Tag Archives: CLIA survey data

Top Reason to Cruise is Value for Money

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 The top reason for choosing an ocean cruise is value for money, according to new trade research.

Clia’s first Travel Agent Research Panel Questionnaire found the value of a cruise was ranked first, ahead of itineraries and standards of services. More than 75% of respondents said customers spent more on ocean cruising in 2016.

High standards of dining and promotional offers were ranked fourth and fifth as key reasons in choosing an ocean cruise.

Clia surveyed just under 100 agencies from the high street and online, as well as homeworkers.

Almost 75% of agents said the industry had grown in the past year, the biggest increase being sales from couples, followed by families.

The survey’s results were released at Clia’s cruise forum in Windsor this week, where it also announced that Royal Caribbean’s vice-president of Europe, Middle East and Africa, Stuart Leven, will succeed Lynn Narraway, managing director of Holland America Line and Seabourn, as chairman of the association.

Andy Harmer, director of Clia UK and Ireland, said: “I don’t think it’s a surprise that customers are choosing cruise for value for money.

“People are more conscious of not only a holiday’s price, but what they spend during the trip.

“More people want to go all-inclusive. Cruise is the best value for money because so much is included.”

Phil Evans, managing director of agency Cruise Nation, said: “Consumers take everything into account including spending and activities. This is why families are a massive, growing market segment.”

The key factor in customers choosing a river cruise was destination, followed by standards of service and value for money.

Princess passengers on why they booked direct

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The number of travelers booking directly with cruise lines keeps growing, despite efforts by cruise lines to direct business to travel agents.

On a recent cruise aboard the Ruby Princess, I surveyed 25 passengers at random about how they bought their cruise. It was an unscientific sample of a fraction of the ship’s 3,000 passengers.

Ten of the 25 passengers I talked with had booked directly with Princess Cruises. Of the 15 that booked with a travel agent, nine had used agents they had some personal relationship with, while six booked through online agencies or non-traditional travel retailers, such as Costco.

So about 40% of my sample group booked direct. That’s a little higher than the most recent CLIA survey data, which suggests about 30% are booking direct, up from a 20-80 split 10 years ago.

In this report, I’ll address the passengers who booked direct and the reasons they gave for doing so. In next week’s follow-up, I’ll discuss the passengers who used a travel agent.

Donald and Erika Smith, of Melbourne, Fla., cited convenience as the reason they booked directly with Princess. “If you want to make a change, it’s easier than going through an agent,” said Donald Smith, who is retired from the aircraft parts industry and was on his 26th cruise.

James Wetherill, from Queensland, Australia, said that agents in Australia are “not knowledgeable” about the details of cruises in North America.

Another passenger said she knows someone who works for Princess and got a friends and family discount.

Mark from Las Vegas, who declined to give his last name, sang the praises of the Princess website. “You can see exactly what’s available very clearly. You can make an informed decision,” he said.

Some passengers said they used travel agents for previous or future trips but decided to book this particular trip with Princess directly. Others expressed an indifference that is remarkable to anyone who sells cruises for a living or knows someone who does.

It was basically six of one, a half-dozen of the other to Karen Brown, of Southern California, who bought the seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise from Princess.com. Brown shrugged and said, “Sometimes we use a travel agent,” citing a past cruise when an agent offered a free gratuities promotion.