Cruise Stocks Surge 30 Trillion Won in Just One Day, Fully Booked

Royal Caribbean Group (NYSE: RCL) shares surged more than 18% on the New York Stock Exchange on the 29th, closing at $346.03. The rally added roughly $21.5 billion in market value in a single day—about KRW 30 trillion—lifting the company’s total market capitalization to approximately $94.3 billion (mid-KRW 120 trillion). The spike in investor enthusiasm reflected the release of strong Q4 2025 results, an upward revision to the 2026 profit outlook and record-breaking booking trends.

In Q4 2025, Royal Caribbean reported adjusted EPS of $2.80 and revenue of $4.26 billion, broadly in line with analysts’ expectations. It guided 2026 adjusted EPS to a range of $17.70–$18.10, exceeding the Wall Street consensus of $17.66. Early bookings for the January–March “wave season” reached an all-time high, with roughly two-thirds of 2026 capacity already sold at record prices. Upgrades to price targets by Goldman Sachs and Mizuho, along with strength in peer cruise stocks, further drove the shares up into double-digit gains intraday.

Royal Caribbean Group, which owns brands such as Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, is one of the world’s leading cruise operators. After suffering severe disruptions during pandemic-era suspensions, it successfully rebounded on the back of pent-up demand, its deployment of ultra-large ships and a private-island strategy. More recently, the company has strengthened its profitability—and its reputation as a cyclical growth name in the U.S. travel & leisure sector—through a focus on high-end long-duration cruises, new ship deliveries and investments in river cruising.