Objectives  This paper takes the perspective of user cognition to explore the current situation and influencing factors of the cruise ships' appearance brand images.

  Methods  Based on the hierarchical clustering method, experiments are designed that allow users to observe the appearance of sample cruise ships and reassess the brand belonging to each ship. The experimental data is then collected and statistically analyzed using SPSS（statistical product and service solutions）software.

  Results  The research results show that there are three kinds of the current situation about cruise ship's appearance brand image: most cruise ship have good appearance brand image; Among them, the development of the appearance brand image of mass cruise and luxury cruise are far better than that of professional cruise. And because of the continuity of appearance of the same brand and the difference of the appearance of the different brand, cruise ship's appearance brand image presents a chaotic situation of image crossing or faulting.

  Conclusions  The appearance brand images of cruise ships are generally well constructed. The poor appearance brand images of cruise ships (such as some professional cruise ships) are objectively due to the lack of a typical appearance or family characteristics among ships, as well as the homogenization of appearance across brands. Subjectively, the aesthetics and objectives of cruise users will affect the value of the appearance brand image.