One of Royal Caribbean Cruises most popular vessels, Brilliance of the Seas, is set to make its return on the Southampton horizon after being absent from the city since 2020. 

The ship is set to make her return on August 30 after making a one way trip to Barcelona, with stops in other parts of Spain and Portugal. 

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Brilliance of the Seas was first built in 2002 and has spent the last three decades taking excited holidays makers through the Mediterranean and Europe. 

The ship can accommodate more than 2,500 passengers and around 800 crew. 

One of the most iconic features of the ship is its large helipad on its bow and the ship also has a large range of restaurants, bars and stages for passengers to enjoy. 

A resident of Juneau, Alaska, highlighted in a Reddit post the level of pollution from a cruise ship docked in the city’s port.

Posting on the r/videos subreddit, they shared a video of a cruise ship that had either docked or was in the process of leaving the port, pumping smog into the otherwise pristine-looking atmosphere.

“This is the reality of what cruise ships do to pristine Alaskan air,” they said in the title of the post.

Cruise ships remain a controversial means of vacationing for a variety of reasons, but their environmental impact plays a massive role in that controversy. As the video shows, cruise ships emit massive amounts of pollution in the form of both methane and carbon dioxide.

According to the BBC in 2024, cruise ships can burn up to 80,645 gallons of marine fuel, a variant of fossil fuels, per day. The average carbon emissions of a cruise around Seattle are eight times higher than those produced by traveling around the city in a car. But carbon emissions aren’t the only problem; according to the BBC, a 2022 study showed that the cruise ships in Europe produced more sulfur oxides than 1 billion cars. Sulfur oxides are one of the primary causes of acid rain.

If that’s not bad enough, the average cruise ship produces more carbon dioxide per passenger-kilometer traveled than a passenger jet. And the wastewater and sonar systems can disrupt ecosystems and wreak havoc on nearby wildlife.

Commenters were quick to point out more issues with cruise ships.

One noted that most ships carry two kinds of fuel, one that is less polluting for near ports and another for open water.

“That is true of all ships,” said another, “I work for a tug company that refuels ships (bunkering). They usually burn heavy fuel oil (HFO) out at sea, which is about the nastiest fuel an engine can burn, then switch to something like low Sulphur fuel oil (VLSFO) as they approach a coastline.”

Another pointed out that many are switching to liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which produces far fewer carbon emissions. However, the BBC noted that LNG produces and leaks methane, which is 80 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

“Awful,” said a fourth, “Cruises need to be banned period.”

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Frank M

Frank is a seasoned travel journalist with over a decade of experience covering hospitality, cruise, and air travel.

He has traveled extensively by land, sea, and air, collaborating with industry giants like Marriott, Hyatt, Disney, and Carnival Corp. His work has been featured in major international and industry publications across four continents.