A flyover video of one of the world's largest cruise ships has Redditors talking about the environmental cost of ocean vacations.
The clip, showing the MSC World Europa gliding across open water, was shared to Reddit's r/Anticonsumption community with the caption "Top Tier Consumerism."
The footage captures the vessel's split rear design and towering rows of balcony cabins, a floating city that can hold nearly 7,000 passengers.
(Click here to view the video if the embed does not appear.)
The drone footage offers a striking aerial view of the ship's massive scale. The MSC World Europa stretches over 1,000 feet long and weighs more than 215,000 gross tons. MSC markets the vessel as a cleaner option because it burns LNG fuel instead of traditional fuel oil. The company claims this cuts certain pollutant outputs by as much as 99%.
But commenters weren't buying it. Critics argue that even "cleaner" mega-ships still dump enormous amounts of waste and disrupt fragile ocean ecosystems.
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The cruise industry has faced scrutiny over air and water pollution. Sewage discharge, food waste, and the sheer volume of fuel burned on each voyage all take a toll on ocean health.
For marine wildlife, the risks include ship strikes and habitat disruption from engine noise and anchor damage. Coral reefs and coastal ecosystems near busy ports also bear the burden of increased ship traffic.
For travelers looking to shrink their environmental impact, train travel or staying closer to home are lower-impact alternatives to ocean cruises.
Redditors in the comments didn't hold back.
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"I'm crying for the manatees and other sea mammals that will be scraped up by this thing," one user wrote. "They should be illegal."
Another commenter agreed: "Cruises should absolutely be banned. The impacts on the environment are horrifically bad. Plus they're just tacky."
A third chimed in with a blunter take, writing, "Cruises are disgusting. Shockingly bad for the environment."
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