Cruise itineraries more important than price – poll shows

Cruise itineraries are more important than price for twice as many people, according to a new poll.
 

The destination/itinerary was the top deciding factor for half of the 4,764 people asked, followed by price which was most important for a quarter of respondents.
 

Two thirds of those rating price as the determining factor said they are more motivated to book by a straightforward discount.
 

Nearly a third were more influenced by added value options such as free car parking.
 

The cruise line was the third determining factor followed by ship and special occasion.
 

The survey, run by cruise.co.uk for Carnival UK, also found a strong preference for ex-UK cruising with half of the sample saying this was their preferred option against one in six preferring fly-cruises.
 

Luggage restrictions on flights was the major reason for people not liking fly-cruises followed by dislike of flying, airport delays, cramped airline seating and lack of customer service on budget carriers.
 

For those preferring to fly-cruise, more interesting itineraries and guaranteed better weather were cited as the main attractions, followed by UK ports being too far to drive to, the availability of more seven-night cruises and the option to take a cruise and stay break.
 

The poll found that 37% would cut other expenditure to ensure they took their main cruise holiday while more than one in three would rather pay less than not book at all.
 

More than three quarters said they believe cruising remains as good or even better value than it was five years ago.
 

Consumers rated swimming pools, theatres, restaurants and shore excusions as the top elements of a cruise while childrens’ pools and bars were also ranked highly.
 

Down the list of priorities were climbing walls, ice rinks, spas and shops.
 

Mega ships carrying more than 4,000 passengers also got the thumbs down with just one in 100 saying they would consider cruising on a ship carrying so many passengers.
 

Ships with a capacity of between 1,000 and 2,000 were the top preference for half of respondents, followed by nearly a quarter preferring those of 2,000 to 3,000. Eight out of ten prefer ships carrying at least 1,000 passengers while one in five wanting to sail on ships with a capacity of less than 1,000, according to the survey results published in the 2010 Carnival UK Cruise Report.
 

Nearly a third said they preferred sailing with predominantly British passengers while more than a quarter want a mix of British and American travellers and a similar number do not mind where other passengers come from.
 

by Phil Davies