It has not been a good month for cruise companies, even though the cruise market is booming. First Cunard was highly embarrassed when their pride and joy Queen Mary 2 failed a U.S. health inspection. Not long after that Carnival had to go through the embarrassment of two of their ships bumping against each other – causing no damage other than to the egos of the two captains.

Now Richard Fain of Royal Caribbean Lines had to swallow his pride and admit there was an error in the company’s latest financial statements.

The error caused the full-year profits to be lower than they should have been. His announcement came too late to prevent the cruise line’s shares from falling by 6%.

“There is not a soul here, including myself, who doesn't regret the error” Fain told members of the press.

The earnings per share was originally reported to be 43 cents per share, but this has now been adjusted to 47 cents.

It is unknown what happened to the poor accountant responsible for the mistake.

Profit margins in the European market have come under pressure recently after the political uncertainty in many North African and Middle Eastern countries. This will most likely also affect the newly-launched Silhouette, which is supposed to visit various ports in the area over the next few months.

The good news is that cruise lovers can find unheard of bargains in the current market. Fares from as little as £850 for 12 nights (including flights) are probably as low as you will ever see them.