Royal Caribbean Q3 net income up 34 percent

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL) said its third-quarter net income rose 34%, to $490.2 million, on rising revenue yields and a decline in both fuel and nonfuel expenses.

Revenue rose to $2.4 billion, from $2.3 billion a year earlier.

RCCL said early bookings for 2015 are robust and the current order book is better than at the same time last year in both volume and price. It said estimates for its 2015 earnings are consistent with Wall Street consensus of just over $1 billion.

RCCL Chairman and CEO Richard Fain said it was another quarter of methodical progress, with most business measures in line with previous forecasts. He said the company is “nicely positioned” on the eve of the delivery of its latest ship, Quantum of the Seas, in early November.

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