Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd (RCCL), the world’s second largest cruise shipping group, said its 2017 inventory has sold better than what was the situation regarding this year 12 months ago and that it is on track with its Double-Double goals.

“At this time, 2017 itineraries are booked ahead of last year in both rate and volume. New ships including Harmony of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas are seeing strong trends, supporting a solid outlook for 2017,” the company said in a statement.

This refers to the multi-year Adjusted EPS (earnings per share) and Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) goals RCCL publicly announced in 2014 and are seeking to achieve by the end of 2017.

Under this programme, RCCL is targeting Adjusted EPS of at least $6.78 by the end of 2017, which is double its 2014 Adjusted EPS of $3.39. The company is also targeting ROIC of at least 10% also by the end of 2017.

"Next year marks the finish line for the Double-Double and we are looking forward to a strong finish to this chapter in our continuous journey of rising shareholder returns," said Richard D. Fain, chairman and chief executive officer.

"New hardware, continued strength onboard, along with continued cost discipline and a highly motivated team over 65,000 strong is proving to be a winning combination," he said in a statement.