Why Did Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line Plunge This Week?

It was a rough week for cruise line stocks. Shares of Royal Caribbean International (NYSE: RCL) tumbled 6% for the week -- three times the market's slide -- and it's the relative victor among the three publicly traded cruise lines.

Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL) (NYSE: CUK) shares moved 10% lower, held back by announcing inevitable job cuts for the world's largest cruise line operator. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE: NCLH) was once again the biggest sinker, posting a double-digit percentage drop for the second consecutive week with a 12% drop this time around. An iffy quarterly report didn't help the cause for the smallest of the three cruising companies.

Image source: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.