If you are one of the many people looking for ways to get more from your cruise, you are not alone. The good news is there is a way to achieve this without just shelling out more money on an upgrade or perhaps a drinks package? One popular idea with regular cruises is to own shares or stock in your favourite cruise line brand. This article takes a close look at cruise line shareholder benefits and perks.
In today’s world, owning shares in a company rarely gets you anything beyond the investment value and maybe a small dividend, so it is refreshing that the cruise industry continues to offer significant cruise line shareholder benefits. These primarily take the form of generous onboard credits (OBC), sometimes also referred to as Shipboard Credits (SBC’s). Our guide highlights some benefits and the schemes each cruise line offers, plus how to redeem these benefits.
Many avid cruisers love to own cruise line stock as it makes them feel like they are part of the company with whom they spend so much money. They take pride in their investment and want to support their favourite cruise lines and the wider cruise industry.
In return for this loyalty and investment, some quoted cruise lines reward these investors with a cruise shareholder benefit every time they go on a cruise. As mentioned, this usually takes the form of onboard credit, and if you take several cruises a year, this can add up to hundreds of dollars!
Over a lifetime of cruising, the benefits can outweigh your original investment in cruise line shares.
From the cruise line’s perspective, this also creates a band of ultra-loyal repeat customers who spread the word about the cruise line they jointly own.
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The four main cruise lines that offer cruise shareholder benefits if you own shares in the company include Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Limited.
It is worth noting that Carnival has three stock market listings, often referred to as CCL stock, as follows:
Carnival Corporation (NYSE: CCL) New York
Carnival plc (LSE: CCL) and (NYSE: CUK) London and New York
The good news is that Carnival shareholder benefits are available regardless of which Carnival stock ( CCL stock) you own; we will refer to them as simply Carnival stock.
As part of the Walt Disney Corporation, Disney Cruise is another publicly traded stock (NYSE: DIS), but they discontinued all shareholder benefits in 2000.
Lindblad Expeditions is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: LIND), but we are not currently aware of any shareholder benefits.
Multi Brand Cruise Holding Companies
All of the major cruise companies have multiple brands, and the great thing is that you’ll be able to take advantage of shareholder benefit if you sail with any cruise line within the holding company.
Carnival Corporation includes these brands:
Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America, Seabourn, Costa, Cunard, Aida, P & O, P & O Australia
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd includes these brands:
Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises – excludes Celebrity Xpedition – Celebrity Flora and Celebrity Xploration, Azamara, Silversea (not yet offering Royal Caribbean shareholder benefits)
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings includes these brands:
Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas, Oceania
You can purchase as many shares as you like, but you need to own at least 100 shares of your favourite cruise line stock to receive any shareholder benefits. Each cruise company works slightly differently, but all currently offer an onboard credit each time you cruise.
These rules are subject to change but are correct at the time of writing. It can take a few days for the cruise line to process your request, and you need to have made your final payment before the benefit will be applied.
Our experience is that it is a simple task to request your cruise stock shareholder benefits for your cruise vacation. All you need to do is go online to the cruise line website and print out a shareholder benefit form. Once completed with the required information, including your name, booking number, ship and sail date, you send it to the appropriate shareholder benefits team at the cruise line together with proof you currently own shares in the cruise line.
If you’ve used a travel agent to book your cruise, the good ones will do all this for you and send in the forms for you.
Always read the small print as there usually are restrictions as to when you can redeem shareholder benefits. Quite often, some cruise line special offers are not combinable with this benefit. These include travel agent rates, free cruises, educational trips and chartered sailings.
Is It a Good Idea to Buy Stock in a Cruise Line?
While we cannot and do not offer investment advice, our experience in holding cruise line shares over time has been beneficial, as we take multiple cruises per year with different Carnival brands like Cunard and Seabourn.
If you invested in 100 carnival shares with a carnival stock price of $26 per share, this could be a $2,600 investment at today’s stock price. If you take four cruises per year, each with $100 in onboard credit, your investment could produce benefits of $400, representing approximately 15% per cent per year. Fluctuating share prices and changes in the various cruise line schemes could change this. If the price of the stock falls, then you could lose money.
Ultimately, only you can decide what is best for your own individual financial situation. About Luxury Cruising cannot and does not offer any financial or investment advice. You should always do your due diligence and seek independent advice from your financial advisor.
This article isn’t personal advice. Investments can fall as well as rise in value, so you could get back less than you invest. If you’re not sure if an investment is right for you, seek professional advice. Past performance isn’t a guide to future returns.
Cruise Line Stocks: References
CCL stock Price = Carnival Corporation and plc (CCL)
Royal Caribbean Stock = RCL Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL)
Norwegian Cruise Line = Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH)
Shareholders own a tiny part of the cruise line
The Regent Suite on Seven Seas Splendor
Do shareholders of Carnival get cruise discounts?
Cruise travellers who own at least 100 shares of stock in Carnival Corporation (CCL) or Royal Caribbean (RCL) can receive up to $250 in onboard credits during their next vacation at sea. Read our article to find out how the benefits work.
Does RCL offer shareholder discounts?
The shareholder discount is available for any Royal Caribbean shareholder with a minimum of 100 RCL shares at the time of sailing. The benefit is only available for the stateroom in which the shareholder (with a minimum of 100 shares) is sailing. Only one shareholder credit per stateroom on any one sailing.
Does Carnival do anything for shareholders?
Does Norwegian cruise Line offer discounts for shareholders?
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Offer their shareholders the following benefits: $250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 15 Days or More. … $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 Days or Less.
What are the perks of owning Carnival stock?
Final Thoughts
Becoming a cruise line shareholder and owning some shares is a great way to qualify for the generous shareholder benefits by the cruise lines in the form of onboard credits, which all help you save money on your cruise. If, like us, you enjoy cruising and expect to cruise again in the future, the shareholder benefits are a nice perk to have. This is especially true if you have a favourite cruise line and always cruise with them. It is also quite cool to own a small part of your favourite cruise line!
Do you own cruise line stocks or are you considering it? Please let us know your thoughts and tips in the comments below.
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