According to The Harris Poll's 29th annual EquiTrend Study, a small handful of cruise lines are moving the dial more than others among millennial travelers.
"When we consider where millennials are in their lives, we can understand why they are having such a positive impact on brand health in the travel industry," said Joan Sinopoli, vice president of brand solutions at The Harris Poll, in a press release.
"The oldest millennials are approaching 40 years old with their prime earnings years still ahead of them. They have the disposable income to indulge their desire to experience the world while exploring their aspirations for luxury."
Specifically, the poll shows that cruise lines' brand equity has increased by three points since last year. The primary factors determining those numbers are familiarity, quality and purchase consideration.
Coming out on top is Royal Caribbean Cruises. Listed as the singular Cruise Line Brand of the Year, the company presumably means Royal Caribbean International in actuality.
However, it might also be referring to Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, which corporately consists of three brands: Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. (Herein lies the problem when cruise companies are not accurately known and reported.)
In either case, Harris ranks Royal Caribbean with a millennial equity score of 70 and a 63 among consumers overall. Royal Caribbean previously came in first during 2012 and 2015.
"Millennials' aspirations for luxury helped premium brand Royal Caribbean recover the Brand of the Year crown," added Sinopoli. "Overall, we saw the top three brands - Royal Caribbean, Holland America and Princess Cruises - make noteworthy brand equity gains, while Disney, vulnerable to customer changes in life stage, fall slightly behind."
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Assuming Harris is referring to Royal Caribbean International, the brand's efforts to resonate with my generation (I'm 33) have clearly paid off.
Building the largest ships in the world and installing some of the most exciting onboard attractions do indeed garner attention, and we've taken notice. Things like "Grease," the Ultimate Abyss, Wonderland, FlowRider, RipCord, North Star, Bionic Bar and Escape the Rubicon all speak to millennials.
Royal Caribbean does not surprise in the top spot; Second and third place do, however.
Holland America Line is a brand known, (stereotypically, mind you), for catering to an older demographic. In fact, it has seen its average passenger age decrease year after year.
It also stands to reason that the line's newest Koningsdam is also helping its aforementioned familiarity, quality and purchase consideration. After all, the modern cruise ship is not your grandfather's vintage ocean liner, but it does at least retain the charm. Partnerships with "America's Test Kitchen," BBC Earth, B.B. King's Blues Club and Billboard also make for a more youthful atmosphere.
Princess Cruises, meanwhile, is a family-friendly line that can skew older from time to time, but its latest is clearly working out too. Its new Royal-class ships are highly regarded, and the line offers one of the most rewarding loyalty programs in the market.
Plus, there are great kids facilities onboard for millennials with children. Princess' own partnerships include "The Voice," Discovery, Stephen Schwartz, Curtis Stone, Norman Love, Candice Olson and more.
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Still, one might expect other mainstream brands like Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and the like to fall more in step with Royal Caribbean International. Instead, Harris is indicating a drop in equity from Disney, citing potential fluxes in life cycles. However, if that's in reference to millennials aging out, there are plenty of adult fans of the cruise line that contradict the assessment.
In reality, it might be less about which cruise lines millennials are growing out of and more about which they are growing into. If their parents frequented Royal Caribbean International, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises back in the day, they likely took their then-millennial-children with them, instilling in them a degree of brand loyalty.
Yet another reason to conclude with my earlier point that lines should let children cruise for free.
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