The Global Cruise Ship Industry - 1552 Words

It is the first day of your Caribbean cruise vacation and you are overwhelmed with excitement. After months of anticipation you have arrived at the port of embarkation only to be welcomed by a line that circles around the arrival lounge. (Fig.1) Undenounced to a rookie in the game of cruise ship travel, this lengthy embarkation line is only the first to be encountered in every port to be visited while on cruise. This is only the first hiccup while on what is supposed to be the stress free vacation you have been anticipating. As ship capacities increase along with passenger attendance, regular customer service operations are taking longer than usual to process. The recent enhanced developments within these processes are ancient for luxury†¦show more content†¦Given the expected growth within the cruise ship industry it is understandable that the investment in new technology to remain competitive in the market is imminent. Which is why the cohesion of the passenger’s s mart devices and the total cruise ship experience will give the competitive edge in this progressing market. The chart below proves that the demographics of passengers that bored a cruise ship are the most susceptible to the implementation of smart technology thus helping to alleviate the problems encountered while aboard. (Fig. 2) Cruise Passenger Demographic Statistics Data Average age of a cruise passenger 50 + Average household earnings $109,000 Percent of passengers who are college graduates 86 % Percent who are married and work full time 62 % Percent of people age 25+ with earnings of $40,000+ who have taken a cruise 44.6 % Percent of the total US population who have taken a cruise 19.9 % Average spent per person per week on their cruise $1,770 Average spent per person per week on a non-cruise vacation $1,200 Fig. 2 Market Analysis The table reveals that passengers are normally older, educated, financially stable, which leads to the assumption that they are well versed in technology and would be willing to use the RFID’s if they were to be implemented. The passengers are also willing to spend more money than they would on a conventional vacation, and that in itself sets up the expectation for a seamless