The Maritime Executive's Annual Cruise Edition is Now Available Online

(Article originally published in Jan/Feb 2026 edition.)

Celebrating Cruising

It was another record year for cruising in 2025, and this year is shaping up to be even better. Since the pandemic brought things to a halt in 2020-21, the cruise industry has been on a non-stop tear, fueled by pent-up demand and so-called “revenge travel.”

Nearly 40 million people will take a cruise in 2026, more than half of them from the U.S. But don’t worry, we’ve got you covered – everything you want to know about cruising and more in this, our annual Passenger Vessel edition. And this year we introduce a special new feature – our first-ever Global Cruise Supplement – featuring ports and destinations from around the world and edited by ports columnist Tom Peters. You don’t want to miss it!

Our cover for this edition features Jason Montague in his new role as Chief Luxury Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. Last time we visited with Jason he was running Regent Seven Seas, Norwegian’s ultra-luxury brand. Now he’s running both Regent and Oceania, Norwegian’s other luxury brand. There’s lots of money out there and people are willing to spend big on experiences, so Norwegian is investing heavily in the luxury sector and Jason is leading the way. Read all about it in this edition’s Case Study and Executive Interview!

Next up is Associate Editor Allan Jordan’s Global Cruise Outlook article, in which he sees “New Challenges” ahead for the industry in the form of slower growth after three consecutive boom years. Senior Editor Jack O’Connell gives us an “up close and personal” look at what it’s like to sail on one of Oceania’s luxury ships in “The Joys of Cruising,” and Pat Zeitler brings us up to date on the latest in passenger safety technology in “A Hierarchy of Controls.”

Meanwhile, Sean Hogue sings the praises of LNG – the alternative fuel of choice for the cruise industry – in “Riding the LNG Wave” while Chad Fuhrmann explains the complexities of voyage optimization in “Time, Not Distance” and Sean Holt provides the “Winning Formula” in his article on emissions reduction.

Our three award-winning columnists – Messrs. Kravets, Brooks and Campbell-James – are up to their usual shenanigans and do not disappoint.

Erik Kravets finds himself fascinated by the technology of mobile seaborne platforms in “Launch Control” and warns of China’s lead in this regard. Allen Brooks makes a gallant effort at predicting the future in “Forecasting Oil Prices in a Turbulent Market” and analyzes their impact on shipping while Brigadier Jonathan Campbell-James surveys “Maritime Hot Spots,” zeroing in on vessel seizures, Venezuela, the Black Sea and the Red Sea. Through it all, maritime perseveres. Rounding out this jampacked edition is News Editor Paul Benecki’s “Paying the Piper,” an incisive look at the economics of ballast water treatment systems and how it’s not always best to go cheap, as early buyers are finding out – the hard way.

So there it is – another great year coming up. Enjoy the edition, thanks for your readership and support, and we’ll see you at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami in April! – MarEx

Tony Munoz is the Founder, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The Maritime Executive.

To read the latest edition of the magazine, go to The Maritime Executive January/February 2026 Cruise Issue. To subscribe to the magazine, please go to https://www.maritime-executive.com/subscribe.

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.