Cruises are making waves this year as new megaships set sail and demand reaches record highs, triggering some popular destinations to update tourist tax rules.
Here is what to know.
Star of the Seas, the sister ship to the cruise liner's Icon of the Seas, set sail on its inaugural voyage Sunday from Port Canaveral, Florida for a seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itinerary.
The new floating mega city, which shares the Guinness World Records title of world's largest cruise ship with the Icon for its gross tonnage, bills itself as having something for everyone with 20 decks and 40 bars and restaurants.
The Star of the Seas features a waterpark at sea with an aquadome complete with a 55-foot waterfall and a "Back to the Future" musical with a full-size replica of the famed flying DeLorean.
Passengers across social media have taken their online audiences inside the vast megaship, spurring thousands of posts, likes and interest in the massive vessel.
Demand for cruise vacations is at an all-time high, according to cruise expert Stewart Chiron, founder of The Cruise Guy.
"There are more people booked for cruises into the future than any same time in the history," Chiron said Monday on "Good Morning America." "The demand is tremendous and people are going. The satisfaction rates are unbelievable and the future outlook with, especially with the new ships that are coming in, it's gonna make it even more exciting."
2025 marks the third consecutive year of record cruise passenger volume, according to AAA.
The cruise industry greatly rebounded after the halted and delayed operations during the COVID-19 pandemic -- when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2020 blocked ships with more than 250 people from sailing in the U.S. -- and bookings have now, in some cases, exceeded hotel demand, according to Chiron.
Chiron also said people are "sick of the price gouging with the hotels" and are opting instead for travel at sea.
"What's happening right now is there's more people that are wanting to go on cruises," he said. "Some that have maybe taken one or two cruises and now they're doing three, four or five cruises in a year."
Cruise lines are also doubling down to offer more destinations and experiences for passengers, according to Chiron.
Later this week, Virgin Voyages' Brilliant Lady will make its adults-only maiden voyage with various trips planned across North America from New England and Canada to the Caribbean and more.
"There's the ships -- but the real arms race, let's call it -- are in the destinations," Chiron said. "And what the cruise lines are trying to do right now is be able to control more of the cruise to be able to provide a, a more unique experience."
Hawaii may be among the next destinations enforcing fees on visitors, including cruise passengers.
A first-of-its-kind levy in the U.S. that aims to offset global warming-related impacts would increase rates on hotel rooms and vacation rentals in Hawaii, as well as -- starting next year -- a prorated tax on cruise ship passenger fares for the number of days spent in Hawaii ports.
The new levy, signed Hawaii Gov. Josh Green in May, would raise tax revenue in an effort to help with climate problems.
Critics of the new tax believe the fees would make cruises in Hawaii too expensive, potentially pushing would-be visitors to travel to another destination.
A lawsuit filed in U.S. court in Honolulu in August by the Cruise Lines International Association challenges the constitutionality of the cruise-related provisions and "seeks to stop officials from enforcing the new law on cruise ship passengers," according to The Associated Press.
The plaintiffs urged a judge to act soon in a motion for a preliminary injunction, due to the time sensitive travel plan timing and booking windows for next year. A hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 31, according to the AP.
CLIA told ABC News in an emailed statement that it opposes the extension of Hawaii's Transient Accommodations Tax to cruise ship passengers because the organization believes it "violates both the U.S. Constitution and federal law, while imposing an additional financial burden on passengers already subject to substantial fees and taxes."
The representative said the policy "risks undermining a critical sector of Hawaii’s economy without justification."
Citing the economic significance of cruise tourism to Hawaii, the CLIA representative told ABC News that cruise tourism and its shoreside activities "generated $639 million in total economic impact ... supported 3,000 local jobs and $215 million in wages in 2023," according to an analysis by Tourism Economics, Oxford Economics.
"The cruise industry values its longstanding relationship with Hawaii and is committed to working collaboratively with state officials to develop a fair and legally sound framework that promotes sustainable economic growth," the statement read.
