It¡¯s been a busy year for the cruise industry, with both ocean and river lines benefiting from continued strong demand. From a sold-out Taylor Swift-themed sailing to plant-based menus, these were some of the biggest cruise news stories of 2023. ?

Numerous cruise lines were affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict, which began in October. Windstar Cruises postponed the launch of its inaugural Middle East season, while MSC Cruises canceled several winter and summer itineraries in the region. Oceania Cruises, which is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, also adjusted several of its voyages.

Royal Caribbean, meanwhile, worked with the U.S. state department to help Americans evacuate.

¡°These aren¡¯t things we talk about and debate a lot internally. When our communities are in need, it¡¯s in our DNA to step up and try to do the right thing,¡± said Jason Liberty, the company¡¯s CEO, during Northstar Travel Group¡¯s CruiseWorld conference.

After Royal Caribbean announced that it was adding Elon Musk¡¯s Starlink internet to its fleet in August 2022, numerous other cruise lines followed suit in 2023. Cunard, Aurora Expeditions, Windstar Cruises, Holland America Line and Scenic Group all unveiled plans to upgrade their ships to the satellite-based service.

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Cruise lines won big at the 2023 Travvy Awards in November. Hosted by Northstar Travel Group¡¯s TravelPulse.com and AGENTatHOME, the awards reflected the outcomes of thousands of votes cast in more than 140 categories. A few highlights: Royal Caribbean¡¯s Wonder of the Seas took the top spot for best overall cruise ship, while AmaWaterways won gold for best overall river cruise line.

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As plant-based diets continue to grow in popularity, several cruise lines added new vegan dishes to give travelers more options. Atlas Ocean Voyages, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and AmaWaterways all unveiled vegan menus this year.

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The Taylor Swift effect reached the cruise industry this year, with fans organizing a special Eras-themed sailing for October 2024 aboard Royal Caribbean¡¯s Allure of the Seas. The American singer-songwriter is so popular that, even though she¡¯s not affiliated with the cruise, the themed sailing quickly sold out.

Pickleball first began to take the world by storm during the COVID-19 pandemic, and its popularity continues to grow. Cruise lines are getting in on the action, too, by installing pickleball courts on their vessels. Celebrity Cruises added pickleball courts to nine of its ships, while AmaWaterways built a court atop its double-wide river cruise vessel, the AmaMagna. MSC Cruises also added a pickleball court to its new ship, MSC World Europa.

Amid human-caused climate change, cruise lines are doing their part to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and implement other environmentally friendly changes to their vessels. Hurtigruten unveiled its plans to build the world¡¯s first zero-emission ship, while Royal Caribbean continued building its most sustainable vessel yet, Icon of the Seas.

In its 2023 Global Cruise Industry Environmental Technologies and Practices Report, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) explored how the cruise industry is getting greener. Many new in-development ships¡ª25 out of 44 set to be delivered within the next five years¡ªwill run on liquified natural gas. Cruise lines are also experimenting with fuel cells, multi-fuel engines, wind technology, photovoltaics and other sustainable technologies.

In a bid to make river cruising more diverse and inclusive, AmaWaterways hosted the industry¡¯s first-ever Black heritage cruise through France in August. The sailing proved so popular that AmaWaterways announced multiple new Black heritage itineraries for 2024.

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Cruising continue to grow in popularity?in 2023. Occupancy rates are high, prices are increasing in line with strong demand and cruise lines are bringing in record amounts of revenue. The trend is expected to continue in 2024, when an estimated 35.7 million people are expected to cruise¡ªan increase from 31.5 million in 2023.

Cruise lines launched a variety of new ships in 2023¡ªand announced that they¡¯re building even more. Oceania debuted New Vista, MSC Cruises launched MSC Euribia, Celebrity unveiled Celebrity Ascent and Norwegian Cruise Line revealed Norwegian Viva, just to name a few.

River cruise lines also add new vessels to their fleets. American Cruise Lines welcomed American Serenade and American Jazz, Viking launched Viking Aton and Riverside Luxury Cruises purchased four ships.

Though Royal Caribbean¡¯s Icon of the Seas won¡¯t officially debut until January 2024, the vessel continued to make headlines in 2023. The cruise line unveiled the ship¡¯s entertainment lineup, offered a sneak peak at its AquaDome and named international soccer superstar Lionel Messi the vessel¡¯s official ¡°Icon.¡± Royal Caribbean took delivery of the ship in November.

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