Carnival Mardi Gras cruise ship departs from Port Canaveral (Paul Hennessy/Getty Images)

Carnival shares glide higher as the cruise giant orders $2 billion worth of new ships

The world’s largest cruise operator is beefing up its fleet as it rides a wave of record bookings.

4/8/25 12:46PM

Carnival shares jumped as much as 7% in Tuesday’s market rally, snapping a recent losing streak as travel stocks bounce back from consumer spending jitters.

The bounce comes a day after Carnival announced a $2 billion order for two new ships for its German brand AIDA Cruises — the most popular cruise line in that country. The new midsize vessels, built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, are set for delivery in 2030 and 2032. Carnival is sailing with its largest fleet ever of 29 ships and plans to introduce five more by 2028.

The big ship buy comes just weeks after Carnival sailed past Q1 estimates with record profits, but issued a softer full-year outlook, sending shares lower. Still, the cruise operator is expanding its fleet as it scores record bookings, fueled by a mix of first-time guests, brand switchers, and loyal customers willing to pay premium prices.

Rival cruise lines Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line also jumped during the travel sector rally.

Hyunsoo Rim

appy birthday

4/1/26

Apple is turning 50 today and it doesn’t look a thing like its younger self

From Macs to iPods, iPhones, and now services, here’s how Apple’s business has looked every 10 years.

The entrance of Allbirds seen from Hayes St. in San Francisco, Calif.

Allbirds, the once buzzy multibillion-dollar sneaker startup, is selling up for $39 million

That’s less than 1% of its peak market cap about four years ago.

Tom Jones3/31/26

Max Knoblauch3/30/26

JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.