‘Cruisezilla’ Cruise Ships Have Doubled in Size Since 2000

Since 2000, cruise ships have become substantially bigger, offering more activities and onboard excitement. This has led to the term “cruisezilla,” a term for a vessel that is much larger than a standard cruise ship. New research now shows that the largest ships have doubled in size since the turn of the century.

The Guardian writes, “If the industry’s growth does not slow, the biggest ships in 2050 will be eight times larger, in terms of tonnage, than the Titanic — the largest ship on the seas before it sank a century ago,” according to the campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E).

Cruise industry projections suggest that about 35 million passengers will travel on cruise ships this year. However, with this increasing interest and cruise ship companies trying to make their vessels larger and more entertaining for guests come other projected problems.

"Cruisezilla" is now the go-to name for #cruise ship monsters🚢‼️ which are plaguing the environment😷while making millions of dollars 💵💸for the greedy cruise lines which avoid all U.S. taxes, U.S. wage & labor laws and U.S. occupational health & safety regulations . . .…

— James (Jim) Walker (@CruiseLaw) August 8, 2024

The Guardian reports that these larger vessels “pumped out 17% more carbon dioxide in 2022 than they did in 2019” and that “methane emissions rose 500% over the same period.” In addition, Sky News writes that in the past 50 years, the number of cruise ships has soared astronomically, from 21 in 1970 to 515 today.

According to T&E, Inesa Ulichina, a sustainable shipping officer for the group, said in a statement, “Today’s cruisezillas make the Titanic look like a small fishing boat. How much bigger can these giants get? The cruise business is the fastest growing tourism sector and its emissions are quickly getting out of control.”

She added: “The only green and scalable solution for decarbonizing maritime activities is e-fuels. Cruising is a luxury business and operators must take responsibility for their climate impact. If they want to avoid becoming increasingly unwanted visitors, they must clean up their act.”

Currently, the world’s largest cruise ship is Royal Caribbean’s “Icon of the Seas,” which set sail on its maiden voyage from Miami, Florida, in January 2024. The vessel has eight defined “neighborhoods,” six waterslides, seven swimming pools, and 20 decks. It can accommodate around 7,600 passengers.