42 Cruise Industry Statistics and Facts For 2025

The cruise industry has bounced back in a remarkable way since the pandemic brought ships to a standstill in 2020 and 2021. After record-breaking growth in 2022 and 2023, the momentum kept building through 2024, with more passengers and new ships than ever before.

In this updated 2025 guide, you’ll find the latest cruise industry statistics – plus plenty of surprising facts you probably didn’t know. From eye-opening passenger numbers to quirky behind-the-scenes details, these stats reveal just how far the industry has come and where it’s heading next.

2025 Cruise Industry Statistics

1. The Cruise Market Soared in 2024

Cruising didn’t just bounce back after the pandemic – it smashed records. In 2024, around 34.6 million people set sail, beating the 2023 figure of 31.7 million and comfortably topping pre-2020 levels.

That means more people cruised last year than ever before, and it’s not slowing down either – forecasts suggest nearly 38 million passengers will take a cruise in 2025.

So, if you felt like ships were busier than usual on your last holiday, you weren’t imagining it – cruising is officially more popular than ever.

2. Royal Caribbean Likely Carried the Most Passengers Again in 2024

Royal Caribbean has been the busiest cruise line in recent years, carrying over six million guests in 2023 – more than any other single brand. While the full 2024 passenger numbers haven’t been released yet, early reports show another record-breaking year, so it’s very likely Royal Caribbean held onto the top spot.

That said, Carnival Corporation (which includes Carnival Cruise Line, Costa, Princess, AIDA, Holland America, and P&O) still dominates when you combine all of its brands. In previous years, the Group carried millions more guests in total than Royal Caribbean, and 2024 is expected to follow the same pattern once the final figures are published.

3. 10 New Cruise Ships Were Delivered in 2024

(CLIA)

The new cruise ships delivered in 2024 are shown in the following table…

Cruise Line	Ship	Cost (millions)	Capacity
Princess	Sun Princess	$1,000	4,300
Virgin Voyages	Brilliant Lady	$795	2,770
Cunard	Queen Anne	$600	3,000
TUI Cruises	Mein Schiff 7	$625	2,900
Silversea	Silver Ray	$600	728
Royal Caribbean	Utopia	$1,300	5,714
Ritz-Carlton	Ilma	$350	456
Explora Journeys	Explora II	$600	922
Disney	Disney Treasure	$900	2,500
Viking Ocean	Viking Vela	$400	998

Note: CLIA data doesn’t include Icon of the Seas, as although it officially entered service in January 2024, it was delivered in December 2023. Some sources list it as a 2024 ship for this reason.

4. Another 13 Cruise Ships Will Launch in 2025

(CLIA)

In 2025, 13 new cruise ships will be launched.

The ships due to be delivered in 2025 are:

Cruise Line	Cruise Ship	Capacity	Launch
TUI Cruises	Mein Schiff Relax	4,000	March 2025
Norwegian Cruise Line	Aqua	3,571	March 2025
MSC Cruises	World America	5,400	April 2025
Asuka/NYK	Asuka III	744	July 2025
Oceania	Allura	1,200	July 2025
Viking Ocean	Viking Vesta	998	July 2025
Ritz-Carlton	Luminara	456	July 2025
Royal Caribbean	Star of the Seas	5,610	August 2025
Princess Cruises	Star Princess	4,300	October 2025
Sunstone²	Douglas Mawson	186	October 2025 TBC
Celebrity Cruises	Xcel	3,260	November 2025
Disney	Destiny	2,500	November 2025
Windstar	Star Seeker	224	December 2025

5. LNG Is Powering More New Cruise Ships

(CLIA)

The cruise industry is making big strides in cleaning up its fuel. Right now, 19 ships are powered primarily by liquefied natural gas (LNG) – that’s about 7% of ships and 13% of global capacity. LNG burns much cleaner than traditional marine diesel, virtually eliminating sulphur and cutting particulates, though there are still challenges like methane slip to solve.

For the ships that don’t use LNG, cruise lines are relying on exhaust gas cleaning systems (scrubbers), which strip around 98% of sulphur from emissions and dramatically reduce particulates.

Here’s a full list of all of the LNG-powered cruise ships currently sailing and under construction.

6. Onshore Power Supply Helps Cut Cruise Ship Emissions in Port

One of the biggest green steps for cruising is the roll-out of shore power (also called Onshore Power Supply, or OPS). This technology lets ships plug into the local electricity grid while docked, so they can switch off their engines completely instead of burning fuel at berth. It’s a major win for reducing air pollution in busy port cities.

Currently, 147 ships (61% of global cruise capacity) are already shore-power capable. On the port side, 33 cruise ports have at least one OPS-enabled berth, with another 24 funded and 18 more in planning or consideration. The numbers are growing fast, and each new connection means cleaner air for communities that welcome cruise ships.

Cruise Ship Statistics

7. There Are Nearly 370 Cruise Ships in the World Right Now

According to Cruise Market Watch, the worldwide ocean cruise capacity at the end of 2025 will reach around 704,200 passengers across 370 ships.

CLIA reports a smaller number – 310 ocean-going ships – because it only counts vessels operated by its member lines. That figure is up from 303 in 2024 and 298 in 2023, reflecting steady growth as new ships join and only a few older ones leave the fleet.

Even so, cruising remains a tiny part of the wider maritime world, representing less than 1% of all commercial ships. For context, around a quarter of the world’s ships are cargo vessels, carrying goods instead of holidaymakers.

So while 370 cruise ships may sound impressive, it’s still a very small slice of the global shipping industry – just a far more glamorous one.

8. There Are More Than 50 Cruise Lines in the World

(CLIA, Maritime Executive)

There are now over 50 cruise lines operating worldwide – from the big mainstream names to boutique luxury and expedition brands.

The most notable additions in 2024 were Explora Journeys, MSC’s new luxury line, which launched its second ship, and the comeback of Crystal Cruises, revived under new ownership after its collapse in 2022.

With fresh players entering the market and older names making a return, there’s more choice than ever for cruisers – whether you’re after a mega-ship resort at sea or an intimate yacht-style voyage.

9. Titanic II Was Announced (Again) – But Still No Ship

(Business Insider and Forbes)

Australian businessman Clive Palmer made headlines in 2024 when he revived his ambitious plan to build Titanic II, a near-exact replica of the ill-fated liner. The $500 million project promises modern navigation and safety systems – and yes, enough lifeboats this time.

Palmer claimed construction would begin in 2025, with a maiden voyage pencilled in for 2027. But so far, no shipyard has been confirmed, and the project doesn’t appear on any official newbuild order books.

So while Titanic II keeps making the news, it remains firmly in the “wait and see” category – more of a dream than a ship you can actually book right now.

You can learn more about Titanic II in this video…

Suggested read: How big was the Titanic compared to modern cruise ships?

10. The First Cruise Ships Had Cows on Board To Provide Fresh Milk

(Associated Press, Cunard)

Cunard is one of the oldest cruise lines with a history dating back to 1840. On the earliest cruises, cows were kept on board to supply fresh milk before being slaughtered and eaten on the final day of the voyage.

These days, over 40,000 pints of milk are brought onto a cruise ship for a two-week cruise. To produce that amount of milk in two weeks would require 25 dairy cows.

11. 2024 Saw the New ‘Biggest Cruise Ship in the World’

In early 2024, Royal Caribbean’s ship Icon of the Seas made it’s maiden voyage as the biggest cruise ship in the world.

Unlike previous new ‘biggest ship’ launches such as Wonder of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas, this is not a minor increase within the same class. This is a brand new Icon Class, which is significantly larger.

The previous biggest ship launched in 2022, and that was Wonder of the Seas. She had an internal volume of 236,857 gross tons and a maximum passenger capacity of 6,988.

Icon of the Seas exceeds those stats by some way, with a volume of 248,663 gross tons and a maximum passenger capacity of 7,600.

She really is iconic.

Read more: Icon of the Seas Size Comparison

12. The Most Expensive Cruise Ship is Icon of the Seas

(Statista)

Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas was the most expensive cruise ship in terms of production costs, coming in at around two billion U.S. dollars.  Before Icon, the title was held by Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas. These virtually identical ships each cost around $1.4 billion when they were built in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

Suggested read: How Much Does A Cruise Ship Cost To Build?

13. The Average Cruise Duration Is Seven Days

(CLIA)

The average cruise duration is 7.1 days. Travellers sailing from Europe and Australasia tend to take the longest cruises, and travellers sailing from Asia and younger guests sailing from the Middle East and Arabian Peninsula take the shortest cruises.

Nearly half of all cruisers said they intend to take a longer cruise this year than the cruise they took last year, so we can expect this number to rise in the future.

Cruise Port and Destination Statistics

14. There Are More Than 2,000 Cruise Ports to Explore

(CruiseMapper)

CruiseMapper has a database of 2,375 cruise ports. 687 of these are river ports and 1,688 are ocean ports.

Most cruise ports can only accommodate ships of a certain size – the smaller ones are only accessible by smaller cruise ships.

15. The World’s Busiest Cruise Port Is Port Miami

(Port Miami)

Port Miami is the Cruise Capital of the World, achieving its highest-ever cruise passenger total of 8,233,056 travellers in 2024. The Port experienced a 12.79% increase in cruise passenger totals compared to its previous record of 7,299,294 passengers in 2023. 

16. The Most Popular Destination is the Caribbean

(CLIA)

In 2024, out of a total of 34.64 million passengers, 14.98 million cruised to the Caribbean, Bahamas or Bermuda.

The second most popular destination was the Mediterranean with 5.77 million.

Destination	Number of Passengers in 2024	Percentage Difference vs 2023
Caribbean/Bahamas/Bermuda	14.98M	+17.1%
Mediterranean	5.77M	+5.8%
Non-Med Europe	3.04M	+2.0%
Asia + China	2.60M	+1.5%
Alaska	1.71M	+3.8%
NA West Coast/Mexico/California/Pacific Coast	1.33M	-7.7%
Australia/NZ/Pacific	1.33M	+3.8%
South America / Panama Canal	1.05M	-2.8%
Africa/Middle East	517.9K	-3.9%
Exploration (Antarctic/Arctic/Galapagos/ Greenland/Iceland/North Cape)	387.5K	+21.6%

Cruise Passenger Statistics

17. Cruise Passengers Are Getting Younger

(CLIA)

Worldwide, the average age of a cruise passenger is now 46.5, with 36% of all travellers being under the age of 40.

The average age of cruise passengers from the UK and Ireland has fallen to 54.3 years, which is down from 55.1 in 2023 and 57 in 2019.

Age of Passenger in Years	Percentage of Overall Cruise Passengers
Under 20	16%
20-39	20%
40-49	14%
50-59	17%
60-69	18%
70+	15%

18. Cruises Continue to be a Top Choice for Multi-Generational Travellers

(CLIA)

The latest figures show that 28% of cruise travellers cruise with three to five generations.

Baby Boomers love to cruise. Boomers are the wealthiest retiring generation in history, and they love to travel. Boomers are spending $157 billion annually on travel, and Grandparents are using the wealth they have built up over the years and investing it in experiences with those they love.

Suggested Read: This is The Perfect Cruise for Kids AND Grandparents

19. Over Half of All Cruise Passengers Reside in North America

(CLIA)

In 2024, 34.64 million people went on a cruise. Almost 60% of these cruise passengers were from North America. 23% from Europe, 11% from Asia & Oceania and 3% from South America.

The following table shows the number of cruise passengers in 2024 based on where they live:

Region of residence	Number of Passengers	% change since 2019
North America	20.53 million	+17.5%
Europe	8.44 million	+6.5%
Asia and Oceania	4.03 million	-20.8%
South America	1.17 million	+3.8%

20. Cruisers Keep Coming Back – and Bringing Friends

(CLIA)

According to CLIA, the love for cruising just keeps growing. A huge 82% of people who’ve already been on a cruise said they’ll definitely cruise again – talk about loyalty!

It’s not just seasoned cruisers either. Among people who’ve never cruised before, 68% of international travellers say they’re thinking about taking their very first cruise.

In addition to this, 31% of passengers that took cruises over the past two years were brand-new to cruising.

If you’re wondering what influences newbies to try a cruise, CLIA reports that friends and family have the highest influence on a decision to cruise. 87% higher than any other
factor, including influencers or groups.

21. Cruisers Are More Satisfied Than Other Travellers

(CLIA)

American Travel Agents were asked ‘On a scale of 1 to 5, what vacation type leads to high satisfaction for your clients?’. These are the results.

Type of Holiday	Satisfaction Score
Ocean Cruise	4.2
River Cruise	4.0
All-Inclusive Resort	3.7
Resort/Hotel Package	3.4
Other	2.9

22. Cruise Holidays Are Experiencing Higher Growth Than Any Other Travel Segment

(CLIA)

In the same survey, American Travel Agents were asked which travel segments are increasing the most. Ocean cruises came out on top, with 52% of the vote.

Ocean Cruise	52%
River Cruise	20%
All-Inclusive Resort	16%
Land-Based Vacation	5%
House Rental	3%
Land-Based Escorted Tour	1%
Resort Package	1%
Ultra-Luxury Holiday	1%
Resort Non-Package	0%

23. Once Is Never Enough!

(CLIA)

More and more people just can’t stop at one cruise a year. In 2024, 14% of cruisers sailed twice – up from 12% the year before. A lucky 11% managed three to five cruises in a single year, compared with 10% in 2023. Clearly, one cruise is never enough once you’ve caught the bug!

24. The Luxury Cruise Travel Market Has Tripled Since 2010

(CLIA)

In the last 14 years, the cruise market has seen nearly threefold growth in the number of ships offering luxury experiences.

Back in 2010, there were only 28 ships in the global luxury fleet. By 2024, that number had climbed to a whopping 97, with even more scheduled to launch in 2025 and beyond.

Based on current trends, it is projected that by 2028, 1.5 million cruise travellers will choose
a luxury cruise experience

25. Travel Agents Are Key to Our Cruise Experience

(CLIA)

79% of cruisers state that Travel agents have a meaningful influence on their decision to cruise, with the main driver being the agent’s knowledge and experience.

Net promoter (customer satisfaction) scores are consistently higher when cruise travellers book their holiday with a professional travel agent, showing that travel agents remain a critical link in matching cruisers with the right ship, itinerary, and experience.

Suggested read: Online, Phone or In Person: The Best Way to Book Your Next Cruise

Cruise Tourism: Its Impact Now and In the Future

26. In 2023, the Global Economic Impact from Cruising Was the Highest on Record

Cruising reached record-breaking levels in 2023, generating a total economic impact of $168.6 billion worldwide. This represents a significant rise from previous years.

Year	Total Economic Output (in billions USD)
2019	$154.4
2021	$74.7
2022	$137.6
2023	$168.6

27. Cruising Creates Millions of Jobs Worldwide

in 2023, the cruise industry supported 1.6 million jobs, paying out $56.9 billion in wages, and contributing $85.6 billion to global GDP.

With 31.7 million ocean-going passengers, that works out to one job supported for every 20 cruisers – clear proof of cruising’s powerful role in the global economy.

28. Cruise Passengers Boost Local Economies, Even Before They Actually Cruise

(CLIA)

In 2024, 60% of cruise passengers stayed in port for at least one night before their cruise, and 54% stayed for a night or more afterwards. In 2023, the average spend per person during this pre-cruise stay was $385 on accommodation, dining, and transport.

Once onboard, passengers continue to support local businesses, spending an average of $96 in each port they visit during their cruise.

Cruise Safety Statistics

29. The Biggest Threat to Cruise Ship Safety Is Fire

While cruise ships are among the safest ways to travel, fire is still considered the most significant safety risk at sea. Modern ships are designed to detect and contain fires quickly. According to Carnival, a typical cruise ship has approximately 3,500 smoke detectors, with alarms installed in every guest and crew cabin, as well as all public and storage areas. Cruise lines also train crew regularly in fire drills to make sure any incident can be controlled quickly.

30. The Risk of Violent Crime on a Cruise Ship Is 95% Lower Than on Land

(CLIA)

A study of four years of violent crime data by renowned criminologist Dr James Alan Fox showed that the rate of violent crime on a cruise ship is 23.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 508 per 100,000 people in a typical city in the United States.

Suggested read: How Safe Are Cruise Ships?

31. Most Cruise Ships Have Jails, Hospitals and Morgues on Board

Cruise ships need to be prepared for every eventuality. Cruise ship jails, hospitals and morgues will be found in the lower decks, away from the majority of passengers. Depending on the size of the cruise ship, the morgue usually holds three to six bodies.

Suggested read: Inside a Cruise Ship Morgue: What Really Happens at Sea

32. Many Cruise Ships Have Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Meetings on Board

As cruise ships have an abundance of alcohol on board, people suffering from addictions sometimes worry about being able to practice abstinence on board.

For this reason, many cruise ships have Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings on a daily basis. You’ll see these on the cruise daily schedule as ‘Friends of Bill W’ or ‘FOB’.

Bill Wilson is the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Friends of Bill meetings on cruise ships may also be attended by members of similar support groups such as Overeaters Anonymous (OA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA).

33. Pirates Still Exist (But Don’t Panic!)

Most of us picture pirates from old movies – swords, eye patches, walking the plank, but the threat from piracy is still very real. Over the past 20 years, only a handful of pirate attempts have been reported, so they are rare when it comes to cruise ships, but they do happen.

One standout case: in 2005, pirates attacked the Seabourn Spirit with machine guns and rockets off the Somali coast. Bold move – but luckily it didn’t work.

Cruising is still one of the safest ways to travel – but in high-risk zones, ships follow strict security protocols.

Weird Cruise Facts

34. The Church of Scientology Has Its Own Cruise Ship

(Scientology)

The Freewinds is a 540-passenger cruise ship belonging to the Church of Scientology. It is staffed by an unpaid crew known as the Sea Org and sails out of Curaçao. The church describes the cruise ship as ‘the pinnacle of a deeply spiritual journey’.

35. Not All Cruise Ship Weddings Are Legally Recognised

(World of Cruising)

Cruise ship weddings may be legally binding or just symbolic. If you want your cruise ship wedding to count as a legal marriage, you’ll need to choose a cruise ship that was registered in a country where the law allows marriages onboard a cruise ship. 

Options for legally-binding cruise ship weddings include P&O Cruises, Cunard and Princess Cruises (which have ships registered in Bermuda), Celebrity Cruises (on ships registered in Malta) and Royal Caribbean (on ships registered in the Bahamas).

Suggested read: Why Do Cruise Ships Register In The Bahamas?

36. The Big X on Celebrity Cruises’ Ship Funnels Isn’t the Letter X

Each Celebrity Cruises ship has a big letter X on the funnel. While you may think that this is the letter X, it’s actually the Greek letter Chi, and it stands for Chandris, which is the group that founded Celebrity Cruises in 1988. 

Read more: Why Celebrity Cruise ship funnels have a letter X

37. You Can Bring Your Dog or Cat on a Cruise

(Cunard)

Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 is the only cruise ship that allows passengers to bring their pet dogs and cats on board. This ship has 24 kennels, space to play, and it even has lampposts and fire hydrants for dogs to relieve themselves.

Service dogs such as guide dogs for visually impaired people and hearing dogs for the deaf are welcome on most cruise ships.

However, certain types of working dogs, such as emotional support dogs, are not recognised as official service dogs and are not allowed on board. The rules have become stricter since people began to bring untrained pet dogs on board under the guise of being assistance dogs. 

Cat lovers may also be interested in the Meow Meow Cruise, a cat-themed cruise. Unfortunately, no cats are permitted onboard.

38. You Can See an Abandoned Cruise Ship Wreck on Google Maps

The MS World Discoverer is a cruise ship that struck a rock in the ocean off the Solomon Islands in April 2000. All passengers were transported to safety, but the ship remains there to this day, lying tipped to one side.

You can view the World Discoverer cruise ship on Google Maps here.

39. Most Cruise Ships Don’t Have a Deck 13

And yes, it’s for exactly the reason you think it is – superstition means that many cruise ships go straight from Deck 12 to Deck 14.

MSC Cruises is a little different – the number 17 is considered unlucky in Italian culture, and so instead, MSC ships often skip from Deck 16 to Deck 18.

40. There’s a Mini Water-Treatment Plant on Your Ship

A cruise ship is basically a floating city – and yes, that includes its own water filtration plant. The water you drink onboard usually comes from the ocean. The ship desalts and filters it, adds minerals, and sanitises it so it’s perfectly safe.

You can drink straight from the tap – unless you’re told otherwise – and that’s all thanks to the clever engineering behind the scenes.

41. A Cruise Ship Is Basically a Floating Ice Cream Factory

Okay, brace yourself – the amount of food going on the ship is wild. According to Royal Caribbean, for a 7-day cruise aboard a big ship, like Symphony of the Seas, you’re looking at around 60,000 eggs, 20,000 lbs of potatoes and 9,700 lbs of chicken.

But the best one, the ice cream, of course! On a 7-day cruise, 700 lbs of ice cream is devoured by guests, meaning cruise ships need to stock around 21,000 ice cream cones!

42. You Can Part-Own the Biggest Cruise Lines

Many of the biggest cruise lines in the world are public, meaning you can buy shares in them.

Not only that, but there are often rewards to owning a minimum number of shares, with perks given to you every time you cruise with that cruise line!

Read more:

• Carnival Shareholder Benefits
• Celebrity Cruise Shareholder Benefits
• Cunard Shareholder Benefits
• P&O Cruises Shareholder Benefits
• NCL Shareholder Benefits
• Royal Caribbean Shareholder Benefits

Final Word

Cruising has bounced back stronger than ever. After a cautious restart in the Summer of 2020 and steady growth through 2021 and 2022, 2023 marked one of the industry’s best years in decades.

By 2024 and into 2025, record passenger numbers and billions in economic impact have cemented cruising as a powerhouse of global travel.

With demand showing no signs of slowing, new ships launching every year, and more travellers trying their first cruise, the industry looks set to sail into its brightest chapter yet.

Sources:

• Business Insider
• CLIA
• CLIA
• CLIA
• CLIA
• CLIA
• CLIA
• CruiseMapper
• Cruise Industry News
• Cruise Market Watch
• Cunard
• Cunard
• Forbes
• Forbes
• Miami Dade County
• Scientology
• Statista
• Statista
• World of Cruising

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• You Can Live Permanently On A Cruise Ship! Here’s How Much It Costs
• Icon of the Seas vs Titanic – Size, Stats & Surprising Facts
• How Much Does a Cruise Cost? Full Price Analysis
• Want To Cruise Around The World? Here’s How Much A World Cruise Really Costs