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Can You Trust Cruise Websites for the Facts about Cruising?

By Jo Ann LeQuang

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 24Jul2009 Word count: 741 Viewed: 504 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

There is a ton of information on the Internet about cruising, and a good deal of it is generated by the cruise industry.

You can't blame the major cruise lines for having very detailed websites about their own offerings, but there are also travel agencies and other travel insiders who run websites with reviews and encouragement about cruising. While these sites often offer great information and are accurate, you have to realize that they have an agenda. They want you to book a cruise.

The Internet is kind of like TV, but with no distinction between the commercials and the programming. It's actually like having a TV where some of the coolest programs turned out to be commercials and some of the short two-minute announcements in-between turned out to be programming.

So how do you know who to trust? In my opinion, you can trust all of the cruise company websites and affiliated sites (many of them also have blogs and related sites) but look for two things.

First, you want to see the company take clear ownership of the site. In other words, if you go to the Princess Cruises web site, you should know you're at the website run by Princess Cruises. Whatever business is behind the website should identify itself clearly on the site.

The second thing is you should recognize, as a savvy consumer, that you're hearing from a company that wants your business. Beyond that—business-run sites are great.

I actually visit cruise sites all of the time to learn about new itineraries, ports of call, and special sales. You can even use some of these sites to get an "inside look" at the state rooms, plans of the ships, and destination details. I can't imagine booking a cruise without these sites.

There are also many sites with cruise information that may write about lots of different cruise options. Some of these are run by travel companies who make money when you book a cruise—no matter what brand you pick. Again, these sites are great as long as you know who is running them and why.

Many sites offer the opportunity for various passengers to "review" or comment on a cruise vacation. I'm always a little wary of these for a few reasons.

First, way back when I first started out as a writer I was a theater reviewer. Reviewing is much harder than you think. A good reviewer has to balance her specific experiences against a broader picture. Reviewers need to realize that they are judging a "product" against what its authors intended, not necessarily against what they personally care for. For example, "The Dark Knight" was hailed by many as a great movie, but I don't care for that genre. A good reviewer has to be able to rise above personal preferences and even specific experiences to craft a review that will be useful to most readers.

A lot of amateur reviewers tend to be extremists. Either they gush over everything (because they had a great time) or they firebomb (if something went wrong). I've read cruise reviews where a passenger howls because she called for extra towels and they were not delivered immediately or reviewers who slam the entire line if their medium-rare steak was delivered medium. A professional reviewer might note such things but they would only factor into the review if a pattern emerged of substandard service.

So how can you learn about cruises online?

Check out company-run websites first because these guys put a lot of time and effort in providing you a great online experience that will let you get to know their particular product. You really can't go to a better place for specific cruise details--but know that you're going to a business that wants your business.

Next, visit sites runs by businesses affiliated with the travel industry but keep in mind that they may be trying to steer you to a particular purchase.

Take all passenger-written reviews with a grain of salt—make that all reviews. You know that two people on the exact same cruise can have very different experiences.

Travel guides and books or TV programs by third-parties are great sources of information because these folks have the luxury of not caring whether or not you take a cruise. They just want to give you some information about what you'd need to know for cruising.

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