'Cruisezilla' is a greener holiday than you'd think

The ballooning size of the vessels is not the real problem.

- David Fickling

For many people, cruise ships sound like one of the blander circles of hell: Enormous floating holiday parks laden with lukewarm buffet food, bored families and gastroenteritis. To that list, you can add a fresh torment: environmental damage.

The ballooning size of the vessels means we're now in the age of "cruisezillas," according to Transport & Environment, a climate lobby group.

The Icon of the Seas, which became the world's largest cruiser when it was launched earlier in 2024, is roughly five times the size of the RMS Titanic. With room for 5,600 passengers and 2,350 crew, it can accommodate as many people as one of Las Vegas' bigger hotels.

Standing in the bow, you're roughly as far from the stern as the top floor of the Empire State Building is from the ground. The Icon's sister ship, currently under construction in Finland ahead of a launch in 2025, will be even bigger.

"These floating cities emit more greenhouse gases and pollutants than ever before," Transport & Environment wrote.

"Between 2019 and 2022, CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions from cruise ships in Europe grew by 17 per cent despite the Covid-19 pandemic, and methane emissions surged by 500 per cent," it added.

And yet, the immediate impact of cruisezillas is something climate advocates should welcome.

Compared with the smaller vessels that came before, they're far more efficient. They're also a cleaner way of taking a holiday than a long-haul flight.