Carnival Corp. downplays geopolitical and other concerns

In the last question of the call, an analyst asked about the Middle East situation, with violence continuing in Israel and container ships rerouting from the Suez Canal to avoid Iran-backed Houthi militants' attacks in the Red Sea off Yemen's coast.

Assia Georgieva of Infinity Research also specifically asked about Costa Toscana as one of the ships in the Arabian Gulf for the winter cruise season that eventually will have to transit the Suez Canal heading back to Europe.

Noting the company's first priority is safety, Carnival Corp. CEO Josh Weinstein said the situation is 'on our radar screen and we've got a Middle East mitigation plan should we need it, but keep in mind this is months away. And so we'll do the right thing.'

The rest of Weinstein's comment reflected how the cruise industry, a global business, is adept at pivoting when geopolitical situations arise.

'There's always something'

He continued: 'But there's always something. I hate to say it that way, but there is always something ...'

And that closed the subject.

Earlier, another analyst, citing the abundant positive commentary on the call, asked 'if there's anything left out there that concerns you that you would like to share with the audience?'

'Nope,' Weinstein said. 'Thanks for asking. No.'

Shares hit 52-week high

CCL shares traded as high as $19.72 on Thursday, a 52-week high, before settling at $19.19, up 6%.

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