NCL-Norwegian Cruise Line announced that when its newest ship - Norwegian Encore - debuts in November 2019, NCL will offer no plastic water bottles to its passengers. The 4000-passenger liner will instead carry "Just Water", with its carton made mostly of paper, as well as a cap made of sugar cane.
The cruise company aims to switch the entire fleet over to more sustainable drinking water option by the start of 2021, an effort that it expects to eliminate 5 million single-use plastic bottles annually.
Environmental promises by major cruise lines, however, have many skeptics who point to Princess Cruises - in June 2019 fined USD 20 million for violating the terms of its probation on a USD 40 million penalty for illegal dumping in Alaskan waters.