Nothing But Clear Skies for the Cruise Industry

The North American cruise market grew by over 14% from 2023 to 2024, with 20.53 million North American passengers setting sail (versus 18.10 million in 2023). This growth is only expected to continue, according to the Cruise Lines International Association’s (CLIA) 2025 State of the Industry Report.

CLIA anticipates that 37.7 million passengers will cruise in 2025 globally (34.6 million cruises last year) and that by 2028 that number will grow to 41.9 million.

The intent to cruise, on a global basis, is strong, with 82% of those who have cruised saying they plan to cruise again. This statistic is buoyed by the fact that cruisers are getting ever younger. The average age of a cruiser in 2024 was 46.5 and 36% of all cruisers are under the age of 40.

Furthermore, Gen X and Millennials are the most enthusiastic about cruising. Of the cruisers surveyed for CLIA’s annal report, 84% of Gen Xers and 83% of Millennials said they plan to cruise again. Baby Boomers aren’t far behind – 81% of them said they plan to cruise again, as well.

New-to-cruise numbers are also up. As of 2024, 31% of cruisers over the previous two years were first-time cruisers, up from 27% in 2023 and 24% in 2019.

As demand goes, so goes supply. CLIA’s ocean fleet size (based on number of lower berths) will grow this year by 2.5% over last year. When comparing the ocean fleet sizes by the number of ships, the fleet will grow 2.3% this year over last.

For the first time in the history of the cruise industry, the CLIA-member cruise fleet exceeded 300 ocean-going vessels in 2024.

“CLIA’s 2025 State of the Cruise Industry report shows that cruising continues to be one of the most dynamic and resilient sectors in tourism, growing in line with strong demand for cruise holidays, particularly among younger generations and new-to-cruise travelers,” said Bud Darr, president and CEO of CLIA. “The industry is also an essential economic driver, contributing over $168 billion to communities around the world, supporting 1.6 million jobs and investing tens of billions today in the sustainable fleet of the future.”

Cruise Vacations Bring Higher Satisfaction

In more great news for travel advisors, cruise vacations drive higher satisfaction ratings when compared to other vacation choices. (According to CLIA’s North American Travel Agent Survey done in February 2025.)

The average satisfaction score for an ocean cruise is 4.2 (out of 5). River cruises get a satisfaction score of 4.0.

On the other hand, all-inclusive resort stays get an average satisfaction score of 3.7 and resort/hotel packages vacations get a 3.4.

The same study found that cruise vacations are experiencing higher growth for advisors than any other travel segment, with advisors saying their ocean cruise bookings increased by 52% and their river cruise bookings by 20%. All-inclusive stays, advisors said, increased by 16%, and land-based vacations by 5%.

Advisors also said the booking window is getting longer, with more than 40% of advisors saying its increased to nine to 18 months in advance. CLIA’s own research found that 11% of cruisers book their sailings one year or more before the sailing date.

Other great news for travel advisors? Seventy-five percent of cruise travelers said travel agents have
a meaningful impact on their decision to cruise. These cruisers cited advisors’ knowledge and experience as their main reason for using an advisor.

Additionally, net promoter scores are consistently higher when cruisers book their cruise with a professional travel advisor.

“With record demand, a wave of new consumers choosing to cruise, and an industry delivering over $168 billion in global economic impact, the future of cruising is exceptionally bright,” said Charles Sylvia, ECC, vice president industry and trade relations, CLIA. “Our research shows that nearly 80% of cruisers rely on travel advisors for their knowledge and experience, which presents a tremendous opportunity in the growing cruise market for advisors to connect their clients with unforgettable cruise experiences and drive lifelong loyalty.”

Cruise Trends

Most Popular Cruise Destinations

The most popular cruise destinations have pretty much remained the same, though each continues to grow in how many visitors they get.

The Caribbean/Bahamas/Bermuda remains the most popular cruise destination. From 2023 to 2024, the region saw an increase of 17.1%, with 14.98 million cruisers having visited. Said another way, 43% of all cruise passengers visited one of these three warm-weather regions in 2024.

The Mediterranean retains its number two spot and grew by 5.8%. One out of every six cruise passengers visited the Med in 2024.

Expedition (or exploration as CLIA calls it) cruising saw the largest percentage growth in 2024. Cruises to Antarctica/the Arctic/Greenland/Galapagos/Iceland/North Cape grew by 21.6%.

In 2024, three regions lost passenger volume: NA West Coast/Mexico/California/Pacific Coast, which went down 7.7%; South America / Panama Canal, which went down 2.8%; and Africa/Middle East, which went down 3.9%.

Top Two Reasons Cruisers Choose Cruise Vacations

In 2024, 12% of cruise travelers only considered a cruise for their vacation. CLIA wanted to know why.

According to the research, the ability to visit multiple destinations, along with the value for money that cruising provides, were the top reasons cruisers choose cruise.

Growth of Luxury & Expedition Cruising is Exponential

Both the expedition and luxury pieces of the overall cruise industry continue to grow. From 2023 to 2024, the number of passengers sailing on expedition cruises increased 22%. This segment of the market is forecast to grow by 150%, in terms of capacity, from 2019 to 2029, with expedition cruisers also getting younger.

The luxury cruise travel market has also grown, having tripled in size (based on number of ships) since 2010 — 97 ships in 2024 versus 28 in 2010. Furthermore, by 2028, 1.5 million cruise travelers are forecast to choose a luxury cruise experience

Other Cruise Trends

• In 2024, 12% of cruisers chose to sail solo (up from 6% in 2023) — 6% of these solo travelers are Baby Boomers
• 28% of cruisers in 2024 cruised with three to five generations of family members
• 25% of repeat cruise travelers are sailing two or more times a year
• 49% of cruisers said they intend to take a longer cruise this year than the cruise they did last year