Visiting several places in a few days is one of the things that I like the most about cruise travel.
However, in order to do this, ships must move fast enough to be able to leave and reach the next port in a short time.
If you think about it, it would not be a difficult thing to do with an airplane, but cruise ships are much heavier, much larger, and obviously much slower.
How fast can a cruise ship travel and how far can it travel in a single day at maximum speed? I did some calculations (even though I’m not great at math), so let’s see what came out of it.
Knots and Nautical Miles
Just a small clarification before we figure out how fast cruise ships can travel. It is important to specify that the speed of ships is measured in knots, and one knot is equal to one nautical mile per hour.
You’re probably more used to land measure, and the conversion is quite simple. 1 nautical mile is equal to 1.15 land miles.
Let’s make an example to make it more clear. If your ship travels at an average of 19 knots between Miami and Nassau, which is approximately 184 nautical miles apart, it would take around 9.7 hours to reach Nassau.
During this time, you would cover roughly 211.7 land miles.
How Fast Can Cruise Ships Go?
Cruise ships typically travel at speeds ranging from 18 to 22 knots, which is about 20 to 25 miles per hour (32 to 40 kilometers per hour).
That range is usually considered optimal for a good balance between speed, fuel consumption, and safety.
However, many cruise ships could travel much faster than that. Modern cruise ships, like the newer ones from Royal Caribbean, can reach speeds of up to 25 knots (around 29 miles per hour or 46 kilometers per hour).
You should consider that traveling too fast can increase the motion of the ship and create discomfort for passengers who are more prone to seasickness.
Speed Influences
Certainly, the speed is affected by the size of the ship. Very large ships are more difficult to move and maneuver, which is why they can reach slower speeds.
Modern small-sized cruise ships are usually the fastest. That’s another reason why small cruise ships are better than big ones
In addition, cruise ships often adjust their speed based on weather conditions to ensure passenger comfort and safety.
High winds and rough seas can affect the ship’s ability to maintain its maximum speed. For example, cruise ships cannot travel at high speed while stabilizers are deployed or when there’s a hurricane warning.
Finally, we must consider costs. It’s no secret, cruises are very revenue-conscious, and management will do anything to be able to increase profits.
Traveling at a constant medium speed reduces fuel consumption and thus ships’ operating expenses.
How Far Can a Cruise Ship Travel
Now let’s try to answer the key question. How far can a cruise ship travel in a single day?
At its maximum speed of about 25 knots, a cruise ship can travel approximately 600 nautical miles or about 700 land miles in a day.
As you can guess, it’s only a theoretical hypothesis because we assume continuous travel without stops and ideal conditions.
If these conditions are met, in a single day a ship could cover most of the route between New York City and Bermuda, or could travel 3 times between Miami and Nassau.
In land measure, it’s approximately the distance from Dallas to Denver, Paris to Barcelona, or New York City to Charleston.