Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings saw better earnings for the three months leading up to 30 June, besting Wall Street consensus.
The Frank Del Rio-led company posted $227m in earnings versus a $199m profit a year earlier.
Adjusted net income was $272m, up from $233m a year earlier, creating respective earnings per share (EPS) of $1.21 and $1.02. These results beat analysts' and the company's own guidance by $0.19
Total revenue gained 13% to $1.5bn, thanks to higher booking prices and capacity days due to the 2017 arrival of the 147,725-dwt Norwegian Joy and second-quarter delivery of the 168,028-dwt Norwegian Bliss.
Costs went up, however, including interest expense running up to $73m from $642.m due to added debt with deliveries of Bliss and Joy, Project Leonardo financing and higher interest rates driven by higher Libor.
“Global consumer cruise demand shows no signs of slowing as evidenced by solid organic growth and the hugely successful introduction of Norwegian Bliss, whose record-breaking performance surpassed our high expectations," chief executive Frank Del Rio said.
He said a "strong demand environment" should lead to higher pricing in the next six months, pushing 2018 adjusted EPS outlook forward to $4.70 to $4.80.
