Princess Cruises Expands Annual Relaxation Report Internationally

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., Aug. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- For its ninth annual Relaxation Report, Princess Cruises expanded the depth of its study to a global audience, adding representation from Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, United Kingdom, and Australia. The global results when it comes to relaxation and sleep are surprisingly similar across different countries. According to results of the survey by Wakefield Research for Princess Cruises, global adults aren't dedicating time for sleep or relaxation, with more than half (51%) of global adults reporting they get less sleep than they need on an average night and 80 percent of adults are using weekend days to make up for sleep lost during the weekday.

One way employees can set aside time to relax is to take a vacation, and the survey found that a little over half of those surveyed (55%) took all of the vacation days available to them in the last year with the UK respondents at the top of the list (76%) and the Japanese at the bottommost (28%). Of those who did not use all of their vacation days, the top reasons are:

• They had too much work to get done (38%)
• They couldn't find a good time to take off (34%)
• There was a lack of support at work to take time off (25%)

And when using their vacation days, 75 percent of those who are employed take days off to catch up on sleep ? seven days on average per year.

As one of the world's largest international premium cruise brands, Princess Cruises is committed to ensuring its guests come back from vacation feeling refreshed, renewed and rejuvenated. As part of its Come Back New Promise, Princess Cruises partnered with leading experts in both the science and beauty of sleep to develop the Princess Luxury Bed. Together with board-certified sleep expert Dr. Michael Breus and designer Candice Olson, Princess Cruises now delivers its guests the ultimate night of sleep at sea.

"Sleep continues to trouble people around the globe and across generations, whether at home or while traveling. Sleep is a vital, sensory experience that allows our bodies to recharge and recover from mental and physical strains," said Dr. Breus. "By collaborating with Princess Cruises, I believe we've come up with some really unique aspects for not just the Princess Luxury Bed itself, but the entire experience that will allow guests to sleep really well on their cruise vacation."

Americans and Relaxation

• Resting Rituals ? Technology is a major culprit that can keep a mind and body from winding down.  Yet, most (68%) Americans watch TV before turning in, 39% look at social media.  
• Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows ? Outside of night-time rituals, the current events of the day can impact sleep as well.  As it turns out, today's tense political climate has a lot of people on edge, making it harder for them to relax.  In fact, nearly three in five (59%) Americans admit as much.
• Skewed Priorities ? From the realities of the world at large to responsibilities at work and home, taking time to give our minds and bodies a break is key.  Few Americans dedicate time to relax each day.  More than three in four Americans (78%) do not set aside time to unwind every day, unchanged from 2017.
• Vacation Neglect ? Nearly half (46%) of working Americans with vacation did not use all the time available to them over the past 12 months.  This is up significantly from 2017, when just under two in five (39%) did the same.
• Working For the Weekend ? Nearly three-fourths (72%) of Americans use weekends to make up for sleep they lost during the week.

Some Global Comparisons

The Most Sleep Deprived Countries ? Adults getting somewhat less or much less sleep than needed

-       UK: 63%
-       Singapore: 62%
-       Australia: 61%
-       U.S.: 58%
-       China and Korea: 53%
-       Taiwan and Japan: 49%
-       Hong Kong: 48%
-       Malaysia: 47%
-       Vietnam: 38%
-       Indonesia: 34%

Use of Weekends by County to Catch Up On Sleep 

-       Vietnam: 92%
-       China: 90%
-       Hong Kong: 87%
-       Indonesia: 85%
-       Taiwan: 84%
-       Singapore and Malaysia: 82%
-       Korean: 81%
-       Australia: 73%
-       U.S.: 72%
-       UK and Japan: 66%

Days Taken off by Country per Year (on average) to Catch Up on Sleep

-       Vietnam ? 11 days
-       Malaysia, Taiwan and Indonesia ? 9 days
-       China ? 8 days
-       Hong Kong ? 7 days
-       Singapore and Australia ? 6 days
-       UK and U.S. ? 5 days
-       Korea ? 4 days
-       Japan ? 3 days

By 2019 more than 45,000 Princess Luxury Beds will be fully rolled out to over 22,000 staterooms. The bed features a plush, two-inch thick pillow top, a nine-inch, single-sided medium firm mattress for enhanced support, individually wrapped coils for less partner disturbance, a European-inspired duvet and 100% luxurious Jacquard-woven cotton linens. The Princess Luxury Bed is also now available for guests to order for their homes via http://www.princessluxurybed.com/.

To prepare guests for the ultimate night of sleep at sea, Princess Cruises and Dr. Breus optimized the staterooms for a sleep-friendly sensory experience. As an extension to the sensory stateroom offerings, we offer a SLEEP by Princess Kit which includes additional sleep-inducing items such as eye shades, earplugs, aromatherapy scents, Dr. Breus' Good Nighttm app and more.

To learn more about our sleep-friendly sensory experience in our staterooms and to see the relaxation report infographic go to www.princess.com/wellness

Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS or by visiting the company's website at princess.com.

About Princess Cruises:

One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a global premium cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 17 modern cruise ships, carrying two million guests each year to more than 360 destinations around the globe, including the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England and World Cruises. A team of professional destination experts has created more than 150 award-winning itineraries, ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises has been continuously recognized as "Best Cruise Line for Itineraries."

Princess Cruises continues its multi-year, "Come Back New Promise" ? a $450 million-dollar product innovation and cruise ship renovation campaign that will continue to enhance the line's onboard guest experience. These enhancements result in more moments of awe, lifetime memories and meaningful stories for guests to share from their cruise vacation. The product innovations include partnerships with award-winning Chef Curtis Stone; engaging entertainment inspired shows with Broadway-legend Stephen Schwartz; immersive activities for the whole family from Discovery and Animal Planet that include exclusive shore excursion to onboard activities; the ultimate sleep at sea with the award-winning Princess Luxury Bed and much more.

Three new Royal-class ships are currently on order with the next new ship, Sky Princess, under construction scheduled for delivery in October 2019. Princess recently announced that two new (LNG) ships which will be the largest ships in the Princess fleet, accommodating approximately 4,300 guests with expected delivery in 2023 and 2025.  Princess now has five ships arriving over the next six years between 2019 & 2025. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE:CUK).

Survey Methodology

The Princess Cruises 2018 Sleep Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative adults ages 18+ in each of the following countries: US, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, UK, & Australia, between June 29 and July 9, 2018, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the adult population ages 18+ in each country.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 0.9 percentage points overall and 3.1 percentage points in each country from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

SOURCE Princess Cruises