Carnival Corporation announced that it has experienced an early and robust start to wave season (peak booking period), exceeding expectations, with bookings volumes since November hitting an all-time high.
According to a statement, for 2024, the company continues to have the best booked position on record, with both pricing (in constant currency) and occupancy considerably higher than 2023 levels.
The company said the first half of 2024 is almost fully booked and it said it believes its continued strong bookings momentum is expected to deliver outperformance during the year, offsetting the Red Sea rerouting impact.
Carnival Corporation said on Tuesday it had made the decision to reroute itineraries for 12 ships across seven brands, which were scheduled to transit the Red Sea through May 2024.
The Red Sea rerouting is expected to have an adjusted earnings per share impact of $0.07 to $0.08 for full year 2024, the company announced, with the vast majority of the impact in the second quarter.
Carnival said it has not seen an impact on booking trends due to the Red Sea situation and has no other Red Sea transits until November 2024.
After being built by the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France, the Queen Mary 2 was christened by the late Queen Elizabeth II in Southampton on Jan. 8, 2004.
A few days after the ceremony, which celebrated Cunard’s British heritage with performances of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Royal Marines band, the ship set sail on its first voyage: a transatlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale.
Before starting its transatlantic service, the Queen Mary 2 offered a media preview cruise, in addition an 11-night cruise to the Caribbean.
As the world’s last ocean liner, the ship traditionally spends most of the year offering one-way Atlantic crossings that sail between New York City, and Southampton, in the United Kingdom. Guests can also embark or disembark on the German port of Hamburg on some of the sailings.
Most of the six- to eight-night voyages feature only sea days and sail at higher speeds when compared to regular cruising.
In 2024, after returning from its 108-night world tour, the vessel is set to offer two- to 13-night cruises to Western Europe, the Norwegian Fjords, the British Isles, Canada & New England, the Caribbean, and more.
Cunard’s website describes the Queen Mary 2 as its “legendary flagship,” a “true icon,” and a “astonishing liner.”
According to the company, the 2,620-guest vessel offers several unique features, including a vast library, an indulging spa, and more.