Would-be cruisers put off by Princess Cruises documentary

Agents claim would-be cruisers have been put off by the recent cruise documentary ‘The Cruise Ship’.

The four-part documentary was set on board Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess, claiming to give an insight into life for the 1,600 crew members on board.

Travel Counsellor Helen Wheatley said a potential client had been considering a group cruise on Celebrity’s Eclipse or Cunard’s Queen Mary.

But today, she was emailed by the client to say that having watched the TV programme, a cruise looked like ‘her worst nightmare’.

Helen Wheatley said: "I knew it would be only be a matter of time.

"Why do cruise lines such as Princess allow cameras on board, when they should know that editing will paint them in a light to entertain viewers, not always to their advantage?"

Personal Travel Advisor Jane Haughey said: "I have to agree it was a daft move on Princess’s part, it looked like a party ship.

"I did have to persuade a client that it very much depends on where the ship is located and a cruise that is going to the Caribbean will have a large amount of US passengers on it."

Another said: "I’m a cruiser and that programme would put me off cruising. People don’t realise that there’s a cruise for everyone."

Paul Ludlow, Princess Cruises’ managing director UK and Europe, said overall it was delighted with the response from The Cruise Ship programme.

"It really gathered momentum as the series progressed," he said.

"We’re 50% ahead of sales target for 2015, our weekend web traffic has doubled and enquiries have spiked, particularly from those new to brand. We hope this effect is being felt across the industry and we’ve received a number of comments from agents that the series led to a sharp increase in new-to-cruise customers."

He said the cruise line decided to take part in the show as it had ‘complete confidence in our brand and staff, and wanted more people to be made aware of cruise holidays’.

"Our role was to support the television production company and their filming of the show only; we had no say in content nor in the guests who appeared," he added.

"Of course we welcome comments from both travel agents and guests, and are in the process of reviewing all the feedback we have received. This will help us determine the success of the show and potential for a second series."

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