*** FODORITES who use CruiseCritic.com ***
 

Hi! Thanks to reading many postings on this wonderful board I tried CruiseCritic.com (CCc)and has interesting postings as well. However, think it is harder to use and wonder if you feel the same?<BR><BR>Whatever area of Fodors you use, this board is SIMPLE to utilize, seeing all on one screen. Nice to scroll postings on left and read, reply or post myself on right side. SIMPLE. CCc is set up, at least it is how it comes in on my computer, as different page for reading posts vs. replying. <BR><BR>On CCc, when replying to a post, it is a different screen where you do not see the post you are replying to. So, refering to previous comments and addressing them makes it difficult. You do not see, either, how many have replied before you and when.<BR><BR>Since I am not on cable (soon hope to be)it takes sooooo long to return to seeing the list of posts after pushing back arrow, which brings you to a differnt screen.<BR><BR>Also, when copying comments from one post, it takes up lots of pages as it throws in blue colored computer language. When you laborously delete this, you go from, say, 5 pages to 2!!!! Fodors copies exactly what you select. BINGO.<BR><BR>Lastly, Fodors has a very clean, &quot;page&quot;. CCc has cruise pricing information on top and all the post titles underneath. Don't know why their cruise pricing info. cannot be a separete page (usually a first page where all choices are . . . like Fodors).<BR><BR>One big PLUS, CCc seems to have freshness as there are more newer questions posted each day I check it. Fodors Alaska Cruise board does not seem to hop as it did when I planned Italy and France trips within 5+ years ago.<BR><BR>Other night I became so frustrated with trying to maneuver CCc, reading, responding and posting anew, that I sent e-mail to manager of this site. Hopefully I will get a reply when she returns to office this Monday. <BR><BR>Really like the convenient way Fodors allows all operations ALL ON ONE SCREEN. Keep it up, FODORS!! <BR><BR>

You are right! Fodors layout is the best online!<BR><BR>However, I have had to go to other sites to find more activity. There is a little phrase to click onto to see all the posting at the same time. I don't remember what it says.<BR><BR>Click on some of thos above or below the posting, maybe you will find it.<BR><BR>I am Rycol on CC talk to you soon.

In September I had signed up for a CruiseCritics Party on the BOS... and met a few people ahead of time at a pub in Covent Gardens... I never met a more obnoxious group in my life..That's all they talked about is how many cruises they had been on and when they were taking their next cruise and oh yes..what a great price/prices they get.. This was my first RCI cruise and when I mentioned I loved NCL their noses turn up..The fact I had been up to that date on at least 16 cruises was dismissed because I hadn't been on &quot;their favorite&quot; lines. Fodors.com has always been easy to use and the people on the whole very friendly...for me this is the favored travel site.

They seem so nice online-always wishing each other well,etc.<BR><BR>But it does seem that they are the suite or veranda crowd, not many will admit to an inside room or a lower deck.<BR><BR>At least that's the way it seems on the HAL board.<BR><BR>I guess you never know until you meet them in person.<BR><BR>Have you tried Cruise@ddicts?

ParrotMom is closer to the truth on what goes on over on the CC board. Each board has it's group of cheerleaders that will flame anyone that has a negative comment about their favorite line. These cheerleaders hate most other cruise lines. <BR><BR>Maryann,<BR>You are wrong about the Hal board. Lots of people do take inside / outside lower cabins on that board. I got to admitt there is a lot of posts on suite amentities which seems to over take the board at times. This appears to be caused by people who do not read the brochures. Same suite questions asked over and over.

Thank you..and I thought it was only me. The only reason I didn't write a review on the B.O.S. is that I came back from the ship with a badly broken wrist. Yes, these are the people who want the biggest balcony, owners' suite. Although the ship was absoluely beautiful I can tell you the food, service, entertainment and staff were far superior on the old Premier Seabreeze...shocking isn't it...lol

ParrotMom,<BR><BR>You were probably better off not writing the review. I have seen so many people flamed on all those boards on CC. Anything negative in a review usually sets them off. The cheerleaders seem to forget a person is intitled to their opinion.

I've visited there quite a few times (mostly on the Radisson board) and everyone seems VERY nice and helpful. No problems.

I'm ninafromct on Cruisecritc, which I've used a lot since we cruised on the Celebrity Mercury over president's week. Agree with the parrotmom about the snob factor on CC, especially on the Celebrity board. They love to scoff at people who don't want to wear a tux and to tell them that &quot;perhaps they should cruise Carnival&quot; with the implication that some aren't up to the level of a Celebrity passenger. <BR><BR>I have to laugh, since I know most of those passengers are normal, everyday people, not the high-class elite they like to pretend they are!

Oh, and we had an inside cabin on our last cruise, even though we've stayed in everything from insides to royal suites. Some of those posters are very full of themselves.

All I said was -'it seems to me' about the posters not admitting to a lower deck or inside cabin. Sure, alot of people take inside,me too, on a full ship 1/2 are in inside.<BR><BR>The posters love to talk about the suites and verandas, ad nauseum.<BR><BR>You all are right about anyone giving an honest opinion on something that is 'less than perfect'.<BR><BR>You should have read all the posts when the Zuiderdam first started!

Your giving me a laugh.. and I certainly need it today. As I was leaving the ship I happened across Franklin, the gentleman who is in charge of selling future cruises.. When I mentioned that I was disappointed in the cruise his comments were and this is a direct quote...&quot;what do you expect on a budget cruise&quot;..Tell that to the Judge and his wife from Florida and Assistant Dist. Attorney from L.A. at our table who had both spent independently the week prior on the ship too. In December a friend from FLA took the ship and said that &quot;he has seen better entertainment at his condo&quot; and &quot;he could get better chicken at Wendy's&quot;....he said they woulld stick with Princess..As for the CC people I avoided them like the plague..and never went to the ballyhooed cocktail party. We have had the experience though of meeting people on ships that we have met over the internet and only one couple were a disappointment. At this point more than four years later I still correspond daily with a couple and have met them when they stopped here in Boston..Due to my accident on the ship I hope to initiate a new policy on all the RCI/Celebrity cruise ships, but that's another story for another day..lol

So what do we do, read CC for the snob factor and more frequent posts and/or stick with Fodors?<BR><BR>I am at the point now (my cruises get closer) that I read them all -CC, C@d, Cruisemates and whatever I find.<BR><BR>The other parts of the boards (Alaska,Caribbean,Mexico,etc.) have alot of good info. Sorry, Fodor's, too.

I also post occasionally on the CC boards, and I think it's amusing to see how the &quot;culture&quot; differs from the Fodors boards. (Frankly, though, the &quot;culture&quot; on the Fodors cruise forum seems pretty different from that on the other forums like Europe or USA.) <BR><BR>If I had to summarize it, I guess I'd say that the &quot;travel&quot; aspects of cruising seem less important to many CC posters than the &quot;cruise&quot; aspects. In other words, I sense that for many the real allure of cruising has to do with the creature comforts and luxuries of being on the ship (endless food, dress-up, casinos, etc.) while the travel portion of it (destinations, sightseeing, history, other cultures maybe) is distinctly secondary. And for those for whom the &quot;travel&quot; aspects are important, then the majority of those are attracted to the all-inclusive excursion experiences, versus independent movements which require more planning, analysis, and self-education. If that sounds snobby I don't mean it that way - plenty of folks, ourselves included, like to chill and be pampered once in awhile and it's no sin to do so on a giant floating country club. Cruising can be as little or as much a &quot;no-brainer&quot; experience as any other, depending on what you want.<BR><BR>But as with any club setting, I sense people like to know what your rank and bona fides are before they admit you, hence the occasional outbreaks of snobbery and oneupsmanship. If people want to fantisize by putting on a tux and pretending they're Fred Astair or James Bond, I say fine, go for it. But I don't recall 007 playing the slots or asking for a second lobster tail on formal night.

So true Gardyloo! As I've said on the CC boards, you can take an ignorant slob and dress them in a tux, but they'll still be an ignorant slob.<BR><BR>Maryann, I say you should read them all. Why not, and to tell you the truth, much of it is amusement, plain and simple. If you happen to pick up some pertinent information along the way, all the better.

I go on cruisecritic on the radisson board quite often and I've never seen a negative comment - unlike the fodor's board. <BR><BR>Sometimes I am tired out by the negativity on this board. I actually go to the cruisecritic board to get away from this one (not the cruise one specifically but just in general).

Original poster, here. Thanks all for your thoughts. Didn't know it would spark a long thread. Glad to see agreement on this board being better layed out for maneuverability. As new to CC, (on Alaska board for Celebity), did not know, and have not yet seen, its snooty personality. Still prefer Fodors. Hope it never goes away!<BR><BR>Thank you, Maryann for Cruise@ddicts. I will try it. I am Ciao to Deb on CC.

The only good thing I can think of about Fodors Cruises since registration is that all of the posts from the last several weeks are ALL ON ONE PAGE!<BR><BR>Peter

I like cruisecritic for some specific information that is available on that forum. When I needed some very specific information on where a ship docked, the same question brought more facts on Ccruisecritic than on Fodors. But there are a group of characters, especially those who respond to &quot;rollcalls.&quot; The biggest snob I ever encountered was actually on the Fodors' airline forum, saying why she prefers First Class.

I'm new to cruising and was immediately referred to cruisecritic &amp; cruisemates. I've found CC to be a WONDERFUL place for info and extremely friendly. They have lots of posts, so there is always something new to read. I've seen no flaming on the Carnival board as of yet (I'm cruising on the Paradise in Nov). It's true SOME of the posts need a little manuvering to read.<BR>Cruisemates is also very friendly but has less traffic so I check in every couple of days.<BR>Now, I've only been on Fodor's board a couple of days &amp; cannot believe the negativity here! The Carnival board is a joke and has a shocking number of bashers... people who've never even cruised on Carnival have an opinion on the line! It't true this board is simple to navigate but really has a negative vibe to it and won't get my vote when asked for a cruise website for beginners...<BR><BR>Just my middle-class suburbia opinion of course...Collina