Payroll — Total cruise operating expenses
Royal Caribbean Group Payroll — Total cruise operating expenses increased by 12.7% to $400.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 17.6%, from $340.00M to $400.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Payroll — Total cruise operating expenses shows an upward trend with a 13.0% CAGR. This increase may warrant attention — for this metric, lower values are generally preferred.
Analysis
How to read this metric
An increase may indicate rising labor costs, wage inflation, or an expansion in fleet capacity requiring more staff, while a decrease may reflect cost-saving initiatives or improved operational efficiencies.
Detailed definition
This metric represents the total compensation costs, including wages, salaries, benefits, and related payroll taxes, inc...
Peer comparison
Peers in the cruise and hospitality industry typically report this as a major component of operating expenses, often benchmarked as a percentage of total revenue or per available passenger cruise day.
rcl_segment_payroll_total_cruise_operating_expensesHistorical Data
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $167.64M | $265.97M | $307.84M | $349.62M | $327.14M | $304.37M | $306.67M | $310.00M | $284.37M | $293.63M | $309.00M | $318.00M | $313.00M | $328.00M | $342.00M | $340.00M | $329.00M | $342.00M | $355.00M | $400.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +58.7% | +15.7% | +13.6% | -6.4% | -7.0% | +0.8% | +1.1% | -8.3% | +3.3% | +5.2% | +2.9% | -1.6% | +4.8% | +4.3% | -0.6% | -3.2% | +4.0% | +3.8% | +12.7% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +95.1% | +14.4% | -0.4% | -11.3% | -13.1% | -3.5% | +0.8% | +2.6% | +10.1% | +11.7% | +10.7% | +6.9% | +5.1% | +4.3% | +3.8% | +17.6% |
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Royal Caribbean Group's payroll — total cruise operating expenses?
- Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) reported payroll — total cruise operating expenses of $400.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Royal Caribbean Group's payroll — total cruise operating expenses changed year-over-year?
- Royal Caribbean Group's payroll — total cruise operating expenses increased by 17.6% year-over-year, from $340.00M to $400.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Royal Caribbean Group's payroll — total cruise operating expenses?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Royal Caribbean Group's payroll — total cruise operating expenses has grown at a 13.0% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $838.09M to $1.37B.
- What does payroll — total cruise operating expenses mean?
- The total cost of wages and benefits for all shipboard employees.