Expensive drinks and extra costs are the worst parts of cruising, according to consumers. HUNDREDS of Australians have trashed cruise ships on leading consumer review website, ProductReview.com.au. The analysis of consumer feedback indicates that many local travellers rated their cruise holiday experience as “terrible”, with some vowing to never sail...
Expensive drinks and extra costs
are the worst parts of cruising,
according to consumers.
HUNDREDS of Australians have trashed
cruise ships on leading consumer review
website, ProductReview.com.au.
The analysis of consumer feedback indicates
that many local travellers rated their cruise
holiday experience as “terrible”, with some
vowing to never sail again.
The five most common gripes were the high
cost of alcohol, the misleading use of “allinclusive”,
skipped ports of call, blocked toilets,
and overcharged accounts.
“The frequency of these top five complaints
is a real concern,” said the company’s
consumer satisfaction expert, Sam Williamson.
“Not only are mistakes and mishaps
compromising people’s holidays, but many feel
ripped off by hidden costs and missing visits to
ports, which are key reasons they embarked in
the first place.”
The website is devoted to people’s reviews of
products and services available in Australia,
including travel, home appliances and beauty.
“Cruises have received hundreds of reviews
and there’s a large group of unhappy customers
who feel rorted, reporting they did not receive
the experience they paid for,” Williamson said.
The number-one complaint “came up time
and time again”, he said.
“Some reviewers compared the prices of
drinks to costly Sydney nightclubs, which can
become incredibly expensive, particularly when
guests cannot bring their own drinks on board.”
While most travellers take the term “allinclusive”
loosely, he said many were
“outraged by how frequently they need to
shell out extra money” for soft drinks, shore
excursions, specialty restaurants and bingo.
They also complained about poor
compensation, as little as $25 onboard credit,
for missing scheduled ports due to the ship’s
mechanical problems.
The most common places where people
reported being overcharged were at the bars
or kiosks.
“While overcharging is not a problem exclusive
to cruises, it definitely left a sour taste in
people’s mouths, even if the rest of their
experience was positive,” Williamson said.
P&O’s Pacific Dawn is the most reviewed ship,
with 270 reviews, but most are positive and
rated it an average 3.6 out of 5.
Avalon Waterways, Azamara and Orion scored
full marks but from only one or two reviews.
Travel agents are also reviewed on the site.
