P&O Cruises has the best cruise Web site on the Internet in terms of layout, navigation and ease of use, according to technology consultancy Equinus. The company has spent six months looking at 73 cruiseline sites to assess their usefulness to consumers.
The mix included major cruise companies as well as niche operators and those offering river cruises, sailing ships and mini-cruises. Companies were assessed provided they offered overnight accommodation.
Equinus used several criteria to analyse each site including how easy the site is to find without knowledge of the address, its standard of layout, navigability and overall ease of use.
It awarded an overall percentage for each site tested, including 32% covering functionalityÊ- areas such as product and ship detail, and whether clients can book, pay and order brochures on-line.
Equinus partner Mike Cogan said generally the sector’s Web sites were quite poor.
Most sites were clearly aimed at the US market and none offered full e-commerce – that is, the ability to book and pay on-line. Only one – Carnival – allowed on-line booking and then only for clients in the US.
Cogan said: “Renaissance claims to allow on-line booking but does not give access to its inventory on the Internet. “Finding sites wasn’t easy. Once found, many didn’t have cabin plans or cruise planners for clients to fill in what they want.”
Cogan said many of the larger cruiselines, such as Carnival, failed to make it into the top 10. Both Costa and Carnival failed to get anywhere near, scoring 12% and 28% respectively.
He added: “The cruise sector lends itself to the Internet and can afford to invest in providing proper Web sites. Some could learn a lot by looking at competitors’ sites.”
A report of Equinus’ findings is due out at the end of November.
Top 10 cruise Web sites
P&O Cruises
Address: www.pocruises.com
Equinus score: 91%.
Information given: details on each P&O ship, including cabins and deck plans, and about life on-board. Full itineraries, no prices.
On-line booking facility: none. Can request brochure on-line.
Ease of use: excellent navigability. Can select a cruise various ways – by region or clicking on world map. From possible cruises, you can drill down to specific itineraries.
Special features for agents: none. Users can find their nearest ABTA agent by name, postcode, town or specialisation.
Fred Olsen
Address: www.gbnet.co.uk/ fred.olsen
Equinus score: 85%.
Information given: cruise itineraries to 2001, selected by destination or preferred region; ship details including deck plans, cabin pictures; sample menus.
On-line booking facility: none. Can e-mail for brochure.
Ease of use: good navigation. Information was easy to find.
Special features for agents: none.
Renaissance Cruises
Address: www.renaissancecruises.com
Equinus score: 79%.
Information given: virtual tour of ships with details of cabins, dining and entertainment; itineraries; what to do on-board; Cruisers Club.
On-line booking facility: not quite. ‘Buy now’ section does not give access to inventory on-line. Prices in dollars.
Ease of use: easy to navigate. Home page was slow to load.
Special features for agents: none.
Disney Cruise Line
Address: www.disney.go.com/disneycruise/index.html
Equinus score: 78%.
Information given: the Disney cruising experience for first-timers, kids, teens and adults; itineraries; cabins; frequently asked questions.
On-line booking facility: none. Can request a brochure.
Ease of use: very good and fast. Plenty of information.
Special features for agents: the travel agent-only site was password protected so it could not be checked.
Festival Cruises
Address: www.festival.gr
Equinus score: 78%.
Information given: cruises at a glance, itineraries with prices in sterling; ship details with deck plans; life on-board.
On-line booking facility: no.
Ease of use: position of navigation ‘buttons’ keeps changing, from side to top of page. Site very slow to load.
Special features for agents: none.
Louis Cruises
Address: www.louiscruises.com
Equinus score: 78%.
Information given: itineraries; details about ships including deck plans and entertainment. Useful currency convertor as prices are in Cyprus pounds.
On-line booking facility: none.
Ease of use: some ‘buttons’ were not working, including ‘How to book’.
Special features for agents: travel agents area under construction.
Cruise West
Address: www.cruisewest.com
Equinus score: 76%.
Information given: explains small ship cruising; destinations, itineraries and prices; ship details.
On-line booking facility: none. Can e-mail for brochure or download it.
Ease of use: easy to navigate.
Special features for agents: facility for users to find an agent but works in the US only.
Glacier Bay Cruises
Address: www.glacierbaytours.com
Equinus score: 73%.
Information given: about Alaska cruises; cruises and itineraries with prices; travel tips.
On-line booking facility: none.
Ease of use: finally found way to drill down to ship’s details, but could not get back to home page.
Special features for agents: travel agent site where retailers can request sales material and brochures.
Golden Sun Cruises
Address: www.goldensuncruises.com
Equinus score: 73%
Information given: cruise itineraries, ship details and deck plans; areas of interest in the Aegean Sea.
On-line booking facility: none.
Ease of use: there is a search ability but it did not work.
Special features for agents: none.
Silversea Cruises
Address: www.silversea.com
Equinus score: 68%.
Information given: on-board experience explained; details of ships, including cabins, with plans, dining and entertainment and activities; full portfolio of cruise destinations and itineraries.
On-line booking facility: none.
Ease of use: cruise itineraries can be selected by region or preferred date of travel. Very easy to use. Lots of information.
Special features for agents: travel agent section has agents’ extranet and search for consumers to find nearest retailer in either the US or UK.