Safest Destinations for Cruises

Wave season is here, bringing exciting deals on cruises as travelers start planning vacations for the new year. For many, the idea of relaxing on a luxurious ship while exploring new destinations offers the perfect blend of adventure and comfort, especially during the warmer months.

InsureMyTrip has researched the safest destinations for cruises in 2025, using data on cruise incidents, local crime indexes, and ratings of hospitals. The study also looks at tourism metrics like restaurant ratings, average sea temperatures, and activity options available when docked so that travelers can get the most out of their short stay.

Safest Destinations for Cruises

The top five safest destinations for cruises are as follows:

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 7.86 overall
Phuket, Thailand – 6.67 overall
Roatán Island, Honduras – 6.22 overall
Funchal, Portugal – 5.63 overall
Cartagena, Columbia – 5.51 overall

Asia and South America hold the top spots for continental cruises, with Dubai and Phuket ranking the highest, while Roatan Island and Cartagena come in at third and fifth respectively.

Dubai has the highest number of activities with more than 3000 – from safaris to hot air balloon rides – offering a host of options for cruise tourists to explore in a limited time. It also has a warmer average sea temperature at 78.1 °F, making it ideal for any recreational water activities. Phuket, known for its gorgeous beaches and picturesque sights, is in second position, with an overall score of 6.67, ranking highly for restaurants with an average rating of 4.57 out of 5. It also has the warmest waters in the study at 83.8 °F on average.

Roatán Island, the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras, is the third safest destination, with their ratings of hospitals in top spot across all destinations that were researched with an average rating of 4.82 out of 5. There is also an assortment of activities available, with 367 to choose from. Following in fourth is Funchal in Portugal, the capital of the Madeira archipelago, known for its botanical gardens and scenic architecture. It has the second lowest crime index of the five with 19.97 and offers highly rated food spots with an average rating of 4.39 out of 5.

Lastly, Cartagena in Columbia rounds out fifth place, named after the historical city of Carthage in Tunisia, found on the Caribbean coast. It has one of the warmest recorded sea temperatures with 82.9 °F and has 491 options for half-day activities for cruisers.

Interested in a cruise this summer? Find out more about cruise insurance.

Least Safe Destinations for Cruises

The top five least safe destinations for cruises are as follows:

Belize City – 3.68 overall
Hamburg, Germany – 3.90 overall
Loreto, Baja California, Mexico – 3.98 overall
Rouen, France – 4.00 overall
Barcelona, Spain – 4.32 overall

Belize City, located on the coast of the Caribbean Sea, is the least safe destination in the study, with an overall score of 3.68. There was a total of 10 incidents occurring on cruises visiting in 2024. The city also has a high crime index at 67.91. Hamburg is second, with the German city having one of the coldest sea temperatures at an average of 43.2 °F. In third place is Loreto in Baja California, a state of Mexico, which borders the U.S. state of California. Loreto has a low average rating for its hospitals of 3.26 out of 5 and a low number of activities to immerse a short-stay traveler. Following this is Rouen, the capital of Normandy in France, which is known for its cobblestones and historic tales. Unfortunately, low sea temperatures of 53.1 °F and a high crime index of 55.48 contribute to its low score. Finally, Barcelona, Spain has fifth spot with high average ratings for its restaurants of 4.43 out of 5, but also a high crime index of 51.6 out of 100.

From this list we can see that destinations for European cruises have the worst record for safety, with low scores for hospital ratings. Hamburg has an average rating of 3.64 out of 5 while Barcelona has an even lower average rating of 3.32 out of 5. Alternatively, they have higher ratings for traveler metrics such as restaurants and crime indexes, with Rouen having one of the higher ratings for their restaurants with 4.44 out of 5.

Most Common Incidents

For every traveler, it is best to prepare for the unexpected. From December 2023 to November 2024, 19.5% of incidents reported on cruise ships were due to passenger or crew deaths, followed by Coast Guard medevacs at 17.8%. The least likely incidents to occur were ship listing at 0.6%, which is where a ship may take on water and tilt on the sea, and injuries and overboards for either passenger or crew at 2.3%.

Conclusion

Planning a cruise is an exciting way to explore the world in style and comfort but safety is one of the most important things to consider. Understanding the risks before your trip is important so you can take extra precautions to enjoy a well-rounded and worry-free experience.

Methodology

Each data point consists of the latest research available from reputable sources. All sources are destination specific level data points. The data was standardized using minmax normalization. The minmax normalization value is multiplied by 10 to create a score (between 0-10). A score of 10 is always the best result, while a score of 0 is the worst. Each cruise destination is then ranked on their overall rating across all travel and safety data points, to find which location is the safest area to enjoy a cruise.