J. D. Power ranks the cruise lines

First, the winners: Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Holland America were the three top-ranked cruise lines in the first-ever J.D. Power 2013 Cruise Line Satisfaction Report released yesterday. They were followed by Celebrity and Princess, which also scored above the average.

Then the good news: Service is the key to customer satisfaction, and most cruise customers are satisfied.

Then the bad: Cruise lines have plenty of opportunity to offer customers service, because 18% of customers experience a problem.

Then the benchmarks: The average price paid for one person on a cruise is $1,628; when people cruise in groups, though, the average rises to $2,330 per person.

And perhaps one more piece of not-so-good news for travel agents: Only 15% of customers said a travel agent helped them choose the line they sailed on, a J. D. Powers spokesperson told TravelMole.

The inaugural J.D. Power report on the cruise lines measured customer satisfaction based on service, stateroom, food, embark/debark, entertainment, cost, and excursions.

Disney Cruise Line’s winning score of 871 (out of a possible 1,000 points) was significantly higher than the average of 824, buoyed in particular by its scores in entertainment and food.

Royal Caribbean International and Holland America Line, with scores of 838 and 835, respectively, did particularly well in the service category.

While customer service, stateroom, and food make up more than 50% of the overall satisfaction score, the report notes, the number of problems passengers experience has a significant impact on loyalty.

Overall, almost one in five passengers across all cruise lines experienced at least one problem, and on average, passengers experienced 1.8 problems.

Passengers experiencing more than one problem are only half as likely to say they definitely will travel again with the cruise line they most recently used.

"Many cruise lines in the report have very high levels of passenger satisfaction; however, for more than a year, the overall industry has been dealing with a lot of negative news affecting customer perceptions, expectations and trust," said Ramez Faza, senior account manager of the global travel and hospitality practice at J.D. Power.

"To raise the bar, the industry must focus on meeting the needs of the nearly 20 percent of passengers who experience a problem with their cruise line experience. Cruise lines need to understand the causes of customer dissatisfaction and determine what will motivate them to come back."

The primary reason for choosing a particular cruise line is price (53%). However, among customers who say they "definitely will" return, service is the key reason.

Most consumers become aware of their cruise line brand through the cruise line’s website (28%); because they have traveled with the cruise line previously (24%); or the brand is recommended by friends and family (17%). Fifteen percent credited a travel agent. And about 3% chose based on TV ads.

Still, J.D. Power told TravelMole, "A cruise is more of an experience rather than a means of transportation, and a travel agent can go into more depth and details to explain the cruise options and find one that best the passenger needs more than a website.  Travel agents can sometime offer additional discounts or throw in additional benefits for customers."

J.D. Power offered up the following recommendations to customers when selecting a cruise line:

• If you’re planning a cruise for your family, choose a cruise line that provides age-appropriate entertainment and a variety of food choices for adults and children.
• If you are taking a cruise with numerous ports of call find out which cruise line ranks highest for embarking/debarking. The more organized and efficient the cruise line is with both of these metrics, the less stressful the experience may be when leaving and returning to the ship.
• Taking a cruise with many ports of call is a great way to experience the world. Research all of the ports of call ahead of booking your cruise and plan each excursion so you will have plenty of time to experience everything you’re interested in and get back to the ship on time.

The 2013 Cruise Line Satisfaction Report is based on responses from 3,003 customers who traveled on a cruise line in the past 12 months.

By Cheryl Rosen