FAMILIES
GIVE TOP
MARKS TO
CRUISING
New
Survey
by CLIA
and
Cruise
Critic
Points
to
Value,
Price
and
Uniqueness
of
Cruise
Experience
as
Advantages
over
Land-based
Vacations
Families
take
cruises
and
they
cruise
often
because
the
price
is
right,
the
value
for
money
spent
is
outstanding
and
the
cruise
experience
offers
unique
advantages
over
comparably
priced
land-based
vacations.
Those
are
the
conclusions
to
be
drawn
from
a
just
released
online
survey
of
more
than
1,000
households
by
Cruise
Lines
International
Association
(CLIA)
and
Cruise
Critic,
the
top
online
resource
on
cruise
information.
“Experts
tell
us
that
family
vacations
are
one
of
the
fastest
growing
segments
of
the
travel
industry
and
this
certainly
is
true
for
cruises.
It’s
not
just
the
amazing
new
generation
of
ships
and
shipboard
activities
and
facilities
for
young
travelers,”
said
Terry
Dale,
president
and
CEO
of
CLIA.
"Most
important,
families
are
choosing
to
cruise
because
of
price
and,
even
more
important,
value.
They
recognize
that
a
cruise
vacation
offers
advantages
and
features
that
are
simply
not
found
on
any
other
type
of
vacation.”
Carolyn
Spencer
Brown,
editor
in
chief
of
Cruise
Critic,
agrees,
"The
cruise
vacation
is
an
attractive
way
to
travel
because
many
elements
of a
stress-free
family
trip
are
wrapped
up
into
one
tidy
package
for
passengers.
From
accommodations
and
meals
to
entertainment
and
activities,
the
almost
all-inclusive
cruise
experience
appeals
--
particularly
to
families
--
because
of
the
tremendous
value
and
convenience
it
offers."
Among
the
key
findings:
-
Families
take
a
lot
of
cruises.
Almost
half
(46
percent)
of
respondents
have
taken
two
to
four
cruises
with
children
under
the
age
of
18;
15.2
percent
have
taken
five
to
seven
cruises,
and
4.8
percent
have
taken
more
than
ten.
-
Outstanding
value.
Over
83
percent
of
families
said
cruise
vacations
are
very
good
or
extremely
good
value.
-
The
price
is
right.
Among
all
family
cruisers,
73.4
percent
said
that
their
last
cruise
was
the
same
price
or
less
than
a
resort
vacation,
with
almost
50
percent
saying
that
the
cruise
was
slightly
or
much
less
costly.
-
Multiple
advantages
over
resort
vacations.
Family
cruisers
listed
many
key
advantages
to
taking
a
cruise
over
a
family
resort
stay,
including:
the
opportunity
to
visit
multiple
destinations
(62.8
percent);
the
all-inclusive
nature
of a
cruise
vacation
–
accommodations,
meals,
entertainment
and
shipboard
activities
included
in
one
price
–
(57.7
percent);
onboard
kids
programs
and
facilities
(30.2
percent);
the
variety
of
onboard
amenities
(28.0
percent);
and
onboard
entertainment
(20.3
percent).
-
Destination
rules.
36.6
percent
of
families
said
that
the
destination
or
itinerary
was
the
primary
deciding
factor
in
choosing
a
family
cruise.
Almost
30
percent
were
most
motivated
by
price.
-
Planning
is
easy.
Almost
70
percent
of
respondents
said
that
planning
a
cruise
was
easier
than
planning
a
resort
vacation.
-
Cruising
is
relaxing,
hassle-free
and
provides
for
quality
family
time.
The
survey
found
that
44.3
percent
of
families
spend
about
half
their
time
together
on a
cruise,
while
42.7
percent
said
they
spend
all
or
most
of
their
cruise
vacation
together
as a
family.
-
Over
30
percent
of
respondents
said
quality
shared
family
time
was
the
best
thing
about
a
cruise
while
over
20
percent
cited
the
hassle-free
“don’t
need
to
plan
anything”
quality
of a
cruise
as
the
most
enjoyable
feature
of a
vacation
at
sea.
The
opportunity
to
see
multiple
destinations,
kids’
enjoyment
of
the
cruise
experience,
the
quality
of
shipboard
service
and
amenities,
and
kids’
facilities
and
services
were
other
leading
reasons
to
choose
a
family
cruise.
-
Cruising
can
be a
great
choice
for
a
multi-generational
vacation.
Over
60
percent
of
respondents
say
they
sometimes
or
always
travel
as
an
extended
family
(with
grandparents
and/or
grandchildren.)
-
Almost
76
percent
of
families
reported
that
their
kids
took
advantage
of
kids-only
activities,
facilities
and/or
entertainment
onboard
ship.
It
is
important
to
note
that
over
60
percent
of
those
responding
to
the
survey
use
a
travel
agent
at
least
on
occasion
to
plan
a
cruise
vacation,
with
almost
40
percent
saying
they
use
agents
most
of
the
time
or
always.
CLIA
has
almost
16,000
travel
agent
members
and
one
of
the
best
training
and
certification
programs
in
the
travel
industry.
In
order
to
be
certified,
agents
must
demonstrate
that
they
have
the
knowledge,
expertise
and
personal
experience
necessary
to
thoroughly
understand
the
cruise
industry
and
be
able
to
match
their
clients,
including
families,
with
the
perfect
cruise.
|
|
|
|
|
|
*source: Cruise Line International
Association.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
These icons link to
social bookmarking sites where Cruise Review Online
readers can share a conversation about cruising with
others.
"The Internet isn't just about
cruise deals. It also is about getting travel
advice, not just from experts but from fellow
travelers"
- Cruise News Daily
Cruise Blog
Your
Ultimate Cruise Guide.
What To
Know. Where To Save. |
|
|
|
Ultimate
Search
For Discount Travel Deals
Online. |
Sponsored
Search |
What People Search
for...
Travel
Finder
: Click on the
red
arrow
next
to the search
term.
Or enter
your own
term
in the box below.
|
|
|
