CLIA study shows how cruisers make choices
The most important element in choosing a cruise vacation: lifestyle attributes, followed by cuisine, entertainment, spa/wellness facilities and shore excursions.
According to a new survey of travel agents by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), shipboard lifestyles and choice of shore excursions play important roles when consumers choose a cruise.
“In terms of dining experiences, agents said that almost 75 percent of clients look for added choices of alternative styles of shipboard restaurants, followed by traditional dining room experiences and more casual ‘Lido Deck’ style dining,” CLIA says.
The survey also reported that more clients are requesting heart-healthy cuisine, closely followed by diabetic/sugar-free menus.
Significantly, cruise lines seem to have overcome the perception that cruise passengers worry about gaining weight: only 10 percent of agents said their clients expressed that concern more than occasionally.
Workout facilities and adults-only (or kids-free) facilities top the list of spa and wellness interests, according to agents.
Other wellness features in order of importance to clients are saunas and hot tubs, spa services, running tracks and group exercise programs, and beauty salons.
"The majority of respondents said that shipboard spa and wellness facilities compared favorably to those on land and almost 75 percent of cruisers believe that these facilities have improved in the last three years,” the survey found.
Almost 80 percent of agents said that shipboard entertainment has improved during the same period, with Broadway style shows, Las Vegas style revues and “famous name” acts ranking at the top of consumers’ preference lists.
Seventy-five percent of respondents said that cruise ship entertainment compares favorably to land-based vacations.
By David Wilkening
David
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