Trans RINA, Vol 157, Part C1, Intl J Marine Design, Jan - Dec 2015
her experience: “there is a type of waterfall, a water feature, in this area, which provides a nice sound, a little bit of a background noise, that’s quite soothing and it’s decorated in marble as well so it looks very classic and elegant [sic].” Furthermore, visual interpretation is related to the ‘affordance’
process where meaning
emerges from the relationship between environmental features and a perceiver. For example, the shape of furniture guides a person to a certain use or behaviour [20]. In addition, visual interpretation of the other actors in the environment appeared in terms of wordless communication as the crew did not only affect multiple actors in the network as a source of information, but the crew also gives a ‘face’ to most of the service options included in the programme. In addition to non-verbal communication, a fundamental means of information is the spoken language.
Ultimately, it seemed that participants were well aware of what a traditional cruise experience includes and the real surprises
are created together with fellow
passengers, who also become a source of information in uncertain situations. This result confirms the Gentile et al. [19] conclusion that the best experiences are usually co-created experiences and consequently cruises are usually done in groups
approach in the design process can help improve the passenger cruise experience through even small design improvements, actions and investments. When modelling the cruise environment based on ANT, it is possible to discover what the cruise environment consists of. When the actors constituting to passengers
overall cruise
experiences are established, the cruise environment and processes can be designed in such a way that it optimises their surroundings and they receive better service, without making radical structural changes or massive investments in interior design or to the programme.
Illustrating the cruising environment actor-network serves as an insightful design method and assists the design processes for conceiving cause and effect relations. When a designer makes a design decision affecting one of the actors in the ship-scape network, the real context of the decision can be seen through the actor-
network. Emotions and experiences hold an
untapped business potential in the cruising industry and a deeper interpretation of passengers’ needs and desires as well as offering a new means for finding a competitive edge and improving the business.
[61]. We also noticed that
passengers became familiar with the cruise ship layout and the social schema of cruising during their first few days, which quickly resulted in new routines. The findings are interesting as the majority of the participants (five out of eight) where first time cruisers. Therefore, it could be argued that
the gained image of cruise experience is quickly fulfilled when going on the cruise.
Finally, while the interview method, observation, and the sample size of the study do not lend themselves to making generalisations with respect to the results, the results still serve the purpose well of applying the Actor- Network theory
in
For example, a fairly distant actor in the network can have an impact on other, more seminal, actors in the network. Our findings demonstrate that the non-human actor 'outfit' has a significant effect on cruise experience. First, the varying of the outfit during the day for different events increases the everyday distinction and gives passengers
wearing outfits they would not elsewhere. In addition, the crew wears distinctive uniforms distinct
reflects the
new possibilities and the enjoyment of from
passengers, and that too has a significant effect. Second, wearing atypical outfits gives passengers a freedom to have certain cruising role. The exposed cruising role might be something that
passenger’s novel way for mapping cruise
experience actors and their relationships. However, the methodology adopted did result in several limitations. Firstly, the use of only verbal and observational data results in a risk of misunderstanding of the speech or behaviour. Secondly, by only observing present situations we increased the probability of dismissing anything that did not fit into the topics neatly enough [47]. Furthermore, when conducting interviews focusing on a certain topic there is an inherent danger that the participants will try to identify the 'correct' answers and describe their cruise experience or the ship environment in a way they feel is important for the research.
Finally,
the limited sample size was a limiting factor and the results may have been richer if more participants were interviewed.
6. CONCLUSIONS
Our research revealed that a seemingly insignificant actor might have a significant influence on the overall cruise experience. Therefore, the utilisation
of the ANT
innermost identity or it can be a role they would like to have. However, it has an effect on 'social experiencing' and 'everyday distinction' networks, which became important networks in cruise experience ordering. Third, other people’s clothing decisions shaped behaviour. For example, passengers adapted their behaviour according to formal outfits. Finally, outfit translates information about several things. It helps passengers to predict the on-going activities from fellow passenger, the outside weather can be interpreted from clothing, and outfits mark out the crewmembers and their assignment on board. Therefore, when considering the issues and actors and how they are connected, the cruise experience could be developed in order to provide better ability to meet the above described consumer needs. In practice this could mean emphasising dress codes, providing possibilities for role-play, and further distinction of the crewmembers based on their role on board could help passengers to approach correct person for the appropriate matter.
The programme plays a central role in cruise experience and it exists in all three actor-networks as an active binder of other actors. In practice this means that when
© 2015: The Royal Institution of Naval Architects
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