“Yesterday, we sold just one of our over-water cabanas for one day for $4,000 and we just see there’s just a lot of demand for these experiences,” Chief Executive Officer of Royal Caribbean International Michael Bayley said. Occupancy has not yet returned to pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The industry has been steadily moving toward full occupancy after a near 18-month shutdown, with demand from loyal patrons proving a silver lining for cruise operators that are dealing with higher fuel prices and record debt levels.Īffluent guests have shrugged off inflation to splurge at casinos and spas on the ships, partly making up for the blow from cruise operators’ occupancy constraints. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month stopped reporting coronavirus levels for cruise ships in a move considered the next step toward a full return to normalcy for embattled cruise operators.

Royal Caribbean said it returned its entire fleet back to operations, which Liberty called a “Herculean task.” Liberty also said Royal Caribbean’s websites are receiving close to double the visits compared to 2019, and are generating a record level of direct bookings. Shares in Royal Caribbean climbed about 5.5 percent to $36.85 in early afternoon trading. Onboard spending rose 30 percent across categories in the second quarter compared to pre-pandemic levels, the company told investors. and global economy, high inflation and amid geopolitical uncertainty, consumers are choosing to spend their discretionary income on experiences, after more than two years stuck inside the house,” Similarweb travel and leisure analyst Jim Corridore said. The world’s second-largest cruise line operator is the latest company to report good results as travelers, free of restrictions related to Covid-19, spend heavily on rental cars, airline tickets and hotels.

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean Group on Thursday reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss as bookings rebounded and travelers splurged on cabanas, spa treatments and watches while onboard.

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