ABSTRACT Cruise vacations are a relatively new tourism product that has evolved from the maritime passenger transportation industry. An introduction to the Cruise industry is followed by an analysis of cruise guides with star ratings, which are widely available in bookstores and libraries. Although these appear well researched including a tremendous amount of information, each guide's rating system is different and can confuse readers' considering a vacation cruise. A linear regression of the star ratings for each of four popular guides shows that as much as 70% of the ratings are explained by only two variables: year of launch and space/passenger ratio. It was found that consumers who wish to compare ships efficiently could do so by simply dividing the space/passenger ratio by 10.
[1]
An empirical approach to developing classification and rating schemes.
,
1998
.
[2]
Douglas Ward,et al.
Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships, 2001
,
2000
.
[3]
L. Miller.
Cruise brand management.
,
2000
.
[4]
K. Showker,et al.
The Unofficial Guide to Cruises
,
1995
.
[5]
T. Newman.
Liners for the sun
,
1989
.
[6]
A. Vladimir.
Seabourn Cruise Line: A Case Study in Achieving
,
1995
.
[7]
Mark R. Testa,et al.
On Behalf Of: Travel and Tourism Research Association
,
2022
.