Carnival Corporation (CCL) Messes Up, Again: Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL), Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd (NCLH)

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Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) somehow seems to be at the root of any cruising horror story these days. However, travelers aren’t taking the time to discriminate between cruise lines. Bookings fell for all cruise lines after the fatal Concordia disaster. If ships are getting grounded, or rendered powerless at sea, potential passengers will swear off cruises altogether.

Carnival has a public relations nightmare to tackle, but Royal Caribbean and NCL will also have to resort to more aggressive promotions to fill their berths. What’s bad for Carnival here is bad for the industry.

Steiner Leisure Limited (NASDAQ:STNR) may also take a hit. The operator of the floating spas on 156 ships — including Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL)’s maligned vessels — relies on pampering passengers. Fewer occupied cabins or berths filled with deal-seeking customers that won’t splurge on spa treatments won’t help business.

Carnival’s image will be rightfully skewered after these mishaps, but the financial implications will be even deeper.

The article Carnival Messes Up, Again originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Rick Munarriz.

Longtime Fool contributor Rick Munarriz owns shares of Steiner Leisure Limited. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.

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