Princess Secrets 2014!!!

[Colo Cruiser]

We will be on the Regal the cruise before you. We can compare notes. Maybe we have lower standards than yours ;)

 

No I just miss the ice cream setup in the HC. How much could that actually save? It was a little cart with a couple of the large containers and toppings for an hour. :(

 

Maybe they have upgraded their machinery/mixes on the Royal/Regal.

[Chuckwick3]

No I just miss the ice cream setup in the HC. How much could that actually save? It was a little cart with a couple of the large containers and toppings for an hour. :(

 

Maybe they have upgraded their machinery/mixes on the Royal/Regal.

 

Do they have all this yumminess on the Golden?

[Colo Cruiser]

Do they have all this yumminess on the Golden?

 

No the ice cream cart I spoke of in the HC was done away with several years ago. :(

 

They do have the ice cream bar out near the pools that makes shakes etc.

They have the soft serve machine chocolate/vanilla swirl.

[dorisis]

I think Gelato is available all day for a price. on Royal it was available for a punch on the coffee card.

[IECalCruiser]

I think Gelato is available all day for a price. on Royal it was available for a punch on the coffee card.

Gelato is only available at the International Cafe on the Crown, Emerald and Ruby at a cost of three scoops for $1.50. At Gelato on the Royal and Regal, gelato is $2.75 or one coffee card punch for three scoops but I believe that includes toppings also. No gelato on other Princess ships.

[IECalCruiser]

No I just miss the ice cream setup in the HC. How much could that actually save? It was a little cart with a couple of the large containers and toppings for an hour. :(

 

Maybe they have upgraded their machinery/mixes on the Royal/Regal.

We also miss the afternoon ice cream in the HC. We had it first on our Panama Canal cruise in April of 2006 and it had definitely stopped by the time of our South American cruise in February of 2010 :(

[janecambridge]

Anymore secrets not to do with ice cream please?

[Chuckwick3]

Anymore secrets not to do with ice cream please?

 

Okay, since I started the whole ice cream debacle I will give you one. On our seven day on the Coral Princess in the wheelhouse bar they served a fish and chips lunch with bangers and mash. It was actually quite tasty. Also did you happen to see what I wrote about the fettuccine Alfredo?

[Thrak]

For a major ice cream fix just order The Volcano for desert in MDR. Lots of ice cream and it's quite tasty. :)

[Wehwalt]

With so many good things to eat on Princess ships I refuse to waste calories on the ice milk, which is second-rate at best. Ditto on the fries at the hot dog grill.

[OCruisers]

For a major ice cream fix just order The Volcano for desert in MDR. Lots of ice cream and it's quite tasty. :)

 

It's on the Kid's Dessert Menu. DH often orders the one that's like a banana split ... Called the Princess Volcano - Love Boat Dream! :)

LuLu

[Kentchikan]

Okay, since I started the whole ice cream debacle I will give you one. On our seven day on the Coral Princess in the wheelhouse bar they served a fish and chips lunch with bangers and mash. It was actually quite tasty. Also did you happen to see what I wrote about the fettuccine Alfredo?

 

They also do this in the Crown Grill on ships that have a Crown Grill. On longer trips they do it twice with different menus.

[34TigerLily]

At around $40 per share, that's a $4k risk. Plus you're going to pay commission on each trade. If you're regularly doing 14 day cruises, it might be worth it. But for 13 days or under, a $50 to $100 credit hardly seems worth the stock risk.

 

We paid about $33 a share a few years ago. We bought them online through ScottTrade for a $7 commission. We have gotten a $25 dividend each quarter on the 100 shares. I think it is a good deal even for short cruises.:)

Edited August 9, 2014 by 34TigerLily

[34TigerLily]

At around $40 per share, that's a $4k risk. Plus you're going to pay commission on each trade. If you're regularly doing 14 day cruises, it might be worth it. But for 13 days or under, a $50 to $100 credit hardly seems worth the stock risk.

 

We paid about $33 a share a few years ago. We bought them online through ScottTrade for a $7 commission. We have gotten a $25 dividend each quarter on the 100 shares. I think it is a good deal even for short cruises.:)

[Gert2011]

I know a couple of people have said they are tired of the mention of the OBC (On Board Credit) you get for having 100 Carnival shares, but I did want to say a big "thank you" to the person who posted the template of the letter which they fax in to Princessfor their OBC for each cruise.

 

Having purchased 100 shares I faxed the letter in to Princess, and initially did not see the credit added. However, when I called they said I should check the Cruise Personalizer, and the "Payments and Credits" tab. I checked there, and did see my $100 on board credit.

 

Thanks to everyone who posted this suggestion.

 

Hi Smokeyham.

 

Your welcome for the template. I just used it last week and when I checked my cruise personalizer 2 hours after I had faxed it in, it was already showing my $250 credit for the 28 day cruise that we just booked.

 

That is what I call fast service.

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes its great service.

[Wehwalt]

We paid about $33 a share a few years ago. We bought them online through ScottTrade for a $7 commission. We have gotten a $25 dividend each quarter on the 100 shares. I think it is a good deal even for short cruises.:)

 

I bought at $29 soon after the Costa Concordia, commission was $9.95. It's doing well as an investment and I've probably gotten a quarter of it back through (non-taxable) OBC. $250 on my upcoming Pacific cruise will probably mean after the auto-tip and three excursions I've planned all paid for out of OBC, with my other OBC (travel agent, loyalty, FCD), I will have at least $100 to defray my bar and souvenir bills. Which are never high. I got a check back from Princess after my last cruise.

 

After I fax it by the way, I drop it in the mail. The cost of a stamp is trivial and although recently the service has been better, it hasn't always been so.

Edited August 9, 2014 by Wehwalt

[LovetheSea]

I ordered the Volcano. I was very disappointed. It was half melted when I got it. More soup than Volcano.

Edited August 9, 2014 by LovetheSea

[Smokeyham]

Hi Smokeyham.

 

Your welcome for the template. I just used it last week and when I checked my cruise personalizer 2 hours after I had faxed it in, it was already showing my $250 credit for the 28 day cruise that we just booked.

 

That is what I call fast service.

 

 

Thanks.... I should have flagged your post so I could thank you by name! The service is good! :)

[IECalCruiser]

I ordered the Volcano. I was very disappointed. It was half melted when I got it. More soup than Volcano.

You should have sent it back and had it done right.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

[steveg1701]

At around $40 per share, that's a $4k risk. Plus you're going to pay commission on each trade. If you're regularly doing 14 day cruises, it might be worth it. But for 13 days or under, a $50 to $100 credit hardly seems worth the stock risk.

 

Current market puts it more in the $35 range, and as you have pointed out any investment in the stock market has its risks. If you are getting into the stock market only to get the OBC then you need to carefully consider this decision. However, putting the volatility of the stock market aside, consider the case of a couple who enjoys at least 2 cruises per year and has a few thousand dollars they want to invest *somewhere* and what the options are:

 

savings account at bank - totally safe but less than a 1% return

CD - a little better, maybe 3%?

Carnival stock dividends have consistently been a dollar a share which comes out to about 2.5% as a raw investment which is far from stellar but not totally crappy either. Now we add in the special case where the 100 share investment yields an extra $200 in OBC - now our investment is paying over 8% which compares favorably with some of the more highly recommended dividend stocks. And while you are paying commission on each trade as you say, if you just buy and hold 100 shares like we do then there is only 1 commission and it's under $10, no big deal!

Edited August 9, 2014 by steveg1701

[Thrak]

Current market puts it more in the $35 range, and as you have pointed out any investment in the stock market has its risks. If you are getting into the stock market only to get the OBC then you need to carefully consider this decision. However, putting the volatility of the stock market aside, consider the case of a couple who enjoys at least 2 cruises per year and has a few thousand dollars they want to invest *somewhere* and what the options are:

 

savings account at bank - totally safe but less than a 1% return

CD - a little better, maybe 3%?

Carnival stock dividends have consistently been a dollar a share which comes out to about 2.5% as a raw investment which is far from stellar but not totally crappy either. Now we add in the special case where the 100 share investment yields an extra $200 in OBC - now our investment is paying over 8% which compares favorably with some of the more highly recommended dividend stocks. And while you are paying commission on each trade as you say, if you just buy and hold 100 shares like we do then there is only 1 commission and it's under $10, no big deal!

 

I think I paid maybe $35 or $36 per share. The money was sitting in a savings account earning essentially nothing. The stock pays me regular dividends of $25 and I got an immediate ROI of $250 for a cruise. I don't "play the market" as I don't have the knowledge, patience, interest, or cash to do so. The money I spent on the CCL stock is giving me a vastly better return than the same amount of money placed into a savings account or a CD.

 

It works for me. :)

[falcon10156]

Did you book and get OBC direct or through a travel agent - Just wondering if on my upcoming Princess cruise through a TA if I should try to get them to get me the credit or fax the info directly to Princess or both (that might be too confusing for even the sharpest ones there).

 

 

You can book through a TA to get the OBC. We have got it on Holland America, Carnival and Princess (all with 100 Carnival shares) all booked through a Travel Agent. We just fax in the share certificate prior to sailing.

[falcon10156]

Thanks for the information. Although I am new to Princess, I am not new to CCL having sailed with both Carnival and HAL. I have obtained the OBC for my upcoming Panama Canal transit cruise. That is the only thing that makes the stock worth owning IMHO. The Future Cruise Credit is something that only Princess has though. It is a great deal. Sort of like giving Princess a loan and getting it back with fun instead of interest.

 

 

All mainline cruise lines (HAL, Princess, Carnival, Cunard, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity to name a few) have some form of FCC/FCD.

[lone_stranger]

All mainline cruise lines (HAL, Princess, Carnival, Cunard, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity to name a few) have some form of FCC/FCD.

 

I have heard that on this thread, but I don't recall ever hearing about it when I was sailing on other Carnival lines. How do you learn about it apart from this thread? :o