CCL Carnival Corp

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (date of earliest event reported) February 7, 2025

 

Carnival Corporation		Carnival plc
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)		(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Republic of Panama		England and Wales
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)		(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
001-9610		001-15136
(Commission File Number)		(Commission File Number)
59-1562976		98-0357772
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
3655 N.W. 87th Avenue Miami, Florida 33178-2428		Carnival House, 100 Harbour Parade, Southampton SO15 1ST, United Kingdom
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)		(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
(305) 599-2600		011 44 23 8065 5000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)		(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
None		None
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)		(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

 

CIK	0001125259
Amendment Flag	False

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrants under any of the following provisions:

 

☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class		Trading Symbol(s)		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock ($0.01 par value)		CCL		New York Stock Exchange, Inc.
Ordinary Shares each represented by American Depositary Shares ($1.66 par value) Special Voting Share, GBP 1.00 par value and Trust Shares of beneficial interest in the P&O Princess Special Voting Trust		CUK		New York Stock Exchange, Inc.
1.000% Senior Notes due 2029		CUK29		New York Stock Exchange LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrants are emerging growth companies as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2) of this chapter).

Emerging growth companies ☐

If emerging growth companies, indicate by check mark if the registrants have elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

 

Item 1.01

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

 

Indenture

On February 7, 2025, Carnival Corporation (the “Company”) closed its previously announced private offering (the “Notes Offering”) of $2.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 6.125% senior unsecured notes due 2033 (the “Notes”). The Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of February 7, 2025 (the “Indenture”), among the Company, Carnival plc, the subsidiary guarantors party thereto and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee. The Company used the net proceeds from the Notes Offering, together with cash on hand, to redeem the $2.03 billion 10.375% senior priority notes due 2028 (the “Senior Priority Notes”) of Carnival Holdings (Bermuda) Limited.

The Notes will mature on February 15, 2033 unless earlier redeemed or repurchased. Interest on the Notes will accrue from February 7, 2025 and is payable semi-annually in arrears on February 15 and August 15 of each year, commencing on August 15, 2025, at a rate of 6.125% per year.

The Notes are guaranteed on an unsecured basis by Carnival plc and certain of the Company’s and Carnival plc’s subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”) that also guarantee the Company’s existing first-priority secured indebtedness, certain of its unsecured notes and its convertible notes. In the future, each of the Company’s and Carnival plc’s subsidiaries that becomes an issuer, borrower, obligor or guarantor of certain other indebtedness for borrowed money of the Company, Carnival plc or any Subsidiary Guarantor will be required to guarantee the Notes, subject to certain exceptions.

Prior to February 15, 2028, the Company may redeem the Notes at its option, in whole at any time or in part from time to time, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes redeemed, plus a “make whole” premium and accrued and unpaid interest. On or after February 15, 2028, the Company may redeem the Notes at its option, in whole at any time or in part from time to time, at the redemption prices set forth in the Indenture. In addition, at any time and from time to time prior to February 15, 2028, the Company may redeem up to 40% of the Notes using the net cash proceeds of one or more equity offerings at a redemption price equal to 106.125%, plus accrued and unpaid interest, so long as at least 50% of the original aggregate principal amount of the Notes remains outstanding after each such redemption.

The Indenture contains certain restrictions on liens, mergers, consolidations and transfers of substantially all of the Company’s or Carnival plc’s assets. Additionally, upon the occurrence of specified change of control triggering events, the Company will be required to offer to repurchase the Notes at 101% of the principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to the purchase date. 

The Indenture sets forth certain events of default after which the Notes may be declared immediately due and payable and sets forth certain types of bankruptcy or insolvency events of default after which the Notes become automatically due and payable.

The Notes were offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or to non-U.S. investors in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act. The Notes were not, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state laws.

Item 2.03

Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

The information in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated by reference in this Item 2.03.

 

 

Item 7.01

Other Events.

On February 7, 2025, the Company issued a press release announcing the closing of the Notes Offering. A copy of the press release is furnished hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein. The press release includes forward-looking statements. See “Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” within the press release for additional information.

The Company is furnishing the information in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1 hereto, to comply with Regulation FD. Such information shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any of the Company’s filings under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date hereof and regardless of any general incorporation language in such filings, except to the extent expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits

 

Exhibit No.		Description
99.1		Press release of Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc dated February 7, 2025.
104		Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded with the Inline XBRL document).

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each of the registrants has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

CARNIVAL CORPORATION			CARNIVAL PLC
By:	/s/ David Bernstein		By:	/s/ David Bernstein
Name:	David Bernstein		Name:	David Bernstein
Title:	Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer		Title:	Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer
Date: February 7, 2025			Date: February 7, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT 99.1

 

Carnival Corporation & plc Announces Closing of $2.0 Billion 6.125% Senior Unsecured Notes Offering for Refinancing and Interest Expense Reduction

 

Transaction included redemption of $2.03 billion 10.375% Senior Priority Notes

 

MIAMI, February 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) today announced that Carnival Corporation (the “Company”) has closed its previously announced private offering (the “Notes Offering”) of $2.0 billion aggregate principal amount of 6.125% senior unsecured notes due 2033 (the “Notes”). The Company used the net proceeds from the Notes Offering, together with cash on hand, to redeem the $2.03 billion 10.375% senior priority notes due 2028 (the “Senior Priority Notes”) of Carnival Holdings (Bermuda) Limited, resulting in a reduction in interest expense of over 4%.

 

The Notes Offering and the redemption of the Senior Priority Notes are a continuation of the Company’s strategy to reduce interest expense, simplify its capital structure and manage its future debt maturities. The transaction is expected to reduce net annual interest expense by over $80 million. In addition, the indenture that governs the Notes has investment grade-style covenants.

 

The Notes will pay interest semi-annually on February 15 and August 15 of each year, beginning on August 15, 2025, at a rate of 6.125% per year. The Notes will be unsecured and will mature on February 15, 2033. The Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed on an unsecured basis, jointly and severally, by Carnival plc and certain of the Company’s and Carnival plc’s subsidiaries that also guarantee our first-priority secured indebtedness, certain of our other unsecured notes and our convertible notes.

 

The Notes were offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and outside the United States, only to non-U.S. investors pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act.

 

The Notes were not, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state laws.

 

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase the Notes or any other securities and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such offering, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

 

About Carnival Corporation & plc

 

Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest global cruise company, and among the largest leisure travel companies, with a portfolio of world-class cruise lines - AIDA Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises (Australia), P&O Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises, and Seabourn.

 

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

 

Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc and their respective subsidiaries are referred to collectively in this press release as “Carnival Corporation & plc,” “our,” “us” and “we.” Some of the statements, estimates or projections contained in this press release are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions with respect to us, including some statements concerning the financing transactions described herein, future results, operations, outlooks, plans, goals, reputation, cash flows, liquidity and other events which have not yet occurred. These statements are intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability provided by Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts are statements that could be deemed forward-looking. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our business and the industry in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. We have tried, whenever possible, to identify these statements by using words like “will,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “believe,” “depends,” “expect,” “goal,” “aspiration,” “anticipate,” “forecast,” “project,” “future,” “intend,” “plan,” “estimate,” “target,” “indicate,” “outlook,” and similar expressions of future intent or the negative of such terms.

 

 

Forward-looking statements include those statements that relate to our outlook and financial position including, but not limited to, statements regarding:

 

·

Interest, tax and fuel expenses

·

Liquidity and credit ratings

·

The transactions described herein

 

Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are many factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. This note contains important cautionary statements of the known factors that we consider could materially affect the accuracy of our forward-looking statements and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial position. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

·

Events and conditions around the world, including geopolitical uncertainty, war and other military actions, pandemics, inflation, higher fuel prices, higher interest rates and other general concerns impacting the ability or desire of people to travel could lead to a decline in demand for cruises as well as have significant negative impacts on our financial condition and operations.

·

Incidents concerning our ships, guests or the cruise industry may negatively impact the satisfaction of our guests and crew and lead to reputational damage.

·

Changes in and non-compliance with laws and regulations under which we operate, such as those relating to health, environment, safety and security, data privacy and protection, anti-money laundering, anti-corruption, economic sanctions, trade protection, labor and employment, and tax may be costly and lead to litigation, enforcement actions, fines, penalties and reputational damage.

·

Factors associated with climate change, including evolving and increasing regulations, increasing global concern about climate change and the shift in climate conscious consumerism and stakeholder scrutiny, and increasing frequency and/or severity of adverse weather conditions could have a material impact on our business.

·

Inability to meet or achieve our targets, goals, aspirations, initiatives, and our public statements and disclosures regarding them, including those related to sustainability matters, may expose us to risks that may adversely impact our business.

·

Cybersecurity incidents and data privacy breaches, as well as disruptions and other damages to our principal offices, information technology operations and system networks and failure to keep pace with developments in technology have adversely impacted and may in the future materially adversely impact our business operations, the satisfaction of our guests and crew and may lead to fines, penalties and reputational damage.

·

The loss of key team members, our inability to recruit or retain qualified shoreside and shipboard team members and increased labor costs could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

·

Increases in fuel prices, changes in the types of fuel consumed and availability of fuel supply may adversely impact our scheduled itineraries and costs.

·

We rely on suppliers who are integral to the operations of our businesses. These suppliers and service providers may be unable to deliver on their commitments, which could negatively impact our business.

·

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates may adversely impact our financial results.

·

Overcapacity and competition in the cruise and land-based vacation industry may negatively impact our cruise sales, pricing and destination options.

·

Inability to implement our shipbuilding programs and ship repairs, maintenance and refurbishments may adversely impact our business operations and the satisfaction of our guests.

·

We require a significant amount of cash to service our debt and sustain our operations. Our ability to generate cash depends on many factors, including those beyond our control, and we may not be able to generate cash required to service our debt and sustain our operations.

·

Our substantial debt could adversely affect our financial health and operating flexibility.

·

The risk factors included in Carnival Corporation’s and Carnival plc’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on January 27, 2025.

 

 

The ordering of the risk factors set forth above is not intended to reflect our indication of priority or likelihood. Additionally, many of these risks and uncertainties are currently, and in the future may continue to be, amplified by our substantial debt balance incurred during the pause of our guest cruise operations. There may be additional risks that we consider immaterial or which are unknown.

 

Forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as a prediction of actual results. Subject to any continuing obligations under applicable law or any relevant stock exchange rules, we expressly disclaim any obligation to disseminate, after the date of this document, any updates or revisions to any such forward-looking statements to reflect any change in expectations or events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

 

Forward-looking and other statements in this document may also address our sustainability progress, plans, and goals (including climate change and environmental-related matters). In addition, historical, current, and forward-looking sustainability- and climate-related statements may be based on standards and tools for measuring progress that are still developing, internal controls and processes that continue to evolve, and assumptions and predictions that are subject to change in the future and may not be generally shared.

 

SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc

Carnival Corporation & plc Media Contact: Jody Venturoni, Carnival Corporation, jventuroni@carnival.com, (469) 797-6380

Carnival Corporation & plc Investor Relations Contact: Beth Roberts, Carnival Corporation, eroberts@carnival.com, (305) 406-4832

 

v3.25.0.1

Cover	Feb. 07, 2025
Entity Information [Line Items]
Document Type	8-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Feb. 07, 2025
Entity File Number	001-9610
Entity Registrant Name	Carnival Corporation
Entity Central Index Key	0000815097
Entity Tax Identification Number	59-1562976
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	R1
Entity Address, Address Line One	3655 N.W. 87th Avenue
Entity Address, City or Town	Miami
Entity Address, State or Province	FL
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	33178-2428
City Area Code	305
Local Phone Number	599-2600
Written Communications	false
Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Common Stock
Entity Information [Line Items]
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock ($0.01 par value)
Trading Symbol	CCL
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Carnival PLC
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity File Number	001-15136
Entity Registrant Name	Carnival plc
Entity Central Index Key	0001125259
Entity Tax Identification Number	98-0357772
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	X0
Entity Address, Address Line One	Carnival House
Entity Address, Address Line Two	100 Harbour Parade
Entity Address, City or Town	Southampton
Entity Address, Country	GB
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	SO15 1ST
City Area Code	011
Local Phone Number	44 23 8065 5000
Carnival PLC | Ordinary Shares
Entity Information [Line Items]
Title of 12(b) Security	Ordinary Shares each represented by American Depositary Shares ($1.66 par value)
Trading Symbol	CUK
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Carnival PLC | 1.000% Senior Notes due 2029
Entity Information [Line Items]
Title of 12(b) Security	1.000% Senior Notes due 2029
Trading Symbol	CUK29
Security Exchange Name	NYSE

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