2024 Cruiseline.com and Shipmate Member Survey Results
The 2024 Cruiseline.com and Shipmate Member Survey Results are in. We received over 7,000 responses from our amazing community members. Before sharing the results, we first say THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to share your feedback and cruise preferences with us! We appreciate your time and continued support.
Now, let’s jump in and see the results you shared with us in the 2024 Member Survey.
Cruise History
Number of Cruises Taken
It’s no surprise that this community loves to cruise, and once again, the bulk of participants reported they have taken multiple cruises. 66.2% of respondents reported taking eight or more cruises, 14.9% reported taking five to seven cruises, and 11.9% have been on two to four cruises.
3.2% had taken at least one cruise, and only 3.8% reported they never previously cruised.
Cruise Lines Sailed
We surveyed which mainstream, premium, and luxury cruise lines our respondents have previously sailed. Members were allowed to select multiple lines in this category.
The top ten cruise lines previously sailed by respondents include Carnival Cruise Line (63%), Royal Caribbean (53.8%), Norwegian Cruise Line (43.8%), Princess Cruises (35.1%), Celebrity Cruises (35%), Holland America Line (20.4%), MSC Cruises (15.3%), Disney Cruise Line (10.2%), Viking Cruises (6%), and Costa Cruises (4.2%).
Destinations Previously Cruised
To better understand the travel preferences of our members, we surveyed which regions they have previously sailed to gain insight into where they like to vacation.
The Caribbean/Bahamas dominated the top area where our participants had previously sailed, at 89.4%.
Other popular regions our members have cruised in the past included Alaska (45.7%), Mexico - Pacific Coast (38.2%), Europe - Mediterranean (37.5%), Bermuda (31.7%), Canada/New England (26.7%), Hawaii (22.5%), Europe - Northern Baltic (20.9%), Transatlantic (19.3%), and South America (13.7%).
Preferred Cruise Party
To learn more about how our community prefers to sail, we inquired who our members like to cruise with to know if they regularly sail with their family, friends, as a couple, or solo.
A significant 59.1% of respondents prefer to cruise as a Couple. 23.7% said they prefer sailing as a Group (Family/Friends). 6.1% prefer to sail Solo.
Families with Older Children accounted for 6.6% of participants, while Families with Younger Children were 2.4%. 2.1% reported other groupings as their preferred way to sail.
Cruise Intent
An astounding 96.1% reported YES they plan to cruise in the coming year and have at least one cruise already booked.
3.1% reported they were still deciding if they would cruise in the coming year, and 0.8% said they did not intend to take a cruise vacation.
Of the percentage that reported they would cruise, 57.1% reported multiple cruises booked for 2024-2025, while 42.9% reported one cruise booked.
Which Cruise Line(s) Are You Sailing?
The largest cruise lines in the world, Carnival and Royal Caribbean, have received top honors as the lines our community members intend to sail within the coming year. 35.1% of travelers plan to sail with Royal Caribbean, and 28.9% with Carnival Cruise Line. Not only do these lines have the most ships in their fleet, but they also have the world’s largest ships sailing to destinations all around the globe.
Other top lines that cruisers intend to sail on in the coming year include a broad mix of mainstream and premium cruise lines. Rounding out the top 10 results in this category are Norwegian Cruise Line (18%), Celebrity Cruises (18%), Princess Cruises (16.6%), MSC Cruises (6.5%), Holland America Line (6.2%), Viking Cruises (2.9%), Virgin Voyages (2.4%), and Oceania Cruises (1.8%).
Top Cruise Destinations
When asked what destinations future cruises will explore, the Caribbean and Bahamas topped the list, with an astounding 63.9% of survey takers saying they plan to cruise in the region. This is not surprising, as so many cruises are focused on this particular area, and it is the closest to home for a large percentage of our survey takers.
Other top destinations that our community intends to cruise in this year are 15.8% in Europe (Mediterranean), 11.9% in Alaska, 10% in Mexico (Pacific Coast), 8.7% in Northern Europe, 8.6% will take a Transatlantic cruise, 7.3% in Canada/New England, 6.4% in Bermuda, 4.7% in Hawaii, and 4.3% for South America.
This survey found that Europe topped Alaska for the number two region our survey takers intend to cruise in the coming year. Our 2023 survey reported that 27.9% of respondents booked cruises in Europe (combined Mediterranean/Northern Europe/Transatlantic cruises). Combining the results data from 2024 survey takers for European regions, it comes to a whopping 33.1%, an increase of 18.7% for intent to cruise Europe in 2024 vs. 2023.
Last year, Alaska came in at the number two position as the destination cruisers intended to sail, coming in at 17.9% as the intended booking destination. For 2024, it came in as the number three region at 11.9%.
Historically, we see demand for Europe and Alaska being a cycle whereby cruisers plan to cruise Europe, then a year or two later, Alaska is the destination of choice…or vice versa.
Additionally, travelers may now feel comfortable cruising farther away from home and looking to take a bucket list European vacation. Or, potentially, it was better deals that influenced the decision to cruise Europe over Alaska. Not to be forgotten, since the return of cruising (post-COVID), all future cruise credits had to be booked by 12/31/2023, and many cruisers opted to put those credits toward more expensive destinations and longer voyages. Applying the future cruise credit to European sailings made it far more affordable for cruisers overall.
No matter the reason, our members crave adventure and opt to get out and cruise to new places, which is a good thing in our book!
Length of Future Cruise(s) Booked?
Our motto is the longer the cruise, the better. However, members surveyed reported that the length of their future cruises ranged from short to long.
46.7% of survey takers will cruise on a 7-night voyage this year. 31.4% have booked ten to 14-day cruises, 30.1% will take 5-7-night cruises, and 16.5% intend to take 15+ night cruises.
Short cruises of 3 days or less accounted for 12.6% of future cruises booked. This number is significantly higher than our 2023 survey, where short cruises accounted for only 0.9% of future cruises booked.
More and more travelers realize that a short cruise is an excellent option if you are limited on time and not looking to spend a ton. Cruise lines are capitalizing on this and adding more short cruises to their deployment, especially on the newer ships in their fleet. This year, Royal Caribbean launched its newest Oasis Class ship, Utopia of the Seas, which only sails short 3- or 4-day cruises year-round from Port Canaveral. Royal Caribbean made the unprecedented move to put its latest ship in this market to attract new cruisers and keep the short getaway market growing. The more the cruise lines continue to attract the short cruise segment with newer ships, the more it becomes an attractive option for travelers.
Typically, new-to-cruise customers want to “test” cruising with a short cruise option. Historically, most cruise lines have put their oldest ships in this market, leaving new cruisers with mixed feelings about cruising again. We love that Royal Caribbean made a bold move to offer short cruises on Utopia of the Seas. It will be interesting to see if this investment in the short cruise market pays off by converting travelers to longer sailings across the fleet.
Related: Top 6 Reasons to Try a Short Cruise
Additional Cruise Bookings
For those with future cruisers, when asked about additional cruises being added to their calendar, 39.9% of members reported that they intended to book more cruises for 2024-2025. 37.7% reported unsure if they would book more, and 22.4% do not intend to book any additional cruises for the coming year.
River Cruises
River cruising is a growing segment among our community members. While most popular in Europe, river cruising itineraries are available in the U.S., Asia, South America, and other locales worldwide with major river systems. River cruising is ideal for travelers looking for a relaxed way to explore new destinations not offered on ocean cruises.
11.9% of respondents say they have previously taken a river cruise of those, 59.1% have taken one river cruise, 34.5% have taken 2-4 river cruises, and 6.4% have taken 5+ river cruises. Of those that have river cruised, the top ten cruise lines they have sailed with are Viking River Cruises (42.8%), AmaWaterways, America Cruise Line, Avalon, Scenic, Uniworld, Emerald Waterways, Tauck, and APT.
88.1% reported that they have never taken a River Cruise, but of those, 51.6% say they have considered River Cruising. The top river cruise lines considered are Viking River Cruises (80.5%), AmaWaterways, Avalon, Scenic, Emerald Waterways, Uniworld, Tauck, Riverside Luxury Cruises, and American Cruise Line. The remaining 48.4% of participants who said they had never taken a river cruise reported having no plans.
Booking Preferences
How Far in Advance Do You Book?
Travelers have varied preferences when booking their cruise vacations. Sometimes, it is years in advance, while others like to score last-minute deals and cruise less than ninety days out.
A large percentage of survey takers, 46.5%, said they book their cruises 7-12 months in advance. 26.5% prefer to book even further out at 13-18 months in advance. 13.3% book only 3-6 months in advance, and 11.4% prefer a much longer booking window at 18+ months in advance. Only 2.3% say they book cruises within three months or less of the travel date.
Factors Determining Which Cruise to Book
Our community members consider many elements when booking their preferred cruise. It primarily comes down to what the cruiser wants in the vacation, what best fits their needs, and what meets their preferences.
The destination was the number one factor that our community members reported as their top priority, with 36.6% noting it was their main reason for selecting a cruise.
For some of our members, it all comes down to the cruise price and/or the promotional offer, aka value-added amenities, with 26.4% reporting the cruise deal as the main factor.
Others are more specific when picking a sailing, with 22.9% reporting the cruise line is their main deciding point. Some users were even more specific, with 8.1% reporting that the cruise ship was their determining factor. 2.6% of respondents reported that the cruise length affected their decision-making process.
Length of Preferred Cruise
Our community loves cruising; however, the length of their preferred cruises can vary.
38.6% of survey takers said they prefer seven-day cruises. Most cruises, especially from mainstream cruise lines, tend to be seven days long, which gives vacationers a good mix of port and sea days. Plus, taking a week off work is the norm for many, and the seven-day cruises fit perfectly into their vacation schedule.
Coming in just behind, 38.2% of users report they prefer to book cruises that were 8-13 days. 17% of survey takers said that they prefer longer 14+ day cruises. 6.3% reported that they choose 2-6 day sailings.
How Do You Book?
To learn even more about our communities’ booking preferences, we examined how they book their cruises—whether with the cruise line, a travel agent, or other methods.
50.8% said they prefer to book directly with the cruise line online or via telephone.
32.8% prefer to book with a travel agent (in person/or on the phone), and 12.6% prefer to book with a travel agent via a website.
The remaining 4.8% percent reported other preferred booking methods, such as booking a future cruise while on the ship.
Final Thoughts
Thank you so much to those who participated in our 2024 Member Cruise Survey. We appreciate your insights on your cruise and travel experience, future plans, preferences, and influencing factors. We love our cruise community and hearing from you!
We also want to thank all of our community members who have taken the time the past year to write a review of their cruise experiences. These reviews help new and experienced cruisers plan their upcoming cruises. If you’ve cruised recently, we invite you to join our community and share your experience: Write a Review.
For those planning future cruises, don’t forget to join the Roll Call for your cruise. Not sure what a roll call is? Learn more here
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Related:
Getting Started with Shipmate and Creating Your Cruise Profile
How to Add a Cruise on Shipmate
How to Save Hundreds on Your Next Cruise (Even If You Already Booked)
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