WHO CRUISES AND WHY?

HERE ARE A FEW FACTS, BASED ON RESEARCH

STUDIES DONE BY CLIA AND OTHER RESEARCHERS:

• 29% of all cruisers are under 40 years old, 52% are

between 40 and 59, and 20% are over 60. This clearly
punctures the myth that “cruise are only for old people”.
• On average, about 40% of the people onboard are taking
their first cruise.
• 86% of cruisers are married.
• People who take cruises earn about 18% more money in
household income per year than do noncruisers. In
general, they also travel more.
• About a quarter of all cruisers bring a child or children
along.
CATEGORY YOU FIT IN VERY MUCH
AFFECTS WHY YOU CRUISE
EXAMPLE:
 Be younger
 Have more modest incomes
 Have less education
 Be more likely to work full-time
 Be interested in a mass-market destination, such
as the Caribbean
 Be new to cruising
ON A LONGER CRUISE, THE PASSENGERS
TEND TO:

 Be older
 Have higher incomes
 Be more educated
 Be more likely to be retired or semiretired
 Be interested in a more exotic destination,
such as South America
 Have already experienced cruising
WHY PEOPLE CRUISE?

• A cruise is a hassle-free vacation.

• A cruise takes you away from it all.
• You’re pampered like nowhere else.
• You can do it all or nothing at all.
• You can sample a broad geographic area.
• A cruise is something “new”.
• Cruises offer a huge variety of events, activities,
and meals.
• A cruise facilitates shopping.
• It’s easy to make friends on a cruise.
• Cruises lend themselves to groups.
• A cruise is a romantic experience.
• There’s a cruise that can satisfy virtually anyone.
• It’s a great way to celebrate a special event.
• Everybody’s talking about how wonderful cruises are.
• Cruises represent a safe travel experience.
• It’s fabulous value for the money.
• Cruises are ideal for family vacations.
• They provide an excellent context for extended
business meetings.
• You know what you’re paying in advance.
THE DEGREE OF CRUISE

 Always or almost always

 Sometimes included but sometimes not
 Usually not included
 Never included
FIVE NICHE SEGMENTS

Families who travel come in all sorts of

configurations today (grandchild with grandparents,
blended families, single parent with children, aunt
with nephew.
Most attracts families to cruising:
• Cruises can be a great value, an important factor for
three or more people who are traveling together.
• A cruise can reduce stress, simplify logistics, and
save time compared to the most popular family
form of travel: the family car.
• Cruise ships provide facilities and activities
tailored to different children’s age groups.
Some of these facilities are huge.
• Kids on a cruise can have fun and learn at the
same time.
Culture seekers this niche sees travel to learn about
history, people, and cultures, to grow intellectually,
and to enrich their lives.
• Culture seekers favor cruises that spend considerable
time in ports and visit unusual or historic place.
• They favor cruises that offer educational seminars
and programs.
• Many in this category are single travelers.
• They respect nature and are sensitive to the ecology
of the places they visit.
• They favor smaller “expedition” ship that cater to
this kind of travel.
Adventurer these travelers share some of the
same traits as learners. They want to do
exciting, adventurous things at the place they
visit.

• They want a cruise with plenty of choices and

energetic and or participatory activities.
• They favor exotic itineraries and smaller ships.
• They expect that what they do will require at
least some level of fitness.
Romantics this groups included all sort of people:
honeymooners, anniversary couples, etc.

• They favor tropical cruise or cultural ones

• They want minimal logistics and minimized
stress.
• Pampering and spas are very appealing to them.
The upscale they want the best but also want the
best deal. They favor the most expensive cruise
lines.

• Quality cruising is vital to them

• A sophisticated environment is important
• They like itineraries that feature ports that are still
relatively unknown to tourists.
• Fine cuisine is an important part of their travel
experience.
CRUISE PRICES

The price is basic two or double occupancy it’s per

person, based on two passengers to a room.
• The higher the deck the stateroom is on, the
higher the price.
• Outside staterooms (which have windows)are
generally more expensive than inside or interior
staterooms (generally without windows). The
industry call an outside stateroom an “ocean
view” stateroom.
MOST COMMONLY OBJECTIONS CRUISING

 Cruises are too expensive

 Cruises are boring
 Cruises are only for older people
 Cruises are stuffy and too formal
 Cruises are too regimented
 There’s not enough time in ports
 The ship environment is too confining
 Aren’t you forced to socialize with people?
 I’ll eat too much and put on weight
 I was in the Navy, and the last thing I want to
do is to take my vacation on a ship.
 Are ship really safe?
 I’m worried about terrorism.
 It’s too far to fly to the port.
 I’m worried about getting sick
 I don’t know enough about cruises.
END