Cruise Report Card

Don’t Let Your Vacation… Ruin the Destination!

Millions of Americans take cruise vacations every year. Yet, most travelers don’t realize that taking a cruise is more harmful to the environment and human health than many other forms of travel. The 2010 Cruise Ship Report Card lets vacationers decide which cruise to take based on a cruise ship or cruise line’s environmental and human health impacts.

What Can You Do About It? You Can Choose a Greener Cruise!

All cruise lines are not the same! You can choose a greener cruise! With new ships that can carry more than 8,000 passengers and crew, these floating cities pollute the air we breathe and the water we use and enjoy. Friends of the Earth’s Cruise Ship Report Card compares the environmental footprint of 11 major cruise lines and 113 cruise ships.

Name Sewage Treatment Air Pollution Reduction Water Quality Compliance Change from 2009 2010 Final Grade
 
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Sewage Treatment

Has the cruise line installed on its ships the most advanced sewage and wastewater treatment systems available instead of dumping minimally treated sewage directly into the water? In determining a cruise line’s Sewage Treatment grade, we compared the number of cruise ships in the cruise line that have installed advanced sewage treatment systems against the total number of ships in the cruise line.

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Air Pollution Reduction

Has the cruise line retrofitted its ships with “plug-in” technology to be able to use available shoreside electrical grids instead of running polluting engines when docked? In determining the Air Pollution Reduction grade, only ships that dock at North American ports with shoreside power hookups (Juneau, AK; Los Angeles, CA; Seattle, WA; Vancouver B.C.) were graded.

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Water Quality Compliance

To what degree cruise ships violated 2009 water pollution standards designed to better protect the Alaskan coast. In determining the Water Quality Compliance grade for cruise ships operating in Alaska, we used the notices of violation issued to each cruise line by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for individual cruise ships.

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2009 Cruise Ship Report Card

This column indicates where there is a change in an individual final Cruise Line grade between 2009 and 2010.

up arrow Grade Went Up
down arrow Grade Went Down
no change No Grade Change
not graded Not Graded in 2009
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Curved Grading Scale
A 100-85 Excellent
B 84-70 Satisfactory
C 69-50 Needs Work
D 49-25 Poor
F 24-0 Unacceptable
N/A Not Graded No Discharge In Alaskan Waters

For the cruise ship report card, we graded 11 cruise lines and the 113 cruise ships of those 11 lines operating in U.S. waters. All cruise ships from each cruise line were included in this report card. Friends of the Earth relied on data gathered from the internet, government, cruise line industry, and other public sources in order to determine the grades assigned to the cruise lines. Friends of the Earth did not independently verify that the technology graded in the report card was installed on the individual cruise ships beyond corresponding with the cruise lines to verify the data gathered. When Friends of the Earth provided research information to the cruise lines for verification, some cruise lines responded with specifics and others did not.

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Carnival Cruise Lines is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise operator.

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Information about Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Cruise Lines
F F A
D-
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Celebrity Cruises is a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, the world’s second-largest cruise line operator.

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Information about Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Cruises
A F N/A
D+
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Crystal Cruises is a subsidiary of a Japanese shipping company and it operates two cruise ships worldwide - the Crystal Serenity and the Crystal Symphony

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Information about Crystal Cruises Crystal Cruises
F F N/A
F
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Cunard Cruise Line is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise operator.

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Information about Cunard Cruise Line Cunard Cruise Line
A F N/A
C-
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Disney Cruise Line is an American cruise line founded by the Walt Disney Company in 1995 with a cruise ship fleet consisting of two large ships - the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder.

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Information about Disney Cruise Line Disney Cruise Line
A F N/A
C-
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Holland America Line is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise operator.

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Information about Holland America Line Holland America Line
B+ C- B+
B-
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Norwegian Cruise Lines controls nine percent of the North American market and, along with Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, is considered one of the 'big three' corporations which dominate the U.S. cruise ship market.

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Information about Norwegian Cruise Lines Norwegian Cruise Lines
A C- B+
B-
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Princess Cruises is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation, the world's largest cruise operator.

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Information about Princess Cruises Princess Cruises
C+ A- D+
C+
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Regent Seven Seas Cruises is owned by Apollo Management which owns 50% of Norwegian Cruise Lines and it operates three cruise ships worldwide.

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Information about Regent Seven Seas Cruises Regent Seven Seas Cruises
C+ F A
C-
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Royal Caribbean International is a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, the world's second-largest cruise line operator. Royal Caribbean International's fleet includes the two largest cruise ships ever built, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the

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Information about Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean International
D+ F A-
D+
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Silversea Cruises is headquartered in the city-state of Monaco in Western Europe and it operates six cruise ships worldwide.

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Information about Silversea Cruises Silversea Cruises
F F B-
D-

2010 Cruise Report Card Grading Methodology

The Cruise Line Environmental Report Card ranks 11 major cruise lines—Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean Int’l, and Silversea Cruises—according to three environmental criteria: Sewage Treatment, Air Pollution Reduction, and Water Quality Compliance.

  • To determine a cruise line’s Sewage Treatment grade, we compared the number of cruise ships in the cruise line that have installed advanced sewage treatment systems against the total number of ships in the cruise line.
  • To determine the Air Pollution Reduction grade for each ship in a cruise line, only ships that dock at a North American port that currently provides shoreside power hookups were graded.
  • To determine the Water Quality Compliance grade for ships operating in Alaska, we used 2009 notices of violation issued for individual cruise ships to each cruise line by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. Ships were given an ‘n/a’ if they traveled to Alaska but avoided Alaska’s strong water quality standards by discharging outside of those protected waters.
  • The grades for each of the criteria were averaged to calculate the Final Grade for each cruise line.
Ship Name Cruise Line Total Persons on Board Destinations Sewage Treatment Air Pollution Reduction Water Quality Compliance Final Ship Grade
Oosterdam Holland America Line 3202 Alaska, Canada, Mexico, U.S. West Coast A A N/A A
Westerdam Holland America Line 3204 Arctic, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, North Africa, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A A N/A A
Norwegian Star Norwegian Cruise Lines 3324 Alaska, Canada, U.S. West Coast A A C+ A-
Norwegian Sun Norwegian Cruise Lines 2871 Central America, Europe, Mexico, U.S. East Coast A F A C
Coral Princess Princess Cruises 3846 Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, New England, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A A B+ A
Sun Princess Princess Cruises 3150 Africa, Alaska, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Hawaii, New Zealand, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. West Coast, Asia, India A A N/A A
Queen Victoria Cunard Cruise Line 2914 Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Hawaii, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, North Africa, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A F N/A C-
Queen Mary 2 Cunard Cruise Line 4343 Africa, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, East Asia, Europe, India, Mediterranean, Middle East, New England, New Zealand, North Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Queen Elizabeth Cunard Cruise Line 3132 Australia, Caribbean, Central America, East Asia, Europe, Hawaii, India, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand, North Africa, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. West Coast A F N/A C-
Disney Magic Disney Cruise Line 3650 Caribbean, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, North Africa, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Disney Wonder Disney Cruise Line 3650 Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A F N/A C-
Celebrity Century Celebrity Cruises 2970 Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Celebrity Constellation Celebrity Cruises 3305 Arctic, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A F N/A C-
Serenade of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 3381 Caribbean A F A- C
Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 8100 Caribbean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Carnival Spirit Carnival Cruise Lines 3597 Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, Mexico, U.S. West Coast A F A C
Carnival Conquest Carnival Cruise Lines 4850 Caribbean, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Silver Shadow Silversea Cruises 683 Alaska, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, East Asia, Mexico, New Zealand, South America, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A F B- C
Prince Albert II Silversea Cruises 243 Africa, Antarctic, Canada, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, South America F F N/A F
Crystal Serenity Crystal Cruises 1725 Africa, Australia, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, India, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand, North Africa, South America, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Crystal Symphony Crystal Cruises 1467 Africa, Alaska, Antarctic, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Hawaii, India, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, New England, New Zealand, North Africa, South America, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Zuiderdam Holland America Line 3202 Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A A N/A A
Noordam Holland America Line 3277 Caribbean, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, North Africa, U.S. East Coast A C N/A B+
Ryndam Holland America Line 2162 Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, North Africa, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A F B+ C
Statendam Holland America Line 2162 Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A F A- C
Veendam Holland America Line 2162 Antarctic, Caribbean, Central America, South America, U.S. East Coast A F A C
Volendam Holland America Line 2455 Alaska, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Hawaii, New Zealand, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. West Coast A F B- C
Amsterdam Holland America Line 2423 Alaska, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, East Asia, Europe, Hawaii, India, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand, North Africa, South America, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast F A N/A C-
Zaandam Holland America Line 2455 Alaska, Canada, Hawaii, Mexico, U.S. West Coast A F A C
Eurodam Holland America Line 3540 Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, New England, North Africa, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Norwegian Dawn Norwegian Cruise Lines 3350 New England, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Maasdam Holland America Line 2162 Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mexico, New England, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A F N/A C-
Prinsendam Holland America Line 1313 Africa, Antarctic, Arctic, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa, South America, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Norwegian Epic Norwegian Cruise Lines 5930 Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Norwegian Gem Norwegian Cruise Lines 3817 Europe, Mediterranean, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Norwegian Jade Norwegian Cruise Lines 3916 Europe, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa A F N/A C-
Rotterdam Holland America Line 2261 Alaska, Canada, Central America, Europe, Hawaii, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, North Africa, South America, South Pacific, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Norwegian Jewel Norwegian Cruise Lines 3530 Caribbean, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Norwegian Pearl Norwegian Cruise Lines 3961 Alaska, Canada, U.S. West Coast A F C C-
Norwegian Sky Norwegian Cruise Lines 3250 Caribbean, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Norwegian Spirit Norwegian Cruise Lines 2878 New England A F N/A C-
Pride of America Norwegian Cruise Lines 3059 Hawaii A F N/A C-
Carnival Destiny Carnival Cruise Lines 4400 Caribbean, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Dream Carnival Cruise Lines 5021 Caribbean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Ecstasy Carnival Cruise Lines 3537 Caribbean, Mexico F F N/A F
Carnival Elation Carnival Cruise Lines 3548 Central America, Mexico, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Fantasy Carnival Cruise Lines 3548 Caribbean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Fascination Carnival Cruise Lines 3577 Caribbean, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Diamond Princess Princess Cruises 4386 Alaska, Australia, Canada, East Asia, Hawaii, Mexico, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, U.S. West Coast A A C A-
Carnival Freedom Carnival Cruise Lines 4850 Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Dawn Princess Princess Cruises 3150 Australia, Central America, East Asia, Europe, Hawaii, India, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, New England, New Zealand, North Africa, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A C N/A B+
Carnival Glory Carnival Cruise Lines 4850 Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, New England, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Imagination Carnival Cruise Lines 3574 Caribbean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Inspiration Carnival Cruise Lines 3571 Caribbean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Golden Princess Princess Cruises 4309 Africa, Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, New England, North Africa, South America, South Pacific, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A A C- B+
Carnival Legend Carnival Cruise Lines 3597 Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Star Princess Princess Cruises 4309 Antarctic, Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Mexico, New England, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A C A B+
Carnival Liberty Carnival Cruise Lines 4850 Caribbean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Miracle Carnival Cruise Lines 3597 Caribbean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Island Princess Princess Cruises 3486 Alaska, Canada, Central America, Hawaii, Mexico, New England, U.S. West Coast A A D+ B
Carnival Paradise Carnival Cruise Lines 3548 Mexico, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Pride Carnival Cruise Lines 3597 Caribbean, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Sea Princess Princess Cruises 3150 Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, New England, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A A D+ B
Carnival Sensation Carnival Cruise Lines 3560 Caribbean, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Splendor Carnival Cruise Lines 4884 Mexico, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Sapphire Princess Princess Cruises 4386 Alaska, Canada, East Asia, Hawaii, Mexico, New England, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. West Coast A A F C
Carnival Triumph Carnival Cruise Lines 4527 Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Valor Carnival Cruise Lines 4850 Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Carnival Victory Carnival Cruise Lines 4527 Caribbean F F N/A F
Grand Princess Princess Cruises 4309 Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, North Africa, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Pacific Princess Princess Cruises 1175 Africa, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Central America, East Asia, Europe, Hawaii, India, Mexico, New Zealand, South America, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast A F B- C
Brilliance of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 3349 Europe, India, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa A F N/A C-
Caribbean Princess Princess Cruises 4982 Canada, Caribbean, Mexico, New England, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Enchantment of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 3570 Canada, Caribbean, Central America, New England, South America, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Freedom of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 5735 Caribbean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Crown Princess Princess Cruises 4963 Canada, Caribbean, Europe, New England, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Emerald Princess Princess Cruises 4963 Caribbean, Europe, Mediterranean, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Ocean Princess (formerly Tahitian Princess) Princess Cruises 1175 Africa, Alaska, Asia, Canada, Caribbean, East Asia, Europe, Hawaii, India, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, New Zealand, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Royal Princess Princess Cruises 1091 Africa, Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Hawaii, Mediterranean, Middle East, New England, North Africa, South America, South Pacific, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Ruby Princess Princess Cruises 4963 Caribbean, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Independence of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 5760 Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Jewel of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 3360 Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, New England, South America, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Liberty of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 5735 Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Oasis of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 8100 Caribbean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Radiance of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 3358 Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A F N/A C-
Adventure of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 5020 Caribbean, Europe, Mediterranean F F N/A F
Explorer of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 5020 Canada, Caribbean, New England, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Grandeur of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 3206 Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Legend of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 2800 Asia, East Asia F F N/A F
Majesty of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 3656 Caribbean, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Mariner of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 5020 Mexico, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Monarch of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 3600 Caribbean, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Navigator of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 5020 Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, North Africa, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Rhapsody of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 3200 Alaska, Australia, Canada, Hawaii, New Zealand, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Splendour of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 2794 Europe, Mediterranean, South America F F N/A F
Vision of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 3177 Arctic, Europe, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa, South America F F N/A F
Voyager of the Seas Royal Caribbean International 5014 Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico F F N/A F
Silver Cloud Silversea Cruises 508 Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, North Africa, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Silver Spirit Silversea Cruises 916 Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, East Asia, Europe, India, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, New England, New Zealand, North Africa, South America, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Silver Whisper Silversea Cruises 683 Canada, Caribbean, Central America, East Asia, Europe, India, Mediterranean, Middle East, New England, North Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast F F N/A F
Silver Wind Silversea Cruises 508 Africa, Europe, India, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa F F N/A F
Celebrity Eclipse Celebrity Cruises 4391 Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Celebrity Equinox Celebrity Cruises 3849 Caribbean, Central America, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, North Africa, South America, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Celebrity Infinity Celebrity Cruises 3361 Alaska, Antarctic, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A F N/A C-
Celebrity Millennium Celebrity Cruises 3367 Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America, U.S. West Coast A F N/A C-
Celebrity Solstice Celebrity Cruises 4391 Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Celebrity Summit Celebrity Cruises 3311 Canada, Caribbean, New England, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-
Celebrity Xpedition Celebrity Cruises 162 South America A F N/A C-
Seven Seas Mariner Regent Seven Seas Cruises 1145 Africa, Antarctic, Caribbean, Central America, Europe, India, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, North Africa, South America, U.S. East Coast A F B+ C
Celebrity Mercury Celebrity Cruises 3125 Alaska, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, South America, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Seven Seas Navigator Regent Seven Seas Cruises 830 Alaska, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, East Asia, Hawaii, Mexico, New Zealand, South America, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast A F N/A C-
Seven Seas Voyager Regent Seven Seas Cruises 1147 Africa, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Central America, East Asia, Europe, Hawaii, India, Mediterranean, Mexico, Middle East, New England, New Zealand, North Africa, South America, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, U.S. East Coast, U.S. West Coast F F N/A F
Nieuw Amsterdam Holland America Line 3602 Caribbean, Europe, Mediterranean, Mexico, North Africa, U.S. East Coast A F N/A C-