Leading Brands in the U.S. Cruises & Cruise Services Category: Q3 2024 Analysis

In the bustling world of cruise services, three major players have emerged as leaders in the United States. Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line have each demonstrated significant digital presence and audience engagement in Q3 2024. Leveraging Sensor Tower's comprehensive data, we delve into the performance and trends of these brands across their websites, apps, and advertising channels.

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line's digital assets include carnival.com and the Carnival HUB app.

• Audience Trends: From Q2 to Q3 2024, carnival.com experienced a fluctuation in visits, peaking in July with over 64M visits but declining to around 31M by September. The monthly deduplicated audience remained stable above 3.8M throughout the period.

• App Engagement: The Carnival HUB app saw monthly active users peak at over 870K in July, before dropping to approximately 690K in September, reflecting a seasonal trend in app engagement.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Carnival's monthly ad spend varied, with a notable decrease from over $1.3M in June to around $679K in September. The brand primarily utilized Facebook and OTT (Over-the-top media service) channels, achieving significant impressions.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean's digital offerings include royalcaribbean.com and the Royal Caribbean International app.

• Audience Trends: The website saw a steady increase, with visits rising from approximately 23M in April to nearly 29M by September. The monthly deduplicated audience hovered around 3.1M to 3.8M.

• App Engagement: The app's monthly active users peaked in August at over 1.8M, before settling at about 1.5M in September, indicating strong interest in the mobile platform.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Monthly advertising spend was robust, with a peak of over $1.6M in April, primarily on Facebook and OTT platforms, driving substantial user impressions.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line's digital footprint is represented by ncl.com and the Cruise Norwegian - NCL app.

• Audience Trends: The website visits showed a slight decrease from 23M in April to about 18M in September. The monthly deduplicated audience remained consistent around 2.3M.

• App Engagement: The app's monthly active users peaked in July at over 530K, before declining to approximately 430K by the end of Q3.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Norwegian's monthly ad spend surged in June, reaching nearly $2.8M, with desktop video and YouTube being key channels for audience engagement.

Conclusion

The analysis of Q3 2024 reveals dynamic trends in the Cruises & Cruise Services category, with each brand showcasing unique strengths across platforms. Sensor Tower's unparalleled data insights provide a comprehensive view of these digital landscapes, offering critical insights into cross-platform user behavior. For detailed insights into web and app performance, Sensor Tower's offerings such as Web Insights, Pathmatics, and App Performance Insights are indispensable tools for marketers and analysts alike.