For some people, it takes only one cruise to hook them for life.
That was the case for Stewart Chiron, who loved his first cruise so much he made a career out of it.
"It was a weekend cruise, and that was 326 cruises ago," he told Scripps News.
Known as "The Cruise Guy," Chiron started a cruise-exclusive travel agency 35 years ago.
"Cruising is an incredible way for people to connect, get together, to experience different cultures, different destinations," he said.
But the pandemic's impact on cruising numbers was enough to make even him uncertain about the future.
In 2019, 29.7 million people took cruises. In 2020 and 2012, 5.8 and 4.8 million took cruises, respectively.
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"With the pandemic hitting, the cruise industry completely shut down," Chiron said. "The ships were all anchored or docked somewhere around the world. I mean, it was a Herculean feat trying to get the crew back to their homes."
However, recent data from Cruise Lines International Association shows an epic comeback. Last year, the number of people taking cruises climbed to 31.7 million, a 6% increase from 2019. Its data is also forecasting 34.7 million passengers for next year, and nearly 40 million by 2027.
"The industry, I mean, they're shocked by how far out people are booking," Chiron said. "They've never been in a better book position at this time of the year for the next following years."
And the industry is putting in the infrastructure for that demand. According to the recent Cruise Ship Index, 15 new cruise ships are set to enter service next year, adding nearly 40,000 guest berths to the market. The industry is also expected to hire over 20,000 new crew members in 2025.
Cruise ships have also gotten much bigger. The industry campaign group Transport & Environment says the world's biggest cruise ships have doubled in size since 2000, which is raising environmental concerns.
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According to a report from The New York Times, a single cruise ship docked for one day emits as much exhaust as 34,400 idling semitrucks.
"They have to keep their engines running in order to keep power on the ship while they're unloading passengers and cargo, and then of course loading passengers and cargo on the back end. Of course, that produces emissions," said Phil Ambrose, senior project manager at Seattle City Light.
That is why ports like Seattle's are investing in shore power, with which instead of idling on diesel while in the port, cruise ships can plug into a city's electric grid just like an electric car in a garage.
"Shore power is really important for the maritime industry as a whole," Ambrose said.
Right now, Seattle is working toward getting all of its piers equipped with shore power, and will with the completion of its Pier 66 project by the end of this cruising season in October.
While CLIA data says that 46% of cruise ships are capable of plugging into shore power, only 35 ports worldwide have shore power capabilities. That's 3% of ports; so although the industry is growing, the infrastructure to sustain it has further to go.
