- Cruising: the Leader in International Leisure Travel.
- Cruising and the "Big Money": Shopping Spree for Masters of the High Seas.
- The Cruise Industry has the Midas touch: New Ships, New Styles.
- The Cruise Experience and increasing advertising budgets.
- New Passenger Demographics - Who is Cruising?
- The Ship of the New Millennium: Phoenix World City
- Cruising's Green Revolution: Working with Mother Nature and "Ecotourism."
- Hot New Destinations
Great news for job seekers! Each year, more people choose to vacation aboard cruise ships. Cruising is the tourism industry's "golden child," still in its infancy; healthy and growing. Cruise Lines International Association CLIA, predicts greater prosperity: The total cruise market potential, based on those with some interest in cruising, is rated as a $96 billion opportunity over the next five years.
CLIA studies show satisfaction with cruising remains very high. Perhaps because cruise vacations offer an all-inclusive experience, most prior cruisers plan to cruise again within the next five years. Interest in cruising is highest among prior cruisers, but many of those who take other types of vacations intend to take a cruise. As cruise lines attract more passengers, new job opportunities multiply to keep pace.
2. Cruising and the "Big Money": Shopping Sprees for Masters of the High Seas
27 New Ships are scheduled to set sail by the year 2000!
Orders pour in for a new generation of ships; with more showrooms and restaurants, more spacious, ocean view cabins, expensive entertainment systems, sophisticated furnishings and state-of-the-art engineering and safety systems. These new ships or new builds incorporate the latest technology and economies of scale to enhance the cruise experience and the balance sheet.
3. The cruise industry has the Midas touch: New Ships, New Styles; Luxury-Grace-Glitter
New Styles
From the looks of the newest ships, the cruise industry has the Midas touch. Get onboard as cruise lines try to outdo each other's extravagant ship designs; spacious, luxurious interiors; hi-tech gadgets, & pricey art collections.
A $40 million dollar makeover is standard in this booming industry; Princess Cruises invested more than $40 million to refurbish the famous LoveBoat®, Pacific Princess and Island Princess.
Today's cruise ships feature five-star, opulent restaurants supervised by the world's finest chefs; room-service and richly furnished public areas, decorated with custom designer fabrics and carpets. Highlights include: original tapestries, fine marble, teak, cherry wood and mahogany, bronze sculptures and exquisite art collections from around the world.
Carnival's Sensation boasts computer-controlled 'sensational' wall covering - ultraviolet light reveals hidden textures and patterns that are invisible by ordinary daylight. The pricey Galaxy benefits from Celebrity's affiliation with Sony and the latest in hi-tech home entertainment at sea.
The cruise industry's latest additions favor all ocean view cabins, private verandahs and increased accessibility for disabled passengers. The major cruise lines are also modernizing or retiring older ships to meet new Safety of Life at Sea SOLAS, standards. Compliance to SOLAS regulations becomes mandatory beginning in 1997.
New ships
Size and passenger capacity: A distinctive difference is developing in the tonnage and capacity of cruise ships: the mega liner (40,000+ tons with 2,000+ passengers) vs. the smaller, more intimate ships (8,200 to 40,000 tons with less than 1000 passengers). These interior and structural trends impact the "cruise experience" in passenger to crew ratio, pricing, programs and facilities and itineraries.
Size and passenger capacity can have an impact on your job description. Consider how you will perform given the opportunity to work on a mega liner, mid-range, or smaller vessel. Do you work best with large audiences or smaller groups of people? The size of the ships will also affect ports-of-call. Smaller ships often call at out-of-the-way destinations, while larger ships may offer more entertainment, child care, and cruise staff positions. It is important to consider these factors when you apply.
Carnival Cruise Lines has led the trend towards larger, mass marketed glitzy resorts with more than 2000 passengers, multiple dining rooms, spacious lounges and large-scale musical productions. The Carnival Destiny made her maiden voyage as the "largest cruise ship ever built," with a beam in excess of 105.78 feet, the maximum width permitted to pass through the Panama Canal. She carries 4000 passengers and 1000 crew members.
In contrast to "bigger is better," there is a simultaneous renaissance of intimate, more exclusive ships catering to less than 1000 passengers. These smaller ships emphasize a "members only" atmosphere. Silver sea plans two new ships offering 400 passengers the deluxe, clubby atmosphere of cruising's golden days. Radisson Seven Seas Paul Gauguin hosts just 320 guests.
Crystal Cruises' has created a happy medium; expanding activities and entertainment and increasing capacity without compromising a yacht-like atmosphere and superlative service aboard the Crystal Harmony and Crystal Symphony.
4. The Cruise Experience and increasing advertising budgets.
Top cruise executives say that the industry no longer operates with a build it and they will sail mentality. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) study rates the North American cruise market potential as 'huge'; a $54 - $87 billion cumulative potential over the next five years. By year 2000, CLIA projects that an annual passenger counts of 7 million.
Today's traveler is being courted through massive advertising campaigns touting the pleasures of cruising. Watch for television, radio and print ad campaigns; concentrated print and direct mail.
TV ad budgets have come a long way since Norwegian Cruise Lines launched the first TV cruise commercials, followed by Carnival Cruise Lines in 1984. Premier Cruise Line allocates 60% of its annual $10 million advertising budget to television. Carnival Cruise Lines spent $19.5 million on American network television in 1995, $3.45 million on syndicated TV and $2.15 million on cable TV: Data from Competitive Media Reporting and Anne Kalosh, ASTA Agency Management.
February is National Cruise Vacation Month
CLIA's $15 million dollar advertising budget supports annual, multi-media campaigns designed to familiarize travelers with the cruise experience and drive them to buy a cruise from a CLIA cruise counselor. The Highlights include 30-second television commercials aired prime-time, video news releases such as "High Tech on the High Seas", a consumer sweepstakes offering 100 free cruises and 28-page advertorial supplements to travel trade magazines, People and Conde Nast Traveler.
5. New Passenger Demographics - Who is Cruising?
CLIA's Cruise Prospect Segmentation Study investigates demographics, psychographics, previous vacation types and activities, perceptions about cruising, and intent to cruise. CLIA finds that the cruise market continues to represent a broad spectrum of the population. Men and women in a wide range of ages and income levels take cruises. Interest in cruising is highest among prior cruisers, but is not restricted to this group. Many of those who take other types of vacations intend to take a cruise.
Cruise Prospects
This research identifies five segments of cruise prospects, categorized by who they are in terms of household composition, age, education, marital status, and household income; what they expect from their vacations and what prevents them from taking a cruise. The five segments are Family Folks, Want -it-All's, Adventurers, Comfortable Spenders, and Cautious Travelers.
In a Nutshell
Demographically, the average hot prospect cruise passenger is 43 years old, lives in an adult-only household, is married, has a High School degree or some college, spent an average of $139 per day on previous, recent vacations, and has an income of $56,483.
