Royal Caribbean profits soar as travelers pay 'record ticket prices'

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean has the wind in its sails. The company said this week that soaring demand for vacations at sea has enabled it to sell tickets at record prices.

Shares of the cruise operator rose about 4% in premarket trade, as the company also beat first-quarter revenue and profit estimates. Half of Royal Caribbean's first-quarter yield growth was driven by higher ticket pricing, with the remainder driven by a combination of onboard revenue rates, higher occupancy, and new ships, it said. "Demand for our leading brands ... continues to be very robust, resulting in outperformance in the first quarter, a further increase of full-year earnings guidance, and 60% expected earnings growth year over year," said CEO Jason Liberty.