Carnival Stocks

Good Friday morning!

Having a bond pay out on Monday and thinking about investing in stocks. I've seen previous posts about benefits of being a Carnival stock holder. Can anyone share what they know about those benefits, if any?
Thanks to all who reply. Edited July 29, 2016 by junglecat

[quote name='junglecat']Good Friday morning!

Having a bond pay out on Monday and thinking about investing in stocks. I've seen previous posts about benefits of being a Carnival stock holder. Can anyone share what they know about those benefits, if any?
Thanks to all who reply.[/QUOTE]
Holding minimum of 100 shares of CCL stock allows you to request onboard credit each time you cruise. The amount of credit depends on the length of the cruise. Details are here:

[url]http://www.carnivalcorp.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit[/url]

CCL also pays a quarterly dividend.

I think it's just $100 OBC, per 7-8 day cruises, more if longer, less if shorter. Minimum 100 shares ownership.

Not sure what else, like upgrades share ownership will get you.

But if you cruise a lot and that amount is important by all means buy some with your bond proceeds. But don't spend the whole enchilada on CCL. It's off it's recent lows and still above the 5 year up trend line but technical point to more probability of a down side than a break out to new highs. Timing is wrought with risk so if CCL fits what you need and the benefits are attractive to you go ahead and buy.

The OBC is nice, but certainly not a reason to buy $4600 in stock. I have positions in CCL/RCL and am happy with both, but probably wouldnt be throwing a ton of additional money in there. Anything is better than bonds though. I will say, travel stocks in general and cruises in particular take a beating during equities dips, and you can usually gobble them up at favorable prices.

There are no other benefits other than those listed. Of course, it's for all the cruiselines under the CCL company, not just Carnival. I got my only $200 OBC on my one HAL cruise.

I was lucky with my timing. I bought 50 shares at $28 because I didn't have the cash in my Roth IRA. By the time I had enough, it had dropped to just about it's low of $18. Of course, at that time (early 2009?), they had suspended dividends, too.

I've gotten lots of OBC since then ($1,500 with another $50 & $100 upcoming), shares have appreciated, and divs have been reinstated, so it's been a nice purchase for me. I also bought 100 shares of RCI a while back just because I thought it would be a good investment, not for any onboard benefits.

I do like how most of Carnival's "longer" cruises are now at 13 nights, so they only give $100 OBC. If one more night, it would be $200 OBC. :p

Still, I'll take what they give me and say Thanks!

As others have noted, the stock needs to fit into your overall investment plan. I'd never purchase at today's price "just" for an OBC now and then.

[SIZE=2]You don't invest in Carnival stock just for the OBC.
You invest in it because it is considered a good dividend paying stock.
An article just came out listing some good dividend paying stocks to buy and CCL was on that list.
[/SIZE]

[quote name='elcuchio24']The OBC is nice, but certainly not a reason to buy $4600 in stock. I have positions in CCL/RCL and am happy with both, but probably wouldnt be throwing a ton of additional money in there. Anything is better than bonds though. I will say, travel stocks in general and cruises in particular take a beating during equities dips, and you can usually gobble them up at favorable prices.[/QUOTE]

I've been waiting for a 40% market correction for years now... It never seems to happen.

We have already received $600 in OBC and $300 in dividends since we bought our stock plus it has increased in value $15 a share.

If you cruise say once a year think it is not worth buying just for the obc.

It is an investment and can go up or down.

Recent investment reviews all said BUY or Hold and not SELL. But ultimately, it's your decision.

[quote name='junglecat']Good Friday morning!

Having a bond pay out on Monday and thinking about investing in stocks. I've seen previous posts about benefits of being a Carnival stock holder. Can anyone share what they know about those benefits, if any?
Thanks to all who reply.[/QUOTE]

Previous comments have provided information regarding the OBC available to shareholders however that is all Carnival provides; it plays no stated factor in upgrades. From an investment standpoint, the regular Carnival dividend is about 2.6% ($ 0.35 per quarter based on an approximate $46 stock price) not a bad dividend compared to present investment grade bond payouts. Keep in mind, this stock will take a big hit when there is trouble in the world (as do all travel stocks take an immediate hit) so if immediate capital preservation is important, maybe this in not the investment for you.

The OBC is nice, I like to consider it a special $1 per share dividend that is non-taxable when I cruise, but as an investment, I would not consider the OBC as a sole determinant to invest, look at it as nice extra.