Cruises surged in popularity in 2025, surprising even the cruising industry — AAA estimated an 8.4% increase in "ocean cruises" between 2024 and 2025, and projected a busy 2026.
A user on Reddit's r/megalophobia — a subreddit for people with a fear of "large things" to share images of them — was on a cruise with Carnival, and they spotted something that triggered their megalophobia.
"Over Thanksgiving break, I went on a cruise on the Carnival Dream, which is an average/decent sized large cruise ship and is 12 stories tall," the original poster began. "We parked next to the Icon of the Seas at Costa Maya."
The user shared a first-person photograph of Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, a notorious seafaring behemoth.
Unfortunately, cruises top the list of unsustainable travel options for a multitude of reasons.
In August, Earth.org addressed the ongoing uptick in cruising, citing an Environmental Protection Agency estimate that a single "3,000-person cruise ship generates 176,400 gallons of sewage per week." The Icon of the Seas can carry 7,600 passengers.
According to Earth.org, all 21 major cruise lines refused to disclose details about their sewage treatment processes, earning low scores from global environmental group Friends of the Earth.
Last year, the BBC examined whether "green cruise ships" were as sustainable as they claimed to be.
"Even the most efficient cruise ships emit more CO2 per passenger kilometre than a passenger jet, according to analysis by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT)," the outlet reported.
In short, cruising is exponentially more damaging than other forms of travel, and cruise lines have long been reluctant to disclose information about the industry's environmental impact.
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I want them out now 🚫 Reddit users were appalled by the Icon of the Seas, which sat beside a rival liner for scale.
"I can't remember the exact number, but it's something like 10 cruise ships generate the same amount of pollution as all the cars in America. Like what the actual f***," one griped. "They shouldn't exist unless they can be environmentally sustainable."
That user appeared to reference a 2017 report asserting that an individual cruise ship's emissions were on par with those of a million cars.
"I heard someone propose that cruise ships could be repurposed into disaster relief vehicles and I love that," another user added.
"It's not scary, it's disgusting," a third replied.
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