The cruise industry provides a tourism service that is performed entirely by means of transportation: the vessel. Although different characteristics of the cruise industry are well documented in the related academic literature, the role and influence of ports (and port cities) in defining cruise organisation is relatively understudied. Using public official data collected from all the major cruise groups operating in the Mediterranean Sea, we investigate the role of the different ports (and cities) within different itineraries. The analysis highlights that although there is some sort of hierarchical structure among some main ports included in the Mediterranean cruise routes, the majority of the ports of call are in a somewhat vulnerable position within the cruise transport network. Moreover, the study discusses how ports' characterising elements, such as excursion packages, have a strategic role in ensuring the inclusion of peripheral ports within the cruise network. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.