NEW YORK (Bloomberg) ? Carnival Corp., the world?s largest cruise operator, said third-quarter profit rose 4.3 percent, beating analysts? estimates, on increased demand for trips to Alaska and Europe.

Net income for the three months that ended August 31 jumped to $1.23 billion, or $1.49 a share, from $1.18 billion, or $1.40, a year earlier, the Miami-based company said yesterday in a statement. Sales increased 8.3 percent to $3.91 billion from $3.61 billion.

Ticket prices increased for European and Alaskan cruises, helping the company overcome higher fuel costs. Carnival and other cruise operators trimmed fares on Caribbean cruises to stoke demand as consumers worried about hurricanes in the region following damage last year to popular ports such as Cozumel, Mexico.

?The long-term outlook for Carnival is extremely bright,? said David Leibowitz, managing director at New York-based Burnham Securities Inc., who follows Carnival and whose family owns shares. ?Daily onboard spending was either at or set new records and new features that have been introduced have largely been well received.?

Carnival forecast fourth-quarter earnings of 46 cents to 48 cents a share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were estimating 45 cents a share.

The company lowered the high end of its full-year forecast to as much as $2.73 a share from the $2.75 it predicted in June, though higher than the $2.71 estimated by Thomson.

Shares of Carnival, operator of the Carnival Cruise, Princess, Holland America and Cunard lines, rose $1.67, or 3.8 percent, to $45.25 at 9:43 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The stock has fallen 19 percent this year before today. Shares of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the world?s second-largest cruise operator, have declined 18 percent.

Chief executive officer Micky Arison, 57, has added new ships and destinations and boosted on-board amenities including culinary demonstrations with celebrity chefs to increase capacity and demand.

The company, operating about 80 ships under 12 lines, has 15 new vessels scheduled to begin sailing by 2010. Carnival?s Costa line began operating from Shanghai in the quarter.

Carnival said in June that bookings were lowest for Caribbean cruises of three to five nights in the second half of this year.

Royal Caribbean CEO Richard Fain has said reservations aren?t being made as far in advance for the Caribbean and Bermuda.

Prices for Caribbean cruises in the fourth quarter and first quarter of 2007 have fallen since mid-June, A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. analyst Tim Conder wrote in a September 13 report.

Non-Caribbean cruises, which tend to last seven or more days and are taken by more experienced cruisers or those who aren?t as affected by a slowing economy, are doing well, he said.

Brian Egger, an analyst at BMO Capital Markets in New York, estimated third-quarter profit of $1.44 a share. New York-based Egger has an ?outperform? rating on Carnival and received StarMine Corp.?s highest ranking for accuracy.

This was lower than the $1.46 average estimate of 17 analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial, which doesn?t disclose the details behind its estimates.

Carnival forecast in June quarterly profit of $1.45 to $1.47 a share and net yield, or revenue per passenger per day, of as much as a two percent gain.

The yield figure excludes some expenses such as travel-agent commissions and airfare.

Both Carnival?s and Royal Caribbean?s profits have been hurt this year because of higher fuel costs, though prices are ebbing from their highs. Oil prices have declined 23 percent from a record $78.40 a barrel on July 14 and yesterday dropped to $60 a barrel in New York for the first time since March.

?We haven?t seen fuel prices affecting? Carnival?s profit yet, Conder said in an interview earlier this week. He said he hasn?t adjusted estimates because lower fuel prices have been offset by weakness in the Caribbean.

Of 23 analysts covering Carnival in the past year, 13 rate the stock ?buy? and 10 ?hold.? Carnival?s profit has exceeded analysts? estimates in four of the past five quarters.