Skip to navigationSkip to main contentSkip to right columnADVERTISEMENTRich Smith, The Motley FoolTue, June 23, 2026 at 7:42 PM GMT+2 3 min readRoyal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) stock tumbled nearly 10% in early trading this morning -- then made it all back. As of 1 p.m. ET, Royal Caribbean stock is trading almost exactly where it closed last night -- $309 per share. So why the sudden sell-off before investors changed their mind?Well, you can blame Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) for that.Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again. In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue »Image source: Getty Images.Carnival Corporation earningsDespite being only half Royal Caribbean's size by market capitalization, rival Carnival Corporation boasts annual revenues ($27 billion), 50% higher than Royal Caribbean's ($18.4 billion). So it's still considered something of a bellwether for cruise stocks. Accordingly, when Carnival reports bad earnings, investors may be tempted to take out their wrath on Royal Caribbean stock as well.But here's the strange thing: Carnival reported earnings this morning... and the news wasn't bad.Q2 adjusted earnings of $0.41 per share beat analyst forecasts, as did quarterly revenue of $6.7 billion. Revenue set a new record for Carnival, and earnings were up 20% year over year.What's next for Royal CaribbeanAll that said, Carnival did warn investors that its earnings this year might come in a bit light. Analysts were looking for Carnival to earn $1.42 per share (adjusted) in Q3, but Carnival promised only $1.35. Through the end of the year, guidance for $2.22 per share may create a narrower miss; Wall Street only needs to see $2.23 for the year.Presumably, this is the thing that spooked Royal Caribbean investors this morning: the worry that if Carnival's going to underperform this year, then Royal Caribbean might, too. Q4's still a ways away, however, and if the worst Carnival's going to do is miss by one penny... maybe Royal Caribbean investors don't have much to worry about after all.Should you buy stock in Royal Caribbean Cruises right now?Before you buy stock in Royal Caribbean Cruises, consider this:The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Royal Caribbean Cruises wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and could produce monster returns in the coming years.Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $393,037!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,280,627!*Terms and Privacy PolicyEU DSA contactPrivacy & Cookie SettingsMore Info