After playing this game and discussing it with a fellow gamer, I've scoured the personal comments (and also skimmed through the reviews), and carefully organized some key quotations to bring you the important things you need to know and what other people think about Rum and Pirates. Perhaps you could call this a kind of "consensus of opinion" - biased of course, because I'm the one who gets to pick the quotes to include. Nevertheless, here you have it, an at-a-glance overview of some of the majority opinions that you need to know about this game.

1. One of the most outstanding things about this game is the strong pirate theme.
"My favorite Pirate game that I've played to date."
"Very fun and simple pirate themed game."
"Players compete with other pirates trying to collect the most booty by acquiring sets of different things."
"Big on theme."
"The theme is quite well-implemented, with the barrels of rum, drinking contests, brawls in the street, booby-trapped treasure chests and the mandatory rule that you must talk in a Pirate voice throughout, yarrrrrr!"
"I enjoy its atmosphere."
"Great theme, I love pirates ... for fairly fast light piratey fun this is definitely worthy."
"Amusing little pirate romp through a town."
"So far the best pirate theme game for me."
If you’re looking for an enjoyable pirated theme game with a good mix of luck and strategy, with a good theme fit, this is it."

2. The game-play features a mix of strategic decision making and the randomness and tension of dice rolling.
"Again the designer, Stephen Feld, shows that he has the formula for successfully mixing strategy and luck and coming up with a game that is interesting and fun to play."
"A little bit of luck and a little bit of strategy."
"Just enough subtle strategy with a big dose of luck."
"Luck is certainly a factor in this one, but there is a lot of strategy as well."
"Lots of die rolls, but also several ways in which you can improve your chances."
"I was expecting to be disappointed by the high degree of luck, but I was pleasantly surprised by the mitigating factors. Yes, there's luck, but the luck never invalidated intelligent play."
"There is a lot of dice rolling, so there is a fair amount of luck. However, the strategy shines through the luck."
"It's a light game, but it's in a nice spot in that it's chaotic and you get to roll dice in fun ways, but each turn you feel like you are making real decisions with meaningful implications."
"There is a bunch of dice-rolling in this one, but it seems to work out pretty well. It adds some strategy to the "going to bed" phase, some tension to the scorpion, and plenty of humor. The choices on where to go, conserving pirates, and considering what the players after you need make for a fun game."
"It's a light, breezy game with a healthy dose of luck, but your decisions are meaningful. I never felt that the random-luck elements reduce you to the roll of a spectator as it does in some games that are out there."

3. The strong luck element makes it unusual for an Alea game, so don't expect a deep strategic game.
"Surprisingly random for an Alea."
"Lighter game than Alea is known for."
"If you're looking for this game to be a pirated theme game in the vein of Puerto Rico, look elsewhere."
"Easily the least strategic of the Big Box series."
"Ignore the "Alea" and the size of the box or you will be underwhelmed - this game shouldn't really be grouped in the same 'collection' as Princes of Florence and Puerto Rico."
"A bit strange that this comes from Alea and not from Ravensburger."
"Maybe not what the internet community expects from a big box Alea, but I don't care. It's a fun family game that can be enjoyed by gamers."
"If taken for what it is intended to be (a light tactical game with a good bit of dice rolling), it's a blast. Played as a "serious" game, it would be dreadful."
"If you were expecting a deep strategic game because this comes from Alea then you might be disappointed. However, to me, this is a lot of fun."
"Maybe if it wasn't in the Alea line and people didn't have expectations of a strategist's game, it would be regarded for what it is - a family game that is themed on pirates."
"Not the demon it's made out to be. There's nothing wrong with this game, so long as you aren't expecting a great thinker! Some people are far too hard on a game based on their expectations from the publisher."
"Not what we would think of as an Alea game (we've all been spoiled!) but a decent game still. If this had come out on any label other than Alea, it would have received better reviews."

4. As a result it is more suitable as a family game than a gamers game.
"A somewhat light-weight family game that will turn off some hard-core gamers, especially those with expectations of something meatier as is usually the case in the Alea line."
"Nice family game that plays quickly and is very easy to teach."
"Good with adults and also good with my 6 and 7 year old daughters."
"It's definitely more of a family game than a gamer's game."
"Great game for the kids. Lots of chrome, fantastic theme but with some tactical and strategic play as well as luck."
"Very enjoyable lightweight family game."
"My family and I have a ton of fun playing this one. We are two adults and two children ages 7 and 9."

5. It needs just the right group, because it might be too heavy for some families, but too light for some gamers.
"Too complicated for a family game, too random for gamers."
"For a relatively simple game, the rulebook is very "wordy" and learning the game takes longer and seems more difficult than it actually is."
"Too light for gamers and too heavy for families."
"This game does have interesting decisions though, and it is gamey enough to be inaccessible to the extreme casual set.
"Rum & Pirates hasn't been getting the best reviews, probably because of its unexpectedly light feel and the very prominent role of the treacherous dice. This is leaning heavily toward the family game category, but it's probably a bit overwrought for that style of game, making it a better choice as a light and atmospheric game for gamers."

6. Some find that the game goes too long for what it is, although there are easy ways to shorten the game time.
"It also takes about a half-hour too long, and can drag a bit."
"It's interesting, but lasts entirely too long."
"An issue I do have is with the length of the game. It just seems to go on for a turn or so too long."
"Too long; The last round could easily be left out."
"You can play a good simpler version of the game by just dropping the beds portion."

7. Ultimately, despite its weaknesses, the real strength of this game is the very high fun factor!
"Quite a lot to pick up at the start, but hugely entertaining once we got into it."
"More fun than good."
"Yes, there's a lot of luck involved, but this is a lot of fun."
"Surprised how much I enjoyed this."
"Excellent light family game. One of the best dice-tension based games I've played."
"Can be very fun and loud if played by the right crowd."
"Though there is much luck I like it."
"This is a very fun game. Lots of dice rolling, lots of table talk, and generally lots of fun."
"Not the most strategy-based game in the world. And can turn into a bit of a dice fest at times. Having said that, it's still great fun."
"This game is a lot of fun, actually! Everyone around the table shouting out the scorpion tallies, inviting people to the pub for drinking contests, just generally laughing and having a good time."
"Any game where you chase ladies, drink rum and fight over bunk space is fine by me! Seriously, this is a fun and very decent game."
"Silly little game that is, for some reason, a lot of fun to play."

8. The fascinating and high quality counter tray that comes with the game deserves special mention.
"How many German games come with a counter tray (that even has a lid)? That's just cool."
"Best. Insert. Ever."
"I love the custom made bits tray."
"The game came with a really nice and well designed rack to hold all of the counters. I wish more games would come with things like this."
"It has the best bits container evar!"


9. The bottom line: what you need to know.
As long as you're not expecting a deep gamers game, and can handle the luck of some tense dice-rolling and perhaps a few more rules than most lighter fare, this is an excellent game that offers a great amount of fun for those willing to immerse themselves in the strong pirate theme, and looking for a social experience as well as a game with some strategic choices.

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The complete list of Ender's "What you need to know and what people think about..." reviews:
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/37595