carnival cruise stock for onboard credit

How to Get Onboard Credit for Owning Carnival Stock (2023)

By: Author Carrie Ann Karstunen

Posted on Published: July 2, 2021  - Last updated: June 13, 2023

If you cruise on Carnival, Princess, or any other Carnival-owned cruise line, you can get free onboard credit on every cruise, just for being a Carnival stockholder! Here’s how to get your free OBC.

One of my favorite perks of cruising is getting free onboard credit—often abbreviated to OBC— when I book during certain sales. Since I always use a cruise travel agent , I’ll often get extra onboard credit just for booking through the agency.

OBC is awesome! You can use it for just about anything on the ship—buying souvenirs in the shops, paying for specialty dining, booking shore excursions, and more.

But did you know that you can get even more free onboard credit every time you book a cruise on Carnival, Princess, Holland America, or any other cruise line owned by Carnival Corporation?

It’s true! If you’re a Carnival stockholder , you’re eligible for free onboard credit each time you cruise. As long as you own enough shares and can show proof before each sailing, you’ll get free money to make every cruise even more fun.

What cruise lines offer free onboard credit to Carnival shareholders?

Carnival Corporation offers free OBC to shareholders on all of their cruise lines. Carnival, Princess, and Holland America are the most popular Carnival-owned lines for North American cruisers. But several other cruise lines around the world are also under the Carnival Corporation umbrella.

Shareholders cruising with Cunard, Costa Cruises, Seabourn, AIDA, or P&O can also apply for free onboard credit.

Applying for free onboard credit as a Carnival shareholder

If you own Carnival stock (or you’re planning on buying some), it’s super-easy to get your free shareholder OBC. Read on to find out how many shares you need to own, how much credit you’ll get for each sailing, and how to let your cruise line know you’re eligible.

How much Carnival stock do you have to own to get OBC?

You’ll need to own at least 100 shares of stock in Carnival Corporation at the time of sailing to earn their free onboard credit benefit. The shares need to be held in the name of a booked passenger to earn OBC.

How much onboard credit will I get for my cruise?

The amount of free onboard credit you’ll get per cruise depends on how long your sailing is, and which cruise line you’ll be on. See the table below to find out how much OBC you’ll be awarded on your next cruise.

The amount of onboard credit you’ll receive (and what currency it will be in) depends on the specific cruise brand and where it’s based.

So, if you’re from the UK and sailing on a cruise on an Australian brand, you’ll get your onboard credit in AUD. An Australian sailing on a North American brand on a European itinerary will get OBC in US dollars.

North American brands:

• Carnival Cruise Line*
• Princess Cruises*
• Holland America Line
• Costa Cruises*

Continental European brands:

• AIDA Cruises
• P&O Cruises UK

Australian brands:

• P&O Cruises Aus

*The currency and amount of onboard credit for some cruise lines is determined by the operational currency used on any specific sailing.

You may also like: How to Save Money on Cruises

How do you let the cruise line know you’re a Carnival shareholder?

Although so many things are automated these days, you’ll need to let the cruise line know that you’re a shareholder before each and every cruise, so you can have your OBC credited to your account.

Annoying, I know, especially if you take a lot of cruises! But trust me, it only takes five minutes, and you’ll earn between $50 and $250 (or a similar amount in other currencies) to spend on your next cruise. Now that’s a nice rate of return!

Five steps to apply for onboard credit as a Carnival stockholder

Applying for Carnival shareholder stock is simple if you follow these steps:

• Own at least 100 shares of Carnival stock
• Print, copy or scan your proof of shares
• Black out your address and account number
• Send proof to your cruise line before your cruise
• Check your online cruise planner for the OBC a few weeks before your cruise departs

You’ll need to mail, email, or fax proof of your shares to your specific cruise line at least three weeks before your sail date.

( Click here for a list of mailing addresses, emails, and fax numbers for each cruise line.)

Proof of shareholder status could include a copy of your shareholder proxy card, a dividend tax voucher, or a nominee statement with both your mailing address and brokerage account number blacked out.

Be sure to also include your full name, reservation or booking number, ship name, and sailing date to ensure you’re credited correctly.

What if multiple members of my family are Carnival shareholders? Do we all get free onboard credit?

Carnival’s free onboard credit program for shareholders only allows one shareholder per stateroom to use the benefit. So if you have multiple shareholders in the same cabin, only one can get the free OBC.

But if you want to get creative, you can sometimes work around this policy.

Let’s say you’re traveling as a family unit—two parents and your kids who are old enough to stay in a nearby room. Each parent owns at least 100 shares of Carnival stock, but you’d like to actually sleep in the same room as your spouse or partner.

Despite the strict rules around one free OBC benefit per cabin, the cruise lines aren’t the bed police! If you book one parent into each of the two rooms, both adults can get the free credit.

Of course, each stateroom key card is assigned to a specific passenger and also acts as ID and your way of making purchases on board. So the logistics can get tricky with this workaround, but many cruisers use this method to double up on OBC.

You may also like: Cruising with Kids: 19 Essential Tips

Can you gift your Carnival shareholder onboard credit to friends or family sailing with you?

Just like any other cruise onboard credit you might receive in a special sale or via your travel agent, Carnival shareholder onboard credit isn’t transferable. The cruise line will apply the OBC only to the account that matches the name of the legal shareholder.

But if you want to share your credit with friends or family, you can always use it to buy a gift on board for a friend or loved one. Just remember you need to make the purchase yourself—you can’t give your cruise card to another passenger to use your OBC.

Can you save your Carnival shareholder onboard credit for another cruise?

Although it would be nice to be able to save your unused onboard credit to use on a future cruise, your OBC expires at the end of each sailing. So use it before you lose it!

Can you get more than one free OBC benefit if you hold more than 100 shares of Carnival Corporation stock?

If you have several hundred (or more!) shares of Carnival Corporation stock, you’re probably wondering if you can get more free onboard credit for each block of 100 shares you own.

Unfortunately, free onboard credit for Carnival shareholders is limited to one credit benefit per person per sailing.

Is anyone excluded from receiving free onboard credit for being a Carnival shareholder?

Carnival Corporation employees likely already know that they’re not eligible for onboard credit for owning Carnival stock. But some non-employees also aren’t able to take advantage of this program.

If any of these situations apply to you, you also won’t be able to get free OBC as a Carnival shareholder:

• A travel agent cruising at travel agent rates
• Tour conductors or group leaders cruising at a reduced rate
• Anyone sailing on a complimentary basis

***UPDATE November 2021***

Carnival has very recently begun denying shareholder OBC to guests cruising at discounted rates. According to many longtime Carnival cruisers who have applied for the free onboard credit, the company has been denying the benefit for reasons including:

• VIFP offers
• Casino rates
• Military discount rates
• Resident discount rates
• Senior citizen discount rates

It’s unclear whether this is a permanent policy change by Carnival Corporation, or just a temporary hold while ships are sailing at reduced capacity. I’ll continue to update the post as more information emerges on this new development.

What can you use your Carnival shareholder onboard credit for?

Unlike some cruise lines that allow you to use OBC before your cruise to pay for packages and services on board, Carnival and its subsidiaries only allow you to use onboard credit once you’re physically on the ship.

But, you can use your onboard credit for almost anything you’d normally pay for once you’re on the ship. Here are some examples of how you can use your free shareholder OBC:

• Specialty dining that you book on board
• Shore excursions that you book on board
• Beverages that aren’t covered by a drink package
• Purchases in the onboard shops
• Spa and salon visits
• Experiences like wine tastings, cooking classes, or behind-the-scenes tours

Just remember that some cruise lines will give you a discount if you prebook and prepay for some of these extras before you sail. Take that into consideration when deciding how you’ll use your OBC.

You may also like: Are Cruise Drink Packages Worth It?

What can you NOT use your Carnival shareholder onboard credit for?

There are tons of ways you can use your free onboard credit for owning Carnival stock on a cruise. However, Carnival has a few rules about what you can’t use it for. Make sure you know these exclusions before you assume you’re covered (and stuck with an unexpected bill).

• Using shareholder OBC for casino play
• Paying for crew gratuities with shareholder OBC
• Using shareholder OBC for anything that you need to use cash for (like for extra tips, or vending or self-service laundry on some ships)

What’s your favorite way to get free onboard credit on a cruise? Have you received OBC for being a Carnival shareholder? Let me know in the comments below!

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Beverly Jacobs

Tuesday 27th of February 2024

I am trying to redeem my on board credit as a stock holder

Carrie Ann Karstunen

Friday 1st of March 2024

Hi Beverly, I'm assuming you're asking how to obtain your shareholder OBC for an upcoming cruise, not how to redeem it on the ship (if I'm wrong, redeeming it is easy - your OBC can be used toward any purchases you make on board with your cruise card). I have detailed instructions in the post about how to obtain your OBC pre-cruise. Do you have a specific question I can answer?

Monday 4th of December 2023

I have been trying to get the form for my onboard credit for holland America and can not find it anywhere on the internet where I can just print it out. Can you helpW

Hi Sandy, currently there isn’t a specific form you need to send, you just email the information I’ve detailed above to Holland America. The link to the email address to send your information can also be found in the post above, in the section “Five steps to apply for onboard credit as a Carnival stockholder”. I’ll add it here as well: Carnival Corp Shareholder Benefits. Hope this helps and happy cruising!

Sunday 8th of October 2023

looking for a phone number as I have not received the credit on my; Nov. cruise

Monday 9th of October 2023

Hi Penny, if it's been longer than three weeks since you sent in your proof of shares (and your cruise isn't until next month), I'd try emailing one more time. If you don't hear back soon, here's the contacts page for Carnival Corp.'s Investor Relations. Hope this helps, and thanks for stopping by!

Thursday 14th of September 2023

Hello Carrie Ann, Thank you so much for the great article with clear explanations and the link to the instructions from Carnival Corporation. I bought my 100 shares of CCL on 9/12/23, emailed in a scan of the proof of stock ownership (confirming statement from my broker, Charles Schwab) this morning ,on 9/14/23 and TA-DAH !!- 15 minutes later the online booking summary for my 22 day Princess cruise is already showing the $250.00 onboard credit!!! Wow ! That was lightning fast ! My cruise is leaving on 10/18/23 so I was worried about doing this just 5 weeks out but , per the instructions on the Carnival Corporation sheet, it just needs to be done 4 weeks prior to the sail date. I wish I had known about this benefit before. I have been cruising on Princess for years. Thank you again for this valuable information presented in such an easy to understand way. Sincerely, Carol

Sunday 17th of September 2023

Hi Carol, so glad I could help. That's super fast!! Hope you have an amazing cruise :D

Tuesday 6th of June 2023

My husband and myself have 2,000 shares of Carnival stock. Will that amount only give us $100.00?

Hi JudyAnn! If you're sailing on a cruise between 7-13 days and you and your husband are sharing one stateroom, you'll just receive the $100 OBC. Carnival Corp. gives the OBC as a shareholder benefit to anyone who owns at least 100 shares - if you own significantly more you still get the same shareholder benefit. You can use this benefit on every Carnival cruise as well as on any of their sister brands, and if you have a longer sailing (14+ days) the OBC jumps to $250. Hope this answers your question and happy cruising!

Do you own cruise line stocks? You could get onboard perks

Many cruise fans choose to invest in cruise line stocks, either because they want to support their favorite brand or because they view it as a financially savvy investment. But did you know that owning shares in a cruise company could give you onboard perks each time you cruise?

The major U.S. publicly traded cruise companies, Carnival Corporation (which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CCL), Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) all offer onboard credits ranging from $50 to $250 for those who own 100 shares or more of their stock.

Stock prices and any money you may or may not make from the investment are unpredictable. What is predictable are the perks. A small investment in a cruise company may pay off in more ways than you think, especially if you are a frequent cruiser.

This is not advice about making a financial investment. Before buying any cruise stocks, you should talk to your own adviser or broker, and do your own research. Any financial investment is at your own risk.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

Each cruise company has its own rules and nuances regarding the benefits of owning cruise line stocks. Here's how shareholder perks play out at the top three publicly traded cruise companies.

Carnival Corporation

Carnival Corporation is the parent company of cruise brands including Carnival Cruise Line , Princess Cruises , Holland America , Cunard and luxury line Seabourn . If you hold a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation stock, you'll receive an onboard credit of $250 per cabin for cruises of 14 days or longer, $100 for cruises of seven to 13 days and $50 for cruises of six days or fewer. (Note that by "days," Carnival means nights on board.)

The current benefit is available on sailings through July 31, 2023; reservations must be made by Feb. 28, 2023.

You can use the credit for drinks, gift shop purchases, spa treatments or other onboard expenditures. You can't use the credit in the casino, for gratuities or to get cash. The credit applies only to the shareholder-occupied stateroom; you won't get additional credits if you book multiple cabins.

Related: Cruise onboard credit: What it is, where to get it and how best to use it

To receive the credit, first book your cruise vacation, then send the specific cruise line an email, fax or mailed letter with your legal name, reservation/booking number, ship and sailing date. You'll also need to provide proof — such as a copy of your proxy card or a dividend tax voucher — that you own 100 or more shares of stock.

The request needs to be made no later than four weeks before your sail date.

You'll find emails and addresses for each Carnival Corporation brand and specific rules on the company's website . For Carnival Cruise Line, the email is [email protected] , the fax number is 305-406-6102, and the address is Guest Administration, 3655 N.W. 87th Avenue, Miami, FL 33178.

Royal Caribbean Group

Royal Caribbean's shareholder perk applies to cruises on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises , with the exclusion of any charter cruises (such as full-ship theme cruises) and Celebrity's Galapagos sailings.

Any shareholder with a minimum of 100 shares at the time of sailing is eligible for an onboard credit of $250 per stateroom for sailings of 14 or more nights, $100 on sailings of six to 13 nights and $50 on sailings of five or fewer nights.

You may request the nontransferable credit each time you cruise. The credit applies only to the stateroom where the shareholder is staying and is based on double occupancy. If shares are held jointly and you are booking more than one stateroom, 100 shares are required for each stateroom (based on one credit per shareholder per sailing and double occupancy). Single guests would have to pay 200% of the fare to receive the offer.

The credit can't be used for gratuities (service charges). It also doesn't apply to any activities you pay for prior to setting sail (such as prebooked shore excursions or spa treatments). It's credited to your shipboard account at the time of sailing.

Related: 7 extra-charge items on cruise ships that are worth the cost (and 7 that aren't)

Royal Caribbean suggests you request onboard credit two to three weeks prior to your sail date. The response from the cruise company should come within seven days.

You may make the request using the company's online form . For FAQs about the program, visit Royal Caribbean's investor website .

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

Norwegian offers holders of 100 or more shares of its stock an onboard credit of $250 per stateroom on sailings of 15 days or more, $100 on sailings of seven to 14 days and $50 on sailings of six days or less. (Note that by "days," Norwegian means nights on board.) As with the other cruise companies, you may request the onboard credit each time you cruise.

The offer applies to cruises on Norwegian Cruise Line , Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Charter sailings are excluded.

To redeem the credit offer you may fill out a shareholder benefit request form online or you can mail or email the company with your name, address, email address, telephone number, ship and sailing date, plus proof you hold the shares.

The onboard credit request must be submitted at least 15 days prior to your sailing date.

The benefit is only available for the stateroom in which the shareholder is staying and is based on your paying for two people in the cabin. Solo travelers must pay the full double occupancy fare to receive the credit. If shares are held jointly and you are requesting two or more cabins, a minimum holding of 100 shares per room is required.

Norwegian does not allow the benefit to be combined with any other offer; shareholders have the option to choose between the shareholder benefit and another offer. The credit appears on your onboard account at the time of sailing and is nontransferable. It can't be used for any activities purchased prior to sailing, nor for service charges/gratuities on board.

The email for Norwegian Cruise Line requests is [email protected] . The address to mail in a request is Norwegian Cruise Line Shareholder Benefit Department, 7665 Corporate Center Drive, Miami, FL 33126. Find addresses for the other brands and facts about the program on the company's investor website .

Bottom line

You can receive onboard credit each time you cruise by purchasing 100 or more shares of stock from a major publicly traded cruise company. This is a perk for shareholders, not a reason to invest. Before agreeing to buy cruise line stock, you should read the rules carefully and weigh the price of the stock versus any savings you will receive, as well as understand the potential risks of your investment. Your financial adviser or broker may offer further advice.

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• Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

OBC via the Stockperks app - my experience

By mum and son , November 17, 2023 in Australia & New Zealand Cruisers

Recommended Posts

mum and son

I saw a recent thread about shareholder benefits and there was a mention of the Stockperks app. Here's my experience in the last 24 hours for an upcoming Princess cruise from the US.

I emailed [email protected] as per the shareholder form to request my OBC.

Received a reply saying:

Thank you for your request for an onboard credit as part of the Carnival Corp & plc. Shareholder Benefit Program.

Carnival Corp is implementing a more automated onboard credit request process in partnership with Stockperks.  

Please go to www.stockperks.com/carnivalcorp for all details about the program and how to apply for your onboard credit via the Stockperks app.

Thank you for being a CCL shareholder!  We look forward to welcoming you aboard.  

Last night I followed the process and created an account on Stockperks, which took 2 minutes. I submitted the required statement and received the email below:

Manual Brokerage Statement Submission Acknowledgement 

Thank you for submitting your proof of share ownership. Stockperks is reviewing your submission now and will respond within two (2) working days with next steps. 

Thank you for joining the Stockperks family!   

Approx 7 hours later I received the following email:

Manual Brokerage Statement Processed Confirmation  Your proof of share ownership has been processed. Please go to the Stockperks app to explore and redeem your perks. 

Thank you for being a Stockperks member!  Your proof of ownership was validated.   

I have now returned to the app and I have a list of all the Carnival brands under the "Eligible" tab. I click on Princess and then Redeem Perk and add my booking details. Then it says "Your Onboard credit claim has been submitted. They will contact me within 5 business days to advise if my claim has been approved and applied to my itinerary.

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Share on other sites.

That’s good to know. Can you remember if P&O Australia was included in the Carnival brands listed? 

I also wonder if the system copes with you having multiple bookings?

Thanks so much, we have a Carnival cruise coming up so will give it a go.

That all seems so much easier than emailing a screen capture. 😉

Sallyandtex

How much OBC do they give you?

MicCanberra

5 minutes ago, Sallyandtex said: How much OBC do they give you?

It depends on the cruise length, $50 for less than 7 days, $100 for 7 -14 days and $250 for those more than 14 days. It is in USD for cruises overseas and AUD for home cruises. Sometimes pounds for British cruises.

2 hours ago, Sparky74 said: That’s good to know. Can you remember if P&O Australia was included in the Carnival brands listed?  I also wonder if the system copes with you having multiple bookings?

This Eligible list includes:

P&O Australia

It looks like it would cope with multiple bookings because Princess is in both my Eligible and Redeemed lists. In the Eligible list I can click on Princess and go through the Redeem Perk process again, for another cruise.

15 minutes ago, MicCanberra said: It depends on the cruise length, $50 for less than 7 days, $100 for 7 -14 days and $250 for those more than 14 days. It is in USD for cruises overseas and AUD for home cruises. Sometimes pounds for British cruises.

Whoa huge difference between AUD and USD and pound!

3hrs 15mins after submission I received an email confirming my US$250 OBC and I can see it when I log into my booking.

9 minutes ago, Sallyandtex said: Whoa huge difference between AUD and USD and pound!

They give you OBC in that currency, being used on the ship, I know some Americans were disappointed they got AUD for the Aussie cruises.

I was happy to sit back while others road-tested the app.

Well done!!

55 minutes ago, mum and son said: This Eligible list includes: Carnival Costa HAL P&O Australia Princess Seabourn   It looks like it would cope with multiple bookings because Princess is in both my Eligible and Redeemed lists. In the Eligible list I can click on Princess and go through the Redeem Perk process again, for another cruise.

Excellent! I’ll have to try it out. 

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said: It depends on the cruise length, $50 for less than 7 days, $100 for 7 -14 days and $250 for those more than 14 days. It is in USD for cruises overseas and AUD for home cruises. Sometimes pounds for British cruises.

2 hours ago, Sallyandtex said: Whoa huge difference between AUD and USD and pound!

The pound amounts are as above

I echo this experience.  I gave it a go for my next cruise in March and from the time I downloaded the app till the time the credit was applied, it was less than 48 hours.  It was great that I only had to take a photo of my computer screen showing the stock statement.

I did try to apply for credit for my August cruise but it wouldn't let me apply for anything post July 24. 

I was somewhat uncomfortable giving stockperks all my investment account information including passwords, etc. With that information someone could drain my account. I have done some online research and they seem legit so I gave them that information. They promised to get back to me within 5 days. In the meantime I will be checking my account activity daily.

20 hours ago, MicCanberra said: They give you OBC in that currency, being used on the ship, I know some Americans were disappointed they got AUD for the Aussie cruises.

9 hours ago, Donaldm said: I was somewhat uncomfortable giving stockperks all my investment account information including passwords, etc. With that information someone could drain my account. I have done some online research and they seem legit so I gave them that information. They promised to get back to me within 5 days. In the meantime I will be checking my account activity daily.

Passwords? I just uploaded my broker statement (removed the account details) and that was all I gave them.

I sent them my broker’s statement but they rejected it two days later and said I had to go through Stockperks. Perhaps the US version is different from the overseas one. Good luck.

1 minute ago, Donaldm said: I sent them my broker’s statement but they rejected it two days later and said I had to go through Stockperks. Perhaps the US version is different from the overseas one. Good luck.

I just had to upload my broker statement in Stockperks. I didn't give them access to my account.

8 minutes ago, mum and son said: Hi Donald, I just had to upload my broker statement in Stockperks. I didn't give them access to my account.

Good to know for the next time. Hopefully others will follow your advice.

2 hours ago, mum and son said: Hi Donald, I just had to upload my broker statement in Stockperks. I didn't give them access to my account.

It isn't about account access, but that your phone is giving over personal information to a (presumed reliable) 3rd party via the app. Until now, you would only be passing on proof of a shareholding to Carnival shares via email. Now you have an app, it isn't about the stock account, but what data can be gained via the app if it was being stored inappropriately. In these days of hacking of apparent trustworthy companies, we are funnelling our personal data to an extra entity that wasn't needed last month. It should be all good, but it is another crack in the footpath.

Do we have to use  Stockperks when applying for local Australian based cruises?

I was watching Allison on Lets Go Travel Tips on Youtube the other night and she was describing how to apply without giving them very much private info especially bank account details etc.

3 hours ago, arxcards said: It isn't about account access, but that your phone is giving over personal information to a (presumed reliable) 3rd party via the app. 

Ahhh ok. Now I understand. I thought somehow, somewhere direct passwords were being handed over and I felt a bit concerned. 

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Cruise Monkeys

Bananas about cruising

Carnival Shares – The shareholder benefits

Carnival Corporation & plc is one of the largest cruise operators in the world. The company’s portfolio of global cruise line brands includes Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard. Owning Carnival shares means you have a stake in one of the biggest cruise companies and can bag your self some shareholder benefits too.

In this post we will discuss what the shareholder benefits are and how many shares you need to get them.  Do remember this post does not constitute financial advice, if you are interested in buying Carnival stock, do seek independent financial advice first!

Page Contents

How many Carnival shares do I need to purchase?

To be entitled to shareholder benefits, you need to purchase a minimum number of shares. This benefit is available to shareholders holding a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation or Carnival plc.

What are the Carnival shareholder benefits (as of June 2023)?

Carnival stopped giving dividends due to the global pandemic and the impact on the business. Prior to this, shares were trading at £40-£50 a share, before plummeting to £5. While it doesn’t appear dividends will reappear anytime soon, there are still some shareholder benefits in the form on Onboard Credit. You only need to purchase 100 shares to receive the Carnival shareholder onboard credit, you wont get extra credit for buying more and it will only be applied to a room once.

How much onboard credit will I receive?

The amount on onboard credit you’ll receive as a shareholder will depend on the cruise line and the cruise length. See the table beow:

How do I apply for my Carnival shareholder benefits?

You can apply for you shareholder benefits any time between 90days and 28days prior to sailing.  While we have heard of people having them added in advance of 90 days, in most cases people are told to reapply nearer the cruise.

Applying is easy, you just need to send a copy of your share certificate or the latest statement proving you own 100 shares along with the following details:

• Your complete legal name
• Reservation/booking number
• Ship and sailing date
• Proof of ownership of Carnival Corporation or Carnival plc shares

The easiest way to do this is via email, but you can also send the details by post. We have listed the contact you need for each brand below:

The onboard credit for Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard and Princess Cruises is determined based on the operational currency onboard the vessel. 

Please visit the Carnival Corporation website at www.carnivalcorp.com for updates. We often use our shareholder benefits on our P&O, Princess and Cunard cruises.

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Overview: Cruise Line Stock Benefits for Shareholders

• March 18, 2022

Most cruise line stocks come with benefits for the shareholder that many people are unaware of.

In this article, we are going to focus on Carnival Corporation (CCL), Royal Caribbean Group (RCCL), and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH).

READ MORE: 5 Reasons This Might Be The Perfect Time To Buy Cruise Stocks

There are many reasons to buy stock for any given company.

While you won’t get free burgers for owning stock in McDonald’s, own enough shares of your favorite cruise line, and you’ll receive onboard credit when you set sail.

“Bad News Is An Investor’s Friend”

  During the financial crisis that began in 2008, famed investor and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, wrote in an op-ed, “In short, bad news is an investor’s best friend. It lets you buy a slice of America’s future at a marked-down price.”

With the recent fluctuations in the markets, many people are looking to pick up stocks which, though hitting sometimes historic lows, seem poised to experience a major rally in the future.

If you happen to find a stock that is selling at a great price and also comes with a perk or two, all the better. We’ll discuss not only what perks come with owning shares of the company, but how to go about claiming those perks.

How To Claim Your Carnival Corporate Stock Benefits

Operating not only the popular Carnival Cruise Line brand, the company also owns Princess Cruises, Holland America, Costa, Cunard, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises, and luxury brand Seabourn.

For investors who own at least 100 shares of Carnival stock, various amounts of onboard credit are offered. How much you qualify for depends on the length of your sailing. So what’s the breakdown?

• Cruises 14 Days or Longer: $250 onboard credit
• Cruises 7-13 Days: $100 onboard credit
• Cruises 6 days or less: $50 onboard credit

There are a few important caveats to the offer.

For example, Carnival employees, travel agents cruising on a travel agent rate, group tour conductors, and anyone sailing on a reduced rate (or taking a complimentary cruise) are excluded. The onboard credit can’t be transferred or exchanged for cash, and it can’t be used in the casino or to pay the daily gratuities.

In order to receive the shareholder benefit, stockholders need to fax or mail their legal name, reservation/booking number, ship and sailing date, along with proof of stock ownership at least three weeks prior to their sail date to either their travel agent or the cruise line they’ll be sailing on.

Let’s say, for example, you were sailing on Carnival Horizon and wanted to take advantage of the stockholder benefit. All you have to do is fax proof of ownership (such as a photocopy of your shareholder proxy card or a current brokerage statement with your account number blacked out) to your travel agent or to Carnival directly.

For the address of not only Carnival Cruise Line, but all of the other brands sailing under the Carnival corporate umbrella, click here .

How To Claim Your Royal Caribbean Stock Benefits

Like Carnival, Royal Caribbean Group is a major player in the cruise market, operating ships under not only the flagship name, but also under Celebrity and Azamara. And just like with Carnival, there are perks to owning 100 or more shares of the stock.

In the case of Royal Caribbean, the benefits break down like this across all the corporate lines (Galapagos Islands sailings and charters are excluded):

• Cruises 6-13 Days: $100 onboard credit
• Cruises 5 days or less: $50 onboard credit

In order to claim your benefit, simply mail, fax or email Royal Caribbean at the addresses below and provide your name, address, booking confirmation number, ship and sailing date, as well as a copy of your shareholder proxy card or a current brokerage statement showing proof of ownership in Royal Caribbean Group.  Make sure to leave at least three weeks for processing.

Mailing address: RCL Investor Relations 1050 Caribbean Way Miami, Florida 33132

Fax: 1-305-373-6699

Email:  [email protected]

How To Claim Your Norwegian Cruise Line Stock Benefits

Norwegian includes the named, primary brand, but also sister lines Oceania and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. As with Carnival and Royal Caribbean, 100 shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings must be owned to qualify for their investor benefits. And as with the other lines, how much you get depends on the length of the cruise you’re setting sail on:

• Cruises 15 Days or Longer: $250 onboard credit
• Cruises 7-14 Days: $100 onboard credit

Note that these benefits do not apply to charter sailings.

To claim your benefit, complete the Shareholder Benefit Request Form available on the Investor Relations website at nclhltdinvestor.com and mail or email it with accompanying documentation: your name, address, email address, phone number, ship, and sailing date, and a photocopy of your shareholder proxy card or photocopy of a current brokerage statement with the account number blacked out.

All shareholder requests must be received at least 15 days prior to the sail date. The request form along with the proof of ownership should be mailed or emailed to the specific cruise line you’re sailing on.

By Michael York

This article was originally published in March 2020. It was updated and republished in March 2022.

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Carnival shareholder benefit.

Earn benefits for owning your favorite cruise line’s stock!

Many cruisers I speak to have no clue that the major cruise lines often offer some sort of benefit for being a shareholder of the cruise line’s stock. Carnival Corporation & PLC offers up to $250 of Onboard Credit just for being a shareholder!

“How much will this cost me?” is always the first question I receive when I tell cruisers about the benefit. For Carnival, you only need to hold 100 shares of the company’s stock in order to qualify. At the time of this writing, the current price of $21.02/share ( $CCL Live Ticker ), would cost new investors just over $2,100.

Of course, the cost of shares fluctuate based on how the stock performs. I bought in at $45/share ($4,500). So, if you purchase 100 shares today, you do so at a significant savings to what I spent, but you get the same benefits!

What do I get for my investment?

In addition to the possible gains (or losses*) you receive as a shareholder, Carnival provides the following benefits to shareholders:

As you can see from the table above, the longer your cruise, the more you stand to gain from your Shareholder Benefit! For my Panama Canal sailing in 2019, I received the full OBC of $250, however, the majority of my sailings are 7 days which earns me the $100 OBC. This is enough to cover gratuities onboard at the current rate of $13.99/day ($97.93)**.

Prior to the pandemic, Carnival also had a healthy dividend payout of $.50/share. That meant that each quarter, investors who held 100 shares received another $50 – or $200/year! The dividend has been suspended indefinitely.

How do I get the credit?

For years, the only option cruisers had to request the credit was to FAX a request, with proof of share ownership, to Carnival corporation. Thankfully, Carnival added an option to email Shareholder Services/Guest Admin. This makes the process so much easier.

To request your shareholder credit, you simply email [email protected] a minimum of 3 weeks prior to your sail date with the following information:

• Booking Number (6-digit booking ID used to access your sailing)
• Embarkation date (first day of your cruise)
• Port of Embarkation (where you’re sailing from)
• Shareholder name

Additionally, you are required to attach a “recent investor statement” that proves share ownership. How recent that is depends on the human processing your request. I’ve used the same statement for cruises as far out as 5 months. At other times, I’ve been asked to resubmit a statement that’s 60 days prior to the sail date.

Tips for Shareholder Credit Submission

• When requesting your credit, save a copy of your most current statement and include that with your request
• The investor statement must include your full name and that name must match the name on the reservation
• Redact any personal information (account numbers, information about other shares you hold, etc.) before sending your statement to Carnival

And if you’re just dying to find a use for that old fax machine that’s collecting dust, you can fax all of this information to Carnival at: 305-406-6102. I recommend including a cover letter that contains the information above and then a copy of your redacted statement that includes proof of ownership.

Is it worth the cost?

I’ve used the Shareholder credit on all of my cruises since 2015 and I’ve earned $2,900 in OBC. Additionally, when Carnival was paying out a healthy dividend, I earned over $1,000 in that same time period. So my $4,500 investment has paid for itself over the years! Of course, as I always say, your mileage may vary.

Fine Print and Disclaimers:

There are some Carnival fine print and some disclaimers:

• Only one OBC is allowed per stateroom. So if you’re sailing with another person who has 100 shares of $CCL stock, only one onboard credit will be applied
• Employees, travel agents cruising at travel agent rates, tour conductors or anyone cruising on a reduced-rate or complimentary basis are excluded from this offer (sorry Casino Rate Offers!)
• Benefit cannot be exchanged for cash, nor can it be used for casino credits or charges
• Reservations must be made by February 28, 2022 to qualify for the current Shareholder Benefit program
• **Carnival states that the benefit cannot be used toward gratuities, however, we’ve used our OBC this way for nearly 30 sailings
• *As with any stock purchase or investment, there is market risk. You could lose money with the investment. Additionally, as you buy/sell stock, there could be tax implications. Nothing on this page should be used to make an investment or tax decision and I retain zero liability for any decisions you may make

Carnival gets strict.

In late 2021, Carnival started to become much more strict with their Shareholder Credit program. In fact, my credit was denied for a sailing because I booked it using my VIFP number! I sent multiple emails to which I continued to be denied. I eventually called Carnival, waited on hold for an hour, and was told the same thing. I pushed back and said to the agent: “So what you’re saying is that no one who has ever sailed on a Carnival cruise can be a stockholder? You’re actually penalizing brand-loyal customers?” It was at this point the agent made the connection to what I was explaining and the rule. She called Shareholder Services/Guest Admin and the OBC was added to my account within minutes.

Carnival’s Shareholder Benefit program is included as part of Carnival Corp’s Annual Report if you’d like to learn more. You can also access the benefit information from Carnival’s Shareholder Information page.

Head over to the updated article posted on May 5, 2023.

51 thoughts on “Carnival Shareholder Benefit”

This one really hit home. I’ve been trying to get my Shareholders benefit for the last month. The first attempt was a fax, it was illegible please try again. Second attempt was an email, “they don’t give OBC to reduced-rate”, thanks to you I know it was because I booked with my VIFP. The third attempt was by mail, they can’t find my name on the brokerage statement. When I have an extra hour or two I will call them. FYI – I request the CCL shareholder benefit for two cruises on Princess and had the OBC within a week. I used the same brokerage statement for Princess as I did for Carnival.

Sorry to hear about your experience; frustrating is an understatement! I’m just so thankful that we’re finally able to send statements via email instead of the required fax. But even that requires you get the right person who will apply the OBC. I’m really curious how Shareholder Credit will change in July when the annual report is published. Will it continue? Will it require more shares based on the significantly lowered share cost? Keeping an eye out!

Am trying to get shareholder benefits for my clients who are sailing on Princess. Steve, how did you work to get the OBC with Princess?

Carnival Corp now exclude the use of shareholder benefit for paying gratuities.

I’ve been fortunate so far this year and haven’t had any issue with gratuities being covered on my seven sailings. Between OBC and Shareholder, I usually have leftover funds that I have to burn through on the last night of the cruise. I’ve picked up a lot of 50th anniversary stuff as a result! Haha

I have 4 cruises currently booked through Carnival: 2 weeks In Oct ’22, 1 week Feb ’23, and a 8 and 6 day back-to-back cruise for Oct ’23. You said something about reservations must be before Feb 28 ’22, which only the first cruise was booked prior. If I purchased 100 shares now, would I get the OBC for Oct ’22? I’m assuming the latter cruises would qualify for next year.

The Shareholder Information page on Carnival’s website has now been updated to reflect “Reservations must be made by February 28, 2023 to qualify.” If you purchase shares now (at one of the lowest prices I’ve ever seen), you would be able to request the credit for upcoming sailings. With that said, there have been some reports of challenges getting Carnival to accept the request based on rate code and way of booking. Knock on wood, I’ve received the credit on all 10 cruises so far this year. That means, in 2023 alone, I’ll more than pay for the shares I purchased with onboard credit. That is mind blowing to me!

I have just booked a 10 day cruise today and wondering if I buy the required minimum shares today, will I get the OBC?

As long as you have enough lead time prior to your cruise you should be able to receive the OBC! The reason I say depending on how far away your cruise is… you need to provide a financial statement proving stock ownership and the statement has to include a name matching on your cruise reservation. Additionally, it can take Carnival up to two weeks to process your request once you submit it. So, if your cruise is far enough away to get a statement and have enough time for Carnival to process your request, you should be good to go! One caveat, depending on the rate code you booked, you may or may not be eligible per the article. Enjoy your cruise; 10-days sounds absolutely wonderful!

So do you have to call Shareholder Services/Guest Admin every time you book a cruise? The always ask for the VIFP # so I’m confused on why they don’t want to give you the credit. I just recently got a cruise for October and also 100 shares of stock and was wondering if I’m going to have to call them every time?

You can either fax your request with the required information or send an email with the required information to [email protected] . You need to do this at least 3 weeks prior to your sailing. And, yes, you will need to do this every time you book a cruise to confirm that you still own the shares. When submitting the required information, Carnival requires a current shareholder statement to confirm ownership. Hope this helps!

Does this shareowner perk of $100 also cover Seabourn cruises?

It does, however, the process is a little different for Seabourn. I’ve included the contact information below. Whether you email or fax, be sure to include all of the required information for them to process your request.

SEABOURN Fax: 206-501-2900 Email: [email protected]

So I sent in the paperwork 4 weeks ago by both fax and email. How do I confirm I got the OBC? Do they email you when received and processed? Nothing showing on my account. Sailing soon.

If you have a Personal Vacation Planner with Carnival, I would call them asap. If not, call the general line to inquire (they’ll likely have to transfer you). The other option is you can send a follow-up email to the email address asking for a status update – but if you sail soon, calling is your best avenue.

Do you know if you can still get the comp credit if you booked your cruise through a casino promotion? Looking at getting the shares before my next cruise in December Thanks

Prior to the pandemic, this didn’t seem to be an issue. However, Carnival has become more strict on Casino offers. I always advise that if you already have the shares, it’s worth giving it a try and submitting the paperwork. The worst they can say is no.

I booked on a Princess cruise. Bought 100 CCL shares and emailed my information. I heard it might be 2 to 3 weeks to get the OBC. I was so surprised to see the OBC applied to my account within a day or 2 after I sent the email.

Wow, that’s an amazing turnaround time. I just submitted one this evening for my Mardi Gras sailing in December. Curious to see how long it takes to get posted. Thanks for sharing!

Hi, Mark. So here’s a question for you. What does “reduced rate” mean? For instance, if I booked a cruise Holland America on Cruises.com, and instead of the full price, paid a discounted fare, would I still qualify for the OBC if I was a shareholder? How about if the Cruises.com price was the same as the advertised price on Holland America’s web site? Thanks for the help!

Reduced rate usually means casino fare, free/significantly reduced rate cruise, etc. For example, last year, I got a $100 balcony. Under the old system, I received the $100 credit… which was amazing! With the changes they’ve made, I would likely not receive the credit, but it never hurts to try. I always recommend submitting; worst case, they will tell you no. 🙂

I bought 100 Carnival shares in October through Capital.com. On 7 November I emailed Carnival with attachment showing my holding and details of my P&O cruise on 21 Dec, I received an automated email to say that it had been received, but that is all. Do they let you know if they have either applied the credit or if there was an issue. I am slightly concerned as it is my first application and the cruise is in 4 weeks

When I’ve submitted via email, I’ve always received a message back once it’s been applied. On Carnival Cruise Line, you can see the credits that have been applied to your account once you check in. I might recommend reaching out to the email address to see if they were able to process it. I just had to do that with my last sailing as I never heard back. They couldn’t find my submission and asked for me to reply with my statement, which I did, and within 24 hours, it was applied and they responded via email. Enjoy your cruise!!

Is it okay to send my information now for my 4/2/2023 sailing?

Usually, they’ll only approve sailings about two months out or so. With that said, I included my end of January sailing when I submitted October and December sailings, and they applied the benefit. Worst case, they’ll reply to your email letting you know that you have to wait until closer to your sailing.

Hi I have brought carnival shares last week ..we sail on the 30th April…Will I be able to apply for once ..cruisers are confusing me as they say you have to hold shares for at least 3 months before you can apply ..is this from when you brought them or when you pay your balance in full or the actual date you sail … I have brought from H L…who I believe will do the request when you inform them of your cruise date …TIA

I purchased my first shares of Carnival back in 2015 and sailed several weeks later and they applied the credit. Nowhere on any of the official Carnival documentation do they indicate a minimum holding timeframe for the shares, so you should be good! With that said, according to the current Shareholder Benefit documentation, the booking must be made by February 28, 2023 on sailings through July 31, 2023. With the financial challenges Carnival continues to face, I’m curious how the shareholder benefit may change in the coming year (fingers crossed they keep it as is).

Great article! Im curious, if you receive on-board credit through a promo would you get both credits? I.e $50 promo obc for the sailing and then $100 obc for being a shareholder?

I’ve heard mixed reviews from other cruisers. In my own personal experience, I have always received both. Most bookings these days seem to come with at least $50 OBC. Between that OBC and the $100 shareholder credit, it almost covers the gratuities for two. One more perk of the shareholder credit!

We are seriously considering buying 100 shares. We have two cruises booked for February and December. You mentioned above booking using the VIFP number. My vacation planner always searches for the best deal when booking. Is this going to be a problem?

At the current price point, I always recommend it to fellow cruisers! With that said I always disclaim that I am not a tax or financial advisor, so do so at your own risk tolerance – however, at current share prices, it doesn’t take a lot of sailings to pay for itself (unlike when I purchased at $46/share, ouch). In terms of whether or not there will be an issue, there shouldn’t be, unless you’re booking on a casino offer or free/almost-free cruise offer. While there were some issues at the end of 2021 and start of 2022, I’ve not had a single request declined this year. It should be noted, that the current shareholder benefit is good through July 31, 2023 if booked by February 28, 2023. The benefit could change when Carnival releases their 2022 Annual Report; I’ll post any changes to the site.

Please do report any changes of Carnival as we booked 4 Holland America line cruises…3 were casino offers and one we paid them directly. What if my partner buys the shares, as he did not get the casino offers…could he buy 100 shares and get the shareholders benefits…? I know he gets his own offers of onboard freeplay sometimes but not he doesn’t get many offers at all so just freeplay here and there for him as he likes to play real poker so the casino is not a place he spends much time.

That’s a great question. In general, if the room is booked on a casino offer, likely, the shareholder credit does not apply. With that said, I *always* advise submitting it, even if there’s a chance it may be denied. Worst case scenario, you’re out a couple minutes submitting it. Best case? They apply it despite having a casino offer on the room! Good luck, and let us know what happens!

I booked on a Carnival cruise. I submitted my request for the OBC on Tuesday, 01/03/23 and on Thursday, 01/04/23, my OBC for the five day cruise ($50) was applied to my Carnival account. I was surprised. My question is on my Carnival account, under OBC it says “Confirm with all OBC holders before applying credits pre-cruise to avoid cancellations on board.” I am travelling with my husband, so why the possiblity of Cancellation on board.” Thank you.

That’s fantastic to hear how quickly it was applied to your account! Do you by chance have any other OBC on this booking? I did some digging and also pinged a buddy. It sounds like anyone listed on the booking has the ability to use the OBC pre-cruise (shore excursions, spa treatments, etc.) If OBC is split across multiple folks and someone spends on behalf of the actual OBC holder, the item purchased can be canceled onboard. So, the warning is essentially telling you to confirm with any OBC holder on the booking before spending the funds to avoid whatever you book from being canceled. Hope that helps, Mary!

Can someone tell me where you send your shareholder certificate for Carnival Australia and P and O Australia cruises please.

Hello Pam. There are two options that we were able to find for you. If you wish to send your credit in via mail, regardless of which line you sail, send it to: Customer Service Manager PO Box 1429, Chatswood, NSW 2057 You can call this number for inquiries: Tel 61 2 8326 4000 This would be for if you want to fax your proof to the brand: Fax 61 2 8326 4550 And finally, if you’re sailing with Carnival Australia, you can submit your information via email to this address: [email protected] If you’re sailing P&O or Princess Australia, you can send your details to this email address: [email protected]

Hope you are able to successfully complete this!

I’m thinking of purchasing 100 shares. I already have 2 Carnival cruises booked for later this year. Even though the current OBC offer for shareholders expires in June, if the new offer for after that date still offers OBC will I be eligible to claim these for my upcoming booked cruises that I booked last year? Thanks Belinda

Yes! As long as your shares are active and you can show that on your statement that you provide to Carnival, then you will qualify for the OBC benefit at the time of your sailing. They don’t need to see the purchase date for the shares during the application process.

Thanks Rocky, Sounds great and I appreciate your quick response Belinda

I had a very good experience with Carnival. I actually forgot all about the OBC. I was able to get to my account on the ship and print my proof of ownership. I took it to guest services not expecting anything to come of it, and I certainly understand why. Well, to my surprise, they gave me $250 within 24 hours. Thank you, Carnival. I will never forget to apply again. I am ready to apply for my August cruise, but I think I need to wait a bit longer.

Wow; that’s fantastic!! I’ve never heard of them honoring the shareholder credit while on the ship. Great job thinking to ask Guest Services! And, yes, generally, you need to be within a couple months of your sail date for them to apply the credit, however, I’ve had them apply it up to 4 months in advance (when submitting it with other sailings that were closer).

When do we expect Carnival to announce if Shareholder benefits are to extended until 2024. I booked a cruise in March 2023 for trip beginning July 2023. As Feb28th is last date currently advertised for all cruises up to July 31st 2023, I am currently in Limbo.

Great news: we’ll be posting an article shortly that shares those details. Not to fear, you will be covered for your July cruise.

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Hi. We have cruises booked in Aug ‘23, Jan ‘24 and March ‘24. We are buying 100 shares of CCL as we feel it’s good value given the amount of cruises we take. All our cruises are with HAL. Who do we submit our stock certificate to? Carnival or Holland America?

Hey there! Thanks for the message and for checking out the post. Congrats on your decision to pick up 100 shares! For HAL, you’ll want to submit to [email protected] . We’ve never sailed Holland America Line ourselves, so you’ll have to let us know how the process goes! We hope that you have safe travels and enjoy all 3 sailings! -Mark

Hi there I’m looking at a 13 night cruise with P&O. Its actually 14 days on disembarking day, Will this quality for the higher OBC

Great question! If P&O refers to the cruise as a 14-day cruise, then it would qualify as the highest level OBC. Either way, you’ll be getting some awesome on-board spending money for your cruise!

Can anyone advise me of the P&O UK Shareholders email address – I have now purchased my shares and HL have my cruise info but I just want to double check as we sail in 32 days and I don’t want to miss out Thanks

Hello Kirsty. Sorry for not responding to you sooner. Here is the email address for P&O UK shareholders to claim your credits: [email protected] Hope you have an amazing cruise!

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Here's why investors should retain carnival (ccl) stock now.

Shares of Carnival Corporation & plc CCL have rallied 42.5% in the past year compared with the industry’s 11% growth. The uptrend can be attributed to improved booking trends, courtesy of solid demand and increased advertising activities. Also, focus on strategic investments and fleet expansion bode well. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s fiscal 2025 earnings per share (EPS) is pegged at $1.44, indicating 41.7% growth from the prior year’s reported levels. The earnings estimate for second-quarter fiscal 2024 suggests 96.8% growth from the year-ago reported figure. CCL delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.9%, on average.

However, the prospects of Carnival are hindered by increased operating costs and expenses.

Let us discuss why investors should retain the stock for the time being.

Key Growth Drivers

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Carnival gains from solid booking momentum. In the first fiscal quarter, the company announced strong bookings for its NAA and Europe segments, with booking levels notably higher than the previous year’s levels. Despite limited inventory, booking volumes reached unprecedented levels, courtesy of solid demand for future sailings (beyond 2025). The surge in demand led to increased prices and a longer booking window. The company reported a solid booked position for the remainder of the year, with pricing and occupancy significantly higher than 2023 levels. The company highlights concerted efforts to elevate consideration and stimulate widespread demand for cruise travel across diverse source markets. As a result, the company is attracting more new guests, complemented by a growing base of repeat customers, fostering heightened overall demand and sustainable revenue growth, thereby boosting the bottom line. The company's brands continue to progress the booking curve in alignment with its yield management strategy, prioritizing base load bookings to bolster long-term increases in pricing throughout the booking process. CCL’s strategic investment in advertising is yielding significant returns, stimulating demand across its portfolio with the launch of several new campaigns during the peak season. During the fiscal first quarter, the company reported increased web traffic and successful campaigns in key markets such as Alaska and Europe. In Europe, new marketing initiatives for major brands like AIDA, P&O Cruises and Costa have bolstered brand awareness and contributed to the overall strength of the European portfolio. The sight of their European brands flourishing across their core European deployments is particularly gratifying, serving as a testament to the robustness of the portfolio. Carnival focuses on fleet expansion to drive growth. The company is actively pursuing additional initiatives to sustain its momentum and tap into untapped revenue opportunities. Three new ships are in development, poised to generate heightened interest and demand for their respective brands. This includes Carnival Jubilee (Carnival Cruise Line's third Excel-class ship), Sun Princess and Queen Anne (a new flagship for Cunard). Also, the company emphasizes investments toward enhancing the existing fleet, such as the AIDA evolution program. The planned improvements aim to elevate the guest experience significantly, resulting in a substantial revenue boost across the brand while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact and enhancing the performance.

Carnival has been bearing the brunt of high expenses for quite some time. During the fiscal first quarter, operating costs and expenses increased 12% year over year to $3.7 billion. Several factors drove this uptick, including a 4.2% capacity rise in Available Lower Berth Days (ALBDs), elevated commissions, transportation costs and other expenses linked to higher ticket pricing and increased guest numbers. Additionally, higher onboard revenues led to a $43 million increase in onboard and other cost of sales, while repair and maintenance expenses, including dry-dock costs, rose by $30 million. Furthermore, a net unfavorable foreign currency translational impact and increased port expenses each contributed $25 million to the overall rise in expenses.

For second-quarter fiscal 2024, it expects adjusted cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD (in constant currency) to increase approximately 3% year over year. The increase includes an unfavorable impact of 1.3 percentage points attributed to lower ALBDs resulting from the Red Sea rerouting, as certain ships repositioned without guests.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Carnival currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector are as follows: Trip.com Group Limited TCOM sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). TCOM has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 53.1%, on average. Shares of TCOM have gained 33.2% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TCOM’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 18.2% and 8%, respectively, from the year-ago levels. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). RCL has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 26.4%, on average. Shares of RCL have surged 100.4% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RCL’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 14.7% and 47.9%, respectively, from the year-ago levels. Hyatt Hotels Corporation H carries a Zacks Rank #2 at present. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 17.8%, on average. Shares of H have rallied 31.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for H’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 3.5% and 27%, respectively, from the year-ago levels.

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Carnival Corporation (CCL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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Carnival's Options Frenzy: What You Need to Know

Whales with a lot of money to spend have taken a noticeably bullish stance on Carnival .

Looking at options history for Carnival CCL we detected 16 trades.

If we consider the specifics of each trade, it is accurate to state that 62% of the investors opened trades with bullish expectations and 37% with bearish.

From the overall spotted trades, 8 are puts, for a total amount of $469,193 and 8, calls, for a total amount of $711,617.

Projected Price Targets

After evaluating the trading volumes and Open Interest, it's evident that the major market movers are focusing on a price band between $10.0 and $25.0 for Carnival, spanning the last three months.

Volume & Open Interest Trends

In today's trading context, the average open interest for options of Carnival stands at 16368.77, with a total volume reaching 7,463.00. The accompanying chart delineates the progression of both call and put option volume and open interest for high-value trades in Carnival, situated within the strike price corridor from $10.0 to $25.0, throughout the last 30 days.

Carnival 30-Day Option Volume & Interest Snapshot

Significant Options Trades Detected:

About carnival.

Carnival is the largest global cruise company, with 92 ships in service at the end of fiscal 2023. Its portfolio of brands includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Princess Cruises, and Seabourn in North America; P&O Cruises and Cunard Line in the United Kingdom; Aida in Germany; Costa Cruises in Southern Europe; and P&O Cruises in Australia. Carnival also owns Holland America Princess Alaska Tours in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Carnival's brands attracted nearly 13 million guests in 2019, prior to covid-19, a level it reached again in 2023.

After a thorough review of the options trading surrounding Carnival, we move to examine the company in more detail. This includes an assessment of its current market status and performance.

Where Is Carnival Standing Right Now?

• Currently trading with a volume of 10,034,476, the CCL's price is up by 1.51%, now at $14.11.
• RSI readings suggest the stock is currently may be oversold.
• Anticipated earnings release is in 68 days.

Expert Opinions on Carnival

In the last month, 5 experts released ratings on this stock with an average target price of $23.0.

• An analyst from Barclays has decided to maintain their Overweight rating on Carnival, which currently sits at a price target of $25.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Stifel keeps a Buy rating on Carnival with a target price of $25.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from Argus Research continues to hold a Buy rating for Carnival, targeting a price of $20.
• Maintaining their stance, an analyst from JP Morgan continues to hold a Overweight rating for Carnival, targeting a price of $23.
• Consistent in their evaluation, an analyst from Susquehanna keeps a Positive rating on Carnival with a target price of $22.

Options are a riskier asset compared to just trading the stock, but they have higher profit potential. Serious options traders manage this risk by educating themselves daily, scaling in and out of trades, following more than one indicator, and following the markets closely.

If you want to stay updated on the latest options trades for Carnival, Benzinga Pro gives you real-time options trades alerts.

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Here's Why Investors Should Retain Carnival (CCL) Stock Now

S hares of Carnival Corporation & plc CCL have rallied 42.5% in the past year compared with the industry’s 11% growth. The uptrend can be attributed to improved booking trends, courtesy of solid demand and increased advertising activities. Also, focus on strategic investments and fleet expansion bode well.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s fiscal 2025 earnings per share (EPS) is pegged at $1.44, indicating 41.7% growth from the prior year’s reported levels. The earnings estimate for second-quarter fiscal 2024 suggests 96.8% growth from the year-ago reported figure. CCL delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.9%, on average.

However, the prospects of Carnival are hindered by increased operating costs and expenses.

Let us discuss why investors should retain the stock for the time being.

Key Growth Drivers

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Carnival gains from solid booking momentum. In the first fiscal quarter, the company announced strong bookings for its NAA and Europe segments, with booking levels notably higher than the previous year’s levels. Despite limited inventory, booking volumes reached unprecedented levels, courtesy of solid demand for future sailings (beyond 2025). The surge in demand led to increased prices and a longer booking window. The company reported a solid booked position for the remainder of the year, with pricing and occupancy significantly higher than 2023 levels.

The company highlights concerted efforts to elevate consideration and stimulate widespread demand for cruise travel across diverse source markets. As a result, the company is attracting more new guests, complemented by a growing base of repeat customers, fostering heightened overall demand and sustainable revenue growth, thereby boosting the bottom line. The company's brands continue to progress the booking curve in alignment with its yield management strategy, prioritizing base load bookings to bolster long-term increases in pricing throughout the booking process.

CCL’s strategic investment in advertising is yielding significant returns, stimulating demand across its portfolio with the launch of several new campaigns during the peak season. During the fiscal first quarter, the company reported increased web traffic and successful campaigns in key markets such as Alaska and Europe. In Europe, new marketing initiatives for major brands like AIDA, P&O Cruises and Costa have bolstered brand awareness and contributed to the overall strength of the European portfolio. The sight of their European brands flourishing across their core European deployments is particularly gratifying, serving as a testament to the robustness of the portfolio.

Carnival focuses on fleet expansion to drive growth. The company is actively pursuing additional initiatives to sustain its momentum and tap into untapped revenue opportunities. Three new ships are in development, poised to generate heightened interest and demand for their respective brands. This includes Carnival Jubilee (Carnival Cruise Line's third Excel-class ship), Sun Princess and Queen Anne (a new flagship for Cunard).

Also, the company emphasizes investments toward enhancing the existing fleet, such as the AIDA evolution program. The planned improvements aim to elevate the guest experience significantly, resulting in a substantial revenue boost across the brand while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact and enhancing the performance.

Carnival has been bearing the brunt of high expenses for quite some time. During the fiscal first quarter, operating costs and expenses increased 12% year over year to $3.7 billion. Several factors drove this uptick, including a 4.2% capacity rise in Available Lower Berth Days (ALBDs), elevated commissions, transportation costs and other expenses linked to higher ticket pricing and increased guest numbers. Additionally, higher onboard revenues led to a $43 million increase in onboard and other cost of sales, while repair and maintenance expenses, including dry-dock costs, rose by $30 million. Furthermore, a net unfavorable foreign currency translational impact and increased port expenses each contributed $25 million to the overall rise in expenses.

For second-quarter fiscal 2024, it expects adjusted cruise costs excluding fuel per ALBD (in constant currency) to increase approximately 3% year over year. The increase includes an unfavorable impact of 1.3 percentage points attributed to lower ALBDs resulting from the Red Sea rerouting, as certain ships repositioned without guests.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Carnival currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector are as follows:

Trip.com Group Limited TCOM sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). TCOM has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 53.1%, on average. Shares of TCOM have gained 33.2% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TCOM’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 18.2% and 8%, respectively, from the year-ago levels.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). RCL has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 26.4%, on average. Shares of RCL have surged 100.4% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RCL’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 14.7% and 47.9%, respectively, from the year-ago levels.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation H carries a Zacks Rank #2 at present. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 17.8%, on average. Shares of H have rallied 31.8% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for H’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates a rise of 3.5% and 27%, respectively, from the year-ago levels.

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.