Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) FY 2024 MD&A

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Financial Presentation

The following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, and should be read in conjunction with the disclosures we make concerning risks and other factors that may affect our business and operating results. You should read this information in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in this Annual Report. See also “Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements” immediately prior to Part I, Item 1 in this Annual Report.

We categorize revenue from our cruise and cruise-related activities as either “passenger ticket” revenue or “onboard and other” revenue. Passenger ticket revenue and onboard and other revenue vary according to product offering, the size of the ship in operation, the length of cruises operated and the markets in which the ship operates. Our revenue is seasonal based on demand for cruises, which has historically been strongest during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months. Passenger ticket revenue primarily consists of revenue for accommodations, meals in certain restaurants on the ship, certain onboard entertainment, government taxes, fees and port expenses and includes revenue for service charges and air and land transportation to and from the ship to the extent guests purchase these items from us. Onboard and other revenue primarily consists of revenue from casino, beverage sales, shore excursions, specialty dining, retail sales, spa services and Wi-Fi services. Our onboard revenue is derived from onboard activities we perform directly or that are performed by independent concessionaires, from which we receive a share of their revenue.

Our cruise operating expense is classified as follows:

Critical Accounting Policies

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates, judgments and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the periods presented. We rely on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances to make these estimates and judgments. Actual results could differ materially from these estimates. We believe that the following critical accounting policies reflect the significant estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements. These critical accounting policies, which are presented in detail in our notes to our audited consolidated financial statements, relate to ship accounting and asset impairment.

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Ship Accounting

Ships represent our most significant assets, and we record them at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation of ships is computed on a straight-line basis over the weighted average useful lives of primarily 30 years after a 15% reduction for the estimated residual value of the ship. Our residual value is established based on our long-term estimates of the expected remaining future benefit at the end of the ships’ weighted average useful lives. In 2022 and 2023, the Company took delivery of Norwegian’s first Prima Class Ship and Oceania Cruises’ first Allura Class Ship, respectively. Based on the design, structure and technological advancements made to these new classes of ships and the analyses of their major components, which is generally performed upon the introduction of a new class of ship, we have assigned the Prima Class Ships and Allura Class Ships a weighted-average useful life of 35 years with a residual value of 10%. Ship improvement costs that we believe add value to our ships are capitalized to the ship and depreciated over the shorter of the improvements’ estimated useful lives or the remaining useful life of the ship. When we record the retirement of a ship component included within the ship’s cost basis, we estimate the net book value of the component being retired and remove it from the ship’s cost basis. Repairs and maintenance activities are charged to expense as incurred. We account for Dry-dock costs under the direct expense method which requires us to expense all Dry-dock costs as incurred.

We determine the weighted average useful lives of our ships based primarily on our estimates of the costs and useful lives of the ships’ major component systems on the date of acquisition, such as cabins, main diesels, main electric, superstructure and hull, and their related proportional weighting to the ship as a whole. The useful lives of components of new ships and ship improvements are estimated based on the economic lives of the new components. In addition, to determine the useful lives of the major components of new ships and ship improvements, we consider the impact of the historical useful lives of similar assets, manufacturer recommended lives, planned maintenance programs and anticipated changes in technological conditions. Given the large and complex nature of our ships, our accounting estimates related to ships and determinations of ship improvement costs to be capitalized require judgment and are uncertain. Should certain factors or circumstances cause us to revise our estimate of ship service lives or projected residual values, depreciation expense could be materially lower or higher.

If circumstances cause us to change our assumptions in making determinations as to whether ship improvements should be capitalized, the amounts we expense each year as repairs and maintenance costs could increase, partially offset by a decrease in depreciation expense. If we reduced our estimated weighted average ship service life by one year, depreciation expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 would have increased by $20.5 million. In addition, if our ships were estimated to have no residual value, depreciation expense for the same period would have increased by $89.7 million. We believe our estimates for ship accounting are reasonable and our methods are consistently applied. We believe that depreciation expense is based on a rational and systematic method to allocate our ships’ costs to the periods that benefit from the ships’ usage.

Asset Impairment

We review our long-lived assets, principally ships, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. Assets are grouped and evaluated at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows that are largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets. For ship impairment analyses, the lowest level for which identifiable cash flows are largely independent of other assets and liabilities is each individual ship. We consider historical performance and future estimated results in our evaluation of potential impairment and then compare the carrying amount of the asset to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset. If the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the estimated expected undiscounted future cash flows, we measure the amount of the impairment by comparing the carrying amount of the asset to its estimated fair value. We estimate fair value based on the best information available utilizing estimates, judgments and projections as necessary. Our estimate of fair value is generally measured by discounting expected future cash flows at discount rates commensurate with the associated risk.

We evaluate goodwill and trade names for impairment annually or more frequently when an event occurs or circumstances change that indicates the carrying value of a reporting unit may not be recoverable. For our evaluation of goodwill, we use a qualitative assessment which allows us to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is

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more likely than not (i.e., more than 50%) that the estimated fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. For trade names we also provide a qualitative assessment to determine if there is any indication of impairment.

In order to make this evaluation, we consider whether any of the following factors or conditions exist:

It is at our discretion whether to perform the qualitative test and we may bypass the qualitative test in any period and proceed directly to the quantitative impairment test. We may also, at our discretion, resume performing the qualitative assessment in any subsequent period.

We believe our estimates and judgments with respect to our long-lived assets, principally ships, goodwill, trade names and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are reasonable. Nonetheless, if there was a material change in assumptions used in the determination of such fair values or if there is a material change in the conditions or circumstances that influence such assets, we could be required to record an impairment charge. If a material change occurred or the result of the qualitative assessment indicated it is more likely than not that the estimated fair value of the asset is less than its carrying value, we would conduct a quantitative assessment comparing the fair value to its carrying value.

We have concluded that our business has three reporting units. Each brand, Oceania Cruises, Regent and Norwegian, constitutes a business for which discrete financial information is available and management regularly reviews the operating results and, therefore, each brand is considered an operating segment.

For our annual impairment evaluation, we performed a qualitative assessment for the Norwegian and Regent reporting units and for each brand’s trade names. As of December 31, 2024, there was $135.8 million of goodwill for the Regent and Norwegian reporting units. Trade names were $500.5 million as of December 31, 2024. As of October 1, 2024, our annual impairment reviews support the carrying values of these assets. See Note 2 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” for more information.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We use certain non-GAAP financial measures, such as Adjusted Gross Margin, Net Yield, Net Cruise Cost, Adjusted Net Cruise Cost Excluding Fuel, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS, to enable us to analyze our performance. See “Terms Used in this Annual Report” for the definitions of these and other non-GAAP financial measures. We utilize Adjusted Gross Margin and Net Yield to manage our business on a day-to-day basis because it reflects revenue earned net of certain direct variable costs. We also utilize Net Cruise Cost and Adjusted Net Cruise Cost Excluding Fuel to manage our business on a day-to-day basis. In measuring our ability to control costs in a manner that

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positively impacts our net income, we believe changes in Adjusted Gross Margin, Net Yield, Net Cruise Cost and Adjusted Net Cruise Cost Excluding Fuel to be the most relevant indicators of our performance.

We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is appropriate as a supplemental financial measure as it is used by management to assess operating performance. We also believe that Adjusted EBITDA is a useful measure in determining our performance as it reflects certain operating drivers of our business, such as sales growth, operating costs, marketing, general and administrative expense and other operating income and expense. In addition, management uses Adjusted EBITDA as a performance measure for our incentive compensation. Adjusted EBITDA is not a defined term under GAAP nor is it intended to be a measure of liquidity or cash flows from operations or a measure comparable to net income, as it does not take into account certain requirements such as capital expenditures and related depreciation, principal and interest payments and tax payments and it includes other supplemental adjustments.

In addition, Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS are non-GAAP financial measures that exclude certain amounts and are used to supplement GAAP net income and EPS. We use Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS as key performance measures of our earnings performance. We believe that both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing our performance and when planning, forecasting and analyzing future periods. These non-GAAP financial measures also facilitate management’s internal comparison to our historical performance. In addition, management uses Adjusted EPS as a performance measure for our incentive compensation. The amounts excluded in the presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures may vary from period to period; accordingly, our presentation of Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS may not be indicative of future adjustments or results. For example, for the year ended December 31, 2024, we had a benefit of $161.9 million related to the reversal of the majority of our U.S. deferred tax asset valuation allowance. We included this as an adjustment in the reconciliation of Adjusted Net Income since the benefit is not representative of our day-to-day operations, and this adjustment did not occur and is not included in the comparative period presented within this Annual Report.

You are encouraged to evaluate each adjustment used in calculating our non-GAAP financial measures and the reasons we consider our non-GAAP financial measures appropriate for supplemental analysis. In evaluating our non-GAAP financial measures, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses similar to the adjustments in our presentation. Our non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider these measures in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Our presentation of our non-GAAP financial measures should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items. Our non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to other companies. Please see a historical reconciliation of these measures to the most comparable GAAP measure presented in our consolidated financial statements below in the “Results of Operations” section.

Financing Transactions and Newbuild Orders

In February 2024, NCLC and the Commitment Parties entered into the third amended commitment letter, which became effective in March 2024. Pursuant to the third amended commitment letter, the Commitment Parties have agreed to purchase from NCLC an aggregate principal amount of $650 million of senior unsecured notes due five years after the issue date at NCLC’s option, which option is available through March 2025 and we do not expect to extend. In connection with the execution of the third amended commitment letter, NCLC agreed to repurchase all of the outstanding $250 million aggregate principal amount of 9.75% senior secured notes due 2028 at a negotiated premium plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon. See Note 9 – “Long-Term Debt” for more information.

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In April 2024, we obtained export credit financing for 80% of the contract price of two new Regent Seven Seas Cruises ship orders and two new Oceania Cruises ship orders as well as related premiums. Contemporaneously, the ship orders became effective. The Norwegian brand also placed a four-ship order, for which the shipbuilding contracts were finalized in February 2025 and financing is still being finalized. We refer you to “—Liquidity and Capital Resources— Future Capital Commitments” and “—Liquidity and Capital Resources— Material Cash Requirements” for details regarding our newbuild orders.

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Additionally, in April 2024, a €200 million commitment became available that can be used for future newbuild payments. See Note 9 – “Long-Term Debt” for more information.

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In September 2024, NCLC issued $315.0 million aggregate principal amount of 6.250% senior unsecured notes due 2030. The net proceeds, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem $315.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 3.625% senior unsecured notes due 2024, including to pay any accrued and unpaid interest thereon. See Note 9 – “Long-Term Debt” for more information.

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In January 2025, the full amount of outstanding borrowings under the Breakaway one loan, Breakaway two loan, Marina newbuild loan and Riviera newbuild loan, plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, was repaid with funds drawn from the Revolving Loan Facility. NCLC also issued $1.8 billion aggregate principal amount of 6.750% senior unsecured notes due 2032. The net proceeds, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem $600.0 million aggregate principal amount of 8.375% senior secured notes due 2028 and $1.2 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.875% senior unsecured notes due 2026, together with any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, and to pay any related transaction premiums, fees and expenses. Concurrently, the Revolving Loan Facility was increased from $1.2 billion to $1.7 billion with the maturity date extended to 2030 and the collateral of the Revolving Loan Facility and the 8.125% senior secured notes due 2029 were modified. See Note 9 – “Long-Term Debt” for more information.

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Update on Bookings

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The Company continues to experience strong consumer demand for its offerings across itineraries and brands throughout 2025 and into 2026. As a result, the Company remains at the upper range of its optimal booked position on a 12-month forward basis.

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Margin Enhancement Initiative

During 2024, we continued to see improvements in operating costs from our ongoing margin enhancement initiative. The Company continues to prioritize identifying and evaluating a variety of initiatives to improve its cost structure and margin profile, while preserving its brand equity and optimal guest satisfaction levels. However, global macroeconomic events have created volatility and disruptions in the past that have adversely impacted our costs and they may do so again in the future. Furthermore, we are exposed to fluctuations in the euro exchange rate for certain portions of ship construction contracts and various exchange rates for customer deposits that have not been hedged. See “Item 1A—Risk Factors” in our Annual Report for additional information.

Climate Change

We believe the increasing focus on climate change, including the Company’s targets for greenhouse gas reductions, and evolving regulatory requirements will materially impact our future capital expenditures and results of operations. We have set interim targets to guide us on our path to net zero and provide more details about them in our annual Sail & Sustain Report (which does not constitute a part of, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference into, this Report). We expect to incur significant expenses related to these regulatory requirements and commitments, which have and will include expenses related to GHG emissions reduction initiatives, including modifications to our ships, and have and will include the purchase of emissions allowances, among other things. During 2024, we spent $47.7 million on capital expenditures for projects that are intended to reduce carbon emissions from our existing fleet. We have changed and may continue to be required to change certain operating procedures, for example slowing the speed of our ships, to meet regulatory requirements, which could adversely impact our operations. We are also evaluating the effects of global climate change related requirements, which are still evolving, including our ability to mitigate certain future expenses through initiatives to reduce GHG emissions; consequently, the full impact to the Company is not yet known. During 2024, we recognized $19.3 million of expense related to compliance with the E.U. ETS, a portion of which was collected directly from passengers through revenue. Additionally, our ships, port facilities, corporate offices and island destinations have in the past and may again be adversely affected by an increase in the frequency and intensity of adverse weather conditions caused by climate change. For example, certain ports have become temporarily unavailable to us due to hurricane damage and other destinations have either considered or implemented restrictions on cruise operations due to environmental concerns. Refer to “Impacts related to climate change may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations” in “Item 1A—Risk Factors” for further information.

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Deferred Tax Asset Valuation Allowance and Income Tax Expense

The Company continues to maintain a full valuation allowance against the net deferred tax assets in the Bermuda jurisdiction, which has a balance of $547.8 million as of December 31, 2024, primarily related to a 3-year cumulative loss. Although the Pillar 2 rules became effective in Bermuda as of January 1, 2025, the Company does not expect to have a material change in its income tax expense for 2025.

Additionally, the Company previously provided a full valuation allowance against the net deferred tax assets in the U.S. jurisdiction. As discussed in Note 12 – “Income Taxes” to our financial statements, during the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company released $161.9 million of the valuation allowance related to its U.S. net deferred tax assets, resulting in a non-cash benefit to income tax expense. In determining the need for a valuation allowance, the Company considers both the positive and negative evidence including its ability to forecast future operating results, historical tax losses and its ability to utilize deferred tax assets within the requisite carryforward periods. After weighing all of the evidence, the Company determined that the positive evidence outweighed the negative evidence and concluded that it is more likely than not that the majority of the U.S. net deferred tax assets will be realized. The positive evidence considered by the Company includes continuous improvement in its operating results and profitability, implementation of certain tax planning actions, its projections showing sufficient utilization of tax attributes within their requisite carryforward periods, the non recurring nature of the losses tied to the suspension of sailings due to COVID-19 and not having a history of expiration of tax attributes. The negative evidence considered includes that the Company has been in a three-year cumulative book loss position for the past four years. The Company continues to maintain a valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets for which it concluded it is more likely than not they will not be realized. The Company will continue to evaluate all relevant positive and negative evidence in monitoring the realizability of its deferred tax assets and determining the appropriate timing for the recognition of any additional valuation allowance reversal. The ultimate realization of the Company’s deferred tax assets is dependent upon a number of uncertainties including future taxable income of the appropriate character during the requisite carryforward periods.

Executive Overview

Total revenue increased 10.9% to $9.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $8.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023. Capacity Days increased by 3.5%.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, we had net income and diluted EPS of $910.3 million and $1.89, respectively. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we had net income and diluted EPS of $166.2 million and $0.39, respectively. Operating income increased to $1.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $930.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

We had Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS of $937.5 million and $1.82, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2024, including $(36.0) million of adjustments primarily consisting of the reversal of a valuation allowance partially offset by share-based compensation, compared to Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS of $298.0 million and $0.70, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2023. Adjusted EBITDA increased 31.7% to $2.5 billion for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $1.9 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023. We refer you to our “Results of Operations” below for a calculation of Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted EPS and Adjusted EBITDA.

Results of Operations

The discussion below compares the results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 to the year ended December 31, 2023. You should read this discussion in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report. For a comparison of the Company’s results of operations for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 to the year ended December 31, 2022, see “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2024.

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We reported total revenue, total cruise operating expense, operating income and net income as follows (in thousands, except per share data):

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The following table sets forth operating data as a percentage of total revenue:

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The following table sets forth selected statistical information:

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Adjusted Gross Margin and Net Yield were calculated as follows (in thousands except Capacity Days and per Capacity Day data):

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Gross Cruise Cost, Net Cruise Cost, Net Cruise Cost Excluding Fuel and Adjusted Net Cruise Cost Excluding Fuel were calculated as follows (in thousands except Capacity Days and per Capacity Day data):

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Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS were calculated as follows (in thousands, except share and per share data):

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EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA were calculated as follows (in thousands):

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Year Ended December 31, 2024 (“2024”) Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2023 (“2023”)

Revenue

Total revenue increased 10.9% to $9.5 billion in 2024 compared to $8.5 billion in 2023 primarily due to an increase in Capacity Days and an increase in passenger ticket pricing and onboard spending. The increase in Capacity Days was primarily related to the delivery of three new ships in 2023 partially offset by increased Dry-dock days in 2024.

Expense

Total cruise operating expense increased 4.0% in 2024 compared to 2023 primarily related to the delivery of three new ships in 2023 partially offset by a reduction in air costs largely due to changes in itinerary mix. Total other operating expense increased 8.1% in 2024 compared to 2023 primarily related to an increase in depreciation expense from the delivery of three new ships in 2023 and variable compensation due to strong financial performance of the business.

Interest expense, net was $747.2 million in 2024 compared to $727.5 million in 2023. The increase in 2024 primarily reflects higher losses from extinguishment of debt and debt modification costs, which were $29.2 million in 2024 and $8.8 million in 2023.

Other income (expense), net was income of $54.2 million in 2024 compared to expense of $40.2 million in 2023 primarily related to net gains and losses on foreign currency remeasurements.

Income tax benefit was $137.4 million in 2024 compared to $3.0 million in 2023. The increase in the benefit was due to the reversal of the majority of our valuation allowance for the U.S. deferred tax assets in 2024.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

General

As of December 31, 2024, our liquidity of approximately $2.0 billion consisted of cash and cash equivalents of $190.8 million, borrowings available of $955.0 million under our Revolving Loan Facility, a €200 million commitment that can be used for future newbuild payments and a $650 million undrawn commitment less related fees. Our primary ongoing liquidity requirements are to finance working capital, capital expenditures and debt service. As of December 31, 2024, we had a working capital deficit of $4.8 billion. This deficit included $3.1 billion of advance ticket sales, which represents the total revenue we collected in advance of sailing dates and accordingly are substantially more like deferred revenue balances rather than actual current cash liabilities. Our business model, along with our liquidity and undrawn export-credit backed facilities, allows us to operate with a working capital deficit and still meet our operating, investing and financing needs.

In February 2024, NCLC and the Commitment Parties entered into the third amended commitment letter, which became effective in March 2024. Pursuant to the third amended commitment letter, the Commitment Parties have agreed to purchase from NCLC an aggregate principal amount of $650 million of senior unsecured notes due five years after the issue date at NCLC’s option, which option is available through March 2025 and we do not expect to extend. In connection with the execution of the third amended commitment letter, NCLC agreed to repurchase all of the outstanding $250 million aggregate principal amount of 9.75% senior secured notes due 2028 at a negotiated premium plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon.

Additionally, in April 2024, a €200 million commitment became available that can be used for future newbuild payments.

In September 2024, NCLC issued $315.0 million aggregate principal amount of 6.250% senior unsecured notes due 2030. The net proceeds, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem $315.0 million aggregate principal amount of the 3.625% senior unsecured notes due 2024, including to pay any accrued and unpaid interest thereon.

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In January 2025, the full amount of outstanding borrowings under the Breakaway one loan, Breakaway two loan, Marina newbuild loan and Riviera newbuild loan, plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, was repaid with funds drawn from the Revolving Loan Facility. NCLC also issued $1.8 billion aggregate principal amount of 6.750% senior unsecured notes due 2032. The net proceeds, together with cash on hand, were used to redeem $600.0 million aggregate principal amount of 8.375% senior secured notes due 2028 and $1.2 billion aggregate principal amount of 5.875% senior unsecured notes due 2026, together with any accrued and unpaid interest thereon, and to pay any related transaction premiums, fees and expenses. Concurrently, the Revolving Loan Facility was increased from $1.2 billion to $1.7 billion with the maturity date extended to 2030, and the collateral of the Revolving Loan Facility and the 8.125% senior secured notes due 2029 were modified.

Refer to Note 9 – “Long-Term Debt” for further details about the above financing transactions.

Based on our liquidity estimates and our current resources, we have concluded we have sufficient liquidity to satisfy our obligations for at least the next 12 months. There can be no assurance that the accuracy of the assumptions used to estimate our liquidity requirements will be correct, and our ability to be predictive is uncertain due to the dynamic nature of the current operating environment, including any current macroeconomic events and conditions such as inflation, rising fuel prices and higher interest rates.

Within the next twelve months, we may pursue additional refinancings in order to reduce interest expense and/or extend debt maturities. We expect the holders of the 2025 Exchangeable Notes maturing in August 2025 will exchange their 2025 Exchangeable Notes for NCLH ordinary shares if not refinanced prior to maturity. There is no assurance that cash flows from operations and additional financings will be available in the future to fund our future obligations. Beyond the next 12 months, we will pursue refinancings and other balance sheet optimization transactions in order to reduce interest expense and/or extend debt maturities. Refer to “Item 1A—Risk Factors” for further details regarding risks and uncertainties that may cause our results to differ from our expectations.

At December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with all of our debt covenants. If we do not continue to remain in compliance with our covenants, we would have to seek additional amendments to or waivers of the covenants. However, no assurances can be made that such amendments or waivers would be approved by our lenders. Generally, if an event of default under any debt agreement occurs, then pursuant to cross default and/or cross acceleration clauses, substantially all of our outstanding debt and derivative contract payables could become due, and all debt and derivative contracts could be terminated, which would have a material adverse impact to our operations and liquidity.

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Our Moody’s long-term issuer rating is B1, our senior secured rating is Ba3 and our senior unsecured rating is B3. Our S&P Global issuer credit rating is B+, our issue-level rating on our $1.7 billion Revolving Loan Facility and $790 million 8.125% senior secured notes due 2029 is BB, our issue-level rating on our other senior secured notes is BB- and our senior unsecured rating is B+. If our credit ratings were to be downgraded as has occurred in the past, or general market conditions were to ascribe higher risk to our rating levels, our industry, or us, our access to capital and the cost of any debt or equity financing will be negatively impacted. We also have capacity to incur additional indebtedness under our debt agreements and may issue additional ordinary shares from time to time, subject to our authorized number of ordinary shares. However, there is no guarantee that debt or equity financings will be available in the future to fund our obligations, or that they will be available on terms consistent with our expectations.

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As of December 31, 2024, we had advance ticket sales of $3.2 billion, including the long-term portion. We also have agreements with our credit card processors that, as of December 31, 2024, governed approximately $2.8 billion in advance ticket sales that had been received by the Company relating to future voyages. These agreements allow the credit card processors to require under certain circumstances, including the existence of a material adverse change, excessive chargebacks and other triggering events, that the Company maintain a reserve which would be satisfied by posting collateral. Although the agreements vary, these requirements may generally be satisfied either through a percentage of customer payments withheld or providing cash funds directly to the card processor. Any cash reserve or collateral requested could be increased or decreased. As of December 31, 2024, we had cash collateral reserves of approximately $0.8 million with credit card processors recognized in accounts receivable, net. The $31.5 million previously recognized in other long-term assets was returned to the Company during the year ended December 31, 2024.

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We may be required to pledge additional collateral and/or post additional cash reserves or take other actions in the future that may adversely affect our liquidity.

Sources and Uses of Cash

In this section, references to 2024 refer to the year ended December 31, 2024, references to 2023 refer to the year ended December 31, 2023.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $2.0 billion in 2024 and 2023. Net cash provided by operating activities included net income and the timing differences in cash receipts and payments relating to operating assets and liabilities. The net cash provided by operating activities in 2024 included net income of $910.3 million and an increase in advance ticket sales of $35.7 million. The net cash provided by operating activities in 2023 included net income of $166.2 million, the return of $500 million cash collateral from one credit card processor and an increase in advance ticket sales of $503.7 million.

Net cash used in investing activities was $1.2 billion in 2024, primarily related to newbuild payments and ship improvements. Net cash used in investing activities was $2.9 billion in 2023, primarily related to three new ship deliveries and newbuild payments.

Net cash used in financing activities was $1.0 billion in 2024, primarily due to repayments of newbuild loans, our 2028 Secured Notes and the 3.625% senior notes due 2024 partially offset by the proceeds from newbuild loan facilities and the 2030 Notes. Net cash provided by financing activities was $346.9 million in 2023, primarily due to newbuild loans and $1.6 billion from our various note offerings, partially offset by debt repayments and a net decrease in our Revolving Loan Facility balance.

For the Company’s cash flow activities for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, see “Item 7—Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 28, 2024.

Future Capital Commitments

Future capital commitments consist of contracted commitments, including ship construction contracts. Anticipated expenditures related to ship construction contracts and growth are $2.5 billion, $2.4 billion and $2.4 billion for the years ending December 31, 2025, 2026 and 2027, respectively. We have export-credit backed financing in place for the anticipated expenditures related to ship construction contracts of $1.5 billion, $1.5 billion and $1.8 billion for the years ending December 31, 2025, 2026 and 2027, respectively. Anticipated other non-newbuild capital expenditures are $0.6 billion for the year ending December 31, 2025. Future expected capital expenditures will significantly increase our depreciation and amortization expense.

Newbuilds

The following chart discloses details about our newbuild program. The impacts of initiatives to improve environmental sustainability and modifications the Company plans to make to its newbuilds and/or other macroeconomic conditions and events have resulted in delays in expected ship deliveries. These and other impacts could result in additional delays in ship deliveries in the future, which may be prolonged. Expected delivery dates for our most recently announced newbuilds are preliminary and subject to change.

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As of December 31, 2024, the combined contract prices, including amendments and change orders, of the 13 ships on order for delivery (which excludes the two ships on order for Oceania Cruises, which are currently scheduled for delivery in 2030 and 2031, that we have the option to cancel) was approximately €17.5 billion, or $18.1 billion based on the euro/U.S. dollar exchange rate as of December 31, 2024. If the two ships on order for Oceania Cruises are cancelled, there will be incremental corresponding adjustments to the purchase price of other applicable newbuilds not to exceed €51 million. We do not anticipate any contractual breaches or cancellations to occur, except as noted above. However, if any such events were to occur, it could result in, among other things, the forfeiture of prior deposits or payments made by us and potential claims and impairment losses which may materially impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Capitalized interest for the year ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $59.9 million and $56.4 million, respectively, primarily associated with the construction of our newbuild ships.

Material Cash Requirements

As of December 31, 2024, our material cash requirements for debt and ship construction were as follows (in thousands):

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For other operational commitments for lease and port obligations we refer you to Note 6 – “Leases” and Note 13 – “Commitments and Contingencies,” respectively, for further information.

Funding Sources

Certain of our debt agreements contain covenants that, among other things, require us to maintain a minimum level of liquidity, as well as limit our net funded debt-to-capital ratio and maintain certain other ratios. Approximately $15.6 billion of our assets were pledged as collateral for certain of our debt as of December 31, 2024. We believe we were in compliance with our covenants as of December 31, 2024.

In addition, our existing debt agreements restrict, and any of our future debt arrangements may restrict, among other things, the ability of our subsidiaries, including NCLC, to make distributions and/or pay dividends to NCLH and NCLH’s ability to pay cash dividends to its shareholders. NCLH is a holding company and depends upon its subsidiaries for their ability to pay distributions to it to finance any dividend or pay any other obligations of NCLH. However, we do not believe that these restrictions have had or are expected to have an impact on our ability to meet any cash obligations.

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We believe our cash on hand, borrowings available under our Revolving Loan Facility, expected future operating cash inflows and our ability to issue debt securities or additional equity securities, will be sufficient to fund operations, debt payment requirements, capital expenditures and maintain compliance with covenants under our debt agreements over the next 12-month period. Refer to “—Liquidity and Capital Resources—General” for further information regarding liquidity.

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Other

Certain service providers may require collateral in the normal course of our business. The amount of collateral may change based on certain terms and conditions. We refer you to “—Liquidity and Capital Resources—General” for information regarding collateral provided to our credit card processors.

As a routine part of our business, depending on market conditions, exchange rates, pricing and our strategy for growth, we regularly consider opportunities to enter into contracts for the building of additional ships, acquisitions and strategic alliances. If any of these transactions were to occur, they may be financed through the incurrence of additional permitted indebtedness, through cash flows from operations, or through the issuance of debt, equity or equity-related securities.

Additionally, we similarly consider opportunities for the sale of ships and long-term charters with purchase options. For example, we are currently contemplating a long-term charter for residences at sea with a purchase option for a nominal value at the end of the lease period. These types of agreements are being pursued as part of our ship disposal strategy for certain older vessels in our fleet.