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Introduction

Cruise industry is one of the smallest industries in the business world yet one of the fastest growing in the current economy. According to the Cruise Line International Association, the cruise industry is growing at a faster rate achieving more than 2,100% growth since 1970. Cruise industry basically involves voyages that are made in large passenger ships called cruise ships (Catwright & Biard, 1999). Cruises are mainly done for fun; it is a very pleasurable way to travel. The cruise lines offer lots of amenities such as swimming pools, casinos, bars, and cinemas that are aimed at making the voyages more enjoyable. According to Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (2013), in the 2012, a record 20.3 million passengers were calculated to have cruised globally. The number of customers that use a cruise line depends on the quality of services offered and the general benefits that they gain from the cruise line. Customer satisfaction is derived by many factors which includes quality of service, stateroom conditions, and food quality; embark/debark experience; entertainment provided; the involved cost; and the included excursions (JD Power, 2013). The purpose of this study is therefore to find out how these factors affect or influence the customer satisfaction and eventually loyalty. In the research, the mentioned constructs will be classified under the economic benefits, social benefits and special service.

This study aims at finding out the factors that affect customer loyalty in the cruise industry. In order to achieve this, the study will look these factors in several classes. The constructs will include; economic benefits, social benefits and the special treatment benefits. The study will discuss each of these components and how customers value them when considering revisits, advocacy, commitment and loyalty to cruise lines. In the economic benefits construct, the study will seek to identify how components such as food, drinks, service provision, costs of the voyages and discounts and perks provided influence customer satisfaction and loyalty. In the social benefits constructs, the study will analyze how components such as entertainments, bars and pools, swimming pools and other external activities provided by the cruise lines influence customer loyalty. In the special treatment constructs, provision of services such as embark and debark, excursions, disabled guest services, internet services, spa and gym will be investigated and their influence on customer loyalty established.

The study will bring immense contribution to many fields. First the firm will improves the cruise line industry knowledge of their customers. The research findings will reveal what influences the customers’ satisfaction and loyalty in the cruise industry. It will shows the constructs or products that make customers comfortable and satisfy their wants; this will be ideal insights for the cruise line as they will be able to applying these factors and improve their customers satisfaction levels and eventually influence them into being committed and loyal to the firm. Other industries will also be able to borrow the insights and applying them in their operations. The study will also add more knowledge in the academic world; it will form important literature from where future scholars get to obtain more information on the factors that influence customer’s behavior. The findings of this study will also be used by future researchers to back up their studies.

Theoretical Model

The theoretical framework explains the constructs that influence the customer loyalty and satisfaction in the cruise lines industry. As seen in the proposed model, the relations that exist between cruise lines economic benefits, social benefits, and special service and the customer satisfaction/loyalty will be analyzed. Also, this part provides individual discussion of the economic benefits, social benefits, and special services benefits. It also looks at how the customer satisfaction and loyalty can be measured under the same subtopics.

Economic Benefits

· Food

· Service

· Costs

· Perks & Discounts

Customer Loyalty

· Customers’ Revisit

· Customer Advocacy

· Customer Delight

· Positive Experience

Customer Satisfaction

Social Benefits

· Entertainment

· Bars & pools

· New friends

· Friendly Customer service

Method

Mean-Ends-Chains technique is considered a kind of qualitative methods that focuses on the linkage among attributes of products or services, the consequences or benefits provided by those attributes , and the consumer values that achieve his desired end states. (Reynolds and Gutman, 1998). One-on-one method was applied to this study to identify travelers’ values when they travels on cruise lines. . For this study, ten people who have travel with cruise lines for the last 5 years were recruited to participate in the study where the researcher went to Moshulu restaurant ( the restaurant located inside a ship in Philadelphia). Approximately, 42 customers were eating there on Wednesday , November 4th from 5pm-7pm . First 10 participants who passed the screaming question were selected and physically interviewed. One question was used to qualify the participates in the study;

Have you ever traveled on cruise line the past 5 years?

Participant were asked one question, which was “What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?” laddering exercise was used by the researcher which is refers to an in-depth values from the participant view to understand how consumers evaluate the attributes of products or services, translate them into benefits, and, finally, achieve their deep down goals. In laddering exercise , a series of “why?” questions were asked to the participant after answering the first main question until no new answers could be generated to reach their deep down values toward the services they are seeking for. For example: "Why do you think this specific attribute is important to you?". This kind of questions creates hierarchical value connections, which shows the linkages among the attributes, consequences or benefits and end values.

Table 2 shows the participant information:

Name Age Method of Communication 1- James (M) 25 Face to face interview 2-Robert (M) 27 Face to face interview 3-Willia (M) 26 Face to face interview 4- Michael (F) 28 Face to face interview 5-Maria (F) 21 Face to face interview 6-Philip (M) 36 Face to face interview 7- Johnny (M) 34 Face to face interview 8-Staicy (F) 24 Face to face interview 9- Alan (M) 33 Face to Face interview 10- Kim (F) 23 Face to face interview

Participant 1.

1. “What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?”

Answer. “The food .”

2. “Why is the food important to you?”

Answer. “Because I want to try something unusual.”

3. “Why trying something unusual is important to you? ”

Answer. “Simply, I feel exited .”

4. “Why dose that makes you feel exited ?”

Answer. "I just want to fulfill my needs" .

5- " Why fulfilling your needs is important to you?"

Answer: " Because it is what it is"

Participant 2.

1. “What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?”

Answer. “The pool I guess”

2. “Why the pool is important to you?”

Answer. “Because I like to swim while I'm watching the ocean ”

3. “Why swimming while watching the ocean is important to you?”

Answer. “ I like to be unique than the others .”

4. “Why being unique is important to you?”

Answer. “Sorry , No comments"

Participant 3.

1.“What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?"

Answer. “The layout of the ship”

2. “Why the layout of the ship is important to you?”

Answer. “So I can make sure that me and my family are having easy access to the ship facilities”

3. “Why easy accessing to the ship facility is important to you?”

Answer. “To make sure that my kids did not get lost or injured ”

4. “Why making sure that your kids will not get lost or injured is important to you?”

Answer. “NO answer "

Participant 4.

1.“What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?"

Answer. “The food Corte”

2. “Why is the food corte is important to you?”

Answer. “Because I love eating"

3. “Why dose love eating is important to you?”

Answer. “ Technically, foods makes me feel happy ”

4. “Why does the food makes you happy?”

Answer. “because it releases my presser ”

5. “Why releasing your presser is important to you?”

Answer. “So I can keep function on my life.”

6. "Why keeping functional in your life is important to you?"

Answer: No answer

Participant 5.

1. “What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?”

Answer. “I would say safety .”

2. “Why safety is important to you?”

Answer. “So I can start having my fun time with no worries"

3. “Why does having fun is important to you?”

Answer. “Otherwise why I am still a live ?"

Participant left the interview !!

Participant 6.

1. “What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?”

Answer. “The play ground for my kids”

2. “Why does the play ground for your kids is important to you?”

Answer: “ To try something new"

3. “Why trying something new is important to you?”

Answer. “because I want to make my kids happy”

4. " Why does making your kids happy is important to you"

Answer: " would you like to make your kids sad, sorry no comments"

Participant 7.

1. “What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?”

Answer. “The safety level”

2. “Why the safety level is important to you?”

Answer. “Because I want to enjoy my time with no concerns about my life.”

3. “Why enjoying your time without having any concerns about your life is important to you?”

Answer. “Because I do love my self”

4." Why do you love your self?"

Answer : "No answer"

Participant 8.

1. “What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?”

Answer. “The outdoor movie theater”

2. “Why does the outdoor movie theater is importing to you?"

Answer. “Because I like to try something new with my boyfriend”

3. “Why trying something new with your boy friend such as the outdoor theater is important to you?”

Answer. “because we like to look at the stars while the movie is playing ”

4. “Why looking at the stars is important to you?”

Answer. “because it is so romantic.”

5. " Why does the romantic feeling is important to you?"

Answer: " it helps us to interact more on our relation"

6." Why does the need of interaction on your relation with your boyfriend is so important to you?"

Answer: " So we can keep our relation to be success"

7. "Why does keeping your relation to be success is so important to you?"

Answer: " Because the will help both of us to make the right decision"

8." Why having the right decision is important to you?"

Answer: " No answer"

Participant 9.

1. “What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?"

Answer. “The see food”

2. “Why does the see food is important to you?”

Answer. " because it makes me feel rich"

3. “Why does feeling rich is important to you?”

Answer. “So I can get whatever I want”

4. “Why getting whatever you want is important to you?”

Answer. “No answer ”

Participant 10.

1. “What are the attributes you consider important when travel on a cruise line?”

Answer. “The bar”

2. “Why is the bar so important to you?”

Answer. “Because I love to drink while I'm cursing ”

3. “Why do you love to drink while you are cursing?"

Answer. “It is just the idea of looking at the Mother Natural ”

4. “Why does looking at the Mother Natural is important to you?”

Answer. “It makes me calm ”

5. " Why does that make you calm?"

Answer : " Are you trying to make me nervous or something "

Table 2 shows the attributes, consequences or benefits, and values.

No	Attributes	Consequences/benefits	Values
1	Food	Trying something new, Exiting , Fulfill	Self Esteem
2	Pool	Swimming, Enjoying the view, Being Unique	Self Esteem
3	The layout of the ship	Easy access, Easy tracking for the family members	Love/belonging
4	Food	Love Eating, Happiness, Releasing presser, Factuality	Self-Actualization
5	Safety	Having fun	Self Esteem
6	Playground	Trying Something new, happiness	Love/Belonging
7	Safety	Enjoying, Self loving	Self Esteem
8	Outdoor Theater	Try something new, enjoying the view ,Romantic , Good interaction, success , Making the right decision	Love/Belonging
9	Food	Rich, Owning everything	Self Esteem
10	Bar	Love drinking , Enjoying the view, Feeling calm	Self Esteem

Pool(1)

Food(3 (3)

Bar(1)

Theater(1)

Food (3)

Play Ground (1)

Saftey (2)