Carnival Corporation & plc says at this time, cumulative advance bookings for 2014 are behind the prior year at prices in line with prior year levels. Since September, booking volumes for the first three quarters of 2014 are running well ahead of last year’s levels at lower prices.
President and CEO Arnold Donald noted: “We are catching up on booking volumes and gaining momentum as we enter 2014. We believe the compelling value we have in the marketplace will continue to stimulate strong demand leading to a solid wave period. We continue to expect revenue yields to turn positive in the second half of 2014 compared to the prior year.”
Based on current booking trends, the company forecasts full year 2014 net revenue yields, on a constant dollar basis, to be down slightly compared to the prior year (in line with the prior year on a current dollar basis). First quarter revenue yields (constant dollars) are expected to decline 3 to 4 percent compared to the prior year and improve during the remainder of 2014 based on a recovery in ticket prices.
The company expects net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD for full year 2014 to be slightly higher than the prior year on a constant dollar basis. Taking the above factors into consideration, the company forecasts full year 2014 non-GAAP diluted earnings per share to be in the range of $1.40 to $1.80, compared to 2013 non-GAAP diluted earnings of $1.58 per share.
Looking forward, Donald stated: “With over 100 ships and more than 10 million guests we have a scale advantage that cannot be replicated in this industry. We are aggressively seeking opportunities to leverage that scale to drive top line improvement and gain cost efficiencies. To support that effort, we have realigned our leadership team and processes to achieve greater collaboration and cooperation.”
“We have heightened our focus on the guest experience and further exceeding guest expectations. As 2014 progresses, we will commence a number of strategic initiatives designed to fuel our earnings power, drive cash flow and improve return on invested capital over time.”
First quarter constant dollar net revenue yields are expected to decrease 3 to 4 percent compared to the prior year. Net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD for the first quarter are expected to be 4.5 to 5.5 percent higher on a constant dollar basis compared to the prior year mostly due to higher advertising costs.
Based on the above factors, the company expects non-GAAP diluted losses for the first quarter 2014 to be in the range of $(0.07) to $(0.11) per share versus 2013 non-GAAP earnings of $0.09 per share.