Cruise Ship Profits

[reeves35]

4 hours ago, colourbird said:

Our last two cruises (which we have just completed) on Norwegian Viva had 3,400 and 3,500 passengers on board so that's around half a million dollars profit per 3 days going by the above table. That's just one ship, and so they are raking it in. 

I think the table was based on an average 7 day cruise.

 

Given the capital employed, making $500K in a week on a ship that cost around $1Bn isn't particularly amazing.  

 

[arxcards]

4 hours ago, colourbird said:

Our last two cruises (which we have just completed) on Norwegian Viva had 3,400 and 3,500 passengers on board so that's around half a million dollars profit per 3 days going by the above table. That's just one ship, and so they are raking it in. 

The table is not a daily value. It is not defined very well but would appear to be profit per passenger per cruise. CLIA says the average cruise length is approximately 7 days.

 

So, Viva will generate a net annual profit (before some degree of ebitda) of around $US27.5 million on an asset that cost them over $US850 million.

 

+1 - not an amazing raking

[Sparky74]

And let’s not forget that cruiselines are in business for one reason and one reason only. And it’s the same reason why the supermarkets, the banks, the lawn mowing service, and your Internet provider are in business. And it’s the same reason many get out of bed each morning and go to work. Cruiselines are in business to make money!

 

And investors naturally want to see a return on their investment. 
 

I think many of us are surprised to learn how slim the profit margins are. It’s no wonder that they just haemorrhaged money and took on huge debt during the lockdown. 

[colourbird]

7 hours ago, arxcards said:

The table is not a daily value. It is not defined very well but would appear to be profit per passenger per cruise. CLIA says the average cruise length is approximately 7 days.

 

So, Viva will generate a net annual profit (before some degree of ebitda) of around $US27.5 million on an asset that cost them over $US850 million.

 

+1 - not an amazing raking

 

They were making money by not paying any crew which they mentioned. They said our $20 to $25 daily gratuities was to pay staff. They did a roaring trade in the casino and the raffles. I'm sure they skimmed profits from the stores and speciality dining rooms that charged over US$100 per person. They took payments for return shuttle boats directly into the city at some ports at US$20 when the regular price was 4 euros. We even had to pay for shuttle buses to get out of wharves which you couldn't walk out of. The food was no frills which saved them money too, so over the life of the ship they wouldn't be losing money. This ship also had a large Haven section for passengers paying first class fares.

 

We managed to get a discount during one of their promotions which saved us several thousand on the initial price we booked at. But the total cost was on par with a concerige class fare on Oceania for a similar length cruise which wouldn't have been no frills and would have included gratuities, some tours and thermal suite). 

[arxcards]

1 hour ago, colourbird said:

 

They were making money by not paying any crew which they mentioned. They said our $20 to $25 daily gratuities was to pay staff. They did a roaring trade in the casino and the raffles. I'm sure they skimmed profits from the stores and speciality dining rooms that charged over US$100 per person. They took payments for return shuttle boats directly into the city at some ports at US$20 when the regular price was 4 euros. We even had to pay for shuttle buses to get out of wharves which you couldn't walk out of. The food was no frills which saved them money too, so over the life of the ship they wouldn't be losing money. This ship also had a large Haven section for passengers paying first class fares.

 

We managed to get a discount during one of their promotions which saved us several thousand on the initial price we booked at. But the total cost was on par with a concerige class fare on Oceania for a similar length cruise which wouldn't have been no frills and would have included gratuities, some tours and thermal suite). 

All that is built into the slide at the start of the post. No daily grats means they pay their staff direct and you pay a higher upfront fare.

The trick is to notice when you are getting squeezed, and to let other passengers take the hit instead.

[colourbird]

1 minute ago, arxcards said:

All that is built into the slide at the start of the post. No daily grats means they pay their staff direct and you pay a higher upfront fare.

The trick is to notice when you are getting squeezed, and to let other passengers take the hit instead.

 

Norwegian charged the higher upfront fare and daily grats separately. 

 

 

[bazzaw]

On 6/10/2024 at 4:26 PM, Sparky74 said:

It’s also interesting to compare the share price of the big three: Carnival Corp, RCCL, and NCL. 

They all too a massive hit in 2020. While Royal Caribbean shares have recovered, the other two are yet to do so. 

Seems to me like the Stock Exchanges are no more than a Casino - or possibly akin to the odds of a Bookie at Randwick for different horses. All this money that the US Govt has printed and continues to print and all of the "money" created by debt, all has to find a home somewhere - and that home is Wall Street. All this Fiat money will tumble down sometime - just like Humpty Dumpty's wall. 

[bazzaw]

On 6/17/2024 at 3:46 PM, colourbird said:

 

They were making money by not paying any crew which they mentioned. They said our $20 to $25 daily gratuities was to pay staff. They did a roaring trade in the casino and the raffles. I'm sure they skimmed profits from the stores and speciality dining rooms that charged over US$100 per person. They took payments for return shuttle boats directly into the city at some ports at US$20 when the regular price was 4 euros. We even had to pay for shuttle buses to get out of wharves which you couldn't walk out of. The food was no frills which saved them money too, so over the life of the ship they wouldn't be losing money. This ship also had a large Haven section for passengers paying first class fares.

 

We managed to get a discount during one of their promotions which saved us several thousand on the initial price we booked at. But the total cost was on par with a concerige class fare on Oceania for a similar length cruise which wouldn't have been no frills and would have included gratuities, some tours and thermal suite). 

You lost me in all that 🙂 - but at the end of the day, you have to make a choice - the same as these Companies have to make a decision (regarding all kinds of things) about their operations. They are here to make money - and cruising is not compulsory .