Trip Advisor - proof that there's something "askew" ?

[Doc]

Trip Advisor, I'll admit it, I have never been much of a fan using it for SCUBA specific questions.

TA "Forums" seem good for general destination advice, but the questions and answers I see relating to SCUBA destinations are very much so geared to the answers that you would give to a group of Pod People, fresh off the cruise ship.

Trip Advisor Forum posters seem to be towards the Resort Course end of the spectrum of vacationers. Very few people there are in search of dive vacations, they are more looking for some diving while on vacation.

This might be a bit off topic, but here I believe is the proof.

If you say Chicago, anywhere worldwide, the first thing anybody says is "Al Capone". The second thing they say is "pizza". (Tied with hot dog)

When you say "Pizza", what is the destination? After New York and Chicago, I'm pretty well done.

Trip Advisor came up with a list at TripAdvisor Serves Up America's Top 10 Cities For Pizza <-Click on this if you want a goofy list of the "best pizza"

San Diego was #1, NYC was #4, and Chicago wasn't in the Top 10.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

San Diego #1? I been to those places. A good feed, but very Falicornia.

I know that the supporters and proponents of Trip Advisor point to the fact that the ratings are a collective opinion of many people. Can't hardly disagree, but after you read it you have to wonder some times- which people are they?

This thread might now diverge at least two different ways:

1) Where is the best Pizza?

and/or

2) Is Trip Advisor to be trusted for SCUBA specific advice?

In that this is :sblogo:, feel free to diverge to your own third discussion.

 

[fdog]

I have been known to carefully peruse the Trip Advisor ratings, and deliberately choose the one without glowing reviews.


All the best, James

 

[Wookie]

In that this is :sblogo:, feel free to diverge to your own third discussion.

I'm here for the chocolate, not the nuts. Best pizza IMHO is at the No Name Pub on Big Pine Key, Florida. I wouldn't wipe my butt with a Trip Adviser review of any kind, or at least, I'd take it with a huge grain of salt. Besides, Trip Adviser reviews are made of electrons, hard to wipe with. I've seen both vendettas against and for companies that didn't deserve either one.

 

[jameseg]

I like Tripadvisor and use it frequently. As Wookie said, you definitely have to take it with a grain of salt. But it provides information that I find useful. If 350 people rate a hotel 4 or 5 stars, it's probably a pretty good hotel, and that helps me narrow down my choices. I like to read the actual reviews too, and often learn information about things like nearby restaurants, markets, or subway stops that's hard to find elsewhere, especially for hotels in foreign countries.

That having been said, it's almost useless for scuba-focused trips. But that's understandable, as 99% of the people using it probably don't dive, or at least don't want to take a trip based around diving. That's what ScubaBoard is for.

James

 

[Lorenzoid]

Doc, you must really be bored today. But I am, too, so I'll bite.

1) Giving TA the benefit of the doubt--I'm not planning to read the TA list--I suppose I could see people ranking cities not historically known for their pizza more highly than Chicago or New York because there are some cities that in recent years have become meccas for pizza nerds who have imported ovens from Italy to craft thin-crust pies based on the Neapolitan style. For all I know, San Diego has a bunch of them.

2) No.

 

[AggieDiver]

I think trip advisor can be a good resource if you recognize the expectations of the reviewer when reading their comments. A resort can be absolutely terrific and bend over backwards to give people what they paid for, but if the person doing the review thought they were buying something different, there is often nothing the resort can do to satisfy them. Similarly, if you are reading reviews of a dive op by a bunch of pod people doing day trips with them, you will likely have a different picture than you would get from groups doing week long packages. Sometimes the reviewer provides the context clues to tell you about who they were and what their expectations were, and sometimes they don't. You just have to take it all with a grain of salt and not rely too heavily on any one source of information in making decisions.

Oh, and good pizza is good pizza...just because a given style originated somewhere doesn't mean it can't be perfected somewhere else. Best pizza I ever had was shrimp pizza at a little restaurant in Cozumel run by a gourmet chef that I believe has closed down now.

 

[Carlos Danger]

I agree with those that like and use TripAdvisor for what it is, but it's only part an overall approach to travel plannng. Between TripAdvisor, Scubaboard, and YouTube, I can usually get enough of a handle on things to be in a position to make some decisions. If I need more info, sometimes I'll just go buy a travel companion book or something.

 

[DeputyDan]

The Food Channel has that place on Bonaire as one of the top 10 pizza places in the "world".
I call BS on that!!!!!!!

Same sort of deal!

 

[Rhone Man]

I like Tripadvisor and use it frequently. As Wookie said, you definitely have to take it with a grain of salt. But it provides information that I find useful. If 350 people rate a hotel 4 or 5 stars, it's probably a pretty good hotel, and that helps me narrow down my choices. I like to read the actual reviews too, and often learn information about things like nearby restaurants, markets, or subway stops that's hard to find elsewhere, especially for hotels in foreign countries.

That having been said, it's almost useless for scuba-focused trips. But that's understandable, as 99% of the people using it probably don't dive, or at least don't want to take a trip based around diving. That's what ScubaBoard is for.

James

Could not agree more. I travel a huge amount in Asia and TripAdvisor is a God send when searching for budget hotels in off the wall destinations. But it is pretty hopeless for Scuba focused trips.

One good trick I was taught when using TripAdvisor is to read the negative reviews first. If someone trashes it because "the receptionist was rude to me" or "I asked for ketchup and got mustard" then you treat that as someone with an axe to grind.

Also, try to look for reviewers who make an effort to review every place they visit: good, bad and indifferent. Like this dashingly good looking reviewer: Member Profile - TripAdvisor

 

[Shasta_man]

Just another datapoint. I don't dismiss people who diss some place but see what their concern is. Then decide if that will impact me. It's very funny what user reviews are based on. Many times not on the quality of the place. In a recent perusal of Yelp for auto repair, everyone was much more concerned with whether the business greeted them at the door and smiled rather than whether they did a good job and knew their stuff.