Risk Factors Dashboard
Once a year, publicly traded companies issue a comprehensive report of their business, called a 10-K. A component mandated in the 10-K is the ‘Risk Factors’ section, where companies disclose any major potential risks that they may face. This dashboard highlights all major changes and additions in new 10K reports, allowing investors to quickly identify new potential risks and opportunities.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors - “We are exposed to cyber security attacks and data breaches and the risks and costs associated with protecting our systems and maintaining data integrity and security” for a discussion of the risks associated with cyber security.
We conduct regular third-party assessments of our cyber risk management program, and also conduct a periodic assessment of cybersecurity risk as part of broader enterprise risk management (ERM). This assessment includes an evaluation of the Company’s processes to identify and respond to cyber risks and the effectiveness of the Company’s lines of defense. Given the complexity and evolving nature of cybersecurity threats, we leverage both internal cyber analytics and external sources of threat intelligence to evaluate our cyber risks and to properly adjust our risk mitigation approach. We engage third parties to perform periodic assessment of our cyber program maturity against the NIST framework, to perform penetration testing, and to audit our capabilities from time to time. We also maintain controls and procedures that are designed to evaluate cyber risks on an ongoing basis. These processes include prompt communication of certain cybersecurity incidents to the Company’s executives, internal committees and the Board as needed, so that any needed disclosures can be made by management and the Board in a timely manner.As of the date of this report, we are not aware of any risks from cybersecurity threats or incidents that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company, including our business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition. For additional description of cybersecurity risks and potential related impacts on the Company, refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors - "We are exposed to cybersecurity attacks and data breaches and the risks and costs associated with protecting our systems and maintaining data integrity and security."Our cybersecurity program is led by our Chief Information Officer (CIO) and the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO ). They are supported by Information Security Officers who work closely with our operational teams. Our CIO and CISO have more than 35 years of collective experience in the cybersecurity field. The CISO reports to the CIO and is generally responsible for management of cybersecurity risk and the protection and defense of our networks, systems, and data. The CISO has served in similar roles at three major public companies and is a recognized cybersecurity leader. He regularly engages with peer CISOs, cybersecurity experts and organizations, including the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) and the NIST, to stay informed on the latest industry developments. The CISO regularly informs our internal Disclosure Committee, Chief Financial Officer, and our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of cybersecurity risks and incidents as per our internal cyber risk
framework. This also helps ensure that the highest levels of management are kept abreast of our cybersecurity posture and potential risks. Our Board , in coordination with the Audit Committee, is actively engaged in reviewing management's processes for assessing and managing cybersecurity risks. The Board reviews cybersecurity at least annually. The Audit Committee directly oversees the Company’s management of cybersecurity risks. On a quarterly basis or as needed, the Audit Committee receives updates from management (including the CIO and CISO) on cybersecurity risks resulting from risk assessments, progress of risk reduction initiatives, external auditor feedback, control maturity assessments, and relevant internal and industry cybersecurity incidents. In addition, the Chair of the Audit Committee regularly informs the Board of the outcome of the Audit Committee's reviews at scheduled Board meetings.
Travel advisor relationships, consumer outreach, and e-commerce
Travel advisors continue to be a significant sourcing channel of revenues for our ships. We believe in the value of this distribution channel and invest in maintaining strong relationships with our travel partners. To accomplish this goal, we seek to maintain competitive commission rates and incentive structures with the marketplace. We continuously work with travel advisors to sell upgrades and add-ons such as air and pre-cruise purchases to improve the retention and profitability of the channel. We provide brand dedicated sales representatives who serve as consultants to our travel partners. We also provide trained customer service representatives, call centers and online training tools.
We continue to invest in our websites, including mobile applications and mobile websites as well as operate our Consumer Outreach department providing consumers access to our vacation planners and customer service agents in our call centers. We enable our guests to communicate and book with us through various channels such as phone, web, chat, text message, mobile app, and/or email. Additionally, we continue to advance our e-commerce capabilities and the vacation shopping experience for our guests. In addition to offering a simplified booking experience, we leverage the mobile application for onboard experiences such as WiFi, beverages, shore excursions, and specialty dining – enabling guests to book their vacation end-to-end.
Guest Services and Loyalty Programs
We handle virtually all travel aspects related to guest reservations and transportation, including facilitating guest pre- and post-hotel stay arrangements and air transportation.
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea offer recognition and cruise benefits to their guests through their loyalty programs, Crown & Anchor Society, Captain’s Club, and Venetian Society, respectively, to encourage repeat business. These loyalty programs collectively have over 28 million enrolled members worldwide. Members are awarded points or credits in proportion to their number of cruise days and stateroom category. The loyalty programs provide tiers of membership benefits which entitle guests to upgraded experiences and recognition relative to the status achieved once guests have accumulated the number of cruise points or credits specified for each tier. In addition, the Crown & Anchor Society, Captain’s Club and Venetian Society members all benefit from our loyalty status match program, where membership in one program qualifies for the equivalent tier in each of the sister brands. As announced in October 2025, we also expect to launch our "Points Choice" program in 2026, which will enable guests to apply loyalty points earned on any Royal Caribbean Group brand toward the brand program of their choice. Examples of the benefits available under our loyalty programs include, but are not limited to, priority waitlist for shore excursions, complimentary laundry service, complimentary internet, complimentary beverage, digital discount vouchers, upgraded bathroom amenities, reserved seating in entertainment venues, ship tours and, in the case of our most loyal guests who have achieved the highest levels of cruise points or credits, complimentary cruises. Examples of the benefits available under our loyalty programs include, but are not limited to, priority waitlist for shore excursions, complimentary laundry service, complimentary internet, digital discount vouchers, upgraded bathroom amenities, reserved seating in entertainment venues, ship tours and, in the case of our most loyal guests who have achieved the highest levels of cruise points or credits, complimentary cruises. We regularly work to enhance each of our loyalty programs by adding new features and amenities in order to reward our repeat guests.
Operations
Cruise Ships and Itineraries
As of December 31, 2025, our Global Brands and Partner Brands collectively operated 69 ships with a selection of worldwide itineraries that call on more than 1,000 destinations in over 120 countries.
The following table presents summary information concerning ships that we expect will be in our fleet in 2026 under our Global Brands and Partner Brands.
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As of December 31, 2025, our Global Brands and our Partner Brands have the following ships on order. The expected delivery dates for all of our ships on order are subject to change due to events such as shipyard construction delays or agreed upon scope changes which impact the delivery timelines. See Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors for further discussion on shipyard operations.
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In December 2025, we signed agreements with Chantiers de l'Atlantique to build two ships of a new generation for Royal Caribbean, known as Discovery-class ships, which are expected to enter service in 2029 and 2032, respectively.
During the quarter ended December 31, 2025, we entered into an agreement with Meyer Turku Oy to build a fifth Icon-class ship for delivery in 2028. The conditions for effectiveness, including financing commitments, also became effective during the quarter.
In October 2025, we executed definitive building contracts for the first four ships in the initial order of 10 ships for Celebrity River Cruises which was launched in January 2025. Subsequently, in January 2026, Celebrity River Cruises announced a commitment for 10 new ships that will expand its river cruise fleet to 20 vessels.
Seasonality
Our revenues have historically been seasonal based on the demand for cruises. Demand is typically strongest for cruises during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months and holidays. In order to mitigate the impact of the winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere and to capitalize on the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere, our brands have focused on deployment in the Caribbean, Asia and Australia during that period.
Passengers and Capacity
Selected statistical information is shown in the following table (see Financial Presentation - Description of Certain Line Items and Selected Operational and Financial Metrics under Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, for definitions). Passengers Carried, Passenger Cruise Days, Available Passenger Cruise Days and Occupancy reflect the impact of our suspension of operations during parts of 2021 and the gradual resumption of full operations starting the second half of 2021 through the first half of 2022:
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(1) Due to the elimination of the Silversea three-month reporting lag in October of 2021, we include Silversea's metrics from October 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 and October 1 through December 31, 2021 in the year ended December 31, 2021. The year ended December 31, 2021 does not include July, August, and September 2021 statistics as Silversea's results of operations for those months are included within Other (expense) income in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2021.
(2) For the year ended December, 31, 2021, we include Azamara Cruises' metrics through March 19, 2021, the effective sale date of the brand.
Cruise Pricing
Our cruise ticket prices include accommodations and a wide variety of activities and amenities, including meals and entertainment. Prices vary depending on many factors including the destination, cruise length, stateroom category selected, the time of year the cruise takes place, and the amenities bundled into the price.
Although we grant credit terms in select markets mainly outside of the United States, our payment terms generally require an upfront deposit to confirm a reservation, with the balance due prior to sailing. Our cruises are generally available for sale at least one year in advance and often more than two years in advance of sailing. During the selling period of a cruise, we continually monitor and adjust our cruise ticket prices for available guest staterooms based on demand, with the objective of maximizing net yields.
As our business has grown globally, our sale arrangements with travel advisors may vary. For instance, although our direct business has historically grown at a rapid pace, sale arrangements through travel advisor charter and group sales are proportionately higher in the China market than in our other markets which are primarily through retail agency and direct sales. We have developed and implemented enhancements to our reservations system that provide us and our travel partners with additional capabilities, making it easier to do business with us.
Passenger ticket revenues accounted for approximately 70% of total revenues in 2025, 2024 and 2023.
Onboard Activities and Other Revenues
Our cruise vacation brands offer modern fleets with a wide array of onboard services, amenities and activities which vary by brand and ship. While many onboard activities are included in the base price of a cruise, we realize additional revenues from, among other things, gaming, the sale of alcoholic and other beverages, internet and other telecommunication services, gift shop items, shore excursions, photography, spa/salon and fitness services, art auctions, retail shops and a wide variety of specialty restaurants and dining options. Many of these services are available for pre-booking prior to embarkation. These onboard activities are offered either directly by us or by independent concessionaires from which we receive a percentage of their revenues. The all-inclusive pricing programs that we offer currently add some of these onboard activity and other services to the base price of the cruise.
In conjunction with our cruise vacations, we offer pre- and post-cruise hotel and tour packages to our Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea guests. We also offer cruise vacation protection coverage to guests in select markets, which provides guests with coverage for trip cancellation, medical protection and baggage protection. We also offer cruise vacation protection coverage to guests in a number of markets, which provides guests with coverage for trip cancellation, medical protection and baggage protection. We also generate revenues from operating certain port facilities and management related services. Onboard and other revenues accounted for approximately 30% of total revenues in 2025, 2024, and 2023, respectively. Onboard and other revenues accounted for approximately 30%, 31%, and 34% of total revenues in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.
Segment Reporting
We believe our brands possess the versatility to enter multiple cruise market segments within the cruise vacation industry. Although each of our brands has its own marketing style as well as ships and crews of various sizes, the nature of the products sold and services delivered by our brands share a common base (i.e., the sale and provision of cruise vacations). Our brands also have similar itineraries as well as similar cost and revenue components. In addition, our Global
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Brands have historically sourced passengers from similar markets around the world and operated in similar economic environments with a significant degree of commercial overlap. As a result, our brands have been aggregated as a single reportable segment based on the similarity of their economic characteristics, types of consumers, regulatory environment, maintenance requirements, supporting systems and processes as well as products and services provided. Our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer has been identified as the chief operating decision-maker ("CODM"), and is responsible for carrying out the functions of allocating resources and assessing performance. Our President and Chief Executive Officer has been identified as the chief operating decision-maker ("CODM"), and is responsible for carrying out the functions of allocating resources and assessing performance. The CODM uses Operating Income (Loss) to assess performance and allocate resources. This financial metric is used by the CODM to review operating trends, and to monitor budget-to-actual variances in order to make key operating decisions. (Refer to Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for financial information.)
Human Capital
Our human capital strategy focuses on attracting, developing and retaining the best talent in the industry. Some key elements of these strategies include: current and future talent needs assessments; a thriving culture that values the contribution of individual talents, skills and ideas; robust opportunities for employee growth and development; support for health and well-being; and an active listening strategy to make sure voices are heard and continuous improvement occurs. We review our human capital strategy with the Talent and Compensation Committee of our Board on a regular basis.
As of December 31, 2025, our three global cruise brands employed approximately 108,000 employees spanning across our shipboard fleet and shoreside locations. Our shoreside workforce, including private destinations, consisted of approximately 11,400 full time and 50 part-time employees. Our shipboard workforce consisted of approximately, 96,500 employees, and as of December 31, 2025, approximately 87% were covered by collective bargaining agreements.
The following table details the distribution of our workforce by employee type and region as of December 31, 2025:
(1) Includes full time and part-time employees.
(2) Includes private destinations such as our Perfect Day and Royal Beach Club Collections, and Labadee based employees.
As a global operation, we take great pride in the broad range of perspectives of our workforce and the value it brings to our company.As a global operation, we take great pride in the broad diversity of our workforce and the value it brings to our company. Females represent 57% of our global shoreside workforce. Our shipboard workforce is comprised of employees from approximately 140 countries. The majority of our shipboard workforce comes from the Philippines (34%), Indonesia (17%) and India (16%). Our shoreside workforce is primarily based out of the U.S. (45%), Philippines (37%), Mexico (5%), and U.K. (4%).
The following table details the gender distribution of our workforce by employee location as of December 31, 2025:
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(1) Includes private destinations such as our Perfect Day and Royal Beach Club Collections, and Labadee based employees.
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Our U.S. shoreside workforce is ethnically diverse as shown in the following table:
(1) No other individual category is greater than 1%.
We offer a variety of learning and development programs to our workforce, which includes a combination of instructor led (classroom and virtual) and web based (self-learning) courses. This includes additional tools to assist our employees with managing their career development within Royal Caribbean Group. In 2025, our workforce invested approximately 1.8 million hours in learning programs across a variety of areas ranging from Ethics, Compliance, Business Software and Tools, Finance/Accounting, Professional Development, Project Management, Cyber Security, Leadership and Safety/Security among others. In total, our workforce completed approximately 2.8 million courses within our learning management systems.
We run our employee pulse surveys periodically to understand and positively impact our employees’ experience. In 2025, our shoreside employee engagement scores remained high and above most global industry benchmarks.
Trademarks
We own a number of registered trademarks related to the Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea brands. The registered trademarks include the name “Royal Caribbean” and its crown and anchor logo, the name “Celebrity Cruises” and its “X” logo, the name “Silversea” and its logo, and the names of various cruise ships, ship venues, private destinations, and other marketing programs. The registered trademarks include the name “Royal Caribbean” and its crown and anchor logo, the name “Celebrity Cruises” and its “X” logo, the name “Silversea Cruises” and its logo, and the names of various cruise ships, ship venues, private destinations, and other marketing programs. We believe our largest brands' trademarks are widely recognized throughout the world and have considerable value. The duration of trademark registrations varies from country to country. However, trademarks are generally valid and may be renewed indefinitely as long as they are in use and/or their registrations are properly maintained.
Insurance
We maintain insurance on the hull and machinery of our ships, with insured values generally equal to the net book value of each ship. This coverage is maintained with reputable insurance underwriters from the British, Scandinavian, French, United States and other reputable international insurance markets.
We are members of four Protection and Indemnity ("P&I") clubs, which are part of a worldwide group of 12 P&I clubs, known as the International Group of P&I Clubs (the “IG”). Liabilities, costs and expenses for illness and injury to crew and guest, pollution and other third-party claims in connection with our cruise activities are covered by our P&I clubs, subject to the clubs’ rules and the limits of coverage determined by the IG. P&I coverage provided by the clubs is on a mutual basis and we are subject to additional premium calls in the event of a catastrophic loss incurred by any member of the 12 P&I clubs, whereby the reinsurance limits purchased by the IG are exhausted. We are also subject to additional premium calls based on investment and underwriting shortfalls experienced by our own individual insurers.
We maintain war risk insurance for legal liability to crew, guests and other third parties as well as for loss or damage to our vessels arising from acts of war, including invasion, insurrection, terrorism, rebellion, piracy and hijacking. Our primary war risk coverage is provided by a Norwegian war risk insurance association and our excess war risk insurance is provided by our four P&I clubs. Consistent with most marine war risk policies, our coverage is subject to cancellation in the event of a change in risk. In the event of a war between major powers, our primary policies terminate after thirty days’ notice and our excess policies terminate immediately. Our excess policies are also subject to cancellation after a notice period of seven days in the event of other changes in risk. These notice periods allow for premiums to be renegotiated based on changes in risk.
Insurance coverage for other exposures, such as shoreside property and casualty, passenger off-vessel, directors and officers and network security and privacy, are maintained with various global insurance companies.
We do not carry business interruption insurance for our ships based on our evaluation of the risks involved and protective measures already in place, as compared to the cost of insurance.
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All insurance coverage is subject to certain limitations, exclusions and deductible levels. In addition, in certain circumstances, we either self-insure or co-insure a portion of these risks. Premiums charged by insurance carriers, including carriers in the maritime insurance industry, increase or decrease from time to time and tend to be cyclical in nature. These cycles are impacted both by our own loss experience and by losses incurred in direct and reinsurance markets. We historically have been able to obtain insurance coverage in amounts and at premiums we have deemed to be commercially acceptable. No assurance can be given that affordable and secure insurance markets will be available to us in the future, particularly for war risk insurance. Refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors - “The potential unavailability of insurance coverage, an inability to obtain insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates or our failure to have coverage in sufficient amounts to cover our incurred losses may adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations” for a discussion of the risks associated with insurance coverage.
Regulation
Our ships are regulated by various international, national, state and local laws, regulations and treaties in force in the jurisdictions in which they operate. In addition, our ships are registered in the Bahamas, Cyprus, Malta or in the case of our ships operating in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Each ship is subject to regulations issued by its country of registry, including regulations issued pursuant to international treaties governing the safety of our ships, guests and crew as well as environmental protection. Each country of registry conducts periodic inspections to verify compliance with these regulations as discussed more fully below. Ships operating out of ports of call around the world are also subject to inspection by the maritime authorities of that country for compliance with international treaties and local regulations. Additionally, ships operating out of the United States ports are subject to inspection by the United States Coast Guard for compliance with international treaties and by the United States Public Health Service for sanitary and health conditions. Our ships are also subject to similar inspections pursuant to the laws and regulations of various other countries our ships visit.
We believe that we are in material compliance with all the regulations applicable to our ships and that we have all licenses necessary to conduct our business. Health, safety, security, environmental and financial responsibility issues are, and we believe will continue to be, an area of focus by the relevant government authorities in the United States and internationally. From time to time, various regulatory and legislative changes may be implemented that could impact our operations and subject us to increasing compliance costs in the future.
Safety and Security Regulations
Our ships are required to comply with international safety standards defined in the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (“SOLAS”), which, among other things, establish requirements for ship design, structural features, materials, construction, lifesaving equipment and safe management and operation of ships for guest and crew safety. The SOLAS standards are revised from time to time and incorporated in our ship design and operation, as applicable. The latest enhancements include the addition of the Polar Code which sets goal-based standards for ships operating in the polar region as well as damage stability requirements for new designs and operational measures for existing vessels. Compliance with these modified standards have not historically had a material effect on our operating costs. SOLAS incorporates the International Safety Management Code (“ISM Code”), which provides an international standard for the safe management and operation of ships and for pollution prevention. The ISM Code is mandatory for all vessels, including passenger vessel operators.
All of our operations and ships are regularly audited by various national authorities, and we are required to maintain the relevant certificates of compliance with the ISM Code.
Additionally, we are required to meet, and we fully comply with, the provisions outlined in the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). This convention sets the training and competency standards for all our crew who are responsible for operating the vessels or who have designated roles in ensuring the safety of our guests and crew during an emergency. Regulatory bodies routinely check that our crews’ training credentials are up-to-date and assess competency by observing safety and emergency drills. As amendments are made to STCW, we ensure that our crew training is updated accordingly.
Our ships are subject to various security requirements, including the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (“ISPS Code”), which is part of SOLAS, and the U.S. Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (“MTSA”), which applies to ships that operate in U.S. ports. In order to satisfy these security requirements, we implement security measures, conduct vessel security assessments, and develop security plans. The security plans for all of our ships have been submitted to and approved by the Recognized Security Organization on behalf of the ships' flag state and are in compliance with the ISPS Code and the MTSA.
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The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010, which applies to passenger vessels which embark or include port stops within the United States, requires the implementation of certain safety design features as well as the establishment of practices for the reporting of and dealing with allegations of crime. The cruise industry supported this legislation and we believe that our internal standards are generally as strict or stricter than the law requires.
Environmental Regulations
We are subject to various international, regional, and national laws and regulations relating to environmental protection governing air emissions, water and waste management among others. Under such laws and regulations, we are generally prohibited from discharging materials other than food waste and treated effluents into the waterways, while also requiring us to reduce our emissions. We have made, and will continue to make, capital and other expenditures to comply with environmental laws and regulations. From time to time, environmental and other regulators consider more stringent regulations, which may affect our operations and increase our compliance costs. We believe that the impact of ships on the global environment will continue to be an area of focus by the relevant authorities throughout the world and, accordingly, may subject us to increasing compliance costs in the future, including the items described below.
Our ships are subject to the International Maritime Organization’s (‘‘IMO’’) regulations under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (the ‘‘MARPOL Regulations’’) and the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments (Ballast Water Management Convention), in addition to other regional and national regulations such as EU Directives and the US Vessel General Permit, which includes requirements designed to minimize pollution by oil, sewage, garbage, air emissions and the transfer of non-native/non-indigenous species. We have obtained the relevant international compliance certificates relating to oil, sewage, air pollution prevention and ballast water for all of our ships.
International Regulations:
Sulfur Emissions
The MARPOL Regulations impose global limitations on the sulfur content of emissions emitted by ships operating worldwide to 0.5%. The MARPOL Regulations also establish special Emission Control Areas ("ECAs") with additional stringent limitations on sulfur emissions in certain geographical areas. There are five established ECAs: the Baltic Sea ECA, the North Sea/English Channel ECA, the North American ECA which includes certain waters surrounding the North American coast, the United States Caribbean ECA which includes waters surrounding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Mediterranean Sea ECA which came into force in May 2025. Additionally, the Norwegian Sea ECA and the Canadian Arctic ECA are coming into force in March 2026. Ships operating in these sulfur ECAs are required to reduce their emissions sulfur content to 0.1%.
Compliance with the MARPOL sulfur regulations has not and is not expected to have a material impact to our results of operations, largely due to a number of mitigating steps we have taken over the last several years. This includes equipping all of our new ships delivered since 2014 with Advanced Emissions Purification ("AEP") systems covering all engines and actively developing and installing AEP systems on the majority of our remaining fleet; resulting in more than than 70% of our fleet being equipped with AEP systems. In addition, the majority of our ships on order are being delivered with Liquified Natural Gas ("LNG") technology that meet all sulfur regulations without the need for an AEP system. These efforts will provide us with additional operational and deployment flexibility.
Nitrogen Oxides Emissions
The MARPOL Regulations also impose limitations on Nitrogen Oxides. All new ships operating within the North American and U.S. Caribbean Sea ECA that began construction on or after January 1, 2016, in the North and Baltic Sea ECA constructed on or after January 1, 2021 and in the Canadian Arctic or Norwegian Sea ECA constructed on or after January 1, 2025 and March 1, 2026, respectively, are required to meet more stringent nitrogen oxide emission limits. In order to ensure deployment flexibility, all of our ships under construction are being built to comply with these nitrogen oxide emission rules. Compliance with these MARPOL requirements has not had and is not expected to have, a material impact on our results of operations due to the mitigating steps (LNG technology) described above.
Greenhouse Gas ("GHG") Emissions
In 2019, the IMO implemented regulations that require ships to monitor and report their carbon emissions called IMO's Data Collection System ("DCS"). The DCS contemplated the enactment of further obligations and restrictions focused on reducing carbon emissions from ships.
In January 2023, the IMO amendments to the MARPOL convention went into effect combining a technical and an operational measure (Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index ("EEXI") and Carbon Intensity Indicator ("CII")). These
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regulations aim to reduce international shipping carbon intensity in line with the ambition of the initial IMO GHG Strategy of 40% by 2030, as compared to 2008. Compliance with the EEXI has not had a material impact on our operations. The impact of CII is still uncertain as the IMO continues to conduct its review of the CII framework in 2026 with a final determination expected in 2028, which could result in requirements that could lead to changes to our itinerary flexibility for some of our ships depending on the final operational measures needed to comply. The impact of CII is still uncertain as the IMO is expected to review the CII framework in 2026, which could result in requirements that could lead to changes to our itinerary flexibility for some of our ships depending on the final operational measures needed to comply.
Furthermore, the IMO in 2023 revised its initial GHG Strategy to include check points in 2030 and 2040 to seek reductions in absolute GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 20% and 70%, respectively, compared to 2008. The revised IMO strategy also considers various other measures, obligations and restrictions to further reduce carbon emissions from ships. These include a possible fuel standard and a global market-based measure, such as a fuel levy or carbon taxes, with the intent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While the exact impact is uncertain at this time as the proposals have yet to be finalized, the global nature of the CII regulation and various other potential measures within the IMO's revised strategy could have a material impact on our results of operations due to increased compliance costs.
Ballast Water
The IMO Ballast Water Management Convention, which came into effect in 2017, requires ships that carry and discharge ballast water to meet specific discharge standards by installing Ballast Water Treatment Systems. The convention also sets requirements for record keeping and maintaining an approved Ballast Water Management Plan. Compliance with this regulation has not had and is not expected to have a material effect on our results of operations. Compliance with these modified standards have not historically had a material effect on our operating costs.
European Union Regulations:
The European Union (EU) continues to propose and adopt environmental regulations aimed at improving or maintaining environmental standards in the union. One major focus of these regulations is around greenhouse gases. In 2018, the EU adopted the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification regulations which mandated the reporting of emissions data from all ships over 5,000 gross tons.
In 2022, the EU proposed a series of carbon reforms under its Fit for 55 package designed to meet its 2030 emission goals of reducing its GHG emissions by 55% from 1990 levels. As part of this package, during 2023, the EU adopted and published the Emission Trading System (ETS) and the FuelEU Maritime regulation. The ETS program imposes requirements to purchase carbon emission allowances beginning in 2024 for 40% of our emissions within Europe, growing to 70% of emissions in 2025, and to 100% of emissions in 2026 and annually thereafter. The EU ETS regulation did not have a material impact on our 2025 results of operations. The impact of the regulation on future periods is uncertain as the costs of ETS allowances will depend on future markets and future deployments. Based on current deployment plans and current prices of ETS allowances, we do not expect the regulation to have a material impact on our 2026 results of operations. Additionally the UK has developed its own ETS which will enter into force on July 1, 2026 and require the purchase of carbon emission allowances specific for the UK. Based on our current deployment and current prices of the UK ETS allowances, we do not expect this regulation to have a material impact on our operations. Based on current deployment plans and current prices of ETS allowances, we do not expect the regulation to have a material impact on our 2025 and 2026 results of operations.
The FuelEU Maritime regulation will require ships to reduce GHG intensity in the fuels they consume by 2% as of 2025, and gradually reduce the intensity to 80% by 2050, compared to the 2020 average. All passenger ships will additionally be obligated to connect to shore power when at berth in a Trans-European Transport Network ("TEN-T") port by 2030 and all EU ports by 2035. The FuelEU Maritime regulation did not have a material impact on our 2025 operations, and we do not expect it to have a material impact on our 2026 results of operations. All passenger ships will additionally be obligated to connect to shore power when at berth in a Trans-European Transport Network ("TEN-T") port by 2030 and all EU ports by 2035. When fully implemented, the FuelEU Maritime and the remaining Fit for 55 proposals could individually and collectively have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations due to increased costs associated with compliance and modified itineraries in the affected regions.
Although key elements of the Fit for 55 package have been adopted, implementation measures by EU Member States and interpretative guidance continue to evolve. As a result, regulatory requirements may vary by jurisdiction and may evolve over time. When fully implemented, the FuelEU Maritime and the remaining Fit for 55 proposals could individually and collectively have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations due to increased costs associated with compliance and modified itineraries in the affected regions.
U.S. Federal and State Regulations:
The Clean Water Act (“CWA”) provides the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) with the authority to regulate incidental discharges from commercial vessels. Through the establishment of the Vessel General Permit ("VGP") in 2013, the EPA mandated standards for many of these discharges such as ballast water, bilge water, gray water, anti-fouling and more. The Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), which will eventually replace the VGP, was signed into law in 2018 to help clarify and streamline discharge requirements for all states for the incidental discharges covered by the VGP and certain U.S. Coast Guard (“USCG”) regulations for ballast water. The VIDA requires the EPA to develop new national standards of performance for incidental discharge and the USCG to develop and implement enforcement regulations of those standards. The VIDA requires the EPA to develop new 17national standards of performance for incidental discharge and the USCG will then have two years to develop and implement enforcement regulations. On September 2024, the EPA finalized the national standards of performance for incidental
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discharges, giving the USCG 2 years to develop and implement its enforcement regulations. The exact impacts of these standards on our vessels are uncertain as the USCG has yet to finish the development of the corresponding implementing regulations to enforce compliance. The exact impacts of these standards on our vessels are uncertain as the USCG has yet to develop the corresponding implementing regulations to enforce compliance. However, the new standards could expand applicability of vessel discharges from 3 to 12 nautical miles which could have impacts on our environmental operations and increase reporting requirements. In the interim, we continue to be subject to the VGP’s requirements for discharges incidental to the normal operations of our vessels.
Refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors - "Factors associated with climate change, including an increasing global regulatory focus, could adversely affect our business", and "Labor, health and safety, financial responsibility, maritime and other regulations and measures could affect operations and increase operating costs" for further discussion of the risks associated with the regulations discussed above.
Consumer Financial Responsibility Regulations
We are required to obtain certificates from the United States Federal Maritime Commission relating to our ability to satisfy liability in cases of non-performance of obligations to guests, as well as casualty and personal injury. As a condition to obtaining the required certificates, we generally arrange through our insurers for the provision of surety for our ship-operating companies. The required amount of the surety bonds for non-performance of obligations to guests is currently $32 million per operator and is subject to additional consumer price index based adjustments.
We are also required by the United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Baltics to establish our financial responsibility for any liability resulting from the non-performance of our obligations to guests from these jurisdictions. In the United Kingdom we are currently required by the Association of British Travel Agents to provide performance bonds in varying amounts during the course of the year, up to £179 million during the peak season. Additionally, we are required by the Civil Aviation Authority to provide performance bonds totaling £25 million. We maintain with the Norwegian Travel Guarantee Fund performance bonds in varying amounts during the course of the year to cover our financial responsibility in Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Baltics.
Certain other jurisdictions also require that we establish financial responsibility to our guests resulting from the non-performance of our obligations; however, the related amounts do not have a material effect on our costs.
Taxation of the Company
The following is a summary of our principal taxes, exemptions and special regimes. In addition to income taxation, virtually all jurisdictions where our ships call impose some tax or fee, or both, based on guest headcount, tonnage or some other measure. In addition to or instead of income taxation, virtually all jurisdictions where our ships call impose some tax or fee, or both, based on guest headcount, tonnage or some other measure. We also collect and remit indirect taxes (e.g., VAT, GST, sales tax) in many jurisdictions where we operate.
Our consolidated operations are primarily foreign corporations engaged in the owning and operating of passenger cruise ships in international transportation.
U.S. Income Taxation
The following is a discussion of the application of the U.S. federal and state income tax laws to us and is based on the current provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Department regulations, administrative rulings, court decisions and the relevant state tax laws where we have business operations. All of the foregoing is subject to change, and any such change could affect the accuracy of this discussion.
Application of Section 883 of the Internal Revenue Code
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises, Inc., and Silversea Cruises LLC are engaged in a trade or business in the United States, and many of our ship-owning subsidiaries, depending upon the itineraries of their ships, generate income from sources within the United States. are engaged in a trade or business in the United States, and many of our ship-owning subsidiaries, depending upon the itineraries of their ships, generate income from sources within the United States. Under Section 883 of the Internal Revenue Code, certain foreign corporations may exclude from gross income (and effectively from branch profits tax as such earnings do not give rise to effectively connected earnings and profits) the U.S. source income derived from or incidental to the international operation of a ship or ships, including income from the leasing of such ship(s).
A foreign corporation will qualify for the benefits of Section 883 if, in relevant part: (1) the foreign country in which the foreign corporation is organized grants an equivalent exemption to corporations organized in the United States; and (2) the stock of the corporation (or the direct or indirect corporate parent thereof) is “primarily and regularly traded on an established securities market” in the United States. In the opinion of our U.S. tax counsel, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, based upon and subject to the representations, assumptions, legal authorities and limitations set forth in that opinion, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., Silversea Cruises LLC, and our other subsidiaries with U.S. source shipping income qualify for the benefits of Section 883 because Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and each of those
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subsidiaries that are corporations (or treated such for U.S. federal income tax purposes) are incorporated in Liberia, which is a qualifying country, and our common stock is primarily and regularly traded on an established securities market in the United States (i.e., we are a “publicly traded” corporation). If, in the future, (1) Liberia no longer qualifies as an equivalent exemption jurisdiction, and we do not reincorporate in a jurisdiction that does qualify for the exemption, or (2) we fail to qualify as a publicly traded corporation, we and all of our ship-owning or operating subsidiaries that rely on Section 883 to exclude qualifying income from gross income would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on their U.S. source shipping income and income from activities incidental thereto.
We believe that most of our income and the income of our ship-owning subsidiaries is derived from or incidental to the international operation of a ship or ships, and therefore, is exempt from taxation under Section 883.
Regulations under Section 883 list activities that are not considered by the Internal Revenue Service to be incidental to the international operation of ships including the sale of air and land transportation, shore excursions and pre- and post-cruise tours. Our income from these activities that is earned from sources within the United States will be subject to U.S. taxation.
Taxation in the Absence of an Exemption Under Section 883
If Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., and Silversea Cruises LLC, or our ship-owning subsidiaries were to fail to meet the requirements of Section 883 of the Internal Revenue Code, or if the provision was repealed, then, as explained below, such companies would be subject to U.S. income taxation on a portion of their income derived from or incidental to the international operation of our ships.
Because Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Celebrity Cruises Inc., and Silversea Cruises LLC, conduct a trade or business in the United States, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., and Silversea Cruises LLC, would be taxable at regular corporate rates on our separate company taxable income (i.e., without regard to the income of our ship-owning subsidiaries that are corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes) on income which is effectively connected with our U.S. trade or business (generally only income from U.S. sources). In addition, if any of our earnings and profits effectively connected with our U.S. trade or business were withdrawn, or were deemed to have been withdrawn, from our U.S. trade or business, those withdrawn amounts would be subject to a “branch profits” tax at the rate of 30%. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., and Silversea Cruises LLC would also be potentially subject to tax on portions of certain interest paid by us at rates of up to 30%., would also be potentially subject to tax on portions of certain interest paid by us at rates of up to 30%.
If Section 883 were not available to our ship-owning subsidiaries that are corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes, each such subsidiary would be subject to a special 4% tax on its U.S. source gross transportation income, if any, each year because it does not have a fixed place of business in the United States and its income is derived from the leasing of a ship.
Other United States Taxation
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., and Silversea Cruises LLC earn U.S. source income from activities not considered incidental to international shipping. The tax on such income is not material to our results of operation for all years presented.
State Taxation
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., Silversea Cruises LLC, and certain of our subsidiaries are subject to various U.S. state income taxes which are generally imposed on each state’s portion of the U.S. source income subject to federal income taxes. Additionally, the state of Alaska subjects an allocated portion of the total income of companies doing business in Alaska and certain other affiliated companies to Alaska corporate state income taxes and also imposes a 33% tax on adjusted gross income from onboard gambling activities conducted in Alaska waters. This did not have a material impact to our results of operations for all years presented.
United Kingdom Income Taxation
During the year ended December 31, 2025, we operated 16 ships under the United Kingdom tonnage tax regime (“U.K. tonnage tax”). Most of our ships will become operated by companies that are within the U.K. tonnage tax regime beginning in 2026.
Companies subject to U.K. tonnage tax pay a corporate tax on a notional profit determined with reference to the net tonnage of qualifying vessels. The requirements for a company to qualify for the U.K. tonnage tax regime include being subject to U.K. corporate income tax, operating qualifying ships, which are strategically and commercially managed in the United Kingdom, and fulfilling a seafarer training requirement.
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Relevant shipping profits include income from the operation of qualifying ships and from shipping related activities. Our U.K. income from non-shipping activities which do not qualify under the U.K. tonnage tax regime and are not considered significant, remain subject to regular U. tonnage tax regime and which are not considered significant, remain subject to regular U. K. corporate income tax.
Global Minimum Tax
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued Pillar Two model rules ("Global Minimum Tax") introducing a new global minimum tax of 15% with certain aspects of Pillar Two effective January 1, 2024 and other aspects effective January 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026. Many countries including the United Kingdom and EU member countries have adopted these provisions and have implemented them under domestic law.
The Pillar Two rules became effective for a portion of our earnings in 2024 and 2025. These rules did not have a material impact on our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2025, respectively.The Pillar Two rules became effective for a portion of our earnings in 2024 and will also be effective for a portion of our earnings in 2025. These changes did not have a material impact on our 2024 results of operations, and we believe the impact for 2025 will be immaterial. These rules will apply to the majority of our earnings starting in 2026, and we do not expect these rules to have a material impact on our results of operations.
Our parent corporation is incorporated in Liberia. Liberia has not announced plans to revise its local corporate income tax laws as part of the Pillar Two proposal.
For additional details of risks related to our tax status, refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors - "A change in our tax status under United Kingdom tonnage tax, the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, or other jurisdictions, may have adverse effects on our results of operations."
Website Access to Reports
We make available, free of charge, access to our Annual Reports, all quarterly and current reports and all amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission and through our website at www.rclinvestor.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of any of these reports and is not incorporated by reference herein.
Information About our Executive Officers
As of February 11, 2026, our executive officers are:
Jason T. Liberty served as President and Chief Executive Officer from January 2022 through November 2025, when he was appointed as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Liberty has held several roles since joining the Company in 2005. Most recently, Mr. Liberty served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2017 and, prior to that, as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2013. Before his role as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Liberty served as Senior Vice President, Strategy and Finance from 2012 through 2013; as Vice President of Corporate and Revenue Planning from 2010 through 2012; and as Vice President of Corporate and Strategic Planning from 2008 to 2010. Before joining Royal Caribbean, Mr. Liberty was a Senior Manager at the international public accounting firm of KPMG LLP.
Naftali Holtz has served as Chief Financial Officer since January 2022. In his role as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Naftali Holtz has served as Chief Financial Officer since January 2022. In his role as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Holtz is responsible for overseeing the Company’s financial planning and analysis, supply chain, risk management, corporate strategy and development, treasury, corporate tax matters, investor relations, investments, internal audit, accounting and financial reporting. Prior to his role as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Holtz served as Senior Vice President of Finance, responsible for financial planning and analysis, risk management and treasury. Mr. Holtz worked for Goldman
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Sachs as a Managing Director and Head of Lodging and Leisure Investment Banking before joining the Company in 2019. Mr. Holtz is also a veteran of the Israeli Air Force.
Michael W. Bayley has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Caribbean since December 2014. Prior to this, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Celebrity Cruises since August 2012. Mr. Bayley has been employed by Royal Caribbean for over 40 years, having started as an Assistant Purser onboard one of the Company’s ships. He has served in a number of roles including as Executive Vice President, Operations from February 2012 until August 2012. Other positions Mr. Bayley has held include Executive Vice President, International from May 2010 until February 2012; Senior Vice President, International from December 2007 to May 2010; Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations for Royal Caribbean; and Chairman and Managing Director of Island Cruises.
Laura Hodges Bethge has served as President of Celebrity Cruises since May 2023. Ms. Hodges Bethge’s joined the Company in 2000 and she has since held several leadership roles within various areas of the business, including hotel and marine operations, sales, marketing, product innovation and investor relations. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President of Shared Services Operations since February 2022, responsible for Royal Caribbean Group’s safety, security and environment, risk management and crew movement teams. Prior to that role, she served as Senior Vice President of Shared Services Operations from December 2020 to February 2022; Senior Vice President of Product Development for Royal Caribbean from February 2020 to December 2020; and Vice President of Customer Experience from April 2017 to February 2020.
Harri U. Kulovaara has served as Executive Vice President, Maritime since January 2005. Mr. Kulovaara is responsible for fleet design and newbuild operations. Mr. Kulovaara also chairs our Maritime Safety Advisory Board. Mr. Kulovaara has been employed with Royal Caribbean since 1995 in a variety of positions, including Senior Vice President, Marine Operations, and Senior Vice President, Quality Assurance. Mr. Kulovaara is a naval architect and engineer.
R. Alexander Lake has served as Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of the Company since June 2021, in which role he has global responsibility for the Company's legal and compliance functions. Mr. Lake joined the Company from World Fuel Services Corporation, a global energy services company, where he spent over 17 years leading the legal, regulatory and compliance areas, serving most recently as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary from 2017 to 2021. Prior to World Fuel Services, Mr. Lake practiced as a corporate lawyer in leading law firms in New York and Miami.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
The risk factors set forth below and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are important factors that could cause actual results to differ from expected or historical results. It is not possible to predict or identify all such risks. There may be additional risks that we consider not to be material, or which are not known, and any of these risks could affect our operations. The ordering of the risk factors set forth below is not intended to reflect a risk's potential likelihood or magnitude. See Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for a cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements.
Macroeconomic, Business, Market and Operational Risks
Adverse economic or other conditions could reduce the demand for cruises and passenger spending, adversely impacting our operating results, cash flows and financial condition including impairing the value of our goodwill, ships, trademarks and other assets and potentially affecting other critical accounting estimates where the impact may be material to our operating results.
Demand for cruises is affected by international, national, and local economic conditions. Weak or uncertain economic conditions may impact consumer confidence and pose a risk as vacationers postpone or reduce discretionary spending. This, in turn, may result in cruise booking slowdowns, decreased cruise prices and lower onboard revenues. Given the global nature of our business, we are exposed to many different economies, and our business could be negatively impacted by challenging conditions in any of the markets in which we operate, and/or related reactions by our competitors in such markets.
Our operating costs could increase due to market forces and economic or geopolitical factors beyond our control.
Our operating costs, including fuel, food, payroll and benefits, airfare, taxes, insurance, and security costs, can be and have been subject to increases due to market forces and economic or geopolitical conditions or other factors beyond our control, including global inflationary pressures. Increases in these operating costs could adversely affect our future profitability.
Price increases for commercial airline services for our guests or major changes or reduction in commercial airline services and/or availability could adversely impact the demand for cruises and undermine our ability to provide reasonably priced vacation packages to our guests.
Many of our guests depend on scheduled commercial airline services to transport them to or from the ports where our cruises embark or disembark. Increases in the price of airfare would increase the overall price of the cruise vacation to our guests, which may adversely impact demand for our cruises. In addition, changes in the availability and/or regulations governing commercial airline services could adversely affect our guests’ ability to obtain air travel, as well as our ability to transfer our guests to or from our cruise ships, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
Terrorist attacks, war, and other similar events could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
We are susceptible to a wide range of adverse events, including terrorist attacks, war, conflicts, civil unrest and other hostilities. The occurrence of these events or an escalation in the frequency or severity of them, and the resulting political instability, travel restrictions and advisories and concerns over safety and security aspects of traveling or the fear of any of the foregoing, have had, and could have in the future, a significant adverse impact on demand and pricing in the travel and vacation industry. These events could also result in additional security measures taken by local authorities which have, and may in the future, impact access to ports and/or destinations. In addition, such events have led, and could lead, to disruptions, instability and volatility in global markets, supply chains and industries, increased operating costs, such as fuel and food, and disruptions affecting our newbuild construction and fleet modernization efforts, any of which could materially and adversely impact our business and results of operations. Further, such events could have the effect of heightening the other risks we have described in this report, any of which also could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Disease outbreaks or an increase in concern about the risk of illness could adversely impact our business and results of operations, and may cause significant disruptions, create new risks, and exacerbate existing risks. Disease outbreaks and an increase in concern about the risk of illness could adversely impact our business and results of operations, and may cause significant disruptions, create new risks, and exacerbate existing risks.
Disease outbreaks and increased concern related to illness when traveling to, from, and on our ships, could cause a decrease in demand for cruises, guest cancellations, travel restrictions, an unavailability of ports and/or destinations, cruise cancellations, ship redeployments and an inability to source our crew, provisions or supplies from certain places. In addition, we may be subject to consumer perception that cruises are more susceptible than other vacation alternatives to the spread of infectious diseases. In response to disease outbreaks, our industry, including our passengers and crew, may be subject to enhanced health and safety requirements in the future which may be costly and take a significant amount of time to implement across our fleet. For example, local governments may establish their own set of rules for self-quarantines and/or require proof of individuals' health status or vaccination prior to or upon visiting. Based on our assessment of these requirements and
recommendations, or for other reasons, we may determine it necessary to cancel or modify certain of our Global Brands’ cruise sailings. The impact of any of these factors could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, any operating or health protocols that we may develop or that may be required by law in the future in response to infectious diseases may be costly to develop and difficult to implement and may be less effective than we expected in reducing the risk of infection and spread of such disease on our cruise ships, all of which will negatively impact our operations and expose us to reputational and legal risks.
Incidents on ships, at port facilities, land destinations and/or affecting the cruise vacation industry in general, and the associated negative media coverage and publicity, have affected and could continue to affect our reputation and impact our sales and results of operations.
Cruise ships, private destinations, port facilities and shore excursions operated and/or offered by us and third parties may be susceptible to the risk of accidents, illnesses, mechanical failures, environmental incidents, inappropriate crew or passenger behavior, and other incidents which could bring into question safety, health, security and vacation satisfaction of our guests and negatively impact our sales, operations and reputation. Incidents involving cruise ships, and, in particular the safety, health and security of guests and crew and the media coverage thereof, have impacted and could impact demand for our cruises and pricing in the industry. In particular, we cannot predict the impact on our financial performance and the public’s concern regarding the health and safety of travel, especially by cruise ship, and related decreases in demand for travel and cruising. Moreover, our ability to attract and retain guests and crew depends, in part, upon the perception and reputation of our company and our brands and the public’s concerns regarding the health and safety of travel generally, as well as regarding the cruising industry and our ships specifically. Our reputation and our business could also be damaged by continued or additional negative publicity regarding the cruise industry in general, including publicity regarding the spread of contagious disease, over-tourism in key ports and destinations and the potentially adverse environmental impacts of cruising. The considerable expansion in the use of social and digital media has compounded the potential scope and reach of any negative publicity. In addition, incidents involving cruise ships may result in additional costs to our business, increasing government or other regulatory oversight and, in certain cases, potential litigation.
Significant weather, climate events and/or natural disasters could adversely impact our business and results of operations.
Natural disasters (e.g., earthquakes, volcanos, wildfires), weather and/or climate events (including hurricanes and typhoons) could impact our source markets and operations resulting in travel restrictions, guest cancellations, an inability to source our crew or our provisions and supplies from certain places. We may be required to alter itineraries and cancel a cruise or a series of cruises or to redeploy our ships due to these types of events, which could have an adverse effect on our sales, operating costs and profitability in the current and future periods. Increases in the frequency, severity or duration of these types of events would exacerbate their impact and could disrupt our operations or make certain destinations less desirable or unavailable impacting our revenues and profitability further. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our results of operations and on industry performance.
Our sustainability activities, including initiatives to sustain our planet, energize communities and accelerate innovation, could result in reputational risks, increased costs and other risks. Our sustainability activities, including initiatives to sustain our planet, energize communities and accelerate innovation, could result in reputational risks, increased costs and other risks.
Customers, investors, lenders, regulators and other industry stakeholders have placed increasing importance on responsible and sustainable corporate practices and on the implications and social cost of their investments, which could cause us to incur additional costs and changes to our operations. If our practices or disclosures do not meet stakeholders' evolving expectations and standards, our customer and employee retention, our access to certain types of capital, including export credit financing, and our brands and reputation may be negatively impacted, which could affect our business operations and financial condition. We could also incur additional costs and require additional resources to monitor, report and comply with various sustainability activities, which could increase our operating costs and affect our results of operations and financial condition.
In addition, from time to time, we communicate certain initiatives regarding climate change and other sustainability activities. We could fail or be perceived to fail to achieve such initiatives, which may negatively affect our reputation. The future adoption of new technology or processes to achieve the initiatives could also result in the impairment of existing assets.
Our reliance on shipyards, their subcontractors and our suppliers to implement our newbuild and ship upgrade programs and to repair and maintain our ships exposes us to risks which could adversely impact our business.
We rely on shipyards, their subcontractors and our suppliers to effectively construct our new ships and to repair, maintain, and upgrade our existing ships on a timely basis and in a cost effective manner. There are a limited number of shipyards with the capability and capacity to build, repair, maintain and/or upgrade our ships. As such, any disruptions affecting the shipyard supply chain will adversely impact our business as there are limited substitutes.
In addition, suspensions and/or slowdowns of work at shipyards, have impacted and could continue to impact our ability to construct new ships as planned, our ability to timely and cost-effectively procure new capacity, and our ability to execute scheduled drydocks and/or fleet modernizations.
Building, repairing, maintaining and/or upgrading a ship is sophisticated work that involves significant risks. Material increases in commodity and raw material prices, and other cost pressures impacting the construction of a new ship, such as the cost or availability of labor and financing, could adversely impact the shipyard’s ability to build the ship on a cost-effective basis. We may be impacted if shipyards, their subcontractors, and/or our suppliers encounter "force majeure events", insolvencies or other financial difficulties, supply chain, technical or design problems when building or repairing a ship. These problems have impacted and may in the future impact the timely delivery or cost of new ships or the ability of shipyards to repair and upgrade our fleet in accordance with our needs or expectations. In addition, mechanical faults and/or unforeseen incidents may result in cancellation of cruises or delays of new ship orders or necessitate unscheduled drydocks. Such events could result in lost revenue, increased operating expenses, or both, and thus adversely affect our results of operations.
An increase in capacity worldwide or excess capacity in a particular market could adversely impact our cruise sales and/or pricing.
Although our ships can be redeployed, cruise sales and/or pricing may be impacted by the introduction of new ships into the marketplace, reductions in cruise capacity, overall market growth and deployment decisions of ourselves and our competitors. As of December 31, 2025, a total of 47 new ships with approximately 113,000 berths were on order for delivery through 2029 in the cruise industry, including twelve ships currently scheduled to be delivered to our Global and Partner Brands. As of December 31, 2024, a total of 50 new ships with approximately 116,500 berths were on order for delivery through 2028 in the cruise industry, including six ships currently scheduled to be delivered to our Global and Partner Brands. The further net growth in capacity from these new ships and future orders, without an increase in the cruise industry’s demand and/or share of the vacation market, could depress cruise prices and impede our ability to achieve yield improvement.
In addition, to the extent that we or our competitors deploy ships to a particular itinerary/region and the resulting capacity in that region exceeds the demand, it may negatively affect our pricing and profitability. Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our results of operations, cash flows and financial condition, including potentially impairing the value of our ships and other assets.
Unavailability of ports of call may adversely affect our results of operations.
We believe that port destinations are a major reason why guests choose to go on a particular cruise or on a cruise vacation. The availability of ports and destinations is affected by a number of factors, including industry demand and competition for key ports and destinations, existing capacity constraints, constraints related to the size of certain ships, security, financial limitations on port development, exclusivity arrangements that ports may have with our competitors, geopolitical developments, local governmental regulations, environmental regulations, and governmental response to disease outbreaks. Higher fuel costs also may adversely impact the destinations on certain of our itineraries as they become too costly to include.
In addition, certain ports and destinations have faced a surge of both cruise and non-cruise tourism which, in certain cases, has fueled anti-tourism sentiments and related countermeasures to limit the volume of tourists allowed in these destinations. In certain destinations, countermeasures to limit the volume of tourists have been contemplated and/or put into effect, including proposed limits on cruise ships and cruise passengers, which could limit the itinerary and destination options we can offer our passengers going forward.
Increased demand and competition for key ports of call or destinations, limitations on the availability or feasibility of use of specific ports of call and/or constraints on the availability of shore excursions and other service providers at such ports or destinations could adversely affect our operations and financial results.
We may lose business to competitors throughout the vacation market.
We operate in the vacation market and cruising is one of many alternatives for people choosing a vacation. We, therefore, risk losing business not only to other cruise lines, but also to other vacation operators, which provide other leisure options, including hotels, resorts (including all-inclusive resorts), internet-based alternative lodging sites, theme parks, sightseeing destinations, package holidays and tours.
We also face competition from other cruise lines on the basis of cruise pricing, travel advisor preference and also in terms of the nature of ships, services and destinations that we offer to guests. Our revenues are sensitive to the actions of other cruise lines in many areas including pricing, scheduling, capacity and promotions, which can have a substantial adverse impact not only on our revenues, but also on overall industry revenues.
In the event that we do not effectively market or differentiate our cruise brands from our competitors or otherwise compete effectively with other vacation alternatives, our results of operations and financial position could be adversely affected.
If we are unable to appropriately manage our cost and capital allocation strategies with our goal of satisfying guest expectations, it may adversely impact our business success.
We strive to provide high quality products and deliver high quality services. There can be no assurance that we can successfully balance these goals with our cost management and capital allocation strategies. Our business also requires us to make capital allocation decisions across a broad scope of investment options with varying return profiles and time horizons for value realization. These include significant capital investment decisions such as ordering new ships, upgrading our existing fleet, enhancing our technology and/or data capabilities and expanding our portfolio of land-based assets, based on expected market preferences, competition and projected demand. There can be no assurance that our strategies will be successful, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. Investments in older tonnage, in particular, run the risk of not meeting expected returns and diluting related asset values.
Our expansion into new markets and investments in new ventures and land-based destination projects may not be successful.
We opportunistically seek to grow our business through, among other things, expansion into new destinations or source markets and establishment of new ventures complementary to our current offerings. We have also invested, and may in the future continue to opportunistically invest, either directly or indirectly through joint ventures and partnerships, in a growing portfolio of key land-based projects, including port and terminal facilities and private destination projects in several jurisdictions such as Mexico and the Bahamas.
These projects increase the complexity of our business and require significant levels of investment to develop. In addition, we face greater exposure to certain key risks depending on the scope, location, and the ownership and management structure of these projects. These investments can increase our exposure to certain key risks depending on the scope, location, and the ownership and management structure of these projects. Development activities may be delayed or adversely affected by construction challenges, supply chain disruptions, weather events, labor availability, environmental or site-specific conditions, and delays in obtaining or maintaining permits, any of which could adversely affect our ability to complete our projects as planned. We may also face opposition or challenges from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community groups, or other stakeholders, including claims related to environmental impact, cultural heritage, or land use. Such challenges may result in litigation, administrative proceedings, reputational harm, or additional compliance costs.
Once operational, these projects are also subject to ongoing regulatory, labor and political risks in foreign jurisdictions, including changes in government policies, tax or regulatory regimes, any of which could disrupt operations or increase costs. These projects can also strain our management, personnel, operations and systems.
There can be no assurance that these business expansion efforts will develop as anticipated or that we will succeed, and if we do not, we may be unable to recover our investment and otherwise may experience an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. There can be no assurance that these business expansion efforts will develop as anticipated or that we will succeed, and if we do not, we may be unable to recover our investment, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our reliance on travel advisors to sell and market our cruises exposes us to certain risks which could adversely impact our business.
We rely on travel advisors to generate bookings for our global brands. Accordingly, we must maintain competitive commission rates and incentive structures. If we fail to offer competitive compensation packages or fail to maintain our relationships, these agencies may be incentivized to sell cruises offered by our competitors, which could adversely impact our operating results. Our reliance on third-party sellers is particularly pronounced in certain markets. In addition, the travel advisor community is sensitive to economic conditions that impact discretionary income of consumers. Significant disruptions or contractions in the industry could reduce the number of travel advisors available for us to market and sell our cruises, which could have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
Business activities that involve our co-investments with third parties may subject us to additional risks.
Partnerships, joint ventures and other business structures involving our co-investments with third parties generally include some form of shared control over the operations of the business and create additional risks, including the possibility that other investors in such ventures become bankrupt or otherwise lack the financial resources to meet their obligations or could have or develop business interests, policies or objectives that are inconsistent with ours. In addition to financial risks, our co-investment activities have also presented managerial and operational risks and expose us to reputational or legal concerns. These or other issues related to our co-investments with third parties could adversely impact our operations or liquidity. Further, due to the arrangements we have in place with our partners in these ventures, we are limited in our ability to control the strategy of these ventures, or their use of capital and other key factors to their results of operation, which could adversely affect our investments and impact our results of operations.
Past or potential acquisitions that we may decide to pursue in the future carry inherent risks which could adversely impact our financial performance and condition.Past or pending business acquisitions or potential acquisitions that we may decide to pursue in the future carry inherent risks which could adversely impact our financial performance and condition.
The Company, from time to time, has engaged in acquisitions and may pursue acquisitions in the future, which are subject to, among other factors, the Company’s ability to identify attractive business opportunities and to negotiate favorable terms for such opportunities. Accordingly, the Company cannot make any assurances that potential acquisitions will be completed timely or at all, or that if completed, we would realize the anticipated benefits of such acquisitions. Acquisitions also carry inherent risks such as, among others: (i) the potential delay or failure of our efforts to successfully integrate business processes and realizing expected synergies; (ii) difficulty in aligning procedures, controls and/or policies; and (iii) future unknown liabilities and costs that may be associated with an acquisition. In addition, acquisitions may adversely impact our liquidity and/or debt levels, and the recognized value of goodwill and other intangible assets can be negatively affected by unforeseen events and/or circumstances, which may result in an impairment charge. Any of the foregoing events could adversely impact our financial condition and results of operations.
We rely on supply chain vendors and third-party service providers who are integral to the operations of our businesses. These vendors and service providers may be unable or unwilling to deliver on their commitments or may act in ways that could harm our business.
We rely on supply chain vendors to deliver key products to the operations of our businesses around the world. Any event impacting a vendor’s ability to deliver goods of the expected quality at the location and time needed could negatively impact our ability to deliver our cruise experience. Events impacting our supply chain could be caused by factors beyond the control of our suppliers or us, including inclement weather, natural disasters, labor actions, increased demand, problems in production or distribution, cybersecurity events, and/or disruptions in third-party logistics or transportation systems. Our supply chain can also be impacted by new laws and regulations, such as tariffs and trade sanctions. For example, the imposition by the U.S. government of tariffs on products imported from certain countries and trade sanctions against certain countries have introduced greater uncertainty with respect to policies affecting trade between the United States and other countries. Major developments in trade relations, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs by the United States and/or other countries, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Any interruptions to our supply chain could increase our costs and could limit the availability of products critical to our operations. In addition, increased regulation or stakeholder expectations regarding sourcing practices, or supplier conduct that does not meet such standards, could cause our operating costs to increase or result in publicity that negatively affects our reputation. In order to achieve cost and operational efficiencies, we outsource to third-party vendors certain services that are integral to the operations of our global businesses, such as our onboard concessionaires, certain of our call center operations, guest port services, logistics distribution and operation of a large part of our information technology systems. We are subject to the risk that certain decisions are subject to the control of our third-party service providers and that these decisions may adversely affect our activities. A failure to adequately monitor a third-party service provider’s compliance with a service level agreement or regulatory or legal requirements could result in significant economic and reputational harm to us. There is also a risk the confidentiality, privacy and/or security of data held by third parties or communicated over third-party networks or platforms could become compromised.
The potential unavailability of insurance coverage, an inability to obtain insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates or our failure to have coverage in sufficient amounts to cover our incurred losses may adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
We seek to maintain appropriate insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates. We normally obtain insurance based on the cost of an asset rather than replacement value, and we also elect to self-insure, co-insure, or use deductibles in certain circumstances for certain risks such as loss of use of a ship or other business interruption. The limits of insurance coverage we purchase are based on the availability of the coverage, evaluation of our risk profile and cost of coverage. We do not carry business interruption insurance and accordingly we have no insurance coverage for loss of revenues or earnings from our ships or other operations. Accordingly, we are not protected against all risks and cannot be certain that our coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred which could result in an unexpected decrease in our revenue and results of operations in the event of an incident.
We are members of four Protection and Indemnity (“P&I”) clubs, which are part of a worldwide group of 12 P&I clubs, known as the International Group of P&I Clubs (the “IG”). P&I coverage provided by the clubs is on a mutual basis, and we are subject to additional premium calls in the event of a catastrophic loss incurred by any member of the 12 P&I clubs, whereby the reinsurance limits purchased by the IG are exhausted. We are also subject to additional premium calls based on investment and underwriting shortfalls experienced by our own individual insurers.
We cannot be certain that insurance and reinsurance coverage will be available to us and at commercially reasonable rates in the future or at all or, if available, that it will be sufficient to cover potential claims. Additionally, if we or other insureds
sustain significant losses, the result may be higher insurance premiums, cancellation of coverage, or the inability to obtain coverage. Such events could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
Disruptions in our shoreside or shipboard operations or our information systems may adversely affect our results of operations.
Our principal executive office and principal shoreside operations are located in Florida, and we have shoreside offices throughout the world. Actual or threatened natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes/typhoons, earthquakes, tornadoes, fires or floods), municipal lockdowns, curfews, quarantines, or similar events in these locations may have a material impact on our business continuity, reputation and results of operations. In addition, substantial or repeated information system failures, computer viruses or cybersecurity attacks impacting our shoreside or shipboard operations could adversely impact our business. In addition, substantial or repeated information system failures, computer viruses or cyber attacks impacting our shoreside or shipboard operations could adversely impact our business. We do not generally carry business interruption insurance for our shoreside or shipboard operations or our information systems. As such, any losses or damages incurred by us could have an adverse impact on our results of operations.
Provisions of our Articles of Incorporation, By-Laws and Liberian law could inhibit a change of control and may prevent efforts by our shareholders to change our management.
Certain provisions of our Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws and Liberian law may inhibit third parties from effectuating a change of control of the Company without approval from our board of directors which could result in the entrenchment of current management. These include provisions in our Articles of Incorporation that prevent third parties, other than A. Wilhelmsen AS and Cruise Associates and their permitted transferees, from acquiring beneficial ownership of more than 4.9% of our outstanding shares without the consent of our board of directors.
Financial Risks
We may not be able to obtain sufficient financing or capital for our needs or may not be able to do so on terms that are acceptable or consistent with our expectations.
To fund our capital expenditures (including new ship orders), operations and scheduled debt payments, we have historically relied on a combination of cash flows provided by operations, drawdowns under available credit facilities, the incurrence of additional indebtedness and the sale of equity or debt securities in private or public securities markets. Any circumstance or event which leads to a decrease in consumer cruise spending, such as worsening global economic conditions or significant incidents impacting the cruise industry, could negatively affect our operating cash flows.
Although we believe we can access sufficient liquidity to fund our operations, investments and obligations as expected, there can be no assurances to that effect. Our ability to access additional funding as and when needed, our ability to timely refinance and/or replace our outstanding debt securities and credit facilities on acceptable terms and our cost of funding will depend upon numerous factors including, but not limited to, the strength of the financial markets, global market conditions, including inflationary pressures, interest rate fluctuations, credit ratings, our financial performance, the performance of our industry in general and the size, scope and timing of our financial needs. In addition, even where financing commitments have been secured, significant disruptions in the capital and credit markets could cause our banking and other counterparties to breach their contractual obligations to us or could cause the conditions to the availability of such funding not to be satisfied. This could include failures of banks or other financial service companies to fund required borrowings under our loan agreements or to pay us amounts that may become due. This could include failures of banks or other financial service companies to fund required borrowings under our loan agreements or to pay us amounts that may become due or return collateral that is refundable under our interest rate derivative instruments or other agreements. If any of the foregoing occurs for a prolonged period of time it will have a long-term negative impact on our cash flows, our ability to meet our financial obligations, our results of operations and our financial condition.
Our liquidity could be adversely impacted if we are unable to satisfy the covenants required by our credit facilities.
Failure to comply with the terms of these debt facilities could result in an event of default. Generally, if an event of default under any debt agreement occurs, then pursuant to cross default acceleration clauses, our outstanding debt and derivative contract payables could become due and/or terminated. In addition, in such events, our credit card processors could hold back payments to create a reserve. We cannot provide assurances that we would have sufficient liquidity to repay, or the ability to refinance the debt if such amounts were accelerated upon an event of default.
There can be no assurance that we will declare or pay dividends in the future or that we will repurchase shares pursuant to our share repurchase program consistent with historical amounts or at all.
Although we currently pay a quarterly cash dividend and we have adopted a share repurchase program, we are not obligated to pay cash dividends or to repurchase a specified number or dollar value of shares under share repurchase program or at all. The declaration and payment of any future dividends is at the discretion of our Board of Directors. The level of dividends and amount, timing, and purchases under our share repurchase program, if any, are influenced by many factors and may fluctuate based on our operating results, cash flows, and priorities for the use of cash, and the market price of common stock. In addition,
we cannot guarantee that our share repurchase program will be fully consummated or that it will enhance long-term shareholder value.
Compliance and Regulatory Risks
Changes in U.S. or other countries’ foreign travel policy have affected, and may continue to affect our results of operations.
Changes in U.S. and other countries' foreign policy have in the past and could in the future result in the imposition of travel restrictions or travel bans on persons to certain countries or result in the imposition of travel advisories, warnings, rules, regulations or legislation exposing us to penalties or claims of monetary damages. In addition, some countries have previously adopted restrictions against U.S. travelers. The timing and scope of these changes and regulations can be unpredictable, and they could cause us to cancel scheduled sailings, possibly on short notice, or could result in litigation against us. This, in turn, could decrease our revenue, increase our operating costs and otherwise impair our profitability.
Factors associated with climate change, including an increasing global regulatory focus, could adversely affect our business.
There is increasing global regulatory focus on climate change, greenhouse gas and other emissions, and new laws and regulations are expanding mandatory disclosure, reporting and diligence requirements. These regulatory efforts, both internationally, regionally and nationally, are still developing, including the international alignment of such efforts, and we cannot yet determine what the final regulatory programs or their impact will be on our business. However, such climate change-related regulatory activity in the future may adversely affect our business and financial results by requiring us to reduce our emissions, pay for our emissions, modify our itineraries and may increase our exposure, if any, to climate change-related litigation. Such activity may also impact us by increasing our operating costs, including fuel costs. For example, the European Union has enacted parts of a series of significant carbon reforms under its Fit for 55 package designed to meet its 2030 emission goals, which would require us, among other things, to purchase emission allowances, increase the use of low carbon fuel onboard our vessels as well as connectivity to shore power.
In addition, various state, regional and foreign government or regulatory agencies have enacted, or may enact, environmental regulations or policies, such as requiring the use of low sulfur fuels (e.g., IMO Sulfur Limit) or the carbon intensity indicator regulation ("CII"), that have or could increase our direct cost to operate in certain markets, increase our cost of fuel, limit the supply of compliant fuel, cause us to incur significant expenses to purchase and/or develop new equipment and adversely impact the cruise vacation industry. If enacted, these regulations may individually or collectively have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations due to increased costs associated with compliance and modified itineraries in the affected regions.
There has also been growing environmental scrutiny of the environmental impact of the cruise vacation industry, and some environmental groups are advocating for more stringent regulation of ship emissions at berth and at sea. This negative publicity of the cruise industry and any related measures may lead to changes in consumer preferences, such as methods or frequency of travel, which could adversely impact our operations and financial results and subject us to reputational impacts and costs.
Labor, health and safety, financial responsibility, maritime and other regulations and measures could affect operations and increase operating costs.
We are subject to various international, national, state and local laws, regulations and treaties that govern, among other things, discharge from our ships, safety standards applicable to our ships, treatment of disabled persons, health and sanitary standards applicable to our guests, security standards on board our ships and at the ship/port interface areas, financial responsibilities to our guests, and our advertising and pricing practices. These issues are, and we believe will continue to be, an area of focus by the relevant authorities throughout the world, which may result in the enactment of more stringent regulations. In addition to potential damage to our reputation and brand, failure by us to comply with these various applicable laws and regulations, as well as changes in laws and regulations or the manner in which they are interpreted or applied, may result in litigation, civil and criminal liability, damages, fines and penalties, increased cost of regulatory compliance and may have an adverse impact on our business and financial results.
A change in our tax status under the United Kingdom tonnage tax, the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, or other jurisdictions, may have adverse effects on our results of operations.
From 2026 onwards, substantially all of our ships will be operated by companies that are within the United Kingdom tonnage tax regime (“U.K. tonnage tax”). To the extent the U.K. tonnage tax laws change, or we do not continue to meet the applicable qualification requirements, we may be required to pay higher income tax in the United Kingdom, adversely impacting our results of operations. To the extent the OECD “International Shipping Income” exclusion tax laws (and
associated guidance) change, or we do not continue to meet the applicable qualifications, we may be required to pay higher Global Minimum Tax in the United Kingdom (or other jurisdictions), adversely impacting our results of operations.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and a number of our subsidiaries are foreign corporations that derive income from a U.S. trade or business and/or from sources within the U.S. We have received an opinion from U.S. tax counsel, based upon and subject to certain representations, assumptions, legal authorities, and limitations set forth in such opinion, to the effect that this income, to the extent derived from or incidental to the international operation of a ship or ships, is excluded from gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes pursuant to Section 883 of the Internal Revenue Code. We believe that most of our income (including that of our subsidiaries) is derived from or incidental to the international operation of ships.
Our ability to rely on Section 883 could be challenged or could change in the future. The provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, including Section 883, are subject to legislative change at any time. Provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, including Section 883, are subject to legislative change at any time. Moreover, changes could occur in the future with respect to the identity, residence or holdings of our direct or indirect shareholders, trading volume or trading frequency of our shares, or relevant foreign tax laws of Liberia, such that it no longer qualifies as an equivalent exemption jurisdiction, that could affect our eligibility for the Section 883 exemption. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will continue to be exempt from U.S. income tax on U.S. source shipping income in the future. If we were not entitled to the benefit of Section 883, we and our subsidiaries would be subject to U.S. taxation on a portion of the income derived from or incidental to the international operation of our ships, which would reduce our net income.
Further, some of our operations are conducted in jurisdictions (including the U.S.) where we rely on tax treaties to provide an exemption from or reduction in taxation. To the extent tax treaties are changed or revoked, we may be required to pay higher income tax in these jurisdictions, adversely impacting our results of operations. In addition, in the jurisdictions in which we operate, we may be subject to changes in our existing tax treatment or other tax reform, as well as increased tax audits.
We are not a U.S. corporation and, as a result, our shareholders may be subject to the uncertainties of a foreign legal system in protecting their interests.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws and by the Business Corporation Act of Liberia. The provisions of the Business Corporation Act of Liberia resemble provisions of the corporation laws of a number of states in the U.S. However, there are very few judicial cases in Liberia interpreting the Business Corporation Act. While the Business Corporation Act provides that it is to be applied and construed to make the laws of Liberia, with respect of the subject matter of the Business Corporation Act, harmonious with the laws of the State of Delaware, we cannot predict whether Liberian courts would reach the same conclusions as Delaware courts. In cases when the laws of Liberia are silent, the Business Corporation Act adopts, when applicable, the non-statutory corporation law of Delaware with substantially similar legislative provisions insofar as it does not conflict with any other provisions of the Business Corporation Act or decisions of the courts of Liberia, and provides that the courts of Liberia may apply such non-statutory corporation law in resolving any issues before such courts. We cannot predict to what extent or in what manner the courts of Liberia will apply the non-statutory corporation law of Delaware. The right of shareholders to bring a derivative action in Liberian courts may be more limited than in U.S. jurisdictions. There may also be practical difficulties for shareholders attempting to bring suit in Liberia, and Liberian courts may or may not recognize and enforce foreign judgments. Thus, our shareholders may have more difficulty challenging actions taken by management, directors or controlling shareholders than would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a U.S. jurisdiction.
General Risk Factors
Conducting business globally results in increased regulatory, financial, and other risks.
We operate our business globally, which exposes us to a number of risks, including increased exposure to a wider range of regional and local economic conditions, volatile local political conditions, potential changes in duties and taxes, including port costs that vary with passenger head counts, fixed port costs, changing and/or uncertain interpretations of existing tax laws and regulations, required compliance with additional laws and policies affecting cruising, vacation or maritime businesses or governing the operations of foreign-based companies, currency fluctuations, interest rate movements, difficulties in operating under local business environments, port quality and availability in certain regions, U.S. and global anti-bribery laws and regulations, imposition of trade barriers and restrictions on repatriation of earnings.
Our future growth strategies depend on the sustained profitability of international markets. Factors that will be critical to our success in these markets include our ability to continue to raise awareness of our products and our ability to adapt our offerings to best suit rapidly evolving consumer demands. The execution of our planned growth strategies is dependent on meeting the governmental and regulatory measures and policies in each of these markets. Our ability to realize our future growth strategy is highly dependent on our ability to satisfy country-specific policies and requirements, as well as meet the needs of region-specific consumer preferences. These factors may cause us to reevaluate some of our international business strategies.
Operating globally also exposes us to numerous and sometimes conflicting legal, regulatory and tax requirements. In many parts of the world, including countries in which we operate, practices in the local business communities might not conform to international business standards. We cannot guarantee consistent interpretation, application, and enforcement of newly issued rules and regulations, which could place limits on our operations or increase our costs, as well as negatively impact our future growth strategies in our key growth markets. We must adhere to policies designed to promote legal and regulatory compliance as well as applicable laws and regulations. However, we might not be successful in ensuring that our employees, agents, representatives and other third parties with whom we associate properly adhere to applicable laws and regulations. In addition, we may be exposed to the risk of penalties and other liabilities if we fail to comply with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. Failure by us, our employees or any of these third parties to adhere to our policies or applicable laws or regulations could result in penalties, sanctions, damage to our reputation and related costs, which in turn could negatively affect our results of operations and cash flows.
As a global operator, our business also may be impacted by changes in U.S. policy or priorities in areas such as trade, immigration and/or environmental or labor regulations, among others. Depending on the nature and scope of any such changes, they could impact our domestic and international business operations. Any such changes, and any international response to them, could potentially introduce new barriers to passenger or crew travel and/or cross border transactions, impact our guest experience and/or increase our operating costs.
If we are unable to address these risks adequately, our financial position and results of operations could be adversely affected, including impairing the value of our ships and other assets.
Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, fuel prices and interest rates could affect our financial results.
We are exposed to market risk attributable to changes in foreign currency exchange rates, fuel prices and interest rates. Significant changes in any of the foregoing could have a material impact on our financial results, net of the impact of our hedging activities and natural offsets. Additionally, the value of our earnings in foreign currencies is adversely impacted by a strong U.S. dollar. Our operating results have been and will continue to be impacted, often significantly, by changes in each of these factors.
A portion of our indebtedness bears interest at variable rates that are linked to changing market interest rates. As a result, an increase in market interest rates would increase our interest expense and our debt service obligations. As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately $1.6 billion of indebtedness that bears interest at variable rates, which is net of our interest rate swap agreements. This amount represented approximately 7.4% of our total indebtedness. As of December 31, 2025, a hypothetical 1% increase in prevailing interest rates would increase our forecasted 2026 interest expense by approximately $12.3 million.
Increases in fuel prices have and could continue to materially and adversely affect our business as fuel prices impact not only our fuel costs, but also some of our other expenses, such as crew travel, freight, and commodity prices. Mandatory fuel restrictions may also create uncertainty related to the price and availability of certain fuel types potentially impacting operating costs and the value of our related hedging instruments.
Impairment of our goodwill, intangible assets, long-lived assets, equity investments and notes receivable could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
We evaluate goodwill for impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently when circumstances indicate that the carrying value of a reporting unit may not be recoverable. We also evaluate other assets, including but not limited to intangible assets and long-lived assets on an annual basis, or more frequently when circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. A challenging operating environment, conditions affecting consumer demand or spending, the deterioration of general macroeconomic conditions, expected ship deliveries, or other factors could result in a change to the future cash flows we expect to derive from our operations. Reductions of cash flows used in the valuation analyses may result in the recording of impairments, which could adversely affect our financial condition and operating results.
The loss of key personnel, our inability to recruit or retain qualified personnel, or disruptions among our shipboard personnel could adversely affect our results of operations.
Our success depends, in large part, on the skills and contributions of key executives and other employees and on our ability to recruit, develop and retain high quality personnel as well as having adequate succession plans and back-up operating plans for when critical executives are unable to serve. As demand for qualified personnel in the industry grows, we must continue to effectively recruit, train, motivate and retain our employees, both shoreside and on our ships, in order to effectively compete in our industry, maintain our current business and support our projected global growth.
We have in the past and may in the future experience difficulty recruiting and retaining qualified personnel primarily due to competitive labor markets. A prolonged shortage of qualified personnel and/or increased turnover may inhibit our ability to operate our business in an optimal manner, and may result in increased costs if we need to hire temporary personnel, and/or increased wages and/or benefits in order to attract and retain employees, all of which may negatively impact our results of operations.
As of December 31, 2025, approximately 87% of our shipboard employees were covered by collective bargaining agreements. A dispute under our collective bargaining agreements could result in a work stoppage of those employees covered by the agreements. We may not be able to satisfactorily or favorably renegotiate these collective bargaining agreements when they expire. In addition, existing collective bargaining agreements may not prevent a strike or work stoppage on our ships. We may also be subject to or affected by work stoppages unrelated to our business or collective bargaining agreements. Any such work stoppages or potential work stoppages could have a material adverse effect on our financial results, as could a loss of key employees, our inability to recruit or retain qualified personnel or disruptions among our personnel.
If we are unable to keep pace with developments, design, and implementation in technology, our operations or competitive position could become impaired. Our use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, may present business, compliance and reputational risks.
The Company depends on technology and automated systems, including emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (“AI”), to operate its business, including but not limited to, computerized reservation systems, ship operations and crew scheduling systems, shipboard internet services, cloud-based technologies, technical and business operations systems and commercial websites and applications, including our mobile app. These technologies and systems require significant investment and must be refined, updated, upgraded and/or replaced with more advanced capabilities in order to continue to meet our customers’ demands and expectations, to operate in an interconnected business world, as well as to conduct our business operations effectively availing ourselves of technological advances. These technologies and systems require significant investment and must be refined, updated, upgraded and/or replaced with more advanced systems in order to continue to meet our customers’ demands and expectations, to operate in an interconnected business world, as well as to conduct our business operations effectively.
If we are unable to adopt new technology or systems in a timely manner or within reasonable cost parameters, if there are any disruptions, delays or deficiencies in design, development, or implementation of such systems, or if we do not achieve the benefits that we anticipate from any new technology or system, our business and results of operations could suffer. Additionally, a failure to adopt the appropriate technology, or a failure or obsolescence in the existing technology that we have adopted, could adversely affect our business or results of operations. A failure to adopt the appropriate technology, or a failure or obsolescence in the technology that we have adopted, could adversely affect our results of operations.
As global technology‑related regulatory frameworks continue to evolve, our use of these technologies may subject us to additional compliance obligations, including restrictions on the usage of certain technologies or additional requirements on data usage and transparency. Compliance with these regulations could increase our compliance costs, expose us to regulatory enforcement or legal liability, constrain our ability to implement or expand technology‑based solutions, or otherwise affect the timing and effectiveness of our initiatives. In addition, emerging technologies may not always perform as intended, may generate inaccurate outputs, or may depend on third‑party systems that we do not control. Any such operational deficiencies could impair the performance of systems that support key business functions, disrupt guest‑facing experiences, or subject us to legal liability, which could adversely affect our business, reputation, financial condition, or results of operations.
We are exposed to cybersecurity attacks and data breaches and the risks and costs associated with protecting our systems and maintaining data integrity and security.We are exposed to cyber security attacks and data breaches and the risks and costs associated with protecting our systems and maintaining data integrity and security.
We are subject to cybersecurity attacks. These attacks can vary in scope and intent from attacks with the objective of compromising our systems, networks, and communications for economic gain or with the objective of disrupting, disabling or otherwise compromising our maritime and/or shoreside operations. These cyber attacks can vary in scope and intent from attacks with the objective of compromising our systems, networks, and communications for economic gain or with the objective of disrupting, disabling or otherwise compromising our maritime and/or shoreside operations. The attacks can encompass a wide range of methods and intent, including phishing attacks, generative artificial intelligence impersonation, illegitimate requests for payment, theft of intellectual property, theft of confidential or non-public information, installation of malware, installation of ransomware and theft of personal or business information. The frequency and sophistication as well as the methods used to conduct these attacks, have increased over time. The frequency and sophistication of, and methods used to conduct, these attacks, have increased over time.
A successful cybersecurity attack may target us directly, or it may be the result of a third party’s inadequate care, or resulting from vulnerabilities in licensed software.A successful cyber security attack may target us directly, or it may be the result of a third party’s inadequate care, or resulting from vulnerabilities in licensed software. In any scenario, the Company may suffer damage to its systems and data that could interrupt our operations, adversely impact our brand reputation, and expose us to increased risks of governmental investigation, litigation, fines, and other liability, any of which could adversely affect our business. In either scenario, the Company may suffer damage to its systems and data that could interrupt our operations, adversely impact our brand reputation, and expose us to increased risks of governmental investigation, litigation, fines, and other liability, any of which could adversely affect our business. Additionally, data security breaches where we or our vendors fail to detect and appropriately respond may expose us to government enforcement actions and private litigation. Furthermore, responding to such an attack and mitigating the risk of future attacks could result in additional operating and capital costs in technology, personnel, monitoring and other investments.
We are also subject to various risks associated with the collection, handling, storage, and transmission of sensitive information. In the regular course of business, we collect employee, customer, and other third-party data, including personally
identifiable information, personal health data and individual/business payment data, for various business purposes. Although we have policies and procedures in place to safeguard such sensitive information, this information has been and could be subject to cybersecurity attacks and the aforementioned risks. In addition, we are subject to federal, state, and international laws relating to the collection, use, retention, security and transfer of personally identifiable information, personal health data and individual payment data. Those laws include, among others, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation and similar state agencies that impose additional data privacy and protection requirements. Complying with these and other applicable laws has caused, and may cause, us to incur substantial costs or require us to change our business practices, and our failure to do so may expose us to substantial fines, penalties, restrictions, litigation, or other expenses and adversely affect our business. Further, any changes to laws or regulations, including new restrictions or requirements applicable to our business, or an increase in enforcement of existing laws and regulations, could expose us to additional costs and liability and could limit our use of such information.
While we continue to evolve our cybersecurity practices in line with our business’ reliance on technology and the changing external threat landscape, and we invest time, effort and financial resources to secure our systems, networks and communications, our security measures cannot provide absolute assurance that we will be successful in preventing or defending from all cybersecurity attacks or incidents impacting our operation.While we continue to evolve our cyber security practices in line with our business’ reliance on technology and the changing external threat landscape, and we invest time, effort and financial resources to secure our systems, networks and communications, our security measures cannot provide absolute assurance that we will be successful in preventing or defending from all cyber security attacks or incidents impacting our operation. There can be no assurance that any breach or incident will not have a material impact on our operations and financial results.
Any breach, theft, loss, or fraudulent use of guest, employee, third-party or company data, could adversely impact our reputation and brand and our ability to retain or attract new customers, and expose us to risks of data loss, business disruption, governmental investigation, litigation and other liability, any of which could adversely affect our business. Significant capital investments and other expenditures could be required to remedy the problem and prevent future breaches, including costs associated with additional security technologies, personnel, experts and credit monitoring services for those whose data has been impacted.
Litigation, enforcement actions, fines or penalties could adversely impact our financial condition or results of operations and/or damage our reputation.
Our business is subject to various U.S. and international laws and regulations that could lead to enforcement actions, fines, civil or criminal penalties or the assertion of litigation claims and damages. In addition, improper conduct by our employees, agents or joint venture partners could damage our reputation and/or lead to litigation or legal proceedings that could result in civil or criminal penalties, including substantial monetary fines. In certain circumstances it may not be economical to defend against such matters and/or our legal strategy may not ultimately result in us prevailing in a matter. Such events could lead to an adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations. We cannot predict the quantum or outcome of any such proceedings and the impact that they will have on our financial results, but any such impact may be material. While some of these claims are covered by insurance, we cannot be certain that all of them will be, which could have an adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations.
23
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity
Securing the Company’s business information, intellectual property, customer and employee data and technology systems is essential for the continuity of our businesses, meeting applicable regulatory requirements and maintaining the trust of our various stakeholders. Cybersecurity is an important and integrated part of the Company’s enterprise risk management function that identifies, monitors and mitigates business, operational, financial and legal risks.
We have developed a cybersecurity program designed to protect and preserve the confidentiality, integrity and continued availability of all information we own or process against risks from cybersecurity threats. Using a risk-based prioritization approach, the cybersecurity team focuses on securing our high value assets, updating our cybersecurity detection and prevention capabilities to identify new threats, and maturing the compliance processes to protect the Company’s operations and data.
Risk Management and Strategy
We have implemented policies, programs and controls and invested in cybersecurity technologies that focus on assessing, monitoring, and managing our cybersecurity risks. These include, but are not limited to: maintaining comprehensive cybersecurity policies and practices; augmenting our organization with a global cybersecurity operation center that monitors cyber threats 24-hours a day on a year-round basis; new surveillance technologies to proactively identify threats and improve the Company’s cyber defense capabilities; implementing enterprise-wide cybersecurity training, anti-phishing and awareness programs for our employees and crew members; and conducting cyber simulations with various teams across the Company as well as with management to evaluate our response approach. We have also implemented comprehensive processes designed to identify and oversee risks from cybersecurity threats associated with our third-party service providers, which include security assessments on our suppliers and vendors and continuous monitoring of cyber threats. Our cybersecurity program is informed by recognized best practices and standards for cybersecurity, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) Cybersecurity Framework. Our cybersecurity program is based on recognized best practices and standards for cybersecurity, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) Cybersecurity Framework.
Our policies require each of our employees and crew members to contribute to our data security efforts. We regularly educate our employees about the importance of handling and protecting customer and employee data, including through annual privacy and security training to enhance employee awareness of how to detect and respond to cybersecurity threats.
Governance
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| AR | 3 hours ago |
| EGP | 3 hours ago |
| AM | 3 hours ago |
| MGM | 3 hours ago |
| RFAI | 3 hours ago |
| EQIX | 3 hours ago |
| RBLX | 3 hours ago |
| CRBG | 3 hours ago |
| TFIN | 3 hours ago |
| STAG | 3 hours ago |
| SITM | 3 hours ago |
| DVA | 3 hours ago |
| JNJ | 3 hours ago |
| KMPR | 3 hours ago |
| TMUS | 3 hours ago |
| NBIX | 3 hours ago |
| HXL | 4 hours ago |
| NVR | 4 hours ago |
| TXT | 5 hours ago |
| BWA | 6 hours ago |
| BKH | 6 hours ago |
| ACBM | 6 hours ago |
| SYK | 7 hours ago |
| BMY | 8 hours ago |
| MA | 8 hours ago |
| HLT | 9 hours ago |
| RPRX | 10 hours ago |
| NNN | 11 hours ago |
| NVCT | 11 hours ago |
| AVTR | 12 hours ago |
| LEU | 12 hours ago |
| FNMA | 12 hours ago |
| U | 12 hours ago |
| SHOP | 12 hours ago |