The cruise giant said that advance bookings for the rest of 2016 were also up on the prior year.

The impressive performance over the three months to the end of February helped the company notch up pre-tax profits of $143 million – a rise of 175% on last year’s $52 million.

Revenue increased from $3.5 billion to $3.7 billion.

Chief executive Arnold Donald said: "Our ongoing guest experience innovations coupled with our increasingly effective marketing and communication efforts have driven additional demand for our brands, resulting in a strong booked position.

"The lower levels of inventory remaining for sale for the balance of the year, particularly for our peak summer period, positions our brands well for continued revenue yield growth and builds confidence in our full year earnings forecast."

Last week Carnival became the first US-based cruise operator to be granted approval from Cuba to start sailing to the country. The company’s Fathom brand will begin seven-day cruises to the island in early May using the 700-passenger Adonia.

Carnival’s cruise brands include Princess Cruises, Seabourn and Cunard.