SS/RCCL Finances: Improving, Options, Questions??!!

[TLCOhio]

From the Wall Street Journal late Friday afternoon, below are their stock value charts for the three major cruise lines.  Overall, it seemed to be fairly positive week.  But, each of these stocks moved in different patterns over these most-recent five trading days.  

 

Royal Caribbean, as of today, is setting at a 12-month high.  Good news?  Will things continue to move upward?  Carnival is also today at a 12-month high-water mark. The high during the past year for Norwegian was $18.67 on 11/15/22.   

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Early 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through Panama Canal.  Our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Now at 32,043 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

 

From the Wall Street Journal during the past five trading days, here are their charts for the three major cruise lines.  Each of the three companies had certain differences in their patterns for this past week.  Right or wrong?:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

 

 

From the Wall Street Journal, here is their chart reflecting the upward progress for Royal Caribbean stock during the past twelve months.:

[TLCOhio]

From Yahoo News earlier this past week, they had this headline: “Royal Caribbean expects strong demand trends to continue through 2024, 2025: CEO” with these highlights: “Royal Caribbean Cruises CEO says his company is seeing strong demand for cruises. Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty sits down with Yahoo Finance's Diane King Hall to discuss the cruise operator's outlook and whether or not he's seeing the 'revenge travel' trend continue.”

 

From this interview, here are a couple of key, top highlights from the RCL CEO: "We raised our earnings guidance for the year by over 40%. Those trends continue to be very strong. And we deliver 150,000 vacations every single day to our guests. And they're super happy.  The demand trends that we've seen earlier in the year is very much flowing into 2024 and even into 2025.  Historically, pre-pandemic, about a third of our guests were new to cruise, a third of our guests were loyalists, and the third of our guests refers to brand. What we see now is one propensity to cruise has completely returned back that was in 2019. But we're seeing more new to cruise than we had seen in 2019. We're seeing more first to brand, which is very much in line with our growth expectations for our capacity, growth as our new ships come on.  It's less about revenge travel. We don't really see in our surveying of our guests. It's more that the guest has shifted back to this trajectory of experiences outpacing buying stuff."

 

What is the view of CEO Jason Liberty for China and its future?:  "We now have a better view on how China was-- how China is going to start back up, our plan is to re-enter China next year. So we're starting up that sales and marketing machine for China, which was an incredible market for us pre-pandemic. We know that the Chinese consumer loves to cruise."

 

How does the CEO view their brands and demographics?:  "Our Royal brand is very focused on multigenerational family. Our Celebrity brand, people that are in their early 50s, more Gen X in nature. And our Silversea brand, which is Ultra Luxury and Expedition, tend to attract a little bit of the Baby Boomer side of things.  What we are seeing is the guest is actually a little bit younger on average than what we saw pre-pandemic. And a lot of that is because there's more millennials that are now into the system as they got married and started to have kids and are looking to experience incredible travel experiences."

 

Baby Boomers?  Yes, I plead "guilty" and that explains why we see so many of "us" on Silversea.  Right?  Or, wrong?

 

Full story/video at:

https://finance.yahoo.com/video/royal-caribbean-expects-travel-demand-210222734.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 21,833 views.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, TLCOhio said:

Ultra Luxury

We'll be the judge of that! 🤣

[highplanesdrifters]

OK kiddos, what's next?

My technicals put us at 4444 short term and 4785 long term.

Pullback first? Or do the bears come back and blow that up?

Next week is a very big week with Fed meeting, CPI, Quadrupple witching before 3 day weekend.

Fasten your seat belts.😀

 

 

[TLCOhio]

3 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

OK kiddos, what's next?  My technicals put us at 4444 short term and 4785 long term. Pullback first? Or do the bears come back and blow that up?  Next week is a very big week with Fed meeting, CPI, Quadrupple witching before 3 day weekend.  Fasten your seat belts.😀

 

YES!!  Agree with the "Fasten your seat belts" warming.  Lots of choppy financial waters out there.  Not sure I understand all of the "technicals".  

 

Luxury lines being more or all inclusive?  From USA Today this morning, they had this headline: “Would you spend $14,000 on a cruise? Here's why these travelers splurged.”

 

Here are some of their reporting highlights: “For Walter Morgenstern, it’s the little things on a luxury cruise that justify the big price tag. On his last sailing from Barbados to Miami with Regent Seven Seas Cruises in February, the 75-year-old said he didn’t have to fight for a lounge chair. Morgenstern was on the Seven Seas Mariner, and the line also did his laundry multiple times during the nearly two-week voyage at no extra charge. He and his wife, Karen, paid around $14,000 up front, but weren’t hit with surprise bills during the voyage.  'They don’t nickel and dime me for anything,' said Morgenstern, who lives in Melville, New York.”

 

Here is more from this report: "Morgenstern has been on roughly 40 cruises. However, with fewer expenses after their kids graduated college and looking for a more laid-back vacation, the couple began sailing with upscale lines such as Regent and Seabourn after retirement.  Michelle Fee, CEO of a travel agency, told USA TODAY ihat guests can expect to find immersion into destinations on upscale lines, with menus that may be from acclaimed chefs, rather than rock climbing walls or ice skating rinks.  She said Regent, Seabourn, Viking, Silversea Cruises and Oceania Cruises are all in that category.  While mainstream lines such as Carnival Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean International include many costs in the fare, there are extras that can add up, such as specialty restaurant fees and beverage packages." 

 

Yes, there are travelers who want to escape the mass-market crowds and not feel "nickel-and-dimed".  Right?

 

Full story at:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2023/06/11/luxury-cruises-experience-cost/70294612007/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Summer 2019 Calgary, Jasper/Banff National Parks, Western Canada Rocky Mountaineer rail adventure, Vancouver, sailing up to Alaska on Silver Muse, post-cruise excursion to Denali, etc.  Many visuals, Our firsts in these scenic areas!  Now at 19,268 views. Live/blog: 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2682584-live-terryohio-silver-muse-alaska-canadarockies-pix’s/

Edited June 12, 2023 by TLCOhio

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, TLCOhio said:

he didn’t have to fight for a lounge chair.

Well that should make some people on these boards happy.😃

[RetiredandTravel]

Looks to me that the S&P 500 August high of 4325 could be some sort of resistance.  Big rally and breakout above the 200 MA for the Russell 2000 recently.  This is good.  I don't have any statistics to back this up but my recollection is Fed meetings haven't been positive for the stock market recently.  If my wife walks by and sees Powell speaking after the meeting she just says "Oh God" and keeps moving.

 

Ultra luxury is a relative term but IMO we have no other choices if you want to cruise.

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

54 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

If my wife walks by and sees Powell speaking after the meeting she just says "

Powell is taking lessons from Christine Lagarde. Nobody talks longer than her.

 

Saw that 4325.  Giving me some double top fears.

[RetiredandTravel]

29 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Powell is taking lessons from Christine Lagarde. Nobody talks longer than her.

 

Saw that 4325.  Giving me some double top fears.

I know and Bloomberg shows the whole damn speech (LaGarde).  So much for 4325.  WSJ had an article a few weeks back how institutional money mangers had large cash positions, could be part of the issue.  I'm not complaining.

[TLCOhio]

17 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

Powell is taking lessons from Christine Lagarde. Nobody talks longer than her.  Saw that 4325.  Giving me some double top fears.

 

Appreciate these added comments, insights and follow-ups from R&T and highplanesdrifters.  Keep it coming!  The financial "tides" are always moving and shifting.

 

From the Washington Post yesterday morning, they had this headline: “People are spending less on hotels, flights and restaurants" with this sub-headline: "Signs of a consumer slowdown could be good news for the Fed, which is poised to hold interest rates steady for the first time in over a year.”

 

Here are some of their reporting highlights: “Across the country, there are signs that Americans are pulling back on restaurant outings, hotel stays and airline tickets, after months of exuberant consumption. Spending on a range of services, including international travel, taxi rides and clothing alterations, fell in April for this first time this year, according to federal data. The central bank, which has raised borrowing costs by more than 5 percent, is widely expected to pause its aggressive interest-rate hikes when it meets Tuesday and Wednesday. Analysts expect the Fed to hold rates steady for the first time since March 2022.  The potential for slowing demand to continue to bring down prices may help determine whether the Fed resumes interest rate hikes in July and beyond. Although overall spending on services rose in April, by 0.3 percent, that growth was smaller than the 0.8 percent increase in spending on goods.”

 

If this "slow down" is really happening, when will its affects show up and impact future cruise bookings?  

 

Here is more from this report: "The economy appears to be approaching a turning point. Some of the country’s largest service providers are reporting dampening demand: OpenTable data shows fewer people are dining out. Airbnb expects bookings growth to slow and average daily rates to fall this quarter compared with last year, as people opt for cheaper lodging than they did a year ago. And at McDonald’s, executives say customers are increasingly forgoing fries with their meals."

 

Full story at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/06/12/services-inflation-spending-fed/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Early 2020, many visuals and details from New Zealand/South Pacific in going from Auckland to French Polynesia.  This includes Bora Bora, Fiji, NZ experiences, etc:  Live/blog:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2735732-live-terryohio-“new”-regatta-south-pacificnz-pix’s/

[TLCOhio]

From this Wall Street Journal-related stock site this morning, they had this headline: “Carnival’s stock soars after two analysts turn bullish, as cruise demand shifts from ‘pent-up’ to ‘sustainable’ ” with this sub-headline: "Carnival’s stock climbs toward a 13-month high, and BofA says valuation is ‘not stretched by any metric’ ".

 

Here are some of their story highlights: “Shares of Carnival Corp. cruised toward a 13-month high Monday after two Wall Street analysts turned bullish, saying growing demand is no longer just about a post-pandemic recovery.  BofA Securities analyst Andrew Didora raised his rating on Carnival’s stock to buy after being at neutral since June 2020, while JPMorgan’s Matthew Boss raised his rating to overweight after being in the neutral camp for at least three years."

 

Need more for the why?  "JPMorgan’s Boss said his 'key takeaway' from a recent meeting with Carnival Chief Executive Officer John Weinstein was that the company was 'no longer riding the coattails of a post-pause pent-up demand, 'as demand from different customer types has returned to pre-pandemic balances, with 'new-to-cruise' demand inflecting this year.  Boss was also upbeat about Weinstein’s clearly stated intention not to issue any equity to boost liquidity, as Weinstein reiterated his intent in using excess liquidity to pay down debt."

 

From the WSJ chart earlier this am, this "news" had a very major positive impact for Royal Caribbean.  See this RCL chart noting that yesterday this stock hit a new 12-month high-water mark: 

 

 

Full story at:

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/carnivals-stock-soars-after-two-analysts-turn-bullish-as-cruise-demand-shifts-from-pent-up-to-sustainable-2b3ea5b3

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Late Summer 2022, many scenic visuals and details from Canada Maritimes doing Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, etc., via a Tauck land tour.  Visual Summary:

www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums

[highplanesdrifters]

27 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

WSJ had an article a few weeks back how institutional money mangers had large cash positions,

I missed that article, will take a peak. It is clear from all the talking Bears that they missed the bottom there is so much cash on the sidelines. That with all the leftover Stimmie should help to fuel this rally. The pullbacks should say is a lot.  Does it show that I'm still pretty bullied up?🤣

 

Just now, TLCOhio said:

People are spending less on hotels, flights and restaurants

Well I wish they would slow down where I'm trying to book a trip or eat!  Although my TA said she is seeing some signs of things normalizing. Whatever that is.

Edited June 13, 2023 by highplanesdrifters

[highplanesdrifters]

BTW, did you gents book a trip? If so, tell us!  

[Stumblefoot]

On 6/11/2023 at 5:15 PM, highplanesdrifters said:

…before 3 day weekend.

Do the markets close for this federal holiday that the overwhelming majority of Americans don’t even get a day off for?

[TLCOhio]

4 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

BTW, did you gents book a trip? If so, tell us!  

 

Be careful what you wish for and request!!  Yes, we are booked and working on added details for an upcoming Silversea sailing.  Below is my graphic for this future adventure. 

 

We booked this Silver Moon, 18-day sailing in March.  Since that time, this cruise has had two different price hikes.  Glad we booked early.  This cruise is selling very well, including being a near sell-out in several categories.  After we get off in Singapore, the next Silver Moon segment, Singapore to Hong Kong, including many stops in Vietnam, is mostly all on a wait-list.  Clearly on many itineraries, Silversea is seeing strong, significant demand. 

 

For us, it is just not the simple task of booking a cruise.  It is about much more research, planning and money for the overall "adventure", including the use of American Airlines Frequent Flyer miles for our flights to Delhi and back from Singapore.  Plus, figuring out ALL of the many pre- and post-cruise options.  When you are flying that long, long distance (including a 15 hour, 25 minute, JFK to Delhi flight), you want to maximize the "experience" for those unique parts of the world with their great history, architecture, culture, food, people, etc.  

 

We will be doing private tour options for Agra, New Delhi, Jaipur, etc.  Unfortunately, the pre-cruise tour offered by Silversea only gave us Delhi and Agra, not the full, best "Golden Triangle" sampling we desired.   Then, we fly to Mumbai/Bombay from Jaipur on Feb. 11, a day there, then starting the 18-day Silversea cruise with stops at Mormugao (Goa), New Mangalore and Cochin. Then stops in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, etc., before finishing Feb. 29 in Singapore. We will have added time in Singapore, then fly to Tokyo for 2.5 days there before flying home through DFW. First time for ALL of these locations.

 

Love to learn any smart tips, suggestions and secrets for these various, exotic locations. Don't be shy with any and all ideas and recommendations to share.  Looking forward, also, to experiencing the fairly new Silver Moon after loving the Silver Muse in 2019 for our Alaska sailing.

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio   

 

Barcelona/Med: June 2011, with stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Great visuals with key highlights, tips, etc. Live/blog now at 256,594 views.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1362155-solstice-livefirst-timer-reportspix’s-italycroatian-june-7-19/

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, Stumblefoot said:

Do the markets close for this federal holiday that the overwhelming majority of Americans don’t even get a day off for?

Apparantly so.  I took me a bit to figure out why they were closed. 🤔 

[Stumblefoot]

43 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

BTW, did you gents book a trip? If so, tell us!  

We’re booked on a ‘24 Panama Canal voyage to Lima and a ‘25 voyage from Rio that spends 8-days on the Amazon river before disembarking in Barbados. At that point we’ll have finally used up our FCCs from the Covid cancellations.

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, TLCOhio said:

Don't be shy

We loved Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Took a room overlooking the bay which I prefer and happened to be cheaper. Massive food court below, hop on hop off stops there, indoor bridge to mall, pool can get crowded but oh so spectacular, next to the spectacular Gardens by the Bay, and great restaurants on site.  If you are in to history National Museum of Singapore is a must.   I used to do a bit of business there, especially mopping up after the Barings blow up. It has been fun to go back, be a tourist, and actually enter a museum. 😃 

East coast park has a dinning section with lots of outdoor restaurants, quite a scene.  Singapore is a major foodie destination.  I haven been there in years, perhaps someone with more recent experience can chime in.

[highplanesdrifters]

Just now, Stumblefoot said:

We’re booked on a ‘24 Panama Canal voyage to Lima and a ‘25 voyage from Rio that spends 8-days on the Amazon river before disembarking in Barbados. At that point we’ll have finally used up our FCCs from the Covid cancellations.

Wowza, can't wait to hear about that one!

[TLCOhio]

7 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

We loved Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Took a room overlooking the bay which I prefer and happened to be cheaper. Massive food court below, hop on hop off stops there, indoor bridge to mall, pool can get crowded but oh so spectacular, next to the spectacular Gardens by the Bay, and great restaurants on site.  If you are in to history National Museum of Singapore is a must.   I used to do a bit of business there, especially mopping up after the Barings blow up. It has been fun to go back, be a tourist, and actually enter a museum. 😃   East coast park has a dinning section with lots of outdoor restaurants, quite a scene.  Singapore is a major foodie destination.  I haven been there in years, perhaps someone with more recent experience can chime in.

 

Appreciate these great suggestions and follow-up from highplanesdrifters for Singapore.  Yes, excellent ideas and background.  Have copied these tips in my comprehensive trip file on my laptop.  

 

Our current plan is to stay two nights at the JW Marriott South Beach after the one night in port on the Silver Moon where it will be docked.  We have a very good room cost at this highly-rated hotel and it is is across the street from famed Raffles Hotel in Singapore.  

 

Keep it coming for Singapore, plus especially for India, Tokyo, etc.  Everyone seems to rave about the many great dining options for Singapore, plus its orderly, clean, well-organized environment. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise from Copenhagen, July 2010, to the top of Europe. Scenic visuals with key tips. Live/blog at 247,434 views.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1172051-livesilver-cloud-norway-coastfjords-july-1-16-reports/

 

[TLCOhio]

From the Investors Business Daily this morning, they had this headline: “Norwegian Cruise Line Stock Showing Leadership With Another Jump In RS Rating” with these highlights: “On Tuesday, Norwegian Cruise Line earned an another upgrade to its Relative Strength (RS) Rating, from 88 to 93. This on top of an increase we brought to your attention last week.   When looking for the best stocks to buy and watch, one factor to watch closely is relative price strength. This unique rating tracks technical performance by using a 1 (worst) to 99 (best) score that identifies how a stock's price performance over the trailing 52 weeks matches up against the rest of the market.”

 

Ready to buy these cruise ship stocks now?  This profile also shared: "The company (NCLH) holds the No. 6 rank among its peers in the Leisure-Services industry group. Royal Caribbean Group (RCL), Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV) and OneSpaWorld Holdings (OSW) are among the top 5 highly rated stocks within the group."

 

Full story at:

https://www.investors.com/research/norwegian-cruise-line-shows-market-leadership-with-jump-to-93-rs-rating/?src=A00619&refcode=aflMarketWatch

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 243,890 views.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

Everyone seems to rave about the many great dining options for Singapore, plus its orderly, clean, well-organized environment. 

Too many phenomenal food places to list. Your friend, @UKCruiseJeff, will be able to help you out. Great recos have been made on these boards over the years by Rojann and JP too.

 

JW Marriott is a very, very good hotel in Singapore and convenient to all forms of public transportation; subway and bus.  The lobby, with its cascading raindrop lights, mesmerized me.

[taxatty]

In addition to the indoor Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, don't miss the outdoor Singapore Botanic Gardens--maybe the nicest and most diverse gardens we have seen anywhere. If you are an orchid enthusiast, don't miss the gorgeous National Orchid Garden there. Since it can get very hot and humid in Singapore in the afternoon, a good day would be the Singapore Botanic Gardens in the morning followed by the air-conditioned National Museum of Singapore that @highplainsdrifters mentioned (excellent exhibit on the WWII Japanese occupation), or one of the several high-end shopping malls. 

 

For getting around, the subway system is extensive, perfectly clean and safe.

 

If you want to try something delicious, less spicy than it sounds and very messy to eat, try the chili crab--yum. If you're the least bit adventurous, you should eat at a hawker center at least once.

 

We stayed at the Conrad--very nice rooms, well located, and a very extensive buffet breakfast.

 

It's a great place to visit, just don't chew gum there! 

Edited June 14, 2023 by taxatty

[jpalbny]

The chili crab is indeed very messy. They gave us bibs and a box of plastic gloves which helped immensely. 

[TLCOhio]

On 6/13/2023 at 2:08 PM, Stumblefoot said:

Too many phenomenal food places to list. Your friend, @UKCruiseJeff, will be able to help you out. Great recos have been made on these boards over the years by Rojann and JP too.  JW Marriott is a very, very good hotel in Singapore and convenient to all forms of public transportation; subway and bus.  The lobby, with its cascading raindrop lights, mesmerized me.

 

Appreciate these great comments and follow-ups from taxatty in Florida, J.P. and Stumblefoot.  Excellent info.  Keep it coming!!  Very helpful.    

 

From the Washington Post yesterday morning, they had this headline: “There’s a widening spending gap between retirees and younger adults" with this sub-headline: "Baby Boomers are shelling out for cruises, vacations and restaurants, while younger generations are pulling back, a new report shows. The divide could widen even more if the economy sours.”

 

Here are some of their reporting highlights: “Older Americans are splurging on travel and dining out more than younger consumers, who are spending more on housing and basics, in an unusual and growing generational gap in spending patterns, according to a new report.
Internal data from Bank of America account holders reflects a widening split in spending habits between working-age adults and retirees. Baby boomers (roughly ages 59 to 77) and traditionalists (ages 78 to 95) in every income group are outspending their younger counterparts. Many of those gains were concentrated in leisure spending, such as travel and hotels.  'There’s a large wedge that’s opened up between the older generation and the younger generation’s spending,' said David Tinsley, senior economist at the Bank of America Institute.  One reason for the divide, he said, could be a shift in spending behavior after the pandemic, which proved riskier and more dangerous for older Americans who may have been reluctant to travel until now.”

 

As a Baby Boomer and someone who follows these generational trends closely, this story and demographic background helps explain why many of the Silversea sailings are booking up and prices are rising.  BUT, if these trends are true, what will be the impacts for the mass-market lines that need big booking numbers and money from many of those in these younger age groups?  

 

Full story at:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/06/14/generation-spending-gap-baby-boomers-millennials/

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 104,236 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226