Carnival Corp & plc chairman and ceo Micky Arison says that booking volumes during our seasonally strong wave period have remained solid with pricing comparisons improving in recent weeks. “However, economic uncertainty in Europe continues to hinder yield growth,” he said in a statement.
Arison added: “Despite considerable attention surrounding the Carnival Triumph, we had been encouraged to see booking volumes for Carnival Cruise Lines recover significantly in recent weeks. Attractive pricing promotions, combined with strong support from the travel agent community and consumers who recognize the company’s well-established reputation and quality product offering, were driving the strong booking volumes.”
The company expects net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD for 2013 to be up 2.5 to 3.5 percent on a constant dollar basis compared to up 1 to 2 percent in the December guidance. The change in cost guidance is due to the impact of repair costs, as previously announced, as well as, expenses related to the enhancement of vessels in the remainder of the fleet as a result of the ship incident.
Taking the above factors into consideration, the company forecasts full year 2013 non- GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) to be in the range of $1.80 to $2.10, compared to 2012 non- GAAP diluted earnings of $1.88 per share.
Looking forward, Arison stated, “Our long term business fundamentals remain strong as we broaden our customer base of new and repeat cruisers through attractive product offerings, high satisfaction levels and compelling value propositions. We expect to drive return on invested capital higher through a measured pace of capacity growth and a continued focus on fuelconsumption savings. We continue to expect over $3 billion of cash from operations this year and remain committed to returning free cash flow to shareholders in 2013 and beyond.”
