Cruises keep getting greener. Here’s what the new rules mean for your trip.
Summary
A slew of new restrictions on passenger numbers and fuel types is changing the cruise industry worldwide. Know what’s in store to avoid unwelcome changes to your travel plans.
When Carolynn Lenhard of Hamilton, Va., booked a cruise in 2022, she couldn’t wait for its stop in Venice. Then, an unwelcome surprise: Thanks to a ban on ships of a certain size at the port of Venice, her ship would instead anchor in nearby Trieste. “We were disappointed, but we still had a good time," she said. When she cruised again last October, she tacked on extra days in Venice.
As cruise ports and operators face growing concerns about overtourism and environmental damage, they’re making major changes. Here, what new restrictions mean for your next trip.
The Adventure of the Seas cruise ship, which can carry more than 3,000 passengers, in Bar Harbor, Maine, in 2018, before new visitor limits were imposed.
Pier Pressure
Certain ports are attacking the overtourism problem by capping the number of people that are allowed off the ship. Starting in April, Bar Harbor, Maine, will limit cruise visitors to 1,000 a day, while Juneau, Alaska, will introduce caps of 16,000 daily (12,000 on Saturdays) in 2026.
What This Means: “If a destination is inaccessible, [the cruise lines] move the ship," said Robert J. Kwortnik, a professor at Cornell University’s Nolan School of Hotel Administration. Adjusting to the new caps, just two of eight of Virgin Voyages’ new Alaska sails feature Juneau stops.
The giant MSC Orchestra is escorted out of Venice’s harbor in 2021. Venice recently banned ships of a certain size from its port.
Route Revisions
Expect to see big European destinations fall off popular itineraries. Amsterdam will slash annual arrivals to 100 ships by 2026, while Venice’s restrictions mean you’ll likely see more trips with stops at nearby Ravenna and Trieste.
What This Means: Your dream itinerary could change, so be flexible. Princess Cruises recently swapped Santorini for Crete on Sun Princess sails, citing “cruise ship congestion." Note that cruise lines will often refund excursions that are booked through them, vs. third parties.
Hurtigruten’s MS Kong Harald, which runs on a battery-hybrid system that cuts down on carbon emissions, navigates the Raftsundet Strait in Norway.
Cleaner Cruising
The cruise industry is getting greener, adopting cleaner fuels and requiring shore power, which means ships must plug into the grid instead of idling noisily in port. By 2027, the Port of Seattle, for example, will require home-port ships to plug in to a source of electricity while docked to cut carbon emissions. Norway will ban ships without alternative fuel systems from its fjords in 2026.
What This Means: For starters, quieter ports and fresher air. You needn’t know the ins and outs of ship engines when booking—cruise lines let you know when they’re going green. Expect more eco-friendly ships to be unveiled for destinations like Norway. Some that already meet the criteria to sail there include the liquefied-natural-gas-powered Havila Pollux and Hurtigruten’s battery-hybrid-powered MS Nordlys.
A ship docks in Svalbard, Norway, one of a number of fragile destinations around the world that have imposed strict regulations on cruise operators.
Sail Small
In addition to its upcoming rules about fuel types, Norway has also limited ships traveling to fragile coastlines, including Svalbard, to those carrying fewer than 200 passengers, aligning with the Galápagos Islands, which has a 100 passenger cap.
What This Means: “Smaller ships are able to get into the ports that [cruisers] are interested in," said Christina Schlegel, a travel adviser based in Arlington, Va. The catch? With fewer cabins, these sails can sell out faster than Taylor Swift tickets.
