Published by Hawkes & Kwortnik · Q4 2026 edition
The industry, graded on the public record.
Four quarterly readings of the cruise industry, each a report card graded against full potential on a published method. Every point on every card comes from a named criterion and the sources under it. A question mark means nothing was published either way; it scores nothing and it is not a finding. Grades are not negotiable, but they can be corrected in light of evidence, in either direction, in this edition.
The four readings
Commercial Excellence Index
Fifty brands letter-graded against full potential on nine commercial pillars. Every score shows its evidence.
Destination Vitality Index
Value and durability, never averaged. Every port of call is read twice against full potential: once for what a call is worth to an itinerary, and once for how secure that worth is on the public record.
Distribution Index
Every criterion shows its evidence. Fourteen organizations that hold cruise bookings across four source markets, coded criterion by criterion on a published method.
Technology Index
Every criterion shows its evidence. Each product is graded in one function, with weights set for that function: security counts most where a product runs a ship’s commerce, AI counts most where a product sets prices.
How to read a card
Graded against full potential
The commercial system a brand could run today with tooling that already exists, AI included. A C is satisfactory work with the basics in place. No brand has reached an A overall because none has yet published the record of running the full system.
Under 60% evidenced, not graded
Coverage is the share of applicable criterion points with public evidence either way. A card under 60% is not graded. A provisional grade, marked with an asterisk, carries its range because the record is thin.
Counted from citations
Breadth of sources, their specificity to the subject, their recency and whether each pillar rests on primary evidence. Counted from the card’s own citation record, not from its ownership class.
Any criterion, in public
Dispute the score on any pillar; if the evidence holds, we correct the record in public. Evidence can be shared under the mutual NDA, already signed by H&K. How to dispute a score.
How the readings are graded · What changed this edition · Read a full report card
One email, when it publishes
Tell us where to send a note when the Q1 2027 readings publish. One message per release, no drip sequence, and you can stop it with one reply.
Noted. One email, when it publishes.
Book a review · 30 minutes · Both partners
Bring one live decision.
In 30 minutes with both partners, we will stress-test the question and tell you plainly whether deeper work is warranted, including “do not hire us” if that is the right answer.
The leader who owns the decision usually joins: the CEO, CCO, or head of Revenue, Finance or Loyalty. We reply within one business day. What happens next →
Request received.
We reply within one business day, usually with a short note on whether the question is a fit before we book the time.