Will Climate Change Impact Cruising? Travel Experts and Scientists Weigh In

The global phenomenon already has some lines changing itineraries and altering sailing seasons for certain destinations.

Imagine lounging poolside on an Alaskan cruise in April, basking in summer-like temperatures, or playing shuffleboard in shorts on a November Mediterranean sail. With climate change's global reach, such scenarios could become the new cruising norm.

I recently returned from another sweltering Mediterranean cruise — my fourth recently — where many passengers elected to cancel shore excursions rather than leave the ship’s air-conditioning. On two of my four sailings, wildfires were nearby.

How are cruise lines dealing with global warming’s impact on traditional itineraries? I asked a few if they hired, or are considering hiring, climate scientists to aid in long-term itinerary planning. All replied by sharing their commitment to reducing environmental impact.

One cruise line added that if cruisers now eschew Med summer sails, it’s due to tourist hordes or shoulder seasons’ better pricing. Avoiding overcrowded ports and saving money certainly factor into decision-making, but so does excessive heat, which affects quality time ashore and on board. Activities like lounging outdoors, seeking a refreshing pool dip, dining al fresco, and deck jogging all become challenging when it's extremely hot.

Cruise lines are already extending certain sail seasons. Some lines, like Seabourn and Celebrity, now offer Mediterranean itineraries from April to late November rather than the usual May to October. Windstar Cruises is beginning a second year of year-round voyages in the region, and MSC Cruises recently announced an extended season into December.

Alaskan cruises are changing, too. Norwegian Cruise Line begins its season in April, while others start in early May and end in October instead of the traditional late May to early September.

With Travel + Leisure A-List travel advisors so tapped into cruise trends, perhaps they’re seeing a rethinking of clients’ voyage timing and destinations. However, not all view climate change as affecting bookings.

Mary Ann Ramsey with Betty Maclean Travel notes that the agency’s luxury cruise clients are booking voyages as usual. “My multi-generational families cruise in the summer; their dates are firm due to grandchildren’s school vacations,” says Ramsey. “Cooler weather luxury cruises to Iceland, Antarctica, Alaska, Patagonia, and Greenland have been popular for many years,” she continues. “Clients don’t seem to be in a rush because of glacier melt.”

Another T+L A-Lister feels differently. “Climate change is already impacting how cruisers book voyages, although they don’t necessarily use those words,” says Adventure Life’s Mary Curry. “They’re referencing the effects and choosing destinations not as hot in the summer or scrambling to visit polar regions that may not be the same in another decade. There is definite worry that this time won't last and their children's trips to these regions will be vastly different.”

Mary Curry says her cruisers now almost exclusively request spring or fall departures in the Mediterranean and that these dates sell out a year or two in advance as cruisers seek the best value options. “I see suppliers often discounting midsummer travels, as they’re much less popular than a few years ago,” adds Curry.

How do climate scientists perceive global warming affecting travel? I asked a couple. “Climate change is truly a global phenomenon,” says Daniel Horton, Ph.D., associate professor of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Northwestern University. Dr. Horton leads the university’s Climate Change Research Group.

He says the results of human-caused climate change are happening now and that some world regions are predicted to see their historical climates enter a new regime earlier than others. “These include very low and very high latitude regions, like the tropics and polar regions,” says Dr. Horton.

Jennifer Francis, Ph.D., senior scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center in Massachusetts, studies the Arctic and how its disproportionate warming affects Earth’s temperate regions. “The Arctic is warming three-to-four times faster than the globe, and sea ice is disappearing rapidly. It now covers about half the area it did only 40 years ago,” says Dr. Francis. “These profound changes are already affecting Arctic tourism.”

"While less sea ice means the region is more accessible, it also negatively impacts marine life, coastal communities’ traditional hunting and fishing, and infrastructure," she continues. "Some communities are forced to move away from traditional settlements, and animal species of warmer climates appear where they've never been seen before. Arctic cruises present an opportunity to educate passengers about the monumental changes already occurring in the climate system, especially in fragile environments."

Curry does see a cruise opportunity linked to climate change: Ships can access regions in the Northwest Passage that were unthinkable even a decade ago. “In my 23 years of selling the area, I've seen huge itinerary changes,” Curry says. “Cruise lines are designing innovative itineraries to take travelers into previously inaccessible regions.”

Fellow advisor Ashton Palmer, president of Expedition Trips, agrees that cruisers recognize climate change’s impact on polar regions and fragile ecosystems. “Savvy travelers are aware of receding glaciers, as in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park, and know visiting polar regions to see ice and wildlife is a trip they should prioritize sooner rather than later,” says Palmer.

But could cruising by river and ocean become untenable in developing countries?

Dr. Francis says yes. “Not only might some regions become too hot for comfort, but intensifying heat waves and drought will destabilize some communities and countries already struggling to survive,” she says. “As people are forced to migrate from homelands, more countries will be unsafe for tourism.”

A gloomy forecast needn’t become reality. Many scientists say we can stop climate change progression. As cruise devotees, how do we go forward as environmental stewards?

We can become more environmentally sensitive in small and big ways. We can press our favorite cruise lines to share their strides, demonstrate our support, and encourage further evolution. We can favor cruise lines reducing environmental impact.

There is encouraging news: Cruise lines are investing billions in new ships to improve their environmental performance, especially when it comes to cleaner alternative fuels and zero-emission port docking. Lines belonging to the Cruise Lines International Association, the largest cruise industry trade association, have committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and reducing carbon rates by 40 percent by 2030 (compared to 2008 levels).

CLIA has announced that more than 15 percent of cruise ships debuting in the next five years will be equipped to incorporate hydrogen fuel cells or electric batteries. CLIA also states that 85 percent of ships being built in the next six years will be able to plug into shore terminals and use electricity when docked, rather than burning fuel running engines in port.

Hurtigruten will unveil its fully electric, zero-emission ship in 2030. Future Hurtigruten ships will also be designed this way; two existing vessels are already hybrid (using LNG, lower-carbon liquified natural gas), and a third will be upgraded in early 2025. The five other fleet vessels are outfitted with various technologies to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 25 percent and nitrogen oxides by 80 percent.

Royal Caribbean Group is utilizing artificial intelligence to ensure ships are on the most energy-efficient routes and is exploring new ways to use AI within operations for sustainability purposes.

Some cruises, especially expedition sails, offer shore excursions encouraging voyagers to actively engage with locals living in environmentally sensitive regions. By forging deeper connections, we can better embrace their lifestyles, understand their concerns, and become allies in preserving their environments.

The more we learn, share, and support cruise lines bound to their commitments, the better we contribute to a brighter cruising future and the communities we visit. This approach is not solely for us but for future generations who deserve to delight in cruising as we do now. 

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