Bookings for 2022 and 2023 continue at good volumes and price levels, but the Omicron variant of the Covid - 19 virus has started to affect near term sailings, Carnival Corporation & plc said.

“Booking volumes continue to build for the remainder of 2022 and well into 2023 and we are achieving those early bookings with strong demand and pricing,” President and CEO Arnold Donald said in a statement.

However, over the last few weeks, Carnival has experienced an initial impact on bookings related to near-term sailings as a result of the Omicron variant.

Cumulative advanced bookings for the second half of 2022 and first half of 2023 are at the higher end of historical ranges and at higher prices, with or without future cruise credits, normalised for bundled packages, as compared to 2019 sailings. 

Booking volumes for the same periods during fourth quarter of 2021 were higher than the third quarter of 2021.

Due to the gradual resumption in guest cruise operations, the company's current booking trends will be compared to booking trends for 2019 sailings.

Total customer deposits increased $360 million to $3.5 billion as of November 30, 2021 from $3.1 billion as of August 31, 2021. For the third consecutive quarter, the company saw an increase in customer deposits.