Interesting info about carnival corp

[Neilius]

I thought you might be interested in some corporate info about Carnval Corp - the company that owns P&O, Princess, Cunard, Costa, etc:

1. Here's some info about their company performance. It gives you an idea of how much money they make per berth, and what their profit margins are:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1089200&highlight=

2. Some info about their shareholder benefit scheme. I.e. what you get if you book a cruise and you're a shareholder:
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit

It may not sound like much, but if you cruise a couple of times per year, the extra on-board credits make owning the shares a bit more attractive.

NOTE: I'm not recommending buying their shares. I just think as people who are interested in cruising, it is useful to know a few facts about the company we cruise with.

[bobsydney]

That's really interesting Neil and made me have a look at what Carnival shares are selling for ... just over $44.

What that means is you need to spend $4,400+ to get $100 shipboard credit (on a typical 7-13 day cruise) on every one you take. I think I'll spend the $4,400 on a cruise!

Cheers
Bob

[SeaDog-46]

Thanks Neil - very interesting.

With bunker fuel at US$433 per tonne & up 37% in past year - the question is :

1/ How long before Australia gets fuel surcharge.

2/ When PEAK OIL really hits the bunker price - how many years of cheap cruising are there left??

If you want to cruise & travel - do it now - because it is Never going to be cheaper.

John

[arxcards]

Thanks Neil - very interesting.

With bunker fuel at US$433 per tonne & up 37% in past year - the question is :

1/ How long before Australia gets fuel surcharge.

2/ When PEAK OIL really hits the bunker price - how many years of cheap cruising are there left??

If you want to cruise & travel - do it now - because it is Never going to be cheaper.

John

Not for a while John.
The US price for bunkering has gone up 37%, but this is mainly because their dollar has devalued by 30% in the same time. (ie, the $AU price has only changed marginally)

P&O has sent me a confirmation that the Australian market will not have a fuel surcharge added in the foreseeable future.
Cheers
Geoff

[Neilius]

That's really interesting Neil and made me have a look at what Carnival shares are selling for ... just over $44.

What that means is you need to spend $4,400+ to get $100 shipboard credit (on a typical 7-13 day cruise) on every one you take. I think I'll spend the $4,400 on a cruise!

Cheers
Bob
Bob, I don't think that's the point :)

Many people are looking for different ways to invest, rather than just putting it in a term deposit, buying an investment property, or putting it through the pokies.

The CCL shares earned a dividend of $2 per share last year. So your $4,400 investment would have netted you $200 in dividends, plus $100 to $200 in SBC depending on where you cruised. And that $200 is tax free since it's a credit on what you'd normally spend on a cruise (grog, tips, cocktails, etc).

So on a small parcel of CCL shares, if you're going to be cruising anyway, you effectively double your return, plus there's the long term prospect of growth in the value of the shares themselves.

Like I said earlier, please don't construe any of this as a recommendation, or investment advice.

But it's handy to know that owning shares in some companies has other benefits besides just the divdends and growth.

[Tigerman00]

It does also state to get the on board credit you cannot have any other deal included, we all know that the way P & O market here they always say that you are getting 50% off, which means you would not get the credit.
Still all very interesting reading. Maybe with the new builds coming on line the rumour about the Sun going may be not to far from the truth.