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With waterparks, restaurants and hundreds of cabins, cruise ships use a huge amount of energy each voyage – with some vessels emitting more carbon dioxide annually than a small town.
According to an analysis of European emissions data by Which?, Disney Cruise Line is the cruise company operating the worst polluting ships.
Disney Dream, the only Disney vessel in European waters last year, pumped out an average of 1,481kg of carbon dioxide emissions per nautical mile on its journeys.
Which? found that Norwegian Cruise Line was the second-worst polluter, with 10 ships travelling the continent, each emitting around 1,413kg of carbon dioxide.
Three of the top 10 most polluting mega-ships, those with a capacity for thousands of passengers, belonged to Norwegian.
Ships from Princess Cruises (1,253kg), Royal Caribbean (1,248kg) and MSC Cruises (1,229kg) also averaged high emissions as cruising becomes more popular.
The consumer champion analysed cruise line emissions per nautical mile travelled based on the EU’s 2023 Monitoring, Reporting and Verification carbon emissions data, published in September 2024.
A Disney Cruise Line spokesperson said that the methodology used by Which? “does not accurately reflect the full context of our operation”.
They added: “Disney Cruise Line complies with all air and water quality standards. While sailing in Europe, the Disney Dream used a combination of hydrotreated vegetable oil along with ultra-low-sulphur marine gas oil, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions beyond IMO requirements. DCL is committed to continuing to reduce its emissions in line with The Walt Disney Company’s environmental goals.”
Which? said the size of a small town is 5,000 to 19,999 people according to the ONS and can emit 93,995 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
In comparison, Norwegian Epic alone emitted 95,000 tonnes in 2023, as much as a town with 20,000 residents, to be named Europe’s most polluting cruise ship by Which?.
Norwegian said the figures do not “account for time spent in port” where emissions are lower and vessels spend a large amount of time.
The cruise line also committed to “reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 per cent by 2030”.
Most cruise ships run on ‘scrubbers’, – heavy high-sulphur fuel – liquified natural gas and shore power, although these plug-in berths are limited at global ports.
Carbon reduction consultancy Ecollective found that the carbon footprint of a European cruise passenger can be larger than flying for a short-haul holiday.
According to Ecollective, a two-week Caribbean cruise, including return flights to Barbados (6,196kg CO2e), has a carbon footprint more than double that of a two-week holiday in Barbados (2,487kg CO2e).
Naomi Leach, deputy editor of Which? Travel, said: “Holidaymakers are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of their travel both on the environment and on local communities. The emissions generated by some of Europe’s largest cruise ships are simply staggering.
“It’s clear more needs to be done to clean up the cruise industry and to tackle greenwashing to ensure consumers are getting clear and honest information about the impact of cruising.”
The most polluting European cruise lines
- Disney Cruise Line – 1,481 average CO2 emissions per distance (kg CO2/n mile)
- Norwegian Cruise Line –1,413kg CO2/n mile
- Princess Cruises – 1,253kg CO2/n mile
- Royal Caribbean – 1,248kg CO2/n mile
- MSC Cruises – 1,229kg CO2/n mile
- Virgin Voyages – 1,229kg CO2/n mile
- Celebrity Cruises – 1,228kg CO2/n mile
- Cunard – 1,207kg CO2/n mile
- P&O Cruises – 1,108kg CO2/n mile
- Costa Cruises – 1,051kg CO2/n mile
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
