Miami Herald Article On Cruising Still Being Popular

[spcl4cs_gal]

CRUISE LINES

Survey: Cruise demand strong despite tragedies

About 70 percent of respondents to a February survey said they plan to travel as much this year as last year.

BY AMY MARTINEZ

aemartinez@MiamiHerald.com

 

Recent cruise ship tragedies apparently aren't deterring many people from traveling.

 

About 70 percent of respondents to a February survey by the Cruise Lines International Association said they plan to travel as much this year as last year. An additional 19 percent said they plan to travel more, while 10 percent said they'll travel less, according to results of the survey released Monday.

 

Particularly noteworthy: Of those who plan to travel less, only 13 percent cited concerns about cruise-ship safety, down from 15 percent in 2004, the last time a similar survey was done. Concerns about personal finances were more commonly cited for reduced travel plans.

 

That suggests cruise executives and travel agents are succeeding in countering negative publicity surrounding missing passengers, namely Connecticut honeymooner George Smith, whose disappearance from a Royal Caribbean ship last summer has become fodder for TV news shows.

 

But because the survey was done in February, it does not reflect more recent tragedies, such as the March 23 fire aboard the Star Princess off the Jamaican coast. That fire, which remains under investigation, killed one passenger and injured 11 others.

 

New York-based CLIA released the results of the survey during its second-annual gathering of cruise industry executives and travel agents at the Broward County Convention Center. The event, which ends today, drew more than 1,100 travel agents.

 

''It seems like they can't build ships fast enough,'' said Peter Ostrowski, vice president at market research firm TNS, which did the survey for CLIA.

 

The survey is based on responses from 2,482 people 25 years or older. Among its other findings: Interest in cruising remains strong, with nearly three-fourths of those surveyed expecting to take a cruise over the next three years.

 

Cruise ships also are attracting younger people. The average age now is 49, down from the mid-50s previously, according to the survey.

 

What's more, cruise ships are attracting a fairly well-heeled segment of the population. The average cruiser has an annual household income of $104,000 and spends $1,690 on his or her ticket and onboard expenses.

 

Those findings came as good news for a travel agent community that says the response to this year's wave season has been less than enthusiastic. Wave season is the busiest time of year for cruise bookings, typically running from the beginning of January to the end of February.

 

Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Miami-based Carnival Corp., characterized the season as shorter than last year's, when it went on for nearly 12 weeks. This year's ran for six to eight weeks, he said.

 

''The booking patterns are good. They're just not as extraordinary as they were the past two years,'' Arison said.

 

Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises, added that ships remain at full capacity, despite an increase in ticket prices. ''There are very few industries that fill ships at higher prices and call that a soft market,'' he said.

 

In other developments:

 

• Royal Caribbean International said Monday that it's adding Norfolk, Va., to its growing list of cruise departure points. Its Empress of the Seas ship will begin splitting time between Philadelphia and Norfolk with Bermuda-bound sailings in April 2007.

 

• For the first time, Royal Caribbean's Splendour of the Seas will sail from the Dominican Republic on seven-night sailings that include stops in St. Lucia and Grenada. Those sailings will run from December 2007 through March 2008.

 

• On Saturday, New York City's new Brooklyn cruise terminal is set to open with the arrival of Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2, which will begin a series of trans-Atlantic sailings.

 

The city has spent $52 million on the terminal in hopes of becoming a major player in the cruise industry. The city also has a terminal in Manhattan.

[lougee1043]

What's more, cruise ships are attracting a fairly well-heeled segment of the population. The average cruiser has an annual household income of $104,000 and spends $1,690 on his or her ticket and onboard expenses..

 

where do i go for the refund for the difference between 1690 and what i actually spend lol

[Krazy Kruizers]

Interesting that they said the average person spends about $1690 per ticket.

 

Always thought we were average people - after reading that - guess we aren't.