Want to save money on your next cruise? Then keep reading. Cruise lines have long rewarded their shareholders. In this article, we describe how you too can get an onboard credit just by becoming a cruise line shareholder.
Why Yes, I am a Minority Shareholder of this Cruise Line
For decades, some public companies have provided perks to their shareholders. My first memory of such perks is when my father took the family to Frontier Village, a small amusement park in San Jose, CA. He had received some free passes by virtue of owning some of their stock. Not a bad spiff. So far, Disney doesn’t seem to have opted in on this trend. Oh, well.
About 20 years ago, we bought into an IPO by Ravenswood Wines, located in Sonoma, CA. Being “owners”, we were invited to a private party at the winery, where we were served wine and canapes, all free. Unfortunately, the company was sold to Constellation Brands two years later, and the parties stopped. Still, our shares had doubled in value, so no tears.
Which Cruise Lines Reward Stockholders
There are three major public cruise line companies offering stockholder benefits on the following brands:
Royal Caribbean – Royal Caribbean, Celebrity
Carnival – Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Seabourn, Cunard, Costa
Norwegian – Norwegian, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas
How To Qualify and What You Get
In each case, to get a benefit, you must purchase 100 shares of stock of the parent company: RCL (Royal Caribbean), CCL (Carnival), or NCLH (Norwegian).
We will be on a repositioning cruise this spring from Florida on Celebrity Cruises. Our stockholder benefit for this 14-night cruise will be a $250 stateroom credit. The credit can be applied to excursions, spa treatments, upgrades on food and beverages, gift shop purchases, etc.
For shorter cruises with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, the benefit is less:
$250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights.
$200 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 9 to 13 nights.
$100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 to 8 nights.
$50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less.
Similar benefits are available on the other cruise lines.
How Do You Claim Cruise Credit
Each cruise line has specific instructions on how to claim your credit. Here is the one for Royal Caribbean. You will need to own the shares at least a few weeks in advance of your sail date and hold the shares through your cruise to allow time for the cruise lines shareholder departments to process your request.
Cruise Line Investment Risk
It is worth noting this “benefit” is not without risk. After all, you are investing in a cruise line for at least a few weeks and the stock value can vary. As I write this, CCL and NCLH prices are in the $15-$20 range, so a $1500-$2000 investment is required to acquire the necessary 100 shares. Not awful.
I purchased 100 RCL shares, currently running ~$77, so I have much more at risk. I think the value should hold up during the time required, given that cruising is becoming less restricted. Still, share value is an important consideration.
What interesting shareholder benefits are you aware of?
