Spain and Northern Portugal. Unfortunately, because the weather had been warm but not to the extent of the Med or other warmer destinations, the pools did not heat up with the sun. This particular client admitted, he loves to lay in the sun and wants to be able to use a pool to cool down when too hot and also to enjoy a daily swim. The pools was so cold, he could not enjoy what he likes doing best. This was something he spoke to the cruise ship about and they said there was nothing they could do.

I have to admit, you do normally find, on the larger ships, at least one heated pool  but in fairness these are normally found to be covered too. This for my client did spoil his holiday and for that reason, he has decided, unless the ship was and had been placed in a hotter climate for long enough to heat the pools, he would not cruise with MSC again.

Food, now this is probably one thing I expect to be fantastic on a cruise ship, you will always get some negative comments as maybe it is not always to everyone’s taste on certain cruise liners.  One client I spoke to just this afternoon, mentioned that they found the food to be too Italian, they was sailing with MSC an Italian cruise liner, however the person they travelled with loved it. Another client I spoke to regarding a recent cruise on MSC complained there was TOO MUCH food and found it all to overwhelming with so many courses in one sitting. Lots of courses is typical of the Italians, as like most Mediterranean cultures, food is main part of their day, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Clients whom have traveled many times on P&O and Cunard have mentioned before that they feel the standard of food was not as good in years gone by and not as much as you used to get.

I was once sat on a Royal Caribbean ship enjoying my dinner as was my travel companion, but was sat on the same table as a lady who did nothing but complain about her food, how bad the food was, how it had gone down hill, yet amazingly enough she ate everything put in front of her and even told the waiter all was fine when he asked!!

I personally, have only experienced one bad meal on board a ship and I have been lucky to visit a few, this was when I did a day ship visit, I have blogged evidence. however I am hoping that this particular cruise company will be redeeming their selves when I sail with them in November. Watch this space…

Have you had something happen on your cruise that has put you off of sailing with that company again? or what would be the worst thing that would turn you off of sailing with a cruise company again?

Would love to hear your feedback..

Dawn

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