Can You Trust YouTube Cruise Reviews?

Articles
Written By Chris Dikmen

This is an updated version of an article written in 2018

Chris Dikmen

Chris Dikmen

Tasteless food is much more easily swallowed by adding a pinch of salt, hence the saying "take it with a grain of salt." The same could be said for reading, or watching, what others have to say about a cruise ship, cruise line, or destination. With the advent of social media (YouTube, Instagram and TikTok), everyone now considers themselves to be an “influencer.” Before there was social media, consumers relied on "professional" reviewers and journalists who would review products and services in newspapers and magazines. Now consumers are overwhelmed with a flood of opinions from dozens, hundreds, or thousands of “experts.”

This phenomenon is happening throughout the media world, not just travel media. Traditional journalists are being replaced, or overshadowed, by anyone with a smartphone camera. There are generations of people who now only get their news from social media sites. Traditional media is slowly fading away.

At this point in time, there are three main sources where cruise consumers can obtain information about cruises, or other travel products:

Professional Travel Journalists

“We have reviewed 149 cruises across 120 ships and 41 different cruise lines. We have reviewed everything from mege ships to yachts carrying as few as 18 guests. We have reviewed river boats, expedition ships, ultra-luxury ships, and everything in between. Our primary focus is on the luxury and expedition segments.”
— CruiseReport

This is the old-school, traditional group of folks who make their living by covering cruise ships, hotels, destinations, etc. You may find their written articles in the few remaining newspaper travel sections, the few remaining travel magazines, and even on YouTube, Instagram or their own blog websites. This is the world from which CruiseReport originated.

Journalists will typically cover from 5 to 10 cruise ships per year, The process starts with the journalist contacting a cruise line’s Media Relations department (or PR department) and scheduling a media sailing on one of the cruise line’s ships. Journalists will typically receive a complimentary cruise. This is considered “earned media.” The cruise line is basically exchanging the value of the cruise for the value they receive from the journalist’s work product, in this case, a review of the ship. The review may be published in print, or on YouTube or through a website or, perhaps, in certain instances, all three.

Social Media Influencers

This group consists of social media influencers, typically with very large audiences; however, their sphere of influence may have nothing to do with travel or cruising. These influencers may have thousands, or tens of thousands, or even millions of followers on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram…you name it. Even though they may not be professional travel journalists, they have a huge influence in the consumer market. Take, for example, iJustine who has more than 7 million followers on YouTube. Even though her channel and influence is technology-based (computers, phones, tech gear), those who consume her content also take vacations. Therefore, cruise lines can reach a very large audience by inviting these high-powered social media influencers like iJustine onto their cruise ships.

Consumer Influencers

This is a relatively new category of cruise reviewers that is rather unique and harder to define. These are people who love to travel, love to cruise and love to share their experiences through social media. What differentiates the consumer influencer from the other two groups is that they often pay for their own cruise and travel expenses, not relying on a cruise line’s PR department for comped travel. The fact that they pay for most, or all, of their travel is why I refer to them as “consumer” influencers.

In some cases, these influencers may be directly or indirectly involved in the travel industry. They may either be travel agents themselves, or be involved in organizing group cruises. This would include influencers such as Gary Bembridge (Tips for Travelers), Don Terris (Don’s Family Vacations), Tony and Jenny (La Lido Loca) and Morgan (Very Unofficial Travel Guide). Of course, there are dozens of others that I am not including here.

It should be noted that some social media influencers fall into one or more of the categories above.

So who can you trust?

The short answer is no one. A more complicated answer is everyone. When you read a review or watch a YouTube review video, that content only reflects a single experience by an individual or couple on one cruise. Every review can only be based upon a limited amount of time aboard a cruise ship. There are many factors that can impact a guest’s (or influencer’s) experience during a 7-night or 14-night cruise. Crew members change throughout the year, entertainers change throughout the year, even food provisions can vary based on destinations of the cruise ship.

One person may have a great experience one week aboard a ship, and someone else, on the very same cruise, may have a totally different experience. The person that has the great experience may have a less-than-great experience on the very same ship three months later.

Reviewers Who Get A “Free” Cruise

Some consumers will say, “You can’t trust a review from someone who did not pay for their cruise.” I could make the same argument about those who paid for their cruise. In the heading of this paragraph, I put the word “free” in quotes because that term is subjective.

Cruise lines are not in the business of giving away free cruises to journalists or influencers. These are staterooms that they can sell to generate revenue. A “free” cruise would be one in which I would not have to be up at 5am working on a blog. On a “free” cruise, I could sleep in like everyone else on the ship. If the cruise were “free,” I would not have to haul around camera gear and microphones, making sure to capture photos and videos of the various venues on the ship. Currently I travel with as many as 4 cameras. And, if the cruise were “free,” I would not have to spend hours editing cruise review videos when I return home. I would not have to invest tens of thousands of dollars in camera, microphones, and lighting for a studio.

As I said earlier, cruise lines consider this “earned media.” They are exchanging the value of the cruise for the value of the exposure gained from the influencer’s work product (the review).

Some reviews are unfair and unreasonable

We used to accept consumer-written reviews at CruiseReport and post them to our website (similar to Cruise Critic). We no longer do this because the time it was taking to preview these reviews before posting them was too burdensome. Eight out of ten reviews we received were nothing more than complaints. You will find a lot of this content on TikTok and some on YouTube where people will vent their frustrations about a cruise vacation. I can guarantee you that in every one of those cases, there were other guests on the very same cruise that would sing the cruise line’s praises.

If you read a negative review about a cruise line/ship, take the time to look for other consumers who have written similar experiences about the same subject before letting a negative comment sway your decision. If you can find three or more consumers with similar complaints, then a problem may actually exist. If one person hated the cruise and every other review you read praises the ship/line, then you might want to ignore the negative comment.

Trust No One, Listen to Everyone

The best practice when researching cruise lines or cruise ships is to consume a variety of opinions. Personally, I follow a variety of consumer content from Professional Travel Journalists (eg Official Cruise Guru) and Consumer Influencers. Here are some of my favorite YouTube channels:

We tend to relate more with Gary Bembridge (Tips for Travelers) as he covers more of the luxury segment which is where our channel is focused. However, we get value from all of these channels and viewpoints. We don’t trust any single source for information.

So, my advice would be:

  • Consume a variety of cruise information from a variety of sources

  • Find reviewers that you relate to, who enjoy the same experiences you enjoy

At no point in history have consumers had access to so much information. That can be a good thing or a bad thing. Don’t allow too much information to confuse your decision-making process. If you can find two or three positive reviews of a cruise ship, you are probably going to be okay.

Smooth sailing.

Chris Dikmen
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Choosing The Right Stateroom