Complaints that the wealthy are catered to at the expense of the rest of us aren't new, but they've been cropping up a bit more in recent months.
Articles and discourse can convey this frustration well, but a photograph shared on Reddit's r/UrbanHell several years ago managed to illustrate the problem so thoroughly that no words were needed.
"Stunning view from your old flat in Venice, Italy," the original poster's title facetiously declared.
An ancient maritime city, Venice is known for its picturesque canals and stunning views.
In the photograph, several quaint buildings were visible on the water — but what could have been an enjoyable view was blocked by a cruise ship so large that neither the bow nor the stern appeared in a frame wide enough to capture most of a city block.
Cunard's Queen Victoria has been described by cruisegoers as "ridiculously expensive," and the gargantuan vessel was the smallest in the operator's fleet.
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While cruise ships aren't as damaging to the environment as private yachts, they leave a trail of negative ecological impacts in their wake.
An analysis from the University of Colorado, Boulder, estimated that cruise ships can consume the equivalent of 80,645 gallons of planet-warming fuels each day, which was "more fuel than you'll use in an entire lifetime of driving cars."
A June 2024 BBC investigation noted that cruise passengers emit eight times more carbon than vacationers who choose low-impact travel options. Moreover, the outlet reported that cruise ticket sales leapt almost 10% in recent years, exacerbating the damage they cause.
In addition to atmospheric pollution, cruises are infamous for dumping waste at sea, despoiling oceans, and harming marine wildlife. Close to 9 million gallons of "toxic waste" were dumped off Canada's west coast in 2019 alone, the outlet reported.
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Definitely 👍 Reddit users shared the original poster's disdain for the floating fortress, which prevented a wide swath of Venice from enjoying the gorgeous landscape.
"My beautiful Venice is soiled by these disgusting monstrosities. If Italy had a competent government these things would be forever banned from this heritage site," a Venetian griped.
One visitor to Venice recounted a similar incident while "savoring the perfect view."
"All of a sudden, the sky is getting entirely dark. I'm looking towards the sun, and instead of our fantastic star, all I see is a behemoth of a cruise ship," they began. "Ships that size shouldn't be allowed anywhere near Venice at all. And I fully understand the locals' anger about them."
A third user didn't need to experience it firsthand to weigh in.
"Beautiful town ruined by a big ugly f***** cruise ship. F*** cruises."
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