J.D. Power released their inaugural J.D. Power 2013 Cruise Line Satisfaction Report and Royal Caribbean ranked second among all cruise lines.
The inaugural report measures cruise line customer satisfaction based on seven key factors (in order of importance): service; stateroom; food; embark/debark; entertainment; cost; and excursions.
In the survey, Disney Cruise Line ranked first with a score of 871 (out of 1,000) with Royal Caribbean just behind them with a score of 838. Royal Caribbean ranked particularly well for their service.
Other key findings of the survey were respondents ranked price (53%) and experience with the brand (38%) as the two main reasons why they select a particular cruise line. Also, the average price paid for one person is $1,628 and $2,330 for a group of two to four.
Rounding out the top 5 were Holland America, Celebrity Cruises (sister company to Royal Caribbean) and Princess Cruises.
"Many cruise lines in the report have very high levels of passenger satisfaction, well above the report average; however, for more than a year, the overall industry has been dealing with a lot of negative news affecting customer perceptions, expectations and trust," said Ramez Faza, senior account manager of the global travel and hospitality practice at J.D. Power. "To raise the bar, the industry must focus on meeting the needs of the nearly 20 percent of passengers who experience a problem with their cruise line experience. Cruise lines need to understand the causes of customer dissatisfaction and determine what will motivate them to come back."
The 2013 Cruise Line Satisfaction Report is based on responses from 3,003 customers who traveled on a cruise line in the past 12 months. The study was fielded from May 29, 2013, through June 14, 2013.
