How Big Is the Cruise Entertainment Industry in 2025?

Estimating the Size of the Cruise Entertainment Industry

Wondering just how big the cruise entertainment industry is in 2025, and where all the money goes?

The global cruise entertainment industry is a multi-billion-dollar sector employing tens of thousands of people daily, with estimated monthly staffing salary expenditures easily exceeding $100 million.

From Broadway-at-sea to immersive tech-driven spectacles, cruise entertainment is no longer a side-show — it’s a multi-billion-dollar engine driving guest satisfaction and brand identity. As someone who’s spent over two decades performing onboard, managing shoreside entertainment operations, and strategically planning experiences for cruise lines and luxury hospitality brands, I’ve seen firsthand how this sector has scaled.

In this post, I’ll break down how much the ocean cruise entertainment segment of the industry spends on performers, production, licensing, and shoreside creative teams — and how it stacks up against total cruise revenue to see what percentage of typical cruise income funds an amazing night out.

Spoiler: the total investment is huge, but when measured against total revenue, the percentage is smaller than you might assume for a core product differentiator, yet comparable to land-based theme-parks and resorts.

Industry Size & Passenger Volume

Let’s start with a breakdown of the industry's scope and economics:

The North American cruise market for passenger ticket sales was conservatively valued at $12-15 billion in 2022, projected to exceed $20 billion by 2030. Other estimates suggest that in 2024 the total global cruise passenger ticket fare was valued at $42.1 billion.

Total global cruise revenue, including both passenger ticket fares and all onboard spending, is estimated to likely exceed $72.5 billion USD for 2025 – and it’s growing quickly, in part driven by guests willing to pay more for new entertainment-related “premium” experiences. Based on the industry’s typical revenue split (where passage fees account for roughly 61.2% of total revenue), this translates to an estimated $44.4 billion in Guest Booking Ticket Sales for 2025.

In 2023, the cruise industry served 31.7 million passengers, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. In 2025, that number is forecast to grow to over 37.5 million passengers. To keep all those guests happy, entertainment has become a core component of cruise offerings, especially on longer ocean cruises, which account for over 80% of the cruise vacation market.

The Big Picture: The $1.8 Billion Estimate

Now, let’s explore just how large the global cruise entertainment industry is by breaking down the financial spend and estimating the number of people employed both onboard, shoreside, and in supporting roles.

As detailed above, the global cruise industry is expected to generate approximately $72.5 billion in total revenue from combined passenger ticket sales and onboard spending in 2025. Within this colossal market, the dedicated spending on entertainment—from performers and technicians to massive stage installations and licensing fees—is a highly protected number. Luckily, based on my time in the industry, I can crack-open that data to provide insight into just how big this industry has become.

Onboard Entertainment Spending

While exact figures for entertainment alone are generally not publicly broken out in most corporate financial data, industry experts estimate that somewhere between 4–10% of ocean cruise operating budgets go toward entertainment. This translates to 3-8% of revenue from passenger ticket sales, or 2-3% of total gross revenue from ticket sales and onboard spending. An accepted average, based on my experience, is that most large cruise brands spend between 2.3-2.8% of total gross revenue on entertainment-related expenses.

For 2025, the estimated spend for onboard entertainment is therefore expected to exceed $1.8 billion. This includes costs for shows, concerts, themed parties, youth programs, daily activities, salaries for onboard teams and shoreside staff overseeing entertainment operations & programming, media licensing costs, rehearsal, development costs, and more.

For the purpose of this post, we will use a conservative estimate of $1.8 billion as the approximate total market size of the cruise entertainment industry for 2025.

Percentage Breakdown of The Guest Dollar

To understand how significant this expenditure is, let's look at the estimated $1.8 Billion spend against the two main revenue streams of the cruise industry:

Metric	Calculation	Percentage of Revenue
As a % of Total Sales (Cruise Fare + Onboard Spend)	$1.8 Billion / $72.5 Billion	~2.5%
As a % of Guest Booking Sales (Cruise Passage Fees Only)	$1.8 Billion / $44.4 Billion	~3.7% (comparable to theme parks & resorts).

This means that for every $100 in total revenue earned by a cruise line, approximately $2.50 is funneled directly or indirectly into the onboard entertainment budget.

So – where does all that money go?

Cruise entertainment budgets cover far more than just onboard performers:

• Onboard salaries: dancers, musicians, DJs, youth staff, technicians, managers, etc.

• Shoreside teams: executives, operations & technical managers, producers, casting directors, choreographers, AV engineers, rehearsal managers, vocal directors/coaches, entertainment contractors/consultants, media licensing teams, legal/administrative support, etc.

• Licensing: music rights, film/TV broadcast, karaoke systems, branded shows, partner IPs, Broadway show rights, etc.

• Production & development: costumes, sets, lighting, sound, rehearsal studios, media programming, recruitment, training, specialized contractors/consultants/designers, etc.

• Maintenance & installation: AV systems, costume/equipment replacement, maintenance services, capital upgrades & dry-dock refurbishments, etc.

Here’s how these costs break down as a % of total spend by category, based on industry benchmarks:

Cost Category	Estimated % of Total Entertainment Spend ($1.8B)	Rationale
Staffing & Salaries (Onboard & Shoreside)	55% - 60%	The highest recurring, people-intensive cost for 24/7 programming.
Production & Development (Sets, Costumes, Rehearsals)	20% - 25%	Major upfront investment, especially for custom, large-scale shows.
Licensing & IP Fees (Music, Broadway, IP Partners)	10% - 15%	High fixed annual costs for intellectual property usage.
Maintenance & Installation (AV Upgrades, Repairs)	5% - 10%	Critical capital and operational maintenance spend to keep high-tech systems running.

Dissecting the Costs: Salaries vs. Production

The $1.8 Billion breaks down into two major buckets, both with shoreside and onboard components:

• Salaries (Onboard vs. Shoreside):

  • Onboard Salaries: This covers performers, musicians, dancers, technicians, Cruise Directors, and activity staff. I estimate that the entertainment team alone accounts for 10% to 15% of a cruise line's total onboard staffing payroll, reflecting the large number of performers, technicians and supporting team required for 24/7 programming. Roughly 70% of salary spend goes towards onboard entertainment staffing.

  • Shoreside Salaries: This covers the Creative Directors/Producers, Choreographers, Vocal Directors, Casting/Recruitment Managers, Specialists/Supervisors, Coordinators/Administrative Support, Production/Operations Managers, and Executives based in corporate offices. While fewer people, these are typically higher individual salaries, representing the development and management overhead. Roughly 30% of salary spend goes toward shoreside entertainment staffing.

    
    

• Production and Maintenance Costs (The Hardware & IP):

  • Development/Rehearsal/Installation: This is the massive, upfront cost of building a new experience or show (costumes, set/automation design, lighting/sound design & rigs, media licensing/programming, casting, months of shoreside rehearsal). A single, large-scale production show can cost a cruise line several million dollars to create and install, often amortized over the typical 5-8 year lifespan of a show.

  • Maintenance/Upgrades: This is the ongoing cost of sustaining experiences or shows once created and installed onboard, including technical services, changes/adjustments to media or show-flow elements, equipment/costumes/props repair or replacement, etc.

  • Media & Intellectual Property (IP) Rights Licensing Costs:

    • Broadway/IP Licensing: Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and NCL pay significant, ongoing licensing fees to intellectual property (IP) owners for hits like Hairspray, Grease, Six, or Kinky Boots. The cost savings of creating a fully original show versus paying for a licensed Broadway production are a major strategic consideration.

    • Music Rights: Cruise lines pay blanket licenses to performance rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, etc.) for every piece of copyrighted music played or presented onboard, from the main theater to background music in a lounge. These are recurring, fixed operational costs based on ship size and capacity, and may be even higher to secure "Grand Rights" to music used in new dramatic works that are distinct from existing musical theater shows.

    • Branded Partnerships: Cruise lines are increasingly looking to establish key partnerships with external entertainment brands, celebrities, and more, as critical “differentiators” that help give them an edge over both other cruise lines and shoreside vacation options.  These are also recurring, fixed operational cost based on various factors such as which ships have the partnership(s) activated onboard, and for how many years.

How Many People Work Onboard in the Cruise Entertainment Industry?

As noted above, staffing is by far the largest part of entertainment spending, accounting for over 50% of the total cost- and with strong talent definitely in high demand.

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) reports that the cruise industry supports over 1.2 million direct and indirect jobs globally. Onboard entertainment staffing typically represents 5–10% of onboard crew, depending on ship size and itinerary. With well-over 300 ocean cruise ships operating worldwide, an anywhere from 1000-2000 crew members working onboard, a conservative estimate places the daily onboard entertainment workforce at approximately 20,000–25,000 people worldwide. With attrition rates sometimes as high as 50%, the need for new-hire talent, supported by a robust ecosystem of global talent & onboarding partners, is growing every single year. Add in all the shoreside teams and supporting contractors and vendors, it's estimated that over 30,000 people work in or support the cruise entertainment industry on a daily basis.

Across the entire industry, here are some important staffing estimates:

• Onboard entertainment staff: ~20,000–25,000 daily

• Shoreside management/creative/support teams: ~5,000–8,000 globally

• Rehearsal hubs: Miami, London, Toronto, Sydney, New York, Genoa, Los Angeles

• Staffing Rotation cycles: 4–8 months onboard, with intensive onboarding and training requirements

Entertainment Spending & Strategies – the Big Players

There are four main groups that ocean cruise brands fall into when looking at who the Big Players are:

• Carnival Corporation – accounting for approx. 36% of total market share, spread between eight global cruise brands (Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Costa, Aida, Seabourn, P&O UK, Cunard).

• Royal Caribbean Group – accounting for approx. 25% of total market share, spread between three global cruise brands (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Silvesea) and one joint venture (TUI).

• Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings – accounting for approx. 14% of total market share, spread between three global cruise brand (Norwegian, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas).

• MSC/Disney/Viking/Virgin & Other Smaller Brands – accounting for approx. the remaining 25% to total market share, spread between 35+ smaller brands (MSC, Viking, Disney, TUI, Virgin, Resorts World, Marella, Azamara, Hurtigruten, Adora, Fred Olsen, etc).

Of course, each group and individual brand has its own approach to onboard entertainment, how much money they spend on entertainment, and the strategic differentiators they focus on to drive guest bookings:

Cruise Group	Est. 2025 Revenue Market Share	Estimated Annual Entertainment Spend	Entertainment Strategy
Carnival Corporation	~36.0%	~$650 Million	Focus on high-volume, popular, accessible entertainment and brand specific-integrations (e.g., Carnival's Playlist Productions and Comedy Club; Princess's spectacular shows & comedians).
Royal Caribbean Group (RCG)	~24.8%	~$450 Million	Heavy investment in high-tech, innovative blockbuster shows to differentiate (e.g., Broadway/West End licensing, high-tech venues, ice rinks & shows, AquaTheaters, and robot bartenders).
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH)	~14.1%	~$255 Million	Balanced approach, featuring high-quality Broadway/West End shows and extensive live music venues, branded partnerships and unique concepts (e.g., Six and Kinky Boots on NCL).
Viking & Others (MSC, Viking, Disney, Virgin, etc.)	~25.1%	~$450 Million	Varies widely. Luxury lines (Viking, Silversea) prioritize enrichment/destination-focused talent. Family lines (Disney) focus on high-cost IP experiences.

While specific entertainment budgets are closely guarded secrets, analyzing available financial data shows that the major cruise groups typically allocate a small but critical percentage of their total operating costs and onboard staffing to Entertainment, as it drives the overall "value proposition" and is key to guest satisfaction and, often, onboard revenue generation (e.g., bar sales during a show).

The Strategic Divide:

• Royal Caribbean & NCLH invest heavily in destination-defining venues (Icon of the Seas' AquaDome, new-generation main theaters) and licensed IP (e.g. B'way shows), making their entertainment a primary reason to book.

• Carnival leverages its scale across many brands, focusing on a robust volume of shows and activities that cater to a wide, multi-generational audience.

• Viking and smaller luxury/expedition lines spend a larger percentage of their per-guest budget on non-production enrichment (guest lecturers, local musicians, curated experiences, “boutique” staffing), rather than massive production shows.

The Blurring Lines: Cross-Over Experiences

The modern cruise experience is also moving away from siloed activities to increasingly focus on experiential fusion where entertainment, dining, and premium relaxation spaces intersect to create a more integrated and revenue-generating guest journey:

1. Entertainment + Dining Crossovers

• Dinner theater: Experiences where a meal is accompanied by a theatrical, acrobatic, or comedic performance (e.g., Norwegian’s Cirque-style dining).

• Interactive culinary shows & classes: Blending culinary arts with a structured entertainment activity (e.g., Celebrity’s Le Petit Chef).

• Live music in specialty dining venues: Dining spaces designed as immersive environments with live ambient entertainment (e.g. Princess Cruises O'Malley's Irish Pub).

2. Wellness & Sanctuary Integration

• Ambient Music Programming: Carefully curated, high-quality relaxing soundtracks in quiet zones, often featuring classical or ambient live musicians nearby.

• Spa + performance fusion: Bringing wellness experiences into the largest venues and open spaces onboard, like sound bath concerts or guided meditative storytelling.

• Entertainment in wellness spaces: Unique, low-key activities like mindfulness workshops or celestial navigation lectures held in exclusive, tranquil spaces or private observation lounges.

• Private club venues: Exclusive cocktail parties or meet-and-greets with the ship's star performers or captain, hosted in a premium lounge, leveraging the "star power" of the entertainment team to create a members-only experience.

By fusing these offerings, cruise lines encourage higher onboard spending and create distinct, memorable experiences that drive positive reviews and repeat bookings - and justify the return-on-investment (ROI) for well-presented and well-managed impactful entertainment.

The Bottom Line

The cruise entertainment industry in 2025 is not just a side feature; it's a massive, multi-billion-dollar business that acts as a key competitive differentiator for the world's largest travel companies - and growing fast. Estimated conservatively at $1.8 Billion in annual expenditure, the overall cruise entertainment budget represents a critical 2.5% of total sales, funding everything from shoreside creative development to the daily maintenance of high-tech stages at sea. The current growth of the ocean cruise fleet is showing no sign of slowing down, with over 50 new large vessels planned for launch over the next 8-10 years, forecast to add over 2500 entertainment-related jobs to the industry.

Cruise entertainment in 2025 is a layered investment—spanning talent, tech, infrastructure, and experience design. And as cruise lines compete for travelers seeking “experiential luxury,” entertainment remains the heartbeat of the industry and a resilient engine of growth. As cruise lines continue to deploy newer, larger, and more technologically ambitious vessels, expect the annual investment in entertainment to climb dramatically, driven by the ongoing arms-race for the most captivating, brand-defining shows and experiences in the history of the high seas.

No longer just about putting on a show, the cruise entertainment experience is about storytelling across every touchpoint – and weaving that approach into every moment of the guest journey.

Come back to read my next post on this topic, where I’ll dig even deeper into cruise entertainment budgeting - how the big players' entertainment spend breaks down into specific areas, and by Available Lower Berth Day (ALBD)—the industry's standard measure for capacity and cost-per-guest.

References

• Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), 2025 Global Cruise Industry Outlook

• Cruise Market Watch, Statistics - Market Share

• PhotoAiD, Cruise Industry Statistics 2025 (via Statista)

• Cruise Industry News, 2025 Market Reports and Financials, Cruise Ship Order Book

• Company filings and investor reports: Carnival Corp., Royal Caribbean Group, NCLH, Viking

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