Tourism and travel make a vital contribution to the global economy and are considered particularly important for developing countries. The cruise industry, as part of the tourist offer, created in the beginning by demand from North America, had a dynamic growth for over nearly 40 years. Many studies show that today there is still an increased demand for a form of vacation spent on a cruise ship. For this reason, new cruise destinations are increasingly being developed and cruise ships are getting bigger, which has an increasing impact on the environment. The paper explores the causes and consequences of dynamic cruise industry growth on environment. The aim of the research is to identify the challenges facing the cruising industry when it comes to environmental impact. The research was conducted on the basis of available secondary data sources.