The Wall Street Journal-20080131-Earnings Digest Brief -- Travel- Royal Caribbean Cruises Lt-

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Earnings Digest Brief -- Travel: Royal Caribbean Cruises Lt.

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Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. reported a 52% jump in fourth-quarter profit, driven by stronger last-minute bookings. The Miami-based cruise operator, whose brands also include Celebrity, Pullmantur and Azamara, said passenger-ticket sales increased 28% to $1.07 billion, and onboard and other revenue gained 32% to $424.3 million. Net yields, or revenue per available passenger cruise days, rose 3.2% excluding Pullmantur, which the company acquired in late 2006. The company had expected about a 2% increase. Including Pullmantur, net yields climbed 11%. Fuel costs based on available passenger cruise days rose 19%. "It is very gratifying to see such a strong performance, especially in light of the broader consumer and economic environment," said Chief Executive Richard D. Fain. In November, Royal Caribbean said it would implement a fuel charge of $5 a day for each guest, effective on sailings starting Friday, to deal with the higher fuel prices. The cruise operator's move followed a similar move by larger rival Carnival Corp.