The Miami-based company has reported full year 2016 adjusted net income of $2.6 billion, or $3.45 adjusted EPS (earnings per share), up from $2.1 billion, or $2.70 adjusted EPS, for the full year 2015.
Gross cruise costs including fuel per ALBD (two passengers sharing a cabin) increased 0.2%.
In constant currency, net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD increased 1%.
Changes in fuel prices and currency exchange rates decreased earnings by $0.04 per share versus the prior year.
Carnival Corporation & plc president and chief executive, Arnold Donald, said: "We achieved the most profitable year in our company’s history as well as record fourth quarter earnings.
“The continued execution of our core strategy to drive consumer demand in excess of measured capacity growth, contain costs and leverage our industry-leading scale resulted in our third consecutive year of
significantly higher earnings and return on invested capital.
“The delivery of over $5 billion in cash from operations for our shareholders enabled increased dividend distributions reaching $1 billion and the investment of over $2.3 billion in the repurchase of Carnival
Corporation stock.
“This continued strong performance is a credit to the outstanding contributions of our 120,000 employees worldwide who work every day to exceed our guests’ expectations and our thousands of travel agent partners around the globe whose support is crucial to our success.”
For 2017, cumulative advance bookings for the first three quarters of 2017 are well ahead of the prior year “at considerably higher prices”.
Since September, “both booking volumes and prices for the first three quarters of 2017 have been running well ahead of the prior year”.
Donald continued: "We enjoyed strong momentum in booking patterns throughout 2016 and therefore are in a stronger booked position entering the new year at higher prices as a result of our ongoing efforts to increase consideration and demand for our brands."
Based on current booking trends, the company expects full year 2017 net revenue yields in constant currency to be up approximately 2.5% compared to the prior year.
The company expects full year net cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD in constant currency to be up approximately 1% compared to the prior year.
