Carnival says it lost $2 billion in 1Q but bookings are up

Carnival Corp. says it lost $2 billion in the first quarter as the cruise industry remained shut down in many parts of the world by the pandemic. But the Miami-based company says bookings are picking up, and 2022 could be a strong year for cruises.

Carnival said Wednesday that it expects nine ships spread across six of its cruising lines to be sailing by this summer, including in Italy, Greece and the United Kingdom.

The outlook is less clear in the huge American market, however, as cruise companies squabble with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over details of health measures before ships can resume sailing.