Do you agree with the 'Military rate' offered?

Is hard to call cruise corporations "US based" when they are foreign flagged and not beholden to US tax law or employment regulations.

The military rate should be offered to those who have served in the military and can prove it. I doubt that a member of ISIS will be booking a spa cabin with a Cheers package. But the rate should be available to anyone from any country who has served in that military and has proof.

Rates based on home state, military service, teaching careers, kids sailing free- there is nothing wrong with this practice.

But the bottom line seems to be that every line does not offer this on every cruise and frequently there's some kind of deal or promotion whereby the price is less then what the military discount would have been off of the original fare.

Is hard to call cruise corporations "US based" when they are foreign flagged and not beholden to US tax law or employment regulations.

 

The military rate should be offered to those who have served in the military and can prove it. I doubt that a member of ISIS will be booking a spa cabin with a Cheers package. But the rate should be available to anyone from any country who has served in that military and has proof.

 

Rates based on home state, military service, teaching careers, kids sailing free- there is nothing wrong with this practice.

If their ports of embarkation are largely in the US, their corporate headquarters are in the US, if their customer base is largely US, and if their stockholders are largely US --- it really is not that hard to call them "US based". They are simply cunning enough to get around US tax, labor and shipping laws.

Do you believe that because of one's age they should be given a discount? (senior discount, kids promos)

Do you believe that because of one's residency they should be given a discount? (resident rates)

Do you believe that because of one's profession they should be given a discount? (military, inter-line, teacher, etc.)

The list can and does go on.

What does it matter what you (we) believe? The corporation/business is its own entity who can offer whatever gimmick or discount it sees fit to boost its profit margin. If a business - lets say "lemonade R us" wanted to give a discount to all Ford drivers for purchasing a glass of their beverage, is that something a Chevy driver should pursue as not being fair?

Just like this example above, this whole conversation of this thread is just as ridiculous IMO. The cruise lines ARE NOT being discriminatory - they are merely marketing. Someday maybe Hallmark will make my profession a "holiday" too - then my friends and co-workers can purchase their cards and give to me. Hallmark makes a buck and I get "celebrated". Woo Hoo or Boo Hoo?

Do you believe that because of one's age they should be given a discount? (senior discount, kids promos)

 

Do you believe that because of one's residency they should be given a discount? (resident rates)

 

Do you believe that because of one's profession they should be given a discount? (military, inter-line, teacher, etc.)

 

The list can and does go on.

 

What does it matter what you (we) believe? The corporation/business is its own entity who can offer whatever gimmick or discount it sees fit to boost its profit margin. If a business - lets say "lemonade R us" wanted to give a discount to all Ford drivers for purchasing a glass of their beverage, is that something a Chevy driver should pursue as not being fair?

 

Just like this example above, this whole conversation of this thread is just as ridiculous IMO. The cruise lines ARE NOT being discriminatory - they are merely marketing. Someday maybe Hallmark will make my profession a "holiday" too - then my friends and co-workers can purchase their cards and give to me. Hallmark makes a buck and I get "celebrated". Woo Hoo or Boo Hoo?

Well said - of course, my then four year old daughter captured the core of the idea back in 1974 when, after noticing Mothers' Day in May and Fathers' Day in June, asked when Childrens' Day came.

It should be good for all military's

even Al-Qaeda?

How about the SS?

How do they prove it? Is it in the language the cruise line accepts?

BTW to the original poster' date=' if the person has already booked for full price and wants to see if something can be done, write a letter to the cruise line especially if they served in the gulf war or similar with United Nations forces...

not saying they will do something but it never hurts to ask, all they can do is say no.

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I But the rate should be available to anyone from any country who has served in that military and has proof.

 

Obviously, you have never seen ID from various foreign country's military. I can guarantee you that with a good copy machine, a good scanner and new pictures, I could make 25 different military ID's for Afghanistan military members in about an hour.

The US FORCED the Iraq military to adopt basically the US form of CAC (Common Access) because there were too many US military and military contractors who were guarding checkpoints complaining about the many, many types of Iraqi military ID they were seeing. What was real and what was fake??? Someone from Tikrit had one kind, Mosul another and those associated with the Peshmerga, a totally different kind (BUT THEY WERE LEGIT and GOOD ID).

Nothing like that has happened in Afghanistan since General Petraeus left. It again became a total mish mash AND now we have Afghanistan military with some kind of ID entering US bases and killing Americans.

So how are you going to prove that 10 people who were in the Sri Lankan army were REALLY in the Sri Lankan army? I actually have an x-employee who is from Sri Lanka, spent 18 years in their military, left as a Lt. Colonel and he spent well over a year just proving that his paperwork was legit just to be able to pass the citizenship requirements. He had had a US green card for almost 9 years. He had to fly to Sri Lanka twice in that year to bring back MORE paperwork other than what he already had in his possession.

BAD IDEA to let anyone who possesses some kind of military paperwork from "non known" military's get a military discount. I can see it now-25 Afghani soldiers want the discount for a cruise out of Asia and get it. BOOM!!!!

Seems to me that specials and discounts are given by countries or companies only to encourage more patronage.

For example, we sometimes get a "senior" discount for hotels, entertainment or attractions in different countries around the world. Sometimes not. Then there's AAA, AARP, etc., etc.

I liken the military discount (or obc) to a similar situation. Just trying to encourage more passengers from the countries they expect most passengers will come from.

Princess has been great to recognize military veterans in several allied countries and when you add in the military obc when comparing cruises it has helped make our final decision several times on which cruise to take.

It does not impact me. I am not a veteran nor do I own a cruise line. Not my business really. Discounts are always good. Not harming people....someone can only win by having a reduced fare.

If their ports of embarkation are largely in the US, their corporate headquarters are in the US, if their customer base is largely US, and if their stockholders are largely US --- it really is not that hard to call them "US based". They are simply cunning enough to get around US tax, labor and shipping laws.

Yes, ^^ that.

If one doesn't like the laws that permit foreign flagging of vessels, one should make their wishes known to their Senators and Congressmen and women. Complain to those who enact and change the laws.