March 21 (Reuters) - Cruise operator Carnival Corp ( CCL )

raised its annual profit forecast on Friday, benefiting

from higher ticket prices, resilient advance bookings and strong

on-board customer spending.

Even though cruise ticket prices have ticked up in recent

years, Americans have been more than willing to make early

bookings for their getaways during the promotions-heavy "wave

season", which started in January, and are also splurging

heavily during their voyages.

This helped Carnival counter the rising costs of operations,

including fuel and dock expenses and promotional costs.

"While we are not completely immune from the heightened

macroeconomic and geopolitical volatility since providing our

December guidance, we are still taking up our earnings

expectations for the year," said Carnival CEO Josh Weinstein in

a statement.

The company expects fiscal 2025 adjusted earnings per share

of about $1.83, compared with its previous forecast of about

$1.70 per share.