Did Anyone Else Receive a Cunard Survey?

[Victoria2]

28 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I didn’t get one either, though I have had similar ones before. Anyway, I’m too busy sorting out my crowns for day and evening wear.

Well I thought fancy dental work when I first read your comment, regal crowns being outside my  experience [well dental crowns are too but a crown is a tooth thingy in my crowd].

 

I too join the select band of the unsurveyed!🙂

[Thaxted]

I got the survey and I too spoke up for dressing up and timed dining. But I've done so on every survey I've filled out, thus far to no effect. 

[exlondoner]

10 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Well I thought fancy dental work when I first read your comment, regal crowns being outside my  experience [well dental crowns are too but a crown is a tooth thingy in my crowd].

 

I too join the select band of the unsurveyed!🙂

To explain, I misread evening gown as evening crown on another thread, being completely moronic. 😀

[ExArkie]

On 12/4/2022 at 4:21 PM, exlondoner said:

Isn’t their survey market research?

A part of the market research, but only a part. Surveys may be, and are often enough, ignored if they contradict other findings. 

[rsquare]

7 hours ago, ExArkie said:

A part of the market research, but only a part. Surveys may be, and are often enough, ignored if they contradict other findings. 

Having worked in that industry, more often surveys suggest topics for intensive probing in focus groups or one-on-one interviews.  It can be difficult to express your opinions when a survey has poorly-worded answer options, or lacks a "not applicable" option, although Cunard's tend to ask you to explain your rating when asked to judge some aspect of your voyage.

[IB2]

22 hours ago, ExArkie said:

A part of the market research, but only a part. Surveys may be, and are often enough, ignored if they contradict other findings. 

And there will be an element of segmentation involved - they will want to know what their existing customer base enjoys, but if it’s formality, they just need to be a bit more formal than the competition to retain most of that market.  They will be particularly interested in what attracted (or otherwise) their new customers to the line.

[Megabear2]

I've just received a rather different sort of survey.  The questionnaire I've received asks about my attitude to cost of living impact on the types and costings of holidays I may take. Its quite in depth giving areas for me to write freestyle comments.  Two different sections, one for 2023 information and one for 2024.  It seems interested in the number and types of holidays and trips I am planning, have already booked, the costing of them and how far in advance I booked.  

 

As a Diamond WC member who hasn't cruise Cunard since early 2019 I'm intrigued by the content and timing of this particular survey coming as it does on the day of the release of the 2024 cruises.   As it happens I had been looking at the cruises released but with no desire to commit so far out on the normal 15% deposit terms and Queen Anne offering fairly uninspiring itineraries and no single cabins chose to not book at this point in time.  I can only assume this search triggered the sending of the survey.

[ballroom-cruisers]

Megabear2: You are not the only Diamond member to get that survey - it seems to me that Cunard are wanting to understand more about what the customer base really wants - the market may not just fill available staterooms with no effort, and they may be genuinely looking at making sure any changes they may be planning in the way the ships are managed operationally will not turn customers away. Given the discussions on this forum, and elsewhere, it is clear that some changes have led to significant unease and unhappiness among long standing cruise passengers, and whilst they will certainly wish to attract as many new customers as possible, they will also not want to lose significant numbers of loyal customers either.  As the cost of living rises further into the next few years, with economies looking in less than robust shape in many countries over the coming few years, it is likely to need more work to maintain the cruise passenger numbers and although there will always be a certain number of people whose cruise plans and ability to continue having this kind of holiday will not be affected by how the economy changes, there may well be many others who will find their personal financial position no longer allows them to afford to take as many cruise holidays as they would have previously or who may be unable to afford such holidays as their first foray into the cruise life. So competition between cruise lines may well increase, and Cunard will need to put the maximum effort into keeping the largest number of people booking as they can. So the new more extensive survey is likely to be treated more seriously than in the past once they get a good number of completed questionnaires back.

[Craigrlewis]

Had said survey and completed it like in the past with the preference for formal nights and fixed dining.

 

Sure that Cunard have their plans/views on what they want to do/change/eliminate/introduce etc
 

If the responses in the  survey support those plans then great and the feedback will then be cited as “you said we acted” and if it doesn't then Maybe the plans will go ahead  if 100% of those questioned didn't disagree or maybe shelved

 

I think the whole world changed in many ways post pandemic and Cunard isn't exempt and probably have a whole team working on “the adapt or die” principal.

 
Im sure when QE2 was launched there were differences from Mary and Elizabeth and people were aghast or hated them but only thing guaranteed in life is change

 

[ballroom-cruisers]

I am sure Cunard are well aware that there are a number of possible options for adaption, and they will want to 'adapt and survive' as opposed to 'adapt and die'. Sure there are options - but if they make the wrong choices it could lead to a worse outcome than choosing the right options. So they need to keep as many customers happy as they can.

[ballroom-cruisers]

I guess others have also had the email with the survey about why a newly booked 2024 voyage was chosen?  I did have to choose several of the 'other' boxes from a set of options to a question, where I could write in 'nightly ballroom dancing' as one of the options to choose where the list of other options didn't include it!  Also it is interesting that the set of evening activities did not include ballroom dancing, and there was no box to write that option into for evening activities!  However, there was space in the final comments box to make it very clear that ballroom dancing in the Queens Room was for us a critical factor in choosing the voyage, in this case on Queen Anne - and particularly so, since we don't know how the Queens Room on the new ship will be used in the evenings!

[TheOldBear]

Got email for server #3 today - this one was focused on transatlantic sailings.

Proposals were for a multi stop [southampton, liverpool, iceland, corner brook, halifax, brooklyn] cruise vs a shorter eastbound cruise [omit iceland] vs a crossing.

I included responses indicating a preference to pair eastbound and westbound sailings - with at least one being a crossing.

No formal nights were included in any of the questions.

[Bedruthen]

If they want to change anything, then I wish they would review the deposit terms and conditions. Like a lot of people as they get older, we have health problems. We don’t book far ahead, because the deposit at 15% is too significant to willingly lose and we have no idea whether we will be able to even get insurance in 2 years time.  
 A reduced deposit offering would be tempting, amd even more tempting would be the T&C's that our friends across the pond get offered.

[ExArkie]

18 hours ago, TheOldBear said:

Got email for server #3 today - this one was focused on transatlantic sailings.

Proposals were for a multi stop [southampton, liverpool, iceland, corner brook, halifax, brooklyn] cruise vs a shorter eastbound cruise [omit iceland] vs a crossing.

I included responses indicating a preference to pair eastbound and westbound sailings - with at least one being a crossing.

No formal nights were included in any of the questions.

I got a similar one, but with stops only in Canada. Seemed focused on making the baseline an eastbound crossing. 

[Victoria2]

17 hours ago, Bedruthen said:

If they want to change anything, then I wish they would review the deposit terms and conditions. Like a lot of people as they get older, we have health problems. We don’t book far ahead, because the deposit at 15% is too significant to willingly lose and we have no idea whether we will be able to even get insurance in 2 years time.  
 A reduced deposit offering would be tempting, amd even more tempting would be the T&C's that our friends across the pond get offered.

As we like specific cabins; which can sell out pretty quickly, we usually book when itineraries are released which can be as you say, nearly two years in advance.

We have a rolling yearly insurance which allows us to book in advance subject to health conditions at the time of booking but if our circumstances changed and after informing the bank they decided not to insure the advance bookings, we'd get out deposit/s back. Hopefully!

 

Not tested the system yet and we're hoping we won't need to. 🙂

 

[TouchstoneFeste]

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

I got a similar one, but with stops only in Canada. Seemed focused on making the baseline an eastbound crossing. 

 

I also got the "transatlantic focus" one, which had an interesting component: in the section where it asked about direct transatlantics (with no stops in Canada; Iceland never came up) it asked about preference for an eight day crossing versus a seven day.

[FritzG]

My survey was the TA one, and the only choices I had were a TA with 2 stops in Canada or a TA with a stop in Liverpool and Canada.  I like both ideas, and I also like a longer TA with no stops.  

[bluemarble]

I just received another of these Cunard surveys to gauge my interest in various aspects of vacations in general and cruising in particular. This time, I noticed only one combined question about dining and formality.

 

"I'd enjoy the sense of occasion, when everyone dresses-up and sits down at the same time for dinner

1 - Strongly disagree

2 - Disagree

3 - Neither agree nor disagree

4 - Agree

5 - Agree strongly"

 

A significant portion of the survey asked my opinion of a 7 night Alaska itinerary and several 7 night Caribbean itineraries.

 

For Alaska, they also asked my opinion of Seattle and San Francisco as alternative departure ports to Vancouver (with San Francisco adding 3 nights and visiting one less port).

 

One of the Caribbean itineraries presented was as a 7 night itinerary out of Fort Lauderdale. They also asked my opinion of Miami and Galveston as alternative departure ports (with Galveston adding 2 nights).

 

Several other 7 night Caribbean itineraries they presented departed from Jamaica. They asked about San Juan as an alternative departure port (with no other changes to the itinerary) as well as alternative departures from Barbados,  Antigua and Guadeloupe (extending the itinerary from 7 to 14 nights).

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 hours ago, bluemarble said:

I just received another of these Cunard surveys to gauge my interest in various aspects of vacations in general and cruising in particular. This time, I noticed only one combined question about dining and formality.

 

"I'd enjoy the sense of occasion, when everyone dresses-up and sits down at the same time for dinner

1 - Strongly disagree

2 - Disagree

3 - Neither agree nor disagree

4 - Agree

5 - Agree strongly"

 

A significant portion of the survey asked my opinion of a 7 night Alaska itinerary and several 7 night Caribbean itineraries.

 

For Alaska, they also asked my opinion of Seattle and San Francisco as alternative departure ports to Vancouver (with San Francisco adding 3 nights and visiting one less port).

 

One of the Caribbean itineraries presented was as a 7 night itinerary out of Fort Lauderdale. They also asked my opinion of Miami and Galveston as alternative departure ports (with Galveston adding 2 nights).

 

Several other 7 night Caribbean itineraries they presented departed from Jamaica. They asked about San Juan as an alternative departure port (with no other changes to the itinerary) as well as alternative departures from Barbados,  Antigua and Guadeloupe (extending the itinerary from 7 to 14 nights).

 

That question will not generate reliable information. People who like anytime dining might say they disagree, even if they like dressing up. Or people who like fixed dining might say disagree, if they don't like to dress up. 

 

I love Caribbean departures from Florida because I have lots of choices of inexpensive flights, or I can take the train. Having to fly to one of the islands makes things more complicated. But if the itinerary were right, I would do it, especially for Guadeloupe or Barbados. 

[ballroom-cruisers]

Perhaps this has only been sent to American Cunarders?  Anyone in the UK had one yet?

[TheOldBear]

Just got another survey invitation - I'll take a look and see if anything stands out.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I got the survey this morning. It must not be totally "canned," because I had different questions about the Caribbean than @bluemarble had. Alternate port suggestions for a Caribbean cruise were Galveston or Miami. Perhaps I said something about preferring not to fly to an embarkation port or the convenience of a US port and it chose questions based on that. 

 

I did get the question about dressing up and I said strongly agree to that.

[TheOldBear]

I also got a similar survey - several proposed sailings, and how likely we would be to book, likes and dislikes.

 

Mrs Bear also received the same survey invitation.

[Chart Room Princess]

I received the survey today as well. Examples of proposed cruise itineraries and whether I would be interested in booking the proposed sailings. 

[Host Hattie]

7 hours ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

Perhaps this has only been sent to American Cunarders?  Anyone in the UK had one yet?

Nothing here but I didn't get the last one either.