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Carnival Corporation (CCL) slid 10.3% in early action, while Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) was down 6.4%, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) fell more than 10% as its earnings report and soft guidance also played in.

In the airline sector, the biggest decliners were Frontier Group (ULCC) -9.2%, United Airlines (UAL) -7.2%, American Airlines (AAL) -6.7%, LATAM Airlines (LTM) -5.4%, and Delta Air Lines (DAL) -4.7%. Jefferies said jet fuel prices were a bigger concern with investors across the group than cancellations of flights to the Middle East.

In the hotel sector, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) -5.5%, Hyatt Hotels (H) -5.1%, Wyndham Hotels (WH) -4.1%, and Hilton Worldwide (HLT) -4.1% were all notably lower. Analysts pointed to concerns over Middle East bookings for the next few months, even if the conflict resolves quickly.

Six Flags (FUN) was down 4.6%, with its Saudi Arabia theme park at risk of near-term traffic disruption.

“The tail risk of a sustained conflict is higher than in 2024 or 2025, though we don’t see this war escalating to a point where it drastically changes the U.S. outlook,” highlighted Barclays analyst Ajay Rajadhyaksha on the latest developments.

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Bookings and pricing are both higher than a year ago for the early part of Wave Season. Last week, Royal Caribbean (RCL) characterized Wave Season as off to a “great” or “fantastic” start, citing the highest seven booking weeks in its history during Cyber sales and early Wave, and indicating that roughly two‑thirds of 2026 capacity is already sold at record rates.

Of note, Wave Season is the cruise industry’s main annual booking period, typically running from early January through the end of March each year. During the period, cruise lines and travel agencies typically push their most aggressive promotions and sales, using the cold‑weather months and new‑year planning cycle to drive demand for sailings later in the year and even into following years.

Looking ahead, investors are showing increasing confidence that the cruise line industry can sustain higher pricing while also filling ships further in advance. At the same time, recent management commentary about a sizable 2026 newbuild pipeline and geographic expansion, such as in Latin America, reinforces that a multi‑year growth story may be in play.

Shares of Carnival (CCL) were up 4.4% in afternoon trading, while Viking Holdings (VIK) was up 4.2% and Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL) rallied 3.9%. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) led the cruise line pack, with a 7.4% pop.

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The stock had gained about 1.66% between January 21 and January 28, slightly over the 1.49% rise of the S&P 500 during the same period.

The move followed a rebound after the shares snapped a six-session losing streak earlier in January, during which the stock had fallen more than 11%. Since then, Carnival has posted a string of modest daily gains, as cruise stocks broadly benefited from renewed optimism around travel demand and pricing visibility, alongside gains in peer names and renewed interest in liquid consumer-facing stocks.

This was helped by broader strength across the cruise sector, as optimism around bookings, pricing, and revenue visibility supported sentiment. The rally followed strong gains in peer cruise stocks during the session, helping lift Carnival alongside the broader travel and leisure group.

According to Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating system,CCL is rated Buy, with a score of 4.42 out of 5, with grades of A in profitability, B in momentum, and B+ in revisions, offset by C in growth and C+ in valuation.

Seeking Alpha analysts are positive on the stock.

Turning to the Wall Street, 20 of 29 analysts rate Carnival at Buy or higher, while nine recommend Hold.

An analyst said Carnival’s investment case has shifted “from demand recovery to pricing power,” citing strong net yield growth and high occupancy, and added that unifying its dual-listed structure is a “visible catalyst” that could improve liquidity, index inclusion, and drive a valuation re-rating.

The shares have gained 1.28% over the past month and are up 0.46% year-to-date.

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“WAVE is off to a great start,” said Royal Caribbean CEO Jason Liberty, referring to industry-wide promotions that run from January to March, adding that he expects “another strong year of financial performance with both revenue and earnings growing double digits, expecting to reach our Perfecta goals by 2027.”

To drive the company’s Perfecta Program—a three-year financial initiative to achieve an EPS CAGR of 20% and high-teen ROIC—Royal Caribbean (RCL) has made investments in vacation experiences, new ships, the expansion of its Celebrity river cruises, and five new destinations in 2028.

These efforts, coupled with the strong financial performance in the fourth quarter, led the company to set ambitious goals for 2026, including adjusted earnings in a range of $17.70 to $18.10 per share, translating to a CAGR of 23% and above the consensus estimate of $17.66 per share.

The company also anticipates double-digit revenue growth in 2026, driven by 6.7% higher capacity and yield growth of 2.1% to 4.1%, which includes 30 basis points of headwind from itinerary modifications in China.

For the first quarter, the company anticipates a profit of $3.18 to $3.28 per share versus estimates of $2.91 per share.

For the reported quarter, the cruise operator earned an adjusted profit of $2.80 per share, up 72% from a year ago and in-line with expectations. Adjusted EBITDA increased 34% to $1.48B, driving the adjusted EBITDA margin up 560 basis points to 34.8%.

Total revenue for the final quarter of the year rose 13.3% to $4.26B, slightly below Wall Street’s lofty expectations.

Shares are currently trading nearly 7% higher.

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Carnival Corp (CCL) shares snapped six straight sessions of losses on Wednesday, as the stock was 0.8% higher at $28.25.

The prominent cruise company lost over 11% in the preceding six sessions. Most travel-related stocks were pinned down as heightened tensions between the EU and U.S. over Greenland fuel a risk-off trade and serve as a reminder of how quickly geopolitical tensions can erode risk appetite for travel-exposed names.

In the year 2025, the stock gained 22%, compared to the 16.7% rise in the broader S&P 500 Index (SP500).

Looking at Seeking Alpha’s Quant Rating, CCL has a Buy rating with a score of 4.3 out of 5. The company received A in the prospect of profitability, while it received C in the growth factor.

Seeking Alpha analysts are also positive and see the stock as a Buy.

Turning to the Wall Street, 20 analysts have given the stock a Buy or above rating. Nine gave the stock hold recommendation, while none gave Sell or lower rating to CCL.

“CCL’s strong net yield growth, high occupancy, and exclusive destinations like Celebration Key underpin robust forward pricing and margin expansion,” pointed out a recent Seeking Alpha analysis.

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The move lower within the cruise sector was amplified by a pair of price target reductions for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) and Royal Caribbean (RCL) given the risk of increased promotional activity during “Wave Season.”

“Our work points to a step-up in promotional intensity January-to-date, with Wave Season-related promotions beginning & ending at varying lengths for brands and at varying promotional rates/depth creating a more competitive landscape among brands to capture demand from consumers who may be ‘holding off’ to wait for the best deals,” Matthew Boss of J.P. Morgan said in a note to clients reflecting a -30% price target adjustment for Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCLH) to $28.

At the same time, Stifel’s Steven Wieczynski is “somewhat nervous” heading into Royal Caribbean’s (RCL) 2026 guidance scheduled for next week. While the analyst isn’t worried about RCL’s business or that demand is fading, rather that investor expectations for how RCL will initially guide for 2026 is “aggressive/backwards.”

“It wouldn’t surprise us if RCL’s initial guidance underwhelms and the shares experience a near-term correction,” Wieczynski says, lowering his price target by 5% to $380.

Consequently, the backdrop continues to weigh on the cruise sector, deepening a multi-day sell-off.

Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCLH), Royal Caribbean (RCL) and Carnival Corp (CCL) are all down for six consecutive days, while Viking Holdings (VIK) is in the red for a fifth straight day.

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“2025 was a truly phenomenal year. We set new records across our business and achieved investment grade leverage metrics. These milestones reflect the collective strength of our cruise line portfolio and confidence in our long-term future,” said Carnival Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein.

Led by strong close-in demand and cost management, Carnival (CCL) earned an adjusted profit of $0.34 per share, more than double from a year earlier and 9 cents above expectations. Adjusted EBITDA set a record high of $1.5B with adjusted EBITDA margins up nearly 300 basis points year-over-year.

Revenue also set records for the quarter, climbing 6.6% to $6.3B, but $40M short of Wall Street’s expectations. However, the combination of record revenue with cost management drove the company’s gross margin yield up 16% from the same quarter last year.

Adjusted cruise costs per available lower berth day (ALBD) excluding fuel increased less than 1% and 2.7 points better than the previous quarter, while fuel consumption declined 5.6%.

Looking ahead to FY26, the company has already achieved its highest booked occupancy at roughly two-thirds booked at higher prices in both North America and Europe, and achieved record booking volumes for 2027 sailings, as well.

Net yields are expected to be up ~2.5% in FY26, and up ~3.0% after adjusting for the company’s new loyalty program and the impact of the close-in redeployment of FQ1 voyages from the Arabian Gulf.

Adjusted cruise costs per ALBD are expected to be up 3.25% excluding fuel (in constant currency).

For the fiscal first quarter, Carnival (CCL) expects net yields to be up 1.6%, and adjusted cruise costs excluding fuel to be up 5.9%.

After struggling for direction in the wake of FQ4 results, shares of Carnival Corp (CCL) are back in the green with a gain of more than 3% and giving a boost to rivals Royal Caribbean (RCL), Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH), and Viking Holdings (VIK).

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