Cover and table of contents

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Cover and table of contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

☑ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended November 30, 2024 or

☐TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ______________ to ________________

Commission file number: 001-9610Commission file number: 001-15136
Carnival Corporationcarnival logo.jpgCarnival plc
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Republic of PanamaEngland and Wales
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
59-156297698-0357772
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
3655 N.W. 87th AvenueCarnival House, 100 Harbour Parade,
Miami,Florida33178-2428SouthamptonSO15 1ST,United Kingdom
(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)
(305)599-260001144 23 8065 5000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each classTrading Symbol(s)Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock ($0.01 par value)CCLNew York Stock Exchange, Inc.
Ordinary Shares each represented by American Depositary Shares ($1.66 par value), Special Voting Share, GBP 1.00 par value and Trust Shares of beneficial interest in the P&O Princess Special Voting TrustCUKNew York Stock Exchange, Inc.
1.000% Senior Notes due 2029CUK29New York Stock Exchange LLC

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrants are well-known seasoned issuers, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrants are not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.

Yes ☐ No ☑

Indicate by check mark whether the registrants (1) have filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrants were required to file such reports), and (2) have been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrants have submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrants were required to submit such files).

Yes ☑ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrants are large accelerated filers, accelerated filers, non-accelerated filers, smaller reporting companies, or emerging growth companies. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filers☑Accelerated filers☐Non-accelerated filers☐Smaller reporting companies☐Emerging growth companies☐

If emerging growth companies, indicate by check mark if the registrants have elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. Yes ☑ No ☐

If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrants included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrants are shell companies (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☑

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold was $15.6 billion as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

At January 13, 2025, Carnival Corporation had outstanding 1,164,202,729 shares of its Common Stock, $0.01 par value.

The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates computed by reference to the price at which the common equity was last sold was $2.6 billion as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter.

At January 13, 2025, Carnival plc had outstanding 187,687,583 Ordinary Shares $1.66 par value, one Special Voting Share GBP 1.00 par value and 1,164,202,729 Trust Shares of beneficial interest in the P&O Princess Special Voting Trust.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the 2025 joint definitive Proxy Statement are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

CARNIVAL CORPORATION & PLC

FORM 10-K

FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I
Item 1.Business5
A. Overview5
I. Summary5
II. Purpose & Mission, Vision, Values and Priorities5
B. Global Cruise Industry6
I. Overview6
II. Passenger Capacity by Ocean Going Vessels7
III. Competition7
C. Our Global Cruise Business8
I. Segment and Brand Information8
II. Ships Under Contract for Construction8
III. Descriptions of Cruise Brands9
IV. Trademarks and Other Intellectual Property10
V. Passengers Carried by Principal Source Geographic Areas11
VI. Cruise Programs11
VII. Cruise Pricing and Payment Terms11
VIII. Seasonality12
IX. Onboard and Other Revenues12
X. Port Destinations and Exclusive Islands13
XI. Marketing Activities13
XII. Sales Channels13
XIII. Suppliers14
XIV. Human Capital Management and Employees14
XV. Ethics and Compliance15
XVI. Insurance15
XVII. Taxation16
XVIII. Governmental Regulations18
XIX. Sustainability24
D. Website Access to Carnival Corporation & plc SEC Reports26
E. Industry and Market Data26
Item 1A.Risk Factors26
Item 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments31
Item 1C.Cybersecurity31
Item 2.Properties33
Item 3.Legal Proceedings33
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures33
PART II
Item 5.Market for Registrants’ Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities34
Item 6.Reserved36
Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations37
Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk46
Item 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data48
Item 9.Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure86
Item 9A.Controls and Procedures86
Item 9B.Other Information86
Item 9C.Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections86
PART III
Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance87
Item 11.Executive Compensation88
Item 12.Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters88
Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence89
Item 14.Principal Accountant Fees and Services89
PART IV
Item 15.Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules89
Item 16.Form 10-K Summary96

Cautionary Note Concerning Factors That May Affect Future Results

Some of the statements, estimates or projections contained in this document are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions with respect to us, including some statements concerning future results, operations, outlooks, plans, goals, reputation, cash flows, liquidity and other events which have not yet occurred. These statements are intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed forward-looking. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. We have tried, whenever possible, to identify these statements by using words like “will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “believe,” “depends,” “expect,” “goal,” “aspiration,” “anticipate,” “forecast,” “project,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “target,” “indicate,” “outlook,” and similar expressions of future intent or the negative of such terms.

Forward-looking statements include those statements that relate to our outlook and financial position including, but not limited to, statements regarding:

•Pricing•Goodwill, ship and trademark fair values
•Booking levels•Liquidity and credit ratings
•Occupancy•Investment grade leverage metrics
•Interest, tax and fuel expenses•Estimates of ship depreciable lives and residual values
•Currency exchange rates•Adjusted return on invested capital (“ROIC”)

Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are many factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. This note contains important cautionary statements of the known factors that we consider could materially affect the accuracy of our forward-looking statements and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial position. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

*•*Events and conditions around the world, including geopolitical uncertainty, war and other military actions, pandemics, inflation, higher fuel prices, higher interest rates and other general concerns impacting the ability or desire of people to travel could lead to a decline in demand for cruises as well as have significant negative impacts on our financial condition and operations.

  • Incidents concerning our ships, guests or the cruise industry may negatively impact the satisfaction of our guests and crew and lead to reputational damage.

  • Changes in and non-compliance with laws and regulations under which we operate, such as those relating to health, environment, safety and security, data privacy and protection, anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, economic sanctions, trade protection, labor and employment, and tax may be costly and lead to litigation, enforcement actions, fines, penalties and reputational damage.

  • Factors associated with climate change, including evolving and increasing regulations, increasing global concern about climate change and the shift in climate conscious consumerism and stakeholder scrutiny, and increasing frequency and/or severity of adverse weather conditions could have a material impact on our business.

  • Inability to meet or achieve our targets, goals, aspirations, initiatives, and our public statements and disclosures regarding them, including those related to sustainability matters, may expose us to risks that may adversely impact our business.

  • Cybersecurity incidents and data privacy breaches, as well as disruptions and other damages to our principal offices, information technology operations and system networks and failure to keep pace with developments in technology have adversely impacted and may in the future materially adversely impact our business operations, the satisfaction of our guests and crew and may lead to fines, penalties and reputational damage.

  • The loss of key team members, our inability to recruit or retain qualified shoreside and shipboard team members and increased labor costs could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

  • Increases in fuel prices, changes in the types of fuel consumed and availability of fuel supply may adversely impact our scheduled itineraries and costs.

  • We rely on suppliers who are integral to the operations of our businesses. These suppliers and service providers may be unable to deliver on their commitments, which could negatively impact our business.

  • Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may adversely impact our financial results.

  • Overcapacity and competition in the cruise and land-based vacation industry may negatively impact our cruise sales, pricing and destination options.

  • Inability to implement our shipbuilding programs and ship repairs, maintenance and refurbishments may adversely

impact our business operations and the satisfaction of our guests.

  • We require a significant amount of cash to service our debt and sustain our operations. Our ability to generate cash depends on many factors, including those beyond our control, and we may not be able to generate cash required to service our debt and sustain our operations.

  • Our substantial debt could adversely affect our financial health and operating flexibility.

The ordering of the risk factors set forth above is not intended to reflect our indication of priority or likelihood. Additionally, many of these risks and uncertainties are currently, and in the future may continue to be, amplified by our substantial debt balance incurred during the pause of our guest cruise operations. There may be additional risks that we consider immaterial or which are unknown.

Forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a prediction of actual results. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange rules, we expressly disclaim any obligation to disseminate, after the date of this document, any updates or revisions to any such forward-looking statements to reflect any change in expectations or events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

Forward-looking and other statements in this document may also address our sustainability progress, plans, and goals (including climate change- and environmental-related matters). In addition, historical, current, and forward-looking sustainability- and climate-related statements may be based on standards and tools for measuring progress that are still developing, internal controls and processes that continue to evolve, and assumptions and predictions that are subject to change in the future and may not be generally shared.

Adjusted ROIC provides additional information to us and investors about our operating performance relative to the capital we have invested in the company. We define adjusted ROIC as the twelve-month adjusted net income (loss) before interest expense and interest income divided by the monthly average of debt plus equity minus construction-in-progress, excess cash, goodwill and intangibles.

PART I

Next: Item 1. Business.