Princess Secrets they Don't Tell You - 2013 version

[operabob1]

Not sure we should be turning this in to a stock board. If you plan on cruising a lot and can wait for recovery then this "might" be a good time to buy for OBC but as you can see the recent bad news has affected CCL's bottom line and it looks like the other lines are stealing market share.

 

 

UPDATE 2-Cruise operator Carnival warns of possible loss, shares sink

 

Tue Sep 24, 2013 1:00pm EDT

 

* Third-quarter adj. earnings/share $1.38 vs est $1.30

* Sales $4.73 bln vs est $4.65 bln

* Expects fourth-quarter net yields to fall 3 to 4 pct

* Shares down as much as 8 pct in morning trading

By Siddharth Cavale

Sept 24 (Reuters) - Carnival Corp warned it could report an adjusted loss for the current quarter, after posting a 30 percent fall in third-quarter profit due to a series of headline-grabbing mishaps on its cruise ships.

Shares of the world's largest cruise operator fell as much as 8 percent in morning trading.

The company, which operates the Carnival, Holland America and Costa cruise lines, said it expects adjusted per-share results for the current quarter to be in the range of a loss of 3 cents to a profit of 3 cents. Analysts on average were expecting earnings of 9 cents per share.

Carnival also said it expects fourth-quarter net revenue yields, which blend ticket sales and money spent onboard, to fall 3 to 4 percent on a constant currency basis.

Morningstar analyst Jamie Katz called the outlook disappointing and said investors were expecting the company to lap comparable year-over-year numbers after two really weak booking seasons.

"What the commentary indicates to us is that that's not the case," the analyst said.

Katz said the company may be losing share to competitors such as Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, or customers may be looking for better deals.

A spate of mishaps on the company's cruise ships that started in spring has dented demand for Carnival's vacation cruises and slashed revenue per cabin.

In March, the company cut short a Caribbean cruise after an engine problem idled its Carnival Dream ship in St. Maarten. A month earlier, its Carnival Triumph was adrift for days in the Gulf of Mexico following an engine fire, and passengers described an overpowering stench as toilets overflowed.

Net ticket yields fell 4.6 percent in the third quarter while yields from onboard entertainment fell about 1 percent, Chief Financial Officer David Bernstein said on a post-earnings conference call. Net revenue yields, a blend of the two, was down 3.8 percent on a constant currency basis.

Excluding Carnival fleet, cumulative occupancies for the fourth quarter are lower despite prices being kept at last year's levels, Chief Operating Officer Howard Frank said.

"Carnival Cruise Lines occupancy for the fourth quarter are lower at lower prices," he added. The company's Carnival cruise lines represent about 30 percent of the company's fleet of over 100 ships.

Carnival Corp reported net income of $934 million, or $1.20 per share, for the quarter ended Aug. 31, down from $1.33 billion, or $1.71 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding one-time items, the company earned $1.38 per share and topped analysts' expectations by 8 cents, helped by lower non-fuel cruise costs and the timing of advertising expenses.

Revenue rose marginally to $4.73 billion and beat Wall Street's expectations of $4.65 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Carnival's shares were trading at $34.86, down 6.8 percent, in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.

 

 

 

 

[doris1930]

Why am I getting 7 copies of the same posts???:confused:

[gioia73]

I went and looked it up, as we are going to have $675 in on board credit, and while I doubt I will have a hard time spending it, I'm currently not drinking, so unless I spa it up, its going to be up to the DH to drink his way through it.

 

The bullets below are from the form you have to submit with your proof of ownership.

 

• This offer is good for only one cabin occupied by the shareholder. Only one benefit OBC can be applied to a cabin, even if there are multiple shareholders in the cabin.

• This offer can only be applied to bookings under deposit.

• This offer cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities.

• This offer is combinable with most cruise fares. Some restrictions apply.

• This offer is combinable with most onboard credit offers.

• This offer is non-transferable.

 

 

• Applications to receive this benefit must be made no later than 14 days prior to the cruise departure date.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also from the Carnival Website Shareholder Benefits page - This benefit is not transferable and cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account.

 

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit

 

So looks like she steared me wrong on the get it out of the casino, but she was correct that it cannot be used for gratuities.

 

By the way, she wasn't trying to give investment advice, the question was posed by another person, "If you bought the stock for the OBC for our 15 day cruise, do you really get $250 OBC and could you sell it when you got back?" She answered the questions asked of her.

 

This is a new form for 2013, so this may be new info that wasn't part of the old form you are used to.

 

All that being said, when I first saw her email, my first thought was how are they going to keep track of that??????

 

675.00 onboard credit- I think I know whom you booked with... you know some agencies now reduce the fare and give minimal obc.. that's what I did..:D............................

[Cruisin Oma]

675.00 onboard credit- I think I know whom you booked with... you know some agencies now reduce the fare and give minimal obc.. that's what I did..:D............................

 

Not sure I understand what you were trying to say? I'm booked with a private TA, she gave me $75. Princess gave us $100 for booking during the Red, White and Blue sale in July, my DH gets $250 vet OBC, and I get $250 shareholder OBC. I know folks cruising with us that are only getting the $175 OBC. It has nothing really to do with the TA, except her answering the questions we posed regarding shareholders benefit.

 

The TA did give us a nice discount off the rates we would have gotten from Princess. But $600 of our OBC is from Princess.

Edited September 28, 2013 by Cruisin Oma

[myjillian]

The real key to getting mucho OBC's is get your future cruse deposits while onboard your cruise. They can also be bought within 30 days after you disembark. Just call princess or your TA and told them " you forgot" Next when doing a longer cruise do a b2b. Now if your eligable for the military they will also be given b2b. With your stock that is also a b2b dividend:p So lets see...on our 33 day TA our onboard credit totaled well over $1300 and our refrig was stocked twice ;) we didn't have to change rooms and the TA part of the b2b reduced bigtime while the 33 day ( as one booking) didn't. The neat part is Princess just lumps all the obc together if you ask..that way you have monies for the tours because you don't really need all that money while at sea for 6 or more days. Unless, of course you drink or gamble , which we don't:cool: on our upcoming April TA we have $750 obc and it was just by booking the summer sale we didn't have anymore future cruise credits to use. We had the 3 for free promotion.

Edited September 28, 2013 by myjillian

[OCruisers]

Think before placing your Room Service order. ;)

 

We seldom use room service but for various reasons were hungry.

For the two of us were ordered three sandwiches. When ask if we wanted fries, DH told them yes.

:eek: Mistake! He should have told them One With ... the other two WITHOUT!

They sent three BIG platters of fries ... enough to feed a room full of hungry teens! Our cabin smelled like French Fries for days! :D

 

LuLu

~~~~

[lamchops]

Is it worth to purchase the 100share just to get the credit? And how does one go about it, like where do you get them. I have never noticed any info about them on the Princess website nor did our TA ever mentioned the option.

 

The amount depends on the length of the cruise:

1-6 days = $50

7-13 = $100

14 or more = $250

 

I was lucky enough to buy my shares a few years back. I recieved $250obc for last years TA and $100obc for my cruise today.:D

 

The stock price is near it's 52 week low so it may be a good time to buy.

 

I have known people to buy the stock, send the info in for obc, and sell the stock all in the same week. This is only worth the hassle on a 14 day cruise. Unless the stock drops $2.00+ in a week, you'll be ahead. There's alway the possibility of the stock going up as well.:)

[operabob1]

They sent three BIG platters of fries ... enough to feed a room full of hungry teens! Our cabin smelled like French Fries for days! :D

 

Can't remember which line but on Captain's night we had a brand new officer (first cruise) sitting at our table.

 

As a joke I started kidding him about how great the food was but that I was starved for potato chips and I was sure they had them in the crew quarters.

 

As we exited the young officer came over and pigeon-holed me by the door for several moments. I thought it odd.

 

When we opened the door to our cabin on the bed was a giant platter about a foot deep in potato chips.

 

Great fun!

 

We went out of our way to write a good report on him at the end of the cruise.

[azippy]

Think before placing your Room Service order. ;)

 

We seldom use room service but for various reasons were hungry.

For the two of us were ordered three sandwiches. When ask if we wanted fries, DH told them yes.

:eek: Mistake! He should have told them One With ... the other two WITHOUT!

They sent three BIG platters of fries ... enough to feed a room full of hungry teens! Our cabin smelled like French Fries for days! :D

 

LuLu

~~~~

 

We were cruising with a friend who was celebrating 5 yrs cancer free -- she ordered room service for 6 people -- I think it was (what ever the max was) -- she then took smaller plates from the buffet line and re arranged it all into a party platters -- for free -- she did the work with out the "catering fees" !!

We had a fun party !!!!

[azippy]

Not sure we should be turning this in to a stock board. If you plan on cruising a lot and can wait for recovery then this "might" be a good time to buy for OBC but as you can see the recent bad news has affected CCL's bottom line and it looks like the other lines are stealing market share.

 

 

 

Do not jump on the RCI bandwagon -- their stock OBC is not combineable with other room credits -- been there done that -- no more future cruise credits for me ... oh yes -- they would hold on to the future credit and use the stock - but the # of days at sea did't make a difference --

 

We have made more of a profit on the CCL stock (and RCI) then we were earning on the money in any other vehicle - it is stock -- it goes up --it goes down -- you are not in to to make your first million by the end of the year !!!

 

What ever you purchase - it pays to be a smart consumer -- do you buy a TV because some stranger tells you it is a deal -- ??? I am surprised when I read some of these posts -- kudos to those who are trying to educate the masses!

[likestorelax]

My secrets aren't exactly secrets but tips for having a great cruise.

1. Be a joiner. Our best cruise was when we participated in events-dancing, trivia, game shows. We are pretty shy people but had the time of our lives.

2. Take advantage of the ship in off times. We had late dinner so we would go to the pool early evening when most people were dressing for early seating. If you aren't interested in a port of call, stay on the ship-it is empty and all yours for the enjoyment.

3. Arrive early to shows to make sure you get a seat.

4. Pizza is awesome, have some every day.

5. Don't overpack. You can get two to three wears out of nice clothes in the evening. Self serve laundry on each floor for anything that gets dirty. 6. Bring two bathing suits so you never have to put on a cold wet suit.

7. Day of embarkation, tour the ship. Start from top to bottom. It is terrible to realize you didn't know about a great feature of the ship until the end of the cruise.

8. Go with the flow, relax, have fun. No vacation is perfect but any vacation is better then no vacation at all.

See ya on the Emerald in Dec

[chamima]

My secrets aren't exactly secrets but tips for having a great cruise.

1. Be a joiner. Our best cruise was when we participated in events-dancing, trivia, game shows. We are pretty shy people but had the time of our lives.

2. Take advantage of the ship in off times. We had late dinner so we would go to the pool early evening when most people were dressing for early seating. If you aren't interested in a port of call, stay on the ship-it is empty and all yours for the enjoyment.

3. Arrive early to shows to make sure you get a seat.

4. Pizza is awesome, have some every day.

5. Don't overpack. You can get two to three wears out of nice clothes in the evening. Self serve laundry on each floor for anything that gets dirty. 6. Bring two bathing suits so you never have to put on a cold wet suit.

7. Day of embarkation, tour the ship. Start from top to bottom. It is terrible to realize you didn't know about a great feature of the ship until the end of the cruise.

8. Go with the flow, relax, have fun. No vacation is perfect but any vacation is better then no vacation at all.

See ya on the Emerald in Dec

 

 

 

All really good points!

Wish I could convince my husband of #7 !

If I tour it has to be on my own. He also NEVER reads the Patter. Drives OCD me nuts! :p

[cruise&travelgirl]

My secrets aren't exactly secrets but tips for having a great cruise.

1. Be a joiner. Our best cruise was when we participated in events-dancing, trivia, game shows. We are pretty shy people but had the time of our lives.

2. Take advantage of the ship in off times. We had late dinner so we would go to the pool early evening when most people were dressing for early seating. If you aren't interested in a port of call, stay on the ship-it is empty and all yours for the enjoyment.

3. Arrive early to shows to make sure you get a seat.

4. Pizza is awesome, have some every day.

5. Don't overpack. You can get two to three wears out of nice clothes in the evening. Self serve laundry on each floor for anything that gets dirty. 6. Bring two bathing suits so you never have to put on a cold wet suit.

7. Day of embarkation, tour the ship. Start from top to bottom. It is terrible to realize you didn't know about a great feature of the ship until the end of the cruise.

8. Go with the flow, relax, have fun. No vacation is perfect but any vacation is better then no vacation at all.

See ya on the Emerald in Dec

 

I love your idea of touring the whole ship from top to bottom on embarkation day! It's awful when you're at the end of your cruise and realize you've missed something!

[jean s]

Love your ideas...particularly touring the ship.

[mr green]

I love your idea of touring the whole ship from top to bottom on embarkation day! It's awful when you're at the end of your cruise and realize you've missed something!

 

The trick is to study the deck plans BEFORE you board, after that it should be 'plain sailing!':)

 

john

[operabob1]

1. Be a joiner. Our best cruise was when we participated in events-dancing,

 

Any other dancers on this cruise? The 4 of us are very involved.

[ILVTX]

My secrets aren't exactly secrets but tips for having a great cruise.

1. Be a joiner. Our best cruise was when we participated in events-dancing, trivia, game shows. We are pretty shy people but had the time of our lives.

2. Take advantage of the ship in off times. We had late dinner so we would go to the pool early evening when most people were dressing for early seating. If you aren't interested in a port of call, stay on the ship-it is empty and all yours for the enjoyment.

3. Arrive early to shows to make sure you get a seat.

4. Pizza is awesome, have some every day.

5. Don't overpack. You can get two to three wears out of nice clothes in the evening. Self serve laundry on each floor for anything that gets dirty. 6. Bring two bathing suits so you never have to put on a cold wet suit.

7. Day of embarkation, tour the ship. Start from top to bottom. It is terrible to realize you didn't know about a great feature of the ship until the end of the cruise.

8. Go with the flow, relax, have fun. No vacation is perfect but any vacation is better then no vacation at all.

See ya on the Emerald in Dec

 

Great tips! You should post more! You've been on CC for over 5 years, and this is post # 11! Let us hear some more from you!

 

Thanks!

[tlhunsy]

Does anyone know if you can still get a deck of cards with all the Martini recipes they serve at Crooners? I can't remember if I got it free or if I bought it in the gift shop.

 

I still have the "Tee Many Martoonis" cards that I purchased in the gift shop. :)

[Cruisin Oma]

I still have the "Tee Many Martoonis" cards that I purchased in the gift shop. :)

 

I have mine too. I want to get more as gifts. (Just had a funny boo-boo, I meant to type as gifts, but on my IPad I hit the "a" twice so it ended up as "more AA gifts" :eek:). Thank goodness for CC edit function. Someone might of thought I'd had tee many martoonis, or a really crappy sense of humor.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - now Free

Edited September 30, 2013 by Cruisin Oma

[MandD]

Great tips! You should post more! You've been on CC for over 5 years, and this is post # 11! Let us hear some more from you!

 

Thanks!

 

Some people are talkers and some are good listeners. Listeners learn more.:)

[likestorelax]

Thanks for the compliments on my tips. I enjoy reading the threads more then posting, but with positive feedback I will try to be more vocal.

 

One more tip-On Princess Key(Cay) we like to rent the clamshell cover for our chairs. I like to be able to be in the shade and there isn't much shade on the beach. One clam shell fits over two chairs--not too expensive either-you can reserve one in advance just like other shore excursions.

[gogy]

Thank you so much for posting this picture of the shower curtain and your idea. I just started a thread with this type of question.

Edited September 30, 2013 by gogy

[iwannagocruisin]

Yes! As long as you can get there before 1:30.

Just confirm on the last page of the Princess Patter. Then, boldly go...:D

 

Tip: If you are going to get a Soda Sticker, or Ultimate Sodas & More, just ask your waiter at this first meal. He or she will stick it to your cruise card and bring you your reusable insulated mug, you just sign for the charge.

 

 

I like to prepay as many things as I can before the cruise. I find the codes on the list under Gifts & Services on the Princess website and I prepay the gratuities as well as purchase the soda stickers. By purchasing the stickers ahead of time, the sticker will already be on your card when you check-in on departure day, and the mug(s) will be waiting for you in your room!

 

~Jill

[Roblaschool]

1

Thanks for the compliments on my tips. I enjoy reading the threads more then posting, but with positive feedback I will try to be more vocal.

 

One more tip-On Princess Key(Cay) we like to rent the clamshell cover for our chairs. I like to be able to be in the shade and there isn't much shade on the beach. One clam shell fits over two chairs--not too expensive either-you can reserve one in advance just like other shore excursions.

 

Thanks for all your good tips, 2 weeks from today and we are on the ship!!!

missed the time and date of the MEET AND GREET. can someone let us know.

We were on this same cruise last year and it was great.

[MandD]

1

 

Thanks for all your good tips, 2 weeks from today and we are on the ship!!!

missed the time and date of the MEET AND GREET. can someone let us know.

We were on this same cruise last year and it was great.

 

Which ship?:confused: