Sydney and New York are the top two cruise destinations for UK consumers, according to research released today.
Venice was edged into third place followed by Rome (from Civitavecchia), Singapore, Barcelona and Cape Town.
The results come from a YouGov poll for the Passenger Shipping Association published on the eve of the fifth annual National Cruise Week.
Respondents voted a round-the-world trip as the number-one favourite ‘great journey’ with more than two out of five UK adults (42%) selecting the option. The same proportion (42%) thought stress–free travel defined a great journey – with 37% opting for ‘luxury all the way’.
Other top choices were experiencing the Northern Lights (40%), visiting exotic beaches (31%), seeing remote islands (28%), visiting the Galapagos Islands (24%), journeying to Antarctica (18%), and passing through the Panama Canal (12%).
The main attractions of taking a cruise were seen as having the chance to visit multiple destinations in a single trip (48%), followed closely by visiting multiple destinations while only having to unpack once (45%).
Third was the all-inclusive nature and value of a cruise (34%), with “waking up in a new port every day” at 33%, followed by the food (24%).
Only 8% of the 2,036 consumers polled thought the main attraction of a cruise was its value for money compared with other all-inclusive holidays.
Onboard entertainment scored 16%, just ahead of the opportunity to meet people from a wide range of cultures and nationalities (15%). The welcome from crew was mentioned by 10%.