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For my AMS project, I explored the legendary Queen Mary 2 ship on its August 18th-August 25th voyage and its December 15th to 22nd voyage. On both voyages, I interviewed passengers and employees to learn more about why more people are choosing to travel on cruise ships. I asked a series of questions including who chooses to cruise, why specifically the Queen Mary 2, and who chooses to work on a cruise ship. I also compared the answers of summer and winter passengers to note any differences. By doing so, I hope to understand a little more about how cruise ships function as a business and why there is an uptick in the demand for cruise ships worldwide. 

Cruise lines are one of the major economic growth areas in international tourism. Cruise tourism began in the 1960s with the decline of transoceanic travel and the establishment of non-stop air travel from the USA to Europe (Keeling, 2012). In the last five years, the cruise ship industry has grown 20.5% (The Florida Caribbean Cruise Association, 2018). In the Caribbean region, arrivals have jumped from 3 to 27 million in just over three decades (Keeling, 2012). In fact, 40% of all cruise beds have the Caribbean as a final destination(Keeling, 2012). However, transatlantic cruises remain 8% of the cruise geological destinations (Keeling, 2012). Today, common destinations include the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Alaska, Panama, West Mexico, and Northern Europe (The Florida Caribbean Cruise Association, 2018). The trips increase consumption and decrease unemployment for all associated parties. Thus cruise have a positive effect on economies (Dwyer & Forsyth, 1998). Even though cruise passengers spend about 30% of what land tourist would, they are involved in direct and indirect purchases in their destination economy (Keeling, 2012). The packages are cheap and are aimed to attract young, active tourists to a ship filled with activities meant to be the main tourist attraction (tourists often spend 50% of their budget on the cruise ship alone) (Keeling, 2012). 

The Queen Mary 2 is a transatlantic ocean liner and as of 2019, it is the only passenger ship operating as an ocean liner (Cunard, n.d.). While it functions similar to a cruise ship, the Queen Mary 2 does not stop in ports along the way. Instead, its goal is simple: cross the Atlantic Ocean. This ship’s amenities include fifteen restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, and the first planetarium at sea (Cunard, n.d.). The ship is owned by the Cunard line who built the Queen Mary 2 to replace the Queen Elizabeth 2 in 2004 (Cunard, n.d.). It held around 2,650 guest each way in August and December along with almost 1,300 crew members (Cunard, n.d.). 

Using a standardized survey sheet (one specific for passengers and one specific for employees), I aimed to understand why specific passengers choose to travel by boat for seven days instead of flying for several hours. Additionally, I set out to find why the Cruise ship industry is booming now more than ever by engaging in an open dialogue with actual customers and employees who are willing to forgo accelerated travel alternatives. Here are the results.

Passengers

To collect the maximum amount of surveys without taking away from passenger cruise experience, I recruited in the lounges, among those that were ocean watching, and those I shared a meal with. I found interviewing people during a lull in their day resulted in the most positive response to the study. Passengers who were walking and were out and about were less likely to be recruited. Because of this, the data is skewed towards older generations who were more likely to be found sitting in places throughout the ship. Younger people and families who may be more active were harder to recruit and obtain responses from. I recruited 102 summer passengers and 100 winter passengers for the survey.

Age

Age remained similar across both seasons. The most common age bracket was 60-70 (Figure 1,2). The summer cohort had more older passengers (over 80) and young passengers (under 20). I observed that many passengers were retired. It seemed as though they had the time to cruise that younger ages often lack. Several passengers also pointed out to me that cruising is sometimes cheaper than a retirement home, especially when they are frequent customers

Figure 1. Summer Passenger Age Breakdown

Figure 2. Winter Passenger Age Breakdown

Country of Origin

Country of Origin revealed some key differences between passengers on the summer and winter cruises. In the summer, I met many Australians who explained to me they were offered a good deal from an advertisement of several cruise ships including the Queen Mary 2 specifically targeting Australians. Conversely, in the winter, I did not meet anyone from Australia. Usually, this cruise ship is predominantly filled with British passengers, however in the summer, there was a great more deal of Americans (Figure 3.). The winter showed a more typical British majority with much fewer Americans (Figure 4.). Additionally, the winter attracted a greater deal of non-US/UK dwellers who travelled specifically to be on the cruise. Different countries may be targeted by Cunard based on their preferences. Americans may prefer to sail in the warmer months and chose not to in the winter. In the colder months, a transatlantic voyage is less attractive, so Cunard cuts the prices and attracts those willing to try something new and willing to travel further to be on the ship. In the summer, the price is more expensive, so those who face fewer travel costs make up the majority of the passenger population.

Figure 3. Summer Passenger Country of Origin

Figure 4. Winter Passenger Country of Origin

Highest Educational Level Achieved

Education level was somewhat similar across the passengers of both seasons. It was a broad range to include less than high school to as much as a doctoral degree. Interestingly enough, the summer passengers mostly possessed bachelor’s degrees (Figure 5.). The majority of winter passengers were evenly in possession of either a master’s or bachelor’s degree (Figure 6.). In the winter, fewer passengers possessed doctoral degrees and more passengers had less than an associate degree education. While the correlation between income and educational level is not perfect. It is a subtle way to get a glimpse at the income and class levels of the passenger populations. It makes sense that in the winter when Cunard is known to cut their prices for colder voyages, those with a lower education level would make up a larger portion of the passenger population.

Figure 5. Summer Passenger

Figure 6. Winter Passenger

Race and Diversity

The racial diversity was larger in the winter passenger cohort. There were more races present and they made up a larger minority in the passenger population than in the summer passenger cohort. Those who identified as Hispanic or Latino was also greater in the winter population. Overall, the majority who choose to cruise the Queen Mary 2 identify as Caucasian.

Figure 7. Summer Passenger Racial Breakdown

Figure 8. Winter Passenger Racial Breakdown

Figure 9. Summer Passenger Hispanic/Latino Prevalence

Figure 10. Winter Passenger Hispanic/Latino Prevalence 

Why Queen Mary 2?

The first question asks why passenger choose to book a trip on the Queen Mary 2. The following answers were then grouped into five categories. I decided that if anyone reported an answer having to do with experiencing any of the cruise activities on board it qualified in the ‘seeking a cruise experience’ category. This could be simply watching the Atlantic Ocean or experiencing the ballroom. Vacation themed answers included those who used the cruise as a vacation or vacationed on it because a family member wanted to do so. Avoiding flying was any answer that mentioned a dislike or inability toward flying. A answer was classified as relaxation if it focused on the relaxing aspect of cruising. Any answer that mentioned being satisfied with the price went into the good price category. When answers overlapped on these categories, the first reason listed was used. Winter passengers seemed motivate to cruise on the Queen Mary 2 for the experience. Almost half of them reported seeking a cruise experience (Table 2.). Meanwhile, the summer passengers motives were more spread out with a majority of them doing so to relax, avoid flying, and vacation (Table 1.). In the eyes of the passengers, a summer cruise is a time to vacation, while a winter cruise is a time to try something new. This may be because the winter prices were cheaper in the winter incentivizing many passengers to try cruising or transatlantic cruising for the first time. Instead of relaxing, the winter passengers want to make the most of their new experience. Summer passengers may be more experienced with the cruising and willing to spend more money to simply relax. The average amount of cruises attended by passengers did not support this hypothesis as summer passengers on average had been on 8.5 cruises while winter passengers had been on 10.9 cruises. However, a closer look at the data, reveals 15.7% of summer passengers were on their first cruise while 27% of winter passengers were on their first cruise. While those who cruise quite frequently inflated the winter passenger average, there were more first-time cruisers on the winter voyage. 

Table 1. Summer Passenger

Why Cruise?

The survey then proceeded to ask why passengers got into cruising in the first place. Seeking a cruise experience included any answers that wanted to specifically experience what the ship had to offer. Vacation included any passengers wanting a way to vacation or family members that wanted a way to vacation. Avoiding flying meant any passengers who preferred cruising to flying when they were traveling. Relaxation referred to any answers mentioning relaxation. Good price referred to a good price that allured a passenger to try a cruise. Those who learned about cruising from previously working on a cruise line were grouped in the last category. Similar results were cleaved from that of why Queen Mary 2: winter passengers were looking for a new experience while summer passengers wanted a good way to relax (Table 3,4.). However, the winter passengers motives are almost equally spread out among seeking a new experience, vacationing, avoiding flying, and relaxation. On the other hand, the summer passengers’ majority heavily was motivated by the benefit of relaxation. This suggests a greater diversity in the winter passengers in why they choose to book a cruise as seen in the demographics discussed above.