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Cruise industry in the United States - statistics & facts

Has the u.s. cruise industry recovered from the impact of covid-19, what are the leading u.s. cruise companies, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Revenue of the cruises industry in the U.S. 2019-2028

Revenue growth of cruises in the U.S. 2019-2028

Employment in the cruise line operator industry in the U.S. 2012-2022

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Current statistics on this topic.

Number of global ocean cruise passengers 2019-2023, by source market

Number of cruise passengers from the U.S. 2016-2022

Related topics

Cruise market.

• Cruise industry worldwide
• Cruise industry in Europe
• Cruise industry in the United Kingdom (UK)
• Cruise industry in the Caribbean

Travel and tourism in the United States

• Travel and tourism in the U.S.
• Hotel industry in the U.S.
• City trips in the U.S.

Recommended statistics

• Premium Statistic Number of global ocean cruise passengers 2009-2027
• Premium Statistic Number of global ocean cruise passengers 2019-2023, by source market
• Premium Statistic Main global cruise destinations 2019-2023, by number of passengers
• Premium Statistic Revenue of the cruises industry in the U.S. 2019-2028
• Premium Statistic Revenue growth of cruises in the U.S. 2019-2028
• Premium Statistic Direct spending in the cruise industry in the U.S. 2021-2022, by type
• Premium Statistic Cruise line operator industry's market size in the U.S. 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Businesses in the cruise line operator industry in the U.S. 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Employment in the cruise line operator industry in the U.S. 2012-2022

Number of global ocean cruise passengers 2009-2027

Number of ocean cruise passengers worldwide from 2009 to 2023, with a forecast until 2027 (in millions)

Number of ocean cruise passengers worldwide from 2019 to 2023, by source region (in 1,000s)

Main global cruise destinations 2019-2023, by number of passengers

Leading ocean cruise destinations worldwide from 2019 to 2023, by number of passengers (in 1,000s)

Revenue of the cruises market in the United States from 2019 to 2028 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Revenue growth of the cruises market in the United States from 2019 to 2028

Direct spending in the cruise industry in the U.S. 2021-2022, by type

Direct spending in the cruise industry in the United States in 2021 and 2022, by type (in billion U.S. dollars)

Cruise line operator industry's market size in the U.S. 2012-2022

Market size of the cruise line operator industry in the United States from 2012 to 2021, with a forecast for 2022 ( in million U.S. dollars)

Businesses in the cruise line operator industry in the U.S. 2012-2022

Number of businesses in the cruise line operator industry in the United States from 2012 to 2021, with a forecast for 2022

Number of employees in the cruise line operator industry in the United States from 2012 to 2021, with a forecast for 2022

Cruise passengers

• Premium Statistic Number of cruise passengers from North America 2016-2022
• Premium Statistic Number of cruise passengers from the U.S. 2016-2022
• Premium Statistic Growth rate of the cruise passenger volume from the U.S. 2017-2022
• Premium Statistic Busiest cruise ports worldwide 2019-2022, by passenger movements
• Premium Statistic Share of U.S. travelers planning a cruise trip October 2021-June 2023

Number of cruise passengers from North America 2016-2022

Number of cruise passengers sourced from North America from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Number of cruise passengers sourced from the United States from 2016 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Growth rate of the cruise passenger volume from the U.S. 2017-2022

Year-over-year percentage change in the number of cruise passengers sourced from the United States from 2017 to 2022

Busiest cruise ports worldwide 2019-2022, by passenger movements

Busiest cruise ports worldwide in 2019 and 2022, by number of passenger movements (in 1,000s)

Share of U.S. travelers planning a cruise trip October 2021-June 2023

Share of travelers intending to take a cruise trip in the next 12 months in the United States from October 2021 to June 2023

Cruise companies

• Premium Statistic Revenue of Carnival Corporation & plc worldwide 2008-2023
• Premium Statistic Net income of Carnival Corporation & plc 2008-2023
• Premium Statistic Revenue of Royal Caribbean Cruises worldwide 1988-2023
• Premium Statistic Net income of Royal Caribbean Cruises worldwide 2007-2023
• Premium Statistic Revenue of Norwegian Cruise Line worldwide 2011-2023
• Premium Statistic Net income of Norwegian Cruise Line worldwide 2011-2023
• Premium Statistic Percentage change in revenue of leading cruise companies worldwide 2020-2023

Revenue of Carnival Corporation & plc worldwide 2008-2023

Revenue of Carnival Corporation & plc worldwide from 2008 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Net income of Carnival Corporation & plc 2008-2023

Net income of Carnival Corporation & plc worldwide from 2008 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Revenue of Royal Caribbean Cruises worldwide 1988-2023

Revenue of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. worldwide from 1988 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Net income of Royal Caribbean Cruises worldwide 2007-2023

Net income of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. worldwide from 2007 to 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)

Revenue of Norwegian Cruise Line worldwide 2011-2023

Revenue of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. worldwide from 2011 to 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Net income of Norwegian Cruise Line worldwide 2011-2023

Net Income of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. worldwide from 2011 to 2023 (in million U.S. dollars)

Percentage change in revenue of leading cruise companies worldwide 2020-2023

Percentage change in revenue of leading cruise companies worldwide from 2020 to 2023 (compared to 2019)

Consumer opinions

• Basic Statistic Best-rated mega-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide 2023
• Basic Statistic Best-rated large-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide 2023
• Basic Statistic Best-rated midsize-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide 2023
• Basic Statistic Best-rated small-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide 2023
• Basic Statistic Best-rated river cruise lines by travelers worldwide 2023

Best-rated mega-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide 2023

Best-rated mega-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide as of June 2023

Best-rated large-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide 2023

Best-rated large-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide as of June 2023

Best-rated midsize-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide 2023

Best-rated midsize-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide as of June 2023

Best-rated small-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide 2023

Best-rated small-ship cruise lines by travelers worldwide as of June 2023

Best-rated river cruise lines by travelers worldwide 2023

Best-rated river cruise lines by travelers worldwide as of June 2023

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Cruise in 2022: the state of the industry 

Using the latest thematic insights from GlobalData, Peter Nilson looks at the state of the cruise industry.

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At the beginning of the year, many companies, governments, and travel authorities had predicted a stronger recovery for the cruise market in 2021. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

The pandemic has proven unpredictable, with many cruise destinations going into second and third lockdowns during 2021 after a global surge in Covid-19 cases .

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While the cruise industry has experienced a 96% Year-on-Year (YoY) increase of passengers, reaching 13.9 million, it still does not compare to the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, where there were 29.7 million passengers globally. It has been an even worse year for travel intermediaries specializing in cruise holidays.

These companies are the primary selling points for cruise trips and are often responsible for selling upgrades, premium drinks packages and excursions. Global spending across 60 major cruise markets increased by 65% YoY, resulting in total revenues of $19.4bn. Nevertheless, this was still far from pre-pandemic levels in 2019, which were approximately $29.8bn, 35% higher than 2021’s figure.

To reduce costs, many ships were retired between 2019 and 2021. Cruise ships are the most expensive assets, making this practice a necessity for many firms to stay afloat.

However, more optimistic times lie ahead for the sector. During the pandemic, the cruise industry has witnessed new innovative cruise ships and a brand-new competitor in the form of Virgin Voyages . Many cruise liners have come good with orders for new cruise ships built before the pandemic, resulting in an exciting time for loyal cruise holidaymakers to try new ships, services, and onboard experiences.

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Global cruise passengers and revenue

2021 provided a tough lesson for the cruise industry, with businesses aiming to make a swifter recovery from the latest round of lockdowns.

The cruise industry’s recovery rate was modest in 2021. Although a 96% YoY increase sounds positive, it is still nowhere near pre-pandemic levels. In 2021, only 13.9 million passengers went on a cruise, 53% lower than the pre-pandemic levels of 2019.

With the fluctuations of global passengers, revenues will generally follow a similar pattern unless there is a substantial shift in consumer behaviour. Usually, the most significant impacts on a travel company’s revenues, aside from passenger flows, are an economic recession, foreign exchange, or a change in booking trends.

During the pandemic, it has become clear that the latter affected cruise intermediary revenues. In 2021, revenue generated for cruises from intermediaries reached $19.5bn, a 65% YoY increase from $11.8bn. However, cruise passenger flows increased by 95% YoY, which is a significantly higher rate of improvement.

According to the CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group, Richard Fain, this was not unexpected. The world’s fourth-largest cruise company has seen intermediaries such as online travel agencies (OTAs) and high street agencies lose a proportion of their market share, with customers opting to book directly with the cruise operator rather than a third party.

The same sentiment was echoed by Norwegian Cruise Lines CEO Frank Del Rio, who said the company had witnessed a similar booking pattern. The result is not surprising. Many agencies have had to cut back on their workforce due to poor revenue performance in 2020, resulting in fewer sales agents to capture the rising demand in 2021. This has led to more customers booking directly with cruise companies.

Research from GlobalData also supports this, when comparing two consumer surveys from 2019 and 2021. In 2019, 44% of respondents said they typically book via an OTA. However, in a Q4 2021 survey, only 24% of respondents said they booked their last holiday via this booking method. In addition, respondents who said they booked directly increased from 32% to 36%.

New cruise ships and trends for 2022

There are many new cruise ships scheduled to set sail in 2022. Many of these boast a more contemporary feel to their décor and interior, moving away from the traditional looks of the past cruise ships and moving to a more fashionable boutique hotel design.

The motivation for this stems from the fact that cruise operators need to attract a younger market. This evolution is necessary for making cruise businesses more resilient in the future by drawing the next generation of cruise tourists.

According to a 2020 GlobalData survey, 37% of Gen Z and Millennials said that they ‘strongly’ or ‘slightly’ agreed with the notion that they would book an international trip this year. In comparison, only 22% of those older than 35 responded with the same sentiment, highlighting that the younger generation may be more likely to travel in today’s travel climate.

Furthermore, cruising has also become more popular with younger adults. In GlobalData’s Q3 2019 and 2021 global consumer surveys, the percentage of Gen Z and Millennial respondents who typically take a cruise holiday increased from 17% to 21%, indicating changes in consumer tastes.

The importance of Covid-19 safety protocols on cruise ships has never been more critical. According to GlobalData, there is a demand from consumers to receive information about Covid-19 initiatives. This data shows that consumers need substantial levels of communication from cruise providers, and that cruise companies will need to develop robust communication strategies, which need to be scaled over the next few years.

Many travellers are opting to book directly with the operator rather than via an intermediary such as an OTA. According to a Q3 2019 GlobalData survey, 44% of consumers said they typically book via an OTA.

However, this has fallen substantially over the last two years. In a Q4 2021 survey, only 24% of respondents said they booked their previous holiday via an OTA.

In addition, respondents who said they booked directly with a travel supplier increased from 32% to 36%, showing that booking directly with the supplier is becoming more trustworthy and popular.

Nevertheless, this booking behaviour could well be a temporary result, with some cruise operators expecting intermediary trade to pick up again in 2022.

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The Cruise Industry Stages a Comeback

After watching thousands of passengers get ill and more than a year of devastating financial losses, the global cruise industry is coming back to life. And it says it knows how to deal with the coronavirus.

By Ceylan Yeginsu and Niraj Chokshi

Nothing quite demonstrated the horrors of the coronavirus contagion in the early stages of the pandemic like the major outbreaks onboard cruise ships , when vacation selfies and videos abruptly turned into grim journals of endless days spent confined to cabins as the virus raged through the behemoth vessels, eventually infecting thousands of people, and killing more than 100.

Passengers on the Diamond Princess and Grand Princess, two of the worst-hit ships, were forced to quarantine inside their small staterooms — some without windows — as infections on board spiraled out of control. Every day anxiety and fear mounted as the captains of the ships announced new cases, which continued to spread rapidly through ventilation systems and among crew members, who slept in shared quarters and worked tirelessly throughout the day to deliver food to guests.

At the time, it was difficult to imagine how the ships, which carry millions of passengers around the world each year, would be able to sail safely again. Even after the vaccination rollout gained momentum in the United States in April, allowing most travel sectors to restart operations, cruise ships remained docked in ports, costing the industry billions of dollars in losses each month.

Together, Carnival , the world’s largest cruise company, and the two other biggest cruise operators, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line , lost nearly $900 million each month during the pandemic, according to Moody’s, the credit rating agency. The industry carried 80 percent fewer passengers last year compared to 2019, according to the Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group. Third-quarter revenues for Carnival showed a year-to-year decline of 99.5 percent — to $31 million in 2020, down from $6.5 billion in 2019.

And yet in June, Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive of Royal Caribbean Cruises, was beaming with excitement as he sat sipping his morning coffee onboard Celebrity Edge, which became the first major cruise ship to restart U.S. operations, with a sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “At the beginning we didn’t have testing capabilities, treatments, vaccines or a real understanding of how the virus spread, so we were forced to shut down because we didn’t know how to prevent it,” he said.

Several epidemiologists questioned whether cruise ships, with their high capacities, close quarters and forced physical proximity, could restart during the pandemic, or whether they would be able to win back the trust of travelers traumatized from the initial outbreaks.

Now, said Mr. Fain, the opposite has proved true. “The ship environment is no longer a disadvantage, it’s an advantage because unlike anywhere else, we are able to control our environment, which eliminates the risks of a big outbreak.”

Cruise companies restarted operations in Europe and Asia late last year, and, after months of preparations to meet stringent health and safety guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cruise lines have started to welcome back passengers for U.S. sailings, where demand is outweighing supply, with many itineraries fully booked throughout the summer.

Carnival said bookings for upcoming cruises soared by 45 percent during March, April and May as compared to the three previous months, while Royal Caribbean recently announced that all sailings from Florida in July and August are fully booked.

Several coronavirus cases have been identified on cruise ships since U.S. operations restarted in June, including six passengers who tested positive on Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas recently, testing the cruise lines’ new Covid-19 protocols, which include isolating, contact tracing and testing passengers to prevent the virus from spreading. Most ships were able to complete their itineraries without issues, but American Cruise Lines, a small ship company, cut short an Alaska sailing earlier this month after three people tested positive for the virus.

The industry’s turnaround is far from guaranteed. The highly contagious Delta variant, which is causing surges of the virus around the world, could stymie the industry’s recovery, especially if large outbreaks occur on board. But analysts are generally optimistic about its prospects and the potential for passenger numbers to recover to prepandemic levels, perhaps as soon as next year. That optimism is fueled by what may be the industry’s best asset: an unshakably loyal customer base.

Even during the pandemic, huge numbers of people who had booked opted against taking refunds , instead converting payments already made into credit for future travel, which the companies often offered at a higher value as an incentive. Last fall, Carnival reported that about 45 percent of customers with canceled trips had opted for credit instead of cash back. About half of customers in a similar position with Royal Caribbean Cruises did the same by the end of last year, the company said at the time.

“The demand is there,” said Jaime Katz, an analyst with Morningstar. “You know that there have been 15 months of people who have had cruises booked that have been canceled.”

No U.S. bailout for the cruise companies

By April 2020, the industry was in crisis. Cruises were halted around the world after the alarming outbreaks on ships, leading to sailing bans from the C.D.C. and other global authorities.

While they employ many Americans, the major cruise companies are all incorporated abroad and were ultimately left out of the $2 trillion federal stimulus known as the CARES Act, with lawmakers chafing at the prospect of bailing out foreign corporations largely exempt from income taxes. Environmentalists lobbied against the aid, citing the industry’s poor track record on climate issues. And criticism over how the companies handled early virus outbreaks on board ships sapped any remaining political will to help. Huge losses mounted as questions swirled about whether cruise lines could avoid bankruptcy.

“All our conversations here were, ‘At this cash burn rate for each of these companies, how long can they survive?’” said Pete Trombetta, an analyst focused on lodging and cruises at Moody’s.

Cruise lines were forced to send most cruise workers home, keeping small skeleton crews on board to maintain their ships. After months without work or an income, many of the workers, who are frequently drawn from countries like the Philippines, Bangladesh and India, fell into debt and struggled to provide for their families.

The timing couldn’t have been worse for Virgin Voyages , the new cruise company founded by the British billionaire Richard Branson, which had planned to launch its inaugural ship, Scarlet Lady, with a sailing from Miami in March 2020. The ship’s official U.S. debut has been delayed until October, but a series of short sailings will take place in August out of Portsmouth, England, for British residents.

“It’s been a very difficult 15 months and we had to make some very tough cuts along the way like the rest of the industry,” said Tom McAlpin, president and chief officer of Virgin Voyages.

In the end, most cruise companies made it through the pandemic intact, but only after receiving help. That came in the form of assistance from governments abroad or money raised from investors emboldened by efforts to backstop the economy from the Federal Reserve and others. The cash wasn’t cheap, though. When Carnival Corp. sold $4 billion in bonds in April 2020, it agreed to interest on those bonds of 11.5 percent — more than half of which it recently refinanced at a more reasonable rate of 4 percent.

Carnival, which operates under nine brands globally, has lost more than $13 billion since the pandemic began and said in a securities filing last month that it expects those losses to continue at least through August. The company amassed more than $9 billion in cash and short-term investments as of the end of May — enough, it said last month, to pay its obligations for at least another year. It says it expects to have at least 42 ships carrying passengers by the end of November, representing just over half of its global fleet.

The industry faces a long road back to normal. Moodys downgraded ratings for each of the big three cruise companies during the pandemic and says it will probably take until 2023 for the major cruise operators to start substantially reducing their debt, which had nearly doubled during the pandemic.

The companies have also been caught up in a series of legal battles in Florida, the biggest base of operations in the United States, that has them sometimes allied with the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis, and sometimes opposing it.

In June, Florida sued the C.D.C., saying the agency’s guidelines for how cruising could restart were burdensome and harmed the multi-billion-dollar industry that provides about 159,000 jobs for the state. The C.D.C. guidelines require 98 percent of crew and 95 percent of passengers to be fully vaccinated before a cruise ship can set sail, otherwise the cruise company must carry out test voyages and wait for approval.

So far, the state has prevailed in the courts, with a ruling from a federal judge that prevented the C.D.C.’s vaccine requirements from going into effect after July 18. A federal appeals court upheld that ruling on July 23.

Despite the court’s decision, Cruise Lines International Association, the trade group, said cruise companies will continue to operate in accordance with the C.D.C. requirements. The cruise lines found the C.D.C.’s initial guidance too onerous, but once the agency made revisions to factor in the U.S. immunization program, the companies agreed to comply and said they preferred passengers to be vaccinated, because it simplifies the onboard experience.

As that suit was making its way through the courts, Norwegian filed suit on July 13 against the state of Florida, saying that a law banning business from requiring proof of immunization from people seeking to use their services prevented the company from “safely and soundly resuming passenger cruise operations.”

There has yet to be a ruling in the case.

Hurdles remain

Several other hurdles could also derail the rebound of the industry. While cruising has resumed, operators still have to contend with a patchwork of domestic and international rules, some of which impose strict conditions on passengers who go on shore excursions. A serious and widespread outbreak aboard a ship, or a broader communitywide surge in virus infections, could drive away potential customers and stall the momentum of the cruise comeback.

But despite the delays and potential for further disruptions, Virgin Voyages is hopeful for a successful launch of its new brand. Virgin’s Scarlet Lady adult-only ship, which was inspired by a superyacht design, aims to attract a hip and younger crowd, offering 20 different buffet-free dining options and a range of entertainment, including D.J. sets and immersive experiences.

“We have a fantastic set of investors behind us, and I think we are well positioned to make a big comeback because people are ready to travel and cruise again and we are launching a very attractive new onboard product right in the middle of it all,” Mr. McAlpin said.

Two new cruise ships, Carnival’s Mardi Gras and Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas are set to launch in the U.S. this week.

And cruise workers, many of whom burned through savings and went into debt during their enforced layoff, are thrilled to be back. “I can’t believe the day has come when I have been called back to work,” said Alvin Villorente, a wine steward for Norwegian Cruise Line, who spent the last year at home in the Philippines, carrying out odd jobs to pay his bills.

“It felt too good to be true,” he continued. “I made my wife read the email to make sure I understood correctly and when I saw her smile everything suddenly went from black to bright colors. I could look after my family again.”

At a time when airports are busy and chaotic and hotels and holiday rentals are expensive and booked up, cruise companies hope to appeal to people who wouldn’t normally consider a cruise vacation.

“I’m still on the fence about booking any travel because of the constantly changing rules around the world, but an adult-only cruise with some friends could be fun, especially if it meant not having to fly anywhere,” said Crystal Marks, a 37-year-old personal trainer from Miami who went on a cruise once as a child and has been looking at Virgin sailings for early next year after a friend sent her a promotional video.

“Yoga classes at sunrise, fitness throughout the day, city-style restaurants, spa treatments, it sounds pretty perfect to me,” she added with a laugh. “If everyone on board is vaccinated and tested regularly it’s probably one of the safer options for international travel.”

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook . And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places list for 2021 .

Ceylan Yeginsu is a London-based reporter. She joined The Times in 2013, and was previously a correspondent in Turkey covering politics, the migrant crisis, the Kurdish conflict, and the rise of Islamic State extremism in Syria and the region. More about Ceylan Yeginsu

Niraj Chokshi covers the business of transportation, with a focus on autonomous vehicles, airlines and logistics. More about Niraj Chokshi

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Carnival’s cruise industry recovery: challenges, progress, and optimistic outlook.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

• Adapting to new protocols and navigating through variant waves are major challenges in the cruise industry recovery.
• Despite significant financial losses, Carnival Corporation has seen progress in occupancy rates and booking volumes, with 91% of ship capacity back sailing with passengers and booking volumes reaching the highest levels since the start of the pandemic.
• Increasing vaccination rates among travelers have had a positive impact on Carnival’s recovery, restoring confidence to travel and cruise and leading to a surge in booking volumes.
• Strategic planning, including navigating changing market dynamics and overcoming challenges such as new protocols and high fuel prices, is crucial for a strong and sustainable cruise industry recovery.

Challenges in the Cruise Industry Recovery

Carnival’s Financial Performance During Recovery

Occupancy rates and sailing capacity updates.

Fleet Expansion and Ship Transfers for Recovery

Booking volumes and recovery progress, overcoming new protocols and variant waves, addressing high fuel prices and inflation, returning to pre-pandemic levels: a difficult journey, optimistic outlook for carnival’s recovery, the path to a strong and sustainable cruise industry recovery, frequently asked questions, what are some of the specific challenges faced by the cruise industry in its recovery, how has carnival corporation’s financial performance been affected during the recovery period, what is the current occupancy rate for carnival corporation’s ships and what are their expectations for the third quarter, can you provide some details on the fleet expansion plans and ship transfers that carnival corporation is undertaking, how have booking volumes been progressing for carnival corporation and what does it indicate about the recovery of the cruise industry.

Meet Asra, a talented and adventurous writer who infuses her passion for exploration into every word she writes. Asra’s love for storytelling and her insatiable curiosity about the world make her an invaluable asset to the Voyager Info team.

From a young age, Asra was drawn to the power of words and their ability to transport readers to far-off lands and magical realms. Her fascination with travel and cultures from around the globe fueled her desire to become a travel writer, and she set out on a journey to turn her dreams into reality.

Carnival Cruise Line: Transformative Growth and Enhanced Experiences

Carnival Cruise Lines Unveils Exciting Live Concert Series

Meet Asra, a talented and adventurous writer who infuses her passion for exploration into every word she writes. Asra’s love for storytelling and her insatiable curiosity about the world make her an invaluable asset to the Voyager Info team. From a young age, Asra was drawn to the power of words and their ability to transport readers to far-off lands and magical realms. Her fascination with travel and cultures from around the globe fueled her desire to become a travel writer, and she set out on a journey to turn her dreams into reality.

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Carnival’s updated smoking policy and health protocols.

• Smoking in the casino will be allowed starting February 14, 2022, but only for individuals who are sitting and playing in the casino.
• Masks are still required in the casino, except when smoking or drinking a beverage.
• Passengers who have recently recovered from COVID within three months of their sailing date are exempt from pre-cruise testing, provided they can submit a letter from a healthcare provider stating their recovery.
• The changes in smoking policy and testing requirements, along with updates from other cruise lines, suggest a trend towards a more normal cruise experience.

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Exception for Testing Requirements for Recent COVID Recovery

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With a lifelong fascination for exploring new horizons, Alfons discovered his love for the ocean and cruising at a young age. From sailing across pristine Caribbean waters to embarking on daring expeditions to far-flung destinations, he has amassed a treasure trove of first-hand experiences in the world of cruising.

Where Does Disney Cruise Go

• Disney Cruise visits Caribbean destinations like the Bahamas, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands.
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Cruise ships have returned to Seattle — is that a good thing? Here’s a primer on the issues facing the cruise industry

Cruise ships — those floating, white-frosted pleasure palaces — are back in Elliott Bay, ready to sail up the Inside Passage.

Most of the talk about the return of the Seattle-Alaska cruise season (from port officials, from cruise executives, in media coverage) follows two narratives. One: Cruise ships boost port town economies. Two: They’re taking serious COVID-19 precautions with oversight from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But throughout the pandemic, there has been a background buzz of environmentalists and other cruise critics arguing the ships are fossil-fuel-guzzling, sludge-leaking problems that we should not be embracing so recklessly — and that cruise port towns like Juneau and Ketchikan are being smothered by cruise tourism.

So which is it? Is the cruise ship a savior or a threat?

“It’s a dilemma,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Fred Felleman, who practically embodies the tension around cruise. He has a background in marine biology (orca research in Puget Sound and after the Exxon Valdez oil spill) and advocating for conservationist policy. He has also been vocally enthusiastic about the return of cruise. Further muddling the issue, the port has announced its intention to be carbon neutral by 2050 — including in its business with cruise ships.

“Clearly, there is an insatiable appetite for cruise,” Felleman said. “We didn’t create it. It exists. Our job is to minimize those costs while maximizing the benefits. And the degree to which I, as a port commissioner, can make some incremental changes in that direction is the degree to which I can still look in the mirror.”

In other words: It’s complicated.

As 2021 cruise season begins, consider this a (very) incomplete primer in its complexities, broken down into three sections: an industry overview, cruise’s economic impact, and cruise’s environmental issues. Feel free to skip around.

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW | ECONOMIC IMPACT | ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Industry overview

The first ship : On July 19, if everything goes according to plan, the Serenade of the Seas will be the first cruise ship since 2019 to sail out of Seattle and up the Inside Passage. Tied at its long berth in Smith Cove, the Serenade carries 13 decks, nine elevators, nine restaurants and cafes, nine bars, a rock-climbing wall, three swimming pools, a spa, a cinema, a medical center, a live-performance theater, a jogging track and a nine-hole miniature golf course. It is 965 feet long (about 1.6 Space Needles) and 106 feet wide (a 10-story building) and can carry 2,476 guests plus 848 crew members, or roughly the population of Medina.

The Serenade is one of the smaller ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet.

The Big Three : The world has three major cruise ship conglomerates, which are headquartered in Florida and own most of the brands you recognize: Carnival Corporation (Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Seabourn, AIDA, P&O, more), Royal Caribbean Group (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Silversea) and Norwegian Cruise Holdings (Norwegian, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas). The Big Three control 80% of the world’s cruise market in terms of passengers and 72.2% of its revenue.

Some smaller U.S. cruise lines offer eco-/adventure-based travel, branding themselves against the Big Three. One of these Seattle-based lines, for example, is named UnCruise .

How the Big Three survived 2020 : Layoffs, loans, sales of ships and stock on Wall Street. By the end of 2020, Carnival reported it had lost $10.2 billion, but raised $19 billion in debt and equity, ending the year with $9.5 billion in cash. In a report to investors, Carnival said it could survive 2021 without sailing a single ship. (Howard Sherman, an executive vice president at Norwegian Cruise Lines, said his company ended 2020 in a similar position.) Smaller cruise lines, with ships registered in the U.S., were eligible for federal assistance, like the CARES Act. The Big Three, whose vessels sail under foreign flags — Panama, Liberia, the Bahamas — were not.

Flags of convenience : Sailing commercial ships under foreign flags (aka flags of convenience) is common today, but was a cruise industry innovation. During Prohibition, a U.S. cruise company wanted to serve its guests alcohol without breaking the law, so it registered two vessels in Panama. The tactic stuck and spread to the shipping industry, which now regularly registers its vessels in countries with more forgiving tax, labor and environmental regulations.

Appetite for Alaska : It keeps growing. The number of people passing through Seattle for an Alaska cruise has surged from 1999 (6,615 passengers) to 2009 (875,433 passengers) to 2019 (1,208,590 passengers). Those numbers come from the Port of Seattle, which counts people as they get on and off ships. (People spend money, use infrastructure, etc., once in each direction.)

The pandemic, cruise ship executives say, hasn’t dented that appetite. “We’re seeing pre-pandemic levels of demand for the 2022 season,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, CEO of Celebrity Cruises (which sails three of its 14 ships to Alaska). “People are excited. And we’ve seen new bookings — over one-quarter of our bookings are coming from nonloyalty members.”

Terminal 46 : To accommodate this hunger, the Port of Seattle was planning to build a new 29-acre, $200 million cruise ship facility (half financed by taxpayers, half by cruise line partners) at T46, off the southern edge of Pioneer Square. Environmentalists opposed it, saying cruise is speeding our way toward catastrophic climate change, and the Port indefinitely paused the project in 2020 , saying it would wait to see how the cruise industry recovered before proceeding.

Economic impact

Economic impact around Seattle : “There’s no doubt about it — having cruise ships will be a big, giant plus,” said Sharon Shaw, who has been selling homemade, stained-glass kaleidoscopes with her husband at Pike Place Market for decades. Known as “the mother of the market” for her watchful eye and community caretaking, Shaw says vendors have become highly attuned to the rhythm of the industry and its passengers’ spending habits: “We started knowing which ships bring discount travelers — we don’t get too excited about those — and which are the Good Ship Lollipops.”

According to reports commissioned by the Port of Seattle, the 2020 cruise season was supposed to bring a record 1.3 million passengers through Seattle — 85% of them flying through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — with 233 vessel calls. Each call was projected to create $4.2 million in economic activity, sending a total of $893.6 million rippling through the regional economy. In 2019, cruise ships paid the Port of Seattle $22.4 million in berthing and passenger fees.

Where those dollars go: The cruise economy web extends further than you might think — restaurateurs, stevedores, shuttle drivers, private security firms, farmers who sell vast quantities of produce to provision ships, etc. “We want to make sure those dollars stay in the community, so they’re local businesses doing the provisioning, doing the tours, etc.,” said Stephanie Jones Stebbins, managing director of maritime at the Port of Seattle. The Port, she added, has programs to make sure women- and minority-owned businesses ( WMBEs ) are part of its economic ecosystem. This is not empty talk. A significant portion of a recent port commission meeting was devoted to discussing why there weren’t more WMBE bids for a roof upgrade project at Pier 66.

Economic impact elsewhere : This is a little more complicated, but there’s no doubt tourists bring critical revenue. A 2019 report commissioned by the Southeast Conference (a Southeast Alaska economic development group) projected 1.44 million visitors, 90% arriving on cruise ships , who were going to spend almost $800 million in 2020. According to a 2021 report by the state of Alaska , port and cruise communities saw 22,297 in job losses during the pandemic, representing $305.7 million in lost wages.

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But cruise reformers like Karla Hart — she used to work in the tourist industry — say that between out-of-town businesses and seasonal workers, a lot of that money leaks out of the community. Take a quick stroll through Juneau, Ketchikan or other Alaska cruise ports, and you’ll see the same businesses over and over: national-chain jewelry shops (Diamonds International, Effy, others), Cariloha (a bamboo-goods company based in Utah), Del Sol (a novelty clothing company based in New York) and so on.

Those out-of-town businesses are often listed on “ shopping maps ” published by PPI Group , a Florida-based marketing company that partners with the Big Three, and also places “shopping presenters” on board cruise ships to steer passengers toward approved stores. To reformers like Hart, the relationship between the chain stores, the marketing companies and the cruise lines feels a little insular.

“The industry term for that is ‘leakage,’ tourism money that leaks out of the town,” said Alexis Bunten, an Alaska Native (Alutiiq and Yupik) who worked in the Alaska tourism industry before earning her doctorate in anthropology at UCLA by studying tourism. “I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with that, but it makes it more difficult for local people to be vendors and keeps less money staying in town.”

Cruise clout : Hart, a Juneau resident, also says Big Cruise throws its weight around the city. In a 2016 lawsuit, for example, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) alleged Juneau had been breaking its own city code by spending cruise passenger fees in ways that did not benefit the cruise industry, including $22 million for government operating expenses. “We created a stream of revenue the cruise lines pay the government and then complain when it isn’t spent on them,” Hart said. CLIA and Juneau settled the suit in 2019 , agreeing the city would use passenger fees for cruise-related infrastructure — but that money could be spent on restrooms, police, fire, emergency medical services and other expenditures that would benefit the city as a whole. The 2019 settlement also agreed to freeze passenger fees for three years.

One port is different : Hoonah is a predominantly Tlingit community of 760 people just outside the entrance to Glacier Bay National Park. The town’s fortunes have risen and fallen over the decades with fishing and timber, but in 2004 it opened its own private port: Icy Strait Point, which is owned by Huna Totem (an Alaska Native corporation) and employs 260 people, making up 80% of the town’s economy.

Icy Strait received over 267,000 visitors in 2019, but Huna Totem CEO Russell Dick says it’s working out well: The port was built 1.6 miles from the town itself so Hoonah wouldn’t feel overwhelmed and, being privately owned, isn’t subject to the shifting winds of political administrations. The Huna Totem Corporation, he said, had a long period of consultation with elders and the general community about what they did and didn’t want from being a cruise destination. Instead of moving tourists around in noisy, fuming busses, they built a gondola. The majority of tourist activities address some aspect of Tlingit culture, as local employees guide visitors to bear-watching platforms or teach them to prepare salmon and other local subsistence foods. All the shops, Dick said, are locally owned.

“We said, if we’re going to build it, we’re going to build in a way that is truly in alignment with who we are as Alaska Native people and our values,” he explained. “These days, visitors don’t want to jump off a cruise ship and see Diamonds International — they want a truly authentic experience.”

Dick said sharing culture with cruise visitors, and financially strengthening the Native corporation, has led to a cultural revitalization among the Huna Tlingit, including the language. He suggested other Alaska towns hoping to improve their economies with tourism might look to Icy Strait Point as a model.

Environmental issues

The concerns : When environmentalists talk about cruise, they focus on two forms of pollution: emissions (what goes into the air) and discharge (what goes into the ocean).

On discharge : “Look, cruise lines do not have the best track record,” said Fellemen, the Port of Seattle Commission president. “Some of the largest fines ever issued for intentional discharges were issued to cruise ships. And some of that stuff was fleetwide, more a corporate practice than just a rogue captain like they tried to blame the Exxon Valdez on.”

What he’s talking about : In 2016, the U.S. government levied a $40 million penalty against Princess Cruises (owned by Carnival) for intentionally and illegally dumping oily waste into the ocean on several occasions using what was cited in the Department of Justice findings as a “magic pipe” that bypassed equipment meant to detect pollution. Princess was put on probation, then had to pay an additional $20 million in 2019 for a series of violations including more dumping, falsifying records and asking if the Coast Guard could redefine the terms of their environmental compliance plan.

Closer to home in 2019, the Carnival subsidiary Holland America leaked 22,500 gallons of untreated greywater (runoff from drains, not sewage) into Glacier Bay National Park. Holland America said it was an accident.

Discharge in Washington : Puget Sound and other Washington waters are protected by an interlocking set of discharge regulations — and since 2012, all CLIA-member cruise lines have volunteered to not discharge any greywater or sewage, treated or untreated, into Washington waters.

But they can dump “scrubber discharge.” The Port of Seattle has banned scrubber discharge while cruise ships are at berth — because the Port is the landlord — but not yet in the rest of the state’s waters.

What’s a scrubber? This is where emissions meet discharge. In an effort to reduce their air pollution, some commercial ships have installed scrubbers, which use water to “scrub” the exhaust coming out of the smokestacks. The post-scrub water is either discharged at sea or held in a sludge tank.

One of our state’s discharge rules, the “ memorandum of understanding ,” was signed in 2004 by the Port of Seattle, the state Department of Ecology and CLIA — but it’s open for amendments every three years. For this round, environmentalists have proposed an amendment banning scrubber discharge in Washington waters. Here’s the trick: All three parties to the MOU (the port, the state, the cruise lines) have to agree on an amendment before it passes. It’s not a majority vote.

Emissions : If the Port of Seattle plans to be carbon neutral by 2050, something with cruise ships has got to give.

According to its 2016 emissions inventory (its most recent), 74% of the port’s total maritime greenhouse gas emissions came from oceangoing vessels (58,537 metric tons) and 92% of those came from cruise ships — 53,625 metric tons. According to an emissions calculator from the Environmental Protection Agency, that’s the equivalent of burning 60 million pounds of coal, or the annual electricity use of 9,700 U.S. homes.

It’s a hefty chunk of emissions, but only a tiny fraction of the total. The Port’s inventory only measures emissions from cruise ships when they’re moving in Puget Sound or resting at berth — a small part of the overall journey. There aren’t official, readily available numbers for total cruise ship emissions on the Seattle-Alaska run, partly because of their international itineraries. (Some emissions data exists: The European Federation for Transport and Environment, an NGO based in Brussels, found that in 2017, Carnival ships in Europe emitted 10 times more sulfur oxide than all of Europe’s 260 million cars put together.)

“The public deserves to know what the total carbon footprint of Seattle’s cruise sector is,” said Elizabeth Burton, a climate activist with Seattle Cruise Control, “whether or not the port holds itself responsible for the whole thing.”

Citizen math : Without official numbers, climate activists and engineers are making independent calculations of their own, using publicly available information: number of ships, engine type, service speed, time at berth, etc.

Lou Browning, a principal engineering consultant with the international firm ICF, has prepared emissions inventories for over 130 ports, and has worked extensively with the EPA on transportation and emissions. He estimates a Seattle-Juneau run on the Norwegian Bliss (an average-sized vessel making an average trip) emits roughly 3,890 metric tons of greenhouse gases. Multiply that by 211 voyages from Seattle to Alaska in 2019, and you get 820,790 metric tons.

Burton, of Seattle Cruise Control, made some calculations of her own. (For what it’s worth, she’s a former University of Washington math teacher who earned her doctorate in algebraic topology.) According to her computations, greenhouse gas emissions from the six-month Seattle-Alaska cruise season in 2019 were: roughly 1.1 million metric tons from the ships and 763,192 metric tons from the flights (based on Port surveys about how cruise passengers got to Seattle) for a total of 1.89 million metric tons.

By comparison, she said, the city of Seattle’s 2018 emissions inventory listed greenhouse gas emissions for the entire city at 5.76 million metric tons. If her calculations are correct, the 2019 cruise season was equivalent to one-third of the city’s emissions for an entire year.

Burton knows her conclusions, like Browning’s, are approximations based on the currently available information. “My intention,” she said, “was to get a ballpark estimate.”

Carbon neutral by 2050 : When you ask Port officials about emissions, they mention shore power — systems that let ships plug into Seattle’s electric grid, which is cleaner than burning fossil fuels to keep the lights on and the ice cold. According to the Port, the average ship that plugs into shore power during its time in berth avoids 34 metric tons of greenhouse gases.

Of the 211 cruise vessel calls in 2019, 85 (or 40%) plugged into shore power — partly because it’s only available in two of Seattle’s three cruise berths, and partly because not all ships have the proper equipment to plug in.

How does the Port plan to be carbon neutral by 2050?

Port officials cite two main roads toward that goal. The first is electrification, including more shore power. Two cruise berths, in Smith Cove, have shore power. The third — Pier 66, just north of Pike Place Market — plans to have shore power by 2023.

The second road to carbon neutrality is trickier: Weaning ships off fossil fuels.

“The technological piece is the hardest nut to crack,” said Alex Adams, environmental program manager at the Port of Seattle. “It’s going to take a broad coalition of partnerships, research and development, and international and domestic policy to push these ships with international itineraries toward zero emissions.”

What cruise lines are doing : Cruise executives say they’re hopeful, and taking the problem seriously. “The ships of today are better than the ships of 10 years ago, and they’re far better than what they were 20 years ago,” said Sherman, the executive vice president with Norwegian.

Lutoff-Perlo, the Celebrity CEO, ticks off her cruise line’s accomplishments: eliminating single-use plastic and bottled water, meeting and exceeding regulations, using scrubbers for cleaner emissions, researching alternative fuels, building new ships to be compatible with shore power. CLIA has announced its target: a 40% reduction in industry carbon emissions (compared to 2008 emissions) by 2030.

A port commissioner’s final analysis : “Look, I didn’t come to the Port to stop the Port,” said Felleman, Port of Seattle Commission president. “Just because I don’t want an Exxon Valdez here doesn’t mean I’m going to prohibit tankers in Puget Sound. We’re in the cruise ship business, and if we’re going to be in it, I want to make it as green as we can. I’m not saying ‘go take a cruise’ — but if you are going to take a cruise, this is the place to do it.”

The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.

Cruise Industry: 100+ Statistics, Facts, and Trends [2023]

Over 32M passengers were expected to go cruising in 2020. 

Only a handful of 400 cruise ships ready to hit the water could take passengers onboard due to COVID-19.

The result? Over $60B in losses. 

So if you’d like to learn more about the cruise industry, you’ve come to the right place. 

In this data-driven roundup, we’ve compiled the most relevant and up-to-date stats and facts on the topic to help you catch the essence.

Let’s dive right in:

Top 10 Cruise Industry Stats and Facts to Know in 2023   

General cruise industry statistics & facts, wonder of the seas, working onboard a cruise ship, cruise ships: a general overview, cruise industry demographics, cruise ships pollute but are good at recycling, covid-19 impact on cruise tourism.

• The cruise industry made $18B in revenue in 2022.
• The total number of cruise ship passengers stood at 13M+ as of 2021.
• The cruise industry is expected to reach $25.1B in revenue by the end of 2023.
• The cruise industry supports over 1M jobs.
• A cruise costs an average of $214 per passenger daily. 
• The world’s fleet of cruise ships totals 430.
• US nationals made up the majority (43%) of all cruise passengers in 2021.
• US nationals made up 43% of all cruise passengers in 2021.
• The cruise industry seeks to reduce carbon emissions by 40% by 2030.
• A cruise ship emits more greenhouse gasses daily than 13M cars.
• The global revenue of cruises is set to reach $30B by 2024.
• Only 22% of cruise tickets are purchased online. Instead, 78% of the sales come from offline channels (e.g., ticket offices).
• Wonder of the Seas, owned by Royal Caribbean Group., is the world’s largest cruise ship.
• 1.7M passengers cruised to the Caribbean region in 2021.
• The US, Canada, and Mexico make up half of all cruise passengers.
• Crime rates on cruise ships are 95% lower than on land.
• Wonder of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world. It’s 1,188 feet long and 209 feet wide (362 x 64m).
• Wonder of the Seas can take up to 7K passengers and 2.3K crew members onboard.
• The Wonder of the Seas ship was ordered in 2016 and completed in 2022, with a construction cost of $1.3B.
• Wonder of the Seas has a Central Park (the first ever park at sea) with over 20K natural plants.
• The Wonder of the Seas ship has four thrusters with 7.5K horsepower each, which help it reach the cruising speed of 22 knots (25 mph).
• Wonder of the Seas has 24 bars and dining facilities.
• There are eight specially designed neighborhoods on the Wonder of the Seas ship.

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• The cruise industry provided 1.7M jobs in 2019.
• It takes 24 passengers to support one full-time job on a cruise ship.
• The cruise industry has average employee turnover rates: 25–35%.
• A cruise ship may require over 2K crew members.
• Cruise ships have a strict, military-like chain of command: officers > staff > crew members.
• 70% of cruise ship crew work in the hotel division.
• Most cruise companies (70%) hire employees via foreign agencies.
• A typical cruise ship employment form is a 6-month-long contract.
• Cruise ship crew are on call around the clock.
• An average cruise ship member in the US makes $29K annually.
• 72 new ships were manufactured in 2021.
• The average cost of building a cruise ship is $600M.
• There were 65 ocean cruise lines as of 2022.
• The three leading cruise companies made 85% of the global revenue in 2021.
• Only 11% of cruise ships can accommodate more than 4K passengers.
• Most cruise ships (32%) can take 2–3K tourists onboard.
• 371 out of 430 cruise ships operated in 2022.
• Here’s a look at the highest-rated cruise lines:
• The cruise ship’s passenger capacity is projected to reach over 38M in 2027.
• The average age of a cruise ship is 14.
• The world’s longest cruise ship (~1,188 ft or 362m) is just 6.5 ft (2m) longer than the fifth longest ship (853 ft or 260m).
• Royal Caribbean has all five longest cruise ships in its fleet.
• The most expensive cruise ships are Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. The former cost 1.5B to build, and the latter’s price tag was 1.4B.
• Here’s a breakdown of the world’s largest cruise ships:
• 57% of cruisers are college graduates.
• 83% of cruise passengers are married. 
• Cruisers spend around $385 in the port city before boarding a ship.
• During a typical cruise, passengers spend an average of $750 per person in port cities.
• Cruise passengers are 47 years old, on average.
• 85% of Millennials plan to cruise in the future, compared to 82% of Gen Xers and 79% of Gen Zers.
• Eight in 10 cruisers are likely to book their next vacation on a cruise ship.
• ~70% of cruisers are willing to board a cruise ship next year.
• Almost 60% of people who have never cruised say they are likely to cruise in the next few years.
• 70% of cruisers have an annual household income greater than $80K.
• 17% of Americans have cruised at least once.
• Most cruisers (77%) travel with a spouse.
• 30% of cruise passengers travel mainly with under-aged children.
• A quarter of cruisers generally travel with friends.
• A 3K-person cruise ship generates an average of 150K gallons (567 liters) of sewage per week.
• Cruise ships dump as much as 1B gallons (3.7B liters) of bacteria, heavy metals, and nutrients into the sea yearly.
• Here’s an overview of the waste produced by a 3K-passenger cruise ship during one week voyage:
• The cruise line industry dumps 285K gallons (1M liters) of wastewater into the sea every day.
• 75% of solid waste is incinerated on cruise ships, and the ash is typically discharged at sea.
• 24% of the solid waste generated by all ships comes from cruise ships.
• Cruise ships recycle 60% more waste daily than people on land.
• Cruise lines recycle 80K tons of paper, plastic, aluminum, and glass each year.
• The global revenue from cruises dropped by 88% in 2020.
• The cruise industry made just $3B in 2020 compared to 27B in 2019.
• The revenue growth in the cruise market is expected to plateau at 3% by 2026.
• The number of cruise passengers globally dropped by 84% in 2020.
• The cruise industry expected to carry 32M passengers in 2020.
• The number of ocean cruise passengers stood at 7M in 2020.
• Only 5M people went ocean cruising in 2021.
• The number of cruise passengers from North America dropped from 15M in 2019 to 3M in 2020.
• In 2021, the cruise industry declined by 25% compared to 2020.
• In the Middle East, the number of cruise passengers declined by 92% in 2020, followed by a 160% increase in 2021. 
• In North America, the number of cruise passengers dropped by 80% in 2020 and continued to decline by another 25% in 2021.
• Leading cruise companies saw a 90% drop in revenue in 2021 compared to 2019.
• Here’s a look at the net income of the largest cruise companies between 2019 and 2021:
• The cruise industry’s economic contribution in 2019 was $154B.
• In 2020, the economic contribution of the cruise industry dropped by 59% to $63B.
• Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, cruise industry-supported jobs shrank by 50%.
• The number of cruise passengers will surpass the 2019 levels by 2024.

Stacking It All Up

There you have it.

A comprehensive list of cruise industry statistics, facts, and trends to help you better understand the market and its direction.

Was there a statistic you found particularly surprising? Or maybe there are other cruising stats you’d like to see?

Let us know in the comments.

Is the cruise industry growing?

Before 2019, the cruise industry had a 3–5% yearly growth, but in 2020, the market saw a drop of over 80% due to COVID. In 2021, the market got back on track, seeing a 300% increase in revenue and 50% in passenger numbers.

How big is the cruise line industry?

There are over 60 ocean cruise lines, operating a total of 430 ships. In 2019 (before coronavirus), these cruises brought $27B in revenue. By the end of 2023, that number is expected to reach $25B.  

Who are the biggest players in the cruise industry?

Three companies made 85% of the total revenue in the cruise industry in 2021. These are Carnival Cruise ( 45%) , Royal Caribbean Group ( 25% ), and Norwegian Cruise Line ( 15% ).

What’s the #1 cruise line in the world?

Carnival Cruise Lines is the #1 cruise line in the world in terms of revenue ( $12.168B ). However, Royal Caribbean has five of the world’s largest cruise ships in its fleet.

How much money does the cruise industry make?

The cruise industry made $18B in revenue in 2022. It’s also set to reach $30B by 2024. 

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• Statista, “Net Income of Carnival Corporation & Plc Worldwide from 2008 to 2021”
• Statista, “Net Income of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Worldwide from 2011 to 2021”
• Statista, “Net Income of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Worldwide from 2007 to 2021”
• Statista, “Number of Ocean Cruise Passengers Worldwide from 2009 to 2021”
• Statista, “Number of Ocean Cruise Passengers Worldwide from 2019 to 2021, by Region”
• Statista, “Percentage Change in Revenue of Leading Cruise Companies Worldwide during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic in 2020 and 2021”
• Statista, “Revenue Growth of the Cruise Industry Worldwide from 2018 to 2026”
• Statista, “Revenue of the Cruise Industry Worldwide from 2017 to 2026”
• Statista, “Revenue Share of Sales Channels of the Global Cruise Industry from 2017 to 2026”
• Statista, “Worldwide Market Share of Leading Cruise Companies in 2021”
• Statista, “Year-Over-Year Percentage Change in Cruise Passengers during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic Worldwide in 2020 and 2021, by Source Region”
• Wander Eat Write, “What Working on Cruise Ships Is Really Like: Pros & Cons”
• Wikipedia, “Environmental Effects of Shipping”
• Wikipedia, “List of Cruise Lines”
• Wikipedia, “List of Largest Cruise Ships”
• Wikipedia, “Wonder of the Seas”

Adam is an SEO & Digital PR writer with a child’s curiosity about the surrounding world. His superpower to dig out juicy facts got him citations in Forbes, Social Media Today, and 90+ other news outlets. Adam enjoys snapping pictures and won the national Huawei Next Image Award.

The Cruise Industry Is Back—and Breaking Pre-Pandemic Travel Records

A s people around the world followed the early spread of COVID-19 on a Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined off Yokohama, Japan in February 2020, the cruise industry began to spiral. ”Up until COVID hit, they were having record numbers of sales,” Richard Simms, staff writer for Cruise Radio, says of the cruise lines. But then, “for a while, they became the unattractive face of COVID.”

The pandemic sent the cruise industry into a 15-month shutdown. But it has gradually recovered in the time since—now ships are fully back in business, with new protocols in place. The Cruise Lines International Association forecasts that the number of passengers this year will surpass 2019 numbers—with an anticipated 31.5 million passengers embarking on cruises in 2023.

For a time, protocols included working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to come up with industry-wide standards, such as vaccination requirements and testing. But last summer, the CDC ended their COVID-19 program for cruise ships, leaving individual cruise liners to determine their own protocols around mitigating cases.

However, cruises are still required to report outbreaks to the CDC, as they do with norovirus—which has come to be associated with cruise ships due to health officials tracking the virus’ spread on ships. Major cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Princess, have dropped their vaccine requirements for most cruises, with a few exceptions (such as some Carnival cruises longer than 16 days, and some cruises departing from Australia).

Aside from that, dining rooms are more spaced out, and people are less likely to squeeze into an elevator, but overall, “it really feels back to normal on board,” says Simms.

For those still hesitant, Simms notes that many lines are investing in a “ship within a ship” concept, like “The Haven” from Norwegian , where travelers can pay a premium for more secluded amenities like a pool, bar, and dining area. “Those were always popular before the pandemic, but I think they might be even more popular now because you’re removed from the rest of the ship,” he says. “You’re in an area where you have limited contact unless you choose to go outside of it. You feel an extra bubble of protection.”

Simms says cruise lines have returned all ships to service, and many have plans to expand to attract younger customers and first-time cruisers. “A good sign for the future of the industry is how many new ships are in the works,” says Simms. “The industry knows it can recover.”

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It’s full steam ahead for the cruise ship industry after Royal Caribbean hiked its full-year profit guidance on Thursday, saying it expects 60% growth from last year following record bookings during the first quarter.

Travelers are paying “record ticket prices,” according to Royal Caribbean — despite a recent spate of high-sea deaths and missing passengers reports, including a Florida 20-year-old who jumped off a Royal Caribbean cruise this month.

Soaring demand for vacations at sea has given cruise operators ample room to raise ticket prices as the industry looks to close the pricing gap between more expensive land-based holidays and give their profits a lift.

Royal Caribbean, which operates the Celebrity Cruises, now expects annual profits of between $10.70 and $10.90 per share, compared with its earlier forecast of $9.90 to $10.10.

“Our existing fleet along with our new ships continue to perform exceptionally well, highlighted by the market response to the launch of Icon of the Seas,” CEO Jason Liberty said.

Royal Caribbean’s shares — which have spiked 126% in the past year, were up 2% on Thursday morning, to $139.32.

“I remember owning the stock in 2022 and every client was giving me grief about it,” said Peter Ahluwalia, manager at Belinvest Global Equity Fund that holds Royal Caribbean stocks and chief investment officer at Swiss Partners Group. “We’re turning almost 45% return on equity at the moment, which is quite incredible.”

Overall, the industry which was among the hardest hit during the pandemic, is expected to grow to 39.4 million passengers in 2027 from 31.7 million last year, according to Statista.

The surge in demand comes amid major publicity blows from incidents at sea involving passengers who have gone missing, including the Florida man who jumped overboard on April 4 in front of his brother and father after a night of drinking.

Last December, a 41-year-old Royal Caribbean passenger went overboard on a cruise to the Bahamas. That followed an incident last August involving a 64 year-old woman sailing from Singapore to Malaysia on Royal Caribbean who is presumed to have jumped to her death .

On average, 19 people go overboard on cruise ships every year — and of those, only about four are rescued, according to a 2020 study commissioned by the industry trade group Cruise Lines International Association.

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Royal Caribbean Earnings Tick All the Boxes. The Stock Is Sailing Higher.

R oyal Caribbean stock sailed higher Thursday after the cruise operator beat earnings expectations and hiked full-year profit guidance.

Everything is going well for the company—demand is strong, pricing is high, and passengers are spending more and more onboard its voyages.

The cruise operator reported adjusted earnings of $1.77 a share, sailing better than analysts’ expectations of $1.33. Revenue of $3.7 billion came in slightly above expectations.

But Royal Caribbean’s guidance hike provides the really good news for the stock. The company now expects full-year earnings of between $10.70 and $10.90 a share, up from a range of $9.90 to $10.10.

“Demand for our leading brands and the incredible experiences they deliver continues to be very robust, resulting in outperformance in the first quarter, a further increase of full year earnings guidance, and 60% expected earnings growth year over year,” CEO Jason Liberty said.

The shares rose 1.8% in early trading.

Royal Caribbean needed to calm market jitters with its earnings, and it seems to have done just that Thursday. Cruise stocks have pulled back in recent weeks and Mizuho analyst Ben Chaiken, who rates Royal Caribbean a Buy, said there’s been a broader fear of price deceleration in the industry. He countered that by noting that trends in the cruise industry were better than expected, and stronger than other areas of the travel sector.

The company appeared to debunk that particular theory for the time being as it flagged record ticket pricing in an update on bookings.

It was a bumper 2023 for the cruise industry as international travel demand surged after Covid-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted, but Royal Caribbean has even greater expectations for 2024.

The stock was the one of the best-performing in the S&P 500 last year—its 162% jump was only bettered by Nvidia and Meta Platforms. However, Royal Caribbean is having a tougher year than last.

The company’s second full-year guidance hike in three months has helped matters—the stock was 11% down in 2024 before its outlook was raised in February. The shares have gained 5.6% up for the year as of Wednesday’s close.

Its peers have struggled more, Carnival has fallen 19% this year and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings has declined 3.2%.

Royal Caribbean has faced choppier waters so far in 2024 but Thursday’s earnings could lead to the smoother sailing ahead.

Write to Callum Keown at [email protected]

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Most people spend 8 to 10 hours per day sitting at a desk or commuting to a run-of-the-mill day job close to where they grew up. Why not buck the trend and pursue a job on a cruise ship? That’s right: trade the office environment for an international adventure!

There are more job opportunities than you think! The largest cruise lines operate fleets ranging from 2 or 3 ships to more than 20. And luxury cruise liners need between 500 and 1,200 crewmembers to take care of the ship and its passengers. From bartenders and activity staff to dining room and hotel staff, cruise lines need the widest variety of people.

Explore the industry right here on JobMonkey. We’ve given you access to helpful information ranging from an industry primer to position profiles and job search tips – get started below! Also, find job openings with the industry’s top employers right here on JobMonkey.

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Cruising Kiwis: Recovery of $540m industry threatened by rising costs

Grant Bradley

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The number of New Zealanders taking cruise holidays has surged to more than 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels but the recovery of the industry in this region is threatened by soaring costs.

New data released today by Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) show that 86,300 New Zealanders took an ocean cruise during 2023, the first full year of cruise operations in this region.

The result is down on the 106,300 New Zealanders who sailed in 2019, but in line with the cruise recovery seen in other parts of the world.

“New Zealand was among the last countries to reopen to cruising, but New Zealanders began heading back to sea in significant numbers once ships returned,” said CLIA managing director in Australasia Joel Katz.

And by the final quarter of 2023, the number of New Zealanders cruising had pushed ahead of the same quarter of 2019, suggesting demand is on track for recovery.

CLIA’s 2023 Source Market Report for New Zealand shows a clear preference for close-to-home itineraries during 2023, with 77 per cent of Kiwis cruising in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

Just over a quarter (25.1 per cent) chose itineraries within New Zealand.

Katz said the recovery was threatened by rising port and regulatory costs being imposed in what was already a “challenging” region for the industry.

The number of port visits could drop by up to 25 per cent in some places, according to published scheduling data.

During the season just ended there were about 1100 port visits involving about 350,000 passengers. Although new figures were still being calculated, based on pre-pandemic data, the economic contribution was estimated at $540 million.

“New Zealand is moving backwards in terms of deployment, and that is driven by high port costs and the the regulatory complexity of operating in the region,“ Katz said.

“It is putting continued growth under pressure. While we know the demand is recovering well, we are concerned that the supply is contracting.“

New Zealand is a highly sought-after cruise destination and Kiwis have shown a passion for cruising in their own back yard, but it is important that the right settings are in place to ensure New Zealand is internationally competitive.

“Collaboration among government, ports and destinations is vital, along with balanced regulation and reasonable costs to fostering a thriving cruise economy in New Zealand.”

New Zealand Cruise Association chief executive Jacqui Lloyd said none of the cruise lines appeared to be leaving this country but some were doing fewer port calls or they were using smaller ships.

She said cruise companies could understand price rises from ports or agencies in line with inflation but questioned increases above that, especially when they were imposed at just six months’ notice. Booking cycles for cruises could be up to two years, meaning the companies had to absorb costs not budgeted for.

Katz said cruise holidays were perceived as good value as the cost of others had soared following the pandemic. Passengers liked the certainty of knowing how much their holiday would cost.

New data was being worked on to calculate the value.

Passenger profile

The association figures also show a fall in the average age of New Zealand passengers. The average age of a New Zealand cruiser was 49.3 years in 2023, down from 52.4 years in 2019.

· The average duration of an ocean cruise taken by New Zealanders in 2023 was 9.2 days, slightly down from 9.6 days in 2019, reflecting an increase in short itineraries offered by cruise lines.

· The most popular cruise destination for New Zealanders in 2023 was the Pacific (39.1 per cent), followed by New Zealand (25.1 per cent), Australia (12.8 per cent), the Western Mediterranean (3.6 per cent), Alaska (3.1 per cent), Asia (2.9 per cent), and the Caribbean (2.3 per cent).

· The number of New Zealanders cruising within New Zealand was up 5.5 per cent from 2019 to 66,400.

· Worldwide, a record 31.7 million people took an ocean cruise during 2023, breaking the previous global record of 29.7 million in 2019.

Port calls in NZ

2023/24 schedule

205 voyages

1102 booked port calls - 58 cancellations (mainly for weather) = 1044

Preliminary 24/25 schedule

178 voyages

905 port calls

(Some more are expected to come)

Grant Bradley has been working at the Herald since 1993. He is the Business Herald’s deputy editor and covers aviation and tourism

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Telenor Maritime and AT&T Ink New Roaming Deal

• April 25, 2024

Telenor Maritime and AT&T announced the International Day Pass (IDP), a new mobile package for cruise and ferry passengers, offering affordable connectivity at sea.

Cruise IDP allows passengers to use their phones and stay connected just as they do on land, with packages at a fixed, affordable and daily rate, the company said in a statement.

“We are excited to introduce this revolutionary roaming product, in partnership with AT&T,” said Håkon Berdal, commercial roaming manager at Telenor Maritime.

“This initiative underscores our unwavering commitment to enhancing the passenger experience by providing seamless connectivity solutions that transcend the boundaries of traditional maritime communication.”

Telenor Maritime’s mobile network spans over 280 ships globally and caters to millions of passengers daily.

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