Cruise Destinations and Itineraries: An Analysis of Cruise Executives’ Perspectives

The research focuses on the process and criteria utilised by cruise executives for ship deployment and itinerary development. A Summative Content analysis approach is applied on 63 interviews of 89 cruise executives between 2005 and 2018 sourced from commercial press. The results of the analysis indicate that cruise lines focus on yield maximisation through a stepwise process that starts with the evaluation of cruise demand for an area, followed by an analysis of the region(s) and is completed with the selection of the home port(s) and ports of calls. The process is continuously revised based on actual demand, yield results and guest feedback. Moreover, the research provides an organisation of the parameters identified as important decision drivers.