The American Automobile Association forecasts that 19 million Americans will embark on ocean cruises this year, marking a 4.5 percent increase from 2024's 18.2 million travelers.
This estimate is the third straight year with record-breaking cruise passenger count.
Having shown a strong comeback after the epidemic, the cruise business has exceeded other tourism sectors in growth. Cruise demand has increased over the previous two years above that of the hotel sector, underscoring a strong consumer inclination for sea-based holidays.
Cruise numbers recovered to 84 percent of pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019 and kept rising in 2023, about 20 percent above 2019 numbers. With 2025 estimates surpassing 2019 levels by 34 percent, the upward trend is expected to keep on.
Attracting seventy-two percent of U.S. cruise passengers, the Caribbean is still the leading destination. Following with six percent and five percent of visitors respectively are Alaska and the Mediterranean. Caribbean cruise shares dropped somewhat in 2022 and 2023 because of growing interest in other areas, but they have just rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
Particularly in the Caribbean, shorter cruises are becoming more popular. From 2% in 2023, 18% of Caribbean itineraries now fall between two to five days—a notable rise. Still most cruises go six to eight days.
With Miami, Port Canaveral, and Fort Lauderdale ranked among the top three ports worldwide, Florida still rules as the busiest state for cruise departures. Port Canaveral is poised to open its sister ship, Star of the Seas, this summer; Miami just welcomed Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, the biggest cruise ship in the world.
AAA Travel counsels future cruisers to be very careful in their planning to guarantee a seamless journey. Advice includes booking activities ahead of time, arriving at the departure port one day early to minimize travel interruptions, and choosing reasonably priced parking. Using cruise company applications also improves the onboard experience without paying additional internet fees.
To prevent problems before embarkation, passengers are also advised to check lists of forbidden goods sent by their cruise companies. The cruise experience may be enhanced with useful objects such magnetic hooks, additional prescription drugs, and sunscreen.
Working with Tourism Economics, the prediction was created using economic estimates by Oxford Economics and data from Cruise IP to evaluate trends and passenger numbers.
