The cruise industry has a poor environmental record, has been regularly fined for flouting environmental regulations, and produces opaque and selective environmental reporting.
On the other hand, cruise lines are making changes, and none are more ambitious than those that address how ships are fuelled. Biofuels, lower-emission fuels and less-polluting onshore power supply while in port are high on the agenda.
Statistics from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which represents most of the world’s cruise lines, show slow progress in the right direction.
In 2018, only one cruise ship had dual-fuel capacity while 55 had the technology to use onshore power. In 2025, that was up to 23 and 166 ships, respectively. CLIA represents 310 ships in total.
For a while, cruise lines touted their use of liquid natural gas (LNG) as a fuel. That was a positive move, since LNG is the most eco-friendly marine fuel available. But it does remain a fossil-fuel pollutant.
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The cruise industry aims to be carbon-neutral by 2050, which is laudable, but read the small print because achieving it depends on significant engineering breakthroughs and regulatory approvals.
Some breakthroughs are already here. In October 2025, Norwegian company Hurtigruten, whose ships sail on blended biofuel, celebrated the first entirely climate-neutral biofuel journey by the battery-hybrid ship MS Richard With.
Hurtigruten has invested heavily in technical and environmental upgrades to its fleet to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and, in the long term, aims to sail completely emission-free in normal operation by 2030.
Another inventive company worth watching is Ponant, which in early 2024 became the first ocean cruise line to be awarded official Green Globe Certification, recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
Ponant had previously abandoned heavy fuel and is now completing the fitting of its fleet with shore-power connection systems and catalytic systems to reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions.
The company is also involved in European projects to advance innovative low-carbon energy technologies, among them a sail power system and hull that aims to provide 50 per cent of required propulsion energy using wind power.
Meanwhile, Viking’s newest ship, Viking Libra, the world’s first hydrogen-powered cruise ship, launches in Europe this November.
The propulsion system is only partially based on liquefied hydrogen and fuel cells, so it won’t be operating with zero emissions all the time, but it’s a step in the right direction. Viking Libra will be the company’s most environmentally friendly vessel, and another will follow in 2027.
Of course, there’s a long way to go. The world’s biggest cruise companies emit as much carbon annually as a city of 600,000 people.
The latest infamous Cruise Ship Report Card produced by Friends of the Earth still fails some cruise lines on air-pollution reduction. Only two (Hurtigruten and HX) get higher than a C grade. Not exactly smooth sailing, then, but hopefully fairer winds ahead.
PORT GUIDE
This 2500-year-old Italian city attracts a poor reputation yet has dazzling architecture and art museums, and terrific street life and food.
Who goes there Naples is typically visited by larger cruise ships from companies such as MSC, Princess and Royal Caribbean, while smaller more luxury ships tend to anchor off nearby Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast. But that’s no hard and fast rule: mid-sized ships from Cunard, Viking and the like, and luxury ships from Regent Seven Seas or Silversea may occasionally call in. They’re all usually sailing western Mediterranean cruises, or cruises along the French and Italian Rivieras.
Sail on in Naples sits on one of Europe’s most generous and beautiful bays, which is backed by the volcanic cone of Mount Vesuvius and dotted with small, rugged islands. You should certainly ensure you’re on deck to see the spectacle. Closer to port, you’ll enjoy the sight of Naples rising from waterfront fortifications in a series of hillside palaces and churches, topped by a whopping fort.
Berth rites The Stazione Marittima at Molo Angioino is a large four-storey cruise terminal that incorporates a convention centre, shopping mall, souvenir shops, restaurants and cafes, ATM terminals and tourist information desks. A metro station is close by and the ferry pier (for places such as Sorrento or Capri) adjacent. The terminal is a short walk from the city centre and a 30-minute walk from the historical centre.
Going ashore Naples has chaotic energy, lovely churches, outstanding museums and enormous dollops of dolce vita. If you can deal with pollution, traffic and dilapidation, you’ll fall under its spell. Among the city’s highlights are the Royal Palace with its absurd excesses, overlooking the city’s most beautiful square, Piazza del Plebiscito.
Medieval Castel Nuovo fronts Piazza Municipio. The cathedral and the San Gennaro Catacombs are also worth visiting. Then soak up the street life along the waterfront, shopping drag Via Chiaia and historical street Spaccanapoli, and in the tangled lanes of Quartieri Spagnoli district.
Don’t miss The National Archaeological Museum isn’t the best-organised or the most vigorously dusted, but it does provide one of the world’s best ensembles of archaeological objects, including superb Greco-Roman treasures such as sculptures, frescoes, ceramics and mosaics (plus some startling erotica) from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The museum also has good Italian painting and Egyptian collections.
Get active If you rent an e-bike, you can cycle westwards around the Bay of Naples and in half an hour reach Posillipo, a wealthy district with superb views from its hills and waterfront parks and beaches. For something different, Baia Underwater Archaeological Park a half-hour’s drive west allows you to snorkel or dive amid submerged Roman remains, including statues and mosaics.
Best bites Naples has some of the world’s best street food. Pizza was invented here, and the classic choice is a margherita or marinara. Two variations are pizza fritta (folded and deep-fried) and pizza a portafoglio (also folded, and modestly sized). Neapolitans have a fondness for deep-fried nibbles such as calamari, fish, zucchini flowers, arancini or croquettes served in paper cones. Graffe is the local doughnut served sprinkled with sugar.
Further afield There are rich shore-excursion pickings around Naples, but you’ll want to study how much coach travel is involved before signing up. The most popular options are visits to ancient Roman sites Pompeii or Herculaneum, both destroyed during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79, or to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, which offer cliff-clinging towns and pure blue waters. The island of Capri is another favourite, with stunning scenery and a hodgepodge of Roman ruins, chic villages and sea grottoes.
EVERYONE ASKS
Do cruise lines have seniors’ rates?
Some occasionally do, but look carefully at the fare because your deal might be no better – or might even be worse – than other types of deals regularly offered by cruise lines.
MSC Cruises, for example, offers up to 10 per cent off for those over 65. Celebrity Cruises offers discounts for those over 55, but how much depends on the specific sailing and only applies to a certain number of cabins.
Most big budget ships offer some form of discount to seniors, usually those over 55. However, they’re often offered at the last minute (two months or less before the sail date) because cruise lines know seniors who aren’t working are free to hop on board at short notice.
Some might offer savings of no more than $100. You’d have to balance that against higher last-minute airfares or hotel bookings. Anyway, last-minute deals are hard to book on Australian cruises, where cabin capacity is tight.
Still, all other things being equal, $100 or any other discount is better than a poke in the eye, as my grandfather used to say, so no harm in asking at the time of booking. If booking direct online, some cruise lines have a filter or deals tab from which you can select the seniors option.
STATISTIC
90
Percentage of cruisers in 2025 who say they would cruise again, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.