Revenue and Expense Recognition

9 Months Ended

Aug. 31, 2023

Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]

Revenue and Expense Recognition

Revenue and Expense Recognition

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 nine months ended August 31, fees, taxes, and charges included in commissions, transportation and other costs were $211 million and $555 million in 2023 and $141 million and $305 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.

Customer Deposits

Our payment terms generally require an initial deposit to confirm a reservation, with the balance due prior to the voyage. Cash received from guests in advance of the cruise is recorded in customer deposits and in other long-term liabilities on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. These amounts include refundable deposits. In certain situations, we have provided flexibility to guests by allowing guests to rebook at a future date, receive future cruise credits (“FCCs”) or elect to receive refunds in cash. We have at times issued enhanced FCCs. Enhanced FCCs provide the guest with an additional credit value above the original cash deposit received, and the enhanced value is recognized as a discount applied to the future cruise in the period used. We record a liability for unexpired FCCs to the extent we have received and not refunded cash from guests for cancelled bookings. We had total customer deposits of $6.3 billion as of August 31, 2023 and $5.1 billion as of November 30, 2022, which includes approximately $160 million of unredeemed FCCs as of August 31, 2023, of which approximately $114 million are refundable. Given the lack of comparable historical experience of FCC redemptions, we are unable to estimate the amount of FCCs that will be used in future periods or that may be refunded. Refunds payable to guests who have elected cash refunds are recorded in accounts payable. During the nine months ended August 31, 2023 and 2022, we recognized revenues of $3.9 billion and $1.7 billion related to our customer deposits as of November 30, 2022 and 2021. Our customer deposits balance changes due to the seasonal nature of cash collections, the recognition of revenue, refunds of customer deposits and foreign currency changes.

Trade and Other Receivables

Although we generally require full payment from our customers prior to or concurrently with their cruise, we grant credit terms to a relatively small portion of our revenue source. We have receivables from credit card merchants and travel agents for cruise ticket purchases and onboard revenue. These receivables are included within trade and other receivables, net and are less allowances for expected credit losses. We have agreements with a number of credit card processors that transact customer deposits related to our cruise vacations. Certain of these agreements allow the credit card processors to request, under certain circumstances, that we provide a reserve fund in cash. These reserve funds are included in other assets.

Contract Costs

We recognize incremental travel agent commissions and credit and debit card fees incurred as a result of obtaining the ticket contract as assets when paid prior to the start of a voyage. We record these amounts within prepaid expenses and other and subsequently recognize these amounts as commissions, transportation and other at the time of revenue recognition or at the time of voyage cancellation. We had incremental costs of obtaining contracts with customers recognized as assets of $272 million as of August 31, 2023 and $218 million as of November 30, 2022.