For years, cruise vacations have been a favorite way to travel, but in the past few years there has been a real popularity explosion unlike never before.
In 2025, it seems that everyone wants to go on a cruise, and everyone loves cruises.
What was once a niche vacation choice has now become one of the fastest-growing sectors in the travel industry, with record-breaking bookings and constant new ships launching.
This is certainly a positive aspect from an economic and employment point of view but what accounts for this major increase? Well, there’s one cruise line in particular that is growing at an incredible pace, let’s see which one it is.
Which Cruise Line is Leading?
As you can imagine, every cruise line is profiting from this positive period for cruises.
According to Cruise Market Watch, global revenue from cruise lines (including ticket sales and onboard spending) is projected to reach $72.5 billion in 2025, reflecting a 7.7% growth compared to 2024.
In particular, projections for 2025 suggest that Carnival will account for 36% of the cruise industry’s total revenue, with Royal Caribbean at 24.8% and Norwegian at 14.1%.
However, consider that Carnival manages 8 different brands that include also P&O Cruises, Holland America, and Costa.
If we consider the actual growth, Royal Caribbean is the true winner. The cruise line saw an impressive 18.6% surge in revenue to $16.5 billion alongside a record-breaking 12% increase in the number of passengers.
Its competitors also saw strong growth, though at a slightly slower pace. Carnival’s revenue climbed 15.9%, with passenger numbers rising 8%. Norwegian experienced a 10.9% revenue boost with an 8% increase for passengers.
What’s New in the Cruise Industry for 2025
As you can imagine, revenue and passenger growth also mean that cruise lines can invest for the future.
This is exactly why we are seeing increasingly newer, bigger, and more futuristic ships.
Some cruise lines also unveiled exciting new features, such as new destinations, new private islands, new types of cabins, and so much more.
Find the full list of new features by clicking on the specific articles:
Additionally, if you’re planning a cruise in 2025 or 2026, I highly recommend checking out the big new changes on cruise ships and the things you won’t find on ships anymore. Some of them will shock you, so I recommend arriving prepared!
I have tried several of them but these are the most durable and sturdy.
