Cruise tourism is an obviously global industry in different dimensions. From a geographical perspective, cruise ships are mobile and capable of being repositioned at a company’s notice, which forms the inherent basis for its global spatial layout. As a branch of the cruise industry, the world cruise is clearly globalizing in geographical space by offering long itinerary, even round-the-world trips, for everyone. Using the schedule data from 2018 to 2019, this paper analyzes the spatial characteristics of the itinerary and port organization of Cunard, a world cruise company. We find that the itinerary distribution and port organization of Cunard are both globalization and regionalization, and the latter is the core and main component of the former. Under the influence of the COVID-19 epidemic, the global mobility of cruises has ground to a halt, while local mobility offers the possibility of its resumption as soon as possible. Turning to the regional voyage with the shorter and simple itinerary is feasible for Cunard and other world cruises, which is conducive to the realization of the resuming voyage as soon as possible. Moreover, strict boarding and safety onboard are essential.

The frigid geographical environment in the Arctic has shaped the exploration attribute of the polar cruise shipping network. In this study, the typical characteristics and special structure of the Arctic adventure cruise shipping network are investigated by using the network analysis method based on the data of 172 adventure cruise itineraries in the Arctic. It is found that the Arctic adventure cruise itineraries are dominated by 8–17 days of medium itineraries, and the ratio of one-way itineraries to round-trip itineraries is about 1:1. There are differences in the centrality of different ports, forming two core ports Reykjavík and Longyearbyen and a sub-core port Kangerlussuaq. The overall contact strength of the Arctic adventure cruise shipping network is low. Under the joint influence of such factors as centrality and contact strength, the Arctic constitutes the dual-core clusters of Iceland and Svalbard Islands and a sub-core cluster of Greenland.

Regionalization is the basic feature of cruise shipping network organization. We insist that the cruise networks of Alaska, Hawaii, etc., have developed into a whole with the scaling up of cruise tourism. To prove it, we used complex network analysis methods to explore the port connections and the spatial structure of the cruise shipping network in these regions. We found that Alaska, Hawaii, and the west coast of Mexico all belong to seasonal cruise market areas. Cruise itineraries in these areas are categorized into one‐way and round‐trip itineraries, and more than 70% of the itineraries are short duration and medium duration. These areas build cruise shipping networks used in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Anchorage, San Francisco, Honolulu, and other cruise ports, which can be subdivided into nine single‐core cruise shipping network systems and two dual‐core cruise shipping network systems. The interconnection of different systems forms a T‐shaped cruise shipping network in geographical space.

The aim of this study is to reveal the spatial-temporal characteristics and influencing factors of the static and dynamic distribution of global cruise ships, against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has transformed the global cruise network from "lines" to "points". This study collected trajectory data for 292 cruise ships and data for 789 cruise ports worldwide from March 2020 to July 2021. Based on the relationship between port and navigation, port management rights research, and port geography theory, we analyzed the spatial distribution and spatiotemporal migration of cruise ships with ArcGIS tools. It was found that, compared with normal times, the distribution of cruise ships in regional markets, countries, and ports showed stronger spatial agglomeration characteristics and formed four types, which were mainly influenced by differences in cruise operators’ fleet scale, positioning, and itinerary. With the improvement of the epidemic, cruise ships trended to gather at the cruise home port. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was an obvious separation between the epidemic prevention country, flag country, and operator country. Operators were inclined to berth their cruise ships in the countries where cruise ships were registered, countries of operators, and ports with high integration. Rather than simply emphasizing the static state of the cruise shipping network, the global cruise geography under the COVID-19 pandemic reflects the right relationship between ports, cruise ships, and companies. This study provides a methodological framework for analyzing the cruise shipping network at the port level and has practical implications for micro-interpretation of the dotted cruise shipping network during the COVID-19 pandemic.