Carnival Corporation & plc Increases Quarterly Dividend by 33 Percent
Second Time in Six Months Company Has Increased Quarterly Dividend
MIAMI, April 15, 2005 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE: CCL; LSE) (NYSE: CUK) announced today that it has increased its quarterly dividend from $0.15 cents per share to $0.20 cents per share -- an increase of 33 percent and the second time in six months that the dividend has been increased. The dividend is payable on June 10, 2005 to shareholders of record on May 20, 2005.
"Not only does this reflect our confidence in the strength of the cruise business, it also demonstrates our commitment to continue to grow shareholder returns," said Micky Arison, Carnival Corporation & plc chairman and CEO.
This latest dividend increase follows an increase of 20 percent in October 2004.
Holders of Carnival Corporation common stock or Carnival plc ADSs will receive the dividend payable in U.S. dollars. The dividend for Carnival plc ordinary shares will be payable in U.S. dollars or sterling. In the absence of instructions or elections to the contrary, holders of Carnival plc ordinary shares will automatically receive the dividend in sterling. Dividends payable in sterling will be converted from U.S. dollars at the exchange rate quoted by the Bank of England in London at 11 a.m. on June 1, 2005. Holders of Carnival plc ordinary shares wishing to receive their dividend in U.S. dollars or participate in the Carnival plc Dividend Reinvestment Plan must elect to do so by May 20, 2005.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise vacation group in the world, with a portfolio of 12 cruise brands in North America, Europe and Australia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises, Swan Hellenic, and P&O Cruises Australia.
Together, these brands operate 78 ships totaling more than 134,000 lower berths with 12 new ships scheduled for delivery between July 2005 and April 2009. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon, Holland America Tours and Princess Tours. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
Additional information is available online at carnivalcorp.com and carnivalplc.com.
SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc
CONTACT: Media: US: Tim Gallagher of Carnival Corporation & plc,
+1-305-599-2600, ext. 16000; or UK: Sofie Fitton of Brunswick Group,
+44-20-7404-5959, for Carnival Corporation & plc; or Investor: US/UK: Beth
Roberts of Carnival Corporation & plc, +1-305-406-4832
