Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean both offer various perks to certain customers, but they mainly have to do with one of two things – loyalty programs or casino players.
Loyalty programs are designed to reward customers who have sailed on a particular cruise line many times. For example, those who have reached Diamond status in Royal Caribbean’s Crown and Anchor Society loyalty program by accumulating 80 points or more from cruising get four free bar drinks each day on every sailing. (Note: One point is generally equal to one night of cruising, but there are higher earning rates in some cases.)
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Casino players may also get perks, including free drinks while playing in the casino after reaching a certain number of points, or the ability to earn free cruises based on play. It’s not uncommon for casino players to receive free specialty dining or spa treatments after reaching a certain level of play on a cruise.
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There’s another group that gets special perks
In addition to loyalty program members and casino players, there’s a third group that qualifies for special perks on cruises – investors.
Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean are publicly traded companies. Their shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbols CCL and RCL, respectively. In both cases, investors who own a certain number of shares are entitled to special perks.
We’ll start with Carnival. Investors who own at least 100 shares of the cruise line's stock get special benefits on sailings through at least Dec. 31 (although there’s no reason to believe the benefit will expire after this year).
Guests who sail on the cruise line’s North American brands (including Carnival, Princess, and Holland America) get an onboard credit based on the length of their sailing. For sailings of six nights or less, the credit is $50, and on sailings of seven to 13 nights, the credit amount is $100. On longer sailings of 14 nights or more, such as Transatlantic sailings, shareholders get a generous $250 onboard credit.
Similarly, Royal Caribbean also offers a benefit to those who own 100 or more shares of the company’s stock. The credit amounts are almost the same as Carnival’s, with the $50 credit applying to sailings of five nights or less, the $100 tier including cruises of six to 13 nights, and the $250 credit going to those on sailings of 14 nights or more. There’s an additional tier that gives a $1,000 onboard credit for those who sail on a World Cruise.
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In both cases, shareholders can apply for their onboard credit electronically, and it should be submitted at least three weeks prior to sailing. And if you’re not currently a shareholder, and you’re curious, 100 shares of stock would cost roughly $2,100 for Carnival, or about $20,000 for Royal Caribbean, due to its much higher share price.
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A great perk for those who believe in the cruise industry
Becoming a shareholder in your favorite cruise line can be rewarding, both now and in the future. Both of these cruise line stocks pay dividends, for example, and if the businesses continue to generate record-high profits like they have been, their shares could be worth far more in the future than they are today.
The onboard credit is a nice bonus, and it’s a pretty unique one. For example, I own Starbucks stock and I can’t bring my brokerage statement and ask for a free extra shot in my latte.
To be perfectly clear, not every shareholder can get these perks when sailing. For example, they generally cannot be combined with a casino cruise offer. But if you’re booking and paying for your cruise (it isn’t free), these can be well worth the few minutes it might take to verify your status as a qualified shareholder.
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It's not worth buying 100 shares in either cruise line to receive these perks, but it's a great added thank you for anyone who acquires at least 100 shares in either cruise line.
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