Cruise excursions are big business, with more and more customers wanting to squeeze as much as they can into every port-of-call. That’s what CWT client Cruise.co.uk discovered when they teamed up with Travel Trade Gazette to find out just what their customers are thinking.
The survey of 1,500 Cruise.co.uk customers identified excursions as the latest area of competition for cruise lines, leading TTG to label them “the new cruise battleground”.
Cruise fans already know that once you’ve tried cruising there’s no going back, and the fact that 32% of those surveyed had already cruised 5 to 10 times confirms it. Overwhelmingly, Cruise.co.uk customers want to get out there and explore. A whopping 74% said yes when asked if they’d like more time in port, and just 0.3% chose to spend their entire holiday on board. 31% said they book an excursion at every port, with 40% booking as many as they can afford.
73% felt that while there’s a good choice of excursions, prices are high, and just 5% said excursions offered good choice, range and value. However, only 5% said they weren’t worth the money, suggesting that while customers feel excursions are too expensive, they’re still willing to shell out for them.
When it comes to booking excursions, the main thing stopping Cruise.co.uk customers is the cost, with 45% saying they’re too expensive, followed by the 29% who prefer not to follow the crowds.
When asked what makes a good excursion, 50% said it should be well organised with a tour guide, 24% asked for value for money and 20% wanted something off the beaten track.
In the future, 35% said they would book their excursions through the cruise line. However, high prices could mean cruise lines lose out, with 32% planning to book through shore-based operators.
58% of Cruise.co.uk customers had spent extra nights in the embarkation or disembarkation port, with 41% arranging accommodation themselves, 33% through the cruise line and 26% through a travel agent, again suggesting cruise lines could be missing out on valuable business.
Visit Cruise.co.uk and Cruises.co.uk for the best cruise offers, news and reviews.
