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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
FORM 10-Q
 
(Mark One)
 
ýQUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the quarterly period ended September 30, 20152016

OR
oTRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the transition period from            to           
 
Commission File Number: 1-11884
ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Republic of Liberia 98-0081645
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 
1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, Florida 33132
(Address of principal executive offices) (zip code)
 
(305) 539-6000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
 
N/A
(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes ý  No o
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).  Yes ý  No o
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
 
Large accelerated filer x
 
Accelerated filer o
 
Non-accelerated filer o
 
Smaller reporting company o
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes o  No ý
 
There were 219,995,391214,582,024 shares of common stock outstanding as of October 16, 2015.20, 2016.
 


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ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 
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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
 
Item 1. Financial Statements


ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(unaudited; in thousands, except per share data)
 
Quarter Ended September 30,Quarter Ended September 30,
2015 20142016 2015
Passenger ticket revenues$1,873,942
 $1,786,746
$1,899,956
 $1,873,942
Onboard and other revenues649,158
 602,016
663,785
 649,158
Total revenues2,523,100
 2,388,762
2,563,741
 2,523,100
Cruise operating expenses: 
  
 
  
Commissions, transportation and other413,156
 396,916
400,933
 413,156
Onboard and other175,214
 182,658
159,887
 175,214
Payroll and related217,627
 214,260
214,081
 217,627
Food122,124
 120,908
125,732
 122,124
Fuel199,848
 230,818
178,772
 199,848
Other operating259,057
 281,322
260,718
 259,057
Total cruise operating expenses1,387,026
 1,426,882
1,340,123
 1,387,026
Marketing, selling and administrative expenses256,060
 239,662
257,430
 256,060
Depreciation and amortization expenses210,742
 192,448
229,328
 210,742
Impairment of Pullmantur related assets411,267
 

 411,267
Restructuring charges
 308
1,897
 
Operating Income258,005
 529,462
734,963
 258,005
Other income (expense): 
  
 
  
Interest income1,735
 2,117
6,472
 1,735
Interest expense, net of interest capitalized(66,819) (60,100)(82,610) (66,819)
Other income (including in 2015 a net deferred tax benefit of $12.0 million related to the Pullmantur impairment)35,866
 18,769
34,432
 35,866
(29,218) (39,214)(41,706) (29,218)
Net Income$228,787
 $490,248
$693,257
 $228,787
Earnings per Share: 
  
 
  
Basic$1.04
 $2.20
$3.23
 $1.04
Diluted$1.03
 $2.19
$3.21
 $1.03
Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding: 
  
 
  
Basic219,963
 222,523
214,819
 219,963
Diluted221,137
 223,859
215,667
 221,137
Comprehensive Income 
  
 
  
Net Income$228,787
 $490,248
$693,257
 $228,787
Other comprehensive (loss) income: 
  
Other comprehensive income (loss): 
  
Foreign currency translation adjustments(4,191) (18,482)4,043
 (4,191)
Change in defined benefit plans3,318
 (1,451)(5,051) 3,318
Loss on cash flow derivative hedges(222,492) (249,626)
Total other comprehensive loss(223,365) (269,559)
Gain (loss) on cash flow derivative hedges95,536
 (222,492)
Total other comprehensive income (loss)94,528
 (223,365)
Comprehensive Income$5,422
 $220,689
$787,785
 $5,422
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.


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ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(unaudited; in thousands, except per share data)
 
Nine Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2015 20142016 2015
Passenger ticket revenues$4,688,189
 $4,590,048
$4,794,653
 $4,688,189
Onboard and other revenues1,708,832
 1,665,981
1,792,145
 1,708,832
Total revenues6,397,021
 6,256,029
6,586,798
 6,397,021
Cruise operating expenses: 
  
 
  
Commissions, transportation and other1,093,409
 1,068,961
1,060,391
 1,093,409
Onboard and other438,558
 456,296
399,739
 438,558
Payroll and related647,788
 634,232
671,955
 647,788
Food361,317
 358,172
371,759
 361,317
Fuel607,689
 718,081
531,283
 607,689
Other operating777,291
 825,794
857,161
 777,291
Total cruise operating expenses3,926,052
 4,061,536
3,892,288
 3,926,052
Marketing, selling and administrative expenses817,040
 790,957
845,808
 817,040
Depreciation and amortization expenses617,678
 579,063
661,712
 617,678
Impairment of Pullmantur related assets411,267
 

 411,267
Restructuring charges
 1,958
6,627
 
Operating Income624,984
 822,515
1,180,363
 624,984
Other income (expense): 
  
 
  
Interest income8,244
 8,023
14,875
 8,244
Interest expense, net of interest capitalized(213,598) (193,931)(226,803) (213,598)
Other income (including in 2015 a net deferred tax benefit of $12.0 million related to the Pullmantur impairment)39,354
 17,771
Other income (including a $21.7 million loss related to the 2016 elimination of the Pullmantur reporting lag and including in 2015 a net deferred tax benefit of $12.0 million related to the Pullmantur impairment)53,867
 39,354
(166,000) (168,137)(158,061) (166,000)
Net Income$458,984
 $654,378
$1,022,302
 $458,984
Earnings per Share: 
  
 
  
Basic$2.09
 $2.95
$4.74
 $2.09
Diluted$2.08
 $2.93
$4.72
 $2.08
Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding: 
  
 
  
Basic219,835
 222,007
215,663
 219,835
Diluted220,979
 223,351
216,575
 220,979
Comprehensive Income 
  
 
  
Net Income$458,984
 $654,378
$1,022,302
 $458,984
Other comprehensive (loss) income: 
  
Other comprehensive income (loss): 
  
Foreign currency translation adjustments(23,994) (17,845)8,423
 (23,994)
Change in defined benefit plans5,567
 (5,536)(12,148) 5,567
Loss on cash flow derivative hedges(280,968) (323,179)
Total other comprehensive loss(299,395) (346,560)
Gain (loss) on cash flow derivative hedges254,624
 (280,968)
Total other comprehensive income (loss)250,899
 (299,395)
Comprehensive Income$159,589
 $307,818
$1,273,201
 $159,589
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.


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ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands, except share data)
 
As ofAs of
September 30, December 31,September 30, December 31,
2015 20142016 2015
(unaudited)  (unaudited)  
Assets 
  
 
  
Current assets 
  
 
  
Cash and cash equivalents$147,419
 $189,241
$178,428
 $121,565
Trade and other receivables, net241,638
 261,392
273,422
 238,972
Inventories131,108
 123,490
118,849
 121,332
Prepaid expenses and other assets269,914
 226,960
231,442
 220,579
Derivative financial instruments110,747
 
928
 134,574
Total current assets900,826
 801,083
803,069
 837,022
Property and equipment, net18,776,782
 18,193,627
20,230,803
 18,777,778
Goodwill286,707
 420,542
288,461
 286,764
Other assets994,533
 1,297,938
1,127,929
 880,479
$20,958,848
 $20,713,190
$22,450,262
 $20,782,043
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity 
  
 
  
Current liabilities      
Current portion of long-term debt$905,128
 $799,630
$1,298,002
 $899,542
Accounts payable305,747
 331,505
259,027
 302,072
Accrued interest83,281
 49,074
95,112
 38,325
Accrued expenses and other liabilities630,455
 635,138
678,874
 658,601
Derivative financial instruments549,524
 266,986
201,877
 651,866
Customer deposits1,886,356
 1,766,914
1,967,678
 1,742,286
Total current liabilities4,360,491
 3,849,247
4,500,570
 4,292,692
Long-term debt7,584,808
 7,644,318
8,419,850
 7,627,701
Other long-term liabilities757,763
 935,266
739,693
 798,611
Commitments and contingencies (Note 7)

 



 

Shareholders’ equity 
  
 
  
Preferred stock ($0.01 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; none outstanding)
 

 
Common stock ($0.01 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 233,796,056 and 233,106,019 shares issued, September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively)2,338
 2,331
Common stock ($0.01 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; 234,589,237 and 233,905,166 shares issued, September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively)2,346
 2,339
Paid-in capital3,279,806
 3,253,552
3,316,385
 3,297,619
Retained earnings6,819,809
 6,575,248
7,702,260
 6,944,862
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(1,196,389) (896,994)(1,077,534) (1,328,433)
Treasury stock (13,808,683 common shares at cost, September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014)(649,778) (649,778)
Treasury stock (20,019,237 and 15,911,971 common shares at cost, September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively)(1,153,308) (853,348)
Total shareholders’ equity8,255,786
 8,284,359
8,790,149
 8,063,039
$20,958,848
 $20,713,190
$22,450,262
 $20,782,043
.
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.


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ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(unaudited,unaudited; in thousands)

Nine Months Ended September 30,Nine Months Ended September 30,
2015 20142016 2015
Operating Activities 
  
 
  
Net income$458,984
 $654,378
$1,022,302
 $458,984
Adjustments: 
  
 
  
Depreciation and amortization617,678
 579,063
661,712
 617,678
Impairment of Pullmantur related assets411,267
 

 411,267
Net deferred income tax (benefit) expense(13,466) 1,177
Net deferred income tax expense (benefit)1,601
 (13,466)
Loss on derivative instruments not designated as hedges49,607
 24,234
6,353
 49,607
Loss on sale of property and equipment
 17,401
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: 
  
 
  
Decrease in trade and other receivables, net24,130
 69,833
9,823
 24,130
(Increase) decrease in inventories(8,377) 13,900
Increase in prepaid expenses and other assets(30,649) (3,596)
Increase in inventories(6,379) (8,377)
Decrease (increase) in prepaid expenses and other assets2,484
 (30,649)
Decrease in accounts payable(22,915) (33,668)(17,313) (22,915)
Increase (decrease) in accrued interest34,207
 (36,693)
Increase in accrued interest56,787
 34,207
Increase in accrued expenses and other liabilities11,558
 48,600
23,216
 11,558
Increase in customer deposits65,511
 104,211
197,277
 65,511
Dividends received from unconsolidated affiliates71,370
 5,327
Other, net10,401
 20,724
(28,281) 5,074
Net cash provided by operating activities1,607,936
 1,459,564
2,000,952
 1,607,936
Investing Activities 
  
 
  
Purchases of property and equipment(1,360,637) (559,018)(2,313,831) (1,360,637)
Cash paid on settlement of derivative financial instruments(158,890) (14,808)(172,878) (158,890)
Investments in and loans to unconsolidated affiliates(54,250) (69,748)(8,611) (54,250)
Cash received on loans to unconsolidated affiliates122,710
 76,167
22,470
 122,710
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment
 220,000
Other, net(18,642) 2,592
Other, net (1)
(44,709) (18,642)
Net cash used in investing activities(1,469,709) (344,815)(2,517,559) (1,469,709)
Financing Activities 
  
 
  
Debt proceeds2,962,501
 1,917,550
6,038,560
 2,962,501
Debt issuance costs(57,146) (49,641)(83,793) (57,146)
Repayments of debt(2,887,237) (2,958,427)(4,818,262) (2,887,237)
Purchases of treasury stock(299,959) 
Dividends paid(197,718) (131,857)(243,557) (197,718)
Proceeds from exercise of common stock options6,902
 65,885
1,782
 6,902
Cash received on settlement of derivative financial instruments
 22,835
Other, net1,778
 1,422
2,179
 1,778
Net cash used in financing activities(170,920) (1,132,233)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities596,950
 (170,920)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash(9,129) (4,022)(23,480) (9,129)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents(41,822) (21,506)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents56,863
 (41,822)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period189,241
 204,687
121,565
 189,241
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period$147,419
 $183,181
$178,428
 $147,419
Supplemental Disclosure 
  
 
  
Cash paid during the period for: 
  
 
  
Interest, net of amount capitalized$151,661
 $208,311
$140,335
 $151,661
Non-cash Investing Activities 
  
Notes receivable issued upon sale of property and equipment$213,042
 $

(1)Amount includes $26.0 million related to cash included in the divestiture of RCHE.
 
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(unaudited)
 
As used in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the terms “Royal Caribbean,” the “Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer to Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and, depending on the context, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s consolidated subsidiaries and/or affiliates. The terms “Royal Caribbean International,” “Celebrity Cruises,” “Pullmantur,” “Azamara Club Cruises,” “TUI Cruises,” “Pullmantur,” and “CDF Croisières de France” and “TUI Cruises” refer to our cruise brands. However, because TUI Cruises is an unconsolidated investment, our operating results and other disclosures herein do not include TUI Cruises unless otherwise specified. Additionally, prior to August 2016, both Pullmantur and CDF Croisières de France ("CDF") were wholly owned by us. However, in July 2016, we sold 51% of our interest in Pullmantur and CDF, therefore, for the period subsequent to the sale, our operating results and other disclosures herein do not include Pullmantur and CDF unless otherwise specified. In accordance with cruise vacation industry practice, the term “berths” is determined based on double occupancy per cabin even though many cabins can accommodate three or more passengers. This report should be read in conjunction with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014,2015, including the audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included therein.
 
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q also includes trademarks, trade names and service marks of other companies.  Use or display by us of other parties’ trademarks, trade names or service marks is not intended to and does not imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, these other parties other than as described herein.

Note 1. General
 
Description of Business
 
We are a global cruise company.  WeAs of September 30, 2016, we own and operate three global cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises Pullmantur,and Azamara Club Cruises, CDF Croisières de France andCruises. We also own a 50% joint venture interest in the German brand TUI Cruises.Cruises, a 49% interest in the Spanish brand Pullmantur and have minority interests in other smaller regional brands.

Prior to August 2016, Royal Caribbean Holdings de Espana ("RCHE"), the parent company of the Pullmantur and CDF brands, was wholly owned by us. Effective July 31, 2016, we sold 51% of our interest in RCHE. We retain a 49% interest in RCHE as well as full ownership of the vessels currently operated by the brands, which are bareboat chartered to RCHE. We account for the bareboat charters of the vessels to RCHE as operating leases. We also provide certain ship management services to RCHE. As a result of the sale of a majority interest in RCHE, we recognized an immaterial gain. In addition, we also continue to retain full ownership of the aircraft, which were not impacted by this sale transaction. Effective August 2016, we no longer consolidate RCHE in our consolidated financial statements and our investment in the company is accounted for under the equity method of accounting. Refer to Note 5. Other Assets for further information on our retained interest in RCHE.

The sale did not represent a strategic shift that will have a major effect on our operations and financial results, as we continue to provide similar itineraries to and source passengers from the markets served by the Pullmantur and CDF businesses. Therefore, the sale of RCHE did not meet the criteria for discontinued operations reporting. Due to the change in the nature of the cash flows to be generated by the vessels operated by RCHE, we also reviewed the vessels for impairment. We determined that the undiscounted future cash flows of the vessels exceeded their carrying value; therefore, no impairment was required.

Basis for Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements
 
The unaudited consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Estimates are required for the preparation of financial statements in accordance with these principles. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Refer to Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20142015 for a discussion of our significant accounting policies.
 
All significant intercompany accounts and transactions are eliminated in consolidation. We consolidate entities over which we have control, usually evidenced by a direct ownership interest of greater than 50%, and variable interest entities where we are determined to be the primary beneficiary. Refer to Note 5. Other Assets for further information regarding our variable interest entities. For affiliates we do not control but over which we have significant influence on financial and operating policies, usually evidenced by a direct ownership interest from 20% to 50%, the investment is accounted for using the equity method. We consolidate

Prior to January 1, 2016, we consolidated the operating results of Pullmantur and CDF Croisières de FranceRCHE on a two-month reporting lag to allow for more timely preparation of our consolidated financial statements. Except for the impairment of Pullmantur related assets, as described in Note 3. Impairment of Pullmantur Related Assets, no material events or transactions affecting Pullmantur or CDF Croisières de France have occurred duringEffective January 1, 2016, we eliminated the two-month reporting lag period of August and September 2015 that would require further disclosure or adjustment to our consolidated financial statements as of and for the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

We believe the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements contain all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation. Our revenues are seasonal and results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. 


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to reflect RCHE's financial position, results of operations and cash flows concurrently and consistently with the fiscal calendar of the Company ("elimination of the Pullmantur reporting lag"). The elimination of the Pullmantur reporting lag represented a change in accounting principle which we believed to be preferable because it provided more current information to the users of our financial statements. A change in accounting principle requires retrospective application, if material. The impact of the elimination of the reporting lag was immaterial to prior periods and is expected to be immaterial for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2016. As a result, we have accounted for this change in accounting principle in our consolidated results for the first nine months of 2016. Accordingly, the results of RCHE for November and December 2015 are included in our statement of comprehensive income (loss) for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. The effect of this change was a decrease to net income of $21.7 million, which has been reported within Other income in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) for the nine months ended September 30, 2016.

Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Revenues and Expenses

We recognize passenger ticket revenues, revenues from onboard and other goods and services and all associated cruise operating costs for all of our uncompleted voyages on a pro-rata basis. Prior to September 30, 2014, we recognized revenues and cruise operating costs for our shorter voyages (voyages of ten days or less) upon voyage completion while we recognized revenues and cruise operating costs for voyages in excess of ten days on a pro-rata basis.

The change to prorate all voyages as of September 30, 2014 forward was not retrospectively applied to prior periods, as the impact of prorating all voyages was immaterial to the respective periods presented.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In May 2014, amended GAAP guidance was issued to clarify the principles used to recognize revenue for all entities. The guidance is based on the principle that revenue should be recognized to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard also requires more detailed disclosures and provides additional guidance for transactions that were not comprehensively addressed in the prior accounting guidance. This guidance must be applied using one of two retrospective application methods. In August 2015, the effective date of this guidance was deferred by one yearmethods and will now be effective for our annual reporting period beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods therein. Early adoption is permitted for our annual reporting period beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods therein. We are currently evaluating the impact, if any, of the adoption of this newly issuedthe revenue recognition guidance to our consolidated financial statements.statements and intend to elect the modified retrospective method to all contracts on the date of initial application, January 1, 2018.  This will involve applying the guidance retrospectively only to the most current period presented in the financial statements and recognizing the cumulative effect of initially applying the guidance as an adjustment to the January 1, 2018 opening balance of retained earnings at the date of initial application. 

In August 2014, GAAP guidance was issued requiring management to evaluate, at each annual and interim reporting period, whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the entity's ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date the financial statements are issued and provide related disclosures. This guidance will be effective for our annual reporting period ending after December 15, 2016 and for annual periods and interim periods thereafter. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have an impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In January 2015, amended GAAP guidance was issued changing the requirements for reporting extraordinary and unusual items in the income statement. The update eliminates the concept of extraordinary items. The presentation and disclosure guidance for items that are unusual in nature or occur infrequently will be retained and will be expanded to include items that are both unusual in nature and infrequently occurring. A reporting entity may apply the amendments prospectively or retrospectively to all periods presented in the financial statements. The guidance will be effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted provided that the guidance is applied from the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have an impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In February 2015, amended GAAP guidance was issued affecting current consolidation guidance. The guidance changes the analysis that a reporting entity must perform to determine whether it should consolidate certain types of legal entities. This guidance must be applied using one of two retrospective application methods and will be effective for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have an impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In April 2015, amended GAAP guidance was issued simplifying the presentation of debt issuance costs. The guidance requires that debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt liability, consistent with debt discounts. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by these amendments. Additionally, in August 2015, amended GAAP guidance was issued to clarify the presentation of debt issuance costs associated with line-of-credit arrangements. The amendments continue to allow an entity to present debt issuance costs as an asset with subsequent amortization over the term of the line-of-credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are any outstanding borrowings on the line-of-credit arrangement. This guidance should be applied on a retrospective basis, wherein the balance sheet of each individual period presented should be adjusted to reflect the period-specific effects of applying the new guidance. The guidance will be effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for financial statements that have not been previously issued. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have an impact to our consolidated financial statements, with the exception of reclassifying debt issuance costs from Other assets to be reflected as a reduction of our current and long-term liabilities.

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In April 2015, amended GAAP guidance was issued to provide a practical expedient for the measurement date of an employer's defined benefit obligation and plan assets. The guidance provides a practical expedient for entities with a fiscal year-end that does not coincide with a month-end and for contributions or significant events that occur between the month-end date and an entity's fiscal year end. The guidance will be effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Earlier application is permitted. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have an impact to our consolidated financial statements.
In April 2015, amended GAAP guidance was issued to clarify a customer’s accounting for fees paid in a cloud computing arrangement. The amendments provide guidance to customers about whether a cloud computing arrangement includes a software license or if the arrangement should be accounted for as a service contract. This guidance will impact the accounting of software licenses but will not change a customer’s accounting for service contracts. The guidance will be effective for annual periods, including interim periods within those annual periods, beginning after December 15, 2015. Early adoption is permitted. An entity can elect to adopt the amendments either prospectively or retrospectively. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In July 2015, amended GAAP guidance was issued to simplify the measurement of inventory for all entities. The amendments apply to all inventory that is measured using first-in, first-out or average cost. The guidance requires an entity to measure inventory at the lower of cost and net realizable value. The guidance must be applied prospectively and will be effective for our interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.
In SeptemberNovember 2015, amended GAAP guidance was issued to simplify the accounting for measurement-period adjustments related to business combinations.presentation of deferred income taxes. The amendments require that an acquirer recognize adjustments to provisional amounts that are identified during the measurement perioddeferred tax liabilities and assets be classified as noncurrent in the reporting period in which the adjustments are determineda classified statement of financial position and eliminates the requirement to retroactively adjust the provisional amounts recognized at the acquisition date.classification between current and noncurrent amounts. The guidance will be effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015, including2016 and interim periods within those fiscal years. An entity can elect to adopt the amendments either prospectively or retrospectively. Early adoption is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period. The adoption of this guidance is not expected to have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.
In January 2016, amended GAAP guidance was issued to address certain aspects of recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of financial instruments.  The amendments shouldprimarily impact the accounting for certain equity investments, the accounting for financial liabilities subject to the fair value option and the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments. The guidance will be applied prospectively to measurement period adjustments that occureffective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after the effective date.December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted for financial statements of fiscal years and interim periods that have not yet been issued.issued or that have not yet been made available for issuance as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption.  The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, amended GAAP guidance was issued to increase the transparency and comparability of lease accounting among organizations. For leases with a term greater than 12 months, the amendments require the lease rights and obligations arising from the leasing arrangements, including operating leases, to be recognized as assets and liabilities on the balance sheet. The amendments also expand the required disclosures surrounding leasing arrangements. The guidance must be applied using a
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retrospective application method and will be effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods within those years. Early adoption is permitted. We are currently evaluating the impact of the adoption of this newly issued guidance to our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, amended GAAP guidance was issued addressing the effect of derivative contract novations on existing hedge accounting relationships. The amendments clarify that a change in the counterparty to a derivative instrument that has been designated as a hedging instrument does not, in and of itself, require dedesignation of that hedging relationship provided that all other hedge accounting criteria continue to be met. The guidance must be applied using a prospective or modified retrospective application method and will be effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, amended GAAP guidance was issued addressing contingent put and call options in debt instruments. The amendments clarify the requirements for assessing whether contingent call and put options that can accelerate the payment of principal on debt instruments are clearly and closely related to their debt hosts, or whether the embedded call and put options should be bifurcated from the related debt instrument and accounted for separately as a derivative. The guidance must be applied using a modified retrospective approach and will be effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have an impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, amended GAAP guidance was issued to simplify the transition to the equity method of accounting. The amendments eliminate the requirement that when an investment qualifies for use of the equity method as a result of an increase in the level of ownership interest or degree of influence, an investor must adjust the investment, results of operations and retained earnings retroactively on a step-by step basis as if the equity method had been in effect during all previous periods that the investment had been held. The guidance must be applied prospectively and will be effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016 and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements, but could have an impact on our accounting for equity method investments in the future.

In March 2016, amended GAAP guidance was issued to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The guidance will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, amended GAAP guidance was issued to address expected credit losses on financial instruments and other commitments. The amendment requires financial assets and net investment leases that are currently measured at amortized cost basis be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. The guidance must be applied using the modified-retrospective approach and will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019 and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted beginning after December 15, 2018. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

In August 2016, amended GAAP guidance was issued to clarify how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The amendments are aimed at reducing the existing diversity in practice. The guidance should be applied using a retrospective transition method to each period presented and will be effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017 and interim periods within those annual periods. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in an interim period. The adoption of this newly issued guidance is not expected to have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements.

Other
 
Revenues and expenses include port costs that vary with guest head counts. The amounts of such port costs included in Passenger ticket revenues on a gross basis were $156.8$158.7 million and $155.0$156.8 million for the third quarters of 20152016 and 2014,2015, respectively, and $425.6$443.1 million and $416.8$425.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 20152016 and 2014,2015, respectively.

Reclassifications

On January 1, 2015,2016, we adopted ASC 853, Service Concession ArrangementsAccounting Standards Codification ("ASC 853"ASC"), 835, Presentation of Debt Issuance Costs, using the modified retrospective approach. Due to the adoption of ASC 853, $41.9835, $139.8 million hasof debt issuance costs have been reclassified in the
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consolidated balance sheet, as of December 31, 2014,2015, from Property and equipment, net toOther assets to either Current portion of long-term debt or Long-term debt in order to conform to the current year presentation. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact to our consolidated financial statements as of and for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2015.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2014, $1.22015, $5.3 million has been reclassified in the consolidated statements of cash flows from Other, net toDividends received from unconsolidated affiliates Net deferred income tax (benefit) expense within Net cash provided by operating activities in order to conform to the current year presentation.

Note 3. Impairment of Pullmantur Related Assets

Pullmantur is a brand targeted primarily at the Spanish and Latin American markets. These markets have experienced significant volatility and the brand has adopted various changes to its operating strategy as a result. Most recently, in response to favorable economic expectations in Latin America, especially Brazil, management undertook a positioning of the brand to increase sourcing of guests and to deliver deployment for Latin American consumers; transferring newer and more efficient capacity to the brand; and selling Pullmantur’s non-cruise businesses to allow the brand to focus on the core cruise business.


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However, the Latin American resurgence was short lived and the core Latin American economies, including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Venezuela, have regressed and their currencies have materially depreciated versus the US dollar.  During the second quarter of 2015, as a result of the weakness in Latin America, we decided to defer the scheduled transfer of Royal Caribbean International’s Majesty of the Seas to the Pullmantur fleet. During our most recently completed quarter, the negative economic trends significantly deteriorated. Most notably, the Brazilian Real devalued by approximately 22% relative to the US dollar during the third quarter of 2015.
In light of the increased challenges facing Pullmantur’s Latin American strategy, we recently made a decision to significantly change that strategy from growing the brand through vessel transfers to a right-sizing strategy. This right-sizing strategy includes reducing our exposure to Latin America, refocusing on the brand’s core market of Spain and, consequently, reducing the size of Pullmantur’s fleet. This strategic change includes a decision to redeploy Pullmantur’s Empress to the Royal Caribbean International brand as well as a decision to cancel the intended transfer of the Majesty of the Seas to Pullmantur. As we previously disclosed, the planned growth of the Pullmantur fleet through the transfer of vessels into the brand has been the most significant assumption within Pullmantur's projected cash flows supporting the recoverability of the Pullmantur reporting unit’s goodwill and trademarks and trade names. Our decision to reduce the size of Pullmantur’s fleet significantly decreases the cash flow projections which have been the basis of our impairment analysis.
As a result of these developments, we performed an interim impairment evaluation of Pullmantur’s goodwill and trademarks and trade names in connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the quarter ended September 30, 2015. We estimated the fair value of the Pullmantur reporting unit using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model. The estimation of future cash flows requires our significant judgment when making assumptions of expected revenues, operating costs, marketing, selling and administrative expenses, interest rates, ship additions and retirements as well as assumptions regarding the cruise vacation industry’s competitive environment and general and economic business conditions, among other factors.
Due to the previously described market conditions and our recent decision to reduce our exposure to Latin America, refocus on the brand’s core Spanish market and reduce the brand's overall capacity, we reviewed the two-step goodwill impairment test based on the updated cash flow projections. As a result of this analysis, we determined that the carrying value of the Pullmantur reporting unit exceeded its fair value. Similarly, we determined that the carrying value of Pullmantur’s trademarks and trade names exceeded their fair value as well. Accordingly, upon the completion of the two-step impairment test, we recognized an impairment charge of $123.8 million and $174.3 million for goodwill and trademark and trade names, respectively, during the quarter ended September 30, 2015. These charges reflect the full carrying amounts of the goodwill and trademark and trade names leaving Pullmantur with no intangible assets on its books.

Additionally, in conjunction with performing the two-step goodwill impairment test, we identified that the estimated fair value of certain long-lived assets, consisting of two ships and three aircraft were less than their carrying values. As a result of this determination, we evaluated these assets pursuant to our long-lived asset impairment test. The decision to significantly reduce our exposure to the Latin American market negatively impacted the expected undiscounted cash flows of these vessels and aircraft and resulted in an impairment charge of $113.2 million to write down these assets to their estimated fair values during the quarter ended September 30, 2015. The remaining assets for the Pullmantur reporting unit have fair values greater than or equal to their carrying amounts.

The carrying amounts of goodwill and intangible assets attributable to our Pullmantur reporting unit were as follows (in thousands):

  Goodwill Intangibles
Balance at December 31, 2014 $133,583
 $188,037
Impairment of Pullmantur related assets (123,814) (174,285)
Foreign currency translation adjustment (9,769) (13,752)
Balance at September 30, 2015 $
 $

Intangible assets are reported within Other assets in our consolidated balance sheets.

Pullmantur had recognized a deferred tax liability of $43.4 million, which represented the tax effect of the basis difference between the tax and book values of Pullmantur’s trademarks and trade names. In addition, Pullmantur had recognized a net deferred tax asset relating to net operating losses with an unlimited carryforward period. The benefit of the deferred tax asset was previously assumed through the future realization of the deferred tax liability. A partial valuation allowance was previously established against the deferred tax asset since the utilization of the net operating losses is subject to a 70% annual limitation. As a result of the

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impairment of the trademarks and trade names, we reversed the deferred tax liability of $43.4 million and increased the valuation allowance by $31.4 million, or to 100% of the deferred tax asset balance, resulting in a $12.0 million deferred tax benefit recognized during the quarter ended September 30, 2015.

The combined impairment charge of $411.3 million related to Pullmantur’s goodwill, trademarks and trade names, vessels and aircraft was reported within Impairment of Pullmantur related assets and the net $12.0 million deferred tax benefit was reported within Other income (expense) in our statement of comprehensive income (loss), resulting in a net impairment loss of $399.3 million.
Note 4.3. Earnings Per Share
 
A reconciliation between basic and diluted earnings per share is as follows (in thousands, except per share data):
Quarter Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,Quarter Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2015 2014 2015 20142016 2015 2016 2015
Net income for basic and diluted earnings per share$228,787
 $490,248
 $458,984
 $654,378
$693,257
 $228,787
 $1,022,302
 $458,984
Weighted-average common shares outstanding219,963
 222,523
 219,835
 222,007
214,819
 219,963
 215,663
 219,835
Dilutive effect of stock options, performance share awards and restricted stock awards1,174
 1,336
 1,144
 1,344
848
 1,174
 912
 1,144
Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding221,137
 223,859
 220,979
 223,351
215,667
 221,137
 216,575
 220,979
Basic earnings per share$1.04
 $2.20
 $2.09
 $2.95
$3.23
 $1.04
 $4.74
 $2.09
Diluted earnings per share$1.03
 $2.19
 $2.08
 $2.93
$3.21
 $1.03
 $4.72
 $2.08
 
There were no antidilutive shares for the quarters and nine month periods ended September 30, 20152016 and September 30, 2014, respectively.2015.
 

Note 4. Property and Equipment

In April 2016, we completed the previously announced sale of Splendour of the Seas to TUI Cruises. Concurrent with the acquisition, TUI Cruises leased the ship to Thomson Cruises, an affiliate of TUI AG, our joint venture partner, who will operate the ship. The gain recognized did not have a material effect to our consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, we entered into an agreement to sell a ship to Thomson Cruises. The sale is scheduled to be completed in March 2017 in order to retain the future revenues to be generated for sailings through that date. We expect to recognize a gain on the sale, which we do not expect will have a material effect to our annual consolidated financial statements.

Note 5. Other Assets

A Variable Interest Entity (“VIE”) is an entity in which the equity investors have not provided enough equity to finance the entity’s activities or the equity investors: (1) cannot directly or indirectly make decisions about the entity’s activities through their voting rights or similar rights; (2) do not have the obligation to absorb the expected losses of the entity; (3) do not have the right to receive the expected residual returns of the entity; or (4) have voting rights that are not proportionate to their economic interests and the entity’s activities involve or are conducted on behalf of an investor with a disproportionately small voting interest.

We have determined that TUI Cruises GmbH, our 50%-owned joint venture, which operates the brand TUI Cruises, is a VIE. As of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014,2016, the net book value of our investment including equity and loans, in TUI Cruises was approximately $338.4$513.6 million, consisting of $304.3 million in equity and $370.1 million, respectively.a loan of $209.3 million. The loan, which was made in connection with the sale of Splendour of the Seas in April 2016, accrues interest at a rate of 6.25% per annum and is payable over a 10-year term. This loan is 50% guaranteed by TUI AG, our joint venture partner, and is secured by a first priority mortgage on the ship. Refer to Note 4. Property and Equipment for further information. As of September 30,December 31, 2015, this amountthe net book value of our investment in TUI Cruises was approximately $293.8 million, consisting of equity. The majority of these amounts were included within Other assets in our consolidated balance sheets.

 In addition, we and TUI AG our joint venture partner, have each guaranteed the repayment of 50% of a bank loan originally borrowed by TUI Cruises in 2011 and refinanced in May 2015. In connection with the refinancing, the principal amount of the loan was increased by €40.0 million.loan. As of September 30, 2015,2016, the outstanding principal amount of the loan was €142.7€121.6 million, or approximately $159.3$136.6 million based on the exchange rate at September 30, 2015. In addition the maturity date was extended from2016. While this loan matures in May 2016 to May 2022. Notwithstanding this,2022, the lenders have agreed to release each shareholder's guarantee in 2018. The loan continues to amortizeamortizes quarterly and to beis secured by first mortgages on the Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 vessels. Based on current facts and circumstances, we do not believe potential obligations under our guarantee of this bank loan are probable.

The €40.0 million of additional proceeds received by TUI Cruises in connection with the refinancing of the bank loan discussed above were used during the second quarter of 2015 to repay in full the outstanding balance of the debt facility we originally provided to TUI Cruises in 2011 in connection with our sale of Celebrity Mercury.

Our investment amount, outstanding term loan and the potential obligations under thisthe bank loan guarantee are substantially our maximum exposure to loss.loss in connection with our investment in TUI Cruises. We have determined that we are not the primary beneficiary of TUI Cruises. We believe that the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact TUI Cruises’ economic performance are shared between ourselves and TUI AG. All the significant operating and financial decisions of TUI Cruises require the consent of both parties, which we believe creates shared power over TUI Cruises. Accordingly, we do not consolidate this entity and account for this investment under the equity method of accounting.


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As of September 30, 2015,2016, TUI Cruises has fourthree newbuild ships on order with Meyer Turku scheduled to be delivered in each of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. TUI Cruises has in place commitmentsagreements for the secured financing of each of the ships on order for up to 80% of the contract price of each ship on order.price. The remaining portion of the contract price of the ships willis expected to be funded with athrough an existing €150.0 million bank facility and TUI Cruises’ cash flows from operations. The various ship construction and creditfinancing agreements include certain restrictions on each of our and TUI AG’s ability to reduce our current ownership interest in TUI Cruises below 37.55% through 2021.

In March 2015,We have determined that RCHE, in which we announcedhave a 49% noncontrolling interest, is a VIE for which we are not the pendingprimary beneficiary, as we do not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance. Accordingly, subsequent to the sale of Splendourour 51% interest in RCHE to Springwater Capital LLC ("Springwater"), we do not consolidate this entity and we account for this investment under the equity method of accounting. As of September 30, 2016, the net book value of our investment in RCHE was approximately $25.0 million, consisting of reimbursement commitments from several RCHE subsidiaries to RCL for fuel hedge costs related to Pullmantur and CDF through the closing date and as a condition of the Seassale. The amount is payable through 2019 and is 51% guaranteed by Springwater. This amount was included within Trade and Other Receivables and Other assets in our consolidated balance sheets and represents our maximum exposure to TUI Cruises. The sale for €188.0 million is scheduledloss related to be completedour investment in April 2016 in order to retain the future revenues to be generated for sailings through that date. AfterRCHE.

In conjunction with the sale, TUI Cruises will leasewe provided a non-revolving working capital facility to an RCHE subsidiary in the shipamount of up to Thomson Cruises, which will operate the ship. The purchase price will be financed by us under a secured credit agreement to be repaid over 10 years. The resulting term loan will be 50% guaranteed by TUI AG and will be secured by a first mortgage€15.0 million or approximately $16.9 million based on the ship. Interestexchange rate at September 30, 2016. Proceeds of the facility,

which may be drawn through July 2018, will accruebear interest at the rate of 6.25%6.5% per annum. We executed certain forward contracts to lock inannum and are payable through 2022. Springwater has guaranteed repayment of 51% of the oustanding amounts under the facility. As of September 30, 2016, no amounts had been drawn on this facility. See Note 1. General for further discussion on the sales price of the ship at approximately $213 million. We expect to recognize a gain on the sale, which we do not expect will have a material effect to our consolidated financial statements.transaction.

We have determined that Grand Bahama Shipyard Ltd. (“Grand Bahama”), a ship repair and maintenance facility in which we have a 40% noncontrolling interest, is a VIE. TheThis facility serves cruise and cargo ships, oil and gas tankers and offshore units.  We utilize this facility, among other ship repair facilities, for our regularly scheduled drydocks and certain emergency repairs as may be required. During the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016, we made payments of $2.6 million and $36.0 million, respectively, to Grand Bahama for ship repair and maintenance services. We have determined that we are not the primary beneficiary of this facility as we do not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the facility’s economic performance. Accordingly, we do not consolidate this entity and we account for this investment under the equity method of accounting. As of September 30, 2016, the net book value of our investment in Grand Bahama was approximately $45.7 million, consisting of $21.9 million in equity and a loan of $23.8 million. As of December 31, 2015, the net book value of our investment in Grand Bahama was approximately $52.7$51.2 million, consisting of $12.5$12.6 million in equity and $40.2 million in loans. Asa loan of December 31, 2014, the net book value of our investment in Grand Bahama was approximately $53.8 million, consisting of $7.7 million in equity and $46.1 million in loans.$38.6 million. These amounts represent our maximum exposure to loss. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and September 30, 2014, we received approximately $3.1 million and $3.6 million, respectively, in principal and interest paymentsloss related to a loan that isour investment in accrual status fromGrand Bahama. Our debt agreement with Grand Bahama which was paid in fullamended during the quarter ended June 30, 2015.March 31, 2016 to extend the maturity by 10 years and increase the applicable interest rate to the lower of (i) LIBOR plus 3.50% and (ii) 5.5%. Interest payable on the loan is due on a semi-annual basis. We continue to classify the loan, as modified, as non-accrual status. The remaining amount of our loan to Grand Bahama is in non-accrual status andbalance is included within Other assets in our consolidated balance sheets for which we received payments of approximately $2.8 million duringsheets. During the quarter ended September 30, , 2015.2016, no principal payments were made. During the nine months ended September 30, 2016 we received principal payments of approximately $14.8 million. We monitor credit risk associated with thisthe loan through our participation on Grand Bahama’s board of directors along with our review of Grand Bahama’s financial statements and projected cash flows. Based on this review, we believe the risk of loss associated with the outstanding loan is not probable as of September 30, 2015.2016.

We have determined that Skysea Holding International Ltd. ("Skysea Holding"), in which we have a 35% noncontrolling interest, is a VIE for which we are not the primary beneficiary, as we do not have the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the entity's economic performance. Accordingly, we do not consolidate this entity and we account for this investment under the equity method of accounting. In addition,December 2014, we and Ctrip.com International Ltd, which also owns 35% of Skysea Holding, each provided a debt facility to a wholly owned subsidiary of Skysea Holding in the amount of $80.0 million. Interest under these facilities, which mature in January 2030, initially accrues at a rate of 3.0% per annum with an increase of at least 0.5% every two years through maturity. The facilities, which are pari passu to each other, are each 100% guaranteed by Skysea Holding and are secured by a first priority mortgagemortgages on the ship, Golden EraEra. , formerly known as Celebrity Century, whichIn September 2016, we soldand Ctrip.com International Ltd each provided an additional debt facility to a wholly owned subsidiary of Skysea Holding in September 2014.the amount of up to $3.8 million. Interest under these facilities, which mature in December 2016, accrues at a rate of 3.0% per annum. As of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014,2016, the net book value of our investment in Skysea Holding and its subsidiaries includingwas approximately $95.5 million, consisting of $11.2 million in equity and loans of $84.3 million. As of December 31, 2015, the net book value of our investment in Skysea Holding and its subsidiaries was approximately $101.6$99.8 million, consisting of $17.3 million in equity and $106.3 million, respectively. This amount wasa loan of $82.4 million. The majority of these amounts were included within Other assets in our consolidated balance sheets. Our investment amount is substantiallysheets and represent our maximum exposure to loss. During the quarter ended June 30, 2015,loss related to our investment in Skysea Holding and its subsidiaries commenced operations through the brand SkySea Cruises.Holding.

Our share of income fromThe following table sets forth information regarding our investments accounted for under the equity method of accounting, including the entities discussed above, was $38.4 million and $25.7 million for the quarters ended September 30, 2015 and September 30, 2014, respectively, and $62.2 million and $34.7 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and September 30, 2014, respectively, and was recorded(in thousands):
  Quarter Ended September 30, 2016 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015
Share of equity income from investments (1)
 $46,539
 $38,359
 $94,832
 $62,183
Dividends received $47,491
 $1,347
 $71,370
 $5,327

(1) Our share of equity income from investments are reported within Other income.in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) and Other, net within Operating Activitiesin our consolidated statements of cash flows.


We also provide ship management services to TUI Cruises GmbH, RCHE and Skysea Holding. Additionally, we bareboat charter to Pullmantur the vessels currently operated by its brands, which were retained by us. We recorded the following as it relates to these services in our operating results within our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) (in thousands):
  Quarter Ended September 30, 2016 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015
Revenues $9,300 $3,940 $17,888 $15,557
Expenses $2,410 $2,606 $8,930 $12,149


Note 6. Long-Term Debt

In February 2016, we amended our unsecured term loans for Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas to reduce the margins on those facilities and incorporate certain covenant improvements included in our more recent credit facilities. The interest rate on both the $420.0 million floating rate tranche of the Oasis of the Seas term loan and the $1.1 billion Allure of the Seas term loan was reduced from LIBOR plus 1.85% to LIBOR plus 1.65%. These amendments did not result in the extinguishment of debt.

In February 2016, we agreed with the lenders on our €365.0 million unsecured term loan due 2017 to convert €247.5 million, or $273.2 million, of the outstanding principal balance from Euro to US dollars. Interest on the new US dollar tranche accrues at a floating rate based on LIBOR plus the applicable margin. The balance of the facility of €117.5 million will remain outstanding in Euro and will continue to accrue interest at a floating rate based on EURIBOR, subject to a 0% floor, plus the applicable margin. The applicable margin varies with our debt rating and was 1.75% as of September 30, 2016. The amendment did not result in the extinguishment of debt.

In April 2015,2016, we took delivery of AnthemOvation of the Seas. To finance the purchase, we borrowed $742.1$841.8 million under a previously committed unsecured term loan which is 95% guaranteed by Euler Hermes Deutschland AG ("Hermes"), the official export credit agency of Germany. The loan amortizes semi-annually over 12 years and bears interest at LIBOR plus a margin of 1.30%1.00%, totaling 1.71%1.91% as of September 30, 2015. Refer2016. During 2015, we entered into forward-starting interest rate swap agreements which effectively converted $830.0 million of the loan from the floating rate available to us per the credit agreement to a fixed rate, including the applicable margin, of 3.16% effective from April 2016 through the maturity of the loan. See Note 10. Fair Value Measurements and Derivative Instruments for further information regarding these agreements.

In April 2016, we entered into and drew in full on a credit agreement which provides an unsecured term loan in the amount of $200 million. The loan is due and payable at maturity in April 2017. Interest on the loan accrues at a floating rate based on LIBOR plus a margin of 1.30%, totaling 1.82% as of September 30, 2016. The proceeds from this loan were used to repay amounts outstanding under our unsecured revolving credit facilities.

In May 2016, we took delivery of Harmony of the Seas. To finance the purchase, we borrowed an unsecured Euro-denominated term loan in the amount of €700.7 million, or $787.2 million based on the exchange rate at September 30, 2016, and an unsecured US dollar-denominated term loan in the amount of $226.1 million under previously committed credit agreements. Both of the facilities are 100% guaranteed by Compagnie Francaise d’Assurance pour le Commerce Extérieur (“COFACE”), the official export credit agency of France. The Euro-denominated term loan amortizes semi-annually over 12 years and bears interest at EURIBOR, subject to a 0% floor, plus the applicable margin of 1.15%, totaling 1.15% as of September 30, 2016. The US dollar-denominated term loan amortizes semi-annually over 12 years and bears interest at a fixed rate of 2.53%. During 2015, we entered into forward-starting interest rate swap agreements relatedwhich effectively converted €693.4 million, or $779.0 million based on the exchange rate at September 30, 2016, of the Euro-denominated term loan from the floating rate per the credit agreement to this loan.


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In June 2015, we amended and restated our $1.1 billion unsecured revolving credit facility due July 2016. The amendment reduceda fixed rate, including the applicable margin, and facility fee and extendedof 2.26% effective from May 2016 through the termination date to June 2020. The applicable margin and facility fee vary with our debt rating and were 1.50% and 0.25%, respectively, as of September 30, 2015. We have the right to request an increase in the capacitymaturity of the amended facility by an additional $300 million, subject to the receipt of additional or increased lender commitments,loan. See Note 10. Fair Value Measurements and to extend the termination date by up to two years, subject to lender consent. Additionally, in July 2015, we amended our $1.2 billion unsecured revolving credit facility due August 2018 to reduce pricing in line with the amended pricing of the $1.1 billion unsecured revolving credit facility. These amendments did not result in the extinguishment of debt.Derivative Instruments for further information regarding these agreements.

In July 2015, we also amended our $380.0 million, €365.0 million, $290.0 million and $65.0 million unsecured term loans due at various dates from 2016 through 2019 to reduce the applicable margins. The margins are currently 1.75% for each loan based on our debt rating as of September 30, 2015. The termination date of the $290 million unsecured term loan was extended from February 2016 to February 2018. None of these amendments resulted in the extinguishment of debt.

In October 2015, we received increased lender commitments for our unsecured revolving credit facility due June 2020 in the amount of $300 million, bringing our total capacity under this facility to $1.4 billion.

Note 7. Commitments and Contingencies

Ship Purchase Obligations

As of September 30, 2016, the aggregate cost of our ships on firm order, not including the TUI Cruises' ships on order and those subject to conditions to effectiveness, was approximately $5.3 billion, of which we had deposited $282.0 million as of such date. Approximately 56.1% of the aggregate cost was exposed to fluctuations in the Euro exchange rate at September 30, 2016. Refer to Note 10. Fair Value Measurements and Derivative Instruments for further information.


In January 2015,June 2016, we entered into a financing arrangementcredit agreements for the US dollarunsecured financing of our first two "Project Edge" ships for up to 80% of each ship’s contract price through facilities to be guaranteed 100% by COFACE. The ships are expected to enter service in the fourth Oasis-class ship. Throughquarter of 2018 and the first half of 2020, respectively. Under these financing arrangement,arrangements, we have the right, but not the obligation, to satisfy the obligations to be incurred upon delivery and acceptance of theeach vessel under the shipbuilding contract by assuming, at delivery and acceptance, the debt indirectly incurred by the shipbuilder during the construction of theeach ship. The maximum loan amount assumed under this arrangementeach facility is not to exceed the US dollar equivalent of €931.2€622.6 million and €652.6 million, or approximately $1.0 billion,$699.4 million and $733.1 million, respectively, based on the exchange rate at September 30, 2015.2016, for the first "Project Edge" ship delivery and the second "Project Edge" ship delivery, respectively. The loan, if we were to elect assumption at the date of actual delivery,loans will amortize semi-annually and will mature 12 years following delivery of theeach ship. At our election, interestInterest on the loanloans will accrue either (1) at a fixed rate of 3.82% (inclusive of the applicable margin) or (2) at a floating rate equal to LIBOR plus 1.10%3.23%.

In June 2015,September 2016, we entered into an agreementsigned conditional agreements with Meyer WerftSTX France to build the fourth Quantum-classa fifth Oasis-class ship for Royal Caribbean International. We have also received a commitment for the unsecured financing of up to 80% of the ship’s contract price. Hermes has agreed to guarantee to the lenders payment of 95% of the financing. The ship will have a capacity of approximately 4,150 berths and is expected to enter servicebe delivered in the second quarter of 2019.2021, and a third and fourth "Project Edge" ship expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of each of 2021 and 2022. These agreements are contingent upon completion of conditions precedent, including financing.

In October 2015, our conditional agreements2016, we signed a memorandum of understanding with STX FranceMeyer Turku to build two ships of a new generation of Celebrity Cruises ships for Royal Caribbean International, known as "Project Edge" became effective. We received commitments for the unsecured financing of the ships for up to 80% of the ship’s contract price through a facility to be guaranteed 100% by COFACE. The ships will each have a capacity of approximately 2,900 berths andIcon", which are expected to enter service in the fourth quartersecond quarters of 20182022 and 2024, respectively. While the first halfdesign is still being finalized, each ship will likely accommodate approximately 5,000 guests. These orders are contingent upon completion of 2020, respectively.

As of September 30, 2015, the aggregate cost of our ships on order, notconditions precedent, including the "Project Edge" shipsdocumentation and the TUI Cruises' ships on order, was approximately $5.0 billion, of which we had deposited $449.8 million as of such date. Approximately 43.7% of the aggregate cost was exposed to fluctuations in the Euro exchange rate at September 30, 2015. Refer to Note 10. Fair Value Measurements and Derivative Instruments for further information.

Litigationfinancing.
 
As previously reported in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, a class action complaint was filed in June 2011 against Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida on behalf of a purported class of stateroom attendants employed onboard Royal Caribbean International cruise vessels. The complaint alleged that the stateroom attendants were required to pay other crew members to help with their duties and that certain stateroom attendants were required to work back of house assignments without the ability to earn gratuities, in each case in violation of the U.S. Seaman’s Wage Act. In May 2012, the district court granted our motion to dismiss the complaint on the basis that the applicable collective bargaining agreement requires any such claims to be arbitrated. The United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, affirmed the district court’s dismissal and denied the plaintiffs’ petition for re-hearing and re-hearing en banc. In October 2014, the United States Supreme Court denied the plaintiffs’ request to review the order compelling arbitration. Subsequently, approximately 575 crew members submitted demands for arbitration. The demands make substantially the same allegations as in the federal court complaint and are similarly seeking damages, wage penalties and interest in an indeterminate amount. Unlike the federal court complaint, the demands for arbitration are being brought individually by each of the crew members and not on behalf of a purported class of stateroom attendants. At this time, we are unable to estimate the possible impact of this matter on us. However, we believe the underlying claims made against us are without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves against them.Litigation

11



In April 2015, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation issued Notices of Violation to Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises seeking monetary penalties for alleged violations of the Alaska Marine Visible Emission Standards that occurred over the past five years on certain of our vessels. We believe we have meritorious defenses to the allegations and we are cooperating with the state of Alaska. We do not believe that the ultimate outcome of these claims will have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations and cash flows.

We are routinely involved in other claims typical within the cruise vacation industry. The majority of these claims are covered by insurance. We believe the outcome of such claims, net of expected insurance recoveries, will not have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations and cash flows.

Other
 
In July 2016, we executed an agreement with Miami Dade County (“MDC”), which was simultaneously assigned to Sumitomo Banking Corporation (“SMBC”), to lease land from MDC and construct a new cruise terminal at PortMiami in Miami, Florida. The terminal is expected to be approximately 170,000 square-feet and will serve as a homeport. During the construction period, SMBC will fund the costs of the terminal’s construction and land lease. Upon completion of the terminal's construction, we will operate and lease the terminal from SMBC for a five-year term. We determined that the lease arrangement between SMBC and us should be accounted for as an operating lease upon completion of the terminal.
If (i) any person other than A. Wilhelmsen AS. and Cruise Associates and their respective affiliates (the “Applicable Group”) acquires ownership of more than 33%50% of our common stock and the Applicable Group owns less of our common stock than such person, or, (ii) subject to certain exceptions, during any 24-month period, a majority of the Board is no longer comprised of individuals who were members of the Board on the first day of such period, we may be obligated to prepay indebtedness outstanding under our ship financingcredit facilities, which we may be unable to replace on similar terms. Our otherpublic debt agreementssecurities also contain change of control provisions that would be triggered by thea third-party acquisition of greater than 50% of our common stock by (i) any person or (ii) in the case of our public debt securities, by a person other than a member of the Applicable Group coupled with a ratings downgrade. If this were to occur, it would have an adverse impact on our liquidity and operations.

Note 8. Shareholders’ Equity

In September 2016, we declared a cash dividend on our common stock of $0.48 per share which was paid in October of 2016. During the first and second quarters of 2016, we declared and paid a cash dividend on our common stock of $0.375 per share. During the first quarter of 2016, we also paid a cash dividend on our common stock of $0.375 per share which was declared during the fourth quarter of 2015.

During the third quarter of 2015, we declared a cash dividend on our common stock of $0.375 per share which was paid in the fourth quarterOctober of 2015. During the first and second quarters of 2015, we declared and paid a cash dividend on our common stock of $0.30 per share. During the first quarter of 2015, we also paid a cash dividend on our common stock of $0.30 per share which was declared during the fourth quarter of 2014.

During the third quarter

In October 2015, our board of directors authorized a common stock repurchase program for up to $500 million. The timingmillion that was completed in August 2016. During the first, second and numberthird quarters of 2016, we purchased 2.8 million, 0.6 million and 0.7 million shares, purchased will depend on a variety of factors including price and market conditions.  Repurchases under the program are expected to be funded from available cash or borrowings under our revolving credit facilities. On October 23, 2015, we executed an agreement with an investment bank to purchaserespectively, for a total of $200$200.0 million, $50.0 million and $50.0 million, respectively, in open market transactions. These transactions were recorded within Treasury stock in our consolidated balance sheet. Our repurchases under this program, including the $200.0 million of the $500 million authorized amount, of our common stock under an accelerated stock repurchase (ASR) transaction. Under the terms of the ASR agreement, we will receive upfront the majority of the shares of our common stock to be repurchased based on current market prices in exchange for a prepayment of $200 million. The final number of shares to be repurchased will be determined upon settlement based on the average of the daily volume-weighted average prices of our common stock during the termfourth quarter of the transaction, less a discount (the "Final Repurchase Price"). Upon final settlement, which is expected no later than the end of January 2016, and depending on the Final Repurchase Price, the investment bank may be required to deliver additional shares of common stock to us or we may be required to deliver shares of common stock or to make a cash payment, at our election, to the investment bank. The initial shares received upon prepayment and incremental shares received at maturity, if any, will be recorded in Shareholders’ equity upon delivery, based on the current market price of our common stock. Future stock repurchase transactions could include open market purchases or additional accelerated share repurchases. We expect to complete the program by the end of 2016.2015, totaled $500.0 million.

Note 9. Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
 
The following table presents the changes in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) by component for the nine months ended September 30, 20152016 and 20142015 (in thousands):
 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014
 Changes
related to
cash flow
derivative
hedges
 Changes in
defined
benefit plans
 Foreign
currency
translation
adjustments
 Accumulated other
comprehensive loss
 Changes
related to
cash flow
derivative
hedges
 Changes in
defined
benefit plans
 Foreign
currency
translation
adjustments
 Accumulated other
comprehensive loss
Accumulated comprehensive (loss) income at beginning of the year$(826,026) $(31,207) $(39,761) $(896,994) $43,324
 $(23,994) $(13,659) $5,671
Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications(483,946) 4,213
 (23,994) (503,727) (339,415) (6,829) (19,842) (366,086)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income202,978
 1,354
 
 204,332
 16,236
 1,293
 1,997
 19,526
Net current-period other comprehensive (loss) income(280,968) 5,567
 (23,994) (299,395) (323,179) (5,536) (17,845) (346,560)
Ending balance$(1,106,994) $(25,640) $(63,755) $(1,196,389) $(279,855) $(29,530) $(31,504) $(340,889)
 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015
 Changes
related to
cash flow
derivative
hedges
 Changes in
defined
benefit plans
 Foreign
currency
translation
adjustments
 Accumulated other
comprehensive loss
 Changes
related to
cash flow
derivative
hedges
 Changes in
defined
benefit plans
 Foreign
currency
translation
adjustments
 Accumulated other
comprehensive loss
Accumulated comprehensive loss at beginning of the year$(1,232,073) $(26,447) $(69,913) $(1,328,433) $(826,026) $(31,207) $(39,761) $(896,994)
Other comprehensive (loss) income before reclassifications(9,150) (13,521) 8,423
 (14,248) (483,946) 4,213
 (23,994) (503,727)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss263,774
 1,373
 
 265,147
 202,978
 1,354
 
 204,332
Net current-period other comprehensive income (loss)254,624
 (12,148) 8,423
 250,899
 (280,968) 5,567
 (23,994) (299,395)
Ending balance$(977,449) $(38,595) $(61,490) $(1,077,534) $(1,106,994) $(25,640) $(63,755) $(1,196,389)

The following table presents reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) for the quarterquarters and nine months ended September 30, 20152016 and 20142015 (in thousands):
 Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from
Accumulated Other Comprehensive  Income (Loss) into Income
   Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income  
Details About Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income (Loss) Components
 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Quarter Ended September 30, 2014 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014 Affected Line Item in  Statements of
Comprehensive Income (Loss)
 Quarter Ended September 30, 2016 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Affected Line Item in  Statements of
Comprehensive Income (Loss)
(Loss) gain on cash flow derivative hedges:  
    
      
    
    
Cross currency swaps $
 $
 $
 $(261) Interest expense, net of interest capitalized
Interest rate swaps (10,276) (3,106) (27,024) (9,312) Interest expense, net of interest capitalized $(11,953) $(10,276) $(32,019) $(27,024) Interest expense, net of interest capitalized
Foreign currency forward contracts (752) (450) (2,153) (1,348) Depreciation and amortization expenses (2,710) (752) (5,408) (2,153) Depreciation and amortization expenses
Foreign currency forward contracts (239) (238) (715) (4,052) Other income (3,465) (239) (10,206) (715) Other income
Foreign currency forward contracts 
 
 
 (57) Interest expense, net of interest capitalized 
 
 (207) 
 Other operating
Foreign currency collar options (568) 
 (1,003) 
 Depreciation and amortization expenses (601) (568) (1,806) (1,003) Depreciation and amortization expenses
Fuel swaps (65,975) (1,996) (172,083) (1,206) Fuel 2,760
 
 9,356
 
 Other income
Fuel swaps (64,654) (65,975) (223,484) (172,083) Fuel
 (77,810) (5,790) (202,978) (16,236)   (80,623) (77,810) (263,774) (202,978)  
Amortization of defined benefit plans:  
          
        
Actuarial loss (354) (222) (1,061) (666) Payroll and related (285) (354) (1,373) (1,061) Payroll and related
Prior service costs 
 (209) (293) (627) Payroll and related 
 
 
 (293) Payroll and related
 (354) (431) (1,354) (1,293)   (285) (354) (1,373) (1,354)  
Release of foreign cumulative translation due to sale of Pullmantur's non-core businesses:         
Foreign cumulative translation 
 
 
 (1,997) Other operating
Total reclassifications for the period $(78,164) $(6,221) $(204,332) $(19,526)   $(80,908) $(78,164) $(265,147) $(204,332)  

12


Note 10. Fair Value Measurements and Derivative Instruments
 
Fair Value Measurements
 
The estimated fair value of our financial instruments that are not measured at fair value, categorized based upon the fair value hierarchy, are as follows (in thousands):
 
 Fair Value Measurements at September 30, 2015 Using Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2014 Using Fair Value Measurements at September 30, 2016 Using Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2015 Using
Description Total Carrying Amount Total Fair Value 
Level 1(1)
 
Level 2(2)
 
Level 3(3)
 Total Carrying Amount Total Fair Value 
Level 1(1)
 
Level 2(2)
 
Level 3(3)
 Total Carrying Amount Total Fair Value 
Level 1(1)
 
Level 2(2)
 
Level 3(3)
 Total Carrying Amount Total Fair Value 
Level 1(1)
 
Level 2(2)
 
Level 3(3)
Assets:                                        
Cash and cash equivalents(4)
 $147,419
 $147,419
 $147,419
 $
 $
 $189,241
 $189,241
 $189,241
 $
 $
 $178,428
 $178,428
 $178,428
 $
 $
 $121,565
 $121,565
 $121,565
 $
 $
Total Assets $147,419
 $147,419
 $147,419
 $
 $
 $189,241
 $189,241
 $189,241
 $
 $
 $178,428
 $178,428
 $178,428
 $
 $
 $121,565
 $121,565
 $121,565
 $
 $
Liabilities:                                        
Long-term debt (including current portion of long-term debt)(5)
 $8,438,804
 $8,732,461
 $1,556,756
 $7,175,705
 $
 $8,391,301
 $8,761,414
 $1,859,361
 $6,902,053
 $
 $9,675,483
 $10,225,707
 $1,232,284
 $8,993,423
 $
 $8,478,473
 $8,895,009
 $1,536,629
 $7,358,380
 $
Total Liabilities $8,438,804
 $8,732,461
 $1,556,756
 $7,175,705
 $
 $8,391,301
 $8,761,414
 $1,859,361
 $6,902,053
 $
 $9,675,483
 $10,225,707
 $1,232,284
 $8,993,423
 $
 $8,478,473
 $8,895,009
 $1,536,629
 $7,358,380
 $

(1) Inputs based on quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that we have the ability to access. Valuation of these items does not entail a significant amount of judgment.
(2) Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the liability, either directly or indirectly. For unsecured revolving credit facilities and unsecured term loans, fair value is determined utilizing the income valuation approach. This valuation model takes into account the contract terms of our debt such as the debt maturity and the interest rate on the debt. The valuation model also takes into account the creditworthiness of the Company.
(3) Inputs that are unobservable. The Company did not use any Level 3 inputs as of September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 2014.2015.
(4) Consists of cash and marketable securities with original maturities of less than 90 days.
(5) Consists of unsecured revolving credit facilities, senior notes, senior debentures and term loans. Does not include our capital lease obligations.
 
Other Financial Instruments
 
The carrying amounts of accounts receivable, accounts payable, accrued interest and accrued expenses approximate fair value at September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 2014.2015.
 

Assets and liabilities that are recorded at fair value have been categorized based upon the fair value hierarchy. The following table presents information about the Company’s financial instruments recorded at fair value on a recurring basis (in thousands):
 Fair Value Measurements at September 30, 2015 Using Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2014 Using Fair Value Measurements at September 30, 2016 Using Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2015 Using
Description Total 
Level 1(1)
 
Level 2(2)
 
Level 3(3)
 Total 
Level 1(1)
 
Level 2(2)
 
Level 3(3)
 Total 
Level 1(1)
 
Level 2(2)
 
Level 3(3)
 Total 
Level 1(1)
 
Level 2(2)
 
Level 3(3)
Assets:  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Derivative financial instruments(4)
 $113,279
 $
 $113,279
 $
 $63,981
 $
 $63,981
 $
 $36,697
 $
 $36,697
 $
 $134,574
 $
 $134,574
 $
Investments(5)
 $3,884
 3,884
 
 
 $5,531
 5,531
 
 
 $3,669
 3,669
 
 
 $3,965
 3,965
 
 
Total Assets $117,163
 $3,884
 $113,279
 $
 $69,512
 $5,531
 $63,981
 $
 $40,366
 $3,669
 $36,697
 $
 $138,539
 $3,965
 $134,574
 $
Liabilities:  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Derivative financial instruments(6)
 $925,202
 $
 $925,202
 $
 $767,635
 $
 $767,635
 $
 $507,202
 $
 $507,202
 $
 $1,044,292
 $
 $1,044,292
 $
Total Liabilities $925,202
 $
 $925,202
 $
 $767,635
 $
 $767,635
 $
 $507,202
 $
 $507,202
 $
 $1,044,292
 $
 $1,044,292
 $

13


(1) Inputs based on quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that we have the ability to access. Valuation of these items does not entail a significant amount of judgment.
(2) Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. For foreign currency forward contracts, interest rate swaps, cross currency swaps and fuel swaps, fair value is derived using valuation models that utilize the income valuation approach. These valuation models take into account the contract terms, such as maturity, as well as other inputs, such as foreign exchange rates and curves, fuel types, fuel curves and interest rate yield curves. Fair value for foreign currency collar options is determined by using standard option pricing models with inputs based on the options’ contract terms, such as exercise price and maturity, and readily available public market data, such as foreign exchange curves, foreign exchange volatility levels and discount rates. All derivative instrument fair values take into account the creditworthiness of the counterparty and the Company.
(3) Inputs that are unobservable. The Company did not use any Level 3 inputs as of September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 2014.2015.
(4) Consists of foreign currency forward contracts, interest rate swaps and fuel swaps. Please refer to the “Fair Value of Derivative Instruments” table for breakdown by instrument type.
(5) Consists of exchange-traded equity securities and mutual funds.funds reported within Other assets in our consolidated balance sheets.
(6) Consists of foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currency collar options, interest rate swaps and fuel swaps. Please refer to the “Fair Value of Derivative Instruments” table for breakdown by instrument type.
 
The reported fair values are based on a variety of factors and assumptions. Accordingly, the fair values may not represent actual values of the financial instruments that could have been realized as of September 30, 20152016 or December 31, 2014,2015, or that will be realized in the future, and do not include expenses that could be incurred in an actual sale or settlement.

The following table presents information about the Company’s goodwill, indefinite-life intangible assets and long-lived assets for our Pullmantur reporting unit recorded at fair value on a nonrecurring basis (in thousands):

  Fair Value Measurements at September 30, 2015 Using
Description Total Carrying Amount Total Fair Value Level 3 Total Impairment
Pullmantur Goodwill (1)
 
 
 
 123,814
Indefinite-life intangible asset—Pullmantur trademarks and trade names (2)
 
 
 
 174,285
Long-lived assets—Pullmantur aircraft and vessels (3)
 147,900
 147,900
 147,900
 113,168
Total 147,900
 147,900
 147,900
 411,267

(1) We estimated the fair value of the Pullmantur reporting unit using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model. The principal assumptions used in the discounted cash flow model are projected operating results, weighted-average cost of capital and terminal value. Significantly impacting these assumptions was the decision to reduce the size of Pullmantur's fleet. The discounted cash flow model used our 2016 projected operating results as a base. To that base we added future years’ cash flows through 2020 assuming multiple revenue and expense scenarios that reflect the impact of different global economic environments for this period on Pullmantur’s reporting unit. We assigned a probability to each revenue and expense scenario. We discounted the projected cash flows using rates specific to Pullmantur’s reporting unit based on its weighted-average cost of capital, which was determined to be 11%.

(2) We estimated the fair value of our indefinite-life intangible asset using a discounted cash flow model and the relief-from-royalty method. These trademarks and trade names relate to Pullmantur and we have used a discount rate of 11.5%, comparable to the rate used in valuing the Pullmantur reporting unit.

(3) We estimated the fair value of our long-lived assets using the market approach for the aircraft and a blended indication from the cost and market approaches for the vessels. A significant input in performing the fair value assessments for these assets was comparable market transactions.
We have master International Swaps and Derivatives Association (“ISDA”) agreements in place with our derivative instrument counterparties. These ISDA agreements provide for final close out netting with our counterparties for all positions in the case of default or termination of the ISDA agreement. We have determined that our ISDA agreements provide us with rights of setoff on the fair value of derivative instruments in a gain position and those in a loss position with the same counterparty. We have elected not to offset such derivative instrument fair values in our consolidated balance sheets.

As of September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 2014,2015, no cash collateral was received or pledged under our ISDA agreements. See Credit Related Contingent Features for further discussion on contingent collateral requirements for our derivative instruments.

14



The following table presents information about the Company’s offsetting of financial assets under master netting agreements with derivative counterparties:

 Gross Amounts not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet that are Subject to Master Netting Agreements Gross Amounts not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet that are Subject to Master Netting Agreements
 As of September 30, 2015 As of December 31, 2014 As of September 30, 2016 As of December 31, 2015
 Gross Amount of Derivative Assets Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Gross Amount of Eligible Offsetting
Recognized
Derivative Liabilities
 Cash Collateral
Received
 Net Amount of
Derivative Assets
 Gross Amount of Derivative Assets Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Gross Amount of Eligible Offsetting
Recognized
Derivative Assets
 Cash Collateral
Received
 Net Amount of
Derivative Assets
 Gross Amount of Derivative Assets Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Gross Amount of Eligible Offsetting
Recognized
Derivative Liabilities
 Cash Collateral
Received
 Net Amount of
Derivative Assets
 Gross Amount of Derivative Assets Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Gross Amount of Eligible Offsetting
Recognized
Derivative Assets
 Cash Collateral
Received
 Net Amount of
Derivative Assets
(In thousands)                                
Derivatives subject to master netting agreements $113,279
 $(112,567) $
 $712
 $63,981
 $(63,981) $
 $
 $36,697
 $(34,517) $
 $2,180
 $134,574
 $(129,815) $
 $4,759
Total $113,279
 $(112,567) $
 $712
 $63,981
 $(63,981) $
 $
 $36,697
 $(34,517) $
 $2,180
 $134,574
 $(129,815) $
 $4,759

The following table presents information about the Company’s offsetting of financial liabilities under master netting agreements with derivative counterparties:

 Gross Amounts not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet that are Subject to Master Netting Agreements Gross Amounts not Offset in the Consolidated Balance Sheet that are Subject to Master Netting Agreements
 As of September 30, 2015 As of December 31, 2014 As of September 30, 2016 As of December 31, 2015
 Gross Amount of Derivative Liabilities Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Gross Amount of Eligible Offsetting
Recognized
Derivative Assets
 Cash Collateral
Pledged
 Net Amount of
Derivative Liabilities
 Gross Amount of Derivative Liabilities Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Gross Amount of Eligible Offsetting
Recognized
Derivative Liabilities
 Cash Collateral
Pledged
 Net Amount of
Derivative Liabilities
 Gross Amount of Derivative Liabilities Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Gross Amount of Eligible Offsetting
Recognized
Derivative Assets
 Cash Collateral
Pledged
 Net Amount of
Derivative Liabilities
 Gross Amount of Derivative Liabilities Presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheet Gross Amount of Eligible Offsetting
Recognized
Derivative Liabilities
 Cash Collateral
Pledged
 Net Amount of
Derivative Liabilities
(In thousands)                                
Derivatives subject to master netting agreements $(925,202) $112,567
 $
 $(812,635) $(767,635) $63,981
 $
 $(703,654) $(507,202) $34,517
 $
 $(472,685) $(1,044,292) $129,815
 $
 $(914,477)
Total $(925,202) $112,567
 $
 $(812,635) $(767,635) $63,981
 $
 $(703,654) $(507,202) $34,517
 $
 $(472,685) $(1,044,292) $129,815
 $
 $(914,477)

Concentrations of Credit Risk
 
We monitor our credit risk associated with financial and other institutions with which we conduct significant business and, to minimize these risks, we select counterparties with credit risks acceptable to us and we seek to limit our exposure to an individual counterparty. Credit risk, including but not limited to counterparty nonperformance under derivative instruments, our credit facilities and new ship progress payment guarantees, is not considered significant, as we primarily conduct business with large, well-established financial institutions, insurance companies and export credit agencies many of which we have long-term relationships with and which have credit risks acceptable to us or where the credit risk is spread out among a large number of counterparties. As of September 30, 2015, our2016, we had counterparty credit risk exposure under our derivative instruments of approximately $2.3 million, which was approximately $0.7 million.limited to the cost of replacing the contracts in the event of non-performance by the counterparties to the contracts, the majority of which are currently our lending banks. As of December 31, 2014,2015, we did not have anyhad counterparty credit risk exposure under our derivative instruments.instruments of approximately $4.8 million, which was limited to the cost of replacing the contracts in the event of non-performance by the counterparties to the contracts, the majority of which are currently our lending banks. We do not anticipate nonperformance by any of our significant counterparties. In addition, we have established guidelines we follow regarding credit ratings and instrument maturities to maintain safety and liquidity. We do not normally require collateral or other security to support credit relationships; however, in certain circumstances this option is available to us.
 

Derivative Instruments
 
We are exposed to market risk attributable to changes in interest rates, foreign currency exchange rates and fuel prices. We manage these risks through a combination of our normal operating and financing activities and through the use of derivative financial instruments pursuant to our

15


hedging practices and policies. The financial impact of these hedging instruments is primarily offset by corresponding changes in the underlying exposures being hedged. We achieve this by closely matching the notional amount, term and conditions of the derivative instrument with the underlying risk being hedged. Although certain of our derivative financial instruments do not qualify or are not accounted for under hedge accounting, we do not hold or issue derivative financial instruments for trading or other speculative purposes. We monitor our derivative positions using techniques including market valuations and sensitivity analyses.
 
We enter into various forward, swap and option contracts to manage our interest rate exposure and to limit our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and fuel prices. These instruments are recorded on the balance sheet at their fair value and the vast majority are designated as hedges. We also haveuse non-derivative financial instruments designated as hedges of our net investment in our foreign operations and investments.
 
At inception of the hedge relationship, a derivative instrument that hedges the exposure to changes in the fair value of a firm commitment or a recognized asset or liability is designated as a fair value hedge. A derivative instrument that hedges a forecasted transaction or the variability of cash flows related to a recognized asset or liability is designated as a cash flow hedge.
 
Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are designated as fair value hedges are offset against changes in the fair value of the underlying hedged assets, liabilities or firm commitments. Gains and losses on derivatives that are designated as cash flow hedges are recorded as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss until the underlying hedged transactions are recognized in earnings. The foreign currency transaction gain or loss of our non-derivative financial instruments and the changes in the fair value of derivatives designated as hedges of our net investment in foreign operations and investments are recognized as a component of Accumulated other comprehensive loss along with the associated foreign currency translation adjustment of the foreign operation.
 
On an ongoing basis, we assess whether derivatives used in hedging transactions are “highly effective” in offsetting changes in the fair value or cash flow of hedged items. We use the long-haul method to assess hedge effectiveness using regression analysis for each hedge relationship under our interest rate, foreign currency and fuel hedging programs. We apply the same methodology on a consistent basis for assessing hedge effectiveness to all hedges within each hedging program (i.e. interest rate, foreign currency and fuel). We perform regression analyses over an observation period of up to three years, utilizing market data relevant to the hedge horizon of each hedge relationship. High effectiveness is achieved when a statistically valid relationship reflects a high degree of offset and correlation between the changes in the fair values of the derivative instrument and the hedged item. The determination of ineffectiveness is based on the amount of dollar offset between the change in fair value of the derivative instrument and the change in fair value of the hedged item at the end of the reporting period. If it is determined that a derivative is not highly effective as a hedge or hedge accounting is discontinued, any change in fair value of the derivative since the last date at which it was determined to be effective is recognized in earnings. In addition, the ineffective portion of our highly effective hedges is immediately recognized in earnings and reported in Other income in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss).
 
Cash flows from derivative instruments that are designated as fair value or cash flow hedges are classified in the same category as the cash flows from the underlying hedged items. In the event that hedge accounting is discontinued, cash flows subsequent to the date of discontinuance are classified within investing activities. Cash flows from derivative instruments not designated as hedging instruments are classified as investing activities.
 
We consider the classification of the underlying hedged item’s cash flows in determining the classification for the designated derivative instrument’s cash flows. We classify derivative instrument cash flows from hedges of benchmark interest rate or hedges of fuel expense as operating activities due to the nature of the hedged item. Likewise, we classify derivative instrument cash flows from hedges of foreign currency risk on our newbuild ship payments as investing activities and derivative instrument cash flows from hedges of foreign currency risk on debt payments as financing activities.
 
Interest Rate Risk
 
Our exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates to our long-term debt obligations including future interest payments. At September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, approximately 33.0%41.4% and 31.2%, respectively, of our long-term debt was effectively fixed as compared to 28.5% as of December 31, 2014.fixed. We use interest rate swap agreements to modify our exposure to interest rate movements and to manage our interest expense.


Market risk associated with our long-term fixed rate debt is the potential increase in fair value resulting from a decrease in interest rates. We use interest rate swap agreements that effectively convert a portion of our fixed-rate debt to a floating-rate basis to manage this risk. At September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 2014,2015, we maintained interest rate swap agreements on the $420.0 million fixed rate portion of our Oasis of the Seas unsecured amortizing term loan and on the $650.0 million unsecured senior notes due 2022. The interest rate swap agreements on Oasis of the Seasfollowing fixed-rate debt effectively changed the interest rate on the balance of the unsecured term loan, which was $227.5 million as of September 30, 2015, from a fixed rate of 5.41% to a LIBOR-based floating rate equal to LIBOR plus 3.87%, currently approximately 4.28%. The interest rate swap agreements on the $650.0 million unsecured senior notes effectively changed the interest rate of the unsecured senior notes from a fixed rate ofinstruments:

16

Debt Instrument
Swap Notional as of September 30, 2016 (In thousands)
MaturityDebt Fixed RateSwap Floating Rate: LIBOR plusAll-in Swap Floating Rate as of September 30, 2016
Oasis of the Seas term loan
$192,500
October 20215.41%3.87%4.78%
Unsecured senior notes650,000
November 20225.25%3.63%4.45%
 $842,500
    

5.25% to a LIBOR-based floating rate equal to LIBOR plus 3.63%, currently approximately 3.95%. These interest rate swap agreements are accounted for as fair value hedges.

Market risk associated with our long-term floating rate debt is the potential increase in interest expense from an increase in interest rates. We use interest rate swap agreements that effectively convert a portion of our floating-rate debt to a fixed-rate basis to manage this risk. In MayAt September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, we entered into forward-startingmaintained interest rate swap agreements that hedgeon the anticipated unsecured amortizingfollowing floating-rate debt instruments:
Debt Instrument
Swap Notional as of September 30, 2016 (In thousands)
MaturityDebt Floating RateAll-in Swap Fixed Rate
Celebrity Reflection term loan
$463,604
October 2024LIBOR plus0.40%2.85%
Quantum of the Seas term loan
643,125
October 2026LIBOR plus1.30%3.74%
Anthem of the Seas term loan
664,583
April 2027LIBOR plus1.30%3.86%
Ovation of the Seas term loan 
830,000
April 2028LIBOR plus1.00%3.16%
Harmony of the Seas term loan (1)
778,966
May 2028EURIBOR plus1.15%2.26%
 $3,380,278
    

(1) Interest rate swap agreements hedging the Euro-denominated term loan that will finance a portion of our purchase offor Harmony of the Seas. Forward-starting interest rate swaps hedging include EURIBOR zero-floors matching the Harmony of the Seas loan will effectively convert the interest rate for €693.4 million, or approximately $774.2 millionhedged debt EURIBOR zero-floor. Amount presented is based on the exchange rate atas of September 30, 2015, of the anticipated loan balance from EURIBOR plus 1.15% to a fixed rate of 2.26% (inclusive of margin) beginning in May 2016. In September 2015, we entered into forward-starting interest rate swap agreements that hedge the anticipated unsecured amortizing term loan that will finance our purchase of Ovation of the Seas. Forward-starting interest rate swaps hedging the Ovation of the Seas loan will effectively convert the interest rate for $830.0 million of the anticipated loan balance from LIBOR plus 1.00% to a fixed rate of 3.16% (inclusive of margin) beginning in April 2016.

These interest rate swap agreements are accounted for as cash flow hedges.
In addition, at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we maintained interest rate swap agreements on our Celebrity Reflection term loan. Our interest rate swap agreements effectively converted the interest rate on a portion of the Celebrity Reflection unsecured amortizing term loan balance of approximately $518.1 million from LIBOR plus 0.40% to a fixed rate (including applicable margin) of 2.85% through the term of the loan. Additionally, at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, we maintained interest rate swap agreements on our Quantum of the Seas term loan. Our interest rate swap agreements effectively converted the interest rate on a portion of the Quantum of the Seas unsecured amortizing term loan balance of approximately $704.4 million from LIBOR plus 1.30% to a fixed rate of 3.74% (inclusive of margin) through the term of the loan. Furthermore, at September 30, 2015, we maintained interest rate swap agreements on our Anthem of the Seas term loan. Our interest rate swap agreements effectively converted the interest rate on a portion of the Anthem of the Seas unsecured amortizing term loan balance of approximately $725.0 million from LIBOR plus 1.30% to a fixed rate of 3.86% (inclusive of margin) through the term of the loan. These interest rate swap agreements are accounted for as cash flow hedges.
 
The notional amount of interest rate swap agreements related to outstanding debt and on our current unfunded financing arrangements as of September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 20142015 was $4.4$4.2 billion and $2.9$4.3 billion, respectively.
 
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk

Derivative Instruments
 
Our primary exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risk relates to our ship construction contracts denominated in Euros, our foreign currency denominated debt and our international business operations. We enter into foreign currency forward contracts, collar options and cross currency swap agreements to manage portions of the exposure to movements in foreign currency exchange rates. As of September 30, 2015,2016, the aggregate cost of our ships on firm order, not including the "Project Edge" ships and the TUI Cruises' ships on order and those subject to conditions to effectiveness, was approximately $5.0$5.3 billion, of which we had deposited $449.8$282.0 million as of such date. Approximately 43.7%At September 30, 2016 and 28.8%December 31, 2015, approximately 56.1% and 58.2%, respectively, of the aggregate cost of the ships under construction was exposed to fluctuations in the Euro exchange rate at September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.rate. The majority of our foreign currency forward contracts, collar options and cross currency swap agreements are accounted for as cash flow, fair value or net investment hedges depending on the designation of the related hedge.

On a regular basis, we enter into foreign currency forward contracts and, from time to time, we utilize cross-currency swap agreements to minimize the volatility resulting from the remeasurement of net monetary assets and liabilities denominated in a currency other than our functional currency or the functional currencies of our foreign subsidiaries. During the third quarter of 2015,2016, we maintained an average of approximately $517.2$801.9 million of these foreign currency forward contracts. These instruments are not designated as hedging instruments. Changes in the fair value of the foreign currency forward contracts resulted in a loss, of approximately $32.7$2.5 million and $35.1$32.7 million respectively, during the quarters ended September 30, 20152016 and September 30, 2014,2015, respectively, and approximately $49.6$11.8 million and $24.2$49.6 million, during the nine months ended September 30, 20152016 and September 30, 2014,2015, respectively, that were recognized in earnings within Other incomein our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss).

We consider our investments in our foreign operations to be denominated in relatively stable currencies and

The notional amount of outstanding foreign exchange contracts including our forward contracts and collar options as of September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 20142015 was $2.5$1.4 billion and $3.0$2.4 billion, respectively.


17


Non-Derivative Instruments

We also address the exposure of our investments in foreign operations by denominating a portion of our debt in our subsidiaries’ and investments’ functional currencies and designating it as a hedge of these subsidiaries and investments. We had designated debt as a hedge of our net investments in Pullmantur and TUI Cruises of approximately €185.9 million and €139.4€290.0 million, or approximately $207.6 million and $168.7$325.8 million, as of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively.2016.

 
Fuel Price Risk
 
Our exposure to market risk for changes in fuel prices relates primarily to the consumption of fuel on our ships. We use fuel swap agreements to mitigate the financial impact of fluctuations in fuel prices.
 
Our fuel swap agreements are accounted for as cash flow hedges. At September 30, 2015,2016, we have hedged the variability in future cash flows for certain forecasted fuel transactions occurring through 2019.2020. As of September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 2014,2015, we had the following outstanding fuel swap agreements:
 Fuel Swap Agreements
 As of September 30, 2016 As of December 31, 2015
 (metric tons)
2016231,000
 930,000
2017799,000
 854,000
2018616,000
 583,000
2019521,000
 231,000
2020307,000
 
 Fuel Swap Agreements
 As of September 30, 2015 As of December 31, 2014
 (metric tons)
2015197,000
 806,000
2016930,000
 802,000
2017854,000
 525,000
2018583,000
 226,000
2019153,000
 
Fuel Swap AgreementsFuel Swap Agreements
As of September 30, 2015 As of December 31, 2014As of September 30, 2016 As of December 31, 2015
(% hedged)(% hedged)
Projected fuel purchases: 
  
 
  
201557% 58%
201665% 55%68% 65%
201759% 35%60% 59%
201840% 15%45% 40%
201910% 
36% 15%
202020% 
 
At September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 2014, $252.02015, $196.2 million and $223.1$321.0 million, respectively, of estimated unrealized net loss associated with our cash flow hedges pertaining to fuel swap agreements were expected to be reclassified to earnings from Accumulated other comprehensive loss within the next twelve months. Reclassification is expected to occur as the result of fuel consumption associated with our hedged forecasted fuel purchases.


18


The fair value and line item caption of derivative instruments recorded within our consolidated balance sheets were as follows:

 Fair Value of Derivative Instruments Fair Value of Derivative Instruments
 Asset Derivatives Liability Derivatives Asset Derivatives Liability Derivatives
 Balance Sheet Location As of September 30, 2015 As of December 31, 2014 Balance Sheet Location As of September 30, 2015 As of December 31, 2014 Balance Sheet Location As of September 30, 2016 As of December 31, 2015 Balance Sheet Location As of September 30, 2016 As of December 31, 2015
 Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value Fair Value
(In thousands)                
Derivatives designated as hedging instruments under ASC 815-20(1)
                
Interest rate swaps Other assets $1,691
 $
 Other long-term liabilities $93,807
 $65,768
 Other assets $15,371
 $
 Other long-term liabilities $139,322
 $67,371
Foreign currency forward contracts Derivative financial instruments 107,668
 
 Derivative financial instruments 292,372
 17,619
 Derivative financial instruments 
 93,996
 Derivative financial instruments 136
 320,873
Foreign currency forward contracts Other assets 
 63,981
 Other long-term liabilities 
 164,627
 Other assets 6,926
 
 Other long-term liabilities 7,392
 
Foreign currency collar options Derivative financial instruments 
 
 Derivative financial instruments 
 21,855
Fuel swaps Derivative financial instruments 
 
 Derivative financial instruments 239,715
 227,512
 Derivative financial instruments 
 
 Derivative financial instruments 183,470
 307,475
Fuel swaps Other assets 
 
 Other long-term liabilities 277,158
 270,254
 Other assets 13,038
 
 Other long-term liabilities 149,110
 325,055
Total derivatives designated as hedging instruments under 815-20 109,359
 63,981
 903,052
 767,635
 35,335
 93,996
 479,430
 1,020,774
Derivatives not designated as hedging instruments under ASC 815-20                
Foreign currency forward contracts Derivative financial instruments $
 $32,339
 Derivative financial instruments $
 $
Fuel swaps Derivative financial instruments 3,079
 
 Derivative financial instruments 17,437
 
 Derivative financial instruments 928
 8,239
 Derivative financial instruments 18,271
 23,518
Fuel swaps Other Assets 841
 
 Other long-term liabilities 4,713
 
 Other Assets 434
 
 Other long-term liabilities 9,501
 
Total derivatives not designated as hedging instruments under 815-20 3,920
 
 22,150
 
 1,362
 40,578
 27,772
 23,518
Total derivatives $113,279
 $63,981
 $925,202
 $767,635
 $36,697
 $134,574
 $507,202
 $1,044,292

(1) Accounting Standard Codification 815-20 “Derivatives and Hedging.”

The carrying value and line item caption of non-derivative instruments designated as hedging instruments recorded within our consolidated
balance sheets were as follows:
 Carrying Value Carrying Value
Non-derivative instrument designated as
hedging instrument under ASC 815-20
 Balance Sheet Location As of September 30, 2015 As of December 31, 2014 Balance Sheet Location As of September 30, 2016 As of December 31, 2015
(In thousands)        
Foreign currency debt Long-term debt $207,585
 $168,718
 Current portion of long-term debt $65,595
 $
Foreign currency debt Long-term debt 260,191
 
 $207,585
 $168,718
 $325,786
 $


19


The effect of derivative instruments qualifying and designated as hedging instruments and the related hedged items in fair value hedges on the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) was as follows:
Derivatives and Related Hedged Items under ASC 815-20 Fair Value Hedging Relationships Location of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative and Hedged Item Amount of Gain (Loss)
Recognized in
Income on Derivative
 Amount of Gain (Loss)
Recognized in
Income on Hedged Item
 Location of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative and Hedged Item Amount of Gain (Loss)
Recognized in
Income on Derivative
 Amount of Gain (Loss)
Recognized in
Income on Hedged Item
Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Quarter Ended September 30, 2014 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Quarter Ended September 30, 2014 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014Quarter Ended September 30, 2016 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Quarter Ended September 30, 2016 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015
(In thousands)                                
Interest rate swaps Interest expense, net of interest capitalized $2,793
 $3,063
 $8,640
 $9,199
 $3,968
 $3,968
 $11,775
 $13,435
 Interest expense, net of interest capitalized $1,737
 $2,793
 $6,075
 $8,640
 $
 $3,968
 $7,203
 $11,775
Interest rate swaps Other income 22,341
 (3,010) 21,780
 24,431
 (20,252) 3,934
 (18,245) (19,122) Other income (7,662) 22,341
 28,592
 21,780
 7,423
 (20,252) (24,878) (18,245)
 $25,134
 $53
 $30,420
 $33,630
 $(16,284) $7,902
 $(6,470) $(5,687) $(5,925) $25,134
 $34,667
 $30,420
 $7,423
 $(16,284) $(17,675) $(6,470)

The effect of derivative instruments qualifying and designated as cash flow hedging instruments on the consolidated financial statements was as follows:
Derivatives
under ASC 815-20 Cash Flow
Hedging
Relationships
 
Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in
Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income (Loss) on Derivative 
(Effective Portion)
 Location of
Gain (Loss)
Reclassified
from
Accumulated
Other Comprehensive
Loss into Income
(Effective
Portion)
 Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income  (Effective Portion)
 
Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in
Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income (Loss) on Derivative 
(Effective Portion)
 Location of
Gain (Loss)
Reclassified
from
Accumulated
Other Comprehensive
Loss into Income
(Effective
Portion)
 Amount of Gain (Loss) Reclassified from
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) into Income  (Effective Portion)
Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Quarter Ended September 30, 2014 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Quarter Ended September 30, 2014 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014Quarter Ended September 30, 2016 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Quarter Ended September 30, 2016 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015
(In thousands)  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
Cross currency swaps $
 $
 $
 $
 Interest expense, net of interest capitalized $
 $��
 $
 $(261)
Interest rate swaps (68,956) 1,331
 (75,104) (71,621) Interest expense, net of interest capitalized (10,276) (3,106) (27,024) (9,312) $6,598
 $(68,956) $(126,505) $(75,104) Interest expense, net of interest capitalized $(11,953) $(10,276) $(32,019) $(27,024)
Foreign currency forward contracts (619) (163,387) (131,211) (172,629) Depreciation and amortization expenses (752) (450) (2,153) (1,348) 11,405
 (619) 22,715
 (131,211) Depreciation and amortization expenses (2,710) (752) (5,408) (2,153)
Foreign currency forward contracts 
 
 
 
 Other income (239) (238) (715) (4,052) 
 
 
 
 Other income (3,465) (239) (10,206) (715)
Foreign currency forward contracts 
 
 
 
 Interest expense, net of interest capitalized 
 
 
 (57) 
 
 
 
 Other operating 
 
 (207) 
Foreign currency collar options 34
 (21,904) (64,559) (30,638) Depreciation and amortization expenses (568) 
 (1,003) 
 
 34
 
 (64,559) Depreciation and amortization expenses (601) (568) (1,806) (1,003)
Fuel swaps (230,761) (71,456) (213,072) (64,527) Fuel (65,975) (1,996) (172,083) (1,206) 
 
 
 
 Other income 2,760
 
 9,356
 
Fuel swaps (3,090) (230,761) 94,640
 (213,072) Fuel (64,654) (65,975) (223,484) (172,083)
 $(300,302) $(255,416) $(483,946) $(339,415)   $(77,810) $(5,790) $(202,978) $(16,236) $14,913
 $(300,302) $(9,150) $(483,946)   $(80,623) $(77,810) $(263,774) $(202,978)


20


Derivatives
under ASC 815-
20 Cash Flow
Hedging
Relationships
 Location of Gain (Loss)
Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion and Amount Excluded from Effectiveness Testing)
 Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion and Amount Excluded from Effectiveness Testing)
Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Quarter Ended September 30, 2014 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014
Derivatives under
ASC 815-20
Cash Flow Hedging
Relationships
 Location of Gain (Loss)
Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion and Amount Excluded from Effectiveness Testing)
 Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivative (Ineffective Portion and Amount Excluded from Effectiveness Testing)
Quarter Ended September 30, 2016 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015
(In thousands)    
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
Interest rate swaps Other income (617) 17
 (395) (78) Other income 90
 (617) (1,152) (395)
Foreign currency forward contracts Other income 
 15
 
 (12) Other income 
 
 (57) 
Fuel swaps Other income (2,353) (8,069) (2,771) (7,607) Other income (8) (2,353) (3,949) (2,771)
 $(2,970) $(8,037) $(3,166) $(7,697) $82
 $(2,970) $(5,158) $(3,166)

The effect of non-derivative instruments qualifying and designated as net investment hedging instruments on the consolidated financial statements was as follows:
 Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)  (Effective Portion) Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Effective Portion)
Non-derivative instruments under ASC 815-20 Net
Investment Hedging Relationships
 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Quarter Ended September 30, 2014 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014 Quarter Ended September 30, 2016 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015
(In thousands)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Foreign Currency Debt $(436) $13,408
 $8,955
 $18,038
 $(3,382) $(436) $1,313
 $8,955
 $(436) $13,408
 $8,955
 $18,038
 $(3,382) $(436) $1,313
 $8,955

There was no amount recognized in income (ineffective portion and amount excluded from effectiveness testing) for the quarters and nine month periodsmonths ended September 30, 20152016 and September 30, 2014,2015, respectively.

The effect of derivatives not designated as hedging instruments on the consolidated financial statements was as follows:
   Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivatives   Amount of Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on Derivatives
Derivatives Not
Designated as Hedging
Instruments under ASC
815-20
 Location of
Gain (Loss) Recognized in
Income on Derivatives
 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Quarter Ended September 30, 2014 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2014 Location of
Gain (Loss) Recognized in
Income on Derivatives
 Quarter Ended September 30, 2016 Quarter Ended September 30, 2015 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016 Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015
(In thousands)    
  
  
  
    
  
  
  
Foreign currency forward contracts Other income $(32,705) $(35,175) $(49,607) $(24,405) Other income $(2,464) $(32,705) $(11,712) $(49,607)
Fuel swaps Other income (76) (220) (191) (1,157) Other income (1,172) (76) (1,224) (191)
   $(32,781) $(35,395) $(49,798) $(25,562)   $(3,636) $(32,781) $(12,936) $(49,798)
 
Credit Related Contingent Features
 
Our current interest rate derivative instruments may require us to post collateral if our Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s credit ratings remain below specified levels. Specifically, if on the fifth anniversary of entering intoexecuting a derivative transactioninstrument, or on any succeeding fifth-year anniversary, our credit ratings for our senior unsecured debt were to be rated below BBB- by Standard & Poor’s and Baa3 by Moody’s, then eachthe counterparty to such derivative transaction with whom we are in a net liability position that exceeds the applicable minimum call amount may periodically demand that we post collateral in an amount equal to the difference between (i) the net liability position. market value of all derivative transactions with such counterparty that have reached their fifth year anniversary, to the extent negative, and (ii) the applicable minimum call amount.

The amount of collateral required to be posted following such event will change each timeas, and to the extent, our net liability position increases or decreases by more than the applicable minimum call amount. If our credit rating for our senior unsecured debt is subsequently equal to or above BBB- by Standard & Poor’s or Baa3 by Moody’s, then any collateral posted at such time will be released to us and we will no longer be required to post collateral unless we meet the collateral trigger requirement at the next fifth-year anniversary. Currently, our senior unsecured debt credit rating is BB+ with a stable outlook by Standard & Poor’s and Ba1 with a stablepositive outlook by Moody’s. We currently have seven interest rate derivative hedges that have a term of at least five years. The aggregate fair values of all derivative instruments with such credit-related contingent features in net liability positions asAs of September 30, 20152016, none of these instruments had reached their fifth anniversary and, December 31, 2014accordingly, we were $93.8 million and $65.8 million, respectively, which do not includerequired to post any collateral as of such date.
During the impactnext twelve months, four of any such derivatives in net asset positions. The earliest that any of the sevenour interest rate derivative hedges will reach their fifth anniversary, iswith the first such anniversary to occur on November 2016. Therefore,If each of these four interest rate hedges had already reached its fifth anniversary as of September 30, 2016, our maximum collateral exposure would have been $96.8 million. Similarly, our maximum collateral exposure as of December 31, 2015, would have been $14.6

million if all hedges scheduled to reach their fifth anniversary date within one year had instead reached their fifth anniversary as of December 31, 2015.

Note 11. Restructuring Charges

Pullmantur Right-sizing Strategy

Pullmantur's strategy over the last several years had focused both on its core cruise market in Spain and on expansion throughout Latin America, especially Brazil. However, due to significant and increased challenges facing Pullmantur's Latin American operations, in 2015, we decided to significantly change our strategy from growing the brand through vessel transfers to a right-sizing strategy. This right-sizing strategy included reducing our exposure to Latin America, refocusing on the brand’s core market of Spain and, consequently, reducing the size of Pullmantur’s fleet.

The right-sizing strategy activities included the closing of Pullmantur's regional head office in Brazil, the redeployment of Pullmantur’s Empress to the Royal Caribbean International brand and personnel reorganization in Pullmantur's headquarters and CDF's office in France. The closure of the Brazil office and the personnel reorganization resulted in the recognition of a liability for one-time termination benefits during the nine months ended September 30, 2016. We also incurred contract termination costs related to the closure of the Brazil office.

As a result of these actions, we incurred restructuring exit costs of $0.3 million and $2.5 million for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively, which are reported within Restructuring charges in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss).

The following table summarizes our restructuring exit costs related to the above strategy (in thousands):
  Beginning
Balance
January 1, 2016
 Accruals Payments Ending Balance September 30, 2016 Cumulative
Charges
Incurred
Termination benefits $
 $2,416
 $2,416
 $
 $2,416
Contract termination costs  
  68
  68
  
  68
Total $
 $2,484
 $2,484
 $
 $2,484

In connection with this strategy, we incurred approximately $3.6 million of other costs during the nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively, that primarily consisted of costs associated with the redeployment of Pullmantur's Empress to the Royal Caribbean International brand that were not required to post collateral for anyreported within Cruise operating expenses,Depreciation and amortization expenses and Marketing, selling and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss).

In July 2016, we sold 51% of our derivative transactions.interest in RCHE, the parent company of the Pullmantur and CDF brands. In connection with the sale, we incurred approximately $3.3 million of other costs during the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016 that were reported within Cruise operating expenses and Marketing, selling and administrative expenses in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). Refer to Note 1. General for further information regarding this sale transaction.

Other Restructuring Initiatives

During the second and third quarters of 2016, we moved forward with certain other initiatives, including the closing of an international office in Brazil related to the Royal Caribbean International brand and personnel reorganization in our corporate offices. These initiatives resulted in restructuring costs of $1.5 million and $4.1 million for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016, respectively. The restructuring costs are mainly due to the recognition of a liability for one-time termination benefits. Through the remainder of 2016, we may incur additional immaterial costs as it relates to the restructuring at our corporate and international offices.



The following table summarizes our restructuring exit costs related to the above initiatives (in thousands):
  Beginning
Balance
January 1, 2016
 Accruals Payments Ending Balance September 30, 2016 Cumulative
Charges
Incurred
Termination benefits $
 $4,128
 $1,584
 $2,544
 $4,128
Contract termination costs  
  15
  15
  
  15
Total $
 $4,143
 $1,599
 $2,544
 $4,143

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
 
Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
 
The discussion under this caption "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and elsewhere in this document includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding guidance (including our expectations for the fourth quarter and full year of 20152016 and our earnings and yield estimates for 20152016 set forth under the heading "Outlook" below, expectations regarding the timing and results of our Double-Double Program and our plans with respect to share repurchases)below), business and industry prospects or future results of operations or financial position, made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are forward-looking. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "goal," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "seek," "should," "will""will," "driving" and similar expressions are intended to further identify any of these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current expectations but they are based on judgments and are inherently uncertain. Furthermore, they are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in those forward-looking statements. Examples of these risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 20142015 and, in particular, the risks discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Part I, Item 1A of that report.
 
All forward-looking statements made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q speak only as of the date of this document.  Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
 
Overview
 
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations has been organized to present the following:

a review of our financial presentation, including discussion of certain operational and financial metrics we utilize to assist us in managing our business;

a discussion of our results of operations for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 20152016 compared to the same periods in 2014;2015;

a discussion of our business outlook, including our expectations for selected financial items for the fourth quarter and full year of 2015;2016; and

a discussion of our liquidity and capital resources, including our future capital and contractual commitments and potential funding sources.
 
Critical Accounting Policies

Valuation of Goodwill, Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets and Long-Lived Assets

Pullmantur is a brand targeted primarily at the Spanish and Latin American markets. These markets have experienced significant volatility and the brand has adopted various changes to its operating strategy as a result. Most recently, in response to favorable economic expectations in Latin America, especially Brazil, management undertook a positioning of the brand to increase sourcing of guests and to deliver deployment for Latin American consumers; transferring newer and more efficient capacity to the brand; and selling Pullmantur’s non-cruise businesses to allow the brand to focus on the core cruise business.

However, the Latin American resurgence was short lived and the core Latin American economies, including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and Venezuela, have regressed and their currencies have materially depreciated versus the US dollar.  During the second quarter of 2015, as a result of the weakness in Latin America, we decided to defer the scheduled transfer of Royal Caribbean International’s Majesty of the Seas to the Pullmantur fleet. During our most recently completed quarter, the negative economic trends significantly deteriorated. Most notably, the Brazilian Real devalued by approximately 22% relative to the US dollar during the third quarter of 2015.
In light of the increased challenges facing Pullmantur’s Latin American strategy, we recently made a decision to significantly change that strategy from growing the brand through vessel transfers to a right-sizing strategy. This right-sizing strategy includes

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reducing our exposure to Latin America, refocusing on the brand’s core market of Spain and, consequently, reducing the size of Pullmantur’s fleet. This strategic change includes a decision to redeploy Pullmantur’s Empress to the Royal Caribbean International brand as well as a decision to cancel the intended transfer of the Majesty of the Seas to Pullmantur. As we previously disclosed, the planned growth of the Pullmantur fleet through the transfer of vessels into the brand has been the most significant assumption within Pullmantur's projected cash flows supporting the recoverability of the Pullmantur reporting unit’s goodwill and trademarks and trade names. Our decision to reduce the size of Pullmantur’s fleet significantly decreases the cash flow projections which have been the basis of our impairment analysis.
As a result of these developments, we performed an interim impairment evaluation of Pullmantur’s goodwill and trademarks and trade names in connection with the preparation of our financial statements for the quarter ended September 30, 2015. We estimated the fair value of the Pullmantur reporting unit using a probability-weighted discounted cash flow model. The estimation of future cash flows requires our significant judgment when making assumptions of expected revenues, operating costs, marketing, selling and administrative expenses, interest rates, ship additions and retirements as well as assumptions regarding the cruise vacation industry’s competitive environment and general and economic business conditions, among other factors.
Due to the previously described market conditions and our recent decision to reduce our exposure to Latin America, refocus on the brand’s core Spanish market and reduce the brand's overall capacity, we reviewed the two-step goodwill impairment test based on the updated cash flow projections. As a result of this analysis, we determined that the carrying value of the Pullmantur reporting unit exceeded its fair value. Similarly, we determined that the carrying value of Pullmantur’s trademarks and trade names exceeded their fair value as well. Accordingly, upon the completion of the two-step impairment test, we recognized an impairment charge of $123.8 million and $174.3 million for goodwill and trademark and trade names, respectively, during the quarter ended September 30, 2015. These charges reflect the full carrying amounts of the goodwill and trademark and trade names leaving Pullmantur with no intangible assets on its books.

Additionally, in conjunction with performing the two-step goodwill impairment test, we identified that the estimated fair value of certain long-lived assets, consisting of two ships and three aircraft were less than their carrying values. As a result of this determination, we evaluated these assets pursuant to our long-lived asset impairment test. The decision to significantly reduce our exposure to the Latin American market negatively impacted the expected undiscounted cash flows of these vessels and aircraft and resulted in an impairment charge of $113.2 million to write down these assets to their estimated fair values during the quarter ended September 30, 2015. The remaining assets for the Pullmantur reporting unit have fair values greater than or equal to their carrying amounts.

The combined impairment charge of $411.3 million related to Pullmantur’s goodwill, trademarks and trade names, vessels and aircraft was recognized in earnings during the quarter ended September 30, 2015 and is reported within Impairment of Pullmantur related assets within our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss). For further information on the fair value measurements used to estimate the fair value of these assets, refer to Note 10. Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures.
For a discussion of our critical accounting policies, refer to Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations within our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.2015.

Seasonality
 
Our revenues are seasonal based on demand for cruises. Demand is strongest for cruises during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months and holidays. In order to mitigate the impact of the winter weather in the Northern Hemisphere and to capitalize on the summer season in the Southern Hemisphere, our brands have focused on deployment to Australia, Latin Americathe Caribbean, Asia and AsiaAustralia during that period.
 
Financial Presentation
 
Description of Certain Line Items
 
Revenues
 
Our revenues are comprised of the following:


Passenger ticket revenues, which consist of revenue recognized from the sale of passenger tickets and the sale of air transportation to and from our ships; and


23


Onboard and other revenues, which consist primarily of revenues from the sale of goods and/or services onboard our ships not included in passenger ticket prices, cancellation fees, sales of vacation protection insurance and pre- and post-cruise tours. Additionally, revenue related to Pullmantur’s travel agency network, land-based tours and air charter business to third parties are included in Onboard and other revenues through March 31, 2014, the date of the sale of Pullmantur's non-core businesses. Onboard and other revenues also includes revenues we receive from independent third party concessionaires that pay us a percentage of their revenues in exchange for the right to provide selected goods and/or services onboard our ships as well as revenues received for our bareboat charter, procurement and management related services we perform on behalf of our unconsolidated affiliates.
 
Cruise Operating Expenses
 
Our cruise operating expenses are comprised of the following:

Commissions, transportation and other expenses, which consist of those costs directly associated with passenger ticket revenues, including travel agent commissions, air and other transportation expenses, port costs that vary with passenger head counts and related credit card fees;

Onboard and other expenses, which consist of the direct costs associated with onboard and other revenues, including the costs of products sold onboard our ships, vacation protection insurance premiums, costs associated with pre- and post-cruise tours and related credit card fees as well as the minimal costs associated with concession revenues, as the costs are mostly incurred by third-party concessionaires and costs incurred for the procurement and management related services we perform on behalf of our unconsolidated affiliates;

Payroll and related expenses, which consist of costs for shipboard personnel (costs associated with our shoreside personnel are included in Marketing, selling and administrative expenses);

Food expenses, which include food costs for both guests and crew;

Fuel expenses, which include fuel and related delivery, storage and storageemission consumable costs includingand the financial impact of fuel swap agreements; and

Other operating expenses, which consist primarily of operating costs such as repairs and maintenance, port costs that do not vary with passenger head counts, vessel related insurance, entertainment and entertainment. Additionally, costs associated with Pullmantur’s travel agency network, land-based toursgains and air charter business/or losses related to third parties are included in Other operating expenses through March 31, 2014, the date of the sale of Pullmantur's non-core businesses.our ships, if any.
 
We do not allocate payroll and related expenses, food expenses, fuel expenses or other operating expenses to the expense categories attributable to passenger ticket revenues or onboard and other revenues since they are incurred to provide the total cruise vacation experience.

Selected Operational and Financial Metrics
 
We utilize a variety of operational and financial metrics which are defined below to evaluate our performance and financial condition. As discussed in more detail herein, certain of these metrics are non-GAAP financial measures, which we believe provide useful information to investors as a supplement to our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. The presentation of non-GAAP financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP.
 
Adjusted Earnings per Share represents Adjusted Net Income divided by weighted average shares outstanding or by diluted weighted average shares outstanding, as applicable. We believe that this non-GAAP measure is meaningful when assessing our performance on a comparative basis.
 
Adjusted Net Income represents net income excluding certain items that we believe adjusting for is meaningful when assessing our performance on a comparative basis. For the periods presented, these items included the impairment of the Pullmantur related assets, net loss related to the elimination of the Pullmantur reporting lag, the net gain related to the sale of the Pullmantur and CDF brands and related costs, restructuring charges and other initiative costs related to our profitability initiatives, the estimated impact of the divested Pullmantur non-core businesses for periods prior to the sales transaction, the loss recognized on the sale of Celebrity Centuryright-sizing strategy and the impact of the change in our voyage proration. The estimated impact of the divested Pullmantur non-core businesses was arrived at by adjusting the net income (loss) of these businesses for the ownership percentage we retained, as well as for intercompany transactions that are no longer eliminated in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) subsequent to the sales transaction.other restructuring initiatives.

24



Available Passenger Cruise Days (“APCD”) is our measurement of capacity and represents double occupancy per cabin multiplied by the number of cruise days for the period. We use this measure to perform capacity and rate analysis to identify our main non-capacity drivers that cause our cruise revenue and expenses to vary.
 
Gross Cruise Costs represent the sum of total cruise operating expenses plus marketing, selling and administrative expenses.
 
Gross Yields represent total revenues per APCD.
 
Net Cruise Costs and Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel represent Gross Cruise Costs excluding commissions, transportation and other expenses and onboard and other expenses and, in the case of Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel, fuel expenses (each of which is described above under the Description of Certain Line Items heading). In measuring our ability to control costs in a manner that positively impacts net income, we believe changes in Net Cruise Costs and Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel to be the most relevant indicators of our performance. A reconciliation of historical Gross Cruise Costs to Net Cruise Costs and Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel is provided below under Results of Operations. We have not provided a quantitative reconciliation of projected Gross Cruise Costs to projected Net Cruise Costs and projected Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel due to the significant uncertainty in projecting the costs deducted to arrive at these measures. Accordingly, we do not believe that reconciling information for such projected figures would be meaningful. ForNet Cruise Costs excludes the periods priornet gain related to the sale of the Pullmantur non-core businesses, Net Cruise Costs excludes the estimated impact of these divested businesses. Net Cruise Costs also excludesand CDF brands and related costs and initiative costs reported within Cruise operating expenses related to our Pullmantur right-sizing strategy and Marketing, selling and administrative expenses, as well as the loss recognized on the sale of Celebrity Century included within Other Operating Expenses.other restructuring initiatives.

Net Revenues represent total revenues less commissions, transportation and other expenses and onboard and other expenses (each of which is described above under the Description of Certain Line Items heading). For the periods prior to the sale of the Pullmantur non-core businesses, we have presented Net Revenues excluding the estimated impact of these divested businesses.
 
Net Yields represent Net Revenues per APCD. We utilize Net Revenues and Net Yields to manage our business on a day-to-day basis as we believe that it is the most relevant measure of our pricing performance because it reflects the cruise revenues earned by us net of our most significant variable costs, which are commissions, transportation and other expenses and onboard and other expenses. A reconciliation of historical Gross Yields to Net Yields is provided below under Results of Operations. We have not provided a quantitative reconciliation of projected Gross Yields to projected Net Yields due to the significant uncertainty in projecting the costs deducted to arrive at this measure. Accordingly, we do not believe that reconciling information for such projected figures would be meaningful. For the periods priorNet Yields excludes initiative costs related to the sale of the Pullmantur non-core businesses, Net Yields excludes the estimated impact of these divested businesses.and CDF brands.
 
Occupancy, in accordance with cruise vacation industry practice, is calculated by dividing Passenger Cruise Days by APCD.  A percentage in excess of 100% indicates that three or more passengers occupied some cabins.
 
Passenger Cruise Days represent the number of passengers carried for the period multiplied by the number of days of their respective cruises.
 
We believe Net Yields, Net Cruise Costs and Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel are our most relevant non-GAAP financial measures. However, a significant portion of our revenue and expenses are denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar. Because our reporting currency is the United States dollar, the value of these revenues and expenses can be affected by changes in currency exchange rates. Although such changes in local currency prices is just one of many elements impacting our revenues and expenses, it can be an important element. For this reason, we also monitor Net Yields, Net Cruise Costs and Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel as if the current periods’ currency exchange rates had remained constant with the comparable prior periods’ rates, or on a “Constant Currency” basis.
 
It should be emphasized that Constant Currency is primarily used for comparing short-term changes and/or projections. Changes in guest sourcing and shifting the amount of purchases between currencies can change the impact of the purely currency-based fluctuations.
 
The use of certain significant non-GAAP measures, such as Net Yields, Net Cruise Costs and Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel, allows us to perform capacity and rate analysis to separate the impact of known capacity changes from other less predictable changes which affect our business. We believe these non-GAAP measures provide expanded insight to measure revenue and cost performance in addition to the standard United States GAAP based financial measures. There are no specific rules or regulations for determining non-GAAP and Constant Currency measures, and as such, there exists the possibility that they may not be comparable to other companies within the industry.

25



Results of Operations
 
Summary
 
Our net income and Adjusted Net Income for the third quarter of 20152016 was $693.3 million and $690.9 million, or $3.21 and $3.20 per share on a diluted basis, respectively, as compared to net income and Adjusted Net Income of $228.8 million and $628.1 million, or $1.03 and $2.84 per share on a diluted basis, as compared to net income and Adjusted Net Income of $490.2 million and $492.9 million, or $2.19 and $2.20 per share on a diluted basis, respectively, for the third quarter of 2014.2015.

Our net income and Adjusted Net Income for the nine months ended September 30, 20152016 was $1.0 billion and $1.1 billion, or $4.72 and $4.85 per share on a diluted basis, respectively, as compared to net income and Adjusted Net Income of $459.0 million and $858.3 million, or $2.08 and $3.88 per share on a diluted basis, as compared to net income and Adjusted Net Income of $654.4 million and $685.7 million, or $2.93 and $3.07 per share on a diluted basis, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2014.2015.

Significant items for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 20152016 include:

In September 2015, we recognized an impairment charge of $399.3 million, net of a $12.0 million deferred tax benefit, to write down Pullmantur's goodwill to its implied fair value and to write down trademarks and trade names and certain long-lived assets to their fair value. Refer to Note 3. Impairment of Pullmantur Related Assets for further discussion.

The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to our passenger ticket and onboard and other revenue transactions and cruise operating expenses denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar, resulted in a decrease to total revenues of $126.5$58.8 million and $302.7$154.3 million for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2015,2016, respectively, as compared to the same periodperiods in 20142015, and a decrease to cruise operating expenses of $50.7$10.2 million and $131.5$34.2 million for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2015,2016, respectively, as compared to the same periodperiods in 2014;

A decrease of $37.2 million and $37.9 million to total revenues and cruises operating expenses, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 as compared to the same period in 2014 due to Pullmantur's non-core businesses that were sold in 2014;2015;

Total revenues, excluding the unfavorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, increased $99.5 million and the decrease in revenues from the sale of Pullmantur’s non-core businesses discussed above, increased 10.9% and 7.7%$344.0 million for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively,2016 as compared to the same periods in 2014.2015. The increase wasincreases were primarily due to a 6.7% and 5.2% increaseincreases in capacity, for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2015, respectively, net of the unfavorable impact of the change in our voyage proration;which are further discussed below.

Total Cruise operating expenses, excluding the favorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates, decreased $36.7 million and the decrease in cruise operating expenses from the sale of Pullmantur's non-core businesses discussed above, remained consistentincreased $0.4 million for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2015,2016, respectively, as compared to the correspondingsame periods in 2014.2015. The decrease during the quarter was primarily due to a decrease in fuel expense and the increase during the nine months was primarily due to the increase in capacity, which are further discussed below.

As of September 30, 2014,
Effective January 1, 2016, we changed our voyage recognition methodology and recognize passenger ticket revenues, revenues from onboard and other goods and services and all associated cruise operating costs for all of our uncompleted voyages on a pro-rata basis. The effecteliminated RCHE's, the parent company of the Pullmantur and CDF brands, two-month reporting lag to be consistent with the fiscal calendar of the Company. As a result of this change, is a decrease to netthe results of RCHE for November and December 2015 are included in our statement of comprehensive income of $31.7 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2015 and a decrease to net income of $53.2 million(loss) for the nine months ended September 30, 20152016. The effect of this change was a decrease to net income of $21.7 million and this amount is reported within Other income in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss) for the nine months ended September 30, 2016. Refer to Note 1. Financial Statements to our consolidated financial statements for further information on the elimination of the Pullmantur reporting lag.

In July 2016, we sold 51% of our interest in RCHE. We retained a 49% interest in these businesses as comparedwell as full ownership of the vessels and aircraft. As a result of the sale of a majority interest in these businesses, we recognized an immaterial gain and no longer consolidate these businesses in our consolidated financial statements effective August 2016. Refer to the same periods in 2014.Note 1. General to our consolidated financial statements for further information.

Other Items

In March 2015, we announced the pending sale of Splendour of the Seas to TUI Cruises GmbH, our 50%-owned joint venture. The sale for €188 million is scheduled to be completed in April 2016, in order to retain the future revenues to be generated for sailings through that date. After the sale, TUI Cruises will lease the ship to Thomson Cruises, which will operate the ship. The purchase price will be financed by us under a secured credit agreement to be repaid over 10 years. The resulting term loan will be 50% guaranteed by TUI AG, our joint venture partner, and will be secured by a first mortgage on the ship. Interest will accrue at the rate of 6.25% per annum. We executed certain forward contracts to lock in the sales price of the ship at approximately $213 million. We expect to recognize a gain on the sale, which we do not expect will have a material effect to our consolidated financial statements.


26


In April 2015, we took delivery of AnthemOvation of the Seas. To finance the purchase, we borrowed $742.1$841.8 million under a previously committed 12-year unsecured term loan, which is 95% guaranteed by Hermes. Refer to Note 6. Long-Term Debt to our consolidated financial statements for further information.

In May 2015, TUI Cruises, our 50% joint venture,2016, we took delivery of Mein Schiff 4.

In June 2015, we entered into an agreement with Meyer Werft to build the fourth Quantum-class ship for Royal Caribbean International. We have also received a commitment for the unsecured financing of up to 80%Harmony of the ship’s contract price. Hermes has agreed to guarantee toSeas. To finance the lenders payment of 95%purchase, we borrowed €700.7 million, or $787.2 million based on the exchange rate at September 30, 2016, and $226.1 million under previously committed unsecured term loans. Both of the financing. Refer to Note 7. Commitments and Contingencies for further information.

In June 2015, TUI Cruises placed orders with Meyer Turku to build two new ships. The ships will each have a capacity of approximately 2,850 berths andfacilities are expected to enter service each of 2018 and 2019. Refer to Note 5. Other Assets for further information.

In June 2015, we amended and restated our $1.1 billion unsecured revolving credit facility due July 2016. The amendment reduced the applicable margin and facility fee and extended the termination date to June 2020.100% guaranteed by COFACE. Refer to Note 6. Long-termLong-Term Debt to our consolidated financial statements for further information.

In July 2015,May 2016, TUI Cruises, our 50% joint venture, took delivery of Mein Schiff 5.

In June 2016, we amended our $380.0 million, €365.0 million, $290.0 million and $65.0 million unsecured term loans due at various dates from 2016entered into an agreement to sell a ship to Thomson Cruises. The sale is scheduled to be completed in March 2017 in order to retain the future revenues to be generated for sailings through 2019that date. We expect to reducerecognize a gain on the applicable margins. Additionally, the termination date of the $290 million unsecured term loan was extended from February 2016 to February 2018. We also amended our $1.2 billion unsecured revolving credit facility due August 2018 to reduce pricing in line with the amended pricing of the $1.1 billion unsecured revolving credit facility. Refer to Note 6. Long-term Debtsale, which we do not expect will have a material effect to our annual consolidated financial statements for further information.statements.


Operating results for the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 20152016 compared to the same periodsperiod in 20142015 are shown in the following table (in thousands, except per share data):

 Quarter Ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
 2016 2015 2016 2015
   % of Total
Revenues
   % of Total
Revenues
   % of Total
Revenues
   % of Total
Revenues
Passenger ticket revenues$1,899,956
 74.1 % $1,873,942
 74.3 % $4,794,653
 72.8 % $4,688,189
 73.3 %
Onboard and other revenues663,785
 25.9 % 649,158
 25.7 % 1,792,145
 27.2 % 1,708,832
 26.7 %
Total revenues2,563,741
 100.0 % 2,523,100
 100.0 % 6,586,798
 100.0 % 6,397,021
 100.0 %
Cruise operating expenses: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Commissions, transportation and other400,933
 15.6 % 413,156
 16.4 % 1,060,391
 16.1 % 1,093,409
 17.1 %
Onboard and other159,887
 6.2 % 175,214
 6.9 % 399,739
 6.1 % 438,558
 6.9 %
Payroll and related214,081
 8.4 % 217,627
 8.6 % 671,955
 10.2 % 647,788
 10.1 %
Food125,732
 4.9 % 122,124
 4.8 % 371,759
 5.6 % 361,317
 5.6 %
Fuel178,772
 7.0 % 199,848
 7.9 % 531,283
 8.1 % 607,689
 9.5 %
Other operating260,718
 10.2 % 259,057
 10.3 % 857,161
 13.0 % 777,291
 12.2 %
Total cruise operating expenses1,340,123
 52.3 % 1,387,026
 55.0 % 3,892,288
 59.1 % 3,926,052
 61.4 %
Marketing, selling and administrative expenses257,430
 10.0 % 256,060
 10.1 % 845,808
 12.8 % 817,040
 12.8 %
Depreciation and amortization expenses229,328
 8.9 % 210,742
 8.4 % 661,712
 10.0 % 617,678
 9.7 %
Impairment of Pullmantur related assets
  % 411,267
 16.3 % 
  % 411,267
 6.4 %
Restructuring charges1,897
 0.1 % 
 
 6,627
 0.1 % 
 
Operating Income734,963
 28.7 % 258,005
 10.2 % 1,180,363
 17.9 % 624,984
 9.8 %
Other income (expense): 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Interest income6,472
 0.3 % 1,735
 0.1 % 14,875
 0.2 % 8,244
 0.1 %
Interest expense, net of interest capitalized(82,610) (3.2)% (66,819) (2.6)% (226,803) (3.4)% (213,598) (3.3)%
Other income34,432
 1.3 % 35,866
 1.4 % 53,867
 0.8 % 39,354
 0.6 %
 (41,706) (1.6)% (29,218) (1.2)% (158,061) (2.4)% (166,000) (2.6)%
Net Income$693,257
 27.0 % $228,787
 9.1 % $1,022,302
 15.5 % $458,984
 7.2 %
Diluted Earnings per Share$3.21
  
 $1.03
  
 $4.72
  
 $2.08
  


27


 Quarter Ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30,
 2015 2014 2015 2014
   % of Total
Revenues
   % of Total
Revenues
   % of Total
Revenues
   % of Total
Revenues
Passenger ticket revenues$1,873,942
 74.3 % $1,786,746
 74.8 % $4,688,189
 73.3 % $4,590,048
 73.4 %
Onboard and other revenues649,158
 25.7 % 602,016
 25.2 % 1,708,832
 26.7 % 1,665,981
 26.6 %
Total revenues2,523,100
 100.0 % 2,388,762
 100.0 % 6,397,021
 100.0 % 6,256,029
 100.0 %
Cruise operating expenses: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Commissions, transportation and other413,156
 16.4 % 396,916
 16.6 % 1,093,409
 17.1 % 1,068,961
 17.1 %
Onboard and other175,214
 6.9 % 182,658
 7.6 % 438,558
 6.9 % 456,296
 7.3 %
Payroll and related217,627
 8.6 % 214,260
 9.0 % 647,788
 10.1 % 634,232
 10.1 %
Food122,124
 4.8 % 120,908
 5.1 % 361,317
 5.6 % 358,172
 5.7 %
Fuel199,848
 7.9 % 230,818
 9.7 % 607,689
 9.5 % 718,081
 11.5 %
Other operating259,057
 10.3 % 281,322
 11.8 % 777,291
 12.2 % 825,794
 13.2 %
Total cruise operating expenses1,387,026
 55.0 % 1,426,882
 59.7 % 3,926,052
 61.4 % 4,061,536
 64.9 %
Marketing, selling and administrative expenses256,060
 10.1 % 239,662
 10.0 % 817,040
 12.8 % 790,957
 12.6 %
Depreciation and amortization expenses210,742
 8.4 % 192,448
 8.1 % 617,678
 9.7 % 579,063
 9.3 %
Impairment of Pullmantur related assets411,267
 16.3 % 
  % 411,267
 6.4 % 
  %
Restructuring charges
 
 308
  % 
 
 1,958
  %
Operating Income258,005
 10.2 % 529,462
 22.2 % 624,984
 9.8 % 822,515
 13.1 %
Other income (expense): 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Interest income1,735
 0.1 % 2,117
 0.1 % 8,244
 0.1 % 8,023
 0.1 %
Interest expense, net of interest capitalized(66,819) (2.6)% (60,100) (2.5)% (213,598) (3.3)% (193,931) (3.1)%
Other income35,866
 1.4 % 18,769
 0.8 % 39,354
 0.6 % 17,771
 0.3 %
 (29,218) (1.2)% (39,214) (1.6)% (166,000) (2.6)% (168,137) (2.7)%
Net Income$228,787
 9.1 % $490,248
 20.5 % $458,984
 7.2 % $654,378
 10.5 %
Diluted Earnings per Share$1.03
  
 $2.19
  
 $2.08
  
 $2.93
  


28


Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Earnings per Share were calculated as follows (in thousands, except per share data):
Quarter Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,Quarter Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2015 2014 2015 20142016 2015 2016 2015
Adjusted Net Income$628,070
 $492,853
 $858,267
 $685,681
Net income228,787
 490,248
 458,984
 654,378
Net Adjustments to Net Income- Increase$399,283
 $2,605
 $399,283
 $31,303
Net Income$693,257
 $228,787
 $1,022,302
 $458,984
Adjusted Net income690,911
 628,070
 1,050,031
 858,267
Net Adjustments to Net Income- (Decrease) Increase$(2,346) $399,283
 $27,729
 $399,283
Adjustments to Net Income:              
Impairment of Pullmantur related assets(1)
$399,283
 $
 $399,283
 $
$
 $399,283
 $
 $399,283
Net loss related to the elimination of the Pullmantur reporting lag
 
 21,656
 
Net gain related to the sale of the Pullmantur and CDF Croisières de France brands(3,834) 
 (3,834) 
Restructuring charges
 308
 
 1,958
1,897
 
 6,627
 
Other initiative costs
 1,240
 
 17,275
(409) 
 3,280
 
Estimated impact of divested businesses prior to sales transaction
 
 
 11,013
Loss on sale of ship included within other operating expenses
 17,401
 
 17,401
Impact of voyage proration change
 (16,344) 
 (16,344)
Net Adjustments to Net Income- Increase$399,283
 $2,605
 $399,283
 $31,303
Net Adjustments to Net Income- (Decrease) Increase$(2,346) $399,283
 $27,729
 $399,283
              
Basic: 
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
Earnings per Share$1.04
 $2.20
 $2.09
 $2.95
$3.23
 $1.04
 $4.74
 $2.09
Adjusted Earnings per Share$2.86
 $2.21
 $3.90
 $3.09
$3.22
 $2.86
 $4.87
 $3.90
              
Diluted:              
Earnings per Share$1.03
 $2.19
 $2.08
 $2.93
$3.21
 $1.03
 $4.72
 $2.08
Adjusted Earnings per Share$2.84
 $2.20
 $3.88
 $3.07
$3.20
 $2.84
 $4.85
 $3.88
              
Weighted-Average Shares Outstanding:              
Basic219,963
 222,523
 219,835
 222,007
214,819
 219,963
 215,663
 219,835
Diluted221,137
 223,859
 220,979
 223,351
215,667
 221,137
 216,575
 220,979

(1) Includes a net income tax benefit of $12.0 million related to the Pullmantur impairment.

Selected statistical information is shown in the following table:
Quarter Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,Quarter Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2015 2014 2015 20142016 2015 
2016(1)
 2015
Passengers Carried1,403,650
 1,324,993
 4,053,451
 3,886,823
1,558,224
 1,403,650
 4,365,144
 4,053,451
Passenger Cruise Days10,176,750
 9,603,329
 28,856,742
 27,489,584
10,727,918
 10,176,750
 30,367,048
 28,856,742
APCD9,465,368
 8,867,375
 27,284,750
 25,948,292
9,766,482
 9,465,368
 28,503,681
 27,284,750
Occupancy107.5% 108.3% 105.8% 105.9%109.8% 107.5% 106.5% 105.8%


29(1) Does not include November and December 2015 amounts related to the elimination of the Pullmantur reporting lag.


Gross Yields and Net Yields were calculated as follows (in thousands, except APCD and Yields):
Quarter Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,Quarter Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2015 2015 On a Constant Currency Basis 2014 2015 2015 On a Constant Currency Basis 20142016 2016 On a Constant Currency Basis 2015 2016 2016 On a Constant Currency Basis 2015
Passenger ticket revenues$1,873,942
 $1,981,570
 $1,786,746
 $4,688,189
 $4,948,954
 $4,590,048
$1,899,956
 $1,952,378
 $1,873,942
 $4,794,653
 $4,934,937
 $4,688,189
Onboard and other revenues649,158
 668,056
 602,016
 1,708,832
 1,750,784
 1,665,981
663,785
 670,195
 649,158
 1,792,145
 1,806,124
 1,708,832
Total revenues2,523,100
 2,649,626
 2,388,762
 6,397,021
 6,699,738
 6,256,029
2,563,741
 2,622,573
 2,523,100
 6,586,798
 6,741,061
 6,397,021
Less: 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
Commissions, transportation and other413,156
 435,432
 396,916
 1,093,409
 1,150,556
 1,068,961
400,933
 410,399
 413,156
 1,060,391
 1,086,888
 1,093,409
Onboard and other175,214
 185,411
 182,658
 438,558
 457,838
 456,296
159,887
 160,036
 175,214
 399,739
 401,285
 438,558
Net Revenues including divested businesses1,934,730
 2,028,783
 1,809,188
 4,865,054
 5,091,344
 4,730,772
Net Revenues including other initiative costs2,002,921
 2,052,138
 1,934,730
 5,126,668
 5,252,888
 4,865,054
Less:                      
Net Revenues related to divested businesses prior to sales transaction
 
 
 
 
 35,656
Other initiative costs included within Net Revenues(1,843) (1,790) 
 (1,843) (1,790) 
Net Revenues$1,934,730
 $2,028,783
 $1,809,188
 $4,865,054
 $5,091,344
 $4,695,116
$2,004,764
 $2,053,928
 $1,934,730
 $5,128,511
 $5,254,678
 $4,865,054
                      
APCD9,465,368
 9,465,368
 8,867,375
 27,284,750
 27,284,750
 25,948,292
9,766,482
 9,766,482
 9,465,368
 28,503,681
 28,503,681
 27,284,750
Gross Yields$266.56
 $279.93
 $269.39
 $234.45
 $245.55
 $241.10
$262.50
 $268.53
 $266.56
 $231.09
 $236.50
 $234.45
Net Yields$204.40
 $214.34
 $204.03
 $178.31
 $186.60
 $180.94
$205.27
 $210.30
 $204.40
 $179.92
 $184.35
 $178.31
 

30


Gross Cruise Costs, Net Cruise Costs and Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel were calculated as follows (in thousands, except APCD and costs per APCD):
Quarter Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,Quarter Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30,
2015 2015 On a Constant Currency Basis 2014 2015 2015 On a Constant Currency Basis 20142016 2016 On a Constant Currency Basis 2015 2016 2016 On a Constant Currency Basis 2015
Total cruise operating expenses$1,387,026
 $1,437,727
 $1,426,882
 $3,926,052
 $4,057,559
 $4,061,536
$1,340,123
 $1,350,295
 $1,387,026
 $3,892,288
 $3,926,447
 $3,926,052
Marketing, selling and administrative expenses256,060
 264,558
 239,662
 817,040
 846,229
 790,957
257,430
 260,471
 256,060
 845,808
 856,941
 817,040
Gross Cruise Costs1,643,086
 1,702,285
 1,666,544
 4,743,092
 4,903,788
 4,852,493
1,597,553
 1,610,766
 1,643,086
 4,738,096
 4,783,388
 4,743,092
Less: 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
Commissions, transportation and other413,156
 435,432
 396,916
 1,093,409
 1,150,556
 1,068,961
400,933
 410,399
 413,156
 1,060,391
 1,086,888
 1,093,409
Onboard and other175,214
 185,411
 182,658
 438,558
 457,838
 456,296
159,887
 160,036
 175,214
 399,739
 401,285
 438,558
Net Cruise Costs including divested businesses1,054,716
 1,081,442
 1,086,970
 3,211,125
 3,295,394
 3,327,236
Net Cruise Costs including other initiative costs1,036,733
 1,040,331
 1,054,716
 3,277,966
 3,295,215
 3,211,125
Less: 
  
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
  
Net Cruise Costs related to divested businesses prior to sales transaction
 
 
 
 
 47,854
Other initiative costs included within cruise operating expenses and marketing, selling and administrative expenses
 
 1,240
 
 
 15,036
(2,252) (2,157) 
 1,073
 1,240
 
Loss on sale of ship included within other operating expenses
 
 17,401
 
 
 17,401
Net gain related to the sale of Pullmantur and CDF Croisières de France brands included within other operating expenses(3,834) (3,834) 
 (3,834) (3,834) 
Net Cruise Costs1,054,716
 1,081,442
 1,068,329
 3,211,125
 3,295,394
 3,246,945
1,042,819
 1,046,322
 1,054,716
 3,280,727
 3,297,809
 3,211,125
Less:                      
Fuel199,848
 203,145
 230,818
 607,689
 615,035
 718,081
Fuel(1)
178,772
 178,742
 199,848
 530,859
 531,836
 607,689
Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel$854,868
 $878,297
 $837,511
 $2,603,436
 $2,680,359
 $2,528,864
$864,047
 $867,580
 $854,868
 $2,749,868
 $2,765,973
 $2,603,436
                      
APCD9,465,368
 9,465,368
 8,867,375
 27,284,750
 27,284,750
 25,948,292
9,766,482
 9,766,482
 9,465,368
 28,503,681
 28,503,681
 27,284,750
Gross Cruise Costs per APCD$173.59
 $179.84
 $187.94
 $173.84
 $179.73
 $187.01
$163.58
 $164.93
 $173.59
 $166.23
 $167.82
 $173.84
Net Cruise Cost per APCD$111.43
 $114.25
 $120.48
 $117.69
 $120.78
 $125.13
$106.78
 $107.13
 $111.43
 $115.10
 $115.70
 $117.69
Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel per APCD$90.32
 $92.79
 $94.45
 $95.42
 $98.24
 $97.46
$88.47
 $88.83
 $90.32
 $96.47
 $97.04
 $95.42


(1) For the nine months ended September 30, 2016, amount does not include fuel expense of $0.4 million included within other initiative costs associated with the redeployment of Pullmantur’s Empress to the Royal Caribbean International brand.

31


20152016 Outlook

The company does not make predictions about fuel pricing, interest rates or currency exchange rates but does provide guidance about its future business activities. On October 23, 2015,28, 2016, we announced the following fourth quarter and full year and fourth quarter 20152016 guidance based on the then current fuel pricing, interest rates and currency exchange rates at that time:rates:

Full Year 20152016
As ReportedConstant Currency
Net Yields1.7% to 2.0%4.0% or better
Net Cruise Costs per APCDApprox. (2.0%)Approx. (1.5%)
Net Cruise Costs per APCD, Excluding FuelApprox. 0.5%Approx. 1.0%
Capacity Increase3.3%
Depreciation and Amortization$890 to $900 million
Interest Expense, net$287 to $292 million
Fuel Consumption (metric tons)1,371,000
Fuel Expenses$720 million
Percent Hedged (fwd consumption)68%
Impact of 10% change in fuel prices$4 million
1% Change in Currency$4 million
1% Change in Net Yield$15 million
1% Change in NCC x Fuel$8 million
1% Change in LIBOR$12 million
Adjusted Earnings per Share-Diluted$6.00 to $6.10

Fourth Quarter 2016
 As ReportedConstant Currency
Net YieldsApprox. (1.0%)4.5%Approx. 3.5%6.0%
Net Cruise Costs per APCDApprox. (6.5%(1.5%)Approx. (4.5%(1.0%) to (1.5%)
Net Cruise Costs per APCD, Excluding Fuel(3.5%) to (2.5%Approx. (2.0%)Flat to down 1.0%Approx. (1.5%)
Capacity Increase5.4%(0.2%) 
Depreciation and Amortization$827230 to $831$235 million 
Interest Expense, net$26475 to $268$80 million 
Fuel Consumption (metric tons)1,363,000340,000 
Fuel Expenses$800189 million 
Percent Hedged (fwd consumption)57%68% 
Impact of 10% change in fuel prices$5.04 million
1% Change in Currency$4 million
1% Change in Net Yield$15 million
1% Change in NCC x Fuel$8 million
1% Change in LIBOR$12 million 
Adjusted Earnings per Share-DilutedApprox. $4.80$1.20 

Adjusted Earnings per Share estimates for the Full Year and Fourth Quarter 2015
As ReportedConstant Currency
Net Yields1.3% to 1.8%4.5% to 5.0%
Net Cruise Costs per APCDApprox. (8.5%)Approx. (7.5%)
Net Cruise Costs per APCD, Excluding FuelApprox. (5.0%)Approx. (4.0%)
Capacity Increase6.1%
Depreciation and Amortization$210 to $214 million
Interest Expense, net$59 to $63 million
Fuel Consumption (metric tons)342,000
Fuel Expenses$193 million
Percent Hedged (fwd consumption)57%
Impact of 10% change in fuel prices$5.0 million
Adjusted Earnings per Share-DilutedApprox. $0.90
of 2016 are presented in lieu of US GAAP earnings per share estimates due to uncertainty in projecting the amounts adjusted to arrive at this measure, such as uncertainty in the amount and timing of restructuring charges and other initiative costs that we will absorb in the remainder of 2016, the amount of which is expected to be immaterial. Refer to Note 11. Restructuring Charges in our consolidated financial statements under Item 1. Financial Statements for further information on our restructuring charges and other initiative costs and to the definition for Adjusted Earnings per Share herein. For the quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2016, we incurred restructuring charges and other initiative costs of $1.5 million and $9.9 million, respectively.

Volatility in foreign currency exchange rates affects the US dollar value of our earnings. Based on our highest net exposure for each quarter and the full year 2015,2016, the top five foreign currencies are ranked below. For example, the British PoundAustralian Dollar is the

most impactful in all quarters, exceptcurrency in the first quarterand fourth quarters of 2015 where it is the fourth most impactful.2016. The first, second and third quarters of 20152016 rankings are based on actual results. Rankings for the remainingfourth quarter and full year are based on estimated net exposures.

Ranking Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 FY 20152016
1 CADAUD GBP GBP GBPAUD GBP
2 AUDCAD AUD EURCNHGBP AUDCAD
3 BRLGBP CADCNYCADAUD
4GBP EUR CAD CAD
4CNHCNHCADEUR BRLCNH
5BRL MXN BRLAUD MXNCNH CNYEUR


32


The currency abbreviations above are defined as follows:
Currency Abbreviation Currency
AUD Australian Dollar
BRL Brazilian Real
CAD Canadian Dollar
CNYCNH Chinese Yuan
EUR Euro
GBP British DollarPound
MXN Mexican Peso


Quarter Ended September 30, 20152016 Compared to Quarter Ended September 30, 20142015
 
In this section, references to 2016 refer to the quarter ended September 30, 2016 and references to 2015 refer to the quarter ended September 30, 2015 and references to 2014 refer to the quarter ended September 30, 2014.2015.
 
Revenues
 
Total revenues for 20152016 increased $134.3$40.6 million, or 5.6%1.6%, to $2.5 billion in 2015 from $2.4 billion in 2014.2015.
 
Passenger ticket revenues comprised 74.3%74.1% of our 20152016 total revenues. Passenger ticket revenues for 20152016 increased by $87.2$26.0 million, or 4.9%1.4%, from 2014.2015. The increase was primarily due to:to

a 6.7%3.2% increase in capacity, which increased passenger ticket revenues by $120.5 million, net of the unfavorable impact of the change in our voyage proration;59.6 million; and

an increase of $18.8 million in ticket prices across mostprimarily driven by Harmony of our core itineraries that contributed to a $74.3 million aggregate increase inthe Seas passenger ticket revenues.and Ovation of the Seas, as well as higher pricing on Alaska and Caribbean sailings.

The increase was partially offset by an approximate $107.6$52.4 million unfavorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to our passenger ticket revenue transactions denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar.

The remaining 25.7%25.9% of 20152016 total revenues was comprised of onboard and other revenues, which increased $47.1$14.6 million, or 7.8%2.3%, to $663.8 million in 2016 from $649.2 million in 2015 from $602.0 million in 2014.2015. The increase in onboard and other revenues was primarily due to:

a $39.4$19.9 million increase attributable to the 6.7%3.2% increase in capacity noted above, net of the unfavorable impact of the change in our voyage proration;above; and

a $27.7an $8.9 million increase in onboard revenue attributable to higher spending on a per passenger basis primarily due to our ship upgrade programs and other revenue enhancing initiatives, including various beverage and gaming initiatives, the promotion of specialty restaurants and the increased revenue associated with internet and other telecommunication services.services partially offset by a decrease in port activities revenue mainly due to itinerary changes.

The increase was partially offset by:


a $7.8 million decrease in other revenues primarily due to our travel agency business that was sold in 2015, which is mostly offset by the related decrease in travel agency expenses discussed below; and

an approximate $18.9$6.4 million unfavorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to our onboard and other revenue transactions denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar.

Onboard and other revenues included concession revenues of $86.6 million in 2016 and $98.9 million in 2015 and $84.1 million in 2014.2015.

Cruise Operating Expenses

Total cruise operating expenses for 20152016 decreased $39.9$46.9 million, or 2.8%3.4%, from 2014.2015. The decrease was primarily due to:

a $43.2$27.5 million decrease in fuel expense, excluding the impact of the increase in capacity. The priceOur cost of fuel (net of the financial impact of fuel swap agreements) for 20152016 decreased 14.2%11.3% per metric ton compared to 2014;2015;


33a $10.5 million decrease in payroll and related expenses primarily due to changes in our payroll structure;


an approximate $50.7$10.2 million favorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to our cruise operating expenses denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar;

a $17.4an $8.6 million loss incurred in 2014 due to the sale of Celebrity Century that did not recurdecrease in 2015;

an $11.3 millionshore excursion expense attributable to lower contractual costs incurred and the decrease in port activities expense mainlyrevenue discussed above;

a $7.1 million decrease in other expenses primarily related to our travel agency business that was sold in 2015, which mostly offsets the related decrease in travel agency revenues discussed above;

a $5.8 million decrease in vessel and hotel maintenance primarily due to itinerary changes;the timing of scheduled drydocks; and

an $8.2
a $5.8 million decrease in air expense mainlyprimarily due to itinerary changes.the decrease in air transportation sales and lower costs.

The decrease was partially offset by a $95.1$43.6 million increase attributable to the 6.7%3.2% increase in capacity noted above, net of the favorable impact of the change in our voyage proration.above.

Marketing, Selling and Administrative Expenses

Marketing, selling and administrative expenses for 2015 increased $16.4 million, or 6.8%,2016 remained consistent compared to $256.1 million in 2015 from $239.7 million for the same period in 2014. The increase was primarily due to an increase in advertising spending mainly relating to our initiatives in the North American market, an increase in payroll and benefits primarily due to an increase in our stock price over the past year related to our performance share awards and higher IT labor costs resulting from the addition of projects and initiatives in 2015. The increase was partially offset by a decrease in administrative expenses mainly driven by the sale of Pullmantur's non-core businesses in 2014 and savings realized from our cost containment initiatives.

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses
 
Depreciation and amortization expenses for 20152016 increased $18.3$18.6 million, or 9.5%8.8%, to $229.3 million from $210.7 million from $192.4 million in 2014.2015. The increase was primarily due to the addition of QuantumOvation of the Seasand and AnthemHarmony of the Seas into our fleet, and to a lesser extent, new shipboard additions associated with our ship upgrade projects and, to a lesser extent, the acquisition of Brilliance of the Seas, which was previously under lease, partially offset by the sale of Celebrity Century in September 2014.projects.

Impairment of Pullmantur related assets

During 2015, we recognized an impairment charge of $411.3 million to write down Pullmantur's goodwill to its implied fair value and to write down trademarks and trade names and certain long-lived assets, consisting of three aircraft owned and operated by Pullmantur Air and two ships owned and operated by Pullmantur, to their fair value.

Restructuring Charges

We incurred restructuring charges of $1.9 million during 2016. Refer to Note 11. Restructuring Charges to our consolidated financial statements for further information on our restructuring activities.

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Other Income (Expense)
 
Interest expense, net of interest capitalized for 20152016 increased $6.7$15.8 million, or 11.2%23.6%, to $82.6 million from $66.8 million from $60.1 million in 2014.2015. The increase was primarily due to a higher average debt level attributable to the financing of QuantumOvation of the Seas and AnthemHarmony of the Seas.and higher interest rates in 2016 compared to 2015.

Other incomein 20152016 was $35.9$34.4 million compared to $18.8$35.9 million in 2014.2015. The increasedecrease in income of $17.1$1.4 million was primarily due to a $12.0 million deferred tax benefit recognized in 2015 due to the impairment of Pullmantur related assets discussed above. The decrease was partially offset by income of $38.4$46.5 million from our equity method investments in 20152016 compared to income of $25.7$38.4 million in 2014, a net deferred tax benefit of $12.0 million resulting from the impairment of the Pullmantur related assets and an ineffectiveness gain of $0.2 million in 2015 compared to an ineffectiveness loss of $7.1 million in 2014 on our interest rate and fuel swaps. The increase in other income was partially offset by $5.8 million in foreign exchange losses from the remeasurement of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currency in 2015 compared to a gain of $3.3 million in 2014.2015.

Net Yields
 
Net Yields remained consistent compared to 2014.2015. Net Yields increased 5.1%2.9% in 20152016 compared to 20142015 on a Constant Currency basis primarily due to the increase in passenger ticket and onboard and other revenues discussed above.
 
Net Cruise Costs
 
Net Cruise Costs decreased 1.3%1.1% in 2016 compared to 2014.2015 and Net Cruise Costs per APCD decreased 7.5%4.2% in 20152016 compared to 20142015 primarily due to the decrease in fuel expense and the favorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to our cruise operating expenses denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar.discussed above. Net Cruise Costs per APCD on a Constant Currency basis decreased 5.2%3.9% in 20152016 compared to 2014.2015.
 

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Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel
 
Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel per APCD decreased 4.4%2.0% in 2016 compared to 2014. Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel per APCD2015 and decreased 1.6% in 2016 compared to 2015 on a Constant Currency basis decreased 1.8% due to a decrease in cruise operating expenses as discussed above.basis.

Other Comprehensive Income (loss)(Loss)

Other comprehensive loss incomedecreased by $46.2 in 2016 was $94.5 million compared to Other comprehensive loss of $223.4 million in 2015 compared to 20142015. The change of $317.9 million was primarily due to a $27.1 million decrease in losses mostlythe Gain on our cash flow derivative hedges resulting from in 2016 of $95.5 million compared to the settlement of fuelLoss on cash flow derivative hedges of $222.5 million in a loss position during 2015 and a $14.3 million decrease in foreign currency translation losses.2015.

Nine Months Ended September 30, 20152016 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30, 20142015

In this section, references to 2016 refer to the nine months ended September 30, 2016 and references to 2015 refer to the nine months ended September 30, 2015 and references to 2014 refer to the nine months ended September 30, 2014.2015.

Revenues
 
Total revenues for 20152016 increased $141.0$189.8 million, or 2.3%3.0%, to $6.6 billion from 2014.$6.4 billion in 2015.
 
Passenger ticket revenues comprised 73.3%72.8% of our 20152016 total revenues. Passenger ticket revenues for 20152016 increased by $98.1$106.5 million, or 2.1%2.3%, from 2014.2015. The increase was primarily due to:

a 5.2%4.5% increase in capacity, which increased passenger ticket revenues by $236.4 million, net of the unfavorable impact of the change in our voyage proration;209.4 million; and

an increase of $122.5$37.3 million in ticket prices primarily driven by QuantumHarmony of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and, to a lesser extent, Anthem of the Seas, as well as higher pricing on Europe, Alaska and BermudaCaribbean sailings. The increase in ticket prices was partially offset by lower pricing on Mediterranean and Asia sailings.

The increase was partially offset by an approximate $260.8$140.3 million unfavorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to our passenger ticket revenue transactions denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar.

The remaining 26.7%27.2% of 20152016 total revenues was comprised of onboard and other revenues, which increased $42.9$83.3 million, or 2.6%4.9%, in 20152016 from 2014.2015. The increase in onboard and other revenues was primarily due to:

an $81.5a $73.6 million increase attributable to the 5.2%4.5% increase in capacity noted above, netabove; and
Table of the unfavorable impact of the change in our voyage proration; andContents


a $33.0$58.7 million increase in onboard revenue attributable to higher spending on a per passenger basis primarily due to our ship upgrade programs and other revenue enhancing initiatives, including various beverage and gaming initiatives, the promotion of specialty restaurants and the increased revenue associated with internet and other telecommunication services.services partially offset by a decrease in port activities revenue mainly due to itinerary changes.

The increase was partially offset by:

a $34.0 million decrease in other revenues primarily related to our travel agency business that was sold in 2015, which is mostly offset by the related decrease in travel agency expenses discussed below; and

an approximate $41.9$14.0 million unfavorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to our onboard and other revenue transactions denominated in currencies other than the US dollar; and

a $37.2 million decrease in revenues related to Pullmantur's non-core businesses that were sold in 2014.dollar.

Onboard and other revenues included concession revenues of $240.8 million in 2016 and $245.4 million in 2015 and $238.8 million in 2014.2015.

Cruise Operating Expenses

Total cruise operating expenses decreased $135.5$33.8 million, or 3.3%, to $3.9 billion in 2015 from $4.1 billion in 2014.0.9%. The decrease was primarily due to:

a $140.0$102.5 million decrease in fuel expense, excluding the impact of the increase in capacity. The priceOur cost of fuel (net of the financial impact of fuel swap agreements) for 20152016 decreased 15.5%12.6% per metric ton compared to 2014;2015;


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an approximate $131.5$34.2 million favorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to our cruise operating expenses denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar;

a $37.9$26.2 million decrease in other expenses primarily related to Pullmantur's non-core businessesour travel agency business that werewas sold in 2014; and2015, which mostly offsets the related decrease in travel agency revenues discussed above;

a $17.4$17.2 million loss decrease in shore excursion expense attributable to lower contractual costs incurred and the decrease in 2014port activities revenue discussed above; and

a $14.8 million decrease in air expense primarily due to the sale of Celebrity Century that did not recurdecrease in 2015.
air transportation sales and lower costs.

The decrease was partiallymostly offset by a $205.6$173.0 million increase attributable to a 5.2%the 4.5% increase in capacity noted above, net of the favorable impact of the change in our voyage proration.above.

Marketing, Selling and Administrative Expenses

Marketing, selling and administrative expenses increased $26.1$28.8 million, or 3.3%3.5%, to $845.8 million from $817.0 million from $791.0 million in 2014.2015. The increase was primarily due to an increase in payroll and benefits primarily due to an increase in headcount and merit increases, an increase in advertising spending mainly relating to our initiatives in the North American Australianmarket and Asian markets, an increase in payroll and benefits primarily dueother initiative costs associated with our restructuring activities. Refer to an increase in our stock price over the past year relatedNote.11 Restructuring Charges to our performance share awards and higher IT labor costs resulting from the addition of projects and initiatives in 2015. The increase was partially offset by a decrease in administrative expenses mainly driven by the sale of Pullmantur's non-core businesses in 2014 and savings realized fromconsolidated financial statements for further information on our cost containment initiatives.restructuring activities.

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses
 
Depreciation and amortization expenses for 20152016 increased $38.6$44.0 million, or 6.7%7.1%, to $661.7 million from $617.7 million from $579.1 million in 2014.2015. The increase was primarily due to the addition of QuantumOvation of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas in the second quarter of 2016 into our fleet and the addition of Anthem of the Seas into our fleet,in the second quarter of 2015 and, to a lesser extent, new shipboard additions associated with our ship upgrade projects and the acquisition of the Brilliance of the Seas, which was previously under lease, partially offset by the sale of Celebrity Century in September 2014.projects.

Impairment of Pullmantur related assets

During 2015, we recognized an impairment charge of $411.3 million to write down Pullmantur's goodwill to its implied fair value and to write down trademarks and trade names and certain long-lived assets, consisting of three aircraft owned and operated by Pullmantur Air and two ships owned and operated by Pullmantur, to their fair value.

Restructuring Charges
 
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We incurred restructuring charges of approximately $2.0$6.6 million in 2014, which did not recur in 2015.2016. Refer to Note 11. Restructuring Charges to our consolidated financial statements for further information on our restructuring activities.

Other Income (Expense)
 
Interest expense, net of interest capitalized, for 20152016 increased $19.7$13.2 million, or 10.1%6.2%, to $226.8 million from $213.6 million from $193.9 million in 2014.2015. The increase was primarily due to a higher average debt level attributable to the financing of QuantumOvation of the Seas and AnthemHarmony of the Seas, partially offset by lower pricing on debt refinanced in 2014.2015.

Other income in 20152016 was $39.4$53.9 million compared to $17.8$39.4 million in 2014.2015. The increase in income of $21.6$14.5 million was primarily due to income of $62.2$94.8 million from our equity method investments in 20152016 compared to income of $34.7$62.2 million in 2014 and a net deferred tax benefit of $12.0 million resulting from the impairment of the Pullmantur related assets.2015. The increase in other income was partially offset by $17.9the net loss of $21.7 million in foreign exchange losses fromrelated to the remeasurementelimination of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currency in 2015 compared to $3.6 million in gains in 2014.the Pullmantur reporting lag.
 
Net Yields
 
Net Yields decreased 1.5%increased 0.9% in 20152016 compared to 2014 primarily due to the unfavorable effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates related to our passenger ticket revenue transactions denominated in currencies other than the United States dollar noted above. Net Yields increased 3.1% in 2015 compared to 2014 on a Constant Currency basis primarily due to the increase in passenger ticket and onboard and other revenues discussed above. Net Yields increased 3.4% in 2016 compared to 2015 on a Constant Currency basis.

Net Cruise Costs
 
Net Cruise Costs decreased 1.1%increased 2.2% in 20152016 compared to 20142015 primarily due to the favorable effect of changesincrease in foreign currency exchange rates related to our cruise operating expenses denominated in currencies other thancapacity, partially offset by the United States dollar and the

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decrease in fuel, partially offset by an increase in capacity.which are further discussed above. Net Cruise Costs per APCD decreased 5.9%2.2% in 20152016 compared to 2014.2015 primarily due to the decrease in fuel. Net Cruise Costs per APCD on a Constant Currency basis decreased 3.5%1.7% in 20152016 compared to 2014.2015.
 
Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel
 
Net Cruise Costs Excluding Fuel per APCD decreased 2.1%increased 1.1% in 20152016 compared to 20142015 and remained consistentincreased 1.7% in 20152016 compared to 20142015 on a Constant Currency basis.

Other Comprehensive LossIncome (Loss)

Other comprehensive income in 2016 was $250.9 millioncompared to Other comprehensive loss decreased by $47.2of $299.4 million in 2015 compared to 20142015. The change of $550.3 million was primarily due to a $42.2 million decrease in losses mostlyGain on cash flow derivative hedges resulting from the settlement in 2016 of fuel$254.6 million compared to a Loss on cash flow derivative hedges of $281.0 million in a loss position during 2015. The decrease in losses was partially offset by a $6.1 million increase in foreign currency translation losses resulting from the strengthening of the US dollar compared to the functional currencies of our foreign investments.

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Future Application of Accounting Standards
 
Refer to Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to our consolidated financial statements for further information on Recent Accounting Pronouncements.
 
Liquidity and Capital Resources
 
Sources and Uses of Cash
 
Cash flow generated from operations provides us with a significant source of liquidity. Net cash provided by operating activities increased $0.1$0.4 billion to $1.6$2.0 billion for the first nine months in 20152016 compared to $1.5$1.6 billion for the same period in 2014.2015. The increase in cash provided by operating activities was primarily attributable to an increase in cash receiptsproceeds from customer deposits and a decrease in fuel costs and interest paid forduring the first nine months in 20152016 compared to the same period in 2014.2015. Additionally, dividends received from unconsolidated affiliates increased by $66.0 million.
Net cash used in investing activities was $1.5increased $1.0 billion to $2.5 billion for the first nine months in 20152016 compared to $0.3$1.5 billion for the same period in 2014.2015. The increase was primarily attributable to an increase in capital expenditures of $801.6$953.2 million for the first nine months in 20152016 compared to the same period in 20142015 primarily due to the deliverydeliveries of AnthemOvation of the Seasand $220.0 millionHarmony of proceeds received from the sale of Celebrity CenturySeas in 2014 that did not recur in 2015. In addition,2016. Additionally, cash received on loans to our unconsolidated affiliates decreased $100.2 million during the first nine months of 2015, we paid $158.9 million on settlements on our foreign currency forward contracts compared to $14.8 million during the same period in 2014. The increase was partially offset by an increase in cash received on loans to unconsolidated affiliates of $46.5 million for the first nine months in 20152016 compared to the same period in 2014.2015.
Net cash used inprovided by financing activities was $0.2$0.6 billion for the first nine months in 20152016 compared to$1.1net cash used in financing activities of $0.2 billion for the same period in 2014. This change2015. The increase in cash provided by financing activities was primarily dueattributable to an increase in debt proceeds of $1.0$3.1 billion a decrease in repaymentduring the first nine months of debt of $71.2 million,2016, partially offset by an increase in repayment of debt of $1.9 billion, stock repurchases of $0.3 billion that did not occur during the same period in 2015 and an increase in dividends paid of $65.9 million.$45.8 million during the first nine months of 2016. The increase in debt proceeds was primarily due to the $742.1$841.8 million unsecured term loan borrowed in April 20152016 to finance Ovation of the purchase of SeaAnthems, the €700.7 million and $226.1 million unsecured term loans borrowed in May 2016 to finance Harmony of the Seas, the $200.0 million unsecured term loan borrowed in April 2016 and higher drawings on our revolving credit facilities during the first nine months of 20152016 compared to proceeds received on our $380.0the $742.1 million unsecured term loan facility duringborrowed in April 2015 to finance Anthem of the first nine months of 2014.Seas. The decreaseincrease in repayment of debt was primarily due to the payment at maturity of our €745.0 million 5.625% unsecured senior notes during the first nine months of 2014 that did not recur in 2015, mostly offset by higher payments on our revolving credit facilities and a bond maturity payment during the first nine months of 2015.facilities.


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Future Capital Commitments

Capital Expenditures
 
As of September 30, 2015,2016, our brands, including our 50% joint venture, TUI Cruises, had teneight ships on firm order. The expected dates that ourthese ships on order will enter service and their approximate berths are as follows:
Ship 
Expected to Enter
Service
 
Approximate
Berths
Royal Caribbean International —    
Quantum-class:    
Ovation of the SeasUnnamed 2nd Quarter 20162019 4,150
Unnamed 2nd4th Quarter 20192020 4,150
Oasis-class:    
Harmony of the Seas2nd Quarter 20165,450
Unnamed 2nd Quarter 2018 5,450
Celebrity Cruises — Project Edge    
Unnamed 4th Quarter 2018 2,900
Unnamed 1st Half 2020 2,900
TUI Cruises (50% joint venture)    
Mein Schiff 52nd Quarter 20162,500
Mein Schiff 6 2nd Quarter 2017 2,500
Unnamed 2nd Quarter 2018 2,850
Unnamed 2nd Quarter 2019 2,850
  Total Berths 35,70027,750

In September 2016, we signed conditional agreements with STX France to build a fifth Oasis-class ship expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2021, and a third and fourth "Project Edge" ship expected to be delivered in the fourth quarter of each of 2021 and 2022. These agreements are contingent upon completion of conditions precedent, including financing.

Additionally, in October 2016, we signed a memorandum of understanding with Meyer Turku to build two ships of a new generation of ships for Royal Caribbean International, known as "Project Icon", which are expected to enter service in the second quarters of 2022 and 2024, respectively. While the design is still being finalized, each ship will likely accommodate approximately 5,000 guests. These orders are contingent upon completion of conditions precedent, including documentation and financing.

Our future capital commitments consist primarily of new ship orders. As of September 30, 2015, we had two Quantum-class ships and two Oasis-class ships on order for our Royal Caribbean International brand with an aggregate capacity of approximately 19,200 berths. In October 2015, our conditional agreements with STX France to build two ships of a new generation of Celebrity Cruises ships, known as "Project Edge" became effective. The ships will each have a capacity of approximately 2,900 berths. Refer to Note 6. Long-Term Debt for further information.

As of September 30, 2015,2016, the aggregate cost of our ships on firm order, not including the "Project Edge" ships and the TUI Cruises' ships on order and those subject to conditions to effectiveness, was approximately $5.0$5.3 billion, of which we had deposited $449.8$282.0 million as of such date. Approximately 43.7%56.1% of the aggregate cost was exposed to fluctuations in the Euro exchange rate at September 30, 2015.2016. Refer to Note 7. Commitments and Contingencies and Note 10. Fair Value Measurements and Derivative Instruments to our consolidated financial statements under Item 1. Financial Statements.for further information.

As of September 30, 2015,2016, we anticipate overall full year capital expenditures, excluding the above mentioned ship orders subject to conditions to effectiveness and TUI Cruises' ships on order, will be approximately $1.6 billion for 2015, $2.3$2.4 billion for 2016, $0.5 billion for 2017, $2.4$2.6 billion for 2018, and $1.3$1.5 billion for 2019.2019 and $2.0 billion for 2020.
 

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Contractual Obligations

As of September 30, 2015,2016, our contractual obligations were as follows (in thousands):
Payments due by periodPayments due by period
  Less than 1-3 3-5 More than  Less than 1-3 3-5 More than
Total 1 year years years 5 yearsTotal 1 year years years 5 years
Operating Activities: 
  
  
  
  
 
  
  
  
  
Operating lease obligations(1)
$235,514
 $22,758
 $37,342
 $24,222
 $151,192
$232,661
 $21,300
 $31,792
 $25,659
 $153,910
Interest on long-term debt(2)
1,181,354
 232,578
 368,996
 242,826
 336,954
1,358,964
 284,590
 433,451
 291,739
 349,184
Other(3)
811,077
 163,196
 337,298
 192,460
 118,123
834,220
 172,938
 340,044
 180,954
 140,284
Investing Activities:0
  
  
  
  
0
  
  
  
  
Ship purchase obligations(4)
3,510,290
 1,648,338
 1,112,780
 749,172
 
4,063,001
 37,944
 2,655,244
 1,369,813
 
Financing Activities:0
  
  
  
  
0
  
  
  
  
Long-term debt obligations(5)
8,438,804
 896,440
 3,021,637
 1,830,372
 2,690,355
9,475,483
 1,090,558
 2,870,327
 2,417,486
 3,097,112
Capital lease obligations(6)
51,132
 8,688
 11,690
 7,209
 23,545
42,369
 7,444
 7,614
 7,865
 19,446
Other(7)
79,057
 21,483
 35,001
 18,607
 3,966
60,413
 19,676
 28,589
 11,263
 885
Total$14,307,228
 $2,993,481
 $4,924,744
 $3,064,868
 $3,324,135
$16,067,111
 $1,634,450
 $6,367,061
 $4,304,779
 $3,760,821

(1)
We are obligated under noncancelable operating leases primarily for offices, warehouses and motor vehicles. Amounts represent contractual obligations with initial terms in excess of one year.
(2)  
Long-term debt obligations mature at various dates through fiscal year 20272028 and bear interest at fixed and variable rates. Interest on variable-rate debt is calculated based on forecasted debt balances, including the impact of interest swappedrate swap agreements using the applicable rate at September 30, 2015.2016. Debt denominated in other currencies is calculated based on the applicable exchange rate at September 30, 2015.2016.
(3)Amounts primarily represent future commitments with remaining terms in excess of one year to pay for our usage of certain port facilities, marine consumables, services and maintenance contracts.
(4)Amounts do not include potential obligations which remain subject to cancellation at our sole discretiondiscretion. In addition, amounts do not include the conditional agreements with STX France for the fifth Oasis-class ship and the third and fourth "Project Edge" ships and the conditional orders with Meyer Turku for the two "Project Icon" ships.
our conditional agreements with STX France for the "Project Edge" ships that became effective in October 2015.
(5)Amounts represent debt obligations with initial terms in excess of one year.
(6)Amounts represent capital lease obligations with initial terms in excess of one year.
(7)Amounts represent fees payable to sovereign guarantors in connection with certain of our export credit debt facilities and facility fees on our revolving credit facilities.
 
As a normal part of our business, depending on market conditions, pricing and our overall growth strategy, we continuously consider opportunities to enter into contracts for the building of additional ships. We may also consider the sale of ships or the purchase of existing ships. We continuously consider potential acquisitions and strategic alliances. If any of these were to occur, they would be financed through the incurrence of additional indebtedness, the issuance of additional shares of equity securities or through cash flows from operations.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We and TUI AG have each guaranteed repayment of 50% of a bank loan provided to TUI Cruises which is due 2022. Notwithstanding this, the lenders have agreed to release each shareholder’s guarantee in 2018. As of September 30, 2015, €142.72016, €121.6 million, or approximately $159.3$136.6 million based on the exchange rate at September 30, 2015,2016, remains outstanding. Based on current facts and circumstances, we do not believe potential obligations under this guarantee are probable.
 
TUI Cruises has entered into various ship construction and credit agreements that include certain restrictions on each of our and TUI AG’s ability to reduce our current ownership interest in TUI Cruises below 37.55% through 2021.

In July 2016, we executed an agreement with Miami Dade County (“MDC”), which was simultaneously assigned to Sumitomo Banking Corporation (“SMBC”), to lease land from MDC and construct a new cruise terminal at PortMiami in Miami, Florida. The terminal is expected to be approximately 170,000 square feet and will serve as a homeport. During the construction period, SMBC will fund the costs of the terminal’s construction and land lease. Upon completion of the terminal's construction, we will
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operate and lease the terminal from SMBC for a five-year term. We determined that the lease arrangement between SMBC and us should be accounted for as an operating lease upon completion of the terminal.
Some of the contracts that we enter into include indemnification provisions that obligate us to make payments to the counterparty if certain events occur. These contingencies generally relate to changes in taxes, increased lender capital costs and other similar costs. The indemnification clauses are often standard contractual terms and are entered into in the normal course of business.  There are no stated or notional amounts included in the indemnification clauses and we are not able to estimate the maximum potential amount of future payments, if any, under these indemnification clauses. We have not been required to make

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any payments under such indemnification clauses in the past and, under current circumstances, we do not believe an indemnification obligation is probable.
 
OtherAs of September 30, 2016, other than the items described above, we are not party to any other off-balance sheet arrangements, including guarantee contracts, retained or contingent interest, certain derivative instruments and variable interest entities, that either have, or are reasonably likely to have, a current or future material effect on our financial position.

Funding Needs and Sources
 
We have significant contractual obligations of which our debt service obligations and the capital expenditures associated with our ship purchases represent our largest funding needs. As of September 30, 2015,2016, we had approximately $3.0$1.6 billion in contractual obligations due through September 30, 2016,2017, of which approximately $0.9$1.1 billion relates to debt maturities, $1.6 billion relates to the acquisition of Harmony of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas along with progress payments on our other ship purchases and $232.6$284.6 million relates to interest on long-term debt.debt and $37.9 million relates to progress payments on our ship purchases. We have historically relied on a combination of cash flows provided by operations, drawdowns under our available credit facilities, the incurrence of additional debt and/or the refinancing of our existing debt and the issuance of additional shares of equity securities to fund these obligations.

As of September 30, 2015,2016, we had on firm order two Quantum-class ships and one Oasis-class ship for our Royal Caribbean International brand and our first two Oasis-class"Project Edge" ships for our Celebrity brand, each of which has committed unsecured bank financing arrangements which include sovereign financing guarantees. Refer to Note 7. Commitments and Contingencies to our consolidated financial statements for further information.

We had a working capital deficit of $3.7 billion and $3.5 billion as of September 30, 2015 as compared to a working capital deficit of $3.0 billion as of2016 and December 31, 2014.2015, respectively. Included within our working capital deficit is $0.9$1.3 billion and $0.8 billion$899.5 million of current portion of long-term debt, including capital leases, as of September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 2014,2015, respectively. The increase in working capital deficit was primarily due to the increase in current liabilities of our foreign currency forward contracts and long-term debt. Similar to others in our industry, we operate with a substantial working capital deficit. This deficit is mainly attributable to the fact that, under our business model, a vast majority of our passenger ticket receipts are collected in advance of the applicable sailing date. These advance passenger receipts remain a current liability until the sailing date. The cash generated from these advance receipts is used interchangeably with cash on hand from other sources, such as our revolving credit facilities and other cash from operations. The cash received as advanced receipts can be used to fund operating expenses for the applicable future sailing or otherwise, pay down our revolving credit facilities, invest in long term investments or any other use of cash. In addition, we have a relatively low-level of accounts receivable and rapid turnover results in a limited investment in inventories. We generate substantial cash flows from operations and our business model, along with our unsecured revolving credit facilities, has historically allowed us to maintain this working capital deficit and still meet our operating, investing and financing needs. We expect that we will continue to have working capital deficits in the future.

In June 2015, we amended and restated our $1.1 billion unsecured revolving credit facility due July 2016. The amendment reduced the applicable margin and facility fee and extended the termination date to June 2020.

In July 2015, we amended our $1.2 billion unsecured revolving credit facility due August 2018 to reduce pricing in line with the pricing of the $1.1 billion unsecured revolving credit facility amended in June 2015. At the same time, we also amended our $380.0 million, €365.0 million, $290.0 million and $65.0 million unsecured term loans due at various dates from 2016 through 2019 to reduce the applicable margins, now each 1.75% based on our current debt rating. We also extended the termination date of the $290 million unsecured term loan from February 2016 to February 2018. Refer to Note 6. Long-Term Debt to our consolidated financial statementsfor further information.

As of September 30, 2015,2016, we had liquidity of $1.0$1.1 billion, consisting of approximately $147.4$178.4 million in cash and cash equivalents and $858.0$898.0 million available under our unsecured credit facilities. Additionally, in October 2015, we received increased lender commitments for our unsecured revolving credit facility due June 2020 in the amount of $300 million, bringing our total capacity under this facility to $1.4 billion.

We anticipate that our cash flows from operations and our current financing arrangements, as described above, will be adequate to meet our capital expenditures and debt repayments over the next twelve-month period.

In October 2015, our board of directors authorized a common stock repurchase program for up to $500 million. On October 23, 2015,million that was completed in August 2016. During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, we executed an agreement with an investment bank to purchasepurchased a total of $200$300.0 million of the $500 million authorized amount, of our common stock through open market transactions. Our repurchases under an acceleratedthis program, including the $200.0 million of stock repurchase (ASR) transaction. Repurchases under the program are expected to be funded from available cash or borrowings under our revolving credit facilities. Under the terms of the ASR agreement, we will receive upfront the majority of the shares of our common stock to be repurchased based on current market prices in

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exchange for a prepayment of $200 million. The final number of shares to be repurchased will be determined upon settlement based on the average of the daily volume-weighted average prices of our common stock during the termfourth quarter of the transaction, less a discount (the "Final Repurchase Price"). Upon final settlement, which is expected no later than the end of January 2016, and depending on the Final Repurchase Price, the investment bank may be required to deliver additional shares of common stock to us or we may be required to deliver shares of common stock or to make a cash payment, at our election, to the investment bank. Future stock repurchase transactions could include open market purchases or additional accelerated share repurchases. We expect to complete the program by the end of 2016. Refer to Note 8. Shareholders' Equity to our consolidated financial statementsfor further information.2015, totaled $500.0 million.

If (i) any person other than A. Wilhelmsen AS. and Cruise Associates and their respective affiliates (the “Applicable Group”) acquires ownership of more than 33%50% of our common stock and the Applicable Group owns less of our common stock than such person, or, (ii) subject to certain exceptions, during any 24-month period, a majority of the Board is no longer comprised of individuals who were members of the Board on the first day of such period, we may be obligated to prepay indebtedness outstanding under our ship financingcredit facilities, which we may be unable to replace on similar terms. Our otherpublic debt agreementssecurities also contain change of control provisions that would be triggered by the a third-party
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acquisition of greater than 50% of our common stock by (i) any person or (ii) in the case of our public debt securities, by a person other than a member of the Applicable Group coupled with a ratings downgrade. If this were to occur, it would have an adverse impact on our liquidity and operations.

Debt Covenants
 
Certain of our financing agreements contain covenants that require us, among other things, to maintain minimum net worth of at least $6.5$7.1 billion, a fixed charge coverage ratio of at least 1.25x and limit our net debt-to-capital ratio to no more than 62.5%.  The fixed charge coverage ratio is calculated by dividing net cash from operations for the past four quarters by the sum of dividend payments plus scheduled principal debt payments in excess of any new financings for the past four quarters. Our minimum net worth and maximum net debt-to-capital calculations exclude the impact of Accumulated other comprehensive loss on Total shareholders’ equity. We were well in excess of all debt covenant requirements as of September 30, 2015.2016. The specific covenants and related definitions can be found in the applicable debt agreements, the majority of which have been previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
 
For a discussion of our market risks, refer to Part II, Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014.2015. There have been no significant developments or material changes since the date of our Annual Report.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures
 
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
 
Our management, with the participation of our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e), as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon such evaluation, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that those controls and procedures are effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure and are effective to provide reasonable assurance that such information is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified by the SEC’s rules and forms.
 
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
 
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Exchange Act Rule 13a-1513a-15(d) during the quarter ended September 30, 20152016 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
 
Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls
 
Readers are cautioned that any system of controls, however well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, and not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the system will be met. In addition, the design of any control system is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events. Because of these and other inherent limitations of control systems, there is only reasonable assurance that our controls will succeed in achieving their goals under all potential future conditions.

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings
 
As previouslyThere were no material developments to the pending legal proceedings reported in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2014, a class action complaint was filed in June 2011 against Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in the United States District Court2015 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the Southern Districtquarter ended March 31, 2016. Refer to Note 7. Commitments and Contingencies to our consolidated financial statements for a description of Florida on behalf of a purported class of stateroom attendants employed onboard Royal Caribbean International cruise vessels. The complaint alleged that the stateroom attendants were required to pay other crew members to help with their duties and that certain stateroom attendants were required to work back of house assignments without the ability to earn gratuities, in each case in violation of the U.S. Seaman’s Wage Act. In May 2012, the district court granted our motion to dismiss the complaint on the basis that the applicable collective bargaining agreement requires any such claims to be arbitrated. The United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, affirmed the district court’s dismissal and denied the plaintiffs’ petition for re-hearing and re-hearing en banc. In October 2014, the United States Supreme Court denied the plaintiffs’ request to review the order compelling arbitration. Subsequently, approximately 575 crew members submitted demands for arbitration. The demands make substantially the same allegations as in the federal court complaint and are similarly seeking damages, wage penalties and interest in an indeterminate amount. Unlike the federal court complaint, the demands for arbitration are being brought individually by each of the crew members and not on behalf of a purported class of stateroom attendants. At this time, we are unable to estimate the possible impact of this matter on us. However, we believe the underlying claims made against us are without merit, and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves against them.currently pending legal proceedings.

In April 2015, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation issued Notices of Violation to Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises seeking monetary penalties for alleged violations of the Alaska Marine Visible Emission Standards that occurred over the past five years on certain of our vessels. We believe we have meritorious defenses to the allegations and we are cooperating with the state of Alaska. We do not believe that the ultimate outcome of these claims will have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations and cash flows.

We are routinely involved in other claims typical within the cruise vacation industry. The majority of these claims are covered by insurance. We believe the outcome of such claims, net of expected insurance recoveries, will not have a material adverse impact on our financial condition or results of operations and cash flows.

Item 1A. Risk Factors
 
The risk factors that affect our business and financial results are discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in the 2014 Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 and there has been no material change to these risk factors since previously disclosed. We wish to caution the reader that the risk factors discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our 20142015 Annual Report on Form 10-K, and those described elsewhere in this report or other SEC filings, could cause future results to differ materially from those stated in any forward-looking statements.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

Share Repurchases

The following table presents the total number of shares of our common stock that we repurchased during the quarter ended September 30, 2016:

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PeriodTotal number of shares purchased Average price paid per share 
Total number of shares purchased as part of publicly announced plans or programs(1)
 Approximate dollar value of shares that may yet be purchased under the plans or programs
July 1, 2016 - July 31, 2016   $50,000,000
August 1, 2016 - August 31, 2016706,715 $70.60 706,715 $—
September 1, 2016 - September 30, 2016   $—
Total706,715   706,715  

(1)In October 2015, our board of directors authorized a common stock repurchase program for up to $500 million that was completed in August 2016. For further information on our stock repurchase transactions, please refer to Note 8. Shareholders' Equity to our consolidated financial statements.


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Item 6. Exhibits
 
31.1
 Certification of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934*
   
31.2
 Certification of the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934*
   
32.1
 Certifications of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code**

* Filed herewith
** Furnished herewith
 
Interactive Data File
 
101                         The following financial statements fromof Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2015, as filed with the SEC on October 23, 2015,2016, formatted in XBRL as follows:are filed herewith:
 
(i)                     the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the quarter ended September 30, 2015 and 2014;

(ii)the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the nine months ended September 30, 20152016 and 2014;2015;

(iii)(ii)the Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 30, 20152016 and December 31, 2014;2015;
 
(iv)(iii)                the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 20152016 and 2014;2015; and
 
(v)(iv)                   the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged in summary and detail.


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SIGNATURES
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
 
  ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD.
  (Registrant)
   
   
  /s/ JASON T. LIBERTY
  Jason T. Liberty
  Chief Financial Officer
October 23, 201528, 2016 (Principal Financial Officer and duly authorized signatory)


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