Consumer Discretionary
Travel Services
$32.24B
104K
Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest cruise company, operating a portfolio of well-known cruise lines that offer a variety of vacation experiences across different markets. The company's primary revenue streams come from passenger ticket sales and onboard spending. Carnival's competitive advantages include its scale, brand recognition, and diverse fleet, with a significant presence in North America, Europe, and Australia.
Key insights and themes extracted from this filing
Total revenues increased by 3.25% year-over-year to $8.15 billion for Q3 2025 and 6.33% to $20.29 billion for the nine months ended August 31, 2025. This growth was primarily fueled by a $215 million increase in Q3 ticket prices and $90 million in higher onboard spending, reflecting continued strong demand.
Net income for Q3 2025 rose 6.74% to $1.85 billion, and for the nine months ended August 31, 2025, it surged 44.95% to $2.34 billion. Operating income also saw substantial gains, increasing 4.27% in Q3 to $2.27 billion and 24.39% YTD to $3.75 billion, indicating improved profitability.
Interest expense, net of capitalized interest, decreased by 26.45% year-over-year to $317 million in Q3 2025 and 23.67% to $1.03 billion YTD. This reduction was primarily due to a decrease in total debt, lower average interest rates, and increased capitalized interest, positively impacting net income.
The company completed the sales of one North America segment ship and one Europe segment ship in 2025, reducing passenger capacity by a total of 3,160 berths. This fleet optimization is balanced by new ship deliveries in prior periods, such as a 5,360-passenger Carnival Cruise Line ship in December 2023, enhancing overall fleet efficiency.
In March 2025, Carnival sunset the P&O Cruises (Australia) brand, folding its operations into Carnival Cruise Line. This strategic realignment aims to streamline brand portfolio and potentially improve operational synergies and market focus.
Year-to-date capital expenditures of $2.1 billion were primarily directed towards ship improvements and the development of exclusive destinations. This indicates an ongoing strategy to enhance the guest experience and expand proprietary offerings, supporting future revenue streams.
Management successfully executed debt prepayments of $9.6 billion in 2025, funded by new issuances and cash on hand, leading to a decrease in total debt from $28.21 billion to $27.19 billion. This proactive approach to debt management has contributed to reduced interest expenses and a stronger balance sheet.
The working capital deficit decreased from $8.2 billion as of November 30, 2024, to $7.6 billion as of August 31, 2025. This improvement was driven by an increase in cash and cash equivalents and decreases in certain liabilities, indicating better management of short-term assets and liabilities despite the inherent business model.
Fuel consumption per thousand ALBDs decreased from 29.5 to 28.0 in Q3 2025 and from 31.0 to 29.4 YTD, contributing to lower fuel costs. This suggests effective operational efficiency initiatives, including fleet optimization and energy-saving technologies, mitigating the impact of volatile fuel prices.
The company continues to face risks from geopolitical uncertainty, inflation, higher fuel prices, and higher interest rates, which could negatively impact travel demand. These factors are explicitly listed as potential threats to financial condition and operations.
The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) incurred $46 million in costs in 2024 (40% of emissions) and is expected to impact 70% of emissions in 2025 and 100% in 2026. This increasing regulatory burden is reasonably likely to have a material negative impact on future financial results.
The filing highlights that breaches in data security and lapses in data privacy continue to be a risk, varying in scope from inadvertent events to malicious attacks. While past incidents were not material, future events could have a material adverse effect on business operations and reputation.
The company reported higher ticket prices driven by continued strength in demand and maintained a 112% occupancy rate in Q3 2025, with a 107% occupancy rate YTD. This indicates robust pricing power and strong demand for its cruise offerings despite a competitive market.
Recent additions of large-capacity ships (e.g., Carnival Cruise Line 5,360-passenger ship) and ongoing capital expenditures for ship improvements and exclusive destinations demonstrate efforts to enhance competitive advantages. These investments aim to differentiate offerings and capture market share.
Passenger ticket revenues are seasonal, with the largest share of operating income typically earned during the third quarter due to Northern Hemisphere summer months. This inherent seasonality requires careful financial planning and capacity management to optimize annual performance.
Despite an overall increase in operating expenses by 1.9% in Q3 and 2.0% YTD, the company achieved lower fuel consumption per thousand ALBDs (down from 29.5 to 28.0 in Q3) and benefited from lower fuel prices. These efficiencies helped offset other rising costs like payroll and port expenses.
Cruise payroll and related expenses increased by $29 million in Q3 and $33 million YTD, while depreciation and amortization expenses rose 10% in Q3 and 8.7% YTD due to fleet enhancements. These increases reflect ongoing operational costs and investments in the fleet, putting some pressure on overall efficiency.
The 2.5% capacity decrease in ALBDs in Q3 2025, resulting from the sale of two ships, indicates management's strategy to optimize fleet size and composition. This adjustment, while reducing available berths, can improve utilization and profitability of the remaining fleet.
Depreciation and amortization expenses increased by $66 million (10%) in Q3 2025 and $166 million (8.7%) YTD, primarily driven by fleet enhancements. This indicates ongoing capital investments into modernizing and improving the existing fleet, which often includes technological upgrades.
The company manages fuel price risk through fleet optimization, energy efficiency, itinerary efficiency, new technologies, and alternative fuels. This highlights a commitment to leveraging innovation to address a significant operational cost and environmental concern.
The filing identifies cybersecurity incidents and data privacy breaches as ongoing risks that could materially impact business operations. This implies continuous investment and focus on technological capabilities to protect systems and data, although specific R&D figures are not disclosed.
The company repaid $10.7 billion of long-term debt and issued $8.6 billion of new long-term debt during the nine months ended August 31, 2025. This active debt management, including prepayments of $9.6 billion, has led to a decrease in total debt and lower average interest rates, improving the capital structure.
New ship growth capital commitments total $0.9 billion for the remainder of 2025 and $11.4 billion for the years ending November 30, 2026, through thereafter, with $8.7 billion in undrawn export credit facilities. This demonstrates a long-term investment strategy in fleet expansion and modernization.
In June 2025, Carnival entered into a new $4.5 billion unsecured multi-currency revolving credit facility, replacing older facilities. This new facility, with an accordion feature for up to $1.0 billion in additional commitments, significantly bolsters the company's liquidity position and financial flexibility.
The company became subject to the EU ETS on January 1, 2024, incurring $46 million in costs for 40% of emissions in 2024. This impact is expected to increase to 70% of emissions in 2025 and 100% in 2026, indicating a growing financial burden related to environmental compliance.
The filing states an increasing focus on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and evolving regulatory requirements. While presenting a cost, this also indicates a strategic commitment to sustainability, with management acknowledging the material impact of climate change factors on the business.
The U.S. Department of Justice and EPA notified the company of potential civil penalties and injunctive relief for alleged Clean Water Act violations. While management believes the ultimate outcome will not have a material impact, it represents an ongoing regulatory risk related to environmental practices.
The company experienced higher ticket prices driven by continued strength in demand and increased onboard spending by guests across both North America and Europe segments. This indicates a favorable market environment with strong consumer appetite for cruise vacations.
Net favorable foreign currency translation impacts contributed $115 million to Q3 revenues and $116 million to YTD revenues. This positive effect from currency movements indicates beneficial exchange rates in key operating markets, enhancing reported financial performance.
Despite strong performance, the company acknowledges ongoing risks from geopolitical uncertainty, inflation, higher fuel prices, and higher interest rates. These macroeconomic factors could impact the ability or desire of people to travel, potentially leading to a decline in demand for cruises.