Sydney and New York top UK favourite cruise destinations

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%.