As we know, the cruise industry took a bit of a hit from 2020 until 2021, but the recovery has been pretty remarkable. 2022 and 2023 saw the cruise market boom once again, helped by a number of new ship launches
In this updated guide, I’ve got some key cruise stats that help show you the state of the current cruise industry, including key info from the last couple of years and a preview of what’s to come in 2024.
2024 Cruise Industry Statistics
1. In 2023, the Cruise Market Recovered to Record Levels
31.7 million people enjoyed a cruise in 2023 – record levels that surpass even the numbers before the global shutdown.
According to the latest state of cruising report by the Cruise Line International Association, around 35 million passengers are expected to embark on a cruise in 2024.
2023 was the first year expected to be above 2019 passenger levels, with the industry recovering slowly from the global shutdown of 2020 – though not slow compared to some other travel industries.
2. Royal Caribbean Carried the Most Passengers of All Cruise Lines in 2023
(Individual cruise line reports)
Royal Caribbean carried more passengers than any other cruise line in 2023, with over 6 million passengers. However, the Carnival Corporation (including Carnival, Costa Cruises, Princess Cruises, AIDA, Holland America, and P&O) hasn’t yet announced its full statistics and it’s likely that the Group will have more passengers combined – it was 7.7 million in 2022.
3. 15 New Cruise Ships Were Delivered in 2023
The new cruise ships delivered in 2023 are shown in the following table…
| Cruise Line | Ship | Cost (millions) | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seabourn | Pursuit | $265 | 264 |
| Emerald | Emerald Sakara | $TBC | 100 |
| Oceania | Vista | $680 | 1,200 |
| Viking | Saturn | $400 | 930 |
| Swan Hellenic | SH Diana | $TBC | 192 |
| Explora Journeys | Explora I | $530 | 922 |
| Virgin Voyages | Resilient Lady | $710 | 2,770 |
| MSC Cruises | MSC Euribia | $850 | 4,800 |
| NCL | Norwegian Viva | $850 | 3,219 |
| Scenic Ocean Cruises | Scenic Eclipse II | $230 | 228 |
| Silversea | Silver Nova | $205 | 728 |
| Regent Seven Seas | Seven Seas Grandeur | $450 | 750 |
| Carnival | Carnival Jubilee | $950 | 6,500 |
| Celebrity | Celebrity Ascent | $900 | 3,260 |
| Adora | Magic City | $770 | 5,246 |
Learn more about the new cruise ships launched in 2023 here.
4. Another 11 Cruise Ships Will Launch in 2024
In 2024, 11 new cruise ships are currently planned, including a brand-new biggest ship ever.
The ships due to be delivered in 2024 are:
| Cruise Ship | Cruise Line | Capacity | Launch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Icon of the Seas | Royal Caribbean | 7,600 | January 2024 |
| Sun Princess | Princess Cruises | 4,300 | February 2024 |
| Brilliant Lady | Virgin Voyages | 2,700 | May 2024 TBC |
| Queen Anne | Cunard Line | 3,000 | May 2024 |
| Mein Schiff 7 | TUI Cruises | 2,900 | June 2024 |
| Silver Ray | Silversea | 728 | June 2024 |
| Utopia of the Seas | Royal Caribbean | 5,668 | July 2024 |
| Explora II | Explora Journeys | 922 | August 2024 |
| Viking Vela | Viking Ocean Cruises | 998 | December 2024 |
| Disney Treasure | Disney Cruise Line | 4,000 | December 2024 |
| Ilma | Ritz Carlton | 448 | TBC Summer 2024 |
5. More Than 50% Of All New Cruise Ships That Launched in 2022 or 2023 Are Powered by LNG Rather Than Diesel
(CLIA)
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) is the cleanest fossil fuel and it represents an excellent alternative to diesel to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and compact climate change. LNG also has virtually zero sulphur emissions.
69% of diesel-powered ships have been fitted with exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) which remove 98% of sulphur content from exhaust emissions. 96% of non-LNG new ships will have EGCS installed.
Here’s a full list of all of the LNG-powered cruise ships currently sailing and under construction.
Cruise Ship Statistics
6. In 2023 There Were Over 300 Cruise Ships in the World
It’s not clear how many cruise ships are operating right now, because some of the smaller ships don’t always operate. There were believed to be 323 cruise ships by the end of 2022 and another 15 were added in 2023, but it’s not clear how many were sold or scrapped. It’s likely to be around 320 ships sailing right now.
According to CLIA this is still under 1% of the world’s commercial fleet of ships. 25% of ships are general cargo ships.
7. There Are More Than 50 Cruise Lines in the World
(CLIA, Maritime Executive)
There were more than 50 cruise lines operating in 2024, as recognised by the Cruise Lines International Association as well as some smaller brands.
The biggest additions to the cruise line world last year were Explora Journeys – a new luxury brand operated by MSC – and Crystal Cruises, which made its return after folding in 2022.
8. An Exact Replica of the Titanic, Called Titanic II, Was Announced (Again) in 2024.
(Business Insider)
An Australian businessman has undertaken a $500 million project to build an exact replica of the Titanic cruise ship which sank in 1912.
The ship will feature modern-day navigation technology and safety systems and, unlike the original, it will have enough lifeboats and life jackets for all of the passengers.
You can learn more about Titanic II in this video…
The project was announced a long time ago, but only in early 2024 was an update given and it is still happening, though there is no timescale.
Suggested read: How big was the Titanic compared to modern cruise ships?
9. 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 on to a cruise ship for a two-week cruise. To produce that amount of milk in two weeks would require 25 dairy cows.
10. 2024 Saw The New ‘Biggest Cruise Ship in the World’
In early 2024, Royal Caribbean’s ship Icon of the Seas launched 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 250,800 gross tons and a maximum passenger capacity of 7,600.
She really is iconic.
Read more: Icon of the Seas Size Comparison
11. The Most Expensive Cruise Ships Are Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas… For Now
(Statista)
The most expensive cruise ships ever built are Royal Caribbean’s 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.
Royal Caribbean’s newest Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas, was slightly less expensive to build, with a cost of $1.3 billion.
But Icon of the Seas, that launched earlier in 2024, is estimated to have cost $2 billion. So the title may change hands very soon, once that figure is confirmed…
Suggested read: How Much Does A Cruise Ship Cost To Build?
12. The Average Cruise Duration Is Seven Days
(CLIA)
The average cruise duration is seven days. However, seven-day cruises account for only 40% of all cruises. 27% of cruises are 4-6 days in length, 15% are 8-13 days, 11% are up to 3 days and 4% are 14 days.
Cruise Port and Destination Statistics
13. There Are More Than 2,000 Cruise Ports To Explore
(CruiseMapper)
CruiseMapper has a database of 2,219 cruise ports. 587 of these are river ports and 1,632 are ocean ports.
Most cruise ports can only accommodate ships of a certain size – the smaller ones are only accessible by smaller cruise ships.
14. The World’s Busiest Cruise Port Is Port Canaveral
(Florida Ports Council)
The world’s busiest cruise port is Port Canaveral, which welcomed 6.8 million passengers in 2023 – a massive increase of over 2 million guests compared to 2022 (source).
15. The Average Cruise Passenger Spends $385 in Port Before Boarding a Cruise
(CLIA)
Most passengers will arrive in a port city at least one day before they embark on a cruise. During this time, they spend an average of $385 per person on things like accommodation, food and transport.
Passengers go on to spend an average of $100 in each port that they visit during the cruise.
16. The Preferred Destination of British and Irish Passengers Is the Mediterranean
(CLIA)
38.4% of cruises taken by British and Irish passengers were to the Mediterranean, significantly more than any other region. The second most popular destination was Northern Europe, with 29%, while 10.6% of passengers went to the Caribbean.
Of all passengers cruising anywhere in Europe in 2024, 29% came from the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Cruise Passenger Statistics
17. The Average Cruise Passenger Is 47 Years Old
(CLIA)
The average age of a cruise passenger is 46 years old. However, people in their forties make up only 15% of cruise passengers. Most cruises have a mix of all ages, from children to pensioners.
Here is the breakdown of cruisers by age:
- 12 and under – 9%
- 13 to 19 – 6%
- 20 to 29 – 9%
- 30 to 39 – 11%
- 40 to 49 – 15%
- 50 to 59 – 18%
- 60 to 69 – 19%
- 70 and over – 14%
World cruises have the oldest passengers, with an average age of 62. This is because there are few, if any, children on board and because it’s mostly retired people who can go away for 3 months at a time.
Caribbean cruises have the youngest passengers, with an average age of 43. This is because they are popular with families as well as those under 30 who like to take short party cruises from the US.
British passengers have an older average age than the global figures – it stands at 55.8 years.
We also know from the latest CLIA stats that more than a quarter of cruises taken by British and Irish guests in 2024 involved a travelling party of three or more generations. That’s a lot of people travelling with children, parents and/or grandparents (or even great-grandparents).
18. Half of All Cruise Passengers Reside in North America
(CLIA)
Around 50% of cruise passengers come from North America. 24% come from Western Europe, 15% from Asia and 11% from elsewhere.
The following table shows the number of cruise passengers in 2018 based on where they live:
| Region of residence | Number of Passengers | % of all |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 14,240,000 | 50% |
| Western Europe | 6,731,000 | 24% |
| Asia | 4,240,000 | 15% |
| Australasia | 1,460,000 | 5% |
| South America | 883,000 | 3% |
| Scandinavia | 225,000 | 1% |
| Eastern Europe | 213,000 | 1% |
| Africa | 154,000 | 1% |
| Middle East | 111,000 | 0% |
| Caribbean | 56,000 | 0% |
| Central America | 47,000 | 0% |
19. Singaporean People Like to Cruise More Than Any Other Nation
(CLIA)
Cruising is very popular in Singapore, with 6.4% of Singaporeans taking a cruise in an average year. Other nationalities which like to cruise are Australians (5.4%), Americans (4%), Hong Kongers (3.3%), Brits (2.8%), Germans (2.7%) and Canadians (2.6%).
The following table shows how many people from each country took a cruise in 2018:
| Country | Cruise passengers (2018) | Population | % of people cruising per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | 373,000 | 5,800,000 | 6.4% |
| Australia | 1,345,000 | 25,000,000 | 5.4% |
| United States | 13,091,000 | 331,000,000 | 4.0% |
| Hong Kong | 250,000 | 7,500,000 | 3.3% |
| UK & Ireland | 2,009,000 | 72,000,000 | 2.8% |
| Germany | 2,233,000 | 83,800,000 | 2.7% |
| Canada | 971,000 | 37,700,000 | 2.6% |
| New Zealand | 112,000 | 4,800,000 | 2.3% |
| Norway | 101,000 | 5,400,000 | 1.9% |
| Switzerland | 154,000 | 8,654,622 | 1.8% |
| Taiwan | 391,000 | 23,800,000 | 1.6% |
| Austria | 136,000 | 9,000,000 | 1.5% |
| Italy | 831,000 | 60,400,000 | 1.4% |
| Spain | 530,000 | 46,700,000 | 1.1% |
| France | 521,000 | 65,200,000 | 0.8% |
| Netherlands | 113,000 | 17,100,000 | 0.7% |
| Malaysia | 150,000 | 32,300,000 | 0.5% |
| Argentina | 187,000 | 45,200,000 | 0.4% |
| South Africa | 143,000 | 59,300,000 | 0.2% |
| Brazil | 510,000 | 212,500,000 | 0.2% |
| Japan | 266,000 | 126,400,000 | 0.2% |
| Mainland China | 2,357,000 | 1,395,000,000 | 0.2% |
| Mexico | 174,000 | 123,932,000 | 0.1% |
| India | 221,000 | 1,380,000,000 | 0.0% |
20. Three-Quarters of People Use a Travel Agent When Booking a Cruise
(CLIA)
The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) recognises 13,000 travel agencies and 50,000 individual travel agents worldwide. Together, these book 75% of cruise vacations around the world.
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21. More People Are Aware of the Environmental Impact of Cruising – And the Efforts To Improve Things
(CLIA)
CLIA’s latest information for British and Irish cruise passengers shows that 76% of passengers were either “more aware” or “much more aware” of environmental and sustainable tourism, while the cruise industry moves towards a target of net zero carbon cruising by 2050.
This shows a significant increase in passengers being aware of cruising’s environmental impact – a good thing that more ships are being built to use more eco-friendly fuel then.
Cruise Safety Statistics
22. The Biggest Threat to Cruise Ship Safety Is Fire
(Tyco)
To ensure that any fires that occur on cruise ships can be quickly contained, the average 2,700-passenger cruise ship has 4,000 smoke detectors, 500 fire extinguishers, 5,000 sprinklers, six miles of fire hose and five specially-trained firefighting teams.
23. 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?
24. 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 thre to six bodies.
Read more about cruise ship morgues.
25. 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).
Weird Cruise Facts
26. 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 Sea Org and sails out of Curaçao. The church describes the cruise ship as ‘the pinnacle of a deeply spiritual journey’.
Photo credit: Ein Dahmer CC BY-SA
27. 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?
28. 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
29. 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.
30. 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.
31. 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.
32. 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:
The Bottom Line
The cruise industry is a huge contributor to the global economy. Following a year like no other, the cruise industry has been quick to engage experts and government authorities to strengthen its already robust public health measures.
Cruising resumed gradually from summer 2020 and the return has continued into 2021 and 2022. 2023 was then one of the strongest years in a long time.
With the pent-up demand for travel, I’m sure that the cruise industry will reach new heights in the years to come.
Sources:
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
