13 August 2010

Cruise passengers: TheyÃ¢â¬â¢re younger and they want luxury

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) says that the growth of river and luxury cruises is being driven by a change in the type of people that are choosing to cruise.

Cruise lines have reported a drop in the average age of guests, in one case a fall in the median passenger age from 60 to 45 in the last 10 years.

The CLIA survey also reported that consumers were moving towards luxury cruises.

According to more than a third of travel agents polled by CLIA, there is an increased demand for river cruises, which tend to make more frequent stops at small towns and destinations.

The survey suggested that luxury customers were most interested in onboard services, with 94 percent saying the service was similar or better than that at a leading destination on land and 75 percent saying that cruises stacked up positively against the best restaurants in the world.

This has led to the growth of cruises that stop more regularly and feature more onboard entertainment.

Commented UK's Independent newspaper, "With new ships from Disney and the recent unveiling of single-passenger cabins and an ice bar on board the Norwegian Epic, it seems that cruise lines are proving successful in their quest to expand the popularity of a cruise holiday beyond the traditional market of retired vacationer."