The Gift that Keeps on Giving

 

 I was shocked and thrilled when I learned a few years ago about Norwegian's Shareholder Benefits program. This is not something that is widely advertised, so just in case you hadn't heard about it either, I thought I ought to let you know! 

 The way this program works is that if you hold at least 100 shares of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) stock, you can apply for an onboard credit for every cruise you take with Norwegian, Oceania or Regent cruise lines. Don't own 100 shares of NCL? If you cruise with them regularly, maybe you should! In March of 2020, I made my first stock purchase recommendation to my husband. I had read several articles that really resonated with me regarding how solid NCL was in their savings and assets and predicted that they would be the most likely cruise line to weather the Covid storm. We jumped in and were fortunate to be able to purchase stock at $11.11 per share. I was simply investing in a company that I appreciated and had good hopes for the future on, but little did I know that investment would turn around to bless me so much! 

My first cruise on the Norwegian Pearl in 2010

 In 2022, I learned about the shareholder benefits program and began to take advantage of it. With this program, you can submit a form to an email address for each cruise you take with Norwegian, Oceania or Regent and you will receive onboard credit in the following amounts:

• $250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 15 Days or More.
• $100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 7 to 14 Days.
• $50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 Days or Less.

 To date, we have received $850 in onboard credit through this program! That almost pays for the initial investment in 100 shares of stock (at $11.11 a share that would have been $1,111) and we still have the stock, which has continued to increase in value. It's not back up to its pre-Covid prices, but it has gone as high as $32.12 and recently reached $28.35. So, I still have my investment, and I continue to receive dividends in the form of onboard credit. It works for me!

 If you, too, have NCL stock - or you run out and purchase some real quick - you can visit this website and click on the appropriate link at the bottom for the cruise line you are requesting credit for. This has to be done for each cruise you go on. You fill out the form and then attach it and a copy of your shareholder proxy card or a current brokerage statement showing proof of ownership of at least 100 shares of NCLH Ltd. You'll want to make sure to black out the brokerage account number and any other sensitive, personally identifying information. What you submit just has to have the name of the primary person on the reservation on it and show that you own at least 100 shares of NCLH Ltd. I know because at first our brokerage account only had my husband's name on it and so when I went on a cruise by myself last fall, they wouldn't accept it. Since then, we've added my name to the brokerage account and I'm happy to say it went through just fine for my January solo cruise.

 You don't cruise on NCL? You prefer a different company ?!?! (She says aghast!) Just kidding. Everyone has different preferences, and if a different cruise line, like Carnival, works better for your family I have good news for you. They have an incredibly similar program! At this point their website only lists it as valid for sailings prior to December 31st, 2025, but I can only imagine that they renew that each year. Their onboard credit offering per sailing length, at least for their North American products, is exactly the same as NCL. This applies to all of their brands including: Princess, Holland America, Seabourn and Cunard. Royal Caribbean offers the same benefits for their cruises as well as Celebrity and Silversea Cruises which are part of their brand. They'll even give you $1,000 onboard credit for a world cruise, but you don't get credit for the Galapagos cruises (that's probably because everything is already included and there's nothing to buy onboard!). The only cruise line I could find that doesn't offer this benefit is MSC. Turns out, MSC is still privately owned, not publicly traded on the stock market. It is owned by the Aponte family whose members primarily live in Italy and Switzerland. MSC is a giant shipping company with more than 400 ships, only a few of which are cruise ships. Bummer too because I'm sailing with them in September and I would have been interested in investing!

Here's the Thing: Not everyone is in a position to buy 100 shares of stock in a company, but if you are, and you believe in the company (I wouldn't have sailed with them going on 13 times if I didn't!), then perhaps you should consider it. Today, NCL is trading at $18.60 (this was written on Monday, 6/23), but in the last year it has gone as high as $29.29 and as low as $14.21. If you can get in on it when it's on the low end, it might* pay off in the long run! 

*I am NOT a financial advisor of any kind and I'm only offering my own experience. What you do with it is up to you!