For most, the internet is the go-to place for advice and reviews.  From blenders to cruises, understanding the experience others have can be really helpful, but increasingly we see people emphasizing that they're posting an "honest review."  That sounds reasonable, but it can easily lead you to choose the wrong cruise for you.

Why Some Reviews May Not Seem (or be) Honest

I'm no expert in human behavior on the internet, but I suspect this emphasis on honest reviews is rooted in a real challenge - that some people are incentivized to share their opinions, and that incentive may skew those opinions.  There are many times that cruise lines go to content creators or influencers and pay them to go on a cruise and share the experience. Sometimes lines require explicit approval of content, giving them editorial control, and other times that's not the case.  As you can imagine, however, someone being paid by a cruise line might be inclined to sweep negative experiences under the rug while hyping up the positives even without being required to hand over editorial control.  I've no gripes with cruisers or anyone else who do this - as long as it's very clearly stated in the content.  For the record, I've never taken money from a cruise line to cruise, and only a few times have we received a free cruise (and in those few cases, we've stated that clearly).

Independent of clear disclosures, people reading, watching and listening to cruise content might assume, somewhat understandably, that the creator isn't without bias.  This means that sometime, cruisers take to the internet and share their experience, emphasizing that they're expressing sincerely held-opinions - an honest review.  That assertion, however, certainly doesn't mean that any review or opinion different than theirs is dishonest - nor does it mean that those honest opinions are the same that anyone else would hold.

Why I Worry About the Use of the Phrasing, "Honest Review"

Implying that other's opinions aren't honest is already a problem - it creates a real distrust in communities, and in this world we could probably all do with a little more deserved trust.  Beyond that, however, the reader's interpretation may be that the other information they read about a certain ship, cruise line, or tour was dishonest or fake - especially since often I see the "honest review" comment when much of the experience, to the author, was negative.  

So now we have this imbalance that snowballs.  If I see a positive experience I don't know if I should trust it, but if I see a negative experience it must be accurate, because why would they lie?  That makes sense, but opinions and experiences come in a spectrum, they're not all good or bad.  Two people could pay for and take the same cruise on the same sailing and line and have very different opinions on their experience, and that's okay.  If we're reading and watching things to see if we're going to spend our hard earned money and scarce time on them, we want to know how we're going to feel about it, so we should stop letting others tell us how to feel.

How I Interpret Reviews and How I Share My Experiences

If I'm at the gym, at work, or anywhere else and I get to talking ship, when people learn about CruiseHabit they invariably say, "so you do cruise reviews?"  I always clarify that I don't - because what I do is share my experiences.  I can't propose that someone else will absolutely love something.  The very reason I find something great may be the same reason someone else finds it miserable - and the opposite is also true.  This is how I think about what I watch and read, whether about cruises or anything else.

Whatever experiences someone has, I try (to the extent possible, we're all human) to not let their opinion on the experience shape my opinion of that experience.  Maybe someone is having a garbage time: the service isn't at a pace they prefer, the destinations don't have the amenities they would like, etc.  How do I feel about the pace of service they experienced, or the things the destinations they visited do have?  That's what I care about.

What You Can do to Find the Right Cruise Experience for You

Whether on the internet, in person, or on the phone we seek input and advice from those we trust. Part of that trust comes from the faith that they know how we'll feel about a product or experience.  If you have a friend or neighbor that cruises, by all means get their opinions, but it's still important to ask yourself how you feel about what they're sharing.  A good travel agent can help a lot here - because good agents have first hand experience with a lot of different cruise lines and itineraries.  

But Billy, aren't travel agents incentivized like some influencers?  Travel agents do get paid commission (that's why most don't charge the client - the cruise lines pays them), but more often than not, the cruise lines all pay the same commission to a given agent.  Further, agents are highly incentivized to make sure you enjoy the trip you take so that they can earn your business next time.  They want to hear about your trip and get your feedback to help you figure out the right trip for you next time, too.  Chatting with a good agent, helping them understand what your expectations are and having them mesh that with their experiences can be a great help - but as we've discussed, there are many additional reasons to use their services.

In Conclusion, You’re the “Honest” in Any Experience You Hear About

The next time you read a post on Reddit or Facebook, hear about a neighbor's cruise, or watch a vlog, do your best to pay attention to what someone loved or didn't love about their experience, and decide how that matters to you.  If you see someone emphasizing their "honest review", remember there is a good chance their experience wasn't what they hoped - and that doesn't make it dishonest, but it does't mean it would be your experience either.  Maybe their preferences don't align with yours, or maybe they really did have an 'off' experience.  Whatever experiences someone shares, it's up to you to figure out how to choose the right experience for your next cruise - but of course good travel agents, and passionate cruisers like us, are always happy to help.