Three Big Things June 24, 2025
- Sam Truett
- Jun 24
- 2 min read
Cruise Industry News Roundup – June 24, 2025
The cruise industry continues to make waves this week with major financial milestones, a new documentary digging into the past, and a legal battle brewing behind the scenes. Here’s a look at the top three stories making headlines today.
1️⃣ Carnival Cruises Reports Record-Breaking Quarter
Carnival Corporation is riding high after releasing its second-quarter 2025 earnings—and the numbers are impressive. The company reported $6.33 billion in revenue and an adjusted net income of $470 million, smashing analysts’ expectations and reflecting a booming demand for cruises.
Some highlights:
Passenger count rose to 3.4 million, a 3% increase over last year
Cruise days up by 4%, signaling longer or more frequent voyages
Onboard spending surged, especially in beverage and experience packages
Customer deposits reached a record $8.5 billion
In response to these strong results, Carnival raised its 2025 earnings guidance to $1.97 per share (up from $1.83) and unveiled plans to invest $600 million into Celebration Key, a new private island destination in the Bahamas set to open in July.
“We’re seeing not just strong demand, but sustained momentum across all our brands,” said CEO Josh Weinstein.
If this keeps up, Carnival may cement its comeback as the industry leader in the post-pandemic travel boom.
2️⃣ Netflix Revisits the Infamous “Poop Cruise”
Netflix’s new Trainwreck docuseries dives into one of cruising’s darkest PR moments: the 2013 Carnival Triumph disaster, infamously nicknamed the “Poop Cruise.”
The ship suffered an engine room fire that knocked out power, air conditioning, and plumbing, leaving more than 4,000 passengers stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for five days with limited food, no working toilets, and red biohazard bags lining the hallways.
Netflix interviews multiple passengers, recounting the ordeal in raw detail. Carnival, for its part, issued a statement emphasizing its progress since then:
Over $500 million invested in safety and ship upgrades
More than 53 million passengers safely sailed since the incident
Enhanced emergency response protocols and shipboard redundancy systems
Though a painful memory, the documentary spotlights just how far the industry—and Carnival—have come.
3️⃣ Carnival Files €4.5M Lawsuit Over Dry Dock Delays
Behind the scenes, Carnival is engaged in a legal standoff with Spain’s Navantia shipyard. The company filed a €4.5 million claim citing delays in scheduled dry-dock maintenance of the Carnival Liberty, allegedly caused by local labor disputes and mismanagement.
Delays in dry dock not only cost millions in lost cruise days, but also complicate scheduling, crew rotation, and compliance inspections.
While this isn’t expected to impact Carnival’s broader operations or upcoming voyages, it’s a reminder that logistics and maintenance play a massive role in cruise operations—and when things go wrong, the ripple effect is costly.
Final Thoughts
Have you booked your next cruise? Will you be checking out Celebration Key when it opens? Or are you watching Trainwreck from the safety of dry land?
Let us know in the comments!
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