Royal Caribbean Cruises’ strong results in China have provided some relief to investor concerns over pricing pressure as ships flow into the cruise industry’s hottest market.

As the Miami cruiseship giant — the world’s second largest — reported a better-than-expected third-quarter profit, the company said its 169,000-gross-ton (gt) Quantum of the Seas (built 2014) was boosting earnings in the “shoulder season”, which is typically light for cruise.