Carnival Corporation has already booked about half of its cruise offering for 2027. The company said that both load factors and prices have reached record levels. The financial results were published on September 29, 2026.
For travelers, this means that popular dates and itineraries, including summer European cruises, may have fewer stateroom options as the season approaches.
As demand continues to grow well ahead of our intentionally measured capacity growth, we have an opportunity to keep managing the booking curve for price.
Deposits and bookings for 2028
Carnival’s customer deposits in the third quarter reached approximately $7.6 billion. This is about $500 million more than the prior record of $7.1 billion, set a year earlier. At the same time, fleet capacity over the next 12 months, according to the company, will grow at nearly unchanged rates.
Demand picked up in June 2026 and accelerated in July and August. The company also noted that bookings for 2028 started with higher-than-last-year load factors and prices. The booking lead time horizon is now the longest for this time of year.
Which destinations have increased demand?
Steady demand persists in various markets, including summer itineraries across Europe. Carnival links some 2027 bookings to guests who postponed trips in 2026.
The spring slowdown in booking pace also affected the first quarter of 2027, but over the past three months, demand for this period has significantly recovered. More than half of guests’ onboard spending is now booked in advance, in particular thanks to bundled offers.
On 2 October 2026, Carnival also disclosed details of its investment in five major dockyard refurbishments.
