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The perk almost nobody claims
Own 100 shares in the company whose ship you are sailing on, and all three major cruise groups will put onboard credit in your account. It is published, it is current, and hardly anyone does it.
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Royal Caribbean Group, Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings each give onboard credit to shareholders who own at least 100 shares at the time of sailing. Credit ranges from $50 for short cruises to $250 for long ones, and $1,000 on a Royal Caribbean world cruise. All three benefits are currently published and live.
This is the most underused benefit in cruising. Every one of the three big cruise groups publishes a shareholder onboard credit, the threshold is the same modest number of shares at all three, and the credit repeats on every qualifying sailing.
All three are live and published as of today. None is discontinued, though Carnival's has an end date attached.
What each one pays
| Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) 100 shares |
World cruise $1,000 · 14+ nights $250 · 6–13 nights $100 · 5 nights or less $50 Covers Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity and Silversea. |
|---|---|
| Carnival Corporation (CCL) 100 shares |
14+ days $250 · 7–13 days $100 · 6 days or less $50 Covers Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Seabourn and Cunard, plus Costa, AIDA and P&O in other markets. |
| Norwegian (NCLH) 100 shares |
15+ days $250 · 7–14 days $100 · 6 days or less $50 Covers Norwegian, Oceania and Regent Seven Seas. |
Credit is per stateroom, one per sailing. If you sail two or three times a year, as a lot of comp players do, that is a few hundred dollars a year for holding shares you were free to sell at any time.
How you claim, and the deadlines differ
| Royal Caribbean Group | Electronic request form on their investor site. You provide your name, address, booking confirmation number, ship, sail date and proof of share ownership. Their PDF says three weeks before sailing; their FAQ says "approximately 2-3 weeks." Contact [email protected]. |
|---|---|
| Carnival | Through the Stockperks app — download it, create a profile, validate your portfolio, submit a claim per booking, at least three weeks before departure. No email or fax route is published any more. |
| Norwegian | Shareholder Benefit Request form, with a copy of your proxy card or a current brokerage statement showing at least 100 shares, account number redacted. Deadline is the shortest of the three: at least fifteen days before sailing. |
The exclusions, which are similar across all three
- Not for discounted travel. All three exclude employees, travel agent rates, interline rates, tour conductors and anyone sailing complimentary or reduced-rate.
- Not for charters. Royal Caribbean also excludes Celebrity River Cruises and Galapagos sailings.
- Not cash. Carnival publishes that it "cannot be exchanged for cash and cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities."
- Use it or lose it. Royal Caribbean publishes that unused credit is forfeited after the final night, except on world cruises where it may be refunded. It also cannot cover onboard service charges or pre-purchased activities.
- One per stateroom. Norwegian requires 100 shares per stateroom if you are claiming on more than one.
Being straight with you about what this is
This is a shareholder perk, not an investment case, and I am not licensed to give you one. Buying shares in a cruise company means taking on the risk of owning shares in a cruise company, and those shares can fall by considerably more than $100 of onboard credit. Anybody telling you to buy a stock for the perk has the logic backwards.
What is fair to say is this: if you already hold these shares, or you were going to hold them anyway, claiming the credit is free money you are currently leaving on the table. Carnival's expires with sailings through 31 December 2026, so there is a clock on that one.
Questions I get asked
Do I have to hold the shares for a minimum time?
All three publish the requirement as holding at least 100 shares at the time of sailing. No minimum holding period is published.
Can my travel agent claim it for me?
The forms ask for proof of your ownership. It is your claim to make.
Does it work with a casino comp offer?
Norwegian publishes that it does not combine with other offers. Royal Caribbean and Carnival do not publish an answer, so ask when you claim.
Can I claim for two cabins?
Norwegian publishes one credit per stateroom and requires 100 shares per stateroom. The others publish one credit per shareholder per sailing.
Is it worth buying shares just for this?
No, and I would be careful of anyone who says otherwise. Shares go down as well as up. This is a perk for people who already hold them.
This is information about a published shareholder benefit, not investment advice. We are not licensed financial advisers. Share prices fluctuate and you may get back less than you invested. Confirm current benefit terms directly with each company before relying on them.
Where these facts come from
- Royal Caribbean Group investors, shareholder benefit FAQ
- Royal Caribbean Group, shareholder benefit offer (PDF)
- Carnival Corporation, shareholder benefit
- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, shareholder benefits
- Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, shareholder benefit FAQs
- Norwegian Cruise Line, shareholder benefits FAQ
Ports change their rules and their prices. Check the official pages above before you sail.
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