Cruise line sentiment is apparently sinking among US customers with more people saying air travel is both safer and more reliable.
A Harris online poll of over 2,000 US adults conducted in February, saw double-digit falls in quality, trust and perception of cruise travel compared to a year ago.
Respondents were polled on their perception of seven major cruise lines.
Scores in quality, trust and perception dropped 11%, 12% and 13% respectively following several months of high profile norovirus outbreaks and the ill-fated Carnival Triumph incident.
The most potentially damaging aspect of the poll came from the key new-to-cruise segment.
A total of 58% of consumers who have never taken a cruise before said they are less likely to do so now compared to a year ago.
The poll indicated 59% of consumers believe air travel to be more reliable and 54% think flying is a safer option than cruising.
"In a field as crowded as the cruise industry, bad press can have negative repercussions for major players across the board," said Deana Percassi, public relations consultant for Nielsen, parent company of Harris.
The release of the survey comes in the wake of yet another suspected norovirus outbreak aboard the Crown Princess.
Princess Cruises said a least 80 passengers so far have reported norovirus-like symptoms and are being isolated.
