Would you pay $25k per night to sail on a cruise ship?

Cramped quarters, bacchanalian buffets, trapped on a ship amid a sea of humanity: Cruise ships aren't for everyone.

But maybe you just need a little pampering to be convinced.

To lure luxury travelers, cruise lines are increasingly offering extravagant amenities and accommodations — with five-figure price tags to match, per CNBC.

Full steam ahead

People love cruise ships. While cruises suffered significant setbacks with the pandemic — when combined revenue of the three largest operators (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian) fell by 76% — the industry sailed back:

• After sinking to $4.1B in 2021, revenue for the biggest operators exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2023 ($44B), and reached a record high of $54.4B in 2025.
• Over 37m people cruised in 2025, a historic high, up 7.5% from 2024, with 40m cruisers expected by 2030.
• Cruise tourism generated $198B in economic impact in 2024 and supported 1.8m jobs worldwide.

Now cruise lines are charting a course for luxury, hoping high-end travelers will climb aboard.

To entice well-heeled cruisers, companies are expanding fleets with elite, yacht-like ships that carry fewer than 1k passengers, a far cry from the 7.5k-person megaships with zip lines and water slides.

• Luxury cabins on Regent’s Seven Seas Splendor range from $1.8k to $15k a night.
• Splendor's top suite includes a Steinway, private dining, and a hot tub — it's almost always booked, even on its 151-night global cruise.
• The two-story, 8.8k-square-foot suite aboard Regent’s new Prestige will cost $25k/night and include private dining, sauna, Dom Pérignon, and caviar service.

Beyond dedicated luxury lines like Regent, larger cruise lines are acquiring luxury brands, including Royal Caribbean's Silversea and Carnival’s Seabourn. High-end hotels have also launched lines, including Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, and Orient Express.

• 71% increase in luxury ships from 2020 to 2025.
• 26% increase in luxury ships expected through 2029.
• The global luxury cruise ship market is forecast to grow from $10B in 2025 to $29B in 2034.

But it's not all smooth sailing; the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has accumulated $700m in losses since 2017.

So, if you're willing to trade your buffet lines and water slides for caviar dreams and champagne wishes, these luxury ships will gladly welcome you aboard.