The Walt Disney Company today reported earnings for its third fiscal quarter which ended June 30, 2012. Earnings per share for the third quarter increased from $0.77 in the prior-year quarter to $1.01, a 31% increase!
We had a phenomenal third quarter, delivering the largest quarterly earnings in the history of our company.
Earnings per share were up 31% over last year, driven by growth in every one of our businesses. We also delivered record earnings per share for the first nine months of our fiscal year, and we believe our results clearly demonstrate Disney’s unique value proposition and great potential to deliver long-term growth.
Robert A. Iger Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company
Disney Cruise Line is included in the overall Parks and Resorts numbers, which posted an increase of 9% to $3.4 billion and segment operating income increased 21% to $630 million. Results for the quarter were driven by increases at Tokyo Disney Resort, Disney Cruise Line and the domestic parks and resorts.
The third quarter was the first full quarter that the [Disney_Fantasy] was sailing, which helped attribute to the operating income growth at Disney Cruise Line.
Jay Rasulo, Senior Executive VP and CFO, noted in his statement that bookings at Disney Cruise Line are up 38% from last year with occupancy at 94% for the entire fleet. Finally, during the Q&A session, it was noted that the marketing and launch expenses for the $900 million [Disney_Fantasy] have been recouped and she is now profitable.