Are Cruises out in 2026?

Cruise ships: more harmful than you may expect

The global cruise industry is a booming business, with roughly 1.2 million Canadians booking a cruise in 2024. For many Canadians, taking a cruise has allowed them to explore the world without risking the comforts they are used to enjoying at home. For a long time a cruise sounded like a win-win. Canadians could travel comfortably, a new line of jobs opened up, and economies around the world benefited from the influx of travelers. However, as the industry grew, environmentalists began to notice that this has come with extreme environmental costs. Whether it is the ocean’s ecosystems, port towns, or UNESCO heritage sites it has become abundantly clear that cruises were introducing negative effects, and changes needed to be made. Will Canadians have to give up on cruises, or can something be done to save the industry as well as the environment?

How is the cruise industry affecting the environment?

There are three major components to the environmental impact that cruise ships can potentially have; water pollution, noise pollution, and air pollution. In addition, there is improper disposal of solid waste generated on board, and infrastructure and material consumption during the process of constructing new cruise ships. The cruise industry has shown no signs of slowing down, and in fact its popularity has soared since Covid. Accommodating such large ships in ports also requires additional infrastructure to do so, which destroys both land and sea ecosystems.

Water pollution

Estimates from the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency found that “a 3,000-person cruise ship generates 176,400 gallons of sewage per week. This adds up to over one billion gallons of sewage a year for the industry – the equivalent of 1,515 Olympic-sized swimming pools.” (Chen, 2025). Many ships are equipped with treatment plants on board that remove pollutants from the sewage, however some pollutants like heavy metals, nutrients, and non-biodegradable organic chemicals may remain in the sewage. Marine environments are particularly vulnerable to sewage pollution, and face harmful algal blooms and surfactants that reduce oxygen levels, inhibiting organism growth and disrupting ecosystems.

Noise pollution

An unseen aspect of cruise ship pollution is the noise pollution they generate underwater. This underestimated aspect is a threat to ocean life, with some sounds so strong they can stun or kill wildlife. Reports have found that many predators and fish have their habitats disrupted by so much ambient noise that disrupts their communication and behaviour that they are permanently displaced from ecosystems.

Air pollution

Cruise ships emit large amounts of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide – chemicals found to cause acid rain and water acidification. In 2022, a report found that Europe’s 214 cruise ships emitted four times more sulfur than all cars in Europe combined (about 250 million). 

Some cruise ships have taken action to tackle the problem of air pollution by using liquefied natural gas (LNG) as an alternative to traditional options like diesel. However, although it generates less carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, it is still a highly polluting source of methane. Many cruise lines will claim that switching to LNG helps “green” their company, partaking in the commonly seen greenwashing that environmentalists rebuke.

Economic benefits of cruise tourism?

The cruise industry is extremely beneficial for the global economy. The industry has generated billions of dollars in revenue through customer spending, and made way for thousands of job opportunities. In 2023 the industry generated 168.6 billion dollars in total economic output, 1.6 million jobs globally, and paid 56.9 billion in wages, as detailed in reports by Cruise Lines International Association. Cruises also contribute 85.6 billion to global GDP, with its growth outpacing that of the global economy. Since 2019, there has been a 7 percent increase in the amount of people taking cruises each year. The economic impact for countries extends past cruises, as 60% of cruise passengers return to a destination they visited while on a cruise for a longer stay. Countries with economies that are reliant on tourism have benefited heavily from this. Is the economic benefit worth the environmental stress?

Who has already taken action?

For some countries, the environmental costs of large cruise ships outweighs the benefits. Venice, Italy was the first to ban large cruise ships in 2021. Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini banned massive cruise ships from sailing into the lagoon city. After years of heavy cruise tourism, it had become clear the excessive foot traffic along with the sheer size of cruise ships had put this UNESCO site at risk of becoming on the list of endangered world heritage sites. Italy's fragile and delicate channels could not handle massive cruise ships and constant foot traffic. They are still welcoming smaller and more sustainable cruise ships, but ultimately, Italy is more focused on conserving their beautiful city than profiting off it. Nice, France banned cruise ships containing over 900 passengers in 2025 due to the increase in pollution. French Polynesia and Barcelona, Spain have a limit on daily arrivals as well as a restriction on mega cruise ships in hopes of saving their oceans. Norway has implemented strict emission requirements on cruise ships and has pushed for a full ban on non-compliant ships. The next time you are considering booking a cruise it would be to your benefit to not only research your cruise line, but stick to smaller and more sustainable ships. 

Cleaner alternatives?

There are many alternatives for how you vacation instead of taking a cruise ship. For example, you could consider staying at an all-inclusive resort that boasts many of the same amenities and choosing to spend more time in the local area exploring what they have to offer. Visiting national parks for enthusiasts in nature for hiking and camping can still provide enjoyment for the outdoors. Bus tours and train cruises are unique tours that mimic the constant travel with stops at rest points that cruise ships offer, yet are far more environmentally friendly than their counterpart. They are taking off globally, and even Canada has luxury options that you may not have considered, providing you the opportunity to relax as you explore inland.

If you are still planning to take a cruise, consider looking at Friends of the Earth’s Cruise Ship Report Card (linked below), which grades the environmental impacts of the most popular cruise lines on measures like “sewage treatment”, “air pollution reduction”, “water quality/scrubber use”, and “transparency. Through this research they found that no cruise ships received an A- or above, and their best scorers included Hurtigruten, Disney Cruise Line, and Regent Seven Seas. Their worst performers were the Carnival Cruise Line (which has in the past received many fines for noncompliance with regulations), Royal Caribbean, and Princess Cruises.

Association, C. L. I. (2024, November 12). New 2023 Global Cruise Industry Economic Impact Study shows the highest-ever Global Economic Impact from Cruise Tourism. PR Newswire: press release distribution, targeting, monitoring and marketing. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-2023-global-cruise-industry-economic-impact-study-shows-the-highest-ever-global-economic-impact-from-cruise-tourism-302303389.html 

CBC/Radio Canada. (2021, July 14). Italy to ban large cruise ships from Venice’s Waterways |    CBC News. CBCnews. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cruise-liner-ban-venice-1.6101675#:~:text=Declaring%20Venice’s%20waterways%20a%20%22national,of%20revenue%20for%20the%20city. 

Chen, N. (2025, August 15). The environmental impact of Cruise Ships. Earth.Org. https://earth.org/the-environmental-impact-of-cruise-ships/ 

Delpozo, B. (2025, February 15). 5 popular travel destinations banned cruise ships. AllEars.Net. https://allears.net/2025/02/15/5-popular-travel-destinations-banned-cruise-ships/ 

Gerretsen, I. (2024, July 19). Are “green” cruise ships good for the climate? BBC News.https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240627-are-green-cruise-ships-good-for-the-climate 

Ukpanah, I. (2024, October 17). Are cruise ships bad for the environment? stats, trends, and facts. GreenMatch.co.uk. https://www.greenmatch.co.uk/blog/maritime-sustainability 

Vininsky-Oakes, E. (2025, May 23). The environmental impacts of cruise ships. The Starfish Canada.https://thestarfish.ca/journal/2025/05/the-environmental-impacts-of-cruise-ships