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As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2024.

Registration No. 333-278515

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

AMENDMENT NO. 4

TO

FORM F-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Viking Holdings Ltd

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Not Applicable

(Translation of Registrant’s name into English)

 

 

 

Bermuda   4400   Not Applicable
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

94 Pitts Bay Road

Pembroke, Bermuda HM 08

Tel: (441) 478-2244

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Leah Talactac

Chief Financial Officer

5700 Canoga Avenue

Woodland Hills, CA 91367

Tel: (818) 227-1234

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

Gregg A. Noel

Ryan J. Dzierniejko

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

525 University Ave.

Palo Alto, CA 94301

Tel: (650) 470-4500

 

Christopher D. Lueking

Scott W. Westhoff

Jonathan E. Sarna

Latham & Watkins LLP

330 N. Wabash Avenue, Suite 2800

Chicago, IL 60611

Tel: (312) 876-7700

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933. Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

 

 

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


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The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We and the selling shareholders may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell, and neither we nor the selling shareholders are soliciting an offer to buy, these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

Subject to completion, dated April 29, 2024

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

 

LOGO

Viking Holdings Ltd

53,000,000 Ordinary Shares

 

 

This is an initial public offering of the ordinary shares of Viking Holdings Ltd. We are offering 11,000,000 ordinary shares and the selling shareholders identified in this prospectus are offering an aggregate of 42,000,000 ordinary shares. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of ordinary shares by the selling shareholders. Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares. We anticipate that the initial public offering price will be between $21.00 and $25.00 per ordinary share. Our ordinary shares have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) under the symbol “VIK.”

We have two classes of shares: ordinary shares and special shares. The rights of the holders of our ordinary shares and our special shares are identical, except with respect to voting, conversion and transfer rights. Each ordinary share is entitled to one vote per share and each special share is entitled to 10 votes per share. Each special share may be converted at any time into one ordinary share at the option of the holder and will convert automatically into one ordinary share upon transfer, subject to certain exceptions. See “Description of Share Capital.” As a result of its ownership of special shares, our principal shareholder (as defined herein) will hold approximately 86.9% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital following the consummation of this offering. As a result of our principal shareholder’s ownership, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE, and we intend to rely on certain of the controlled company exemptions under the NYSE corporate governance rules.

 

 

Investing in our ordinary shares involves risks. See “Risk Factors” on page 38.

We are a “foreign private issuer” under applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules and will be eligible for reduced public company disclosure requirements. See “Prospectus Summary—Implications of Being a Foreign Private Issuer.”

 

     Price to
Public
     Underwriting
Discounts and
Commissions(1)
     Proceeds, Before
Expenses, to Us
     Proceeds, Before
Expenses, to the
Selling Shareholders
 

Per Ordinary Share

   $            $             $             $         

Total

   $        $        $        $    

 

(1)

We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for certain expenses in connection with this offering. See “Underwriting” for additional information regarding underwriting compensation.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The selling shareholders have granted to the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 7,950,000 additional ordinary shares from the selling shareholders at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

Norges Bank Investment Management, a division of Norges Bank (the “cornerstone investor”), has indicated an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of $100 million in ordinary shares in this offering at the initial public offering price. The ordinary shares to be purchased by the cornerstone investor will not be subject to a lock-up agreement with the underwriters. Because this indication of interest is not a binding agreement or commitment to purchase, the cornerstone investor may determine to purchase more, less or no shares in this offering or the underwriters may determine to sell more, less or no shares to the cornerstone investor. The underwriters will receive the same underwriting discounts and commissions on any of our ordinary shares purchased by the cornerstone investor as they will from any other ordinary shares sold to the public in this offering.

The underwriters expect to deliver the ordinary shares on or about     , 2024.

(in alphabetical order)

 

BofA Securities   J.P. Morgan   UBS Investment Bank   Wells Fargo Securities
HSBC    Morgan Stanley    
Rothschild & Co    Stifel    

 

Drexel Hamilton     Loop Capital Markets   R. Seelaus & Co., LLC

The date of this prospectus is     , 2024.


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LOGO

ONE BRAND

 


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LOGO

 


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LOGO

Destination focused and culturally immersive

 


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LOGO

Viking By the Numbers 92 vessels 650,000 guests 2023,51# Returning $4.7 billion 2023 Total revenue 14.4% 2015-2023 total revenue cagr 10,000+ employees from 90+countries

 


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LOGO

One of the world's leading cruise lines

 


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Neither we, the selling shareholders nor the underwriters have authorized anyone to provide you with any information or make any representation other than the information contained in this prospectus, any amendment or supplement to this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. We, the selling shareholders and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any information other than the information in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus we may authorize to be delivered or made available to you. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date on the front of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of ordinary shares. Our business, financial condition and results of operations may have changed since the date on the cover page of this prospectus. This prospectus is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these ordinary shares in any circumstances under which such offer or solicitation is unlawful.

Through and including     , 2024 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers effecting transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to a dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to an unsold allotment or subscription.

For investors outside the United States: Neither we, the selling shareholders nor the underwriters have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside of the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, this offering and the distribution of this prospectus outside of the United States.


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LOGO

 


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LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Dear Prospective Shareholder,

Since our humble beginnings in 1997, Viking has always done things differently from others in the travel industry. When we started this company 27 years ago, it was just two guys with two mobile phones and four river ships. We saw an opportunity to create high-end travel experiences for individuals who seek more than just a vacation—people who want to learn more about the history, art and culture of their destination. Many of these individuals subscribe to a personal philosophy of mine—that time is the only truly scarce commodity. And what better way of spending time is there than traveling—continuing to educate ourselves and broaden our minds?

Our journey

We started with river cruising, a concept that at the time was largely unknown to North American travelers. Many of the world’s civilizations developed along rivers—Vienna and Budapest on the Danube; Basel and Cologne on the Rhine; Paris on the Seine; Luxor on the Nile—with fascinating history and scenery along the riverbanks. We developed destination-focused river cruises with vessels that are small compared to ocean ships, but with the same luxurious hotel-style amenities to which travelers have become accustomed. Our guests soon discovered that by sailing on small vessels that can dock in the heart of cities, they have more time in port and more opportunities for cultural immersion. What happened from there was historic—river cruising became one of the fastest growing segments of travel, and Viking became a household name.

As we spoke with our guests, we learned just how much they appreciated “the Viking way” of travel. They wanted to have a similar experience on the oceans to what we had been offering on the rivers. Our guests valued the focus on cultural immersion and the serene and quiet environment of our small ships, and they wanted to explore more parts of the world that our river ships could not reach: Athens, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London and other iconic cities. This led us to launch Viking Ocean in 2015. In doing so, we redefined the concept of ocean cruising.

Our guests continue to tell us that they want to travel to new places and experience more with Viking, both further afield and closer to home. In 2022, we perfected the expedition experience with the launch of Viking Expeditions and our journeys to Antarctica, the Arctic and North America’s Great Lakes—and we modernized Mississippi River journeys with the arrival of the Viking Mississippi.

Today, we are a global leader in experiential travel, with a fleet of nearly 100 vessels, exploring all seven continents, all five oceans and more than 20 iconic rivers. We are the first and only travel company to be rated #1 for Rivers, #1 for Oceans and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler. And, all of this we do under just one brand: Viking.

Reasons for our success

As we reflect on the past 27 years, Viking has achieved remarkable milestones—in large part because we are so different from others in the travel industry.

First of all, we obsess over our guests and our employees. We maintain a clear focus on our most relevant customer group: English-speaking travelers aged 55 years old and over, who have the time, money and desire to explore the world. We do not try to be all things to all people, which is why we only offer a single-language experience on board our ships; there are no casinos; and children under 18 are not allowed. I would also say that we have the best staff in the industry—a global workforce that represents over 90 nationalities. We value our employees deeply, and in turn, they deliver exceptional service to our guests.

 

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Secondly, our product is well-defined and consistent. Our signature Scandinavian design provides guests with an elegant and familiar feeling of home on board our ships—and we have been quite conscious in the design of our ships, maximizing space utilization by avoiding features that are unnecessary for our target customers. This has allowed us to deliver a superior product at competitive prices. Our guests know they can expect a consistent, excellent experience on each voyage they take with us, which has led to strong brand loyalty and high repeat guest rates.

Thirdly, we rely on direct marketing to drive the majority of our bookings. With significant investments in marketing across various channels and the ability for customers to book directly with Viking, we have the ability to generate demand rather than wait for third parties to do so for us.

Finally, we are contrarian in our investment decisions. We have used periods of economic downturn or lower consumer demand to secure favorable conditions for our future newbuilding program in the form of competitive prices and attractive financing.

Our commitment to the environment

Our responsibility extends beyond providing exceptional travel experiences. From the outset, Viking has been deliberately concerned about the environment, making decisions that we believe are scientifically correct, rather than what is deemed as politically correct. Our fleet boasts many environmentally friendly features, such as diesel-electric river ships and energy-efficient ocean vessels equipped with closed-loop exhaust scrubbers. We are working to make our next generation of ocean ships even more environmentally friendly, with a project for a partial hybrid propulsion system of liquid hydrogen and fuel cells, which could allow us to operate with zero emissions while in port and while traveling at low speeds.

Opportunities for further development

Looking toward the future, we believe there are a number of opportunities for growing Viking. We have 24 new ships on order, with options for 12 more. We have also started to enter new markets, such as China and elsewhere in Asia, where we see significant growth potential over the long term.

Additionally, just as we have expanded our travel platform throughout our history, we are exploring other products, such as safaris and land tours, that would allow our guests to explore more of the world in Viking comfort. Experiences that appeal to our guests’ interests can complement our cruise offerings and would continue to cover “white spots” that still exist on the world map. We view Viking as the premier provider of travel experiences for thinking people aged 55 and over. Thoughtfully expanding our travel platform further with new experiences that are a consistent extension of the Viking brand would enable us to capture a greater share of our guests’ travel spend.

Becoming a public company

We view going public as a natural move to further solidify our position as a great company. Throughout my career, I have always defined a great company as one that is: loved by its customers, loved by its employees and feared by its competitors. Becoming a public company will increase our financial flexibility and may help us realize future opportunities.

Though the transition from private to public can be seen as a daunting change, Viking has from the very beginning operated in ways that are not all that dissimilar from those of a public company. We have had a board of directors composed mainly of non-management and external members; we have made decisions based on facts and data; we have aligned our management compensation with our shareholders’ interests; and we have raised capital from various sources, including private equity funds and the bond market.

 

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Of course, becoming public will inevitably bring change to Viking, but there are several key things that I feel strongly should not change.

 

1.

We will continue to obsess over our guests. We will do so by continuing to offer them an excellent travel experience at a good value, achieved through the design of our vessels, the service delivered by our staff and the effectiveness of our direct marketing and distribution model.

 

2.

We will continue to treat all Viking employees as part of a family. We shall seek to keep the family ethos that has been foundational to our company culture since the beginning.

 

3.

We will continue to be contrarian. We will always emphasize the importance of a long-term view and shareholder value creation, rather than focusing solely on quarterly results. This may mean making use of unusual opportunities as they come along, even if short-term profitability is impacted.

 

4.

We will continue to do what is right when it comes to the environment. We already have very fuel-efficient river and ocean ships, and we are now working on a project for future ocean ships based partially on liquefied hydrogen and fuel cells, which would be a true zero emission solution.

We are proud of what we have accomplished in the last 27 years, as well as our potential for the future. I invite you to join us on this journey and become part of the Viking family. Whether you are a guest, an employee or a shareholder, we believe you will find that Viking’s greatest strengths lie in our differences.

Onwards,

 

LOGO

Torstein Hagen

Founder, Chairman and CEO

Viking

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

As used in this prospectus, unless the context otherwise requires, references to “we,” “us,” “our,” “our business,” the “Company,” “Viking” and similar references refer to Viking Holdings Ltd and, where appropriate, its consolidated subsidiaries.

PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND CERTAIN DEFINITIONS

Presentation of Financial Information

Our audited consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2022 and 2023 and for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023 included in this prospectus have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”), as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”). The summary consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 has been derived from our consolidated financial statements that are not included in this prospectus.

We have made rounding adjustments to reach some of the figures included in this prospectus. As a result, numerical figures shown as totals in some tables may not be arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede them.

In this prospectus, unless otherwise indicated, all references to “U.S. dollars,” “dollars” or “$” are to the lawful currency of the United States of America and all references to “euro” or “€” are to the lawful currency of the participating Member States in the Third Stage of European Economic and Monetary Union of the Treaty Establishing the European Community, as amended from time to time.

Presentation of Other Data and Certain Definitions

Unless otherwise specified or the context requires otherwise in this prospectus, all references to:

 

   

“Adjusted EBITDA” are to EBITDA (consolidated net income (loss) adjusted for interest income, interest expense, income tax expense and depreciation, amortization and impairment) as further adjusted for non-cash Private Placement derivatives gains and losses, loss on Private Placement refinancing, currency gains or losses, stock-based compensation expense and other financial income (loss) (which include forward gains and losses, gain or loss on disposition of assets, certain non-cash fair value adjustments, restructuring charges and non-recurring items);

 

   

“Adjusted EBITDA Margin” are to the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of Adjusted EBITDA divided by Adjusted Gross Margin;

 

   

“Adjusted FCF Conversion” are to the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of Adjusted FCF divided by Adjusted EBITDA;

 

   

“Adjusted Free Cash Flow” or “Adjusted FCF” are to net cash flow from (used in) operating activities as adjusted for interest paid, interest payments for lease liabilities, interest received, and Ongoing Capex, as further adjusted for cash portion of interest expense related to our Series C Preference Shares. Our Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert into ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering;

 

   

“Adjusted Gross Margin” are to gross margin adjusted for vessel operating expenses and ship depreciation and impairment. Gross margin is calculated pursuant to IFRS as total revenue less total cruise operating expenses and ship depreciation and impairment;

 

   

“Advance Bookings” are to the aggregate ticketed amount for guest bookings for our voyages at a specific point in time, and include bookings for cruises, land extensions and air;

 

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“average age” are, for ships or vessels, to average age of those ships or vessels weighted by berth;

 

   

“berth” are to a space for one passenger. Almost all of our staterooms are double occupancy, or two berth staterooms, but we have some staterooms that are single occupancy, or single berth staterooms;

 

   

“CAGR” are to compound annual growth rate;

 

   

“Capacity Passenger Cruise Days” or “Capacity PCDs,” with respect to any given period, are to measurements of capacity that represent, for each ship operating during the relevant period, the number of berths multiplied by the number of Ship Operating Days, determined on an aggregated basis for all ships in operation during the relevant period;

 

   

“China JV Investment” are to the joint venture between us and China Merchants Shekou, a subsidiary of China Merchants Group, to build a cruise line offering Chinese coastal sailing for Mandarin-speaking populations in China. The China JV Investment is comprised of two primary entities: CMV and SCM. We have a 10% interest in CMV. We have a 50% interest in SCM;

 

   

“China Outbound” are to our outbound river cruise product marketed to Mandarin-speaking passengers. China Outbound is separate from the China JV Investment and wholly owned by us;

 

   

“CMV” are to China Merchants Viking Cruises Limited, the entity of the China JV Investment that contracts with passengers and owns and operates the China JV Investment’s first ship;

 

   

“direct” in relationship to the sales distribution channel are to passengers who purchased their cruise packages directly from us;

 

   

“guest quality ratings” are to a metric that represents the average response provided by our guests when completing the onboard surveys provided in staterooms on each voyage (one per guest). These responses are collected on a 4-level scale, with 1 – Poor, 2 – Fair, 3 – Good, and 4 – Great;

 

   

“Invested Capital” are to the average of the most recent four quarters of indebtedness, gross of loan fees, less cash and cash equivalents, plus total shareholders’ equity;

 

   

“large public cruise lines” are to Carnival Corporation, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.;

 

   

“Net Promoter Score” are to a metric that helps companies measure customer loyalty and that predicts overall company growth. Net Promoter Scores are measured through customer response to a single question on how likely they are to recommend the product or service to others and are reported with a number that ranges from -100 to +100. A higher score is more desirable, and score ranges tend to vary by industry. Viking’s score is calculated by asking guests, “How likely are you to recommend Viking Cruises to a friend?” on a 0 to 10 scale. Percent 9 to 10 is calculated (as promoters), percent 7 to 8 is ignored (passives) and percent 0 to 6 (detractors) is calculated and subtracted from the percent of 9 to 10 scores. This results in a composite measure of share of promoters less share of detractors;

 

   

“Net Yield” are to Adjusted Gross Margin divided by Passenger Cruise Days;

 

   

“NM” are to certain metrics that were not meaningful and as such were excluded, including due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”);

 

   

“North America” and “North American” are to the United States of America and Canada;

 

   

“Occupancy” are to the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of Passenger Cruise Days to Capacity Passenger Cruise Days with respect to any given period. Contrary to many of our competitors, we do not allow more than two passengers to occupy a two-berth stateroom. Additionally, we have guests who choose to travel alone and are willing to pay higher prices for single occupancy in a two-berth stateroom. As a result, our Occupancy cannot exceed 100%, and may be less than 100%, even if all our staterooms are booked;

 

   

“onboard revenue” are to revenue generated during the course of a cruise and consists primarily of optional shore excursion revenue, onboard bar revenue and shop revenue;

 

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“Ongoing Capex” are to investments in property, plant and equipment and intangible assets (“PP&E”), adjusted to exclude additions to PP&E for vessels and ships under construction and additions to PP&E for vessels and ships delivered in the relevant period;

 

   

“our Antarctic expedition market share” are to our share of passenger volume for all expedition vessels that carried guests to Antarctica, where passenger volume is defined as the total number of passengers carried on non-governmental expeditions on ships which can land on shore as reported to the Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty Electronic Information Exchange System. The Antarctic season spans from the fourth quarter of a calendar year to the first quarter of the following calendar year;

 

   

“our core products” are to Viking River, Viking Ocean, Viking Expedition and Viking Mississippi;

 

   

“our luxury ocean market share” are to our share of capacity passengers of all ships operated by luxury ocean cruise lines (Atlas Ocean Voyages, Crystal Cruises, Emerald Cruises, Explora Journeys, Four Seasons Yachts, Paul Gauguin Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Seabourn Cruise Line, SeaDream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruises and Windstar Cruises), and select small / medium size premium cruise lines that we consider direct competitors (Azamara and Oceania Cruises), which is sourced from Cruise Industry News, where capacity passengers is defined as the total number of passengers a ship can carry at 100% occupancy during a given time period, measured by sailing. Ocean cruise line passenger estimates include passengers on ships used for expedition cruises. As a result, our ocean market share includes our expedition ships;

 

   

“our Mississippi river market share” are to our share of capacity passengers of ships that primarily service passengers on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers (American Cruise Lines and American Queen Voyages), which is sourced from Cruise Industry News, where capacity passengers is defined as the total number of passengers a ship can carry at 100% occupancy during a given time period, measured by sailing;

 

   

“our North American outbound river market share” are to our share of capacity passengers of vessels that primarily service North American passengers on European waterways (AMA Waterways, Inc., Avalon Waterways, Emerald Cruises, Gate 1 Travel, Grand Circle Travel Corp., Tauck, Uniworld River Cruises, Inc., and Vantage Travel Service, Inc.), which is sourced from Cruise Industry News, where capacity passengers is defined as the total number of passengers a ship can carry at 100% occupancy during a given time period, measured by sailing;

 

   

“our primary source markets” mean North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand;

 

   

“outbound travel market” are to the market of customers traveling internationally out of a particular country or continent;

 

   

“Passenger Cruise Days” or “PCDs” are to the number of passengers carried for each cruise, with respect to any given period and for each ship operating during the relevant period, multiplied by the number of Ship Operating Days;

 

   

“pre- and post-trip cruise extension” are to extensions available pre- and post-cruise. We also refer to our pre- and post-trip cruise extensions as “land excursions;”

 

   

“Premium Cruise Voucher” are to vouchers generally with a face value of up to 125% of monies paid that we issued to guests when we cancelled sailings. Guests have generally had the option to receive either a refund in cash for 100% of monies paid or a Premium Cruise Voucher. Premium Cruise Vouchers can generally be applied to a new booking for up to two years from the voucher issuance date (or longer, if the expiration date is extended) and any unused Premium Cruise Vouchers are refundable for the original amount paid upon expiration;

 

   

“repeat guest percentage” are, for any season, the percentage of North American passengers for that season who had traveled with us before;

 

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“Return on Invested Capital” or “ROIC” are to the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of operating income (loss) adjusted for income tax (expense) benefit divided by Invested Capital;

 

   

“Risk Free Vouchers” are to vouchers issued under temporarily updated cancellation policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic or other events creating travel uncertainty. Under these policies, guests who cancel their cruise have the option to receive Risk Free Vouchers instead of incurring cancellation penalties. Risk Free Vouchers can generally be applied to a new booking for up to two years from the voucher issuance date but are not refundable for cash;

 

   

“SCM” are to Shenzhen China Merchants Viking Cruises Tourism Limited, the entity of the China JV Investment that provides services for business planning, management consulting, sales, product development and hotel operations to CMV;

 

   

“season” are to the respective calendar year for such season. For example, the “2023 season” refers to the 2023 calendar year;

 

   

“Ship Operating Days” are to the number of days within any given period that a ship is in service and carrying cruise passengers, determined on an aggregated basis for all ships in operation during the relevant period;

 

   

“shore excursions” are to excursions provided at our destinations during a cruise itinerary;

 

   

“total brand awareness” are to the percentage of survey respondents who expressed knowledge of a specific brand when asked about that brand by name or when asked about general awareness of river cruising or ocean cruising brands, as applicable, which is calculated based on surveys of approximately 1,000 Americans aged 55 years and older who have cruised or traveled internationally within the past 5 years or have plans to do so in the next 3 years and expressed a willingness to cruise. These brand awareness surveys are collected for us by a third-party, with results reported periodically;

 

   

“Total Debt” are to indebtedness outstanding, gross of loan fees, excluding lease liabilities, Private Placement liabilities and Private Placement derivatives;

 

   

“VCL” are to Viking Cruises Ltd, our direct wholly owned subsidiary;

 

   

“Viking China” are to our China Outbound product and the China JV;

 

   

“Viking Expedition” are to our expedition cruise product marketed to our primary source markets;

 

   

“Viking Mississippi” are to the river cruise product for cruising the Mississippi River marketed to our primary source markets;

 

   

“Viking Ocean” are to our ocean cruise product marketed to our primary source markets; and

 

   

“Viking River” are to our river cruise product marketed to our primary source markets. Viking Mississippi is a separate product from Viking River.

 

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TRADEMARKS AND DESIGNS

We have proprietary rights to trademarks used in this prospectus that are important to our business, many of which are registered under applicable intellectual property laws. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the “®” or “” symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent possible under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trademarks, trade names or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies. Each trademark, trade name or service mark of any other company appearing in this prospectus is the property of its respective holder.

 

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MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA

We obtained the industry, market and competitive position data used throughout this prospectus from internal company surveys and management estimates, as well as from industry and general publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties. We believe these internal company surveys and management estimates are reliable; however, no independent sources have verified such surveys and estimates. Third-party industry and general publications, research, studies and surveys generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Except for the total brand awareness information contained herein, none of the independent industry and general publications, research, studies and surveys relied upon by us or otherwise referred to in this prospectus were prepared on our behalf. While we believe the industry, market and competitive position data included in this prospectus are reliable and are based on reasonable assumptions, these data involve many assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to these estimates. We have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of the data contained in these industry publications and other publicly available information.

Certain estimates of market opportunity, forecasts or market growth and other forward-looking information included elsewhere in this prospectus involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under “Prospectus Summary,” “Risk Factors,” “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”

 

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EXCHANGE CONTROL

Consent under the Exchange Control Act 1972 (and its related regulations) has been received. We have received consent under the Exchange Control Act 1972 (and its related regulations) from the Bermuda Monetary Authority for the issue and transfer of our securities to and between non-residents of Bermuda for exchange control purposes provided our ordinary shares remain listed on an appointed stock exchange, which includes the NYSE.

Pursuant to section 26 of the Companies Act 1981 of Bermuda (the “Companies Act”), there is no requirement for us to comply with Part III—Prospectuses and Public Offers—of the Companies Act or to file this prospectus with the Registrar of Companies in Bermuda. Neither the Bermuda Monetary Authority, the Registrar of Companies of Bermuda nor any other relevant Bermuda authority or government body accept any responsibility for the financial soundness of any proposal or for the correctness of any of the statements made or opinions expressed in this prospectus.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making your investment decision. Before deciding to invest in our ordinary shares, you should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the sections of this prospectus titled “Risk Factors,” “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus.

BACKGROUND

Viking was founded in 1997 with four river vessels and a simple vision that travel could be more destination-focused and culturally immersive.

Today, we have grown into one of the world’s leading travel companies, with a fleet of 92 small, state-of-the-art ships, which we view as floating hotels. From our iconic journeys on the world’s great rivers, including our new Mississippi River itineraries, to our ocean voyages around the globe and our extraordinary expeditions to the ends of the earth, we offer meaningful travel experiences on all seven continents in all three categories of the cruise industry—river, ocean and expedition cruising.

 

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With more than 450 awards to our name, we are a leader in the industry and were rated #1 for Rivers, #1 for Oceans (for ships sized 500 to 2,500 berths) and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler in the 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards. This is the first time a travel company has been voted #1 in all three categories simultaneously.

 

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We have generated rapid growth driven by strong demand for our products and a highly differentiated guest experience, resulting in industry-leading capacity growth and the proven ability to expand our travel platform with new destinations and experiences. From 2015 to 2023, our total number of guests, total revenue, net income and Adjusted EBITDA grew at CAGRs of 10.1%, 14.4%, NM and 16.3%, respectively. We have grown faster than the overall cruise industry since 2015 to become the market leader in river cruising and luxury ocean cruising, demonstrating our ability to succeed in each new category we have entered. For the 2023 season, our North American outbound river market share was 51%, our luxury ocean market share was 26%, our Antarctic expedition market share was 12% and our Mississippi river market share was 20%.

 

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For the year ended December 31, 2023, nearly 650,000 guests traveled with us, and we generated total revenue of $4,710.5 million, a net loss of $1,858.6 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $1,090.3 million. See “—Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data” for additional information about Adjusted EBITDA, including a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss). As of December 31, 2023, we had $1.5 billion of cash and cash equivalents and $5.4 billion of Total Debt. We have also generated industry-leading ROIC of 27.5% for the year ended December 31, 2023, up from 26.1% for the year ended December 31, 2019. Our payback period for a Longship is on average approximately four to five years based on contributions to operations by a Longship. Our payback period for an ocean ship is on average about five to six years based on contributions to operations by an ocean ship.

We believe we are well-positioned for future growth. To address the strong demand from our guests, we have ordered 18 new river vessels for delivery through 2026 and six new ocean ships for delivery through 2028.

THE VIKING DIFFERENCE

1. One Brand: Among our guests and across the industry, the Viking brand is synonymous with excellence. Our guests can experience all three categories of the cruise industry—ocean, river and expedition cruising— under our single brand. Rather than creating a conglomerate of different brands, all of our products are a consistent extension of the Viking brand. As a result, our marketing spend and strong brand loyalty drive growth for all of our products. We also leverage our strong brand loyalty for future product launches, with over 60% of bookings for each of the inaugural seasons for Viking Ocean, Viking Expedition and Viking Mississippi made by past guests. Our guests know they can expect a consistent, excellent experience on each voyage they take with us, which has allowed us to expand our travel platform successfully with new destinations and experiences. Our repeat guest percentage has steadily increased over time from 27% for the 2015 season to 51% for the 2023 season.

2. Identical Small Ships: Our fleet includes 58 identical Longships accommodating 190 passengers, nine identical ocean ships accommodating 930 passengers and two identical expedition ships accommodating 378 passengers. Within each product, our ships are indistinguishable to our guests. This simplifies the sales and marketing process as potential guests shop by itinerary versus by specific ship or age of ship, and it allows older ships to achieve similar yields, even when introducing new ships. Identical ships also create operational flexibility, as well as efficiencies around shipbuilding, maintenance and crew, which improves our margins. Our small ships can dock in ports where larger ships cannot, providing our guests more time ashore for cultural discovery and exploration and offering our guests experiences they cannot have with other cruise lines.

3. Clearly Defined, Destination-Focused Experience: We are the only cruise line offering experiences on all seven continents with itineraries across five oceans, 21 rivers and five lakes, and a focus primarily on destinations in Europe and the Mediterranean, rather than the Caribbean. We deliver a highly differentiated experience for our guests by prioritizing exploration of the destination versus onboard consumption and traditional entertainment. The Viking experience is well-defined and all-inclusive, with a shore excursion included in every port. We are also known for the things that we do not do. For example, no children under 18, no casinos and no hidden ancillary costs, such as charges for alternative restaurants, wi-fi or beer and wine at lunch and dinner. Because of these strategic choices, our guests instantly recognize the Viking way of travel.

 

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4. Clear Customer Focus: We are intently focused on the travel needs of our core demographic of curious, affluent, English-speaking travelers aged 55 years and older, which is an attractive segment of the travel market. We believe we know our core demographic better than anyone else in the industry and we have tailored our products to specifically address the travel needs of the Thinking Person. We attract individuals seeking travel experiences that offer cultural insight and personal enrichment.

5. Strong Direct Marketing: Since 1997, we have invested $2.8 billion in all aspects of marketing, most of which is direct marketing spend. This investment has helped build and solidify the value of our brand with our target market. Our marketing database includes more than 56 million North American households, including 1.5 million households that have traveled with us before. We generate our own demand through our direct marketing, which allows us to obtain industry-leading early booking rates. Our marketing also drives direct bookings. For the year ended December 31, 2023, more than 50% of our guests booked directly with us.

6. Only Pure-Play Luxury Public Cruise Line: Viking will be the only pure-play luxury public cruise line. In contrast, the large public cruise lines have multiple brands that serve all three categories of the cruise market, with luxury representing only a small percentage of their overall capacity. Our total revenue per passenger was $7,251 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Viking defines the luxury category of the river cruise and ocean cruise markets. We believe these are the most attractive segments of the cruise industry and the global luxury leisure travel market given their growth potential.

VIKING STRENGTHS

We have several strengths that have propelled our success and distinguished us from other travel businesses.

High quality products drive strong guest satisfaction and brand loyalty.

We have a proven track record of delivering high quality travel experiences that resonate with our guests, driving strong guest satisfaction and brand loyalty. As a result, our guests are often our greatest promoters. For the 2023 season, as of December 31, 2023, our Net Promoter Scores were 70 for Viking River, 63 for Viking Ocean and 74 for Viking Expedition. Based on our 2023 season survey, on a scale of 0 to 10, 78.0% and 73.5% of our Viking River and Viking Ocean guests, respectively, answered “9” or “10” on likelihood of recommending Viking to a friend. All our products are also highly rated by our guests. For the 2023 season, the average guest quality rating of our products was 3.7 on a 4.0 scale, based on onboard surveys completed by over 70% of our guests.

 

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Our strong guest satisfaction and brand loyalty drive repeat bookings with Viking. For the 2023 season, our repeat guest percentage was 51%, and more than 50% of our guests booked directly with us. Our new product launches have also experienced overwhelming support from our past guests, with over 60% of bookings for each of the inaugural seasons for Viking Ocean, Viking Expedition and Viking Mississippi made by past guests. We have also seen comparable booking trends by past guests for the launch of new river itineraries in Egypt and Vietnam. Our guests trust us to create best-in-class travel experiences, whether it be a new itinerary for a product they already love or a completely new product experience, and we leverage our strong bookings for future seasons and our robust customer insights practice to help identify and deliver on the needs of our core demographic. Expanding our travel platform enables us to capture a greater portion of our core demographic’s travel spend, while reinforcing brand loyalty, building customer lifetime value and increasing our repeat guest percentage, all of which generate shareholder value.

Single Viking brand drives awareness.

For the past 27 years, we have built a single Viking brand that is highly recognized in our target markets and around the world. Today, we are the leading brand in the North American outbound river market and the luxury ocean market. In the fourth quarter of 2023, we had 90% and 80% total brand awareness for river cruises and ocean cruises, respectively, among our target demographic in the United States. Our total brand awareness for ocean cruises is comparable to the large public cruise lines. Viking River has more than four times the total brand awareness of our nearest competitor in the North American outbound river market, and nearly two times the total brand awareness of our nearest competitor in the Mississippi river market.

 

 

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With a single Viking brand, our strong brand awareness drives growth for our entire travel platform as all of our products are a consistent extension of the Viking experience. We are also able to streamline our marketing, with word-of-mouth marketing and traditional marketing spend driving brand awareness and growth for all of our products.

 

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Clear customer focus on an attractive demographic.

We are intently focused on our core demographic of curious, affluent travelers aged 55 years and older, which we believe is an attractive segment that has been and continues to be underserved by the travel market.

The U.S. population aged 55 years and older comprises 30% of the total population, has the largest spending power of any demographic based on annual expenditures and holds over 70% of U.S. wealth as measured by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The U.S. population aged 55 years and older is also the fastest growing segment of the population, with expected growth from 98 million people in 2020 to 110 million people in 2030, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Our target demographic has greater financial stability, which can make them more resilient to economic conditions and more willing to invest in high-quality travel experiences, including luxury accommodations, unique excursions and cultural activities. Our target demographic often appreciates comfort, convenience and experiential travel that provides a balance between adventure and luxury. Many of our guests are also retired or approaching retirement, which means they often have flexible schedules that allow them to book earlier and plan for extended travel.

After 27 years, we believe we know our core demographic better than anyone else in the industry and have tailored our products to specifically address their unmet needs in the broader travel market. Leveraging our robust customer insights practice and two decades of experience, we know what our guests expect in their travels—a calm onboard atmosphere, with a destination-focused experience offering cultural or scientific enrichment. Our guests spend their time enjoying the peaceful ambiance of resident musicians, participating in enriching educational opportunities, such as onboard lectures from local historians, or debriefing their exciting day with fellow guests over a delicious meal from the ship’s regional specialties menu. At Viking, we think of every detail, so our guests can focus on exploring and learning about their destinations.

Data-driven marketing platform drives demand.

Since 1997, we have invested $2.8 billion across all aspects of marketing. We became a national corporate sponsor of PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre in 2011 when Downton Abbey was on the air, establishing Viking as a household name, and we continue to run television advertisements on other national programming targeting our core demographic. We have forged partnerships with prestigious cultural institutions, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the British Museum and the Metropolitan Opera. We also created Viking.tv, one of the travel industry’s most extensive libraries of online content. This award-winning free enrichment channel was initially conceived to maintain daily contact with our guests during the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to stream daily, with over 1,000 unique episodes since first airing. Additionally, we host hundreds of journalists and influencers on board our ships each year, generating robust earned media coverage and social media content. These efforts create a clear path for positive affiliation with the Viking brand—helping move guests from awareness into consideration.

Built over the last 27 years, our marketing database includes more than 56 million North American households, including 1.5 million households that have traveled with us before. While we have always relied on traditional marketing strategies, including direct mail, TV, print and trade marketing, our marketing approach today is omnichannel, with robust digital capabilities and data-driven decision-making. For example, our marketing is underpinned by digital industry tools that provide programmatic execution, machine learning capabilities, look-alike prospecting, online to offline conversions and call tracking, emerging artificial intelligence (“AI”) supported functionality and data-driven marketing attribution. The households in our database are modeled and scored for their propensity to book. These scores, combined with our attribution systems and a robust consumer insights practice, direct how we tailor our marketing in order to meet consumers where they are, with the right message at the right time. We also continue to shift our marketing spend towards digital channels.

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interests in history, art, culture and travel, and as a result, countless new friendships are forged on board our ships each year. Approximately 18% of our Viking Ocean and Viking Expedition guests booked their next Viking voyage while on board in 2023—with many planning future trips together with fellow travelers. And, just like the fervent communities formed around beloved books and films, guests self-described as “hooked on Viking” have launched their own fan groups—several of which have amassed more than 40,000 members—on social media platforms where we are able to target them with digital marketing for their next Viking voyage.

Significant direct bookings optimize yields and improve margins.

We provide our guests with a variety of ways to seamlessly book their voyages, so that they can transact with us however they are most comfortable. Guests can book directly with Viking through multiple outlets, including our website, via online chat with an agent, over the phone, or on board our ships that have a dedicated travel consultant. Guests also have the option to book with a third-party travel agent. By offering multiple channels to serve our guests, we reduce friction in the booking process and increase our direct bookings, which optimizes yields and improves margins. We also believe our strong direct marketing capabilities drive earlier direct bookings, including during times of softening demand in the broader travel market.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, more than 50% of our guests booked directly with us. Direct bookings reduce commissions paid to travel agents, which reduces our distribution costs and improves our margins. Direct bookings also provide an additional opportunity for direct contact with our guests, allowing us to build stronger brand awareness and deliver a more personalized experience for our guests. With a marketing database that includes more than 56 million North American households, we believe our direct bookings will continue to grow and add value to our business.

Early bookings create strong revenue visibility and facilitate long-term planning.

For the 2024 season, we began selling select itineraries more than two years prior to the start of the season. On average for the 2023 season, our guests booked 11 months in advance and paid seven months prior to departure. By generating early demand through our direct marketing, we believe we attain bookings earlier than the large public cruise lines. Additionally, we collect payment earlier than the large public cruise lines, which we believe reduces cancellations. This creates future revenue visibility, which enables us to better manage our capacity and pricing. This visibility also gives us the ability to plan for future ship commitments years in advance.

We have a proven track record of selling Capacity PCDs well in advance of sailing. With additional newbuilds delivered and new products launched, we grew Capacity PCDs for our core products from 3.3 million in 2017 to 6.7 million in 2024, a CAGR of 10.6%. Even with this growth, we continue to enter every season with a high percentage of Capacity PCDs booked. For the 2017 season, 63.7% of Capacity PCDs for our core products were booked as of December 31, 2016, which increased to 73.9% of Capacity PCDs for our core products booked for the 2024 season as of December 31, 2023. Entering a season with over 70% of Capacity PCDs sold provides significant revenue visibility, allowing us to focus our marketing efforts on selling future seasons earlier than competitors and continuing the cycle of strong Advance Bookings.

For our core products, operating capacity is 5% higher for the 2024 season in comparison to the 2023 season and 12% higher for the 2025 season in comparison to the 2024 season. For our core products as of April 14, 2024, for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons, we had sold 89%, 34% and 5%, respectively, of our Capacity PCDs and had $4,468 million, $2,196 million and $374 million, respectively, of Advance Bookings. These Advance Bookings were 13%, 40% and 42% higher in comparison to the 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons, respectively, at the same point in time. Advance Bookings per PCD for the 2024 season was $747, 9% higher than the 2023 season, and Advance Bookings per PCD for the 2025 season was $857, 12% higher than the 2024 season.

 

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Young fleet with innovative design drives efficiency and profitability.

At Viking, we build innovative ships that are the right size for the experience. From the outset, we creatively balance competing preferences for smaller ships and spacious, uncrowded shared areas through greater efficiencies in space utilization and operations. No space is wasted onboard, and the overall ship design thoughtfully optimizes efficiency and profitability. For example, for Viking Ocean, the layout of our ships allows us to operate with fewer crew while still delivering an exemplary level of service. And for Viking River, the unique design of our Longships allows us to comfortably accommodate approximately 20% more guests than typical European river vessels, improving the profitability of our vessels.

As part of our approach to fleet design, our Viking Ocean, Viking Expedition and the majority of our Viking River fleet are identical at the product level, which provides us with many benefits. This simplifies the sales and marketing process as potential guests shop by itinerary versus by specific ship or age of ship and allows older ships to achieve similar yields, even when introducing new ships. From an operational perspective, fleet commonality creates efficiencies around maintenance, as spare parts can be purchased in bulk in advance for unforeseen or planned maintenance, and crew, as crew can be moved around the fleet with minimal additional training. Lastly, our identical fleet gives us operational flexibility to interchange guests between ships in the event of unexpected disruptions, such as when we positioned identical Longships on adjacent sides of low water areas to avoid any cancellations during record low water levels in Europe in 2022. In 2022, 14% of our Rhine River sailings involved ship swaps and these sailings received high guest quality ratings that were comparable to our guest quality ratings for non-impacted Rhine River sailings.

We also have one of the youngest fleets in the industry. As of December 31, 2023, the average age for our fleet available for operations, which excludes six Russia and Ukraine river vessels, was 6.5 years, which is younger than the average age for the large public cruise lines. We believe customers are willing to pay a premium to sail on newer ships, which results in higher yields. A young fleet also has more efficient operations, including from technological advances that result in lower fuel consumption, resulting in stronger margins. A young fleet also requires lower maintenance capital expenditures, which allows us to direct most of our capital expenditures to fleet expansion and the launch of new product offerings, which ultimately means that more of our capital is invested in initiatives designed to grow our revenue and cash flows as opposed to maintaining revenue and cash flows at current levels.

Fuel-efficient fleet designed to meet future environmental regulations.

From the outset, we have designed all of our ships thoughtfully to reduce their fuel consumption, carbon footprint and overall environmental impact. Our Longships are one of the first cruise vessels to be voluntarily certified with the Green Award and are also certified with the European ISO 14001 Environmental Management practices. Our ocean ships, with their sleek hull design and closed-loop scrubbers that allow us to use more cost-efficient fuel, exceed the current requirements of the International Maritime Organization (“IMO”) Energy Efficiency Design Index (“EEDI”) by approximately 25%, and will exceed the 2025 EEDI requirements by almost 20%. Our expedition ships set a new standard for responsible travel by exceeding the current requirements of the EEDI by nearly 38%. Due to the design choices across our fleet, our fuel costs represented only 5.7% of our Adjusted Gross Margin for the year ended December 31, 2023, favorably positioning us if fuel prices increase or regulations require the use of more expensive fuel types. With only minor modifications, the engines of our Longships, ocean ships, and expedition ships can also operate on hydrotreated vegetable oil (“HVO”) renewable diesel, which could reduce greenhouse gases by up to 90% over the fuel’s life cycle compared to diesel.

Looking forward, we are working to make our next generation of ocean ships even more environmentally friendly. We have made the principled decision not to invest in liquid natural gas (“LNG”), which is composed almost exclusively of methane, a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential more than 80 times (over a

 

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20-year period) or 28 times (over a 100-year period) that of carbon dioxide. Instead, we are working on a project for a partial hybrid propulsion system based on liquid hydrogen and fuel cells, which could allow us to operate at zero-emission in the Norwegian Fjords and other sensitive environments.

Seasoned, proven management team committed to long-term shareholder value.

We are a founder-led and inspired organization with an enduring commitment to creating shareholder value over the long-term. In addition to Torstein Hagen, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, we benefit from the industry expertise and tenure of our proven management team of Leah Talactac, our Chief Financial Officer, Linh Banh, our Executive Vice President, Finance, Jeff Dash, our Executive Vice President, Head of Business Development, Karine Hagen, our Executive Vice President, Product, Anton Hofmann, our Executive Vice President, Group Operations, Milton Hugh, our Executive Vice President, Sales and Richard Marnell, our Executive Vice President, Marketing, who have all worked together for over 15 years.

Excluding our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, our management team has an average tenure of 21 years at Viking and 25 years in the travel industry. The same management team revolutionized the river cruising industry with the design and launch of the Longships in 2012, and introduced Viking Ocean in 2015, which marked the industry’s first entirely new ocean cruise line in nearly a decade. This team identified a market need for a smaller ship, destination-focused ocean product, which continues to be a key driver in our growth. More recently, this team launched Viking Expedition and Viking Mississippi in 2022, meeting guest demands. Along with launching new products, this team has also been successful in broadening our presence in existing source markets and garnering leading market share and entering new source markets, such as China. From 2020 to 2023, this team also added 18 new ships to our fleet, including 11 river vessels, four ocean ships, two expedition ships and the Viking Mississippi. This team has driven our growth over the past two decades, with our annual guests growing from 80,000 in 2007 to nearly 650,000 in 2023, an increase of over 700%. This team also has a proven record of capitalizing on opportunities as they arise. For example, given our long-term outlook, we have a record of ordering newbuilds, including our initial ocean ships, during off cycles when other cruise operators focused on conserving capital. Currently, we have ordered 24 additional newbuilds through 2028 to capture future demand.

Our management team has capitalized on opportunities during times of adversity, weathered several economic cycles together and ultimately built Viking to be the company it is today—a household brand name with industry-leading quality ratings, numerous awards and a sizeable market share in the fast-growing luxury cruise market.

Dedicated crew delivers exemplary level of service.

Our crew, with over 9,500 crewmembers from over 90 different countries at the peak of the 2023 season, are dedicated to making our guests’ journeys as memorable as possible. Our crew is essential to our success. Our crew’s friendliness, attentiveness and attention to detail have garnered us more consumer and industry awards than any other travel company on rivers or oceans. Most importantly, our crew is a significant reason that we receive high satisfaction ratings from our guests.

As part of the Viking family, we care deeply about our crew, and we provide the training, skills and resources needed for them to excel. Our proprietary training program, Viking College, helps our crew learn and grow. We also place great value on promotion from within, rewarding hard work, enthusiasm, initiative and a sense of responsibility and ownership. We aspire to be the employer of choice among cruise lines and our crew retention rate of about 80% as of December 31, 2023 is a source of great pride. Retaining our crew season after season lowers our recruiting and training costs. It also supports our growth—we are able to distribute our tenured crew across our new ships to streamline the hiring and training of new crew. A mix of new and tenured crew on each ship ensures a consistent high quality of service and a familiar onboard experience for our guests as we grow our business.

 

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VIKING STRATEGIES FOR GROWTH

We believe our journey as one of the most recognized luxury travel brands in the world is just beginning. We believe we are well-positioned to drive future growth and profitability with the following strategies, each of which represents a continuation of the proven strategies we have been executing over the past 27 years.

Expand our fleet to address unmet demand from our core demographic.

We believe the travel market for curious, affluent travelers aged 55 years and older continues to be significantly underserved. There is also a general gap between demand and supply in cruising, which we have an opportunity to address.

To capitalize on this growing and unmet demand, we plan to continue expanding our fleet, with the most contracted future ship deliveries in the industry. According to the 2024 Cruise Industry News Orderbook Data (published January 2024), approximately 13% of total new berths coming online globally by 2028 are attributable to ships in the luxury ocean market and our contracted capacity represents approximately 42% of this new comparable supply, positioning us favorably to take advantage of increased demand for cruising within our target market. For Viking River, we have ordered 18 new vessels for delivery by 2026, including 11 river vessels for the European rivers, six river vessels that will operate in Egypt and a chartered river vessel that will travel through Vietnam and Cambodia, and we expect to sustain our market leading position in the river cruising market well into the future. We also have options for eight additional river newbuilds, with four for delivery in 2027 and four for delivery in 2028. For Viking Ocean, we believe there is significant future growth potential, which we will begin to achieve with six new ocean ships on order for delivery through 2028. We also have options for four additional ocean newbuilds, with two for delivery in 2029 and two for delivery in 2030. Based on our committed orderbook, we expect a 38.3% increase in total berths for our fleet available for operations, which excludes six Russia and Ukraine river vessels, from 2023 to 2028. Our orderbook, the largest in the cruise industry, is driven by a disciplined strategy that relies heavily on robust consumer insights and market demand assessment, combined with financing and yield considerations.

 

 

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As we add new capacity, we conduct extensive research to identify new itineraries that will fill gaps in the travel market for our core demographic. Based on prior experience, we expect new itineraries to inspire past guests to travel again and attract new guests to the Viking brand, which we believe will result in a higher repeat guest percentage and enhanced customer lifetime value at marginal marketing expense.

In addition to growing our fleet and adding new itineraries, we also plan to continue optimizing our inventory of add-on products, such as pre-and post-trip cruise extensions, which unlock additional revenue growth opportunities without significant capital expenditures. Our pre-and post-trip cruise extensions, such as a three-night tour of the historic town of Oxford and Highclere Castle or the real “Downton Abbey,” further enrich the destination-focused experience of our itineraries and provide another opportunity for us to connect our guests with the cultures and destinations on our itineraries. In 2023, 37% of our guests purchased a pre-or post-trip cruise extension to take advantage of these opportunities. Pre-or post-trip cruise extensions are currently offered at an average of over $900 per extension and are typically two or three days. In 2023, our guests spent on average $45 per PCD on pre- and post-trip cruise extensions.

Increase guests from outside of North America.

While North America is the largest source market for the cruise industry, generally about 50% of all cruisers globally are from markets outside of North America, according to the Cruise Lines International Association (“CLIA”). In contrast, for the year ended December 31, 2023, 90.5% of our guests came from North America, with the remainder primarily coming from the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. We believe there is significant unmet demand for our core products in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. We also believe there is an opportunity to source guests for our core products from other markets, such as India, Singapore and the Nordic countries. In order to provide a seamless experience for our guests, all of our onboard and onshore programming is offered in a singular language. For our core products, all programming is in English and for our China Outbound product, all programming is in Mandarin.

Continue to expand Viking China and launch products for new source markets.

The Chinese market is a large source for leisure travel. According to the World Bank and CLIA, there were 154.6 million international departures from China in 2019 and 1.9 million passengers from China traveled on a cruise line in 2019, which made it one of the largest and fastest growing outbound travel markets in the world. While the Chinese outbound market has been slower to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe Chinese tourists maintain a strong desire to travel internationally. According to Oxford Economics, China is expected to regain its pre-pandemic share of global outbound visits, which was 7.1% in 2019, by 2026.

In 2016, we brought our brand of curiosity-driven travel to the Chinese source market by launching China Outbound, a river cruise experience in Europe with 100% Mandarin-speaking crew, and food, entertainment and excursions completely dedicated to Chinese guests. As a result, we believe we are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the Chinese market, which represents a continued opportunity for growth. Mandarin-speaking travelers in China, as well as other Asian-source markets, have been historically underserved by the cruise industry and we have identified a sizeable addressable market. We believe we are the only cruise line with a product dedicated to Mandarin-speaking guests in Europe and the launch of China Outbound in 2016 was just the beginning. By leveraging our brand awareness in China and our extensive research into the travel preferences of affluent Mandarin-speaking guests, we plan to continue to develop China Outbound, with the possibility of growing the fleet or expanding to include other offerings, such as ocean cruising. For coastal cruising in China, the China JV Investment’s Zhao Shang Yi Dun has a competitive advantage in the upper premium cruise line space as it is the only modern cruise ship currently in this market.

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to these source markets, while leveraging our experience building our core products with a singular language and potentially using a portion of our existing fleet.

Strategically expand our product portfolio.

We believe we can harness our global travel expertise, experienced operational team and deep understanding of our core demographic to further expand our platform. Based on our robust customer insights practice and third-party research, we believe there is considerable demand for other Viking products from our past guests, as well as from our broader core demographic. In particular, we believe there is significant future opportunity to expand beyond floating hotels to create dedicated land-based products given the strong demand for our pre-and post-trip extensions. As our guests generally enjoy multiple forms of travel and take multiple trips per year, land-based product offerings would meet an additional portion of the travel needs of our core demographic. This would enable us to capture a greater share of our guests’ travel spend and extend our customer lifetime value and connection to the Viking brand.

FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE

Our financial performance reflects the growing demand for our products, our strong capacity growth and the benefits of our loyal customer base. Our loyal guests book their journeys well in advance, and as a result, we have industry-leading early booking rates, which give us a competitive advantage in allocating capacity, optimizing pricing, managing yield and planning for future ship commitments years in advance. As a result, we are able to generate high margins and leading ROIC among the large public cruise lines. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our ROIC was 27.5%. We have also historically generated substantial net cash flow from operating activities and Adjusted FCF that we have reinvested in our business to support growth. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we generated $1.4 billion in net cash flow from operating activities and $1.0 billion of Adjusted FCF, which translates to an Adjusted FCF Conversion of 92.3%. See “—Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data” for additional information about ROIC and Adjusted FCF, including a calculation of ROIC and a reconciliation of net cash flow from operating activities to Adjusted FCF. Our strong balance sheet provides flexibility to finance future growth at attractive terms. As of December 31, 2023, we had $1.5 billion of cash and cash equivalents and $5.4 billion of Total Debt.

Like all other companies in the travel industry, our operations were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, we were the first cruise line to halt operations. From that point on, we spent significant resources implementing new health and safety protocols, including adding onboard testing laboratories on our ocean and expedition ships. These investments allowed us to restart operations in May 2021, with more than half of our river fleet and all six of our ocean ships operating at the peak of the 2021 season.

By 2022, more of our guests were traveling again. In 2022, 469,935 guests traveled with us, with an Occupancy of 78.4%, and in 2023, 649,669 guests traveled with us (38.2% more than 2022 and 26.7% more than 2019), with an Occupancy of 93.7%. We believe our nimble operations, our experienced, cohesive management team and our consistent execution distinguishes us from other travel businesses and accelerated our recovery, both on a total revenue and an Adjusted EBITDA basis, in comparison to the large public cruise lines.

This strategy resulted in the following results from 2017 to 2023:

 

   

Total revenue increased from $1.9 billion for the year ended December 31, 2017 to $4.7 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023.

 

   

Gross margin increased from $0.6 billion in 2017 to $1.6 billion in 2023.

 

   

Adjusted Gross Margin increased from $1.2 billion for the year ended December 31, 2017 to $3.1 billion for the year ended December 31, 2023.

 

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Net loss increased from $55.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2017 to $1,858.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Net loss includes losses, net, of $20.7 million and $2,101.9 million for 2017 and 2023, respectively, due to the impact of the Private Placement derivative gain (loss) and interest expense related to our Series A Preference Shares, Series B Preference Shares and Series C Preference Shares, as applicable. Our Series A Preferences Shares and Series B Preference Shares are no longer outstanding. Our Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert into ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering.

 

   

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin increased from $324.8 million and 26.3%, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2017 to $1,090.3 million and 35.5%, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2023.

See “—Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data” for additional information about Adjusted Gross Margin and Adjusted EBITDA, including a reconciliation of Adjusted Gross Margin to gross margin and a reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income (loss).

 

LOGO

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

First Quarter Preliminary Estimated Results

The preliminary estimated results for the three months ended March 31, 2024 set forth below are based on information available to us as of the date of this prospectus. Our financial closing procedures for the three months ended March 31, 2024 are not yet complete. As a result, these results are preliminary and subject to

 

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change. The preliminary estimated results included in this prospectus have been prepared by and are the responsibility of management. Ernst & Young AS, our independent auditors, have not audited, reviewed, compiled or performed any procedures with respect to the following preliminary estimated results. Accordingly, Ernst & Young AS does not express an opinion or any other form of assurance with respect thereto. For additional information, see “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors.”

Statistical and operating data for the three months ended March 31, 2024 was:

 

   

75 vessels operated, compared to 71 vessels operated for the three months ended March 31, 2023;

 

   

90,449 passengers sailed, compared to 79,630 for the three months ended March 31, 2023; and

 

   

974,977 PCDs and 1,037,624 Capacity PCDs resulting in Occupancy of 94.0%, compared to 841,263 PCDs and 906,606 Capacity PCDs resulting in Occupancy of 92.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2023.

For the three months ended March 31, 2024, we expect:

 

   

Total revenue of approximately $710 million to $720 million, compared to $629.0 million for the three months ended March 31, 2023; and

 

   

Operating income (loss) of approximately $(90) million to $(70) million, compared to an operating income (loss) of ($115.9) million for the three months ended March 31, 2023; and

As of March 31, 2024, we expect cash and cash equivalents of approximately $1.7 billion and Total Debt of approximately $5.3 billion, compared to $1.5 billion and $5.4 billion, respectively, as of December 31, 2023.

The preliminary estimated results above reflect the seasonality of our business. While our ocean, expedition, and Mississippi products operate year-round, the primary cruising season for our river product is from April to October, although some of our river cruises run longer seasons. Additionally, our highest Occupancy occurs during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months. We recognize cruise-related revenue over the duration of the cruise and expense our marketing and employee costs when the related costs are incurred. As a result, the majority of our revenue and profits have historically been earned in the second and third quarters of each year, while the first and fourth quarters of each year have been closer to break even or a loss, as our selling and administration expenses are consistent throughout the year.

2024 Dividend

On April 9, 2024, we paid $46.8 million in dividends, of which $28.6 million related to dividends to the holders of our Series C Preference Shares and $18.2 million related to dividends to the holders of our ordinary shares, special shares and preference shares (the “2024 Dividend”).

Credit Agreement

Following the completion of this offering, we expect to enter into a $375 million secured revolving credit facility to be provided by a syndicate of lenders. We anticipate that the borrower under the credit facility will be VCL. The credit facility would be indirectly secured by 19 Longships and certain related assets. The proceeds of the borrowings under the credit facility are expected to be available to us for general corporate purposes, including funding working capital. We have not yet received commitments with respect to the credit facility, and, accordingly, the terms of our financing arrangements remain under discussion and are subject to change, including as a function of market conditions.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our ordinary shares involves substantial risks, and our ability to successfully operate our business and execute our growth plan is subject to numerous risks. You should carefully consider the risks described in “Risk Factors” before making a decision to invest in our ordinary shares. If any of these risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In such case, the trading price of our ordinary shares would likely decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. These risks include, among others, the following:

 

   

Changes in the general worldwide economic and political environment could reduce the demand for cruises.

 

   

Adverse weather conditions or other natural disasters, including high or low river water levels, may require us to alter our itineraries or cancel existing cruises.

 

   

Adverse incidents involving cruise ships may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

   

Disease outbreaks or pandemics have had, and in the future could have, a significant impact on the travel industry generally and on our business and results of operations.

 

   

The threat of terrorist attacks, wars, acts of piracy and other events affecting the safety and security of travel can reduce the demand for cruises or require us to cancel existing bookings.

 

   

Changes in fuel prices would affect the cost of our cruise ship operations and our hedging strategies may not protect us from increased costs related to fuel prices.

 

   

Increased labor costs or our inability to recruit or retain employees may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

   

Increases in inflation could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

   

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could affect our financial results.

 

   

An increase in cruise capacity without a corresponding increase in demand and infrastructure could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

   

Our success is substantially dependent on the continued service of our senior management.

 

   

Our expansion into new products may be unsuccessful.

 

   

Conducting business internationally may result in increased costs and risks.

 

   

If we experience delays in ship construction or ship repairs, maintenance or refurbishments or changes in costs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

   

Lack of continuing availability of attractive, convenient and safe port destinations could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

   

We rely on travel agencies to generate a material portion of our sales.

 

   

Reductions in the availability of and increases in the prices for the services and products provided by our vendors could adversely affect our business and revenues.

 

   

We rely on scheduled commercial airline services to transport our guests to or from the cities where our cruises embark and disembark.

 

   

Credit card processing terms and requirements, adverse changes in guest payment policies, and consumer protection legislation or regulations could negatively affect our financial condition.

 

   

The Viking name and brand are integral to the success of our business.

 

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Breaches in data security or other disturbances to our information technology systems and networks and operations could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

   

We are highly leveraged. We have substantial indebtedness and we may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness or to obtain additional financing if necessary.

 

   

We are subject to complex laws and regulations, including environmental laws and regulations.

 

   

Amendments to existing tax laws, rules or regulations or enactment of new unfavorable tax laws, rules or regulations could have an adverse effect on our business and financial performance.

CORPORATE INFORMATION

Viking Holdings Ltd is incorporated in Bermuda as an exempted company. Our registered office is located at Clarendon House, 2 Church Street, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda, and our principal executive offices are located at 94 Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke, Bermuda HM 08. Our telephone number is (441) 478-2244. We maintain the following website: www.viking.com. Our website provides information about our ships, itineraries and bookings. However, information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference in or otherwise a part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely for informational purposes.

IMPLICATIONS OF BEING A FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

Upon the consummation of this offering, we will report under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as a foreign private issuer. As a foreign private issuer, we may take advantage of certain provisions under NYSE rules that allows us to follow Bermuda law for certain corporate governance matters. As long as we continue to qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including:

 

   

the rules under the Exchange Act requiring domestic filers to issue financial statements prepared under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”);

 

   

the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations with respect to a security registered under the Exchange Act;

 

   

the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time;

 

   

the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, containing unaudited financial statements and other specified information, and current reports on Form 8-K, upon the occurrence of specified significant events; and

 

   

Regulation Fair Disclosure (“Regulation FD”), which regulates selective disclosures of material information by issuers.

 

   

In addition, we will not be required to file annual reports and financial statements with the SEC as promptly as U.S. domestic issuers. Foreign private issuers are also exempt from certain more stringent executive compensation disclosure rules.

We may take advantage of these exemptions until such time as we are no longer a foreign private issuer. We are required to determine our status as a foreign private issuer on an annual basis at the end of our second fiscal quarter. We would cease to be a foreign private issuer at such time as more than 50% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital is held by U.S. residents and any of the following three circumstances applies: (1) the majority of our executive officers or directors are U.S. citizens or residents; (2) more than 50% of our assets are located in the United States; or (3) our business is administered principally in the United States.

 

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OUR PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDER

Upon the consummation of this offering, Viking Capital Limited (“our principal shareholder”) will hold 97,484,764 ordinary shares and 127,704,616 special shares, which will represent approximately 86.9% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital.

In connection with the issuance of Series C Preference Shares to our financial shareholders (as described below), we issued two warrants to our principal shareholder to purchase up to an aggregate of 8,733,400 ordinary shares at an exercise purchase price of $0.01 per ordinary share. The number of warrants that vest is based on either the proceeds to our financial shareholders or the trading price of our ordinary shares starting 180 days after the date of this prospectus. The number of warrants that vest depends on the value per ordinary share, with 0% vesting at $15.38 or lower price per ordinary share and 100% vesting at $23.08 or higher price per ordinary share, and linear vesting between $15.38 and $23.08 per ordinary share. The vesting period for each warrant expires upon the later of February 8, 2026, or the sale, distribution or other transfer of 100% of the respective financial shareholder’s shares held in us.

Our principal shareholder will have the ability to determine the outcome of all matters submitted to our shareholders for approval, including the election and removal of directors and any merger, amalgamation, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Ordinary Shares—Our two-class structure has the effect of concentrating voting control with our principal shareholder, which could limit your ability to influence certain key matters affecting our business and affairs.”

As a result of our principal shareholder’s ownership, we will also be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of the NYSE. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:

 

   

the requirement that a majority of the board of directors consist of “independent directors” as defined under the rules of the NYSE;

 

   

the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities;

 

   

the requirement that we have a nominating and corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

 

   

the requirement for an annual performance evaluation of the nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees.

Following this offering, we intend to utilize certain of these exemptions. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Ordinary Shares—We are a “controlled company” under the NYSE rules, and we are able to rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of companies that are not controlled companies.”

OUR FINANCIAL SHAREHOLDERS

In October 2016, we issued $500.0 million of Series A Preference Shares to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (“CPP Investments”) and TPG VII Valhalla Holdings L.P. (“TPG” and, together with CPP Investments, “our financial shareholders”), with each financial shareholder purchasing $250.0 million of Series A Preference Shares. In July 2017, we issued $172.0 million of Series B Preference Shares to our financial

 

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shareholders, with each financial shareholder purchasing $86.0 million of Series B Preference Shares. In February 2021, we issued 184,267,200 Series C Preference Shares to our financial shareholders with an equal number of shares issued to each financial shareholder. Our Series C Preference Shares were issued for cash consideration of $700.0 million and in exchange for our repurchase and cancellation of all outstanding Series A Preference Shares and Series B Preference Shares.

Our outstanding Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert on a one-for-one basis into 184,267,200 ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering (the “Series C Preference Shares Conversion”). Upon the consummation of this offering, TPG will hold 71,133,600 ordinary shares, which will represent approximately 4.5% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital (or approximately 4.2% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ordinary shares in full). Upon the consummation of this offering, CPP Investments will hold 71,133,600 ordinary shares, which will represent approximately 4.5% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital (or approximately 4.2% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ordinary shares in full).

We entered into the Investor Rights Agreement (as defined herein) with our financial shareholders that includes certain board designation and registration rights. For more information, see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Investor Rights Agreement.”

TPG. TPG is a leading global alternative asset management firm, founded in San Francisco in 1992, with $222 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2023 and investment and operational teams around the world. TPG invests across a broadly diversified set of strategies, including private equity, impact, credit, real estate and market solutions, and its unique strategy is driven by collaboration, innovation and inclusion. TPG’s teams combine deep product and sector experience with broad capabilities and expertise to develop differentiated insights and add value for its fund investors, portfolio companies, management teams and communities.

CPP Investments. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) is a professional investment management organization that manages the amounts transferred by the Canada Pension Plan in the best interest of the more than 22 million contributors and beneficiaries of the Canada Pension Plan. In order to build diversified portfolios of assets, investments are made around the world in public equities, private equities, real estate, infrastructure and fixed income. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York City, San Francisco, São Paulo, Luxembourg and Sydney, CPP Investments is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm’s length from governments. As of December 31, 2023, the fund totaled $590.8 billion Canadian dollars.

 

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THE OFFERING

 

Ordinary shares offered by us

11,000,000 ordinary shares

 

Ordinary shares offered by the selling shareholders

42,000,000 ordinary shares (or 49,950,000 ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ordinary shares in full)

 

Ordinary shares to be issued and outstanding immediately after this offering

303,683,900 ordinary shares

 

Special shares to be issued and outstanding immediately after this offering

127,771,124 special shares

 

Total ordinary shares and special shares to be issued and outstanding immediately after this offering

431,455,024 total ordinary shares and special shares

 

Option to purchase additional ordinary shares

The selling shareholders have granted to the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 7,950,000 additional ordinary shares from the selling shareholders at the initial public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

 

Selling shareholders

TPG and CPP Investments. See “Principal and Selling Shareholders.”

 

Use of proceeds

We estimate that the net proceeds to us from this offering will be approximately $235.2 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of ordinary shares by the selling shareholders.

 

 

The principal purposes of this offering are to increase our capitalization and financial flexibility and to create a public market for our ordinary shares. We intend to use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering to satisfy tax withholding and remittance obligations related to the RSU Net Settlement (as defined below). Based on an assumed initial offering price of $23.00, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, 16,251,664 ordinary shares issuable upon the vesting and settlement of outstanding RSUs for which all vesting conditions will be met upon the consummation of this offering and an assumed 33% tax withholding rate, we would use approximately $133.2 million of the net proceeds of this offering to satisfy tax withholding and remittance obligations. We intend to use the remaining net proceeds

 

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from this offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital, operating expenses and capital expenditures. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to make acquisitions or investments, although we do not have agreements or commitments for any material acquisitions or investments at this time.

We will have broad discretion in the way that we use the net proceeds of this offering. See “Use of Proceeds.”

 

Voting rights

Upon the consummation of this offering, we will have two classes of shares outstanding: ordinary shares and special shares. The rights of the holders of our ordinary shares and our special shares are identical, except with respect to voting, conversion and transfer rights. Each ordinary share is entitled to one vote per share. Each special share is entitled to 10 votes per share.

 

 

Upon the consummation of this offering, our ordinary shares will represent approximately 19.2% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital and our special shares will represent approximately 80.8% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital. See “Description of Share Capital.”

 

Dividend policy

We do not anticipate paying any dividends in the foreseeable future. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to applicable laws. See “Dividend Policy.”

 

Listing

Our ordinary shares have been approved for listing on the NYSE, under the symbol “VIK.”

 

Risk factors

See “Risk Factors” and other information included in this prospectus for a discussion of factors that you should consider carefully before deciding to invest in our ordinary shares.

Unless otherwise stated, the number of shares to be issued and outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 292,683,900 ordinary shares and 127,771,124 special shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023, after giving effect to the Conversion Event (as defined below) and the RSU Net Settlement, and excludes:

 

   

2,949,830 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of December 31, 2023 under the Viking Holdings Ltd Amended and Restated 2018 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”), with a weighted-average exercise price of $15.57 per ordinary share;

 

   

2,619,266 ordinary shares issuable upon the vesting and settlement of outstanding restricted share units (“RSUs”) as of December 31, 2023 under the 2018 Plan for which the time vesting condition was not satisfied as of December 31, 2023 and for which no acceleration occurs immediately prior to the completion of this offering;

 

   

up to 8,733,400 ordinary shares issuable upon the vesting and exercise of warrants issued to our principal shareholder, with an exercise price of $0.01 per share;

 

   

13,824,564 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under the Post-IPO 2018 Plan (as defined elsewhere in this prospectus under “Management—Equity Incentive Plans”), plus any future increases in the number of ordinary shares reserved for issuance thereunder and any ordinary shares underlying

 

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outstanding share awards granted under the 2018 Plan that expire or are repurchased, forfeited, cancelled or withheld; and

 

   

4,680,000 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under the Viking Holdings Ltd 2024 Employee Share Purchase Plan (the “2024 ESPP”), which will become effective upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.

The Post-IPO 2018 Plan and the 2024 ESPP provide for annual automatic increases in the number of ordinary shares reserved thereunder. See “Management—Equity Incentive Plans” for additional information. We have not authorized any offerings under the 2024 ESPP as of the date of this prospectus.

Unless otherwise stated, all information in this prospectus reflects and assumes:

 

   

an initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus;

 

   

the Series C Preference Shares Conversion;

 

   

the automatic conversion of all of our issued and outstanding preference shares into ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the consummation of this offering (the “Preference Shares Conversion” and, collectively with the Series C Preference Shares Conversion, the “Conversion Event”);

 

   

the redesignation of all authorized Series C Preference Shares, preference shares and non-voting ordinary shares into authorized ordinary shares;

 

   

the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding options for non-voting ordinary shares to options for ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the consummation of this offering;

 

   

the automatic conversion of all of our outstanding RSUs for non-voting ordinary shares to RSUs for ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis immediately prior to the consummation of this offering;

 

   

the net issuance of 10,931,936 ordinary shares in connection with the vesting and settlement of outstanding RSUs as of December 31, 2023 under the 2018 Plan for which all vesting conditions will be met upon the consummation of this offering, after giving effect to the withholding of 5,319,728 ordinary shares to satisfy the estimated tax withholding and remittance obligations (based on an assumed 33% tax withholding rate) (the “RSU Net Settlement”);

 

   

the effectiveness of our bye-laws, which will be effective upon the consummation of this offering and will replace our bye-laws as currently in effect;

 

   

no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase up to 7,950,000 additional ordinary shares from the selling shareholders;

 

   

no exercise of the outstanding options or settlement of outstanding RSUs subsequent to December 31, 2023, except for the RSU Net Settlement; and

 

   

no exercise of the outstanding warrants issued to our principal shareholder.

On April 11, 2024, we completed a bonus issue of 25 ordinary shares on each ordinary share, 25 special shares on each special share, 25 non-voting ordinary shares on each non-voting ordinary share, 25 preference shares on each preference share and 25 Series C Preference Shares on each Series C Preference Share (the “26-for-1 share split”). We have given retrospective effect to the 26-for-1 share split on all share and per share amounts for all periods presented.

 

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SUMMARY CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL AND OTHER DATA

The following tables summarize our consolidated financial and other data for the periods ended and as of the dates indicated below. The summary consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2022 and 2023, and for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023 has been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus. The summary consolidated financial information as of December 31, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2020 has been derived from our consolidated financial statements that are not included in this prospectus. The non-IFRS financial measures and operating information are unaudited for all periods.

You should read this information together with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this prospectus and the information under the captions “Capitalization” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of our future results. Additionally, our historical results for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022 reflect the impact of COVID-19 on our business. Due to the worldwide spread of COVID-19, government-imposed travel restrictions and limited access to certain ports, we suspended our worldwide cruise operations beginning March 12, 2020 and we began our phased relaunch in May 2021.

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020     2021     2022     2023  
(in thousands, except per share data)                              

Consolidated Statements of Operations:

         

Revenue

         

Cruise and land

  $ 2,999,511     $   236,569     $ 543,007     $ 2,955,872     $ 4,383,524  

Onboard and other

    197,255       20,732       82,094       220,107       326,969  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total revenue

    3,196,766       257,301       625,101       3,175,979       4,710,493  

Cruise operating expenses

         

Commissions and transportation costs

    (721,371)       (81,519)       (157,022)       (769,556)       (1,053,874)  

Direct costs of cruise, land and onboard

    (405,663)       (50,216)       (96,947)       (408,652)       (586,234)  

Vessel operating

    (778,814)       (321,749)       (458,312)       (974,159)       (1,211,676)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total cruise operating expenses

    (1,905,848)       (453,484)       (712,281)       (2,152,367)       (2,851,784)  

Other operating expenses

         

Selling and administration

    (536,628)       (407,396)       (459,062)       (682,810)       (789,040)  

Depreciation, amortization and impairment(1)

    (188,195)       (212,002)       (204,407)       (276,513)       (251,311)  

Gain on sale of Viking Sun

                75,588              
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total other operating expenses

    (724,823)       (619,398)       (587,881)       (959,323)       (1,040,351)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Operating income (loss)

    566,095       (815,581)       (675,061)       64,289       818,358  

Non-operating income (expense)

         

Interest income

    32,123       8,399       1,929       14,044       48,027  

Interest expense(2)

    (261,041)       (336,198)       (384,493)       (456,637)       (538,974)  

Currency (loss) gain

    (9,638)       19,690       5,396       (35,035)       (20,815)  

Private Placement derivatives (loss) gain

    (163,297)       840,459       (696,102)       808,523       (2,007,089)  

Loss on Private Placement refinancing

                (367,233)              

Other financial income (loss)

    6,648       (4,978)       8,352       12,236       (151,469)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Income (loss) before income taxes

    170,890       (288,209)       (2,107,212)       407,420       (1,851,962)  

Income tax expense

    (4,528)       (7,956)       (5,030)       (8,902)       (6,639)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net income (loss)

  $ 166,362     $ (296,165)     $ (2,112,242)     $ 398,518     $ (1,858,601)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (loss) income attributable to Viking Holdings Ltd

                        $ (2,111,994)     $ 398,563     $ (1,859,077)  

Net (loss) income attributable to non-controlling interests

      $ (248)     $ (45)     $ 476  

 

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    Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020     2021     2022     2023  

Weighted-average ordinary shares and special shares outstanding(3):

         
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic

        225,731       221,936       221,936  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

        225,731       406,203       221,936  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net (loss) income per share attributable to ordinary shares and special shares(3):

         
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic

      $ (5.16)     $ 1.07     $ (4.44)  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Diluted

      $ (5.16)     $ (0.77)     $ (4.44)  
     

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Pro forma weighted-average ordinary shares and special shares outstanding(4):

         
         

 

 

 

Basic

            428,402  
         

 

 

 

Diluted

            431,237  
         

 

 

 

Pro forma net income per share attributable to ordinary shares and special shares(4):

         
         

 

 

 

Basic

          $ 0.57  
         

 

 

 

Diluted

          $ 0.56  
         

 

 

 

Other Financial Data:

         

Adjusted EBITDA(5)

  $ 763,966     $ (548,191)     $ (528,247)     $ 367,251     $ 1,090,322  

 

(1)

Depreciation, amortization and impairment included (a) for the year ended December 31, 2019, a partial reversal of an impairment of $8.5 million related to the Viking Mississippi capitalized ship design costs, (b) for the year ended December 31, 2020, an impairment of $8.3 million related to the Viking Sineus river vessel in Ukraine, and (c) for the year ended December 31, 2022, an impairment of $41.9 million related to the five river vessels in Russia, the Viking Sineus, the Viking Prestige and the Viking Legend.

(2)

Interest expense includes expense recognized for the dividends, amortization of issuance costs and modification gains (losses) related to our Series A Preference Shares, Series B Preference Shares and Series C Preference Shares. Our Series A Preference Shares and Series B Preference Shares are no longer outstanding since the issuance of Series C Preference Shares in 2021. Our Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert to ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, interest expense included net $54.5 million, $79.5 million, $69.5 million, $94.2 million and $94.8 million, respectively, related to the expense recognized for dividends, amortization of issuance costs and modification gains (losses) for our Series A Preference Shares, Series B Preference Shares and Series C Preference Shares.

(3)

See Note 22 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus for an explanation of the method used to calculate our basic and diluted net (loss) income per ordinary share and special share and the weighted average number of shares used in the computation of per share amounts.

(4)

The pro forma weighted average ordinary shares and special shares used in computing pro forma basic net income per ordinary share and special share assume the weighted average impact of (a) the Conversion Event, (b) the net issuance of 10,393,397 ordinary shares in connection with the vesting and settlement of outstanding RSUs as of December 31, 2023 under the 2018 Plan for which all vesting conditions will be met upon the consummation of this offering, after giving effect to the withholding of ordinary shares to satisfy the estimated tax withholding and remittance obligations and (c) the sale of such number of ordinary shares multiplied by the assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, after deducting estimated underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, that would be sufficient to pay the dividends in 2023 which were in excess of our 2023 net loss and the 2024 Dividend. The pro forma weighted average ordinary shares and special shares used in computing pro forma diluted net income per ordinary share and special share have been further adjusted to give effect to the dilutive impact of RSUs and stock options. Pro forma net income used to calculate pro forma basic net income per ordinary share and special share and pro forma diluted net income per ordinary share and special share reflects the impact on net income (loss) of the Series C Preference Shares Conversion, assuming it had occurred on January 1, 2023.

 

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The table below sets forth the calculation of unaudited pro forma net income per ordinary share and special share for the year ended December 31, 2023:

 

(in USD and thousands, except per share data)    Year Ended
December 31, 2023
 

Numerator

  

Net loss attributable to Viking Holdings Ltd

   $ (1,859,077)  

Adjustment for assumed Series C Preferences Shares Conversion

     2,101,907  
  

 

 

 

Pro forma net income allocated to ordinary shares and special shares, basic and diluted

   $ 242,830  
  

 

 

 

Denominator

  

Weighted average ordinary shares and special shares used in computing net (loss) per share attributable to ordinary shares and special shares

     221,936  

Adjustment for assumed Series C Preferences Shares Conversion

     184,267  

Adjustment for assumed Preference Shares Conversion

     3,319  

Adjustment for assumed vesting of RSUs

     10,393  

Adjustment for number of shares sufficient to pay dividends

     8,487  
  

 

 

 

Pro forma weighted-average ordinary shares and special shares outstanding, basic

     428,402  
  

 

 

 

Dilutive effect of RSUs

     1,883  

Dilutive effect of stock options

     952  
  

 

 

 

Pro forma weighted average ordinary shares and special shares outstanding, diluted

     431,237  
  

 

 

 

Pro forma net income per share attributable to ordinary shares and special shares, basic

   $ 0.57  
  

 

 

 

Pro forma net income per share attributable to ordinary shares and special shares, diluted

   $ 0.56  
  

 

 

 

 

(5)

Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA (consolidated net income (loss) adjusted for interest income, interest expense, income tax expense and depreciation, amortization and impairment) as further adjusted for non-cash Private Placement derivatives gains and losses, loss on Private Placement refinancing, currency gains or losses, stock-based compensation expense and other financial income (loss) (which include forward gains and losses, gain or loss on disposition of assets, certain non-cash fair value adjustments, restructuring charges and non-recurring items). Adjusted EBITDA Margin represents the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of Adjusted EBITDA divided by Adjusted Gross Margin. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin are non-IFRS financial measures. Adjusted EBITDA does not comply with IFRS because it is adjusted to exclude certain cash and non-cash expenses. We present Adjusted EBITDA as a performance measure because we believe it facilitates a comparison of our consolidated operating performance on a consistent basis from period-to-period and provides for a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business than measures under IFRS can provide alone. We also believe that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance because it provides a means to evaluate the operating performance of our business on an ongoing basis using criteria that our management uses for evaluation and planning purposes. Because Adjusted EBITDA facilitates internal comparisons of our historical financial position and consolidated operating performance on a more consistent basis, our management also uses Adjusted EBITDA in measuring our performance relative to that of our competitors, assessing our ability to incur and service our indebtedness and in communications with our board of directors concerning our operating performance.

We also believe Adjusted EBITDA is a useful tool because it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties in their evaluation of the operating performance of companies in industries similar to ours. However, our definition of Adjusted EBITDA may not be the same as similarly titled measures used by other companies and does not correspond to the definition of “Consolidated EBITDA” in the indentures governing our senior notes.

Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under IFRS. For example, Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect:

 

   

cash outlays for capital expenditures, including payments for leases capitalized under IFRS 16, or future contractual commitments;

 

   

interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest, or principal payments, on indebtedness;

 

   

income tax expense or the cash necessary to pay income taxes;

 

   

cash requirements for assets being depreciated and amortized, which will often have to be replaced in the future;

 

   

losses associated with currency exchanges and forward options, included in other financial income (loss); and

 

   

non-cash stock-based compensation expense.

 

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Because of these limitations, you should rely primarily on net income (loss) as determined in accordance with IFRS and use Adjusted EBITDA only as a supplement. In evaluating Adjusted EBITDA, you should be aware that in the future we may incur expenses similar to those for which adjustments are made in calculating Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered as a measure of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business.

The following tables reconcile net income (loss), the most directly comparable IFRS measure, to Adjusted EBITDA and calculate Adjusted EBITDA Margin for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023:

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
(in thousands)   2019     2020     2021     2022     2023  

Net income (loss)

  $    166,362     $   (296,165)     $ (2,112,242)     $    398,518     $ (1,858,601)  

Interest income

    (32,123)       (8,399)       (1,929)       (14,044)       (48,027)  

Interest expense

    261,041       336,198       384,493       456,637       538,974  

Income tax expense

    4,528       7,956       5,030       8,902       6,639  

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

    188,195       212,002       204,407       276,513       251,311  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

EBITDA

    588,003       251,592       (1,520,241)       1,126,526       (1,109,704)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Private Placement derivatives loss (gain)(a)

    163,297       (840,459)       696,102       (808,523)       2,007,089  

Loss on Private Placement refinancing

                367,233              

Gain on sale of Viking Sun

                (75,588)              

Other financial (income) loss

    (3,615)       3,564       (14,253)       (11,050)       154,213  

Currency loss (gain)

    9,638       (19,690)       (5,396)       35,035       20,815  

Stock-based compensation expense

    6,643       56,802       23,896       25,263       17,909  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 763,966     $ (548,191)     $ (528,247)     $ 367,251     $ 1,090,322  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020     2021     2022     2023  
(in thousands, except Adjusted EBITDA Margin)                              

Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 763,966     $   (548,191)     $ (528,247)     $ 367,251     $ 1,090,322  

Adjusted Gross Margin

  $  2,069,732     $ 125,566     $ 371,132     $  1,997,771     $  3,070,385  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA Margin

    36.9%       NM       NM       18.4%       35.5%  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  (a)

Private Placement derivatives loss (gain) represents the non-cash loss (gain) on the remeasurement of the fair value of the derivatives associated with our Series A Preference Shares, Series B Preference Shares and Series C Preference Shares. Our Series A Preference Shares and Series B Preference Shares are no longer outstanding since the issuance of Series C Preference Shares in 2021. Our Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert to ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering.

 

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020     2021     2022     2023  
(in thousands)                              

Condensed Statements of Cash Flows Data:

         

Net cash flow from (used in) operating activities

  $ 1,090,867     $   (981,624)     $ 701,543     $   372,665     $ 1,371,331  

Net cash flow used in investing activities

    (611,104)       (313,842)       (675,534)       (841,502)       (634,227)  

Net cash flow (used in) from financing activities

    (75,073)       436,459       963,445       (80,933)       (479,651)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Change in cash and cash equivalents

    404,690       (859,007)       989,454       (549,770)       257,453  

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

    (761)       (5,320)       (2,548)       (9,863)       3,120  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

  $ 403,929     $ (864,327)     $ 986,906     $ (559,633)     $ 260,573  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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    As of December 31,     As of December 31, 2023  
    2019     2020     2021     2022     Actual     Pro Forma(1)     Pro Forma As
Adjusted(2)
 
(in thousands)                                          

Condensed Statements of Financial Position Data:

             

Cash and cash equivalents

  $ 1,690,194     $ 825,867     $ 1,812,773     $ 1,253,140     $ 1,513,713     $ 1,466,899     $ 1,568,915  

Total assets

    6,293,006       5,710,847       7,687,901       7,857,455       8,495,917       8,449,103       8,550,647  

Long-term portion of bank loans and financial liabilities(3)

    1,254,222       1,300,259       1,322,311       1,711,331       1,757,372       1,757,372       1,757,372  

Secured Notes(3)

    666,720       1,312,656       1,662,641       1,670,392       1,015,657       1,015,657       1,015,657  

Unsecured Notes(3)

    1,058,590       1,060,545       1,552,521       1,555,857       2,270,246       2,270,246       2,270,246  

Private Placement liabilities

    604,228       683,702       1,375,651       1,384,780       1,394,552              

Private Placement derivatives

    1,221,028       380,569       1,442,193       633,670       2,640,759              

Long-term portion of lease liabilities

    89,711       89,796       87,317       239,419       227,956       227,956       227,956  

Total non-current liabilities

    4,903,309       4,838,016       7,529,960       7,250,392       9,481,905       5,446,594       5,446,594  

Short-term portion of bank loans and financial liabilities(3)

    183,232       182,254       211,630       251,561       253,020       253,020       253,020  

Short-term portion of lease liabilities

    9,115       8,559       10,924       22,991       24,670       24,670       24,670  

Total current liabilities

    2,651,595       2,392,867       4,042,601       4,100,480       4,363,891       4,497,085       4,363,766  

Total shareholders’ equity

    (1,261,898)       (1,520,036)       (3,884,660)       (3,493,417)       (5,349,879)       (1,494,576)       (1,259,713)  

Total shareholders’ equity and liabilities

  $ 6,293,006     $ 5,710,847     $ 7,687,901     $ 7,857,455     $ 8,495,917     $ 8,449,103     $ 8,550,647  

 

(1)

Pro forma gives effect to (a) the Conversion Event, (b) the net issuance of 10,931,936 ordinary shares issuable in connection with the vesting and settlement of outstanding RSUs as of December 31, 2023 under the 2018 Plan for which all vesting conditions will be met upon the consummation of this offering, after giving effect to the withholding of 5,319,728 ordinary shares to satisfy the estimated tax withholding and remittance obligations (based on an initial public offering price of $23.00, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and an assumed 33% weighted average tax withholding rate) and the resulting $133.2 million increase in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and corresponding decrease in shareholders’ equity for these estimated tax remittance and withholding obligations and (c) the 2024 Dividend.

(2)

Pro forma as adjusted gives further effect to (a) the pro forma items described immediately above and (b) our issuance and sale of 11,000,000 ordinary shares in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the coverage page of this prospectus, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions, estimated offering expenses payable by us and cash payment of the estimated tax remittance and withholding obligations in connection with the RSU Net Settlement. A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) the pro forma as adjusted amount of each of cash and cash equivalents, total assets, and total shareholders’ equity by approximately $4.7 million, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. An increase (decrease) of 1,000,000 shares in the number of ordinary shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) the pro forma as adjusted amount of each of cash and cash equivalents, total assets, and total shareholders’ equity by approximately $21.9 million, based on an assumed an initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary shares, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

(3)

As of December 31, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023, aggregate unamortized loan and financial liability fees were $64.8 million, $84.4 million, $99.0 million, $120.8 million and $130.3 million, respectively.

 

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Unaudited Non-IFRS Financial Measures:

The following table sets forth certain unaudited Non-IFRS financial measures for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2023.

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2023  

Adjusted FCF(1) (in thousands)

   $   893,893      $ 1,006,079  

Adjusted FCF Conversion(1)

     117.0%        92.3%  

ROIC(2)

     26.1%        27.5%  

 

(1)

Adjusted FCF represents net cash flow from operating activities as adjusted for interest paid, interest payments for lease liabilities, interest received, and Ongoing Capex, as further adjusted for the cash portion of interest expense related to our Series C Preference Shares. Our Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert into ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering. Adjusted FCF Conversion represents the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of Adjusted FCF divided by Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted FCF and Adjusted FCF Conversion are non-IFRS financial measures. Management believes these are a relevant measure of our liquidity because Adjusted FCF provides additional information on our ability to support the future growth of the business and repay debt after making capital investments to support ongoing business operations and Adjusted FCF Conversion quantifies how efficiently we generate cash on an ongoing basis. Adjusted FCF does not represent the residual cash flow available for discretionary expenditures as it excludes certain mandatory expenditures such as repayment of debt. Adjusted FCF and Adjusted FCF Conversion have limitations as analytical tools, and should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under IFRS. The following tables reconcile net cash flow from (used in) operating activities, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, to Adjusted FCF for the year ended December 31, 2023.

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2023  
(in thousands)              

Net cash flow from operating activities

   $ 1,090,867      $ 1,371,331  

Interest paid

     (222,471)        (407,759)  

Interest payments for lease liabilities

     (5,137)        (22,763)  

Interest received

     31,054        45,631  

Ongoing Capex

     (40,740)        (65,407)  

Cash portion of interest expense related to Series C Preference Shares

     40,320        85,046  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Adjusted FCF

   $ 893,893      $ 1,006,079  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2023  
(in thousands)              

Investments in PP&E

   $ (631,923)      $ (673,932)  

Additions to PP&E for vessels and ships under construction

     331,988        608,352  

Additions to PP&E for vessels and ships delivered in current period

     259,195        173  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Ongoing Capex

   $ (40,740)      $ (65,407)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2023  
(in thousands, except Adjusted FCF Conversion)              

Adjusted FCF

   $   893,893      $ 1,006,079  

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ 763,966      $ 1,090,322  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Adjusted FCF Conversion

     117.0%        92.3%  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(2)

ROIC is the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of operating income (loss) adjusted for income tax expense, divided by Invested Capital. ROIC is a non-IFRS financial measure. Management believes this is a relevant measure of our performance because it quantifies how efficiently we generated operating income relative to the total capital we have invested in the business. ROIC has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under IFRS. The tables below show the calculation of ROIC for the year ended December 31, 2023.

 

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Table of Contents
     Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2023  
(in thousands)              

Operating income

   $ 566,095      $ 818,358  

Income tax expense

     (4,528)        (6,639)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating income, after tax (a)

   $ 561,567      $ 811,719  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2023  
(in thousands, except ROIC)              

Average indebtedness for four quarters

   $ 5,131,353      $ 8,574,041  

Average loan fees for four quarters

     144,274        157,916  

Average cash and cash equivalents for four quarters

     (1,681,159)        (1,452,253)  

Average shareholders’ equity for four quarters

     (1,443,589)        (4,330,818)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Invested Capital (b)

   $ 2,150,879      $ 2,948,886  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

ROIC (a) / (b)

     26.1%        27.5%  

Operating Information—Statistical and Operating Data:

The following table sets forth selected statistical and operating data (1) on a consolidated basis, (2) for Viking River and (3) for Viking Ocean for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2019      2020      2021      2022      2023  
Statistical and Operating Data (Consolidated):               

Vessels operated

     78        11        53        78        84  

Passengers

     512,622        28,772        102,121        469,935        649,669  

PCDs

     4,772,678        412,527        842,708        4,225,598        6,069,070  

Capacity PCDs

     5,009,104        453,410        1,859,410        5,389,816        6,476,790  

Occupancy

     95.3%        91.0%        45.3%        78.4%        93.7%  

Adjusted Gross Margin(1) (in thousands)

   $ 2,069,732      $   125,566      $ 371,132      $ 1,997,771      $ 3,070,385  

Net Yield

   $ 434        NM        NM      $ 473      $ 506  

Vessel operating expenses (in thousands)

   $ 778,814      $ 321,749      $ 458,312      $ 974,159      $ 1,211,676  

Vessel operating expenses excluding fuel(2) (in thousands)

   $ 698,923      $ 286,965      $ 398,223      $ 833,492      $ 1,036,969  

Vessel operating expenses per Capacity PCD

   $ 155        NM        NM      $ 181      $ 187  

Vessel operating expenses excluding fuel per Capacity PCD

   $ 140        NM        NM      $ 155      $ 160  

Statistical and Operating Data (Viking River):

              

Vessels operated

     67        5        47        67        70  

Passengers

     335,275        1,474        52,411        289,714        366,730  

PCDs

     2,680,689        11,380        416,103        2,330,479        2,957,595  

Capacity PCDs

     2,804,950        12,590        948,940        2,910,066        3,097,264  

Occupancy

     95.6%        90.4%        43.8%        80.1%        95.5%  

Adjusted Gross Margin(1) (in thousands)

   $ 1,176,153      $ (14,234)      $ 182,488      $ 1,069,449      $ 1,411,214  

Net Yield

   $ 439        NM        NM      $ 459      $ 477  

Statistical and Operating Data (Viking Ocean):

              

Vessels operated

     6        6        6        8        9  

Passengers

     157,271        27,298        49,710        162,009        243,291  

PCDs

     1,907,693        401,147        426,605        1,738,643        2,724,241  

Capacity PCDs

     1,968,810        440,820        910,470        2,279,430        2,914,620  

Occupancy

     96.9%        91.0%        46.9%        76.3%        93.5%  

Adjusted Gross Margin(1) (in thousands)

   $ 851,858      $ 139,284      $ 153,429      $ 801,285      $ 1,354,215  

Net Yield

   $ 447        NM        NM      $ 461      $ 497  

 

(1)

Adjusted Gross Margin is a non-IFRS financial measure. Management believes this is a relevant measure of our performance because it reflects revenue earned net of certain direct variable costs. Adjusted Gross Margin has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under IFRS.

 

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The following table reconciles gross margin, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, to Adjusted Gross Margin for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 (1) on a consolidated basis, (2) for Viking River and (3) for Viking Ocean:

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020     2021     2022     2023  
Consolidated                              
(in thousands)                              

Total revenue

  $ 3,196,766     $    257,301     $    625,101     $ 3,175,979     $ 4,710,493  

Total cruise operating expenses

    (1,905,848)       (453,484)       (712,281)       (2,152,367)       (2,851,784)  

Ship depreciation and impairment

    (156,502)       (179,105)       (175,395)       (240,971)       (219,119)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross margin

    1,134,416       (375,288)       (262,575)       782,641       1,639,590  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Ship depreciation and impairment

    156,502       179,105       175,395       240,971       219,119  

Vessel operating

    778,814       321,749       458,312       974,159       1,211,676  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted Gross Margin

  $ 2,069,732     $ 125,566     $ 371,132     $ 1,997,771     $ 3,070,385  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020     2021     2022     2023  
Viking River                              
(in thousands)                              

Total revenue

  $ 1,904,521     $ 24,929     $ 339,208     $ 1,796,498     $ 2,341,274  

Total cruise operating expenses

    (1,156,443)       (186,569)       (382,579)       (1,189,768)       (1,446,513)  

Ship depreciation and impairment

    (96,934)       (105,239)       (109,494)       (139,913)       (89,540)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross margin

    651,144       (266,879)       (152,865)       466,817       805,221  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Ship depreciation and impairment

    96,934       105,239       109,494       139,913       89,540  

Vessel operating

    428,075       147,406       225,859       462,719       516,453  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted Gross Margin

  $ 1,176,153     $ (14,234)     $ 182,488     $ 1,069,449     $ 1,411,214  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020     2021     2022     2023  
Viking Ocean                              
(in thousands)                              

Total revenue

  $ 1,214,131     $ 231,475     $ 250,451     $ 1,189,298     $ 1,945,200  

Total cruise operating expenses

    (672,578)       (252,110)       (326,206)       (802,832)       (1,131,696)  

Ship depreciation and impairment

    (59,511)       (65,453)       (65,581)       (79,459)       (96,900)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross margin

    482,042       (86,088)       (141,336)       307,007       716,604  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Ship depreciation and impairment

    59,511       65,453       65,581       79,459       96,900  

Vessel operating

    310,305       159,919       229,184       414,819       540,711  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Adjusted Gross Margin

  $ 851,858     $ 139,284     $ 153,429     $ 801,285     $ 1,354,215  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(2)

Vessel operating expenses excluding fuel is a non-IFRS financial measure. Management believes this is a relevant measure for evaluating our ability to control costs. Vessel operating expenses excluding fuel has limitations as an analytical tool because it excludes an expense necessary for conducting our operations, and should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under IFRS. The following table reconciles vessel operating expenses excluding fuel to vessel operating expenses, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, for the years ended December 31, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023:

 

    Year Ended December 31,  
    2019     2020     2021     2022     2023  
(in thousands)                              

Vessel operating expenses

  $    778,814     $    321,749     $    458,312     $    974,159     $  1,211,676  

Fuel expense

    (79,891)       (34,784)       (60,089)       (140,667)       (174,707)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Vessel operating expenses excluding fuel

  $ 698,923     $ 286,965     $ 398,223     $ 833,492     $ 1,036,969  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

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Operating Information—Advance Bookings:

Advance Bookings reflects the aggregate ticketed amount for guest bookings for our voyages at a specific point in time, and include bookings for cruises, land extensions and air. Advance Bookings does not reflect changes to guest reservations after the applicable specific point in time. Advance Bookings are presented in U.S. dollars. As guests from Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom make reservations in local currencies, the ticketed amounts are converted based on the relevant exchange rate. Advance Bookings includes redemptions of vouchers.

For our core products, operating capacity is 5% higher for the 2024 season in comparison to the 2023 season and 12% higher for the 2025 season in comparison to the 2024 season. For our core products as of April 14, 2024, for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons, we had sold 89%, 34% and 5%, respectively, of our Capacity PCDs and had $4,468 million, $2,196 million and $374 million, respectively, of Advance Bookings. These Advance Bookings were 13%, 40% and 42% higher in comparison to the 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons, respectively, at the same point in time. Advance Bookings per PCD for the 2024 season was $747, 9% higher than the 2023 season, and Advance Bookings per PCD for the 2025 season was $857, 12% higher than the 2024 season.

The following bullets contain additional information about Advance Bookings for Viking Ocean and Viking River for the 2024, 2025 and 2026 seasons as of April 14, 2024, compared with the 2023, 2024 and 2025 seasons, respectively, at the same point in time:

Viking Ocean:

 

   

Operating capacity is 7% higher for the 2024 season in comparison to the 2023 season. We had sold 89% of our Capacity PCDs for the 2024 season, and had $1,881 million of Advance Bookings, an increase of 15% compared to the same point in time for the 2023 season. Advance Bookings per PCD for the 2024 season was $678, compared to $638 at the same point in time for the 2023 season.

 

   

Operating capacity is 17% higher for the 2025 season in comparison to the 2024 season. We had sold 41% of our Capacity PCDs for the 2025 season, and had $1,136 million of Advance Bookings, an increase of 34% compared to the same point in time for the 2024 season. Advance Bookings per PCD for the 2025 season was $752, compared to $664 at the same point in time for the 2024 season.

 

   

We had sold 6% of our Capacity PCDs for the 2026 season, and had $211 million of Advance Bookings, an increase of 35% compared to the same point in time for the 2025 season.

Viking River:

 

   

Operating capacity is 4% higher for the 2024 season in comparison to the 2023 season. We had sold 89% of our Capacity PCDs for the 2024 season, and had $2,227 million of Advance Bookings, an increase of 11% compared to the same point in time for the 2023 season. Advance Bookings per PCD for the 2024 season was $780, compared to $696 at the same point in time for the 2023 season.

 

   

Operating capacity is 8% higher for the 2025 season in comparison to the 2024 season. We had sold 26% of our Capacity PCDs for the 2025 season, and had $869 million of Advance Bookings, an increase of 40% compared to the same point in time for the 2024 season. Advance Bookings per PCD for the 2025 season was $962, compared to $907 at the same point in time for the 2024 season.

 

   

We had sold 3% of our Capacity PCDs for the 2026 season, and had $115 million of Advance Bookings, an increase of 10% compared to the same point in time for the 2025 season.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, in addition to the other information set forth in this prospectus, including the financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before purchasing our ordinary shares. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations could be negatively impacted. In that case, the trading price of our ordinary shares would likely decline and you might lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial may also adversely affect our business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.

Risks Related to Our Business, Our Operations and Our Industry

Changes in the general worldwide economic and political environment could reduce the demand for cruises.

The demand for cruises is affected by international, national and local economic and market conditions. Adverse changes in the perceived or actual economic climate in North America or globally, such as volatility in fuel prices, higher interest rates, inflation, stock and real estate market declines or volatility, more restrictive credit markets, higher unemployment rates, higher taxes or changes in governmental policies could reduce the level of discretionary income or consumer confidence in the countries from which we source our guests. Consequently, this may negatively affect demand for cruises, which are discretionary purchases, in these countries. In addition, inflation or any other increase in the cost of goods and services purchased by us as a result of economic and market conditions would increase our operating costs and we may not be able to offset these cost increases without raising prices, which could reduce the demand for cruises. In the event of higher interest rates, we may also experience a change in guest booking and payment patterns as guests may be less likely to pay in full for their cruises for early booking discounts, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any decrease in demand for cruise vacations could result in price discounting, which, in turn, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in the general political environment (including an outbreak of armed conflict, such as the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts) could also impact economic and market conditions and cause an increase in the cost of goods or affect the supply chain.

Changes in international, national and local political conditions could also reduce the demand for cruises. For example, Russia’s adverse relationship with the United States, European countries and others, including as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, has affected the public’s attitude towards visiting Russia, Ukraine and other Eastern European countries, which has led to declining demand for cruises in those regions. Likewise, continued political unrest in the Middle East, including as a result of the Israel-Hamas conflict, may adversely affect travel in the region. The threat of additional attacks and of armed hostilities internationally or locally may cause prospective travelers to cancel their plans, including plans for cruise vacations, which may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, the United States Department of State has issued advisories regarding travel to Russia, Ukraine and certain countries in the Middle East, impeding the ability of travelers to attain travel insurance and thereby adversely affecting demand for travel to these regions. Even after resolution of the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, there is no guarantee that demand for cruises in these regions will return.

Adverse weather conditions or other natural disasters, including high or low river water levels, may require us to alter our itineraries or cancel existing cruises.

Our operations may be impacted by adverse weather patterns, natural disasters or environmental changes, such as hurricanes, high or low river water levels, earthquakes, floods, fires, tornados, tsunamis, typhoons or volcanic eruptions. These events could result in, among other things, alterations to our itineraries or cancellations of cruises, shore excursions or pre- and post-trip cruise extensions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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For example, in 2018 and 2022, several regions in Europe experienced significant low water conditions, which resulted in the disruption or cancellation of certain river cruises. To minimize the impact of these disruptions, we continued our passengers’ journeys on the disrupted cruises by transferring them between our fleet of identical Longships, which we positioned on adjacent sides of the low water areas. In instances where cruises are disrupted or cancelled as a result of adverse weather conditions or other natural disasters, we provide cash refunds or issue future cruise vouchers.

Extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, floods and typhoons, natural disasters and other environmental changes may not only cause disruptions, alterations or cancellations of cruises, shore excursions or pre- and post-trip cruise extensions, but may also adversely affect commercial airline flights and other transport or prevent our guests from electing to cruise altogether. For example, the 2010 volcanic eruptions at Eyjafjallajôkull in Iceland resulted in a six-day air travel ban across western and northern Europe, with 95,000 flights cancelled. Such extreme events may also disrupt the supply of provisions, fuel or shore power, and may limit our ability to safely embark and disembark our guests. In addition, these extreme events could result in increased wave and wind activity, which would make it more challenging to sail and dock our ships. These events could have an adverse impact on the safety and satisfaction of cruising and could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Adverse incidents involving cruise ships may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The operation of cruise ships carries an inherent risk of loss caused by adverse weather conditions and maritime disasters, including, but not limited to, oil spills and other environmental mishaps, extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes, floods and typhoons, volcanoes, earthquakes, rogue waves, tsunamis, fire, mechanical failure, collisions, human error, war, terrorism, piracy, political action, civil unrest or insurrection in various countries. Any such event may result in loss of life or property, loss of revenue or increased costs. If there is a significant accident, mechanical failure or similar problem involving a ship, we may also have to place the ship in an extended dry-dock period for repairs, which could result in material lost revenue or significant expenditures. The operation of our fleet also involves the risk of other incidents at sea or while in port, including missing guests, inappropriate crew or guest behavior, an outbreak of illness onboard or onboard crimes, which may bring into question guest safety, may adversely affect future industry performance and may lead to litigation against us. Although we place guest safety as the highest priority in the design and operation of our fleet, we have experienced accidents and other incidents involving our cruise ships, including the partial evacuation of the Viking Sky in Norway in 2019, the collision involving the Viking Sigyn in Budapest in 2019 and the rogue wave that hit the Viking Polaris in 2022. There can be no assurance that similar events will not occur in the future. It is possible that we could be forced to cancel cruises or alter itineraries due to these factors or incur increased port-related and other costs resulting from such adverse events. Any such event involving our cruise ships or other cruise ships may adversely affect guests’ perceptions of safety or result in increased governmental or other regulatory oversight. An adverse judgment or settlement in respect of any of the ongoing claims or any future claims against us may also lead to negative publicity about us.

Maintaining a good reputation is also critical to our business. Reports, whether true or not, of ship accidents and other incidents at sea or while in port can result in negative publicity, cruise cancellations, employee absenteeism or the perception that cruising is more dangerous than other vacation alternatives. The considerable expansion in the use of social media over recent years has compounded the potential scope of the negative publicity that could be generated by those incidents. Anything that damages our reputation, whether or not justified, including adverse publicity about the safety and guest satisfaction of cruising, even if such publicity is not directly related to our operations, could have an adverse impact on demand, which could lead to price discounting and a reduction in our sales and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Disease outbreaks or pandemics have had, and in the future could have, a significant impact on the travel industry generally and on our business and results of operations.

In the event of a disease outbreak or pandemic, we could be adversely impacted by the following:

 

   

negative publicity regarding cruising, including as a result of the initial responses and measures taken by us or other cruise lines in response to a disease outbreak or pandemic, and public perceptions of the safety of cruising, including as a result of governmental guidance, such as advisories issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;

 

   

governmental restrictions or shutdowns, including the closure of borders or the closure or congestion of certain ports to our ships, which may change from time to time due to the fluid nature of a pandemic;

 

   

reduction in demand or an increase in guest cancellations, and as a result, reductions in booking rates, future revenues and cash flow;

 

   

reduction in our revenues and cash flows as a result of changes to our cancellation policies, and issuances, or redemptions, of vouchers for cancelled or disrupted cruises;

 

   

increased costs as a result of measures required to be taken, or that we elect to take, to protect the safety of our guests and crew, including potential increased investments in medical testing equipment and supplies, costs of health screenings for our guests and crew, enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols, measures with respect to food and beverage service and compliance with any regulations or policies regarding reduced occupancy or social distancing;

 

   

increased costs or interruptions of service for airlines, ports or any of the other key vendors in our supply chain, including travel agencies, hotel, restaurant and shore excursion suppliers;

 

   

supply chain issues caused by restrictions on movement of goods, impacting our ability to provide our guests with food, linens or toiletries; and

 

   

potential lawsuits stemming from exposure to illnesses.

For example, in 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant disruption and additional risks to our business, the cruise industry and the global economy such as those discussed above. In particular, on March 11, 2020, we became the first cruise line to announce a suspension of worldwide cruise operations and we did not resume any operations until May 2021 when we began operating select ocean cruises, which were limited to certain locations and reduced occupancy. In an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19, various governments also imposed travel restrictions, restricted business activities or closed ports to cruise ships, which made travel exceedingly complicated.

The extent of the impact of a disease outbreak or pandemic on our business, financial condition and results of operations depends on many factors, including the duration, spread and severity of the outbreak, any resurgence or new variants, the duration and geographic scope of related travel advisories and restrictions, the extent of the impact on overall demand for travel, the impact on unemployment rates and consumer discretionary spending and our ability to reduce expenses and conserve cash as needed, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. Our core demographic may also be more apprehensive about traveling during, or following, a disease outbreak or pandemic given their age profile, which could have a significant impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Actions taken by us in response to a disease outbreak or pandemic, either to conserve cash, increase demand for our cruises or otherwise, may also affect our business, financial condition and results of operations for periods following containment of the outbreak. Specifically, since 2020, when we have cancelled sailings, guests have generally had the option to receive either a refund in cash or a voucher. In addition, for bookings made through June 30, 2022, we temporarily updated our cancellation policies to give our guests the option to cancel cruises closer to the date of departure and receive Risk Free Vouchers instead of incurring cancellation penalties. If guests use vouchers, including Risk Free Vouchers, to book cruises in future periods, our cash flow from bookings in those periods will be lower.

 

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The threat of terrorist attacks, wars, acts of piracy and other events affecting the safety and security of travel can reduce the demand for cruises or require us to cancel existing bookings.

Demand for cruises has been, and is expected to continue to be, affected by the public’s attitude towards the safety and security of travel. For example, the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001, in France on November 13, 2015 and in Belgium on March 22, 2016 had a significant adverse impact on demand and, consequently, pricing for cruises and other travel and vacation options. The threat or possibility of future terrorist acts, an outbreak of hostilities or armed conflict or the possibility or fear of such events, political unrest and instability, the issuance of travel advisory warnings or elevated national threat warnings by national governments, an increase in the activity of pirates or other geopolitical uncertainties could have a similar adverse impact on the demand for cruises in the future. The continuation of the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts could similarly have an adverse impact on demand for travel in Europe, the Middle East and in nearby regions. Any decrease in demand for cruises could impact our pricing, yields and booking curves, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Adverse political conditions and events, such as an outbreak of hostilities or armed conflict, could also require us to modify or cancel existing bookings, which would result in greater refunds, lower capacity utilization and reduced reliability of bookings as an indicator of future revenues. For example, due to political unrest in Ukraine at the time, we decided not to operate certain itineraries for the 2015 to 2017 seasons. Beginning with the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, we decided not to operate our Ukraine and Russia itineraries and we continue not to have any of these itineraries for sale. Currently, we have one river vessel in Ukraine and five river vessels in Russia. In 2022, we recognized a $28.6 million impairment to decrease the carrying value of these vessels to their estimated values in use of zero. Additionally, beginning in October 2023, the Israel-Hamas conflict caused us to reroute ocean itineraries with stops in Israel and to cancel pre- and post-trip cruise extensions in Israel. If the Russia-Ukraine or Israel-Hamas conflicts are not resolved or there is an outbreak or escalation of hostilities in other regions, it may lead to cancellations or adjustments in our sailing routes in future seasons, or it could result in the impairment or loss of other ships, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Changes in fuel prices would affect the cost of our cruise ship operations and our hedging strategies may not protect us from increased costs related to fuel prices.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, fuel costs were 14.4% of our vessel operating expenses. The cost of fuel rose substantially in 2022 and remained high throughout 2023. Increases in the cost of fuel globally, including as a result of global inflation, geopolitical events, including the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts, or regulatory requirements that require us to use more expensive types of fuel would increase our fuel costs. Any increase in the cost of fuel or increase in our fuel consumption, or any regulations requiring the use of more expensive fuel types, would increase our operating costs and we may be unable to implement fuel conservation initiatives and other practices to help offset these fuel cost increases. An increase in fuel prices not only affects our fuel costs, but also some of our other expenses, such as crew travel, freight and commodity prices and the price of airfare for our guests, which, in turn, could increase our expenses and have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Despite any fuel financial instruments, we are currently a party to, or may enter into in the future, increases in fuel prices could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our risk management program may not be successful in mitigating higher fuel costs, and any price protection provided may be limited due to market conditions. To the extent that we use derivative contracts that have the potential to create an obligation to pay upon settlement if fuel prices decline significantly, such derivative contracts may limit our ability to benefit fully from lower fuel costs in the future as a result of payments we may be required to make in connection therewith. There can be no assurance that our derivative arrangements will be cost-effective, will provide any particular level of protection against rises in fuel prices or that our counterparties will be able to satisfy their obligations under our derivative arrangements. Additionally, deterioration in our financial condition could negatively affect our ability to enter into new derivative contracts in the future.

 

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Increased labor costs or our inability to recruit or retain employees may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We must continue to recruit, retain and motivate our employees in order to maintain our current business and support our projected growth. We need to hire and train a considerable number of qualified crew members to staff our ships and in some jurisdictions, we are subject to legal or regulatory requirements that limit the available labor pool to select nationalities. Factors outside of our control, including, but not limited to, high demand for skilled employees with limited supply, labor shortages, other general inflationary pressures or changes in applicable laws and regulations, could make it more difficult for us to attract and retain employees generally and could require us to enhance our wage and benefits packages. This may require significant efforts on the part of our management team, and our inability to hire a sufficient number of qualified crew members could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Currently, we are party to a collective bargaining agreement with the Norwegian Seafarers’ Union and the Associated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines to set out the terms and conditions of certain employees on our ships, except for those ships registered in the Ordinary Norwegian Registry. Any future amendments to such collective bargaining agreements or inability to satisfactorily renegotiate such agreements may increase our labor costs and have a negative impact on our financial condition. In addition, although our collective bargaining agreements have a no-strike provision, they may not prevent a disruption in work on our ships in the future. Any such disruptions in work could have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

Increases in inflation could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Many of the factors affecting us, our guests and our vendors are outside of our control. Global economic factors such as inflation, which may cause increases in fuel prices and labor costs as discussed above, may increase our operating costs and have a negative impact on our business. In June 2022, inflation rates reached their highest levels in approximately three decades in the United States. Although the inflation rate has subsequently decreased, in this inflationary environment, we experienced increases in our operating costs due to the rising cost of labor, fuel, food and other services and products provided by our vendors. Continued elevated levels of inflation in the United States, Europe and the other countries in which we operate creates significant uncertainty around costs and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, concerns about inflation may cause our guests to save money and postpone traveling with us, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could affect our financial results.

We earn revenue, pay expenses and incur liabilities in countries using currencies other than the U.S. dollar. The most significant non-U.S. dollar currency for our business is the euro, as a substantial portion of our operating expenses and costs of newbuilds are in euros. Because our consolidated financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars, we must translate revenues and expenses, as well as assets and liabilities, into U.S. dollars at exchange rates in effect during or at the end of each reporting period. As a result, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, particularly the weakening of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies, unless effectively hedged, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, 12.0% of our total revenue was generated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. For the year ended December 31, 2023, 31.1% of total commissions and transportation costs, direct costs of cruise, land and onboard, vessel operating and selling and administration expenses were incurred in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. For these expenses, we estimated that a 10% increase or decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar against the euro, with all other variables held constant, would have resulted in a $80.3 million effect on our loss before income taxes for the year ended December 31, 2023, not taking into consideration any hedging activities.

Additionally, certain of our loans are denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, primarily the loans associated with financing the Viking Neptune and the Viking Saturn, which are denominated in euros.

 

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Based on our outstanding Viking Neptune and Viking Saturn loan balances as of December 31, 2023, a 10% increase or decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar against the euro, with all other variables held constant, would have resulted in a $65.5 million, decrease or increase on the balance of the bank loans.

Because we operate globally, we are exposed to foreign exchange risks in the form of both transaction risks and translation risks. Our policy is to monitor our exchange rate exposure and determine if we should enter into financial transactions, such as hedges, to completely or partly mitigate risks resulting from fluctuating currency exchange rate movements. In 2022, we entered into forward foreign currency contracts to purchase €235.0 million at an average euro to U.S. dollar rate of 1.05, with maturities on various dates in 2023. In 2023, we entered into an additional €470.0 million in forward foreign currency contracts at an average euro to U.S. dollar rate of 1.09, with maturities on various dates in 2024. In 2024, we entered into an additional €250.0 million in forward foreign currency contracts at an average euro to U.S. dollar rate of 1.10, with maturities on various dates in 2025. There can be no assurance, however, that our decisions on whether to enter into hedges and any hedges we enter into will prove successful in mitigating the potentially negative impact of exchange rate fluctuations. Additionally, significant volatility in the relevant exchange rates may increase our hedging costs, as well as limit our ability to hedge our exchange rate exposure. In particular, we may not adequately hedge against unfavorable exchange rate movements, including those of certain emerging market currencies, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

An increase in cruise capacity without a corresponding increase in demand and infrastructure could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We continue to expand our fleet. These increases in capacity may cause us to experience reduced Occupancy and engage in discounted pricing, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We also base our fleet expansion decisions on certain assumptions regarding future guest demand. We can give no assurance that future guest demand will be as expected and various factors, including factors outside of our control, could negatively affect demand for our cruises.

In addition, there can be no guarantee that there will be sufficient infrastructure to support an increase in cruise capacity. As the size of the cruise industry increases, the availability of docking space and ports of call on routes on which we operate could become scarce. If we are unable to secure sufficient docking space or ports of call that are convenient to the cultural attractions and excursions we offer, our guests’ experiences and our operations could be adversely affected. Similarly, an increasing supply of cruises could adversely affect our ability to attract and train qualified cruise personnel and access desirable local hotels, buses and tour guides in locations in which we operate. Any of these factors could lead to a limitation of our future growth and adversely affect our ability to grow our business.

Overcapacity and competition in the cruise and land-based vacation industry may lead to a decline in our cruise sales, pricing and destination options.

We may be impacted by increases in capacity in the cruise and land-based vacation industry, which may result in capacity growth beyond demand, either globally or for a region, or for a particular itinerary. We face competition from other cruise brands on the basis of overall experience, destinations, types and sizes of ships and cabins, travel agent preferences and value. In addition, we compete with land-based vacation alternatives throughout the world on the basis of overall experience, destinations and value.

Our success is substantially dependent on the continued service of our senior management.

Our success is substantially dependent on the continued service of our senior management, including our Chairman of our board of directors and Chief Executive Officer. The loss of the services of our senior management could make it more difficult to successfully operate our business and achieve our business goals. We also may be unable to retain existing management who are critical to our success, which could result in harm to our guest and employee relationships, loss of key information, expertise or know-how and unanticipated recruitment and training costs.

 

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We have not obtained key man life insurance policies on any member of our senior management team. As a result, we would not be protected against the associated financial loss if we were to lose the services of members of our senior management team.

We operate in a highly competitive industry and we may not be able to compete effectively.

The cruise industry is highly competitive, and we expect that competition will continue to increase. We face significant competition both on the basis of pricing and in terms of the types of ships, services, itineraries and destinations being offered. Our principal competitors within the river cruise industry include such companies as AMA Waterways, Inc., Avalon Waterways, Emerald Cruises, Tauck, and Uniworld River Cruises, Inc. Our principal competitors within the ocean cruise industry include premium and luxury ocean cruise operators such as Azamara Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Holland America Line, MSC Explora, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line and Silversea Cruise Holding Ltd. Our Viking Expedition product faces competition from companies such as Hurtigruten Expeditions, Lindblad Expeditions, Pearl Seas Cruises, Ponant, Quark Expeditions and Silversea Cruise Holding Ltd. The Viking Mississippi product competes with American Cruise Lines. We also face competition from land-based vacation alternatives, such as hotels and resorts, package holidays, tours, vacation ownership properties, casinos and tourist destinations throughout the world. In the event that we do not compete effectively, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our expansion into new products may be unsuccessful.

We regularly evaluate opportunities to expand our itineraries and product offerings. We launched Viking Expedition in January 2022 and Viking Mississippi in September 2022. We believe there remain significant opportunities to expand our itineraries and product offerings. Expansion into new products requires significant levels of investment, start-up costs and attention from management. We also believe there may be opportunities to expand our business beyond the cruise market. There can be no assurance that these cruise or non-cruise products will develop as anticipated or that we will have success in these products. If we do not, we may be unable to recover our investment to expand our business into these markets and may forgo opportunities in more lucrative products, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our expansion into the China market, including China Outbound and the China JV Investment, may not be successful.

During 2016, we launched European river cruise itineraries that are designed specifically for guests from the Chinese outbound travel market. As a result of government-imposed travel restrictions preventing outbound travel, we did not operate China Outbound in 2020, 2021 or 2022. Although we resumed our China Outbound operations in June 2023 with two Longships, there are no assurances that government-imposed travel restrictions will remain lifted, that Chinese guests will be attracted to our product or that this product will produce the anticipated rate of return we expect, or at all, which, in turn, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The Chinese government could, from time to time, also change its policies toward international travel by its citizens, which could reduce demand for China Outbound or create a shortage of qualified crew members for China Outbound. Geopolitical developments in the Asia-Pacific region, including any outbreak or escalation of armed conflict in the region, could also result in reduced international travel by Chinese citizens.

We are also required to obtain applicable permits and approvals from different regulatory authorities in China to operate China Outbound. If we are unable to obtain or maintain access to any of the required permits, licenses or approvals, we may be subject to various penalties, such as fines or suspension of operations in these regulated businesses, which could severely disrupt China Outbound. As a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

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In addition, in 2020, we entered into the China JV Investment with a subsidiary of China Merchants Group to build a cruise line servicing the Mandarin-speaking populations in China. There can be no assurance that this new cruise line will develop as anticipated or that the China JV Investment will be successful. If the China JV Investment is not successful, we may be unable to recover our investment, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Geopolitical developments in the Asia-Pacific region could also impact the success of the China JV Investment.

Further, operating in China also exposes us to political, legal and economic risks. In particular, the political, legal and economic climate in China, both nationally and regionally, is fluid. Our ability to operate in China may be adversely affected by changes in U.S. and Chinese laws and regulations, such as those related to, among other things, taxation, import and export tariffs, trade, financial and economic sanctions, intellectual property, data privacy, cybersecurity, currency controls, network security, employee benefits, environmental regulations, land use rights and other matters. In addition, Chinese trade regulations are in a state of flux, and our operating activities in China may become subject to other forms of taxation, tariffs and duties in China. If any of these events occur, our expansion into the China market could be adversely affected, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our entry into the China JV Investment exposes us to certain risks associated with jointly owned investments.

As part of our entry into the China market, we entered into the China JV Investment with a subsidiary of China Merchants Group, to together build a cruise line servicing the Mandarin-speaking populations in China. We have a 10% interest in CMV, the entity that contracts with passengers and owns and operates the China JV Investment’s first ship, and a 50% interest in SCM, the entity that provides services for business planning, management consulting, sales, product development and hotel operations to CMV. These types of investments involve risks not otherwise present in operations run solely by us, including: (1) we do not have full decision-making authority over CMV or SCM; (2) where we do not have full decision-making authority, we may experience impasses or disputes with the other owner on certain decisions, which could require us to expend additional resources to resolve such impasses or disputes, including litigation or arbitration; (3) the other investee in these entities may fail to fund their share of required capital contributions or fail to fulfill their other obligations; (4) the arrangements governing these entities and the China JV Investment may contain certain conditions or milestone events that may never be satisfied or achieved; (5) the other investee in these entities may have business or economic interests that are inconsistent with ours and may take actions contrary to our interests; (6) we may suffer losses as a result of actions taken by the other investee in these entities; and (7) it may be difficult for us to exit these investments if an impasse arises or if we desire to sell our interest for any reason. In addition, we may, in certain circumstances, be liable for the actions of these entities or the other investee in these entities. Any of the foregoing risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our expansion into the Mississippi River cruise market requires us to comply with various U.S. laws, including the U.S. Passenger Vessel Services Act (the “PVSA”), and we can give no assurance that our potential expansion into this river cruise market will be successful.

In connection with our expansion into the Mississippi River cruise market, we have to comply with various U.S. laws, including the PVSA. The PVSA is similar to Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 (the “Jones Act”), which governs cargo vessels, and restricts domestic marine transportation of passengers in the United States to vessels built and documented in the United States, manned by U.S. citizens and owned by U.S. citizens. There have also been attempts to amend the PVSA and other U.S. regulations, and such attempts are expected to continue in the future. Significant amendments to the PVSA or other U.S. regulations could impact our expansion into the Mississippi River cruise market. In addition, we can give no assurance that our expansion into the Mississippi River cruise market will continue to comply with these various laws.

We have a time charter with an affiliate of Edison Chouest Offshore (the “Mississippi Ship Owner”) to charter a U.S. flagged river cruise ship for operation on the Mississippi River, which we took delivery of in 2022.

 

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Although the Mississippi Ship Owner has represented to us that it complies with the U.S. ownership requirements of the PVSA and has obtained from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (“MARAD”) written confirmation that our time charter structure meets MARAD’s requirements to be classified as a permissible time charter, we cannot ensure that the Mississippi Ship Owner will continue to meet the definition of a U.S. owner or that our time charter structure will continue to comply with the PVSA. Our time charter structure may also be reviewed or challenged from time to time by U.S. regulators or our competitors. For example, on January 1, 2021, Congress adopted Section 3502(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which requires MARAD to make publicly available a detailed summary of requests for MARAD confirmation that a vessel charter for a passenger vessel qualifies as a time charter encompassed by the general foreign transfer approval pursuant to 46 C.F.R. 221.13(a). These provisions do not amend or change any of the legal requirements relating to the time charter structure approved by MARAD, but do require publication of detailed summaries of any requests that are made (including the request from the Mississippi Ship Owner) and public comments to such requests are permitted by MARAD. In addition, in May 2022, one of our competitors brought an action in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit against MARAD, challenging MARAD’s decision concluding that the arrangement is a permissible time charter. In March 2024, the Second Circuit upheld MARAD’s decision.

In addition, if the Mississippi Ship Owner defaults under its ship financing arrangements, its lenders would have the right to foreclose on the ship, which could cause the ship chartered by us for operation on the Mississippi River to no longer be owned by a U.S. owner. If the ship chartered by us for operation on the Mississippi River is no longer owned by a U.S. owner for any reason, including as a result of a foreclosure, we may not be able to operate our Mississippi River itineraries or recover our investment, which could result in a substantial loss of revenue, which, in turn, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

In addition, while there are similarities between our existing river cruise business and the Mississippi River cruise market, this is our first entry into the U.S. river cruise market and we can give no assurance that we will be able to successfully implement our business model and strategy. We may not be able to attract a sufficiently large number of guests for the ships that we plan to time charter in order to recover our investment, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business is seasonal, and we may not be able to generate revenue that is sufficient to cover our expenses during certain periods of the year.

The demand for our cruises is seasonal, with the greatest demand for cruises generally occurring during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months. This seasonality in demand has resulted in fluctuations in our revenue and results of operations. The seasonality of our results is increased due to most river vessels being taken out of service generally from November to March. Accordingly, seasonality in our operations could adversely affect our ability to generate sufficient revenue to cover the expenses we incur during certain periods of the year.

We have experienced significant growth. If we fail to effectively manage our growth, our business, financial condition and results of operations may suffer.

We have experienced significant growth, which has placed, and will continue to place, significant demands on our management, employees and our operational, financial and technology infrastructure (including internal controls). Our growth strategy has required, and will continue to require, us to commit substantial operational, financial and technical resources to develop and improve our reporting systems and procedures, information technology systems and networks and other internal controls in the United States, Europe and elsewhere. Continued growth will require us to recruit, train and retain additional highly skilled personnel. If we fail to effectively enhance our internal controls and manage our growth, our business, results of operations and financial condition may suffer.

 

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We may not be fully insured against all risks, and we may not be able to obtain insurance for certain risks at reasonable rates.

We seek to maintain comprehensive insurance coverage at commercially reasonable rates, subject to market availability at any time. The limits of insurance coverage we purchase are based on the availability of the coverage, evaluation of our risk profile and cost of coverage. We do not carry business interruption insurance and accordingly we have no insurance coverage for loss of revenues or earnings from our ships or other operations. Accordingly, we are not protected against all risks and cannot be certain that our coverage will be adequate for liabilities actually incurred, which could result in an unexpected decrease in our revenue and results of operations in the event of an incident.

In addition, we have been and may continue to be subject to calls, or premiums, in amounts based not only on our own claim records, but also the claim records of all other members of the protection and indemnity associations through which we maintain protection and indemnity insurance coverage. Our payment of these calls could result in significant expenses to us, which could reduce our cash flows. If we were to sustain significant losses in the future, our ability to obtain insurance coverage or coverage at commercially reasonable rates could be adversely affected.

Conducting business internationally may result in increased costs and risks.

We operate our business internationally and plan to continue to develop our international presence. Operating internationally exposes us to a number of risks, including hostility from local populations, restrictions and taxes on the withdrawal of foreign investment and earnings, government policies against the cruise business, infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, difficulties in enforcing our intellectual property against infringers, stringent data privacy regulations, costly cybersecurity requirements, investment restrictions or requirements, diminished ability to legally enforce our contractual rights in foreign countries, foreign exchange restrictions and fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, difficulty obtaining or renewing foreign permits, approvals or licenses necessary to operate in foreign countries, trade barriers, withholding and other taxes on remittances and other payments by subsidiaries, and changes in, and application of, foreign taxation structures, including value added and excise taxes. If we are unable to address these risks adequately, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Risks Related to Our Dependence on Third Parties

If we experience delays in ship construction or ship repairs, maintenance or refurbishments or changes in costs, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Our fleet may require repairs, maintenance or refurbishments. We also continue to expand our fleet and are dependent on shipyards to build our new ships. Constructing, refurbishing, maintaining and repairing ships are complex processes that involve numerous risks, such as delays in completion and changes in costs. In addition, if the shipyards or subcontractors who construct, repair, maintain or refurbish our ships experience work stoppages, financial instability, insolvencies or other difficulties that are beyond our control and the control of the shipyards or their subcontractors, the delivery of our ships under construction or the repair, maintenance or refurbishment of our existing ships may be impaired or delayed. Although our contracts for new ships include penalties for delays in delivery by the shipyards, these penalties will not fully cover the losses and negative effects we will suffer from such delays. As a result, any failure to construct, repair, maintain or refurbish our ships on time, or at all, could require us to cancel planned departures and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the consolidation of control of certain shipyards and increased demand for new ships, could result in less shipyard availability, thus reducing competition and increasing prices. Finally, the lack of qualified shipyard repair facilities could result in the inability to repair and maintain our ships on a timely basis. These potential events and the associated losses, to the extent that they are not adequately covered by contractual remedies or insurance, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Lack of continuing availability of attractive, convenient and safe port destinations could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We believe that attractive, convenient and safe port destinations, including ports that are not overly congested with tourists, are major reasons why our guests choose our cruise options versus an alternative vacation option. The continuing availability of these types of ports, including the port facilities where our guests embark and disembark, is affected by a number of factors including, but not limited to, existing capacity constraints (particularly during the Caribbean winter months and Mediterranean summer months), security, safety, illness and environmental concerns, adverse weather conditions and other natural disasters, financial limitations on port development, political instability, exclusivity arrangements that ports may have with our competitors, local governmental regulations and fees and local community concerns about both port development and other adverse impacts on their communities from additional tourists. The inability to continue to utilize, maintain, rebuild, if necessary, or increase the number of ports that our ships call on could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on travel agencies to generate a material portion of our sales.

We rely on travel agencies to generate a material portion of our sales. We have preferred relationships with large travel agent consortia and these relationships are important to our business. However, these relationships are at will and no assurances can be made that we will be able to maintain these relationships. The loss of any one of these preferred relationships could disrupt our travel agent distribution system and have an adverse impact on our business. In addition, a significant number of our guests book their cruises through independent travel agents. We believe we offer competitive commissions and other incentives for selling our cruises. However, there can be no guarantee that our competitors will not offer higher commissions and incentives in the future, which could lead independent travel agents to more heavily promote our competitors’ products, thereby lowering our revenue potential and profitability, or causing us to increase our commissions and other incentives in the future, in turn increasing our costs and lowering profitability. In addition, a reduction in the number of travel agencies or independent travel agents promoting and booking our cruises could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Reductions in the availability of and increases in the prices for the services and products provided by our vendors could adversely affect our business and revenues. In addition, our vendors may act in ways that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

While we manage most of our operations in house in an effort to provide consistent quality to our guests and to control our costs, we also rely on third-party vendors to provide certain services that are integral to the operation of our business. For example, we rely on third-party vendors to provide nautical services and certain onboard services for our ocean and expedition cruises. We also rely on third-party vendors to own and operate our chartered vessels, including the Viking Mississippi and the Viking Saigon. If these service providers or any of our other service providers suffer financial hardship or are otherwise unable to continue providing such services, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to replace such service providers in a timely manner, which may cause an interruption in our operations. To the extent that we are able to replace such service providers, we may be forced to pay an increased cost for equivalent services. Both the interruption of operations and the replacement of third-party service providers at an increased cost could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. When we rely on third-party vendors to provide services that are integral to the operation of our business, we are also subject to the risk that certain decisions or actions by third-party vendors could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. A failure to adequately monitor a third-party vendor’s compliance with our service, regulatory and legal requirements could result in significant economic harm to us.

Factors outside of our control, including global inflation, labor shortages, the outbreak and escalation of armed conflict (e.g., the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas conflicts) and economic and trade sanctions, may also

 

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affect the financial viability of other key vendors in our supply chain, including hotel, restaurant and shore excursion suppliers, cause an increase in the cost of the services and products provided by our vendors or create supply chain issues that impact our ability to provide our guests with food, linens or toiletries. Any interruption in the services or goods we purchase from our vendors, or an increase in the cost of the services and products provided by our vendors, may adversely affect demand for our cruises, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on scheduled commercial airline services to transport our guests to or from the cities where our cruises embark and disembark.

Our guests depend on scheduled commercial airline services to transport them to or from the cities where our cruises embark and disembark. In addition, some of our cruise destinations, such as Antarctica, are served by only a few airlines, which means that availability can be limited and the lack of competition impedes discounted pricing. Changes or disruptions in airline services as a result of strikes, financial instability or viability, technology infrastructure issues, adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, illness, government travel restrictions or other events or the lack of availability due to schedule changes or other reasons could adversely affect our ability to transport guests to or from our ships and thereby increase our cruise operating expenses or result in loss of revenue, which would, in turn, have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, increases in the prices of airfares due to increases in fuel prices, fuel surcharges or a high level of airline bookings may impact our costs and profitability or increase the overall vacation price to our guests and may adversely affect demand for our cruises, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Credit card processing terms and requirements, adverse changes in guest payment policies, and consumer protection legislation or regulations could negatively affect our financial condition.

We generate significant cash flows through sales of future cruises, which we use to fund our working capital requirements, and we rely on multiple credit card processors for collection of guests’ funds for such future cruise purchases. Credit card processors have financial risk associated with tickets purchased for travel, which can occur several months after the purchase. Such financial institutions may withhold a portion of payments related to receivables to be collected or may require that we maintain a cash or other collateral reserve equal to a portion of the advance bookings that have been processed by that financial institution if we do not maintain certain minimum liquidity levels or if they determine our credit risk has increased. In times of financial instability or distress, such as in 2008 and during the COVID-19 pandemic, our credit card processors have increased the required amount of withholdings or reserves.

Risks Related to Our Intellectual Property and Information Technology

The Viking name and brand are integral to the success of our business.

The Viking name and brand are integral to the success of our business and to the implementation of our strategies for expanding our business. We believe that the brand we have developed has significantly contributed to the success of our business and is critical to maintaining and expanding our guest base. Maintaining and enhancing our brand may require us to make substantial investments in our fleet, new luxury offerings, marketing and operations, and these investments may not be successful. Additionally, our brand may also be adversely affected if our public image is tarnished by negative publicity, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on intellectual property protections that can be challenged and revoked or invalidated by third parties.

We rely on common law rights and registered trademarks to protect our brand in a number of jurisdictions. Such trademark rights are vulnerable to challenge by third parties and we have in the past been, and are currently,

 

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involved in trademark oppositions with various third parties. Certain of these matters have resulted in co-existence agreements whereby we have agreed that our trademarks and the trademarks of relevant third parties are able to co-exist on certain terms. We do not believe that the terms of these existing co-existence arrangements materially restrict or will restrict the operation of our business, but future co-existence arrangements could impose such restrictions. We have also not been able to secure trademark registrations for certain of our key brands in certain categories of goods or services in certain jurisdictions where we use those brands due to prior rights and we may be similarly restricted from protecting our brands in the future. To the extent that we operate now or in the future in jurisdictions in which we have not secured registered trademark rights, we operate at the risk of infringing the rights of third parties and of not being able to prevent third parties from using our brands.

We also have registered Community designs (and equivalents in the United Kingdom) covering the European Union and the United Kingdom in respect of aspects of our efficient ship designs and registered copyrights in the United States for certain marketing materials, videos and other publications. Registered intellectual property rights are inherently vulnerable to revocation and invalidity actions and while we have no reason to believe that our current designs would not withstand any such challenges, we cannot guarantee that any such actions will not succeed. In addition, registered Community design rights in the European Union (and equivalents in the United Kingdom) are not substantively assessed at the point of application (unlike other registered intellectual property rights). Instead, they proceed to registration and their validity can then be challenged by third parties. As such, the protection conferred by registered Community design rights (and equivalents in the United Kingdom) is generally considered to be more vulnerable than that of other registered rights.

Trademarks and registered Community design rights are territorial in nature and only provide protection in the territory in which they are registered and, for trademarks, are further limited to the scope of goods and services that the registrations cover. They also will only continue to be valid if we continue to pay the applicable registration maintenance fees and, in some jurisdictions, can demonstrate adequate use. Valid registered trademarks can last indefinitely if renewed as required. Registered Community design rights in the European Union (and equivalents in the United Kingdom) are valid for a maximum of 25 years where they are renewed every five years.

Finally, we own a number of registered domain names that are material to our business. These expire and we rely on our renewing these registrations in a timely manner in order to maintain the right to use the domain names. We may not be able to, or it may not be cost effective to, acquire or maintain all domain names that utilize the name “Viking” or other business brands in all of the countries in which we currently conduct or intend to conduct business. If we lose the ability to use a domain name, a third party could take over the registration, and we may incur significant additional expenses to market our products within that country, including the development of new branding.

Any failure to protect our intellectual property rights could impair our brands, negatively impact our business or both.

Our success and ability to compete depend in part on protecting our brands and other intellectual property, including our ability to register and freely use our trademarks in order to capitalize on name-recognition and increase awareness of our brands. We rely on a combination of trademark, patent, copyright, trade secrets and other rights, as well as confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our intellectual property and proprietary technology. The steps we take to protect our intellectual property rights, however, may not be adequate. For example, not all of the trademarks that are used in our business have been registered in all countries in which we do business or may do business in the future, and some of the trademarks may never be registered in all of these countries. We could also lose our current rights to invalidity or revocation actions in the future. Our current applications to register intellectual property are in some cases the subject of oppositions from third parties and we have also in the past, and are currently, involved in communications with intellectual property registries regarding the registrability of certain of our intellectual property in certain jurisdictions.

 

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Rights in trademarks are generally national in character, and are obtained on a country-by-country basis by the first person to obtain protection through use or registration in that country in connection with specified products and services. Some countries’ laws do not protect unregistered trademarks at all, or make them more difficult to enforce, and third parties may have filed for trademarks that are the same or similar to our brands in countries where we have not registered our brands as trademarks. Although we have been using these brands for some time, there is a risk that third parties could bring infringement or other actions against us for the use of these brands if they have prior rights in such marks. In jurisdictions where we are unable to secure trademarks to protect our brands, we may be limited in our ability to prevent third parties from using our brands for identical or similar goods and services. Accordingly, we may not be able to adequately protect or freely use our brands everywhere we do business and use of our brands may result in liability for trademark infringement, trademark dilution or unfair competition. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect intellectual property to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and there is no certainty that all of our trademark, patent or copyright applications will proceed to registration or grant, and existing or future registrations may not provide sufficient protection or competitive advantages for our products and services. In the event that we are not able to obtain grants or registrations in respect of such intellectual property applications, we may not be able to obtain statutory protections available under the relevant intellectual property laws, which could limit our ability to protect our intellectual property and impede our marketing efforts. In addition, we cannot be certain that our products and technology do not and will not infringe the intellectual property rights of others, and third parties may seek to challenge, invalidate or circumvent our trademark, patent, copyright, trade secrets and other rights or applications for any of the foregoing. Furthermore, it is difficult for us to monitor unauthorized uses of our intellectual property, and if we become aware of a third party’s unauthorized use or misappropriation of our intellectual property, it may not be practicable, effective or cost-efficient for us to enforce our intellectual property and contractual rights fully. In order to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, we may be required to spend significant resources. Regardless of the merits of any such claim as a plaintiff or defendant, litigation could be costly, time-consuming, distracting and we may not prevail, which could result in the impairment or loss of intellectual property rights. To the extent claims against us are successful, we may have to pay substantial monetary damages (including treble damages), or discontinue or modify certain products or services that are found to be in violation of another party’s rights. We may have to seek a license to continue offering our products or technology, which may not be available on reasonable terms, or at all. Our failure to secure, protect and enforce our intellectual property rights could adversely affect our business. From time to time, we allow our registered trademarks to lapse as we consider them no longer to be of commercial value.

Breaches in data security or other disturbances to our information technology systems and networks and operations could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on software (including third-party software) and other information technology systems and networks to run our business, including, among other things, managing our guest database and our inventory of staterooms held for sale and setting pricing in order to maximize our yields. We also rely on our information technology systems and networks for our onboard and onshore operations, as well as our accounting systems. We own and manage some of these systems but also rely on third parties for a range of systems and related products and services, including but not limited to, cloud computing services. As a result, our ability to operate our business efficiently and effectively depends in part on the reliability of our information technology systems and networks, as well as third-party technologies, systems and service providers. We face evolving cybersecurity risks that threaten the confidentiality, integrity and availability of these systems and our confidential information, including from diverse threat actors, such as state-sponsored organizations, opportunistic hackers and hacktivists, as well as through diverse attack vectors, such as social engineering/phishing, malware (including ransomware), malfeasance by insiders, human or technological error, and as a result of bugs, misconfigurations or exploited vulnerabilities in software or hardware. There is no certainty of uninterrupted availability of these systems and disruptions for any reason, including as a result of natural disasters or similar events, information systems failures, computer viruses or other cyber-attacks, or other unauthorized access thereto or improper use thereof, could impair our operations and have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Due to concerns about data security and integrity, a growing number of legislative and regulatory bodies have adopted breach notification and other requirements in the event that information subject to such laws is accessed by unauthorized persons and additional regulations regarding security of such data are possible. We may need to notify governmental authorities and affected individuals with respect to such incidents. For example, laws in the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States may require businesses to provide notice to individuals whose personal data has been disclosed as a result of a data security breach. Complying with such numerous and complex regulations in the event of a data security breach would be expensive and difficult, and failure to comply with these regulations could subject us to regulatory scrutiny and additional liability. We may also be contractually required to notify counterparties of a security incident, including a data security breach. Regardless of our contractual protections, any actual or perceived data security breach, or breach of our contractual obligations, could harm our reputation and brand, expose us to potential liability or require us to expend significant resources on data security and in responding to any such actual or perceived breach.

If our security systems were breached, credit card and other sensitive data could also be at risk. For example, we and certain of our third-party service providers collect, process, transmit and store a large volume of personal data, including email addresses and home addresses and financial data such as credit card information. The security of the systems and network where we and our service providers store this data is a critical element of our business, and these systems and our network may be vulnerable to computer viruses, cyber-attacks, hackers and other security issues. As cybersecurity threats rapidly evolve in sophistication and become more prevalent globally, particularly due to the swift growth and increased use of AI systems, the associated risks described above may increase. Given that the techniques used in cyber-attacks change frequently and may be difficult to detect for periods of time, we (and our service providers) may face difficulties in anticipating and implementing adequate preventative measures or mitigating harms after such an attack.

We cannot assure you that the precautions we have taken to avoid an unauthorized incursion of our information systems are either adequate or implemented properly to prevent, immediately detect or promptly address a data breach. Because we rely on third-party suppliers and service providers, such as cloud services that support our internal and customer-facing operations, successful cyberattacks that disrupt or result in unauthorized access to third-party information systems can materially impact our operations and financial results. Any compromise of our information systems resulting in the loss, disclosure, misappropriation of or access to the personal data of our guests, prospective guests or employees could result in governmental investigations, civil liability, regulatory penalties under laws protecting the privacy of personal data, legal claims or proceedings (such as class actions), business interruption, damages to intangible property or loss of consumer confidence, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, any material failure by us or our service providers to maintain compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and other security requirements or to rectify a data security issue may result in fines and restrictions on our ability to accept credit cards as a form of payment. We cannot guarantee that any costs and liabilities incurred in relation to an attack or incident will be covered by our existing insurance policies or that applicable insurance will be available to us in the future on economically reasonable terms or at all.

We collect, process, store, use and share data, some of which contains personal data, which subjects us to complex and evolving governmental regulation and other legal obligations related to data privacy, data protection and information security, which are subject to change and uncertain interpretation.

We collect, maintain, transmit and store data about our customers, partners, consultants, personnel and other individuals, which includes payment card information and personal data, as well as confidential information. We depend on a number of third-party vendors in relation to the operation of our business, a number of which process data, including personal data, on our behalf. We and our vendors are subject to a variety of local and international data privacy laws, rules, regulations, industry standards and other requirements, including those that apply generally to the handling of personal data, and those that are specific to certain industries, sectors, contexts, or locations. These requirements, and their application, interpretation and amendment are constantly evolving and developing.

 

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For example, in Europe, we are subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (“EU GDPR”) and the United Kingdom data protection regime consisting of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the United Kingdom’s Data Protection Act 2018 (the “UK GDPR” and, together with the EU GDPR, the “GDPR”). The UK data protection regime may diverge from the EU data protection regime over time. The EU GDPR and UK GDPR govern our collection, control, processing, sharing, disclosure and other use of personal data and imposes strict data protection compliance obligations including: providing detailed disclosures about how personal data is collected and processed; demonstrating that an appropriate legal basis is in place or otherwise exists to justify data processing activities; granting rights for data subjects in regard to their personal data; introducing the obligation to notify data protection regulators (and in certain cases, affected individuals) of certain personal data breaches (including those suffered by our service providers); imposing limitations on retention of personal data; maintaining certain required documentation; restrictions on international data transfers (which have heightened in the light of recent case law and regulatory guidance); requirements in relation to contracting; and complying with the principal of accountability and the obligation to demonstrate compliance through policies, procedures, training and audit.

Failure to comply with the GDPR could result in penalties for noncompliance. Fines of up to €20 million or 4% of total annual global turnover (whichever is greater) could be imposed for violation of the EU GDPR and fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of total annual global turnover (whichever is greater) could be imposed for violation of the UK GDPR. Since we are subject to the supervision of local data protection authorities under both the EU GDPR and UK GDPR, fines could arise independently under each in respect of a single incident. In addition, violations of the GDPR could result in regulatory investigations, reputational damage, orders to cease or change our processing activities, enforcement notices or assessment notices (for compulsory audit). We may also face civil claims, including representative actions and other class action type litigation (where individuals have suffered harm), potentially amounting to significant compensation or damages liabilities as well as associated costs, diversion of internal resources and reputational harm.

The cross-border data transfer landscape globally (including in the European Economic Area, United Kingdom and United States) is continually evolving, and certain jurisdictions have enacted or are considering enacting cross-border data transfer restrictions and laws requiring data localization, which may affect our ability to process or transfer personal data to other countries. The EU GDPR and UK GDPR regulate cross-border transfers of personal data out of the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom. Case law from the Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) states that reliance on the standard contractual clauses (a standard form of contract approved by the European Commission as an adequate personal data transfer mechanism) alone may not necessarily be sufficient in all circumstances and that transfers must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. We currently rely on the EU standard contractual clauses and the UK Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses as relevant to transfer personal data outside the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom with respect to both intragroup and third-party transfers. We expect the existing legal complexity and uncertainty regarding international personal data transfers to continue. Any failure to comply with these complex regulatory requirements may adversely impact our operations. As the regulatory guidance and enforcement landscape in relation to data transfers continue to develop, we could suffer additional costs, complaints or regulatory investigations or fines; we may have to stop using certain tools and vendors and make other operational changes; or it could otherwise affect the manner in which we provide our services, any of which could adversely affect our business, operations and financial condition. Inability to import personal data to the United States may significantly and negatively impact our business.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission and state regulators enforce a variety of data privacy-related obligations, such as promises made in privacy policies or failures to appropriately protect information about individuals, as unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce in violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act or similar state laws. In addition, certain states have adopted new or modified privacy and security laws and regulations that may apply to our business. For example, in 2018, California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act, which came into effect in January 2020, and was subsequently amended by the California Privacy Rights Act effective January 1, 2023 (the “CCPA”). The CCPA imposes obligations on certain

 

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businesses that process personal information of California residents. Among other things, the CCPA: requires disclosures to such residents about the data collection, use and disclosure practices of covered businesses; provides such individuals expanded rights to access, delete, and correct their personal information, and opt-out of certain sales or transfers of personal information; and provides such individuals with a private right of action and statutory damages for certain data breaches. The enactment of the CCPA has prompted other states to promulgate or review the need for their own comprehensive consumer privacy laws, which similarly give residents rights with respect to their personal data and provide for civil penalties for violations. Additionally, U.S. federal regulators have increasingly sought to protect personal data. For example, in July 2023 the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted rules to enhance and standardize disclosures regarding cybersecurity risk management, strategy, governance and incidents by certain businesses. Separately, we send marketing messages via email and are subject to the federal CAN-SPAM Act, which imposes certain obligations regarding the content of emails and providing opt-outs (with the corresponding requirement to honor such opt-outs promptly). While we strive to ensure that all our marketing communications comply with the requirements set forth in the CAN-SPAM Act, any violations could result in the Federal Trade Commission seeking civil penalties against us. Additionally, we expect that there will continue to be new proposed laws, regulations, and industry standards concerning data privacy, data protection, and information security in the United States and other jurisdictions at all levels of legislature, governance, and applicability. We cannot yet fully determine the impact that these or future laws, rules and regulations may have on our business or operations.

We are also subject to evolving European Union and United Kingdom laws on cookies and electronic-marketing. In the European Union and in the United Kingdom, under national laws derived from the ePrivacy Directive, informed consent is required for the placement of a cookie or similar technologies on a customer’s device and for direct electronic marketing. The GDPR also imposes conditions on obtaining valid consent for cookies, such as a prohibition on pre-checked consents and a requirement to ensure separate consents are sought for each type of cookie or similar technology. Recent European court decisions and regulators’ recent guidance are driving increased attention to cookies and tracking technologies and the online behavioral advertising ecosystem. This could lead to substantial costs, require significant systems changes, limit the effectiveness of our marketing activities, divert the attention of our technology personnel, adversely affect our margins, increase costs and subject us to additional liabilities. In addition, regulation of cookies and similar technologies, and any decline of cookies or similar online tracking technologies as a means to identify and potentially target customers, may lead to broader restrictions and impairments on our marketing and personalization activities and may negatively impact our efforts to understand customers. In light of the complex and evolving nature of European Union, European Union Member State and United Kingdom privacy laws on cookies and tracking technologies, there can be no assurances that we will be successful in our efforts to comply with such laws; violations of such laws could result in regulatory investigations, fines, orders to cease/ change our use of such technologies, as well as civil claims including class actions, and reputational damage.

The adoption of further data privacy and security laws may increase the cost and complexity of implementing any new offerings in other jurisdictions. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with our posted privacy policies or data privacy or consumer protection-related laws, regulations, industry self-regulatory principles, industry standards or codes of conduct, regulatory guidance, orders to which we may be subject or other legal or contractual obligations relating to data privacy or consumer protection could adversely affect our reputation, brands and business, and may result in regulatory investigations, administrative fines, claims, proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities, customers, suppliers or others, class actions, or other liabilities or may require us to change our operations or cease using certain data sets. Any such claims, proceedings or actions could hurt our reputation, brands and business, force us to incur significant expenses in defense of such proceedings or actions, distract our management, increase our costs of doing business, result in a loss of customers and third-party partners and result in the imposition of significant damages, liabilities or monetary penalties.

 

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A failure to keep pace with developments in technology could impair our operations or competitive position.

Our business continues to demand the use of sophisticated systems and technology. These systems and technologies must be refined, updated and replaced with more advanced systems on a regular basis in order for us to meet our guests’ demands and expectations. In addition, the rise of remote working places additional demands on our systems and technologies. If we are unable to maintain, refine, update or replace our systems and technologies on a timely basis or within reasonable cost parameters, or if we are unable to appropriately and timely train our employees to operate any of these new systems, our business could suffer. We also may not achieve the benefits that we anticipate from any new system or technology, such as fuel abatement technologies, and a failure to do so could result in higher than anticipated costs or could impair our operating results.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

We are highly leveraged. We have substantial indebtedness and we may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness or to obtain additional financing if necessary.

As of December 31, 2023, we had $5,426.6 million of Total Debt. Our high level of indebtedness will restrict our operations. Among other things, our indebtedness will:

 

   

limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in the markets in which we compete;

 

   

place us at a competitive disadvantage relative to our competitors with less indebtedness;

 

   

render us more vulnerable to general adverse economic, regulatory and industry conditions;

 

   

require us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow to service our debt;

 

   

limit our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, general corporate purposes or other purposes;

 

   

expose us to the risk of increased rates as, over the term of our debt, the interest cost on a significant portion of our indebtedness is subject to changes in interest rates; and

 

   

limit our ability to secure adequate bank financing in the future with reasonable terms and conditions.

Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our future performance and our ability to generate cash from our operations, which is subject to, among other things, the success of our business strategy, customer demand, increased competition, overcapacity, prevailing economic conditions and financial, competitive, legislative, legal, regulatory and other factors, including those other factors discussed in these “Risk Factors,” many of which are beyond our control. We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate a level of cash flow from operations sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and cash interest on our indebtedness or that future borrowings will be available to us in an amount sufficient and on satisfactory terms to enable us to service and repay our indebtedness.

In addition, some of our existing debt agreements include a material adverse change clause, which permits the lenders to subjectively determine when a material adverse change in our business or financial condition occurs. If these lenders were to determine that there had been a material adverse change in our business or financial condition or our ability to perform our obligations under these debt agreements, it may result in an event of default under these debt agreements. Certain of the agreements governing our indebtedness contain, and future debt agreements are expected to contain, cross-default provisions, meaning that if we are in default under certain of our current or future debt obligations, amounts outstanding under our current or other future debt agreements may also be in default, accelerated and become due and payable. In addition, we have pledged a significant portion of our assets as collateral under our existing debt agreements. Some of our existing debt agreements also include loan-to-value requirements, which may require us to pledge additional collateral or make additional principal payments in the event that our assets become less valuable. If any of the holders of our indebtedness accelerate the repayment of our indebtedness, there can be no assurance that we will have sufficient assets to repay our indebtedness.

 

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We require a significant amount of cash to service our debt and sustain our operations.

Our ability to meet our debt service obligations or refinance our debt depends on our future operating and financial performance and ability to generate cash. This will be affected by our ability to successfully implement our business strategy, as well as general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other factors beyond our control. If we cannot generate sufficient cash to meet our debt service obligations or fund our other business needs, we may, among other things, need to refinance all or a portion of our debt, obtain additional financing, delay planned capital expenditures or sell assets. For example, we require significant cash to purchase additional ships. Our debt service obligations also increased as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including due to debt raised during the cessation of our operations and payment deferrals under some of our existing financings. We cannot assure you that we will be able to generate sufficient cash through any of the foregoing. If we are not able to refinance any of our debt, obtain additional financing or sell assets on commercially reasonable terms or at all, we may not be able to satisfy our obligations with respect to our debt and sustain our operations.

Despite current indebtedness levels and restrictive covenants, we may incur additional indebtedness. This could further exacerbate the risks associated with our substantial financial leverage.

Despite current indebtedness levels and restrictive covenants, we expect to incur additional indebtedness in connection with the expansion of our fleet and may incur other indebtedness to finance our operations and other capital needs. Although the agreements governing our indebtedness contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional indebtedness, these restrictions are subject to a number of thresholds, qualifications and exceptions, and the additional indebtedness incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. Additionally, these restrictions may not prevent us from incurring obligations that are preferential to our ordinary shares, such as preferred shares. If additional debt is incurred, the related risks that we now face as a result of our leverage would intensify.

Our indebtedness, and the agreements governing our indebtedness, may limit our flexibility in operating our business.

The agreements governing our indebtedness contain, and any instruments governing future indebtedness of ours may contain, covenants and event of default clauses, including cross-default provisions, that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us, including restrictions or prohibitions on our ability to, among other things:

 

   

incur or guarantee additional debt or create certain liens;

 

   

pay dividends or make other restricted payments;

 

   

make certain investments or repurchase or redeem share capital or subordinated debt;

 

   

consummate certain asset sales;

 

   

enter into certain transactions with affiliates;

 

   

enter into arrangements that restrict dividends; and

 

   

consolidate or merge with any person or transfer or sell all or substantially all of our assets.

We cannot assure you that any of these limitations will not hinder our ability to finance operations and capital needs and our ability to pursue business opportunities and activities that may be in our interest. In particular, restrictions on our ability to incur additional debt may limit our ability to grow our fleet if we are unable to incur debt financing for additional ships. In addition, our ability to comply with these covenants and restrictions may be affected by events beyond our control.

Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.

As of December 31, 2023, 10.6% of the principal outstanding on our Total Debt had variable interest rates. Market interest rates have increased over the past several years and may continue to increase as a result of action

 

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by the U.S. Federal Reserve and other factors, and as a result, variable-rate debt will create higher debt service requirements, which would adversely affect our cash flow. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on this variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same.

In addition, a portion of our borrowings used London interbank offered rates (“LIBOR”) as a benchmark for establishing applicable rates for borrowings in U.S. dollars. On March 5, 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”) announced in a public statement that all LIBOR tenors, including U.S.-dollar LIBOR, and overnight and 12-month US dollar LIBOR settings will cease to be published or will no longer be representative as of June 30, 2023, though the FCA is requiring the publication of the one-month, three-month and six-month U.S.-dollar LIBOR on a non-representative, synthetic basis until September 2024. The Alternative Reference Rate Committee, a committee convened by the Federal Reserve that includes major market participants, identified the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements that is backed by United States Treasury securities, as its preferred alternative rate for LIBOR.

All of our previously U.S.-dollar LIBOR-based loans are now based on SOFR. There can be no assurance that SOFR will perform in the same way as LIBOR would have at any time, including as a result of changes in interest and yield rates in the market, market volatility or global or regional economic, financial, political, regulatory, judicial or other events.

The impact of volatility and disruptions in the global credit and financial markets may adversely affect our ability to borrow and could increase our counterparty credit risks.

Our ability to purchase additional ships depends on the availability of ship financing on satisfactory terms and there can be no assurance that we will be able to borrow additional money on terms as favorable as our current debt, on commercially acceptable terms, or at all. Ship financing may become unavailable for a number of reasons, including, among others, our inability to meet the conditions of such financing, a disruption of the capital and credit markets or rising interest rates. A failure in our ability to obtain sufficient ship financing on satisfactory terms, or at all, could delay or prevent our ability to order or take delivery of new ships. If the failure to obtain financing resulted in a breakage or cancellation of a binding shipbuilding contract on our part, it could result in, among other things, the forfeiture of any payments we have made and the imposition of contractual liquidated and other damages. In addition, our shipbuilding contracts include a clause that permits the shipyard to terminate the shipbuilding contract if it subjectively determines that the contracting party is unable to pay its debts as they fall due. If the shipyard were to make this determination, the shipyard may decide to cancel the shipbuilding contract, which could delay or disrupt our planned ship deliveries.

Disruptions in the global credit and financial markets could also cause counterparties under our derivatives, contingent obligations, insurance contracts and other third-party contracts to be unable to perform their obligations or to breach their obligations to us under our contracts with them, which could include failures of financial institutions to fund required borrowings under our loan agreements and to pay us amounts that may become due under derivative contracts and other agreements. In addition, we may be limited in obtaining funds to pay amounts due to counterparties under derivative contracts and to pay amounts that may become due under other agreements. If we were to elect to replace any counterparty for its failure to perform its obligations under such instruments, we would likely incur significant costs to replace the counterparty. Any failure to replace any counterparties under these circumstances may result in additional costs to us or an ineffective instrument.

In addition, if our credit ratings were to be downgraded, 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 could be negatively impacted. 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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Risks Related to Other Legal, Regulatory and Tax Matters

We are subject to complex laws and regulations, including environmental laws and regulations.

We are subject to various international, national, state and local laws, regulations and treaties related to, among other things, environment protection, health and safety of workers and access for disabled persons. Compliance with such laws, regulations and treaties entails significant expense and attention from management, which could adversely affect our operations.

In addition, new legislation, regulations or treaties, or changes thereto, or interpretations or implementations thereof, especially where such regulations conflict with the regulations in effect in other jurisdictions in which we operate, could affect our operations and would likely subject us to increased compliance costs in the future.

We believe that environmental laws and regulations in particular will continue to be focused on by relevant government authorities in the United States, European countries and the other countries in which we operate or may operate due to an increased focus on greenhouse gas and other emissions from global regulators, consumers and other stakeholders, which may have a material impact on our business. For example, we may be impacted by the EU’s Fit for 55 package, which includes updates to the Emissions Trading Systems relating to the need to acquire carbon emission allowances and proposed reforms to the EU’s Energy Taxation Directive, which imposes taxes on fuel purchased in the EU. In July 2023, the European Council adopted a new regulatory proposal, the FuelEU Maritime initiative, which sets out a long-term framework to reduce emissions by increasing the use of sustainable alternative fuels and shore power. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the IMO (a United Nations agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships) is currently considering various other proposals which aim to reduce emissions within the global shipping industry. For example, the IMO adopted two requirements that went into effect in 2023, the Carbon Intensity Indicator and Energy Efficiency Ship Index, which each regulate carbon emissions for ships. Further, in March 2024, the SEC adopted a new rule that would require companies to make certain climate-related disclosures, including information about climate-related risks, greenhouse gas emissions and certain climate-related financial statement metrics. Regulatory efforts, both internationally and in the United States, including in various states (for example, California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act signed into law in October 2023), are evolving, including the international alignment of such efforts, and we cannot determine what final regulations will be enacted or their ultimate impact on our business. Climate change-related regulatory activity and developments that require us to reduce our emissions, which includes both the EU and IMO proposals discussed above, and may include regulatory efforts in the United States at a federal or state-level in the future, may adversely affect our business and financial results by requiring us to make capital investments in new equipment or technologies, pay for carbon emissions, purchase carbon offset credits, or otherwise incur additional costs or take additional actions related to our emissions. Such activity may also impact us indirectly by increasing our operating costs, including fuel costs. Regulatory developments may also result in the inability to operate vessels that do not meet certain standards, the acceleration of the removal of less fuel-efficient vessels from our fleet and impact the resale value of our vessels in the future. In addition, we have invested in certain technologies to reduce our future environmental impact, including shore power and a partial hybrid propulsion system based on liquid hydrogen and fuel cells for our next generation of ocean ships. There can be no assurance that these technologies will develop as anticipated or that they will allow us to comply with future environmental regulations. If we are unable to use these technologies or these technologies become more expensive than expected, it may increase our operating costs or increase the impact of future environmental regulations on our business.

Growing recognition among consumers globally of the negative effects of climate change and the impact of greenhouse gasses and other emissions may lead to material changes in consumer preferences. For instance, our guests may choose a vacation option that they perceive as operating in a manner that is more sustainable for the climate, seek alternative methods of travel, or reduce the amount and frequency of their travel. In addition, some environmental groups have lobbied for more extensive oversight of cruise ships and have generated negative

 

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publicity about the cruise industry and its environmental impact. The U.S. and various state and foreign government and regulatory agencies have enacted or are considering new environmental regulations and policies aimed at reducing the threat of invasive species in ballast water, requiring the use of low-sulfur fuels, increasing fuel efficiency requirements and further restricting emissions, including those of green-house gases, and improving sewage and greywater-handling capabilities. Compliance with such laws and regulations may entail significant expenses for ship modification and changes in operating procedures, which could adversely affect our operations. The governing bodies that promulgate the laws and regulations related to disabled persons may also require changes to existing practices and the introduction of new physical facilities that are sufficient to meet the needs of cruise guests with disabilities. If new proposals are introduced that are applicable to the cruise industry, the adoption of any such new laws, regulations or compliance agreements could require further enhancements to our ships, resulting in increased operating expenses and capital expenditures and we cannot assure you that we will be able to comply or maintain compliance with such laws, regulations or compliance agreements.

We are subject to a number of anti-corruption laws governing our operations.

We are subject to various laws and regulations relating to anti-corruption and anti-bribery, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) and the UK Bribery Act 2010, which generally prohibit companies from making improper payments of anything of value (including money, gifts, travel, entertainment, in-kind benefits or charitable contributions) to government officials or private parties for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or other business advantages. In operating our business (including the China JV Investment), we and our intermediaries encounter government officials and interact with government-owned entities, and operate in parts of the world that have experienced corruption to some degree.

We also are required to comply with the accounting provisions of the FCPA, which require us to maintain reasonably detailed and accurate books, records, and accounts, and to devise and maintain a system of adequate internal controls.

Although we have implemented policies, procedures, and controls designed to promote compliance with the FCPA and other applicable anti-corruption laws by our employees and intermediaries, there are no guarantees that such persons will comply with such controls or applicable anti-corruption laws at all times. Any actual or potential violation of these laws, or allegations or investigations relating to the same, could disrupt or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and reputation.

Various trade, financial and economic sanctions and export control laws and regulations imposed upon the countries in which we operate may adversely affect our activities or dealings in or with such countries, as well as our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our business activities are subject to requirements and prohibitions under various trade, financial and economic sanctions an export control laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the sanctions programs of the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the European Union and its member states, and His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom (including the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation). These programs may prohibit or restrict our ability to, directly or indirectly, conduct activities or dealings in or with certain countries or territories or involving certain persons, or otherwise affect our business. For example, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and a number of other countries have introduced (and continue to enhance) a variety of economic trade, financial and other sanctions and export controls against Russia, including in response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Pursuant to these measures, certain persons, including a number of Russian government officials, business persons, banks and companies, became subject to blocking sanctions or related trade, investment, immigration and financial restrictions or export controls. The basic practical consequences of these measures against Russia are that:

 

  (i)

in the case of blocking sanctions/asset freezes, U.S., EU and UK persons (and persons resident in, or nationals of, other jurisdictions which have implemented similar sanctions) cannot directly or indirectly

 

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engage in business with such designated persons (including persons they own or control), deal with their assets or otherwise provide (or make available for their benefit) funds or economic resources (absent an exception under the applicable sanctions regulations, or a license from the relevant sanctions authority);

 

  (ii)

designated individuals may also be subject to travel bans, which restrict their ability to travel to certain jurisdictions; and

 

  (iii)

in the case of trade, export, investment or other financial restrictions, activities subject to U.S., EU or UK jurisdiction (and other jurisdictions which have implemented similar restrictions) may be prohibited by relevant sanctions regulations or export controls (for example, providing certain goods or services to persons in Russia or for us in Russia). Restrictions under certain sanctions regimes also prohibit investing in Russia and also prohibit a person from dealing with transferable securities or money-market instruments issued by, or entering into loan and credit arrangements with, persons connected with Russia, which may include persons ordinarily resident or located in Russia, and Russian entities which are incorporated or constituted under Russian law, or domiciled in Russia.

While we believe that current U.S., EU and UK sanctions and export controls do not preclude us from conducting our current business, further measures imposed by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and a number of other countries may limit certain of our operations in the future. To the extent applicable to the business, existing, expanded or new sanctions may negatively affect our revenue and profitability, and could impede our ability to effectively manage our legal entities and operations in certain jurisdictions. We have implemented policies and procedures to comply with applicable sanctions laws and regulations. Any actual or potential violation of these laws, or allegations or investigations relating to the same, could disrupt or have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and reputation.

Any trade war or other governmental action related to tariffs or international trade agreements or policies (including in response to, or as part of a broader effort in conjunction with, economic sanctions) also has the potential to adversely affect our business. In recent years, the United States has instituted large tariffs on a wide variety of goods, including from China, which led to retaliatory tariffs from leaders of other countries, including China. These policy pronouncements have created significant uncertainty about the future relationship between the United States and China and other exporting countries, including with respect to trade policies, treaties, government regulations and tariffs and has led to concerns regarding the potential for an extended trade war. Tensions over trade and other matters remain high between the U.S. and China, and it is currently unclear what policies the current U.S. administration will pursue. Protectionist developments, or the perception they may occur, may have a material adverse effect on global economic conditions, and may significantly reduce global trade and, in particular, trade between the United States and other countries, including China. Such a trade war could negatively impact economic or market conditions, key vendors in our supply chain and our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Litigation could distract management, increase our expenses or subject us to material money damages and other remedies.

Our business is subject to various U.S. and international laws and regulations that could lead to enforcement actions, fines, civil or criminal penalties or the assertion of litigation claims and damages. We may be involved from time to time in various legal proceedings that might necessitate changes to our business or operations. Regardless of whether any claims against us have merit, or whether we are ultimately held liable or subject to payment of damages, claims may be expensive to defend and may divert management’s time away from our operations. If any legal proceedings were to result in an unfavorable outcome, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

 

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Application of existing tax laws, rules and regulations is subject to ambiguities and differing interpretation by taxing authorities.

We are subject to taxes in numerous jurisdictions, including those in which we transact business, own property or reside. In computing our obligations under tax laws, rules and regulations, we are required to take various tax accounting and reporting positions on complex matters that are not entirely free from doubt and for which we have not received rulings from the governing authorities. Although we believe our tax positions are reasonable, we cannot assure you that the applicable taxing authorities will agree with our positions. The final determination of tax audits could be materially different from our historical tax provisions and accruals, in which case we may be subject to additional tax liabilities, possibly including interest and penalties, which may be material and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Amendments to existing tax laws, rules or regulations or enactment of new unfavorable tax laws, rules or regulations could have an adverse effect on our business and financial performance.

Various tax regimes to which we are currently subject allow us to maintain a relatively low effective tax rate on our worldwide income. If existing laws, rules or regulations were amended or reinterpreted, or if new unfavorable tax laws, rules or regulations were enacted, the results could increase our tax payments or other obligations, prospectively or retrospectively, subject us to interest and penalties, decrease the demand for our cruises if we pass on such costs to our guests, result in increased costs to update or expand our technical or administrative infrastructure or effectively limit the scope of our business activities if we decided not to conduct business in particular jurisdictions. As a result, these changes may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our effective tax rate in the future could also be adversely affected by changes to our operations and ownership, changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, the discontinuation of beneficial tax arrangements in certain jurisdictions or the adoption of a global minimum tax. Moreover, we may become subject to new tax regimes and may be unable to take advantage of favorable tax provisions afforded by current or future laws, rules or regulations.

Additionally, longstanding international tax norms that determine each country’s jurisdiction to tax cross-border international trade are evolving as a result of the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting reporting requirements, recommended by the G8, G20 and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (the “OECD”), including the imposition of a minimum tax on income earned by international businesses regardless of the jurisdiction of operation. The OECD has reached an agreement to align countries on a minimum corporate tax rate and an expansion of the taxing rights of market countries. As OECD participants or individual countries enact some or all parts of the OECD global minimum tax agreement, these changes could result in tax increases or double taxation that could affect our tax liabilities in the future. The current OECD guidelines exclude international shipping income from the scope of the global minimum tax to the extent certain requirements relating to strategic or commercial management are satisfied. Some individual countries, including those in which we are subject to taxation, have enacted legislation to implement parts of the OECD global minimum tax agreement. For example, Switzerland has introduced a minimum tax of 15% as of January 1, 2024 on Swiss corporations and permanent establishments for multinational enterprises whose annual revenues exceed 750 million euros, and such minimum tax could impact our Swiss entities. The impact of the OECD global minimum tax agreement on our financial results depends on multiple factors, including the effect of the international shipping exemption and interpretations by various tax authorities of both the OECD global minimum tax agreement and the corporate tax laws applied in other jurisdictions. As these and other tax laws and related regulations change, our financial results could be materially impacted.

In December 2023, Bermuda enacted the Corporate Income Tax Act 2023 (the “CIT Act”), which applies to Bermuda entities that are part of multinational enterprise groups with 750 million euros or more in annual revenues in at least two of the four fiscal years immediately preceding the fiscal year in question. The CIT Act imposes a new corporate income tax for tax years starting on or after January 1, 2025 at a rate of 15%. In general, income arising from international shipping is exempted from the scope of such tax, to the extent certain requirements relating to strategic or commercial management in Bermuda are satisfied. As part of the transition into the CIT Act, Bermuda entities can elect to compute an opening tax loss carryforward from the period

 

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January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2024. We expect that the tax imposed under the CIT Act will be applicable to us and that our income arising from international shipping will be exempt from such tax. The imposition of such tax under the CIT Act, for tax years starting on or after January 1, 2025, may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Though we currently expect our income arising from international shipping will be exempt from such tax, we will continue to evaluate the impact of the CIT Act on our operations as further information and guidance becomes available.

Through our international ocean and expedition cruises, we are engaged in a trade or business in the United States and generate a portion of our cruise income from sources within the United States. Under Section 883 of the Code (“Section 883”) and the related regulations, a foreign corporation will be exempt from U.S. federal income taxation on its U.S.-source income derived from the international operation of ships (“shipping income”) if: (a) it is organized in a qualified foreign country, which is one that grants an “equivalent exemption” from tax to corporations organized in the United States in respect of each category of shipping income for which exemption is being claimed under Section 883; and (b) either: (1) more than 50% of the value of its stock is beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by qualified shareholders, which includes individuals who are “residents” of a qualified foreign country (“stock ownership test”); (2) one or more classes of its stock representing, in the aggregate, more than 50% of the combined voting power and value of all classes of its stock are “primarily and regularly traded on one or more established securities markets” in a qualified foreign country or in the United States; or (3) it is a controlled foreign corporation for more than half of the taxable year and more than 50% of its stock is owned by qualified U.S. persons for more than half of the taxable year. In addition, U.S. Treasury Regulations require a foreign corporation and certain of its direct and indirect shareholders to satisfy detailed substantiation and reporting requirements. Section 883 does not exempt U.S. source income derived from a U.S. domestic trade or business.

We have assessed that we qualify for the benefits of Section 883 under the stock ownership test. However, qualification for Section 883 depends upon various factors, including a specified percentage of our shares being owned, directly or indirectly, by shareholders who meet certain requirements. Additionally, provisions of the Code, including Section 883, are subject to change at any time, and changes could occur in the future with respect to the identity, residence or holdings of our direct or indirect shareholders, which could impact our ability to qualify for the benefits of Section 883. There are factual circumstances beyond our control, including changes in the direct and indirect owners of our shares, including as a result of this offering, which could cause us or our subsidiaries to lose the benefit of this tax exemption.

Given the unpredictability of these possible changes and their potential interdependency, it is very difficult to assess whether the overall effect of such potential tax changes would be cumulatively positive or negative for our earnings and cash flow, but such changes could adversely affect our financial results.

Economic Substance Legislation enacted in Bermuda may affect our operations.

Pursuant to the Economic Substance Act 2018 (as amended) of Bermuda (the “ES Act”) effective as of January 1, 2019, a registered entity other than an entity which is resident for tax purposes in certain jurisdictions outside Bermuda (i.e. not designated by the European Union as a non-cooperative jurisdiction for tax purposes; any such entity, a “non-resident entity”) that carries on as a business any one or more of the “relevant activities” referred to in the ES Act must comply with economic substance requirements. The ES Act requires in-scope entities which are engaged in such “relevant activities” to be directed and managed in Bermuda, have an adequate level of qualified employees in Bermuda, incur an adequate level of annual expenditure in Bermuda, maintain physical offices and premises in Bermuda and perform core income-generating activities in Bermuda. The list of “relevant activities” includes carrying on any one or more of: banking, insurance, fund management, financing and leasing, headquarters, shipping (defined to include passenger cruise ships), distribution and service centers, intellectual property and holding entities. We and several of our Bermuda subsidiaries are carrying on relevant activities for the purposes of the ES Act and are required to comply with such economic substance requirements. Our compliance with the ES Act may result in additional costs that could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

 

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Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of Our Ordinary Shares

Our share price may be volatile, and you could lose all or part of your investment as a result.

The initial public offering price for the ordinary shares sold in this offering will be determined by negotiation between us and representatives of the underwriters. This price may not reflect the market price of our ordinary shares following this offering and the price of our ordinary shares may decline. In addition, the market price of our ordinary shares could be highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially as a result of many factors, including:

 

   

results of operations that vary from the expectations of securities analysts and investors;

 

   

results of operations that vary from those of our competitors;

 

   

changes in market valuations of, or earnings and other announcements by, companies serving our markets;

 

   

declines in the market prices of stocks, trading volumes and company valuations generally;

 

   

announcements of new itineraries or services or the introduction of new ships by us or our competitors;

 

   

announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

 

   

changes in general economic or market conditions or trends in our industry, our markets or the economy as a whole;

 

   

changes in business, environmental or regulatory conditions;

 

   

future sales of our ordinary shares or other securities;

 

   

investor perceptions or the investment opportunity associated with our ordinary shares relative to other investment alternatives;

 

   

the public’s response to press releases or other public announcements by us or third parties, including our filings with the SEC;

 

   

changes in senior management or key personnel;

 

   

announcements relating to litigation;

 

   

the development and sustainability of an active trading market for our shares;

 

   

changes in accounting principles; and

 

   

other events or factors, including those resulting from pandemics (including COVID-19), natural disasters, war, acts of terrorism or responses to these events.

In addition, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our ordinary shares, regardless of our operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against that company. If we were involved in any similar litigation, we could incur substantial costs and our management’s attention and resources could be diverted.

Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents could delay or prevent a change of control.

Certain provisions of our bye-laws to be effective upon the consummation of this offering may have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, defer or prevent a merger, amalgamation, acquisition, tender offer, takeover attempt or other change of control transaction that a shareholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares held by our shareholders. For example, we have a two-class share structure, as a result of which our principal shareholder generally will be able to control the outcome of all matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors and significant corporate transactions, such as a merger, amalgamation or other sale of our company or its assets.

 

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These anti-takeover provisions could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the third party’s offer may be considered beneficial by many of our shareholders. As a result, our shareholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares. See “Description of Share Capital.”

No public market currently exists for our ordinary shares, and an active, liquid trading market for our ordinary shares may not develop or continue following this offering.

Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our ordinary shares. An active trading market may not develop following the consummation of this offering or, if developed, may not be sustained. The lack of an active market may impair your ability to sell your shares at the time you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider reasonable. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital by selling ordinary shares and may impair our ability to acquire other companies by using our shares as consideration.

The market price of our ordinary shares could be negatively affected by future sales of our ordinary shares or special shares.

Immediately after this offering, we will have 303,683,900 ordinary shares issued and outstanding and we will have 127,771,124 special shares issued and outstanding. Sales by us or our shareholders of a substantial number of ordinary shares in the public market or in private transactions following this offering, or the perception that these sales might occur, could cause the market price of our ordinary shares to decline or could impair our ability to raise capital through a future sale of, or pay for acquisitions using, our equity securities. Of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, the 53,000,000 ordinary shares sold in this offering (or 60,950,000 ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ordinary shares in full) will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933 (the “Securities Act”), unless owned by our affiliates (as defined under Rule 144 of the Securities Act (“Rule 144”)), including our principal shareholder and our directors and executive officers, who may sell only in compliance with the limitations described in “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.” The remaining 250,683,900 ordinary shares (or 242,733,900 ordinary shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ordinary shares in full) and all of our special shares will be “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144 and subject to certain restrictions on resale upon the consummation of this offering. Subject to certain contractual restrictions, including the lock-up agreements described below, restricted securities may be sold in the public market only if they are registered under the Securities Act or are sold pursuant to an exemption from registration such as Rule 144 under the Securities Act, as described in “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.”

After the completion of this offering, our principal shareholder and our financial shareholders will have certain registration rights under the Investor Rights Agreement. Following the consummation of this offering, the shares covered by the registration rights in the Investor Rights Agreement would represent approximately 85.2% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares and special shares (or 83.3%, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional ordinary shares in full).

In addition, as of December 31, 2023, up to 2,949,830 ordinary shares will be issuable after this offering upon the exercise of outstanding options, up to 8,733,400 ordinary shares will be issuable after this offering upon the exercise of warrants and up to 2,619,266 ordinary shares will be issuable after this offering upon the vesting and settlement of RSUs for which the time vesting condition was not satisfied as of December 31, 2023. As of December 31, 2023, we also had 13,824,564 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance under the 2018 Plan and 4,680,000 ordinary shares available for issuance under the 2024 ESPP.

In connection with this offering, all of our directors and executive officers and holders of substantially all of our shares, including the selling shareholders, have entered into lock-up agreements with the representatives of the underwriters. Pursuant to such lock-up agreements, such persons have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, not to sell or otherwise dispose of ordinary shares or special shares or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for ordinary shares or special shares for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus without the prior written consent of BofA Securities, Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC. See “Underwriting” for a description of these lock-up agreements.

 

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Following the consummation of this offering, we intend to file one or more registration statements on Form S-8 under the Securities Act to register the ordinary shares issuable under the Post-IPO 2018 Plan and the 2024 ESPP. Any such Form S-8 registration statement will become effective automatically upon filing. Once those shares are registered, they can be sold in the public market upon issuance, subject to Rule 144 limitations applicable to affiliates, vesting restrictions and the lock-up restrictions described under “Underwriting.”

If you purchase our ordinary shares in this offering, you will experience substantial and immediate dilution.

The assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range on the cover page of this prospectus, is substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share immediately after this offering. We calculate net tangible book value (deficit) per share by taking the amount of our total tangible assets, reduced by the amount of our total liabilities, and then dividing that amount by the total number of ordinary shares and special shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023. If you purchase ordinary shares in this offering, you will experience substantial and immediate dilution in the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share of $26.06 per ordinary share as of December 31, 2023, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus. You may also experience additional dilution upon future equity issuances, including under the Post-IPO 2018 Plan and the 2024 ESPP, or the exercise or settlement of equity awards granted to our employees, executive officers and directors under the 2018 Plan and any future equity incentive plans or upon the exercise of warrants that may be outstanding from time to time. For more information, see “Dilution.”

We do not expect to pay any dividends in the foreseeable future.

We intend to retain most, if not all, of our available funds and earnings to fund the development and growth of our business. As a result, we do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Consequently, investors who purchase ordinary shares in this offering may be unable to realize a gain on their investment except by selling such shares after price appreciation, which may never occur.

Our board of directors has significant discretion as to whether to distribute dividends. Even if our board of directors decides to declare and pay dividends, the timing, amount and form of future dividends, if any, will depend on, among other things, our future results of operations and cash flow, our capital requirements and surplus, our financial condition and other factors deemed relevant by our board of directors. Because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends also depends on our receipt of cash dividends from our operating subsidiaries, which may be restricted in their ability to pay dividends as a result of the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, agreements of our subsidiaries or covenants under any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur. In particular, the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute cash to us to pay dividends is limited by covenants in our debt instruments and may be further restricted by the terms of any future debt or preferred securities.

Our two-class structure has the effect of concentrating voting control with our principal shareholder, which could limit your ability to influence certain key matters affecting our business and affairs.

Upon the consummation of this offering, our principal shareholder will hold 97,484,764 ordinary shares and 127,704,616 special shares, which will represent approximately 86.9% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital. The rights of the holders of our ordinary shares and our special shares are identical, except with respect to voting, conversion and transfer rights. Each ordinary share is entitled to one vote per share, and each special share is entitled to 10 votes per share.

As a result, subject to the terms of the Investor Rights Agreement, our principal shareholder will have the ability to elect almost all of the members of our board of directors and thereby control our policies and operations, including, among other things, the appointment of management, future issuances of our ordinary shares or other securities, the payment of dividends, if any, on our ordinary shares, the incurrence or modification of debt by us, amendments to our bye-laws and the entering into extraordinary transactions.

 

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Our principal shareholder may have interests that do not align with the interests of our other shareholders, including with regard to pursuing acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions that, in their judgment, could enhance their equity investment, even though such transactions might involve risks to our other shareholders. Our principal shareholder will have effective control over our decisions to enter into such corporate transactions regardless of whether others believe that the transaction is in our best interests. Such control may have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change of control of us, could deprive shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their ordinary shares as part of a sale of us and might ultimately affect the market price of our ordinary shares. The concentration of ownership could deprive you of an opportunity to receive a premium for your ordinary share as part of a sale of us and ultimately might affect the market price of our ordinary shares. See “Description of Share Capital.”

The Investor Rights Agreement grants certain rights to our principal shareholder and our financial shareholders, and these shareholders may have interests that do not align with the interests of our other shareholders.

Under the Investor Rights Agreement, our principal shareholder has the right to designate four nominees to our board of directors and each of our financial shareholders has the right to designate two nominees to our board of directors, subject to the maintenance of specified ownership requirements. Our Audit Committee, our Compensation Committee and our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will also include one director jointly selected by our financial shareholders, one director selected by our principal shareholder and one independent director selected by our board of directors, subject to the maintenance of specified ownership requirements.

In addition, under the Investor Rights Agreement, the following actions require the prior consent of our principal shareholder and each of our financial shareholders, subject to the maintenance of specified ownership requirements: (1) issuing (a) equity securities that are senior to our ordinary shares or (b) an aggregate amount of equity securities, in any twelve (12) month period, that exceeds 5% of our then issued and outstanding total number of shares, subject to certain exceptions; and (2) making any acquisition or disposition of assets or securities with a value in excess of $1 billion, whether structured as an asset or equity purchase, merger, amalgamation, investment, joint venture, share exchange, reorganization, recapitalization or otherwise. We have also granted our principal shareholder and our financial shareholders registration rights. See “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions—Investor Rights Agreement—Rights of Appointment, Consent Rights and Registration Rights.”

Our principal shareholder and our financial shareholders may have interests that do not align with the interests of our other shareholders. As long as our principal shareholder and our financial shareholders continue to maintain the specified ownership requirements set forth in the Investor Rights Agreement, our principal shareholder and our financial shareholders will continue to benefit from the contractual provisions provided in the Investor Rights Agreement and may be able to strongly influence or effectively control certain decisions.

In addition, the Investor Rights Agreement prohibits our financial shareholders from transferring, directly or indirectly, any of their ordinary shares to certain competitors without prior approval of our board of directors, subject to certain exceptions. This transfer restriction may result in our financial shareholders selling their ordinary shares at a lower price than they would otherwise be able to absent any transfer restriction and could delay, defer or prevent a takeover.

There are regulatory limitations on the ownership and transfer of our ordinary shares.

We have been designated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as a non-resident for Bermuda exchange control purposes. This designation allows us to engage in transactions in currencies other than the Bermuda dollar, and there are no restrictions on our ability to transfer funds (other than funds denominated in Bermuda dollars) in and out of Bermuda or to pay dividends to U.S. residents who are holders of our ordinary shares.

 

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The Bermuda Monetary Authority has given its consent for the issue and free transferability of all of our ordinary shares that are the subject of this offering to and between non-residents of Bermuda for exchange control purposes, provided our ordinary shares remain listed on an appointed stock exchange, which includes the NYSE. Approvals or permissions given by the Bermuda Monetary Authority do not constitute a guarantee by the Bermuda Monetary Authority as to our performance or our creditworthiness. Accordingly, in giving such consent or permissions, the Bermuda Monetary Authority shall not be liable for the financial soundness, performance or default of our business or for the correctness of any opinions or statements expressed in this prospectus. Certain issues and transfers of ordinary shares involving persons deemed resident in Bermuda for exchange control purposes require the specific consent of the Bermuda Monetary Authority.

We are a Bermuda company and it may be difficult for you to enforce judgments against us or our directors and executive officers.

We are a Bermuda exempted company. As a result, the rights of holders of our ordinary shares will be governed by Bermuda law and our memorandum of association and bye-laws. The rights of shareholders under Bermuda law may differ from the rights of shareholders of companies incorporated in other jurisdictions. A number of our directors and some of the named experts referred to in this prospectus are not residents of the United States, and a substantial portion of our assets are located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for you to effect service of process within the United States upon us or those persons, or to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts against us or those persons based on the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or other laws.

We have been advised by our special Bermuda counsel that there is no treaty in force between the United States and Bermuda providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters. As a result, whether a U.S. judgment would be enforceable in Bermuda against us or our directors and officers depends on whether the U.S. court that entered the judgment is recognized by a Bermuda court as having jurisdiction over us or our directors and officers, as determined by reference to Bermuda conflict of law rules. The courts of Bermuda would recognize as a valid judgment, a final and conclusive judgment in personam obtained in a U.S. court pursuant to which a sum of money is payable (other than a sum of money payable in respect of multiple damages, taxes or other charges of a like nature or in respect of a fine or other penalty). The courts of Bermuda would give a judgment based on such a U.S. judgment as long as (1) the U.S. court had proper jurisdiction over the parties subject to the judgment; (2) the U.S. court did not contravene the rules of natural justice of Bermuda; (3) the U.S. judgment was not obtained by fraud; (4) the enforcement of the U.S. judgment would not be contrary to the public policy of Bermuda; (5) no new admissible evidence relevant to the action is submitted prior to the rendering of the judgment by the courts of Bermuda; (6) there is due compliance with the correct procedures under the laws of Bermuda; and (7) the U.S. judgment is not inconsistent with any judgment of the courts of Bermuda in respect of the same matter.

In addition, and irrespective of jurisdictional issues, the Bermuda courts will not enforce a U.S. federal securities law that is either penal or contrary to Bermuda public policy. We have been advised that an action brought pursuant to a public or penal law, the purpose of which is the enforcement of a sanction, power or right at the instance of the state in its sovereign capacity, is unlikely to be entertained by a Bermuda court. Certain remedies available under the laws of U.S. jurisdictions, including certain remedies under U.S. federal securities laws, would not be available under Bermuda law or enforceable in a Bermuda court, as they are likely to be contrary to Bermuda public policy. Further, it may not be possible to pursue direct claims in Bermuda against us or our directors and officers for alleged violations of U.S. federal securities laws because these laws are unlikely to have extraterritorial effect and do not have force of law in Bermuda. A Bermuda court may, however, impose civil liability on us or our directors and officers if the facts alleged and proved in the Bermuda proceedings constitute or give rise to a cause of action under the applicable governing law, not being a foreign public, penal or revenue law.

 

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Bermuda law differs from the laws in effect in the United States and may afford less protection to holders of our ordinary shares.

We are incorporated under the laws of Bermuda. As a result, our corporate affairs are primarily governed by our bye-laws, the Companies Act and Bermuda common law. Bermuda laws relating to companies differ in many material respects from laws typically applicable to U.S. corporations and shareholders, including the provisions relating to interested directors, amalgamations, mergers and acquisitions, takeovers, shareholder lawsuits and indemnification of directors. Generally, the duties of directors and officers of a Bermuda company are owed to the company only. Shareholders of Bermuda companies may only take action against directors or officers of the company in limited circumstances. The circumstances in which derivative actions may be available under Bermuda law are substantially more proscribed and less clear than they would be to shareholders of U.S. corporations. Class actions and derivative actions are generally not available to shareholders under Bermuda law. The Bermuda courts, however, would ordinarily be expected to permit a shareholder to commence an action in the name of a company to remedy a wrong to the company where the act complained of is, for example, alleged to be beyond the corporate power of the company or illegal, or would result in the violation of the company’s memorandum of association or bye-laws. Consideration would be given by a Bermuda court to acts which are alleged to constitute a fraud against the minority shareholders or, for instance, where an act requires the approval of a greater percentage of the company’s shareholders than that which actually approved it.

When the affairs of a company are being conducted in a manner which is oppressive or prejudicial to the interests of some shareholders, one or more shareholders may apply to the Supreme Court of Bermuda, which has wide discretionary powers on identifying such conduct and making orders to address such conduct as it sees fit, including an order regulating the conduct of the company’s affairs in the future or ordering the purchase of the shares of any shareholders by other shareholders or by the company. In addition, the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Bermuda law are not as widely defined as under statutes or judicial precedent in existence in jurisdictions in the United States, particularly the State of Delaware. As a consequence, holders of our ordinary shares may not have the same protection of their interests as would shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction within the United States.

Our bye-laws to be effective upon the consummation of this offering will restrict shareholders from bringing legal action against our officers and directors and contain exclusive forum provisions.

Subject to Section 14 of the Securities Act and Section 29(a) of the Exchange Act, which render void any purported waiver of the provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, respectively, our bye-laws to be effective upon the consummation of this offering contain a broad waiver by our shareholders of any claim or right of action, both individually and on our behalf, against any of our officers or directors. The waiver applies to any action taken by an officer or director, or the failure of an officer or director to take any action, in the performance of his or her duties, except with respect to any matter involving any fraud or dishonesty on the part of the officer or director. This waiver limits the right of shareholders to assert claims against our officers and directors, provided that pursuant to Section 98 of the Companies Act such waiver would not be effective to the extent the act or failure to act involves fraud or dishonesty. This waiver would not be effective as a waiver of the right to sue for violations of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, the waiver of which would be prohibited by Section 14 of the Securities Act and Section 29(a) of the Exchange Act, respectively; and we do not intend this waiver be effective as a waiver of the right to sue for violations of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

Our bye-laws to be effective upon the consummation of this offering expressly state that unless we consent in writing, the courts of Bermuda will be the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any action brought by or on behalf of us in relation to matters governed by the Companies Act or our bye-laws, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of any duty owed by any of our directors or officers to us or any of our shareholders and (c) any action asserting a claim against us or any director or officer arising under the laws of Bermuda or our bye-laws.

 

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In addition, our bye-laws to be effective upon the consummation of this offering expressly state that unless we consent in writing, the sole and exclusive forum for any action asserting claims under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, to the extent permitted by applicable law, will be the United States federal district courts.

The choice of forum provisions may limit a shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our current or former directors, officers or other employees or shareholders, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our current or former directors, officers and other employees or shareholders. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provisions contained in our bye-laws to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We will be a foreign private issuer and, as a result, we will not be subject to U.S. proxy rules and will be subject to Exchange Act reporting obligations that, to some extent, are more lenient and less frequent than those of a U.S. domestic public company.

Upon the consummation of this offering, we will report under the Exchange Act as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Because we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including (1) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act, (2) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their share ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time and (3) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specified information, although we intend to furnish quarterly information on Form 6-K. In addition, foreign private issuers are not required to file their annual report on Form 20-F until 120 days after the end of each fiscal year, while U.S. domestic issuers that are accelerated filers are required to file their annual report on Form 10-K within 75 days after the end of each fiscal year and U.S. domestic issuers that are large accelerated filers are required to file their annual report on Form 10-K within 60 days after the end of each fiscal year. Foreign private issuers are also exempt from Regulation FD, which is intended to prevent issuers from making selective disclosures of material information. As a result of all of the above, you may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of a company that is not a foreign private issuer.

As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to adopt certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from the NYSE corporate governance listing standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with corporate governance listing standards.

As a foreign private issuer listed on the NYSE, we will be subject to corporate governance listing standards. However, rules permit a foreign private issuer like us to follow the corporate governance practices of its home country. Certain corporate governance practices in Bermuda, which is our home country, may differ significantly from corporate governance listing standards. Therefore, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would have under corporate governance listing standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers.

We may lose our foreign private issuer status in the future, which could result in significant additional costs and expenses.

While we currently qualify as a foreign private issuer, the determination of foreign private issuer status is made annually on the last business day of an issuer’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter and, accordingly, the next determination will be made with respect to us on June 30, 2024. In the future, we would lose our foreign private issuer status if we fail to meet the requirements necessary to maintain our foreign private issuer status as of the relevant determination date. For example, if more than 50% of the voting power of our issued and outstanding share capital is held by U.S. residents and more than 50% of the members of our management or members of our board of directors are residents or citizens of the United States, we could lose our foreign private issuer status.

 

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The regulatory and compliance costs to us under U.S. securities laws as a U.S. domestic issuer may be significantly more than the costs we incur as a foreign private issuer. If we are not a foreign private issuer, we will be required to file periodic reports and registration statements on U.S. domestic issuer forms with the SEC, which are more detailed and extensive in certain respects than the forms available to a foreign private issuer. We would be required to modify certain of our policies to comply with corporate governance practices associated with U.S. domestic issuers. We also may lose our ability to rely upon exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements on U.S. stock exchanges that are available to foreign private issuers, such as exemptions from procedural requirements related to the solicitation of proxies. In addition, we would be required to change our basis of accounting from IFRS as issued by the IASB to GAAP, which may be difficult and costly for us to comply with.

We are a “controlled company” under the NYSE rules, and we are able to rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of companies that are not controlled companies.

Following the consummation of this offering, our principal shareholder will continue to control a majority of the voting power of our ordinary shares. As a result, we will be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the corporate governance standards of the NYSE. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including:

 

   

the requirement that a majority of the board of directors consist of “independent directors” as defined under the rules of the NYSE;

 

   

the requirement that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities;

 

   

the requirement that we have a nominating and corporate governance committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

 

   

the requirement for an annual performance evaluation of the nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees.

Following this offering, we intend to utilize certain of these exemptions. As such, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the NYSE rules.

We will incur increased costs and become subject to additional regulations and requirements as a result of becoming a newly public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance matters and corporate governance practices.

As a newly public company we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”), the listing requirements of the NYSE and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costlier. For example, these laws and regulations could make it more difficult or costly for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance and make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors.

We are evaluating these rules and regulations and cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur or the timing of such costs. These rules and regulations are often subject to varying interpretations, in many cases due to their lack of specificity, and, as a result, their application in practice may evolve over time

 

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as new guidance is provided by regulatory and governing bodies. This could result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and higher costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to disclosure and governance practices. For example, in March 2022, the SEC proposed rule changes that would require companies to make certain climate-related disclosures, including information about climate-related risks, greenhouse gas emissions and certain climate-related financial statement metrics. At this time, we cannot predict the costs of compliance with, or any potential adverse impacts resulting from, the new rules if adopted as proposed.

Key members of our management team have limited experience managing a public company.

Many members of our management team have limited experience managing a publicly traded company, interacting with public company investors and complying with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies. Our management team may not successfully or efficiently manage our transition to being a public company subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under the federal securities laws and the continuous scrutiny of securities analysts and investors. These new obligations and constituents will require significant attention from our senior management and could divert their attention away from the day-to-day management of our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our dual class share structure with different voting rights may adversely affect the value and liquidity of our ordinary shares.

We cannot predict whether our dual class share structure with different voting rights will result in a lower or more volatile market price of our ordinary shares, in adverse publicity, or other adverse consequences. Certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with multiple class share structures in certain of their indices. Because of our dual class structure, we will likely be excluded from these indices and other stock indices that take similar actions. Given the sustained flow of investment funds into passive strategies that seek to track certain indices, exclusion from certain stock indices would likely preclude investment by many of these funds and could make our ordinary shares less attractive to investors. In addition, several shareholder advisory firms have announced their opposition to the use of multiple class structure and our dual class structure may cause shareholder advisory firms to publish negative commentary about our corporate governance, in which case the market price and liquidity of our ordinary shares could be adversely affected.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. If our remediation of the material weaknesses is not effective, or if we identify additional material weaknesses in the future or otherwise fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting when we are subject to compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, our ability to produce accurate and timely consolidated financial statements could be impaired, investor confidence could be harmed and the value of our ordinary shares could be affected.

In connection with previously issued financial statements, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis. The material weaknesses identified related to: (1) our information system controls around user access, segregation of conflicting duties and change management were not designed or operating effectively; and (2) our controls around the financial statement close process and processes for accounting for non-routine transactions were not designed or operating effectively, including as a result of an inappropriate segregation of conflicting duties, insufficient review of journal entries and account reconciliations and insufficient evidence of performance of controls and review of non-routine transactions. These material weaknesses could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements that would not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis.

 

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We have been making progress on a remediation plan that we believe addresses the underlying causes of the identified material weaknesses. Considerable efforts have been undertaken to design and implement appropriate processes and controls over our information systems to strengthen internal controls over user access, changes to systems and enhance segregation of duties. Additionally, we have undertaken efforts to (1) hire additional accounting and financial personnel with financial accounting, tax and reporting expertise, (2) increase training and education in accounting and reporting requirements, and (3) design and implement processes, tools and internal controls over the financial statement close process, strengthen internal controls for accounting for non-routine transactions, address segregation of duties conflicts, enhance the review of journal entries and account reconciliations, and improve evidence collection and maintenance of performance of controls.

As we have been privately held prior to this offering, we have not been required to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which will require management to report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting. Though management has made significant incremental improvements to address the identified material weaknesses, until management has fully implemented the design of controls in accordance with the remediation plan, the applicable controls operate for a sufficient period of time and management concludes through performing a full assessment, including testing, that the controls are operating effectively, the material weaknesses cannot be considered fully remediated.

We will be required to evaluate and determine the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and provide a management report as to internal control over financial reporting in our second annual report on Form 20-F. If we fail to remediate the material weaknesses identified, identify additional material weaknesses in the future or are otherwise unable to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting when we are subject to compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we may be unable to timely and accurately report our financial results or comply with applicable regulations. Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting also could potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities. We cannot assure you that our existing material weaknesses will be remediated, or that additional material weaknesses will not exist or otherwise be discovered, which could harm investor confidence in us and affect the value of our ordinary shares.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports or publish unfavorable research about our business, the price and trading volume of our ordinary shares could decline.

The trading market for our ordinary shares will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us, our business or our industry. We do not have control over these analysts. If few securities analysts commence coverage of us, or if industry analysts cease coverage of us, the trading price for our shares could be negatively affected. If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or reports about our business, downgrade our ordinary shares or publish negative reports about our business, the price of our ordinary shares could decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our ordinary shares could decrease, which could cause the price or trading volume of our ordinary shares to decline.

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains “forward-looking statements,” as that term is defined in the U.S. federal securities laws. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this prospectus, including among others, statements relating to our future financial performance, our business prospects and strategy, anticipated financial position, liquidity and capital needs, the industry in which we operate and other similar matters. In some cases, we have identified forward-looking statements in this prospectus by using words such as “anticipates,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans” and “believes,” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may” and “could.” These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions about future events, which are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict or which are beyond our control.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements included in this prospectus or that may be made elsewhere from time to time by us, or on our behalf. All forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements.

Although we believe that our expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, our actual results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the forward-looking statements included in this prospectus as a result of various factors, including, among others:

 

   

changes in the general worldwide economic and political environment;

 

   

adverse weather conditions or other natural disasters, including high or low river water levels;

 

   

adverse incidents involving cruise ships;

 

   

disease outbreaks or pandemics;

 

   

the existence or threat of terrorist attacks, wars, acts of piracy and other events affecting the safety and security of travel;

 

   

increased costs, including airfare and fuel prices, as a result of inflation, rising interest rates or labor shortages;

 

   

fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

 

   

changes in cruise capacity, demand and infrastructure;

 

   

the continued service of our senior management;

 

   

our ability to compete effectively in the cruise industry;

 

   

our ability to expand into new markets;

 

   

the impact of seasonality on our business;

 

   

our ability to effectively manage our growth;

 

   

increases in the cost of, or delays in, ship construction or ship repairs, maintenance or refurbishments;

 

   

the availability of attractive, convenient and safe port destinations;

 

   

our reliance on travel agencies;

 

   

the availability of, or increases in the prices for, the services and products provided by our vendors;

 

   

the availability and cost of commercial airline services for guests;

 

   

changes in credit card processing terms and requirements, guest payment policies, or consumer protection legislation or regulations;

 

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our ability to maintain and develop our premium brand;

 

   

our ability to protect our intellectual property;

 

   

breaches in data security or other disturbances to our information technology networks and operations;

 

   

our ability to keep pace with developments in technology;

 

   

our ability to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness or to obtain additional financing if necessary;

 

   

volatility or disruptions in the global credit and financial markets;

 

   

the adverse impacts of compliance or legal matters;

 

   

additional, trade, financial or economic sanctions;

 

   

litigation;

 

   

the application of, or amendments to, existing tax laws, rules or regulations or enactment of new tax laws, rules or regulations;

 

   

the closing of the secured revolving credit facility; and

 

   

other risk factors discussed under “Risk Factors.”

These risks and others described under “Risk Factors” are not exhaustive. Other sections of this prospectus describe additional factors that could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity and the development of the industries in which we operate. New risks can emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all such risks, nor can we assess the impact of all such risks on our business or the extent to which any risks, or combination of risks and other factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.

Accordingly, you should read this prospectus completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future. You should, however, review the factors and risks we describe in the reports we will file from time to time with the SEC after the date of this prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that our net proceeds from the sale of the ordinary shares that we are offering will be approximately $235.2 million, assuming an initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from our initial public offering by $10.5 million, assuming the number of shares offered by us as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. An increase (decrease) of 1,000,000 ordinary shares offered by us would increase (decrease) the net proceeds to us from our initial public offering by $21.9 million, based on an assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of ordinary shares by the selling shareholders in this offering.

The principal purposes of this offering are to increase our capitalization and financial flexibility and to create a public market for our ordinary shares.

We intend to use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering to satisfy tax withholding and remittance obligations related to the RSU Net Settlement. Based on an assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, 16,251,664 ordinary shares issuable upon the vesting and settlement of outstanding RSUs for which all vesting conditions will be met upon the consummation of this offering and an assumed 33% tax withholding rate, we would use approximately $133.2 million of the net proceeds for this offering to satisfy tax withholding and remittance obligations related to the vesting and settlement of outstanding RSUs for which all vesting conditions will be met upon the consummation of this offering. A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, assuming no change to the applicable tax rate, would increase (decrease) the amount we would be required to pay to satisfy these tax withholding and remittance obligations by approximately $5.8 million.

We intend to use the remaining net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital, operating expenses and capital expenditures. We may also use a portion of the net proceeds to make acquisitions or investments, although we do not have agreements or commitments for any material acquisitions or investments at this time.

The expected use of net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our present plans and business conditions. We cannot predict with certainty all of the particular uses for the proceeds of this offering or the amounts that we will actually spend on the uses set forth above. Accordingly, our management will have broad discretion in applying the net proceeds of this offering. The timing and amount of our actual expenditures will be based on many factors, including cash flows from operations and the anticipated growth of our business. Pending their use, we intend to invest the net proceeds of this offering in a variety of capital-preservation investments, including short- and intermediate-term investments, interest-bearing investments, investment-grade securities, government securities and money market funds.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We currently intend to retain any future earnings for use in the operation of our business and do not intend to declare or pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any further determination to pay dividends on our share capital will be at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to applicable laws, and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, general business conditions and other factors that our board of directors considers relevant.

Under Bermuda law, a company may not declare or pay a dividend if there are reasonable grounds to believe that: (1) the company is, or would after the payment be, unable to pay its liabilities as they become due or (2) the realizable value of its assets would thereby be less than its liabilities. Any dividends we declare will be distributed such that a holder of one ordinary share will receive the same amount of dividends that are received by a holder of one special share. We will not declare any dividend with respect to our ordinary shares without declaring a dividend on our special shares, and vice versa.

Because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends also depends on our receipt of cash dividends from our operating subsidiaries, which may be restricted in their ability to pay dividends as a result of the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, agreements of our subsidiaries or covenants under any existing and future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur. In particular, the ability of our subsidiaries to distribute cash to us to pay dividends is limited by covenants in our debt instruments and may be further restricted by the terms of any future debt or preferred securities.

For the year ended December 31, 2021, we paid $128.8 million in dividends, of which $77.6 million related to dividends to the holders of our Series C Preference Shares and $51.2 million related to dividends to the holders of our ordinary shares, special shares and preference shares.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we paid $131.5 million in dividends, of which $85.0 million related to dividends to the holders of our Series C Preference Shares and $46.5 million related to dividends to the holders of our ordinary shares, special shares and preference shares.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, we paid $134.3 million in dividends, of which $85.0 million related to dividends to the holders of our Series C Preference Shares and $49.3 million related to dividends to the holders of our ordinary shares, special shares and preference shares.

On April 9, 2024, we paid $46.8 million in dividends, of which $28.6 million related to dividends to the holders of our Series C Preference Shares and $18.2 million related to dividends to the holders of our ordinary shares, special shares and preference shares.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table presents our cash and capitalization as of December 31, 2023:

 

   

on an actual basis;

 

   

on a pro forma basis, giving effect to (a) the Conversion Event, (b) the net issuance of 10,931,936 ordinary shares in connection with the vesting and settlement of outstanding RSUs as of December 31, 2023 under the 2018 Plan for which all vesting conditions will be met upon the consummation of this offering, after giving effect to the withholding of 5,319,728 ordinary shares to satisfy the estimated tax withholding and remittance obligations (based on an initial public offering price of $23.00, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and an assumed 33% weighted average tax withholding rate) and the resulting $133.2 million increase in accrued expenses and other current liabilities and corresponding decrease in shareholders’ equity for these estimated tax withholding and remittance obligations and (c) the 2024 Dividend; and

 

   

on a pro forma as adjusted basis, giving effect to (a) the pro forma items described immediately above and (b) our issuance and sale of 11,000,000 ordinary shares in this offering at an assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the coverage page of this prospectus, after deducting the estimated underwriting discounts and commissions, estimated offering expenses payable by us and cash payment of the estimated tax withholding and remittance obligations in connection with the RSU Net Settlement.

This table should be read in conjunction with “Use of Proceeds,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus.

 

     As of December 31, 2023  
     Actual      Pro
Forma
     Pro Forma
As
Adjusted(1)
 
     (Unaudited)
(in thousands
except per share amounts)
 

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 1,513,713      $ 1,466,899      $ 1,568,915  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Bank loans and financial liabilities

     2,010,392        2,010,392        2,010,392  

Secured notes

     1,015,657        1,015,657        1,015,657  

Unsecured notes

     2,270,246        2,270,246        2,270,246  

Private Placement liabilities(2)

     1,394,552                

Private Placement derivatives

     2,640,759                

Shareholders’ equity:

        

Ordinary shares ($0.01 par value per share; 1,040,000 shares authorized, 94,165 shares issued and outstanding (actual), 1,329,120 shares authorized, 298,004 shares issued and 292,684 outstanding (pro forma), 1,329,120 shares authorized, 309,004 shares issued and 303,684 shares outstanding (pro forma as adjusted))

     942        2,981        3,091  

Non-Voting Ordinary shares ($0.01 par value per share; 78,000 shares authorized, nil shares issued and outstanding (actual), nil shares authorized, shares issued and outstanding (pro forma), nil shares authorized, issued and outstanding (pro forma as adjusted))

                    

 

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     As of December 31, 2023  
     Actual     Pro
Forma
    Pro Forma
As
Adjusted(1)
 
     (Unaudited)
(in thousands
except per share amounts)
 

Special shares ($0.01 par value per share; 156,000 shares authorized, 127,771 shares issued and outstanding (actual), 156,000 shares authorized, 127,771 shares issued and outstanding (pro forma), 156,000 shares authorized, 127,771 shares issued and outstanding (pro forma as adjusted))

     1,278       1,278       1,278  

Preference shares ($0.01 par value per share; 26,000 shares authorized, 3,319 shares issued and outstanding (actual), nil shares authorized, issued and outstanding (pro forma), nil shares authorized, issued and outstanding (pro forma as adjusted))

     33              

Share premium

     (44,565     4,011,791       4,246,544  

Treasury shares

           (122,354     (122,354

Other paid-in equity

     178,492       178,329       178,329  

Other components of equity

     13,435       13,435       13,435  

Retained losses

     (5,503,218     (5,583,760     (5,583,760

Non-controlling interests

     3,724       3,724       3,724  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total shareholders’ equity

     (5,349,879     (1,494,576     (1,259,713
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total capitalization

   $ 3,981,727       3,801,719     $ 4,036,582  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(1)

A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) the pro forma as adjusted amount of each of cash and cash equivalents, total shareholders’ equity and total capitalization by approximately $4.7 million, assuming that the number of shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. An increase (decrease) of 1,000,000 shares in the number of ordinary shares offered by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) the pro forma as adjusted amount of each of cash and cash equivalents, total shareholders’ equity and total capitalization by approximately $21.9 million, based on an assumed an initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. The pro forma information discussed above is illustrative only and will be adjusted based on the actual initial public offering price and other terms of our initial public offering determined at pricing.

(2)

Private Placement liabilities represent our Series C Preference Shares ($0.01 par value; 185,120,000 shares authorized, 184,267,200 shares issued and outstanding (actual), nil shares authorized, issued and outstanding (pro forma), nil shares authorized, issued and outstanding (pro forma as adjusted)), which are accounted for as financial liabilities due to certain conversion features that are not within our control and can be cash settled.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in the ordinary shares in this offering, your investment in us will be immediately diluted to the extent of the difference between the initial public offering price per ordinary share and the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share after this offering.

Our historical net tangible book value (deficit) as of December 31, 2023 was $(5,412.0) million, or $(24.39) per share. We calculate net tangible book value (deficit) per share by taking the amount of our total tangible assets, reduced by the amount of our total liabilities, and then dividing that amount by the total number of ordinary shares and special shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023.

Our pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) as of December 31, 2023 was $(1,556.7) million, or $(3.70) per share. We calculate pro forma net tangible book value (deficit) per share by taking the amount of our total tangible assets, reduced by the amount of our total liabilities, and then dividing that amount by the total number of ordinary shares and special shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2023, after giving effect to the Conversion Event, the RSU Net Settlement and the 2024 Dividend.

After giving effect to our sale of 11,000,000 ordinary shares in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) as of December 31, 2023 would have been $(1,321.8) million, or $(3.06) per share. This represents an immediate increase in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of $21.33 per share to our existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of $26.06 per share to investors purchasing ordinary shares in this offering at the assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus.

The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

 

Assumed initial public offering price per ordinary share

      $ 23.00  

Net tangible book value (deficit) per share as of December 31, 2023

   $ (24.39   

Pro forma decrease in net tangible book value per share

     20.69     
  

 

 

    

Pro forma net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2023

     (3.70   

Increase in pro forma tangible book value (deficit) per share attributable to this offering

   $ 0.64     
  

 

 

    

Pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share after this offering

        (3.06
     

 

 

 

Dilution in pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share to investors in this offering

      $ 26.06  
     

 

 

 

Dilution is determined by subtracting pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share after this offering from the initial public offering price per ordinary share.

A $1.00 increase (decrease) in the assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share by $0.01 and increase (decrease) dilution per ordinary share to investors purchasing ordinary shares in this offering by $0.99, assuming that the number of shares sold by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, remains the same and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. An increase (decrease) of 1,000,000 shares in the number of ordinary shares sold by us, as set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, would increase (decrease) our pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) per share by $0.06 and decrease (increase) dilution per ordinary share to investors purchasing ordinary shares in this offering by $0.06,

 

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based on an assumed initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

The following table summarizes, as of December 31, 2023, on a pro forma as adjusted basis as described above, the total number of ordinary shares and special shares purchased from us, the total consideration paid to us and the average price per share paid by existing shareholders and by new investors purchasing ordinary shares in this offering. As the table shows, new investors purchasing ordinary shares in this offering will pay an average price per share substantially higher than our existing shareholders paid. The table below assumes an initial public offering price of $23.00 per ordinary share, which is the midpoint of the price range set forth on the cover page of this prospectus, for shares purchased in this offering and excludes underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us:

 

     Ordinary Shares and
Special Shares Purchased
     Total Consideration      Average
Price
per
Share
 
     Number      %      Amount      %  

Existing shareholders

     420,455,024        97.5%        1,374,784        84.5%      $ 3.27  

New investors

     11,000,000        2.5%        253,000        15.5%      $ 23.00  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    
     431,455,024        100.0%        1,627,784        100.0%     

Sales by the selling shareholders in this offering will reduce the number of ordinary shares and special shares held by existing shareholders to 378,455,024, or approximately 87.7% of the total number of ordinary shares and special shares issued and outstanding after this offering, and will increase the number of ordinary shares and special shares held by new investors to 53,000,000, or approximately 12.3% of the total number of ordinary shares and special shares issued and outstanding after this offering.

Except as otherwise indicated, the above discussion and tables assume no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares. If the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares, our existing shareholders would own 85.9% and our new investors would own 14.1% of the total number of ordinary shares and special shares issued and outstanding after this offering.

You may also experience additional dilution upon future equity issuances, including under the Post-IPO 2018 Plan and the 2024 ESPP, or the exercise or settlement of equity awards granted to our employees, executive officers and directors under the 2018 Plan and any future equity incentive plans or upon the exercise of warrants that may be outstanding from time to time.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION

AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion contains management’s discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations and should be read together with “Prospectus Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data” and our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto included elsewhere in this prospectus. The statements in this discussion regarding industry outlook, our expectations regarding our future performance, liquidity and capital resources and other non-historical statements in this discussion are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties described in “Risk Factors” and “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results may differ materially from those contained in or implied by any forward-looking statements.

Overview

Viking was founded in 1997 with four river vessels and a simple vision that travel could be more destination-focused and culturally immersive. Today, we have grown into one of the world’s leading travel companies, with a fleet of 92 small, state-of-the-art ships, which we view as floating hotels. From our iconic journeys on the world’s great rivers, including our new Mississippi River itineraries, to our ocean voyages around the globe and our extraordinary expeditions to the ends of the earth, we offer meaningful travel experiences on all seven continents in all three categories of the cruise industry—river, ocean and expedition cruising.

We launched Viking River in 1997. Seeing unaddressed demand for a destination-focused product in the ocean cruise market, we launched Viking Ocean in 2015, which has since become our fastest growing segment. Looking beyond our primary source markets, we launched China Outbound for the Mandarin-speaking market in 2016. In 2022, our 25th year in business, we further expanded our platform with Viking Expedition and Viking Mississippi. Each new product creates additional travel opportunities for past guests and broadens our platform to attract new guests.

Key Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

Key factors that have influenced our results of operations in the past and may also influence results in the future include:

Significant Early Bookings—We have historically been able to attain high levels of early bookings. Due to these bookings, we have insight into levels of guest demand, and can strategically allocate the ships in our fleet to optimize our revenue and Net Yield. For example, we may distribute a greater number of our nearly identical Longships to regions with higher demand, or manage our capacity by consolidating passengers and taking one or more of our ships out of service to reduce our operating costs. Additionally, the insights into guest demand inform our decisions for future ship commitments and allow us to coordinate our planned capacity growth with expected future demand. As cruise-related revenue is recognized over the duration of the cruise, our results of operations are affected by strategies we employed during prior periods. For instance, to obtain early bookings, a significant portion of the selling and administration expenses that we incur in a period supports revenues for future periods, including marketing and employee costs that support the growth of our fleet. We expect that our ability to attain high levels of early bookings for future seasons will impact our results for future periods.

Size of Our Fleet and Occupancy—Our operating results are highly correlated with the number of ships that we operate during a given period and our Occupancy. If we take delivery of additional ships, our potential Capacity PCDs would increase, which may increase our revenue. In contrast, if we decide to take one or more of our ships out of service, our Capacity PCDs would decrease, which we expect will lower our revenue. As of December 31, 2023, our fleet consisted of 81 river vessels, including the Viking Mississippi, nine ocean ships and two expedition ships.

 

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We strategically manage our fleet by adjusting the number of ships deployed to a particular region, or in total, to improve Occupancy and efficiently manage operating costs. Our early bookings enable us to best position our fleet of nearly identical ships to meet guest demand.

Seasonality—Our results are seasonal because while our ocean, expedition and Mississippi products operate year-round, the primary cruising season for our river product is from April to October, although some of our river cruises run longer seasons. Additionally, our highest Occupancy occurs during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months. We recognize cruise-related revenue over the duration of the cruise and expense our marketing and employee costs when the related costs are incurred. As a result, the majority of our revenue and profits have historically been earned in the second and third quarters of each year, while the first and fourth quarters of each year have been closer to break even or a loss, as our selling and administration expenses are consistent throughout the year. Though the growth of our fleet of year-round products will continue to reduce the seasonality in future periods, we expect the seasonality trend of our revenue and profits to continue.

Operating costs and expenses—Our operating costs and expenses are dependent on both macroeconomic factors and our strategic decisions. Inflation may increase our operating costs and expenses in future periods, including costs of labor, fuel and airfare. Inflation generally does not impact our ship commitments that are already under contract as a fixed price has already been agreed upon. Additionally, as a result of our early bookings, we may not be able to pass on increases in operating costs and expenses, including cost increases from our suppliers and changes in governmental fees and taxes, to our guests with existing bookings, though we are able to adjust pricing for future bookings. However, as a significant portion of our marketing expenses are discretionary, we are able to strategically deploy our resources based on current market conditions, our early bookings and other factors.

Financial Presentation

Description of Certain Line Items

Revenue

Our revenue consists of:

 

   

Cruise and land, which includes revenue, net of discounts, earned primarily from cruises, air, land excursions, cancellation revenue and travel protection, net; and

 

   

Onboard and other, which primarily consists of revenue related to optional shore excursions, onboard bar revenue, shop revenue and other products offered during a cruise, and services revenue.

Expenses

Our operating costs and expenses consist of:

 

   

Commissions and transportation costs, which consists of commission payments made to third parties for selling our product and the cost of air and other transportation;

 

   

Direct costs of cruise, land and onboard, which primarily includes cost of land excursions, included shore excursions, optional shore excursions, credit card fees, transfer costs and onboard purchases;

 

   

Vessel operating, which primarily consists of costs to operate the vessels such as staff costs, fuel, food and hotel consumables, port charges, insurance, repair and maintenance, value added taxes, and charter costs for non-lease components; and

 

   

Selling and administration, which primarily consists of costs associated with marketing costs, employee costs, office expenses, professional services and other administration costs.

 

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Selected Operational and Financial Metrics, including Non-IFRS Financial Measures

We use certain non-IFRS financial measures, such as Adjusted Gross Margin, Net Yield, Adjusted EBITDA and vessel operating expenses excluding fuel to analyze our performance. We utilize Adjusted Gross Margin and Net Yield to manage our business because these measures reflect revenue earned net of certain direct variable costs. We also present certain non-IFRS financial measures because we believe that they are widely used by certain investors, securities analysts and other interested parties as supplemental measures of performance and liquidity. Our non-IFRS financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our operating results as reported under IFRS.

Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA (consolidated net income (loss) adjusted for interest income, interest expense, income tax benefit (expense) and depreciation, amortization and impairment) as further adjusted for non-cash Private Placement derivative gains and losses, loss on Private Placement refinancing, currency gains or losses, stock-based compensation expense, and other financial income (loss) (which includes forward gains and losses, gain or loss on disposition of assets, certain non-cash fair value adjustments, restructuring charges and non-recurring items). Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS financial measure and does not comply with IFRS because it is adjusted to exclude certain cash and non-cash expenses. You should exercise caution in comparing our Adjusted EBITDA to Adjusted EBITDA of other companies.

Capacity Passenger Cruise Days or Capacity PCDs with respect to any given period is a measurement of capacity that represents, for each ship operating during the relevant period, the number of berths multiplied by the number of Ship Operating Days, determined on an aggregated basis for all ships in operation during the relevant period.

Adjusted Gross Margin is gross margin adjusted for vessel operating and ship depreciation and impairment. Gross margin is calculated pursuant to IFRS as total revenue less total cruise operating expenses and ship depreciation and impairment.

Net Yield is Adjusted Gross Margin divided by Passenger Cruise Days. Due to early bookings by our passengers, our Net Yield for a given reporting period is affected by strategies we employed or events that occurred prior to the sailing year.

Occupancy is the ratio, expressed as a percentage, of Passenger Cruise Days to Capacity Passenger Cruise Days with respect to any given period. Contrary to many of our competitors, we do not allow more than two passengers to occupy a two-berth stateroom. Additionally, we have guests who choose to travel alone and are willing to pay higher prices for single occupancy in a two-berth stateroom. As a result, our Occupancy cannot exceed 100% and may be less than 100%, even if all our staterooms are booked.

Passenger Cruise Days or PCDs is the number of passengers carried for each cruise, with respect to any given period and for each ship operating during the relevant period, multiplied by the number of Ship Operating Days.

Ship Operating Days is the number of days within any given period that a ship and vessel is in service and carrying cruise passengers, determined on an aggregated basis for all ships and vessels in operation during the relevant period.

Vessel operating expenses excluding fuel is vessel operating expenses less fuel expense.

 

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Results of Operations

Operating results for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023 are shown in the following table. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of our future results. Additionally, our historical results for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022 reflect the impact of COVID-19 on our business. Due to the worldwide spread of COVID-19, government-imposed travel restrictions and limited access to certain ports, we suspended our worldwide cruise operations beginning March 12, 2020 and we began our phased relaunch in May 2021.

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
(in thousands)    2021      2022      2023  

Consolidated Statements of Operations:

        

Revenue

        

Cruise and land

   $ 543,007      $ 2,955,872      $ 4,383,524  

Onboard and other

     82,094        220,107        326,969  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total revenue

     625,101        3,175,979        4,710,493  

Cruise operating expenses

        

Commissions and transportation costs

     (157,022)        (769,556)        (1,053,874)  

Direct costs of cruise, land and onboard

     (96,947)        (408,652)        (586,234)  

Vessel operating

     (458,312)        (974,159)        (1,211,676)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total cruise operating expenses

     (712,281)        (2,152,367)        (2,851,784)  

Other operating expenses

        

Selling and administration

     (459,062)        (682,810)        (789,040)  

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

     (204,407)        (276,513)        (251,311)  

Gain on sale of Viking Sun

     75,588                
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total other operating expenses

     (587,881)        (959,323)        (1,040,351)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating (loss) income

     (675,061)        64,289        818,358  

Non-operating income (expense)

        

Interest income

     1,929        14,044        48,027  

Interest expense

     (384,493)        (456,637)        (538,974)  

Currency gain (loss)

     5,396        (35,035)        (20,815)  

Private Placement derivatives (loss) gain

     (696,102)        808,523        (2,007,089)  

Loss on Private Placement refinancing

     (367,233)                

Other financial income (loss)

     8,352        12,236        (151,469)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(Loss) income before income taxes

     (2,107,212)        407,420        (1,851,962)  

Income tax expense

     (5,030)        (8,902)        (6,639)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net (loss) income

   $ (2,112,242)      $ 398,518      $ (1,858,601)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Other Financial Data:

        

Adjusted EBITDA(1)

   $ (528,247)      $ 367,251      $ 1,090,322  

 

(1)

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS financial measure. We present Adjusted EBITDA as a performance measure because we believe it facilitates a comparison of our consolidated operating performance on a consistent basis from period-to-period and provides for a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business than measures under IFRS can provide alone. Adjusted EBITDA has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation, or as a substitute for an analysis of our results as reported under IFRS. The following table reconciles net (loss) income, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, to Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023:

 

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     Year Ended December 31,  
(in thousands)    2021      2022      2023  

Net (loss) income

   $ (2,112,242)      $ 398,518      $ (1,858,601)  

Interest income

     (1,929)        (14,044)        (48,027)  

Interest expense

     384,493        456,637        538,974  

Income tax expense

     5,030        8,902        6,639  

Depreciation, amortization and impairment

     204,407        276,513        251,311  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

EBITDA

     (1,520,241)         1,126,526        (1,109,704)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Private Placement derivatives loss (gain)(a)

     696,102        (808,523)        2,007,089  

Loss on Private Placement refinancing

     367,233                

Gain on sale of Viking Sun

     (75,588)                

Other financial (income) loss

     (14,253)        (11,050)        154,213  

Currency (gain) loss

     (5,396)        35,035        20,815  

Stock-based compensation expense

     23,896        25,263        17,909  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Adjusted EBITDA

   $ (528,247)      $ 367,251      $ 1,090,322  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

  (a)

Private Placement derivatives loss (gain) represents the non-cash loss (gain) on the remeasurement of the fair value of the derivatives associated with our Series A Preference Shares, Series B Preference Shares and Series C Preference Shares. Our Series A Preference Shares and Series B Preference Shares are no longer outstanding since the issuance of Series C Preference Shares in 2021. Our Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert to ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering.

The following table sets forth selected statistical and operating data (1) on a consolidated basis, (2) for Viking River and (3) for Viking Ocean. Due to the impact of COVID-19, certain metrics for 2021 were not meaningful and are indicated with “NM” in the tables below.

 

     Year Ended December 31,  
     2021      2022      2023  

Statistical and Operating Data (Consolidated):

        

Vessels operated

     53        78        84  

Passengers

     102,121        469,935        649,669  

PCDs

     842,708        4,225,598        6,069,070  

Capacity PCDs

     1,859,410        5,389,816        6,476,790  

Occupancy

     45.3%        78.4%        93.7%  

Adjusted Gross Margin(1) (in thousands)

   $ 371,132      $ 1,997,771      $ 3,070,385  

Net Yield

     NM      $ 473      $ 506  

Vessel operating expenses (in thousands)

   $ 458,312      $ 974,159      $ 1,211,676  

Vessel operating expenses excluding fuel(2) (in thousands)

   $ 398,223      $ 833,492      $ 1,036,969  

Vessel operating expenses per Capacity PCD

     NM      $ 181      $ 187  

Vessel operating expenses excluding fuel per Capacity PCD

     NM      $ 155      $ 160  

Statistical and Operating Data (Viking River):

        

Vessels operated

     47        67        70  

Passengers

     52,411        289,714        366,730  

PCDs

     416,103        2,330,479        2,957,595  

Capacity PCDs

     948,940        2,910,066        3,097,264  

Occupancy

     43.8%        80.1%        95.5%  

Adjusted Gross Margin(1) (in thousands)

   $ 182,488      $ 1,069,449      $ 1,411,214  

Net Yield

     NM      $ 459      $ 477  

Statistical and Operating Data (Viking Ocean):

        

Vessels operated

     6        8        9  

Passengers

     49,710        162,009        243,291  

Passenger Cruise Days (PCD)

     426,605        1,738,643        2,724,241  

Capacity PCDs

     910,470        2,279,430        2,914,620  

Occupancy

     46.9%        76.3%        93.5%  

Adjusted Gross Margin(1) (in thousands)

   $ 153,429      $ 801,285      $ 1,354,215  

Net Yield

     NM      $ 461      $ 497  

 

(1)

Adjusted Gross Margin is a non-IFRS financial measure. See “Prospectus Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data” for a reconciliation of gross margin, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, to Adjusted Gross Margin, for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

 

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(2)

Vessel operating expenses excluding fuel is a non-IFRS financial measure. See “Prospectus Summary—Summary Consolidated Financial and Other Data” for a reconciliation of vessel operating expenses, the most directly comparable IFRS measure, to vessel operating expenses excluding fuel for the years ended December 31, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

Year Ended December 31, 2023 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2022

Revenues

Consolidated

Total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased by $1,534.5 million, or 48.3%, to $4,710.5 million from $3,176.0 million in 2022.

Cruise and land increased by $1,427.6 million, or 48.3%, to $4,383.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $2,955.9 million in 2022. Onboard and other increased by $106.9 million, or 48.6%, to $327.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $220.1 million in 2022. These increases were due to an increase in the size of our fleet and higher Occupancy in 2023 compared to 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we operated ships and vessels delivered in 2022 for the entire 2023 season. We also operated additional ships delivered in 2023, including the Viking Saturn and the Viking Aton.

Viking River Segment

Total revenue for our Viking River segment for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased by $544.8 million, or 30.3%, to $2,341.3 million from $1,796.5 million for the same period in 2022. For the year ended December 31, 2023, our Occupancy increased compared to 2022. Additionally, our Capacity PCDs increased due to an earlier seasonal launch of our river fleet in 2023 compared to the 2022 season and the delivery of the Viking Aton.

Viking Ocean Segment

Total revenue for our Viking Ocean segment for the year ended December 31, 2023 increased by $755.9 million, or 63.6%, to $1,945.2 million from $1,189.3 million for the same period in 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we operated an additional ship, the Viking Saturn, and operated the Viking Neptune for the full 2023 season, which increased our Capacity PCDs. Additionally, for the year ended December 31, 2023, our Occupancy increased compared to 2022.

Operating Cost and Expenses

Consolidated

Commissions and transportation costs increased by $284.3 million, or 36.9%, to $1,053.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $769.6 million in 2022. This increase was due to an increase in the size of our fleet and higher Occupancy in 2023 compared to 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we operated ships and vessels delivered in 2022 for the entire 2023 season. We also operated additional ships delivered in 2023, including the Viking Saturn and the Viking Aton.

Direct costs of cruise, land and onboard increased by $177.5 million, or 43.4%, to $586.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $408.7 million in 2022. This increase was due to an increase in the size of our fleet and higher Occupancy in 2023 compared to 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we operated ships and vessels delivered in 2022 for the entire 2023 season. We also operated additional ships delivered in 2023, including the Viking Saturn and the Viking Aton.

Vessel operating increased by $237.5 million, or 24.4%, to $1,211.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $974.2 million in 2022. This increase was due to an increase in the size of our fleet and

 

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higher Occupancy in 2023 compared to 2022. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we operated ships and vessels delivered in 2022 for the entire 2023 season. We also operated additional ships delivered in 2023, including the Viking Saturn and the Viking Aton.

Selling and administration increased by $106.2 million, or 15.6%, to $789.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $682.8 million in 2022. The increase was due to a $64.9 million net increase in selling costs, office and other expenses and professional fees and a $41.3 million increase in employee costs, primarily due to an increase in capacity PCDs for 2023 and future seasons.

Depreciation, amortization and impairment decreased by $25.2 million, or 9.1%, to $251.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $276.5 million in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to $41.9 million in impairments for river vessels in 2022 related to Russia and Ukraine river vessels, the Viking Prestige and the Viking Legend, and a $2.0 million net decrease in depreciation and amortization related to intangible assets, other fixed assets and right-of-use (“ROU”) lease assets. These decreases were partially offset by an $18.7 million increase in depreciation primarily due to new vessels and ships delivered in 2023 and 2022, net of a decrease in depreciation related to older vessels and ships.

The drivers of changes in operating costs and expenses for our Viking River and Viking Ocean segments are the same as those described for our consolidated results.

As a result of the foregoing, operating income was $818.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to $64.3 million in 2022.

Non-operating Income (Expense)

Net interest expense increased by $48.3 million to $490.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $442.6 million in 2022. The increase was primarily due to non-recurring charges of $48.0 million for the loss on early extinguishment of VCL’s 13.000% Senior Secured Notes due 2025 (the “2025 Secured Notes”), a $33.6 million increase in interest expense primarily related to VCL’s 9.125% Senior Notes due 2031 (the “2031 VCL Notes”) issued in 2023, a $25.3 million increase in interest expense related to loans and financial liabilities drawn in connection with ships delivered in 2022 and 2023, a $10.7 million increase in interest expense related to lease liabilities and a net $9.3 million increase in interest expense primarily related to increases in variable interest rates for vessel and ship financing and other interest expense. These increases were partially offset by a $44.6 million decrease in interest expense related to the extinguishment of the 2025 Secured Notes in 2023 and a $34.0 million increase in interest income.

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, interest expense included $94.2 million and $94.8 million, respectively, related to the Series C Preference Shares. All outstanding Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert into ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering.

Currency loss decreased by $14.2 million to $20.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $35.0 million in 2022. The loss was primarily due to unrealized losses for the €316.6 million Viking Neptune and €316.6 million Viking Saturn loans, which are both payable in euros and adjusted for currency translation, and net unrealized currency losses from bank accounts held in foreign currencies and cost accruals, denominated in euros.

Private Placement derivatives gain (loss) decreased by $2,815.6 million to a loss of $2,007.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from a gain of $808.5 million in 2022. The $2,007.1 million loss on remeasurement of the Private Placement derivative was primarily due to an increase in the fair value of the Series C Private Placement derivative. The increase in the fair value of the Series C Private Placement derivative was due to an increase in the fair value of equity, which was primarily as a result of changes to forecasted future cash flows and decreases in the discount rate and market interest rates, offset by changes in the forward EUR/USD

 

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curve. Our Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert to ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering, and upon conversion to ordinary shares, the Private Placement derivative will no longer be outstanding.

Other financial income (loss) decreased by $163.7 million to a loss of $151.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from income of $12.2 million in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to an increase in the fair value of the warrant liability in 2023 compared to a decrease in 2022. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023, we recognized a gain of $40.6 million and a loss of $107.7 million, respectively, on remeasurement of the warrant liability. The remaining decrease was due to a loss of $40.6 million on remeasurement of the 2025 Secured Notes embedded derivative, which included a $7.3 million loss on remeasurement of the 2025 Secured Notes embedded derivative and a $33.3 million loss to derecognize the 2025 Secured Notes embedded derivative, compared to a $27.0 million loss on remeasurement of the 2025 Secured Notes embedded derivative in 2022.

Income tax expense decreased by $2.3 million to $6.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from $8.9 million in 2022. The decrease between periods relates to foreign local taxes as well as temporary differences between book and tax and changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities.

Net Income (Loss)

Net income (loss) decreased by $2,257.1 million to a net loss of $1,858.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, from net income of $398.5 million in 2022. The decrease was primarily due to a $2,007.1 million loss on remeasurement of the Private Placement derivative in 2023 compared to an $808.5 million gain on remeasurement of the Private Placement derivative in 2022, partially offset by a $754.1 million increase in operating income due to the various factors described above.

Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2021

Revenues

Consolidated

Total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $2,550.9 million to $3,176.0 million from $625.1 million in 2021.

Cruise and land increased by $2,412.9 million to $2,955.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $543.0 million in 2021. The increase was due to the operation of substantially all of our fleet and higher Occupancy in 2022 compared to 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we operated about half of our river fleet and our full fleet of six ocean ships at the peak of operations in 2021. In addition, during 2022, two new ocean ships, two river vessels, two expedition ships and the Viking Mississippi began operations.

Onboard and other increased by $138.0 million to $220.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $82.1 million in 2021. The increase was due to the operation of substantially all of our fleet and higher Occupancy in 2022 compared to 2021. In addition, during 2022, two new ocean ships, two river vessels, two expedition ships and the Viking Mississippi began operations. In 2021, as part of our relaunch of operations, we operated a smaller fleet at lower Occupancy. The increase was partially offset by a decrease in revenue related to services provided to CMV, the entity of the China JV Investment that we do not consolidate.

Viking River Segment

Total revenue for our Viking River segment for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $1,457.3 million to $1,796.5 million from $339.2 million in 2021. The increase was due to the operation of substantially all of our river fleet and higher Occupancy in 2022 compared to 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we operated about half of our river fleet at the peak of operations in 2021. In addition, during 2022, two new river vessels began operations.

 

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Viking Ocean Segment

Total revenue for our Viking Ocean segment for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased by $938.8 million to $1,189.3 million from $250.5 million in 2021. The increase was due to the operation of our entire ocean fleet of eight ships, which included two new ocean ships delivered in 2022, and higher Occupancy in 2022 compared to 2021. In 2021, as part of our relaunch of operations, we operated a fleet of six ocean ships at lower Occupancy.

Operating Cost and Expenses

Consolidated

Commissions and transportation costs increased by $612.6 million to $769.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $157.0 million in 2021. The increase was due to the operation of substantially all of our fleet and higher Occupancy in 2022 compared to 2021. In addition, during 2022, two new ocean ships, two river vessels, two expedition ships and the Viking Mississippi began operations. In 2021, as part of our relaunch of operations, we operated a smaller fleet at lower Occupancy.

Direct costs of cruise, land and onboard increased by $311.8 million to $408.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $96.9 million in 2021. The increase was due to the operation of substantially all of our fleet and higher Occupancy in 2022 compared to 2021. In addition, during 2022, two new ocean ships, two river vessels, two expedition ships and the Viking Mississippi began operations. In 2021, as part of our relaunch of operations, we operated a smaller fleet at lower Occupancy.

Vessel operating increased by $515.9 million to $974.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $458.3 million in 2021. The increase was due to the operation of substantially all of our fleet and higher Occupancy in 2022 compared to 2021. In addition, during 2022, two new ocean ships, two river vessels, two expedition ships and the Viking Mississippi began operations. In 2021, as part of our relaunch of operations, we operated a smaller fleet at lower Occupancy.

Selling and administration increased by $223.7 million, or 48.7%, to $682.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $459.1 million in 2021. Of the total increase, $137.0 million was due to a net increase in selling costs, office and other expenses and professional fees, and $86.7 million was due to an increase in employee costs during the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to lower expenditures during 2021 while our cruise operations were gradually resuming.

Depreciation, amortization and impairment increased by $72.1 million, or 35.3%, to $276.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $204.4 million in 2021. The increase was primarily due to $41.9 million in impairments for river vessels in 2022. In 2022, we cancelled all sailings on our river vessels in Russia and Ukraine as a result of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and recognized a $28.6 million impairment due to these cancellations and the uncertainty of future operations in these regions. We also recognized $13.3 million in impairment for two other river vessels, the Viking Prestige and the Viking Legend. Additionally, $18.2 million of the increase in depreciation was due to vessel and ship deliveries in 2022 and 2021, net of a decrease in depreciation related to older vessels and ships. The remaining increase was due to a $12.0 million net increase in depreciation and amortization related to intangible assets, office equipment, other fixed assets and ROU lease assets.

Gain on sale of Viking Sun was $75.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. We sold the Viking Sun to CMV, a related party, in April 2021.

The drivers of changes in operating costs and expenses for our Viking River and Viking Ocean segments are the same as those described for our consolidated results.

As a result of the foregoing, operating (loss) income was income of $64.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to a loss of $675.1 million in 2021.

 

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Non-operating Income (Expense)

Net interest expense increased by $60.0 million to $442.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $382.6 million in 2021. The increase was primarily due to a $25.7 million increase in interest expense related to loans and financial liabilities drawn in connection with ships delivered in 2021 and 2022. Additionally, there was a $13.3 million increase in interest expense, primarily related to increases in interest related to lease liabilities and increases in variable interest rates for vessel financing, and a $11.3 million increase in interest expense related to the additional principal amount of $150.0 million in VCL’s 7.000% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2029 (the “2029 Unsecured Notes”) issued in October 2021.

Additionally, there was a $24.7 million net increase in interest expense related to Private Placement liabilities due to a $14.7 million gain in 2021 as a result of the change in expectations in 2021 of whether dividends would be paid in cash or in-kind. Our Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert into ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering.

These increases were partially offset by a $12.1 million increase in interest income and a $2.9 million decrease in interest expense related to the financial liability to the Viking Sun, which was sold in the second quarter of 2021.

Currency gain (loss) decreased by $40.4 million to a loss of $35.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from a gain of $5.4 million in 2021. The loss was primarily due to unrealized losses from the €316.6 million loan related to the delivery of the Viking Neptune, which is payable in EUR and adjusted for currency translation and bank accounts held in foreign currencies, cost accruals, denominated in euros, partially offset by realized currency gains due to payments for operating costs and vendor payments incurred in non-U.S. dollar denominations.

Private Placement derivatives gain (loss) increased by $1,504.6 million to a gain of $808.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from a loss of $696.1 million in 2021. The $808.5 million gain on remeasurement of the Private Placement derivative was primarily due to a decrease in the fair value of the Series C Private Placement derivative. The decrease in the fair value of the Series C Private Placement derivative was due to a decrease in the fair value of equity, which was primarily as a result of changes to forecasted future cash flows and increases in the discount rate due to increases in market interest rates, offset by changes in the forward EUR/USD curve reflecting forecasted strengthening of the U.S. dollar. Our Series C Preference Shares will automatically convert to ordinary shares immediately prior the consummation of this offering, and upon conversion to ordinary shares, the Private Placement derivative will no longer be outstanding.

Loss on Private Placement refinancing was a non-recurring loss of $367.2 million during the year ended December 31, 2021 related to: (1) the difference between (a) the fair value of the Series C Private Placement liability and Series C Private Placement derivative at closing and (b) the aggregate carrying values of Series A and Series B Private Placement liabilities and derivatives, and cash received, and (2) direct transaction costs.

Other financial income increased by $3.8 million to $12.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $8.4 million in 2021. The increase was primarily due to a decrease in the fair value of the warrant liability in 2022 compared to an increase in 2021 partially offset by a decrease in the fair value of certain redemption features of the 2025 Secured Notes in 2022, compared to an increase in 2021.

Income tax expense increased by $3.9 million to $8.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from $5.0 million in 2021. The increase between periods relates to foreign local taxes as well as temporary differences between book and tax and changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities.

Net (Loss) Income

Net loss decreased by $2,510.7 million to net income of $398.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, from a net loss of $2,112.2 million in 2021. The decrease was primarily due to an $808.5 million gain on remeasurement of the Private Placement derivatives in 2022 compared to $696.1 million in losses on

 

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remeasurement of the Private Placement derivatives in 2021 and the loss on Private Placement refinancing of $367.2 million in 2021, and a $739.4 million decrease in operating loss due to the various factors described above.

Unaudited Quarterly Results of Operations

The following tables set forth unaudited quarterly condensed consolidated statements of operations and statistical and operating data for each of the quarters in the year ended December 31, 2023. The information for each of these quarters has been prepared on the same basis as the audited annual consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this prospectus and, in the opinion of management, includes all adjustments, which consist only of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for the fair presentation of the results of operations for these periods. This data should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements, related notes and other financial information included elsewhere in this prospectus. These quarterly results are not necessarily indicative of our operating results for any future period.

 

     Three Months Ended  
     March 31,
2023
     June 30,
2023
     September 30,
2023
     December 31,
2023
 
(in thousands)                            

Consolidated Statements of Operations:

           

Revenue

           

Cruise and land

   $ 583,877      $ 1,355,701      $ 1,402,252      $ 1,041,694  

Onboard and other

     45,117        99,070        104,546        78,236  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total revenue

     628,994        1,454,771        1,506,798        1,119,930  

Cruise operating expenses

           

Commissions and transportation costs

     (138,523)        (328,544)        (337,892)        (248,915)  

Direct costs of cruise, land and onboard

     (74,755)        (178,938)        (188,155)        (144,386)  

Vessel operating

     (263,209)        (324,861)        (317,387)        (306,219)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total cruise operating expenses

     (476,487)        (832,343)        (843,434)        (699,520)  

Other operating expenses

           

Selling and administration

     (205,670)        (195,649)        (188,252)        (199,469)  

Depreciation and amortization

     (62,699)        (63,311)        (62,807)        (62,494)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total other operating expenses

     (268,369)        (258,960)        (251,059)        (261,963)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating (loss) income

     (115,862)        363,468        412,305        158,447  

Non-operating income (expense)

           

Interest income

     8,804        10,029        12,607        16,587  

Interest expense

     (123,593)        (173,334)        (122,873)        (119,174)  

Currency (loss) gain

     (3,441)        (11,541)        21,096        (26,929)  

Private Placement derivatives gain (loss)

     39,159        27,101        (1,494,781)        (578,568)  

Other financial (loss) income

     (16,566)        (23,707)        (68,475)        (42,721)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

(Loss) income before income taxes

     (211,499)        192,016        (1,240,121)        (592,358)  

Income tax (expense) benefit

     (2,868)        (1,962)        1,929        (3,738)