CLIA questions results of cruise poll

By Tom Stieghorst

CLIA said a Harris poll showing a declining image for the cruise industry isn’t consistent with 2014 booking trends and reports from travel agents about demand.

"The Harris poll does not reflect what CLIA is hearing, which is that bookings are solid and cruise ships are leaving full,” the trade group said in a statement.

Harris initially did a poll a year ago after the Carnival Triumph fire and found the quality, trust and intent-to-purchase scores had dropped compared to surveys before the incident. The follow-up poll said some of the image concerns had abated since then, but they had been re-aggravated by several outbreaks of norovirus early this year.

CLIA said that outbreaks on three ships affected 706 passengers and contrasted that to the 21 million cases that occur on land in the U.S. alone, citing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.

"CLIA works to educate consumers regarding the low rate of norovirus on cruise ships, and the extensive steps that cruise lines take to prevent outbreaks and treat any affected guests,” the statement said.

Norovirus outbreaks said to hurt cruise industry’s image

By Tom Stieghorst

Outbreaks of norovirus early this year on several cruise ships, including Explorer of the Seas, led to a decline in the trust in cruising and intent to purchase a cruise, according to a Harris poll.

The consumer polling company released an update of its research last year that showed a decline in the industry’s image after the widely publicized Carnival Triumph fire.

Harris said polling done Feb. 10-14 found that perceptions were trending upwards in January, although still below levels before the Triumph incident. But the norovirus outbreaks reversed those gains.

Harris said the average perceived quality score for the cruise industry was down 11% compared with before the Triumph incident, with trust down 12% and purchase intent down 13%.

The seven brands in the survey all declined in at least one of the measures after the norovirus incidents, and most were down from pre-Triumph levels to begin with.

“We’ve all heard the saying that a rising tide lifts all boats,” says Deana Percassi, vice president and public relations research consultant for Nielsen, which acquired Harris in February. “But the inverse also holds true. In a field as crowded as the cruise industry, bad press for a small handful of brands — or even a single one — can have negative repercussions for major players across the board.”

Harris survey finds cruise brand erosion

By Tom Stieghorst

A Harris Poll done in May found public perception of cruise line quality has declined from March.

In a survey of 2,052 adults, the average perceived quality score is down 13% from the period before the Carnival Triumph engine room fire in February.

The average trust score for the seven brands in the poll was down 12% in May, and the average intent to purchase was off 11% from pre-incident levels.

The best showing among the seven lines was Holland America, down 2%. The worst was Carnival Cruise Lines, down 20%.

A Harris survey in March, shortly after the Triumph incident, showed declines in scores on all three measurements.

“When we first addressed this topic in March, even we were open to the idea that a ‘recency bias’ of sorts might be impacting the results so soon after the Triumph fiasco, creating a low tide for the industry as a whole,” said Deana Percassi, Harris Poll Insights vice president. “But these more recent findings, coupled with reports of heavily discounted pricing on Carnival cruises, indicate that the industry as a whole, as well as the Carnival brand specifically, may still be facing rough seas.”