General (Policies)

6 Months Ended

May 31, 2023

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

The Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss), the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss), the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and the Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for the three and six months ended May 31, 2023 and 2022, and the Consolidated Balance Sheet at May 31, 2023 are unaudited and, in the opinion of our management, contain all adjustments, consisting of only normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair statement. Our interim consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes included in the Carnival Corporation & plc 2022 joint Annual Report on Form 10-K (“Form 10-K”) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on January 27, 2023. Our operations are seasonal and results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results for the entire year.

Use of Estimates and Risks and Uncertainty

Use of Estimates and Risks and Uncertainty

The preparation of our interim consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts

reported and disclosed. The full extent to which the effects of the pandemic, inflation, higher fuel prices, higher interest rates and fluctuations in foreign currency rates will directly or indirectly impact our business, operations, results of operations and financial condition, including our valuation of goodwill and trademarks, impairment of ships and collectability of trade and notes receivables, will depend on future developments that are uncertain. We have made reasonable estimates and judgments of such items within our financial statements and there may be changes to those estimates in future periods.

Accounting Pronouncements

Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued guidance, Reference Rate Reform: Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting, which provides temporary optional expedients and exceptions to accounting guidance on contract modifications and hedge accounting to ease entities’ financial reporting burdens as the market transitions from the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) and other interbank offered rates to alternative reference rates. In December 2022, the FASB deferred the date through which this guidance can be applied from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2024. We adopted this new guidance during 2022 and applied it prospectively to contract modifications related to a change in reference rate. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. We expect that all of our outstanding debt and derivative instruments referenced to U.S. dollar LIBOR will be transitioned to Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) by June 30, 2023.

The FASB issued guidance, Debt - Debt with Conversion and Other Options and Derivative and Hedging - Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity, which simplifies the accounting for convertible instruments. This guidance eliminates certain models that require separate accounting for embedded conversion features, in certain cases. Additionally, among other changes, the guidance eliminates certain of the conditions for equity classification for contracts in an entity’s own equity. The guidance also requires entities to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments in the diluted earnings per share calculation and include the effect of share settlement for instruments that may be settled in cash or shares, except for certain liability-classified share-based payment awards. On December 1, 2022, we adopted this guidance using the modified retrospective approach to recognize our convertible notes as single unit liability instruments, as they do not qualify as derivatives under ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and were not issued at a substantial premium. Accordingly, upon adoption we recorded a $239 million increase to debt, primarily as a result of the reversal of the remaining non-cash convertible debt discount, as well as a reduction of $229 million to additional paid in capital. The cumulative effect of the adoption of this guidance resulted in a $10 million decrease to retained earnings.

In September 2022, the FASB issued guidance, Liabilities-Supplier Finance Programs - Disclosure of Supplier Finance Program Obligations. This guidance requires that a buyer in a supplier finance program disclose sufficient information about the program to allow a user of financial statements to understand the program’s nature, activity during the period, changes from period to period, and potential magnitude. This guidance is expected to improve financial reporting by requiring new disclosures about the programs, thereby allowing financial statement users to better consider the effect of the programs on an entity’s working capital, liquidity, and cash flows. This guidance is required to be adopted by us in the first quarter of 2024, except for the amendment on roll forward information which is required to be adopted by us for the financial year commencing on December 1, 2024. We are currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance on the disclosures to our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue from Contract with Customer

Guest cruise deposits and advance onboard purchases are initially included in customer deposits when received. Customer deposits are subsequently recognized as cruise revenues, together with revenues from onboard and other activities, and all associated direct costs and expenses of a voyage are recognized as cruise costs and expenses, upon completion of voyages with durations of ten nights or less and on a pro rata basis for voyages in excess of ten nights. The impact of recognizing these shorter duration cruise revenues and costs and expenses on a completed voyage basis versus on a pro rata basis is not material. Certain of our product offerings are bundled and we allocate the value of the bundled services and goods between passenger ticket revenues and onboard and other revenues based upon the estimated standalone selling prices of those goods and services. Guest cancellation fees, when applicable, are recognized in passenger ticket revenues at the time of cancellation.

Our sales to guests of air and other transportation to and from airports near the home ports of our ships are included in passenger ticket revenues, and the related costs of purchasing these services are included in transportation costs. The proceeds that we collect from the sales of third-party shore excursions are included in onboard and other revenues and the related costs are included in onboard and other costs. The amounts collected on behalf of our onboard concessionaires, net of the amounts remitted to them, are included in onboard and other revenues as concession revenues. All of these amounts are recognized on a completed voyage or pro rata basis as discussed above.

Passenger ticket revenues include fees, taxes and charges collected by us from our guests. The fees, taxes and charges that vary with guest head counts and are directly imposed on a revenue-producing arrangement are expensed in commissions, transportation and other costs when the corresponding revenues are recognized. For the three and six months ended May 31, fees, taxes, and charges included in commissions, transportation and other costs were $173 million and $344 million in 2023 and $96 million and $164 million in 2022. The remaining portion of fees, taxes and charges are expensed in other operating expenses when the corresponding revenues are recognized. Revenues and expenses from our hotel and transportation operations, which are included in our Tour and Other segment, are recognized at the time the services are performed.