Item 1. Business

99K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown

Item 1. Business

General

We are one of the leading cruise companies in the world. We own and operate three global cruise brands: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises (collectively, our "Global Brands"). We also own a 50% joint venture interest in TUI Cruises GmbH ("TUIC"), which operates the German brands TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (collectively, our "Partner Brands"). We account for our investments in our Partner Brands under the equity method of accounting. Together, our Global Brands and our Partner Brands have a combined fleet of 68 ships in the cruise vacation industry with an aggregate capacity of approximately 166,900 berths as of December 31, 2024. Our ships offer a selection of worldwide itineraries that call on more than 1,000 destinations on all seven continents.

We compete principally by operating our portfolio of valued brands that deliver vacation experiences known for exceptional product offerings and service provided by our dedicated crew. Our competitive edge is grounded in our focus on innovation, best evidenced in the quality and variety of ships in our fleet, our growing portfolio of private destinations and experiences, and a range of itineraries and global destinations tailored to meet diverse guest preferences. By continually reimagining vacation possibilities and investing in the maintenance and enhancement of our fleet, we inspire both new travelers and loyal repeat guests to embark on unforgettable journeys with us.

Royal Caribbean was founded in 1968 as a partnership. Its corporate structure has evolved over the years and, the current parent corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., was incorporated on July 23, 1985 in the Republic of Liberia under the Business Corporation Act of Liberia.

Our Global Brands

Our Global Brands include Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises. We believe our Global Brands possess the versatility to enter multiple market segments within the vacation industry. Although each of our Global Brands has its own marketing style, as well as ships and crews of various sizes, the nature of the products sold and services delivered by our Global Brands share a common base (i.e., the sale and provision of cruise vacations). Our Global Brands have historically sourced passengers from similar markets around the world and operated in similar economic environments with a significant degree of commercial overlap. As a result, we strategically manage our Global Brands as a single business with the ultimate objective of maximizing long-term shareholder value.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean is the world's largest cruise vacation brand. The brand competes in both the contemporary family market and premium segments of the vacation industry appealing to both families with children of all ages and older and younger couples. Royal Caribbean offers vacation experiences that generally feature a casual ambiance, as well as a variety of activities and entertainment venues. We believe that the quality of the Royal Caribbean brand allows it to achieve market coverage that is among the broadest of any of the major cruise brands in the cruise vacation industry. Royal Caribbean's strategy is to attract an array of vacationing guests by offering a wide variety of itineraries to destinations worldwide, including Alaska, Asia, Australia, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, the Panama Canal and New Zealand, with cruise lengths generally ranging from three to 14 nights. Royal Caribbean offers multiple innovative options for onboard dining, entertainment and other onboard activities. Because of the brand’s ability to deliver extensive and innovative product offerings at an excellent value to consumers, we believe Royal Caribbean is well positioned to attract new consumers to cruising and to continue to bring loyal repeat guests back for their next vacation.

Royal Caribbean operates 28 ships with an aggregate capacity of approximately 105,400 berths. Additionally, as of December 31, 2024, Royal Caribbean had three ships on order with an aggregate capacity of approximately 16,900 berths. The ships on order include the second Icon-class ship, Star of the Seas, the third Icon-class ship, and the seventh Oasis-class ship, which are expected to be delivered in 2025, 2026, and 2028, respectively. In addition, during 2024, we entered into an agreement with Meyer Turku Oy to build a fourth Icon-class ship for delivery in 2027. The agreement is contingent upon completion of certain conditions precedent including financing.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises is positioned within the premium segment of the vacation industry. Celebrity Cruises’ strategy is to target consumers by delivering a destination-rich experience on upscale ships that offer, among other things, excellent food and drink, elevated hospitality, world-class spaces and accommodations, and live entertainment. Celebrity Cruises offers a range of itineraries to destinations, including Alaska, Asia, Australia, Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, the Galapagos Islands, Hawaii, New Zealand, the Panama Canal and South America, with cruise lengths generally ranging from three to 18 nights.

Celebrity Cruises operates 14 ships with an aggregate capacity of approximately 35,650 berths. As of December 31, 2024, Celebrity Cruises had one Edge-class ship on order, Celebrity Xcel, with an aggregate capacity of approximately 3,250 berths, which is expected to be delivered in 2025. In addition, during 2024, we entered into an agreement with Chantiers de l' Atlantique to build a sixth Edge-class ship for delivery in 2028. The agreement is contingent upon completion of certain conditions precedent including financing.

Silversea Cruises

Silversea Cruises is an ultra-luxury and expedition cruise line with smaller ships, high standards of accommodations, fine dining, personalized service and exotic itineraries. Silversea Cruises delivers distinctive destination experiences by visiting unique and remote destinations, including the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica and the Arctic with cruise itineraries generally ranging from six to 25 nights.

Silversea Cruises operates 12 ships, with an aggregate capacity of approximately 5,500 berths.

Our Partner Brands

Our Global Brands are complemented by our interest in TUIC, our 50%-owned joint venture that operates the German brands TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (collectively, our "Partner Brands").

TUIC is a joint venture owned 50% by us and 50% by TUI AG, a German tourism company, which is designed to serve the contemporary and premium segments of the German cruise market by offering products tailored for German guests. All onboard activities, services, shore excursions and menu offerings are designed to suit the preferences of this target market.

TUI Cruises operates seven ships, with an aggregate capacity of approximately 18,700 berths. Additionally, as of December 31, 2024, TUI Cruises had two ships on order with an aggregate capacity of approximately 8,200 berths, which are expected to be delivered in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises operates two luxury liners and three smaller expedition ships, with an aggregate capacity of approximately 1,590 berths.

Refer to Note 7. Investments and Other Assets to our consolidated financial statements under Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for further details.

Industry

The cruising industry is a well-established vacation sector in the North American, European and Australian markets and a developing sector in several other emerging markets. We believe that cruising will continue to be a popular vacation choice due to its inherent value, extensive itineraries, private destinations, and variety of shipboard and shoreside activities. Industry data indicates that market penetration rates are increasing but still low and that a significant portion of cruise guests carried are first-time cruisers. Despite the increase in market penetration rates during 2024, we believe there is an opportunity for long-term growth and a potential for increased profitability.

Industry market penetration rates (computed based on the number of annual cruise guests as a percentage of the total population) grew from 3.36% to 3.89% for North America, from 1.25% to 1.41% for Europe, and from 0.08% to 0.20% for Asia/Pacific during the five year period from 2015 through 2019. During 2024, industry market penetration rates were 6.01% for North America, 1.72% for Europe, and 0.09% for Asia/Pacific. The penetration rates in 2024 show the growth potential in the markets most served by the industry.

The cruise industry was served by a fleet with a weighted average of approximately 706,000 berths during 2024 with approximately 432 ships at the end of 2024. As of December 31, 2024, there were approximately 50 ships on order with an estimated 116,500 berths that are expected to be placed in service in the global cruise market through 2028, not taking into account ships taken out of service or ordered during these periods. The global cruise industry carried approximately 36 million guests in 2024, 32 million cruise guests in 2023 and approximately 20 million in 2022.

The following table details the growth in global weighted average berths and the percentage of North American, European and Asia/Pacific cruise guests for 2024, 2023, 2022 and for each of the two years prior to the 2020 suspension of global cruise operations (in millions, except berth data):


	Supply of Berths		Industry Cruise Guests
Year (1)	Weighted-Average Global Supply(2)	Royal Caribbean Group(3)	Global (2)	North American (2)(4)	Europe(2)(5)	Asia/Pacific (2)(6)	Other (2)


2018	546,000	135,520	29	49%	26%	20%	5%
2019	579,000	141,570	30	47%	25%	24%	4%
2022	634,000	150,005	20	65%	29%	2%	4%
2023	650,000	157,575	32	63%	27%	6%	4%
2024	706,000	163,200	36	63%	26%	7%	4%

(1)Historically, we have reported annual information for comparability across periods. The 2020 suspension of global cruise operations and the gradual resumption of full operations starting in the second half of 2021 through the first half of 2022 do not allow for a meaningful comparison to prior years' information and, as such, 2020 and 2021 data has been excluded from this table.

(2)The estimates of the number of global cruise guests and the weighted-average supply of berths marketed globally are based on a combination of data that we obtain from various publicly available cruise industry trade information sources. We use data obtained from Seatrade Insider, Cruise Industry News and company press releases to estimate weighted-average supply of berths and CLIA and G.P. Wild to estimate cruise guest information. For 2024, we estimate the total number of global cruise guests for the full year with actual data only available through the third quarter. In addition, our estimates incorporate our own analysis utilizing the same publicly available cruise industry data as a base.

(3)Total berths include our berths related to our Global Brands and Partner Brands as of December 31, 2024.

(4)Our estimates include the United States and Canada.

(5)Our estimates include European countries relevant to the industry (most notably: the Nordics, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom).

(6)Our estimates include Southeast Asia (most notably: Singapore and Malaysia), East Asia (most notably: China and Japan), South Asia (most notably: India) and Oceania (most notably: Australia and New Zealand) regions. The decrease in Asia/Pacific cruise guests from 2019 to 2024 is partly driven by lack of cruise supply and itineraries in China through the first half 2023.

Competition

We compete with a number of cruise lines as well as land-based vacation alternatives for consumers’ leisure time. These include resorts (including all-inclusive resorts), hotels, internet-based alternative lodging sites, theme parks, sports, nature and sightseeing destinations. Our principal cruise competitors are Carnival Corporation & plc, which owns, among other brands, Aida Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises and Seabourn; Disney Cruise Line; MSC Cruises; Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, which owns Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises; Viking, and Virgin Voyages.

Operating Strategies

Our mission is to deliver the best vacation experiences responsibly. We continue to prioritize operating strategies that support this mission, working with our various business and community partners as we build toward a more sustainable cruise industry.

Our Company's operating strategies are as follows:

deliver a lifetime of vacations to our customers;
protect the health, safety and security of our guests and employees;
deepen our customer relationships in order to increase frequency and repeat booking rates;
protect the environment and communities in which our vessels and organization operate, with a focus on decarbonization;
invest in our workforce in order to better serve our global guest base and grow our business, and nurture a culture that values the contribution of individual talents;
increase the awareness and market penetration of our brands globally;
focus on cost efficiency, capital allocation and liquidity, with the overall goals of maximizing our return on invested capital and long-term shareholder value;
strategically invest in our fleet through the upgrade and maintenance of existing ships and the transfer of key innovations, while prudently expanding our fleet with new state-of-the-art cruise ships;
capitalize on the portability and flexibility of our ships by deploying them into those markets and itineraries that provide opportunities to optimize returns, while continuing our focus on existing key markets;
provide extraordinary destination experiences and state-of-the-art port facilities to our guests;
continue to deploy technology capabilities and advanced uses of data and analytics to deliver innovative customer experiences as well as to create operational efficiencies; and
maintain strong relationships with travel advisors, while enhancing our consumer outreach and e-commerce programs.

Safety, security and health policies

We are committed to protecting the health, safety and security of our guests, employees and others working on our behalf. Our efforts in these areas are managed by several departments within the Company that are responsible for maritime safety, global security, environmental stewardship and medical/public health activities. We also have a dedicated committee of our Board of Directors, the Safety, Environment, Sustainability and Health Committee, which is responsible for reviewing and monitoring our overall strategies, policies and programs that impact the safety and health of our guests and crew.

Consumer engagement

We place a strong focus on delivering a lifetime of vacations and priceless memories for our guests by identifying and creating product features and innovations that our customers value. We are focused on targeting and acquiring high-value guests by better understanding consumer data and insights to create communication strategies that resonate with our target audiences.

We target customers at important consumer decision points throughout their vacation journey and identify underlying needs for which guests value and are willing to pay a premium. We continue to invest in various programs and technologies to provide greater value to our customers throughout the vacation planning process - before, during, and after their vacations - and these investments are aimed at increasing revenues and occupancy. We have and expect to strategically invest in experiences on our ships that we believe drive marketability, profitability and improve the guest experience. In addition, we are focused on enhancing our vacation ecosystem by investing in a new travel platform, our loyalty programs and e-commerce capabilities.

Protect the environment and communities in which we operate

We are focused on the health of the environment and communities in which we operate. SEA the Future is our commitment to sustain the planet, energize the communities we visit, and accelerate innovation to improve our planet. Key programs include our Destination Net Zero strategy and Save the Waves Program.

Destination Net Zero is our decarbonization strategy that focuses on achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and delivering a net zero capable ship by 2035. This strategy also includes reducing our carbon intensity by double digits by 2025, compared to 2019, which we achieved one year early in 2024.

Destination Net Zero’s four-pronged approach includes:

Modernizing our fleet with new energy-efficient and alternatively fueled vessels;
Continued investment in energy efficiency programs;
Development of alternative fuel and alternative power solutions; and
Optimized deployment and integration of strategic shore-based supply chains.

While we continue to refine our roadmap to Destination Net Zero, we know our strategy will require new fuels and technologies that are not available today. Collaboration is imperative to reaching our decarbonization goals. As such, we are partnering with governments, fuel suppliers, shipyards, ship operators, ports, and technology stakeholders to build and test a safe and reliable supply of alternative energy sources.

Another example of our commitment to sustaining our planet with key partners is our decades-long Save the Waves program, which focuses on waste management techniques and technologies, along with reuse and recycling programs, to reduce the amount of waste produced on our ships and divert the remaining waste from landfills. We also have a long-term partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to evaluate ship operations, sustainable sourcing of food supplies, waste management, sustainable destinations and guest education on ocean conservation.

We also believe in transparent reporting around our corporate responsibility efforts. Our SEA the Future commitment and annual sustainability report, both of which are accessible on our corporate website, highlight our commitment and progress made with regards to those corporate responsibility aspects of our business that we believe are most significant to our organization and stakeholders. In addition to providing an overview on our sustainability efforts, the report references the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative and is aligned with the Sustainability Accounting Standards Boards Industry Standards for Cruise Lines. We continue to advance our reporting following the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Our corporate website contains the current version of our reports which provide information about our environmental performance goals and sustainability initiatives. The foregoing information contained on our website is not part of any of these reports and is not incorporated by reference herein or in any other report or document we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Refer to the Regulation - Environmental Regulations section below for further information.

Investing in our workforce

We believe that our employees, both shipboard and shoreside, are a critical success factor for our business. We strive to identify, hire, develop, motivate and retain the best employees, who provide our guests with extraordinary vacations. Our Talent and Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors oversees the Company's human capital management strategies, including initiatives for talent management, and a thriving corporate culture.

We focus on providing our employees with a competitive compensation structure, development opportunities, and other personal and professional growth opportunities in order to strengthen and support our human capital. We also select, develop and have strategies to retain high performing leaders to advance the enterprise now and in the future. To that end, we pay special attention to identifying high performing potential leaders and developing bench strength so these leaders can assume leadership roles throughout the organization.

We strive to maintain a work environment that reinforces collaboration, motivation and innovation, and believe that maintaining a strong employee-focused culture is beneficial to the growth and expansion of our business. We foster belonging and trust and respect for all among our broad employee base. Refer to the Human Capital section below for further information.

Global awareness and market penetration

We increase brand awareness and market penetration of our cruise brands in various ways, including the use of communication strategies and marketing campaigns designed to emphasize the qualities of each brand, especially among target groups. Our marketing strategies include the use of travel advisors, traditional media, mobile and digital media as well as social media, influencers, our websites, and sponsorships. Our brands also engage past and potential guests by collaborating with travel partners and through call centers, international offices and international representatives. In addition, our Global Brands target repeat guests with exclusive benefits offered through their respective loyalty programs, which effective June 2024, includes loyalty status match across our brand portfolio.

We sell and market our Global Brands to guests outside of the United States and Canada through the combined efforts of internationally focused internal resources and a network of independent international representatives located throughout the world. While the majority of our guests for our Global Brands come from North America, we also sell and market our cruise brands to guests in countries outside of North America by tailoring itineraries and onboard product offerings to the cultural characteristics and preferences of our international guests. In addition, we explore opportunities that may arise to acquire or develop brands tailored to specific markets.

Focus on cost efficiency, capital allocation, and liquidity

We are focused on maintaining a strong liquidity position and a balanced debt maturity profile, while ensuring appropriate leverage, opportunistically reducing interest expense, and maintaining an unsecured balance sheet. During 2024, we achieved investment grade metrics and proactively eliminated all secured and guaranteed debt. We believe these strategies together with our continued focus on increasing operating income and margin, as well as disciplined capital allocation, enhance our ability to achieve our overall goal of maximizing our return on invested capital and long-term shareholder value.

Delivery of state-of-the-art cruise ships, and fleet upgrade and maintenance

We place a strong focus on innovation, which we seek to achieve by introducing new concepts on our new ships and continuously making improvements to our existing fleet, such as large-scale atriums, double hulls for increased safety, and advanced steel structures. We are expanding our innovation efforts to cover multiple fronts, including naval and architectural design, guest facing features, energy efficiency, sustainability, and safety.

We are committed to building state-of-the-art ships at a moderate growth rate and we believe our success in this area provides us with a competitive advantage. Our newer vessels traditionally generate higher revenue yield premiums and are more efficient and environmentally friendly to operate than older vessels.

In 2023, we introduced three new vessels to our fleet, including Royal Caribbean’s new flagship – Icon of the Seas, Celebrity Cruises – Celebrity Ascent, and Silversea Cruises's – Silver Nova. Both Icon of the Seas and Silver Nova are the first vessels of a new class. For Royal Caribbean, new features on Icon of the Seas include a dedicated family neighborhood called “Surfside”, a pool deck featuring the largest swimming pool and waterpark at sea, and the “Aquadome” showcasing the tallest waterfall at sea in an 82-foot-tall dome. For Celebrity Cruises, Celebrity Ascent represents an evolution of Celebrity Beyond and builds on the innovation that the Edge series of ships have brought to market. For Silversea, Silver Nova is amongst our most environmentally friendly and energy efficient ships to date. In 2024, Royal Caribbean introduced Utopia of the Seas, and Silversea Cruises introduced Silver Ray. Each of these ships represent the evolution of their class and the latest ships for each brand.

As of December 31, 2024, our Global Brands and Partner Brands have six ships on order. Refer to the Operations section below for further information on our ships on order. As we further develop our Newbuild program, we continue to utilize each vessel as an opportunity to pilot new technology towards Destination Net Zero.

In addition, we regularly evaluate opportunities to order new ships, purchase existing ships or sell ships in our current fleet while ensuring that we remain focused on the returns we generate on invested capital and maintaining a high level of discipline on capital spending and operating leverage.

Markets and itineraries

In an effort to penetrate untapped markets, diversify our consumer base and respond to changing economic and geopolitical market conditions, we continue to seek opportunities to deploy ships to new and stronger markets and itineraries throughout the world. The portability of our ships allows us to deploy our ships to meet demand within our existing and new cruise markets. We make deployment decisions generally 18 to 32 months in advance, with the goal of optimizing the overall profitability of our portfolio. Additionally, the infrastructure investments we have made to create a flexible global sourcing model have made our brands relevant in a number of markets around the world, which allows us to be opportunistic and source the highest yielding guests for our itineraries.

Our ships offer a wide selection of itineraries that call on over 1,000 destinations in over 120 countries, spanning across all seven continents. We are focused on maximizing long-term shareholder returns by operating in established markets while growing our presence in developing markets. New capacity has allowed our brands to expand into new markets and itineraries in an effort to address changes in market demand.

Destination experiences and port facilities

In order to provide unique destination experiences to our guests, we have and continue to invest in our private land destinations. Our Perfect Day Collection represents our initiative to develop a series of private destinations in key markets. The first island in the collection, Perfect Day at CocoCay, includes a wide range of attractions, such as a full water park, zip line course, freshwater pools, helium balloon ride, splash pads and a beach club. In January 2024, we completed an expansion of Perfect Day at CocoCay with the delivery of Hideaway Beach, an adults-only experience. In October 2024, we announced the second destination in our Perfect Day Collection, Perfect Day Mexico, a Mexican inspired Royal Caribbean destination experience expected to open in 2027, and will serve our Western Caribbean itineraries from

homeports in Texas and Florida. Additionally, our Royal Beach Club collection will offer an exclusive and branded experience at high volume ports. The first Royal Beach Club is expected to open in 2025 in Nassau, Bahamas; and the second Royal Beach Club expected to open in 2026, in Cozumel, Mexico. In October 2024, we also announced Silversea's plans to develop a hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile to provide a further-elevated and seamless guest experience for its Antarctica expeditions. We continue to evaluate opportunities to develop additional destinations across the globe.

In an effort to secure desirable berthing facilities for our ships, and to provide new or enhanced cruise destinations for our guests, we have actively assisted or invested in the development or enhancement of certain port facilities and infrastructure, including mixed-use commercial properties, located in strategic ports of call, and reduction of our environmental impacts. For instance, through our partnership agreement with iCON Infrastructure Partners VI, L.P. ("iCON"), we own, develop, and manage cruise terminal facilities and infrastructure in key ports of call, initially including several development projects in Italy and Spain.

Generally, we partner with local, private or governmental entities by collaborating on strategic investments and destination management. Our participation in these efforts is most often accomplished via investments with the relevant government authority and/or various other strategic partnerships established to develop and/or operate the port facilities, by providing direct development and management expertise or in certain limited circumstances, by providing direct or indirect investments. In exchange for our involvement, we generally secure preferential berthing rights for our ships.

Technological capabilities

Technology is a pervasive part of virtually every business process we use to support our operating strategies and provide a quality experience to our customers before, during and after their vacation. We continue to develop tools that enhance our commercial capabilities and support our goal of deepening our customer relationships. We are focused on enhancing our guests' digital experience and growing onboard revenue, by making it easier for our guests to plan and maximize their next vacation through our websites and mobile applications. For example, we recently enabled booking a cruise in our mobile applications, built a loyalty hub to provide easy to view status, benefits and ways to earn rewards and a video library to showcase our family of brands.

We have continued to expand digital capabilities into our operations and have increased our focus in bringing data analytics and artificial intelligence into our processes to provide better insights for revenue management as well as in how to model our maintenance or operational actions. Our entire fleet is equipped with Starlink through our partnership with SpaceX, bringing the next generation in shipboard connectivity and unlocking an improved guest experience. In concert with our destination focus, our island technology solutions are now enabling our guests to remain connected with WiFi access, charge food and beverages, and take advantage of all the island based activities with the same ease as onboard our ships.

Investments in our core platforms, as well as the trade and direct distribution channels, are delivering the benefit of more modernized solutions with scalability and faster self-service response times while also deploying new features and additional promotional offer capabilities. Cyber security and data privacy are an ongoing focus, and we have made and will continue to make investments to protect our customer data, intellectual property and global operations. Refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors - “We are exposed to cyber security attacks and data breaches and the risks and costs associated with protecting our systems and maintaining data integrity and security” for a discussion of the risks associated with cyber security.

Travel advisor relationships, consumer outreach, and e-commerce

Travel advisors continue to be a significant sourcing channel of revenues for our ships. We believe in the value of this distribution channel and invest in maintaining strong relationships with our travel partners. To accomplish this goal, we seek to maintain competitive commission rates and incentive structures with the marketplace. We continuously work with travel advisors to sell upgrades and add-ons such as air and pre-cruise purchases to improve the retention and profitability of the channel. We provide brand dedicated sales representatives who serve as consultants to our travel partners. We also provide trained customer service representatives, call centers and online training tools.

We continue to operate our Consumer Outreach department, which provides consumers 24-hour access to our vacation planners and customer service agents in our call centers, as well as invest in our websites, including mobile applications and mobile websites. We enable our guests to communicate and book with us through various channels such as phone, web, chat, text message, and/or email. Additionally, we continue to advance our e-commerce capabilities and the vacation shopping experience for our guests. In addition to offering a simplified booking experience, we leverage the mobile application for onboard experiences such as WiFi, beverages, shore excursions, and specialty dining – enabling guests to book their vacation end-to-end.

Guest Services

We handle virtually all travel aspects related to guest reservations and transportation, including facilitating guest pre- and post-hotel stay arrangements and air transportation.

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises offer recognition and cruise benefits to their guests through their loyalty programs, Crown & Anchor Society, Captain’s Club, and Venetian Society, respectively, to encourage repeat business. These loyalty programs collectively have over 26 million enrolled members worldwide. Members are awarded points or credits in proportion to their number of cruise days and stateroom category. The loyalty programs provide tiers of membership benefits which entitle guests to upgraded experiences and recognition relative to the status achieved once guests have accumulated the number of cruise points or credits specified for each tier. In addition, the Crown & Anchor Society, Captain’s Club and Venetian Society members all benefit from our loyalty status match program, effective June 2024, where membership in one program qualifies for the equivalent tier in each of the sister brands. Examples of the benefits available under our loyalty programs include, but are not limited to, priority waitlist for shore excursions, complimentary laundry service, complimentary internet, digital discount vouchers, upgraded bathroom amenities, reserved seating in entertainment venues, ship tours and, in the case of our most loyal guests who have achieved the highest levels of cruise points or credits, complimentary cruises. We regularly work to enhance each of our loyalty programs by adding new features and amenities in order to reward our repeat guests.

Operations

Cruise Ships and Itineraries

As of December 31, 2024, our Global Brands and Partner Brands collectively operated 68 ships with a selection of worldwide itineraries that call on more than 1,000 destinations in over 120 countries.

The following table presents summary information concerning ships that we expect will be in our fleet in 2025 under our Global Brands and Partner Brands.


Ship	Year Ship Built	Year ship entered service / will enter service	Approximate Berths
Royal Caribbean
Star of the Seas	2025	2025	5,600
Utopia of the Seas	2024	2024	5,700
Icon of the Seas	2023	2024	5,600
Wonder of the Seas	2022	2022	5,700
Odyssey of the Seas	2021	2021	4,200
Spectrum of the Seas	2019	2019	4,150
Symphony of the Seas	2018	2018	5,500
Harmony of the Seas	2016	2016	5,500
Ovation of the Seas	2016	2016	4,150
Anthem of the Seas	2015	2015	4,150
Quantum of the Seas	2014	2014	4,150
Allure of the Seas	2010	2010	5,500
Oasis of the Seas	2009	2009	5,600
Independence of the Seas	2008	2008	3,850
Liberty of the Seas	2007	2007	3,800
Freedom of the Seas	2006	2006	3,950
Jewel of the Seas	2004	2004	2,200
Mariner of the Seas	2003	2003	3,350
Serenade of the Seas	2003	2003	2,150
Navigator of the Seas	2002	2002	3,400
Brilliance of the Seas	2002	2002	2,150


Ship	Year Ship Built	Year ship entered service / will enter service	Approximate Berths
Adventure of the Seas	2001	2001	3,350
Radiance of the Seas	2001	2001	2,150
Explorer of the Seas	2000	2000	3,300
Voyager of the Seas	1999	1999	3,450
Vision of the Seas	1998	1998	2,050
Enchantment of the Seas	1997	1997	2,300
Rhapsody of the Seas	1997	1997	2,050
Grandeur of the Seas	1996	1996	2,000
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Xcel	2025	2025	3,250
Celebrity Ascent	2023	2023	3,250
Celebrity Beyond	2022	2022	3,250
Celebrity Apex	2020	2020	2,900
Celebrity Flora	2019	2019	100
Celebrity Edge	2018	2018	2,900
Celebrity Reflection	2012	2012	3,050
Celebrity Silhouette	2011	2011	2,900
Celebrity Eclipse	2010	2010	2,850
Celebrity Equinox	2009	2009	2,850
Celebrity Solstice	2008	2008	2,850
Celebrity Constellation	2002	2002	2,200
Celebrity Summit	2001	2001	2,200
Celebrity Infinity	2001	2001	2,150
Celebrity Millennium	2000	2000	2,200
Silversea Cruises
Silver Ray	2024	2024	730
Silver Nova	2023	2023	730
Silver Endeavour	2021	2022	220
Silver Dawn	2021	2022	600
Silver Origin	2020	2020	100
Silver Moon	2020	2020	600
Silver Muse	2017	2017	600
Silver Spirit	2009	2009	600
Silver Whisper	2001	2001	400
Silver Shadow	2000	2000	400
Silver Wind	1995	1995	270
Silver Cloud	1994	1994	250
TUI Cruises
Mein Schiff Relax	2025	2025	4,100
Mein Schiff 7	2024	2024	2,900
Mein Schiff 2	2019	2019	2,900
Mein Schiff 1	2018	2018	2,900
Mein Schiff 6	2017	2017	2,500
Mein Schiff 5	2016	2016	2,500
Mein Schiff 4	2015	2015	2,500


Ship	Year Ship Built	Year ship entered service / will enter service	Approximate Berths
Mein Schiff 3	2014	2014	2,500
Hapag-Lloyd
Hanseatic Spirit	2021	2021	230
Hanseatic Inspiration	2019	2019	230
Hanseatic Nature	2019	2019	230
Europa 2	2013	2013	500
Europa	1999	1999	400

Total			179,790

As of December 31, 2024, our Global Brands and our Partner Brands have the following ships on order. The expected delivery dates for all of our ships on order are subject to change due to events such as shipyard construction delays or agreed upon scope changes which impact the delivery timelines. See Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors for further discussion on shipyard operations.


Ship	Shipyard	Expected Delivery	Approximate Berths
Royal Caribbean —
Oasis-class:
Unnamed	Chantiers de l’Atlantique	2nd Quarter 2028	5,700
Icon-class:
Star of the Seas	Meyer Turku Oy	3rd Quarter 2025	5,600
Unnamed	Meyer Turku Oy	2nd Quarter 2026	5,600
Celebrity Cruises —
Edge-class:
Celebrity Xcel	Chantiers de l’Atlantique	4th Quarter 2025	3,250



TUI Cruises (50% joint venture) —
Mein Schiff Relax	Fincantieri	1st Quarter 2025	4,100
Mein Schiff Flow	Fincantieri	2nd Quarter 2026	4,100
Total Berths			28,350

During the quarter ended December 31, 2024, we received commitments for the unsecured financing of the seventh Oasis-class ship for up to 80% of the ship’s contract price and our building contract with Chantiers de l’Atlantique became effective. Bpifrance Assurance Export, the official French export credit agency, has agreed to guarantee to the lenders 100% of the financing.

In addition, during 2024, we entered into an agreement with Meyer Turku Oy and Chantiers de l' Atlantique to build a fourth Icon-class ship for delivery in 2027 and a sixth Edge-class ship for delivery in 2028. The agreements are contingent upon completion of certain conditions precedent including financing.

In January 2025, we announced the launch of Celebrity River Cruises, a premium river cruise vacation. We entered into agreements for the commitment to an initial order of 10 ships with plans to sail in 2027.

Seasonality

Our revenues have historically been seasonal based on the demand for cruises. Demand is typically strongest for cruises during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months and holidays. In order to mitigate the impact of the winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere and to capitalize on the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere, our brands have

focused on deployment in the Caribbean, Asia and Australia during that period.

Passengers and Capacity

Selected statistical information is shown in the following table (see Financial Presentation - Description of Certain Line Items and Selected Operational and Financial Metrics under Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, for definitions). Passengers Carried, Passenger Cruise Days, Available Passenger Cruise Days and Occupancy reflect the impact of our suspension of operations during parts of 2020 and 2021 and the gradual resumption of full operations starting the second half of 2021 through the first half of 2022:


	Year Ended December 31,
	2024	2023	2022	2021 (1)(3)	2020 (2)
Passengers Carried	8,564,272	7,646,203	5,536,335	1,030,403	1,295,144
Passenger Cruise Days	54,844,780	49,549,127	35,051,935	5,802,582	8,697,893
Available Passenger Cruise Days (APCD)	50,552,731	46,916,259	41,197,650	11,767,441	8,539,903
Occupancy	108.5%	105.6%	85.1%	49.3%	101.9%

(1) Due to the elimination of the Silversea Cruises three-month reporting lag in October of 2021, we include Silversea Cruises' metrics from October 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021 and October 1 through December 31, 2021 in the year ended December 31, 2021. The year ended December 31, 2021 does not include July, August, and September 2021 statistics as Silversea Cruises' results of operations for those months are included within Other (expense) income in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2021.

(2) Due to the three-month reporting lag effective through September 30, 2021, we include Silversea Cruises' metrics from October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020 in the year ended December 31, 2020.

(3) For the year ended December, 31, 2021, we include Azamara Cruises' metrics through March 19, 2021, the effective sale date of the brand. For the year ended December 31, 2020, we include the full year of operations for Azamara Cruises.

Cruise Pricing

Our cruise ticket prices include accommodations and a wide variety of activities and amenities, including meals and entertainment. Prices vary depending on many factors including the destination, cruise length, stateroom category selected, the time of year the cruise takes place, and the amenities bundled into the price.

Although we grant credit terms in select markets mainly outside of the United States, our payment terms generally require an upfront deposit to confirm a reservation, with the balance due prior to sailing. Our cruises are generally available for sale at least one year in advance and often more than two years in advance of sailing. During the selling period of a cruise, we continually monitor and adjust our cruise ticket prices for available guest staterooms based on demand, with the objective of maximizing net yields.

As our business has grown globally, our sale arrangements with travel advisors may vary. For instance, although our direct business has historically grown at a rapid pace, sale arrangements through travel advisor charter and group sales are proportionately higher in the China market than in our other markets which are primarily through retail agency and direct sales. We have developed and implemented enhancements to our reservations system that provide us and our travel partners with additional capabilities, making it easier to do business with us.

Passenger ticket revenues accounted for approximately 70%, 69% and 66% of total revenues in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Onboard Activities and Other Revenues

Our cruise brands offer modern fleets with a wide array of onboard services, amenities and activities which vary by brand and ship. While many onboard activities are included in the base price of a cruise, we realize additional revenues from, among other things, gaming, the sale of alcoholic and other beverages, internet and other telecommunication services, gift shop items, shore excursions, photography, spa/salon and fitness services, art auctions, retail shops and a wide variety of specialty restaurants and dining options. Many of these services are available for pre-booking prior to embarkation. These onboard activities are offered either directly by us or by independent concessionaires from which we receive a percentage of their revenues. The all-inclusive pricing programs that we offer currently add some of these onboard activity and other services to the base price of the cruise.

In conjunction with our cruise vacations, we offer pre- and post-cruise hotel and tour packages to our Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises guests. We also offer cruise vacation protection coverage to guests in a number of markets, which provides guests with coverage for trip cancellation, medical protection and baggage protection. Onboard and other revenues accounted for approximately 30%, 31%, and 34% of total revenues in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively.

Segment Reporting

We believe our brands possess the versatility to enter multiple cruise market segments within the cruise vacation industry. Although each of our brands has its own marketing style as well as ships and crews of various sizes, the nature of the products sold and services delivered by our brands share a common base (i.e., the sale and provision of cruise vacations). Our brands also have similar itineraries as well as similar cost and revenue components. In addition, our Global Brands have historically sourced passengers from similar markets around the world and operated in similar economic environments with a significant degree of commercial overlap. As a result, our brands have been aggregated as a single reportable segment based on the similarity of their economic characteristics, types of consumers, regulatory environment, maintenance requirements, supporting systems and processes as well as products and services provided. Our President and Chief Executive Officer has been identified as the chief operating decision-maker ("CODM"), and is responsible for carrying out the functions of allocating resources and assessing performance. The CODM uses Operating Income (loss) to assess performance and allocate resources. This financial metric is used by the CODM to review operating trends, and to monitor budget-to-actual variances in order to make key operating decisions. **(**Refer to Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for financial information.)

Human Capital

Our human capital strategy focuses on attracting, developing and retaining the best talent in the industry. Some key elements of these strategies include: current and future talent needs assessments; a thriving culture that values the contribution of individual talents, skills and ideas; robust opportunities for employee growth and development; support for health and well-being; and an active listening strategy to make sure voices are heard and continuous improvement occurs. We review our human capital strategy with the Talent and Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors on a regular basis.

As of December 31, 2024, our three global cruise brands employed approximately 106,000 employees spanning across our shipboard fleet and shoreside locations. Our shoreside workforce, including private destinations, consisted of approximately 10,800 full time and 50 part-time employees. Our shipboard workforce consisted of approximately, 95,150 employees, and as of December 31, 2024, approximately 88% were covered by collective bargaining agreements.

The following table details the distribution of our workforce by employee type and region as of December 31, 2024:


Employee Type	U.S. Based Employees	International Employees
Shoreside Operations(1)	4,250	4,850
Shipboard Employees	—	95,150
Private Destinations (2)	—	1,750

(1) Includes full time and part-time employees.

(2) Private Destinations includes Coco Cay, Labadee and Galapagos based employees.

As a global operation, we take great pride in the broad diversity of our workforce and the value it brings to our company. Females represent 56% of our global shoreside workforce. Our shipboard workforce is comprised of employees from approximately 145 countries. The majority of our shipboard workforce comes from the Philippines (33%), Indonesia (17%) and India (15%). Our shoreside workforce is primarily based out of the U.S. (47%), Philippines (34%), Mexico (6%), and U.K. (4%).

The following table details the gender distribution of our workforce by employee location as of December 31, 2024:


Employee Location	Male	Female
Shoreside - U.S.	46%	54%
Shoreside - International	41%	59%
Shipboard	79%	21%

Our U.S. shoreside workforce is ethnically diverse as shown in the following table:


U.S. Shoreside Representation by Ethnicity			% of Total U.S. Shoreside Population
White			37%
Hispanic			44%
African American			8%
Asian			6%
Others(1)			5%

(1) No other individual category is greater than 1%.

We offer a variety of learning and development programs to our workforce, which includes a combination of instructor led (classroom and virtual) and web based (self-learning) courses. This includes additional tools to assist our employees with managing their career development within Royal Caribbean Group. In 2024, our workforce invested approximately 3.2 million hours in learning programs across a variety of areas ranging from Ethics, Compliance, Business Software and Tools, Finance/Accounting, Professional development, Project Management, Cyber Security, Leadership and Safety/Security among others. In total, our workforce completed approximately 4.1 million courses within our learning management systems.

We run our employee pulse surveys periodically to understand and positively impact our employees’ experience. In 2024, our shoreside employee engagement scores remained high and above most global industry benchmarks.

Trademarks

We own a number of registered trademarks related to the Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises cruise brands. The registered trademarks include the name “Royal Caribbean” and its crown and anchor logo, the name “Celebrity Cruises” and its “X” logo, the name “Silversea Cruises” and its logo, and the names of various cruise ships, ship venues, private destinations, and other marketing programs. We believe our largest brands' trademarks are widely recognized throughout the world and have considerable value. The duration of trademark registrations varies from country to country. However, trademarks are generally valid and may be renewed indefinitely as long as they are in use and/or their registrations are properly maintained.

Insurance

We maintain insurance on the hull and machinery of our ships, with insured values generally equal to the net book value of each ship. This coverage is maintained with reputable insurance underwriters from the British, Scandinavian, French, United States and other reputable international insurance markets.

We are members of four Protection and Indemnity ("P&I") clubs, which are part of a worldwide group of 12 P&I clubs, known as the International Group of P&I Clubs (the “IG”). Liabilities, costs and expenses for illness and injury to crew and guest, pollution and other third-party claims in connection with our cruise activities are covered by our P&I clubs, subject to the clubs’ rules and the limits of coverage determined by the IG. P&I coverage provided by the clubs is on a mutual basis and we are subject to additional premium calls in the event of a catastrophic loss incurred by any member of the 12 P&I clubs, whereby the reinsurance limits purchased by the IG are exhausted. We are also subject to additional premium calls based on investment and underwriting shortfalls experienced by our own individual insurers.

We maintain war risk insurance for legal liability to crew, guests and other third parties as well as for loss or damage to our vessels arising from acts of war, including invasion, insurrection, terrorism, rebellion, piracy and hijacking. Our primary war risk coverage is provided by a Norwegian war risk insurance association and our excess war risk insurance is provided by our four P&I clubs. Consistent with most marine war risk policies, our coverage is subject to cancellation in

the event of a change in risk. In the event of a war between major powers, our primary policies terminate after thirty days’ notice and our excess policies terminate immediately. Our excess policies are also subject to cancellation after a notice period of seven days in the event of other changes in risk. These notice periods allow for premiums to be renegotiated based on changes in risk.

Insurance coverage for other exposures, such as shoreside property and casualty, passenger off-vessel, directors and officers and network security and privacy, are maintained with various global insurance companies.

We do not carry business interruption insurance for our ships based on our evaluation of the risks involved and protective measures already in place, as compared to the cost of insurance.

All insurance coverage is subject to certain limitations, exclusions and deductible levels. In addition, in certain circumstances, we either self-insure or co-insure a portion of these risks. Premiums charged by insurance carriers, including carriers in the maritime insurance industry, increase or decrease from time to time and tend to be cyclical in nature. These cycles are impacted both by our own loss experience and by losses incurred in direct and reinsurance markets. We historically have been able to obtain insurance coverage in amounts and at premiums we have deemed to be commercially acceptable. No assurance can be given that affordable and secure insurance markets will be available to us in the future, particularly for war risk insurance. Refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors - “The potential unavailability of insurance coverage, an inability to obtain insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates or our failure to have coverage in sufficient amounts to cover our incurred losses may adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations” for a discussion of the risks associated with insurance coverage.

Regulation

Our ships are regulated by various international, national, state and local laws, regulations and treaties in force in the jurisdictions in which they operate. In addition, our ships are registered in the Bahamas, Cyprus, Malta or in the case of our ships operating in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Each ship is subject to regulations issued by its country of registry, including regulations issued pursuant to international treaties governing the safety of our ships, guests and crew as well as environmental protection. Each country of registry conducts periodic inspections to verify compliance with these regulations as discussed more fully below. Ships operating out of ports of call around the world are also subject to inspection by the maritime authorities of that country for compliance with international treaties and local regulations. Additionally, ships operating out of the United States ports are subject to inspection by the United States Coast Guard for compliance with international treaties and by the United States Public Health Service for sanitary and health conditions. Our ships are also subject to similar inspections pursuant to the laws and regulations of various other countries our ships visit.

We believe that we are in material compliance with all the regulations applicable to our ships and that we have all licenses necessary to conduct our business. Health, safety, security, environmental and financial responsibility issues are, and we believe will continue to be, an area of focus by the relevant government authorities in the United States and internationally. From time to time, various regulatory and legislative changes may be implemented that could impact our operations and subject us to increasing compliance costs in the future.

Safety and Security Regulations

Our ships are required to comply with international safety standards defined in the International Convention for Safety of Life at Sea (“SOLAS”), which, among other things, establish requirements for ship design, structural features, materials, construction, lifesaving equipment and safe management and operation of ships for guest and crew safety. The SOLAS standards are revised from time to time and incorporated in our ship design and operation, as applicable. The latest enhancements include the addition of the Polar Code which sets goal-based standards for ships operating in the polar region as well as damage stability requirements for new designs and operational measures for existing vessels. Compliance with these modified standards have not historically had a material effect on our operating costs. SOLAS incorporates the International Safety Management Code (“ISM Code”), which provides an international standard for the safe management and operation of ships and for pollution prevention. The ISM Code is mandatory for all vessels, including passenger vessel operators.

All of our operations and ships are regularly audited by various national authorities, and we are required to maintain the relevant certificates of compliance with the ISM Code.

Additionally, we are required to meet, and we fully comply with, the provisions outlined in the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). This convention sets the training and competency standards for all our crew who are responsible for operating the vessels or who have designated roles in ensuring the safety of our guests and crew during an emergency. Regulatory bodies routinely check that our crews’ training credentials are up-to-date and

assess competency by observing safety and emergency drills. As amendments are made to STCW, we ensure that our crew training is updated accordingly.

Our ships are subject to various security requirements, including the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (“ISPS Code”), which is part of SOLAS, and the U.S. Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (“MTSA”), which applies to ships that operate in U.S. ports. In order to satisfy these security requirements, we implement security measures, conduct vessel security assessments, and develop security plans. The security plans for all of our ships have been submitted to and approved by the Recognized Security Organization on behalf of the ships' flag state and are in compliance with the ISPS Code and the MTSA.

The Cruise Vessel Security and Safety Act of 2010, which applies to passenger vessels which embark or include port stops within the United States, requires the implementation of certain safety design features as well as the establishment of practices for the reporting of and dealing with allegations of crime. The cruise industry supported this legislation and we believe that our internal standards are generally as strict or stricter than the law requires.

Environmental Regulations

We are subject to various international, regional, and national laws and regulations relating to environmental protection governing air emissions, water and waste management among others. Under such laws and regulations, we are generally prohibited from discharging materials other than food waste and treated effluents into the waterways, while also reducing our emissions. We have made, and will continue to make, capital and other expenditures to comply with environmental laws and regulations. From time to time, environmental and other regulators consider more stringent regulations, which may affect our operations and increase our compliance costs. We believe that the impact of ships on the global environment will continue to be an area of focus by the relevant authorities throughout the world and, accordingly, may subject us to increasing compliance costs in the future, including the items described below.

Our ships are subject to the International Maritime Organization’s (‘‘IMO’’) regulations under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (the ‘‘MARPOL Regulations’’) and the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships Ballast Water and Sediments (Ballast Water Management Convention), in addition to other regional and national regulations such as EU Directives and the US Vessel General Permit, which includes requirements designed to minimize pollution by oil, sewage, garbage, air emissions and the transfer of non-native/non-indigenous species. We have obtained the relevant international compliance certificates relating to oil, sewage, air pollution prevention and ballast water for all of our ships.

International Regulations:

Sulfur Emissions

The MARPOL Regulations imposed reduced global limitations on the sulfur content of emissions emitted by ships operating worldwide to 0.5% as of January 1, 2020. The MARPOL Regulations also establish special Emission Control Areas ("ECAs") with additional stringent limitations on sulfur emissions in certain geographical areas. There are four established ECAs, one additional ECA being established beginning in May of 2025 and two more in March 2026 that restrict sulfur emissions: the Baltic Sea, the North Sea/English Channel, certain waters surrounding the North American coast, and the waters surrounding Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands (the "US Caribbean ECA"), the Mediterranean Sea ECA coming into force in May 2025 and the Norwegian Sea and Canadian Arctic ECA coming into force as early as March 2026. Ships operating in these sulfur ECAs are required to reduce their emissions sulfur content to 0.1%.

Compliance with the MARPOL sulfur regulations has not and is not expected to have a material impact to our results of operations, largely due to a number of mitigating steps we have taken over the last several years. This includes equipping all of our new ships delivered since 2014 with Advanced Emissions Purification ("AEP") systems covering all engines and actively developing and installing AEP systems on the majority of our remaining fleet; resulting in 72% of our fleet being equipped with AEP systems. In addition, the majority of our ships on order are being delivered with Liquified Natural Gas ("LNG") technology that meet all sulfur requirements without the need for an AEP system. These efforts will provide us with additional operational and deployment flexibility.

Nitrogen Oxides Emissions

The MARPOL Regulations also impose limitations on Nitrogen Oxides. All new ships operating within the North American and U.S. Caribbean Sea ECA that began construction on or after January 1, 2016 and ships operating in the North and Baltic Sea ECA constructed on or after January 1, 2021 are required to meet more stringent nitrogen oxide emission limits. In order to ensure deployment flexibility, all of our ships under construction are being built to comply with

these nitrogen oxide emission rules. Compliance with these MARPOL requirements has not had and is not expected to have, a material impact on our results of operations due to the mitigating steps described above.

Greenhouse Gas ("GHG") Emissions

In 2019, the IMO implemented regulations that require ships to monitor and report their carbon emissions called IMO's Data Collection System ("DCS"). The DCS contemplated the enactment of further obligations and restrictions focused on reducing carbon emissions from ships.

In January 2023, the IMO amendments to the MARPOL convention went into effect combining a technical and an operational measure (Energy Efficiency Existing Ship Index ("EEXI") and Carbon Intensity Indicator ("CII")). These regulations aim to reduce international shipping carbon intensity in line with the ambition of the initial IMO GHG Strategy of 40% by 2030, as compared to 2008. Compliance with the EEXI has not had a material impact on our operations. The impact of CII is still uncertain as the IMO is expected to review the CII framework in 2026, which could result in requirements that could lead to changes to our itinerary flexibility for some of our ships depending on the final operational measures needed to comply.

Furthermore, the IMO in 2023 revised its initial GHG Strategy to include check points in 2030 and 2040 to seek reductions in absolute GHG emissions from international shipping by at least 20% and 70%, respectively, compared to 2008. The revised IMO strategy also considers various other measures, obligations and restrictions to further reduce carbon emissions from ships. These include a possible fuel standard and a global market-based measure, such as a fuel levy or carbon taxes, with the intent to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While the exact impact is uncertain at this time as the proposals have yet to be finalized, the global nature of the CII regulation and various other potential measures within the IMO's revised strategy could have a material impact on our results of operations due to increased compliance costs.

Ballast Water

The IMO Ballast Water Management Convention, which came into effect in 2017, requires ships that carry and discharge ballast water to meet specific discharge standards by installing Ballast Water Treatment Systems. The convention also sets requirements for record keeping and maintaining an approved Ballast Water Management Plan. Compliance with this regulation has not had and is not expected to have a material effect on our results of operations,

European Union Regulations:

The European Union (EU) continues to propose and adopt environmental regulations aimed at improving or maintaining environmental standards in the union. One major focus of these regulations is around greenhouse gases. In 2018, the EU adopted the Monitoring, Reporting and Verification regulations which mandated the reporting of emissions data from all ships over 5,000 gross tons. In 2022, the EU proposed a series of carbon reforms under its Fit for 55 package designed to meet its 2030 emission goals of reducing its GHG emissions by 55% from 1990 levels. As part of this package, during 2023, the EU adopted and published the Emission Trading System (ETS) and the FuelEU Maritime regulation. The ETS program imposes requirements to purchase carbon emission allowances beginning in 2024 for 40% of our emissions within Europe, growing to 70% of emissions in 2025, and to 100% of emissions in 2026 and annually thereafter. The EU ETS regulation did not have a material impact on our 2024 results of operations. The impact of the regulation on future periods is uncertain as the costs of ETS allowances will depend on future markets and future deployments. Based on current deployment plans and current prices of ETS allowances, we do not expect the regulation to have a material impact on our 2025 and 2026 results of operations.

The FuelEU Maritime regulation will require ships to reduce GHG intensity in the fuels they consume by 2% as of 2025, and gradually reduce the intensity to 80% by 2050, compared to the 2020 average. All passenger ships will additionally be obligated to connect to shore power when at berth in a Trans-European Transport Network ("TEN-T") port by 2030 and all EU ports by 2035. When fully implemented, the FuelEU Maritime and the remaining Fit for 55 proposals could individually and collectively have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations due to increased costs associated with compliance and modified itineraries in the affected regions.

US. Federal and State Regulations:

The Clean Water Act (“CWA”) provides the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) with the authority to regulate incidental discharges from commercial vessels. Through the establishment of the Vessel General Permit ("VGP") in 2013, the EPA mandated standards for many of these discharges such as ballast water, bilge water, gray water, anti-fouling and more. The Vessel Incidental Discharge Act (VIDA), which will eventually replace the VGP, was signed into law in 2018 to help clarify and streamline discharge requirements for all states for the incidental discharges covered by the VGP and certain U.S. Coast Guard (“USCG”) regulations for ballast water. The VIDA requires the EPA to develop new

national standards of performance for incidental discharge and the USCG will then have two years to develop and implement enforcement regulations. On September 2024, the EPA finalized the national standards of performance for incidental discharges. The exact impacts of these standards on our vessels are uncertain as the USCG has yet to develop the corresponding implementing regulations to enforce compliance. However, the new standards could expand applicability of vessel discharges from 3 to 12 nautical miles which could have impacts on our environmental operations and increase reporting requirements. In the interim, we continue to be subject to the VGP’s requirements for discharges incidental to the normal operations of our vessels.

Refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors - "Factors associated with climate change, including an increasing global regulatory focus, could adversely affect our business", and "Labor, health and safety, financial responsibility, maritime and other regulations and measures could affect operations and increase operating costs" for further discussion of the risks associated with the regulations discussed above*.*

Consumer Financial Responsibility Regulations

We are required to obtain certificates from the United States Federal Maritime Commission relating to our ability to satisfy liability in cases of non-performance of obligations to guests, as well as casualty and personal injury. As a condition to obtaining the required certificates, we generally arrange through our insurers for the provision of surety for our ship-operating companies. The required amount of the surety bonds for non-performance of obligations to guests is currently $32 million per operator and is subject to additional consumer price index based adjustments.

We are also required by the United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Baltics to establish our financial responsibility for any liability resulting from the non-performance of our obligations to guests from these jurisdictions. In the United Kingdom we are currently required by the Association of British Travel Agents to provide performance bonds in varying amounts during the course of the year, up to £162 million during the peak season. Additionally, we are required by the Civil Aviation Authority to provide performance bonds totaling £25 million. We maintain with the Norwegian Travel Guarantee Fund performance bonds in varying amounts during the course of the year to cover our financial responsibility in Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Baltics.

Certain other jurisdictions also require that we establish financial responsibility to our guests resulting from the non-performance of our obligations; however, the related amounts do not have a material effect on our costs.

Taxation of the Company

The following is a summary of our principal taxes, exemptions and special regimes. In addition to or instead of income taxation, virtually all jurisdictions where our ships call impose some tax or fee, or both, based on guest headcount, tonnage or some other measure. We also collect and remit value added tax (VAT) or sales tax in many jurisdictions where we operate.

Our consolidated operations are primarily foreign corporations engaged in the owning and operating of passenger cruise ships in international transportation.

U.S. Income Taxation

The following is a discussion of the application of the U.S. federal and state income tax laws to us and is based on the current provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, Treasury Department regulations, administrative rulings, court decisions and the relevant state tax laws, regulations, rulings and court decisions of the states where we have business operations. All of the foregoing is subject to change, and any such change could affect the accuracy of this discussion.

Application of Section 883 of the Internal Revenue Code

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises, Inc. and Silversea Cruises Ltd. are engaged in a trade or business in the United States, and many of our ship-owning subsidiaries, depending upon the itineraries of their ships, generate income from sources within the United States. Certain of our subsidiaries, including our United Kingdom tonnage tax company are classified as disregarded entities, or divisions for U.S. federal income tax purposes that may earn U.S. source income. Under Section 883 of the Internal Revenue Code, certain foreign corporations may exclude from gross income (and effectively from branch profits tax as such earnings do not give rise to effectively connected earnings and profits) U.S. source income derived from or incidental to the international operation of a ship or ships, including income from the leasing of such ships.

A foreign corporation will qualify for the benefits of Section 883 if, in relevant part: (1) the foreign country in which the foreign corporation is organized grants an equivalent exemption to corporations organized in the United States; and (2) the stock of the corporation (or the direct or indirect corporate parent thereof) is “primarily and regularly traded on an

established securities market” in the United States. In the opinion of our U.S. tax counsel, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP, based upon and subject to the representations, assumptions, legal authorities and limitations set forth in that opinion, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., Silversea Cruises Ltd., and relevant ship-owning subsidiaries with U.S. source shipping income qualify for the benefits of Section 883 because Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and each of those subsidiaries are incorporated in Liberia, which is a qualifying country, and our common stock is primarily and regularly traded on an established securities market in the United States (i.e., we are a “publicly traded” corporation). If, in the future, (1) Liberia no longer qualifies as an equivalent exemption jurisdiction, and we do not reincorporate in a jurisdiction that does qualify for the exemption, or (2) we fail to qualify as a publicly traded corporation, we and all of our ship-owning or operating subsidiaries that rely on Section 883 to exclude qualifying income from gross income would be subject to U.S. federal income tax on their U.S. source shipping income and income from activities incidental thereto.

We believe that most of our income and the income of our ship-owning subsidiaries, is derived from or incidental to the international operation of a ship or ships and, therefore, is exempt from taxation under Section 883.

Regulations under Section 883 list activities that are not considered by the Internal Revenue Service to be incidental to the international operation of ships including the sale of air and land transportation, shore excursions and pre- and post-cruise tours. Our income from these activities that is earned from sources within the United States will be subject to U.S. taxation.

Taxation in the Absence of an Exemption Under Section 883

If Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the operator of our vessels, Celebrity Cruises Inc., Silversea Cruises Ltd., or our ship-owning subsidiaries were to fail to meet the requirements of Section 883 of the Internal Revenue Code, or if the provision was repealed, then, as explained below, such companies would be subject to U.S. income taxation on a portion of their income derived from or incidental to the international operation of our ships.

Because Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Celebrity Cruises Inc., and Silversea Cruises Ltd., conduct a trade or business in the United States, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., and Silversea Cruises Ltd., would be taxable at regular corporate rates on our separate company taxable income (i.e., without regard to the income of our ship-owning subsidiaries) on income which is effectively connected with our U.S. trade or business (generally only income from U.S. sources). In addition, if any of our earnings and profits effectively connected with our U.S. trade or business were withdrawn, or were deemed to have been withdrawn, from our U.S. trade or business, those withdrawn amounts would be subject to a “branch profits” tax at the rate of 30%. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., and Silversea Cruises Ltd., would also be potentially subject to tax on portions of certain interest paid by us at rates of up to 30%.

If Section 883 were not available to our ship-owning subsidiaries, each such subsidiary would be subject to a special 4% tax on its U.S. source gross transportation income, if any, each year because it does not have a fixed place of business in the United States and its income is derived from the leasing of a ship.

Other United States Taxation

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., and Silversea Cruises Ltd., earn U.S. source income from activities not considered incidental to international shipping. The tax on such income is not material to our results of operation for all years presented.

State Taxation

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Celebrity Cruises Inc., Silversea Cruises Ltd., and certain of our subsidiaries are subject to various U.S. state income taxes which are generally imposed on each state’s portion of the U.S. source income subject to federal income taxes. Additionally, the state of Alaska subjects an allocated portion of the total income of companies doing business in Alaska and certain other affiliated companies to Alaska corporate state income taxes and also imposes a 33% tax on adjusted gross income from onboard gambling activities conducted in Alaska waters. This did not have a material impact to our results of operations for all years presented.

United Kingdom Income Taxation

During the year ended December 31, 2024, we operated 16 ships under the United Kingdom tonnage tax regime (“U.K. tonnage tax”).

Companies subject to U.K. tonnage tax pay a corporate tax on a notional profit determined with reference to the net tonnage of qualifying vessels. The requirements for a company to qualify for the U.K. tonnage tax regime include being subject to U.K. corporate income tax, operating qualifying ships, which are strategically and commercially managed in the United Kingdom, and fulfilling a seafarer training requirement.

Relevant shipping profits include income from the operation of qualifying ships and from shipping related activities. Our U.K. income from non-shipping activities which do not qualify under the U.K. tonnage tax regime and which are not considered significant, remain subject to regular U.K. corporate income tax.

Global Minimum Tax

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) issued Pillar Two model rules ("Global Minimum Tax") introducing a new global minimum tax of 15% with certain aspects of Pillar Two effective January 1, 2024 and other aspects effective January 1, 2025. The UK and EU member countries have agreed to adopt these provisions and many countries implemented these rules for 2024. Our parent company is incorporated in Liberia. Liberia has not announced plans to revise its local corporate income tax laws as part of the Pillar Two proposal. The OECD model rules provide an exclusion for “International Shipping Income,” and certain ancillary income, for which certain of our earnings may be eligible.

The Pillar Two rules became effective for a portion of our earnings in 2024 and will also be effective for a portion of our earnings in 2025. These changes did not have a material impact on our 2024 results of operations, and we believe the impact for 2025 will be immaterial. These rules will apply to a majority of our earnings starting in 2026. We have developed mitigation strategies that we believe we can execute to minimize the impact of these provisions to an immaterial amount. However, we continue to evaluate our mitigation options given the evolving nature of the proposed and enacted legislative changes Refer to Item 1A. Risk Factors - "A change in our tax status under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, or other jurisdictions, may have adverse effects on our results of operations."

Other

We and certain of our subsidiaries are subject to value-added and other indirect taxes most of which are reclaimable, zero-rated or exempt.

Website Access to Reports

We make available, free of charge, access to our Annual Reports, all quarterly and current reports and all amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission and through our website at www.rclinvestor.com. The information contained on our website is not a part of any of these reports and is not incorporated by reference herein.

Information About our Executive Officers

As of February 14, 2025, our executive officers are:


Name	Age	Position
Jason T. Liberty	49	President and Chief Executive Officer
Naftali Holtz	47	Chief Financial Officer
Michael W. Bayley	66	President and Chief Executive Officer, Royal Caribbean
Laura Hodges Bethge	49	President, Celebrity Cruises
Harri U. Kulovaara	72	Executive Vice President, Maritime
R. Alexander Lake	53	Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

Jason T. Liberty has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since January 2022. Mr. Liberty has held several roles since joining the Company in 2005. Most recently, Mr. Liberty served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2017 and, prior to that, as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer since 2013. Before his role as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Liberty served as Senior Vice President, Strategy and Finance from 2012 through 2013; as Vice President of Corporate and Revenue Planning from 2010 through 2012; and as Vice President of Corporate and Strategic Planning from 2008 to 2010. Before joining Royal Caribbean, Mr. Liberty was a Senior Manager at the international public accounting firm of KPMG LLP. Mr. Liberty currently serves on the Board of Directors of WNS Holdings.

Naftali Holtz has served as Chief Financial Officer since January 2022. In his role as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Holtz is responsible for overseeing the Company’s financial planning and analysis, supply chain, risk management,

corporate strategy and development, treasury, corporate tax matters, investor relations, investments, internal audit, accounting and financial reporting. Prior to his role as Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Holtz served as Senior Vice President of Finance, responsible for financial planning and analysis, risk management and treasury. Mr. Holtz worked for Goldman Sachs as a Managing Director and Head of Lodging and Leisure Investment Banking before joining the Company in 2019. Mr. Holtz is also a veteran of the Israeli Air Force.

Michael W. Bayley has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Caribbean since December 2014. Prior to this, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Celebrity Cruises since August 2012. Mr. Bayley has been employed by Royal Caribbean for over 40 years, having started as an Assistant Purser onboard one of the Company’s ships. He has served in a number of roles including as Executive Vice President, Operations from February 2012 until August 2012. Other positions Mr. Bayley has held include Executive Vice President, International from May 2010 until February 2012; Senior Vice President, International from December 2007 to May 2010; Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations for Royal Caribbean; and Chairman and Managing Director of Island Cruises.

Laura Hodges Bethge has served as President of Celebrity Cruises since May 2023. Ms. Hodges Bethge’s joined the Company in 2000 and she has since held several leadership roles within various areas of the business, including hotel and marine operations, sales, marketing, product innovation and investor relations. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President of Shared Services Operations since February 2022, responsible for Royal Caribbean Group’s safety, security and environment, risk management and crew movement teams. Prior to that role, she served as Senior Vice President of Shared Services Operations from December 2020 to February 2022; Senior Vice President of Product Development for Royal Caribbean from February 2020 to December 2020; and Vice President of Customer Experience from April 2017 to February 2020.

Harri U. Kulovaara has served as Executive Vice President, Maritime since January 2005. Mr. Kulovaara is responsible for fleet design and newbuild operations. Mr. Kulovaara also chairs our Maritime Safety Advisory Board. Mr. Kulovaara has been employed with Royal Caribbean since 1995 in a variety of positions, including Senior Vice President, Marine Operations, and Senior Vice President, Quality Assurance. Mr. Kulovaara is a naval architect and engineer.

R. Alexander Lake has served as Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of the Company since June 2021, in which role he has global responsibility for the Company's legal and compliance functions. Mr. Lake joined the Company from World Fuel Services Corporation, a global energy services company, where he spent over 17 years leading the legal, regulatory and compliance areas, serving most recently as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary from 2017 to 2021. Prior to World Fuel Services, Mr. Lake practiced as a corporate lawyer in leading law firms in New York and Miami.

Previous: Cover and table of contents · Next: Item 1A. Risk Factors