Trip Advisor Do you use it?

[av8er23]

I have been spending lots of time researching for an upcoming honeymoon. I have spend hours on lots review sites particularly trip advisor. It seems like a pretty good unbiased source of information. I was just wondering how many people make decisions solely based off trip advisor?

Do you post reviews?

 

[DivingPrincessE]

I ALWAYS check out trip advisor. I wouldn't say I base my trips "solely" based upon it...but a large percentage is based on the reviews. Also, if the reviews aren't great but it's an amazing deal I know to go in with realistic expectations.

I've also posted some reviews, and because of that...they sent me a free hat.

 

[robint]

I do not think it is a good source of accurate information, especially for the dive community. Much of what I have seen there is people complaining about stupid stuff - like towels by the pool, price of drinks, whether the food is 5star or only 3star, etc. Nothing that matters to me when picking a DIVE vacation.


robin

 

[carolrose]

I use trip advisor to get a general idea about a hotel so I know what to expect before booking. I generally look for trends rather than focusing on the specifics in any one review. I find it useful for hotels, and fairly accurate overall. I like seeing the candid pictures from guests rather than just the hotels own photos on their website. For diving specific info, I'd go to a diving specific site like this one.

 

[Damselfish]

none of the above. I use it alot and like that it has pretty good critical mass so you can find entries on a lot of places. But like most travel web sites it has good information and bad. It's just one more source to consider, and you have to read between the lines like anythiing.

Occasionally there are people there shilling for places or that have some other agenda. More often I think there are people giving their genuine opinions but their perspective on things is so different then mine that it's not very meaningful, although sometimes an entertaining read. But there is tons of good information too.

I do agree it is rarely useful for getting diving specific information from. But I am still interested in hearing about service, food, rooms, facilities and other things, even if those things are lower on my priority list for a dive trip. Assuming similar diving opportunities, I'm going to be looking at that other stuff.

 

[edpdiver]

I find that it is a useful source of information, but you have to take it with a grain of salt. It is best to read the critical reviews to see if the complaints are relevant to you, or if it is on topics such as "3-star vs. 4-star ranking." Also, by reading the critical reviews, you can get a sense if the complaints are by someone being picky or something more substantial. My general rule of thumb is to read the reviews to get a sense of the place, as opposed to looking at the numerical ranking.

I agree with the comment that it is not designed for divers, so it is of limited utility for dive vacation planning. But there is still useful information, and it is worth a look. Just do not base your decision solely on Tripadvisor.

 

[diveborg]

I also check tripadvisor, but I take the reviews with a grain of salt, especially those that are totally negative or overly positive.

Just do not base your decision solely on Tripadvisor.

Totally agree.

 

[Doc]

Trip Advisor is largely written by vacationers who might happen to dive.

Get the real deal, right here. The usenet group of rec.scuba.locations is also valuable.

 

[cdncrab]

Check the dates. If you have 10 reports all at the same week and one negative report then it's a fussy person. I organized a trip a few years ago and we were 53 people (divers with family). When I checked trip advisor a few weeks later there was a comment from another traveler who trashed the place. I had to recheck the dates and resort a few times only to shake my head. I had no idea where he got his comments

 

[El Orans]

Nah, I use :sblogo:

The kind of info I'm looking for is rarely found on TripAdvisor.