Holidays are meant to be a time where you kick back, relax and allow yourself certain luxuries that would not be entertained in almost any other circumstance. Perhaps the most luxurious holiday experience of all is one that’s spent on board a cruise ship, something that used to be hideously expensive but now is increasingly available to a middle-class market.
If you’ve decided that a cruise expedition is calling, your next decision is to choose where to visit as part of that highly-anticipated cruise. The Caribbean, Mediterranean and west coast of Canada/Alaska feature prominently in cruise travelers’ itineraries, although depending on where you choose to dock, you might be hopping off at some bustling locations.
Drawing upon information from Cruise Industry News and the Cruise Lines International Association, The Water Filter Men created an interactive storymap exploring the 10 busiest cruise ports in the world, several of which are located in the Caribbean or the south-east USA. As the list is not in a clearly-defined order, we’re not giving away any spoilers by telling you that Port Miami is the world’s busiest cruise location, with almost five million passengers a year stopping off at the Florida city. Its importance to industry in the region is impossible to overstate – it supports as many as 325,000 jobs and contributes more than $41 billion a year to the local economy. Crikey!
Port Miami is clearly a local treasure for people in the area, but the same can’t be said for its Barcelona equivalent. The coastal Spanish city is beautiful, but visitor numbers are so high that locals feel the influx is negatively affecting the quality of life in the Catalan capital. Meanwhile, the port is due to open its seventh terminal this year, testifying to its thriving state.
Find out more about these, and other popular cruising destinations, in the storymap below.
