Carnival thanks agents after announcing record earnings
Carnival Corporation’s adjusted net income hit $3 billion this year, $200 million more than in 2017, making it a record-breaking year.
Revenues for 2018 were $18.9 billion, $1.4 billion higher than in 2017. Net cruise revenue was up 5%, boosting the cruise line’s yield to an historic high.
President and chief executive Arnold Donald said: "We delivered strong fourth quarter earnings and record adjusted fourth quarter earnings to top off a record-breaking year.
"I thank our 120,000 team members around the globe who encountered multiple headwinds and still delivered for our shareholders a more than doubling of return on invested capital in just five years, as well as our valued travel agent partners whose strong support enabled these record results."
Adjusted net income for the fourth quarter was $492 million compared to $452 million in the same three months of 2017.
Looking ahead to 2019, advance bookings are ‘considerably ahead’ of last year at similar prices, said Carnival. Even with more capacity, following the launch of Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam last month, there is less inventory remaining to sell than at the same time last year, it added.
"Based on continued strength in underlying fundamentals, we are poised to deliver another year of strong revenue and earnings growth, with booking volumes running significantly ahead of our higher capacity growth and net revenue yields expected to exceed last year’s record levels (constant currency). We remain committed to driving demand in excess of measured capacity growth to continue the momentum into 2019 and beyond," added Donald.
Based on current booking trends, the company expects full year 2019 constant currency net cruise revenues to be up approximately 5.5%, with capacity growth of 4.6%, and net revenue yields in constant currency expected to be up approximately 1%.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11