(File Photo: Source for Photo: The Italian cruise ship, the Costa Serena, that will house up to 5,000 officials and athletes for the Asian Games, arrives at a port in Nagoya, central Japan, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026. Credit for Photo: Courtesy of Kazushi Kurihara/Kyodo News via AP))

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) The number of Americans planning cruise vacations is expected to hit a record high for the fifth year in a row.

AAA projects that 22.4 million people in the United States will go on domestic and international ocean cruises in the year of 2027, which is a 3.6% increase over the year of 2026.

2026 is also expected to end with higher than projected numbers for cruise travelers, as more of them turn to going on cruises for the convenience, value, and variety.