Travel Express Cruise Facts "You Need To Know Basis"
Every day, more and more people are discovering the all-inclusive pleasures of a cruise vacation. More singles, families, couples, honeymooners, second honeymooners and groups of friends are sailing away on the vacation of their lives. Last year alone approximately seven million people enjoyed a cruise vacation. When you add it all up, it's easy to see why.
The price of your ticket includes all of your meals and in-between snacks on-board; your stateroom, activities, parties and entertainment; plus, an exciting voyage to some of the most enchanting and culturally-enriching places in the world.
You'll find that a cruise ship is a floating resort, with all the things a fine resort has to offer and more! You'll meet new friends who share the same tastes and interests as you.
The hassles of an ordinary vacation are completely eliminated. A cruise is one convenient package. You don't have to worry about making dinner or nightclub reservations, running to make flight connections as you travel from one destination to another, or packing and unpacking.
You can lie back and be completely pampered. Or, go non-stop. Dine like never before. Enjoy one great show after another. Let your cares float away!
It's no wonder that more people are taking cruise vacations than ever before. And once they get a taste of cruising, they come back for more, again and again.
Cruises have a higher percentage of satisfied customers than any other vacation experience. Ask your Cruises 24/7 Cruise Travel Pro about cruising. Chances are, he or she will recommend a cruise vacation from personal experience.
The cruise industry is the most exciting growth category in the entire leisure market. Since 1980, the industry has had an average annual passenger growth rate of 8.1% per annum.
The cruise industry is young. Since 1980, nearly 100 million passengers have taken a deep-water cruise (2+ days). Of this number, 61% of the total passengers have been generated in the past 10 years. Thirty seven percent of total passengers have been generated in the past five years alone.
Over the next three years, over 48 million North Americans indicate an intent to cruise. To date, approximately 16% of the U.S. population target market have ever cruised. By maintaining historical occupancy levels, the cruise industry could welcome over 10 million guests in 2004.
Taking a cruise is incredibly diversified with literally a cruise vacation for everyone. Over the past 10 years, the industry has responded to extensive market and consumer research: research that has guided the addition of new destinations, new ship design concepts, new on-board/on-shore activities, new themes and new cruise lengths to reflect the changing vacation patterns of today’s market.
A cruise vacation delivers unparalleled customer satisfaction. Whether a frequent or first-time cruiser, the cruise experience consistently exceeds expectations on a wide range of important vacation attributes. On a comparative basis versus other vacation categories, cruising consistently receives top marks. The on-going challenge for our industry is to convert cruise prospects into new cruisers.
Cruising is an important vehicle for sampling destination areas to which passengers may return. Over 85% of cruise passengers agree with this statement. Nearly 50% fully expect to return to the same geographical area/destination for another type of vacation. Cruisers are not exclusively cruisers; rather they are frequent vacationers who cruise as part of their vacation mix.
The North American cruise market is strong across all 50 states and Canada. Today’s array of airlift options and streamlined port processing have opened up cruising as a vacation alternative to more and more individuals. The addition of new North American embarkation ports provides cruise vacationers more options and opportunities to drive versus fly.
CLIA Member Lines capacity utilization/deployment. From a capacity standpoint, utilization is consistently over 90%. The Caribbean represents the number one destination with almost 46% of capacity development. Europe, the Mediterranean, Alaska, Mexico, Trans-Canal, Hawaii and South America follow the Caribbean in popularity.
CLIA Cruise Industry Overview MARKETING EDITION - Spring 2005
CRUISE VACATIONS COMPARED TO OTHER VACATIONS
Rep
Sample
(2002)
Rep
Sample
(2004)
Cruisers
Non-
Cruiser
Vaca
tioner
Cruiser Types
Desti nations
Luxury
Premium
Contem
porary
Being pampered
69%
63%
77%
55%
79%
80%
87%
78%
Chance to visit several locations
67
62
77
54
79
76
84
79
Fine dining
70
57
72
49
71
70
81
74
Luxurios
67
57
67
51
57
67
78
69
Unique & different
NA
54
67
46
58
67
72
68
Get away fom it all
61
53
69
43
63
76
78
70
High quality entertainment
58
51
65
43
42
63
74
70
Hassle-free
54
50
70
40
58
74
78
71
Variety of activities
50
50
65
42
67
54
69
69
Easy to plan and arrange
50
46
64
36
33
59
69
66
Romantic getaway
55
45
53
40
37
44
62
55
Exiting and adventurous
51
45
58
39
46
50
60
61
Explore vacation area/Return later
51
44
61
35
58
57
65
65
Fun vacation
45
40
55
32
50
59
64
58
Good value for the money
42
36
57
24
54
59
67
62
Cultural learning experience
47
34
44
28
46
44
51
44
Reliable
42
34
53
23
33
46
63
55
Safe
33
29
48
20
25
44
57
49
Confortable Accommodations
37
27
39
21
29
35
48
41
Good activities for children
31
26
28
26
28
13
17
28
Participate in sports you enjoy
22
19
24
17
17
17
24
26
Base: Cruisers and vacationers
Degree to Which Attributes Influenced Last Vacation
Reinforcing the strength of the destination as a driver of vacation choice, random travelers assigned an average 8.7 importance rating for it on a 10-point importance scale. Price (7.2) and best opportunity to relax and unwind (7.1) are also highly valued.
There is little difference between cruisers and non-cruisers with respect to these attributes, although cruisers appear to place a slightly higher value on their vacation offering a unique vacation experience.
DEGREE TO WHICH ATTRIBUTES INFLUENCED LAST VACATION
Rep
Sample
(2004)
Cruisers
Non-
Cruiser
Vaca
tioner
Cruiser Types
Desti nations
Luxury
Premium
Contem
porary
The destination
8.7
8.7
8.7
9.3
8.3
8.9
8.7
The price
7.2
7.3
7.1
7.4
7.2
7.4
7.4
Best oportunity to relax and unwind
7.1
7.1
7.1
7.3
7.2
7.1
7.2
Fit my vacation schedule/days available
6.8
6.5
7.0
5.6
5.8
6.5
6.5
Offered a unique experience
6.7
7.0
6.6
7.6
7.2
7.2
7.0
The convenience
6.6
6.8
6.6
6.6
6.7
7.0
6.8
The paricular hotel/resort property or cruise ship
5.6
6.5
5.1
7.5
6.8
7.1
6.7
Good programs for children and family
4.1
3.8
4.4
2.1
3.4
3.6
3.7
Base: Cruisers a vacationers
Note: Data is based on a 10-point scale where "10" is "most influence" and "1" is "did not influence at all"
Satisfaction Levels with Various Vacation Alternatives
The small percentage (8%) of travelers who vacation at all-inclusive resorts assign them the highest praise, with the largest percentage (60%) of travelers assigning extremely satisfied to them. Cruising places nearly as high (58%). Vacation house rentals ranks third (51%) then a large gap exists for the next cluster of satisfying vacation types. All types show moderate to substantial satisfaction gains since the 2002 study.
LEVEL OF SATISFACTION WITH TYPES OF VACATIONS % EXTREMELY SATISFIED
All Destinations
