CRUISE LINER WEATHERS STORM AS REVENUES RISE

HIGHER ticket prices have boosted revenue at the world’s largest cruise ship operator.

Carnival posted an £820m increase in revenues to £13bn, despite taking a hit from hurricanes in the US stopping some ships from sailing.

Bosses said a 4.5pc increase in ticket prices over year had also helped offset higher fuel prices.

US-listed Carnival owns the Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth cruise ships ( pictured together on the River Mersey) through its Cunard line. Its 25-plus ships make 1,500 journeys each year around the Caribbean, Europe and the US each year.

But it struck major disaster in 2012 when the Costa Concordia cruise ship, run by subsidiary Costa Cruises, was wrecked off Italy, killing 32.

Profit for the year ending November 30 was £1.9bn, slightly down on the year before. Chief executive Arnold Donald, 62, who took the reins in 2014 and is credited with turning the business around, said its strategy of giving guests an exceptional time was delivering results.