Part 2: These Three Websites Are Invaluable In Helping You Research Hotels, Cruises And Rail Travel

Earlier today I posted about Flyertalk, a website that is the ultimate place to check-in before you decide which airline or hotel program you want to accumulate miles and points, and more importantly, how to navigate the seemingly complicated range of policies and products the airlines offer. Below are my recommendations for sites that will help you finding hotels, choosing cruise ships, including cabins, and for those of you who are like me, and enjoy train travel, what I consider the ultimate station stop.

TripAdvisor

You probably know TripAdvisor. Many have a love-hate relationship with it. People question if the reviews are reliable, both good and bad. Just looking at individual hotel reviews can be overwhelming. Some hotels have thousands of reviews, something most of us don’t have the time or will to sort through.

That said, I find the website useful from several perspectives. You can sort reviews by date so you can see what type of experiences recent guests have had. You can also sort the reviews by Traveler Type including, Families, Couples, Solo, Business, and Friends. I know many people say throw out the Excellent and Terrible reviews and look at those in the middle. I prefer to actually look at the Terrible and Poor reviews. First of all, if you sort by Terrible and Poor you can easily see how many bad reviews have been recent. Obviously, a concentration of bad reviews in the past couple months is not good. The other thing I can tell is are there common themes? If most complaints are about dirty rooms, I can assume there might be a problem with housekeeping and decide accordingly. It also gives insight into how management responds to complaints. If they don’t respond to the complaints of others in a way I would want them to respond to me, I can again make my own judgments. The last benefit to looking at complaints is some may not be consequential to you. For example, having to wait for your room to be ready at check-in.

If you have questions about accumulating or spending points you gain via staying with certain hotel chains as well as if it makes sense to get a hotel affinity credit card, see my article about Flyertalk. In terms of booking hotels, particularly luxury hotels, I have previously written that many of the top luxury groups from Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons to Peninsula Hotels have programs that allow top producing agents to give you upgrades, credits and other perks that can represent hundreds and even thousands of dollars in value. Savy luxury travel advisors can also get you that room with the view of the Eiffel Tower instead of the alley.

Cruise Critic

If you have a question about which ship to sail on visit Cruise Critic. If you have a question about which cabin to book, visit Cruise Critic. Yes, on ships with thousands of cabins, where deck and position can impact your view and size of the balcony, you can often find multiple reviews from members who have sailed in the exact cabins you are considering. It’s also a good place to find which ships are operating in different regions. Most cruise lines have different categories of ships, built and refurbished at different times. So if you sailed with one line last year, the ships it has in a different part of the world might vary significantly in terms of size and amenities.

The content may seem to border on the side of being a bit cheerleader, but, many of the posters have sailed on the lines and ships they post about dozens and even hundreds of times. There are reviews of every detail on the ships, from the fitness centers and spas to the restaurants. There are even reviews of the shore excursions each line offers.