what is RCL stock at now?

[jgiczewski]

I want to start purchasing for future cruises, as I can't afford to by that much stock by May. What is it at now.I will be a little at a time.

[massfriends]

Right now: $32.53 a share

[golfer1966]

I want to start purchasing for future cruises, as I can't afford to by that much stock by May. What is it at now.I will be a little at a time.

 

 

which was last night, it was 33.78 I believe. I recently bought too and it was 31.74 We bought shares so we could get money off rooms and OBC not for a real money maker, we have other stocks for that.

[pmfan]

Price is good to buy right now. 32.59

[jgiczewski]

and you need 100 shares correct?

[massfriends]

and you need 100 shares correct?

 

To get OBC...Correct...:)

[Gonzo70]

Price is good to buy right now. 32.59

 

The price is lower than is has been recently, but that does not necessairly make it a good buy right now. IMHO it is down for largely legitimate reasons. I would not be surprised if they have to announce some time in the next few months that they are not going to meet their revenue goals for the year. Between having to reimburse fuel surcharges, people having less spending money, fuel prices still skyrocketing and also causing food prices to go way up they are in a difficult situation. Although the stock is near it's 52 week low, I think it is still risky. Yeah, it could bounce back up, but I would not be surprised if it fell into the high 20s. Buying low and selling high is good, but you also have to take into consideation if a stock is low for a good reason and if their is some catalyst upcoming that will drive the stock upwards.

[lady_cruiser]

At 12:14 PM - Central Standard Time - on Firday, March 14, 2008, RCL Stock is at $32.35. My sister and I bought a "few" more shares this morning at 32.10. I think it was around 10:30.

[Gonzo70]

At 12:14 PM - Central Standard Time - on Firday, March 14, 2008, RCL Stock is at $32.35. My sister and I bought a "few" more shares this morning at 32.10. I think it was around 10:30.

 

Good luck with them; I am still debating where to pick some up. I think that is good you are buying a "few" at a time so you can add to the position if it continues this downward spiral. I might very well "miss the boat" but I am holding off for it to dip another 10% or so.

[liltom45]

which was last night, it was 33.78 I believe. I recently bought too and it was 31.74 We bought shares so we could get money off rooms and OBC not for a real money maker, we have other stocks for that.

 

 

I also own stock for the OBC, but how do you use it to get money off of rooms?

[land lover]

Please clarify.........stock ownership gives you OBC of 100. for a sailing of 7 days or more?

[*CENSORED*]

31.88 now.

 

http://moneycentral.msn.com/detail/stock_quote?Symbol=RCL

[massfriends]

Please clarify.........stock ownership gives you OBC of 100. for a sailing of 7 days or more?

 

What is the offer?

 

$250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights.

$200 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 9 to 13 nights.

$100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 to 8 nights.

$50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less.

Applicable on any Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises or Azamara Cruises Sailings. (excludes Celebrity Xpeditions)

[*CENSORED*]

Here is a page for the benefits:

 

http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/10/103045/ShareholderBenefitLetter.pdf

[massfriends]

I also own stock for the OBC, but how do you use it to get money off of rooms?

 

RCCL Shareholder Benefit

Frequently Asked Questions

 

1. Who is eligible for this offer?

Any shareholder holding a minimum of 100 RCL shares at time of sailing.

 

2. What is the offer?

$250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights.

$200 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 9 to 13 nights.

$100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 to 8 nights.

$50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less.

Applicable on any Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises or Azamara Cruises Sailings. (excludes Celebrity Xpeditions)

 

3. How do I redeem this offer?

Provide your name, address, confirmation number, ship and sailing date along with a copy of your shareholder proxy card or a current brokerage statement showing proof of share ownership in Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.

Via Mail: RCL Investor Benefit, PO Box 025511, Miami, Florida 33102-5511

Via Fax: 1-305-373-6699

Via Email: shareholderbenefit@rccl.com

 

4. I am sailing with my family and some friends. Can they redeem the offer too?

The offer is only available for the stateroom in which the shareholder (with a minimum of 100 shares) is sailing. Only one credit per shareholder on any one sailing.

 

5. Can I use the offer each time I sail?

Yes, you may request this offer multiple times-as often as you sail on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises or Azamara Cruises (excludes Celebrity Xpedition).

 

6. Can this offer be combined with other offers, onboard credits and coupons?

Yes, this offer is combinable with other offers, onboard credits and coupons. The offer is NOT available to company employees, travel agents, tour conductors and/or others utilizing complimentary or reduced-rate cruise fares.

 

7. Is offer transferrable?

No. Offer is non-transferable. Only the stateroom that the shareholder is traveling in will be eligible for the onboard credit.

 

8. Are there any restrictions?

Offer is non-transferable and not available to employees, or agents of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. or its subsidiaries and affiliates, travel agents and tour operators. Offer is not combinable with any special fare programs, including, but not limited to, staterooms purchased with tour conductor credits, interline rates, complimentary cruises or cruises onboard chartered sailings. The Shareholder must own the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. stock at time of sailing. Onboard credit is calculated in US dollars except on sailings where the onboard currency used is a foreign currency (in which case the onboard credit will be converted at a currency exchange rate determined by the cruise line) and is not redeemable for cash. Certificate value credited to onboard account at time of sailing. Any unused credit shall be forfeited. Credit is applied on a per stateroom basis; double occupancy. Single guests paying 200% of applicable fare shall receive full value of certificate. Only one shareholder credit per stateroom. Only one credit per shareholder on any one sailing. Other terms and conditions may apply.

[debshomespun]

So can Royal Caribbean decide to withdrawl the OBC benefit for stockholders at any time? We have been considering buying the 100 shares, but this is a big questions I have. I don't really dabble in the stock market, so I don't know the logistics of how they work. I am mainly interested in the OBC for our cruises, and would hate to have them take this away, and we are stuck with stock not worth what we paid for it.

[Lamar Cheeks]

I seriously doubt the OBC benefit will be withdrawn. 100 bucks or so per shareholder is a drop in the bucket, considering getting the OBC is one of the reasons we buy RCCL stock.

 

Also, I think it's somewhat likely the stock price will dip into the high 20s before summer. However, the stock price right now is not altogether unattractive.

[Gonzo70]

So can Royal Caribbean decide to withdrawl the OBC benefit for stockholders at any time?

 

Absolutely. Hopefully they will not do it any time soon, but you never know when they will discontinue this promotion/benefit or alter the rules (i.e. perhaps make it non-combinable with other types of OBC). Be careful about investing in RCL just to get OBC on an upcoming cruise or two, especially if you are not knowledgeable about the stock market. It may pay off, but you may lose a lot of money. If you have several upcoming cruises on RCL lines, then buying it just for the OBC may have a worthwhile risk/reward ration even if you are not educated about the market. If losing $1500 or so would cause you significant pain and/or hardship I would stay away from pruchasing the stock for the OBC (as the potential for a loss like that is real; especially if they discontinue the benefit or your personal financial situation requires you to sell the stock at a time it happens to be beaten down and not wait for a rebound). It is always advisable to consult with a financial adviser/broker if this is more than "play money" for you and you are not well studied up on investing in stocks.

[negc]

So can Royal Caribbean decide to withdrawl the OBC benefit for stockholders at any time? We have been considering buying the 100 shares, but this is a big questions I have. I don't really dabble in the stock market, so I don't know the logistics of how they work. I am mainly interested in the OBC for our cruises, and would hate to have them take this away, and we are stuck with stock not worth what we paid for it.

Technically, they reserve the right to withdraw the OBC benefit at any time. However, practically and realistically speaking, there is very little reason to believe that they would do so. The OBC that they offer requires you to book a cruise with them which means that they automatically get more revenue than the amount of the OBC. You will also likely spend most or all of the OBC while you sail with them and thus the actual cost to them is much less than the dollar amount shown. (For example if you use it to cover your bar expenses, the cost for them to provide those drinks is far less than the amount that they charge for them, and the same goes for just about anything else you might use that OBC on. For the cruiseline it is really a cheaper way to attract bookings than running advertisements in the media and for every dollar that they spend on OBCs they get back a much greater return. If you cruise frequently on RCI or Celebrity, it is a nice added perk. The stock has also paid a quarterly dividend for something like 58 consecutive quarters, so I think both the dividend program and the OBC benefit package are likely to continue for the foreseeable future.:)

[Gonzo70]

I seriously doubt the OBC benefit will be withdrawn. 100 bucks or so per shareholder is a drop in the bucket, considering getting the OBC is one of the reasons we buy RCCL stock.

 

Also, I think it's somewhat likely the stock price will dip into the high 20s before summer. However, the stock price right now is not altogether unattractive.

 

I fully agree with you second paragraph, but not so much with the first. $100 or so per shareholder multiplied by the number of people who use this benefit adds up to likely a rather significant amount. I hope they keep the benefit in place, but it is no guarantee. A more likely scenario is that they make it non-combinable with other types of OBC (like Carnival's shareholder policy) which would significantly weaken the usefulness of the benefit (as there are already easy methods in place to get OBC without owning the stock).

[Gonzo70]

The OBC that they offer requires you to book a cruise with them which means that they automatically get more revenue than the amount of the OBC. You will also likely spend most or all of the OBC while you sail with them and thus the actual cost to them is much less than the dollar amount shown. (For example if you use it to cover your bar expenses, the cost for them to provide those drinks is far less than the amount that they charge for them, and the same goes for just about anything else you might use that OBC on. For the cruiseline it is really a cheaper way to attract bookings than running advertisements in the media and for every dollar that they spend on OBCs they get back a much greater return. :)

 

Another factor to keep in mind though is do those receiving OBC as shoreholders spend more on their cruise because of the OBC. If my Sea Pass card was going to have a $500 tab at the end of the crusie regardless of it I had the shareholder OBC or not, the actual cost to RCL is the full amount of the OBC. If I spend $100 extra (beyond what I had planned on spending) because I got $100 in OBC, then your logic would be correct. I think for most people they just use the OBC to make their cruise a bit cheaper and do not spend more than they otherwise would have.

 

Also, if it was such good advertising, why don't they just give everybody $100 OBC for booking with them and not reserve it for shareholders.

 

The shareholder OBC is a nice perk for shareholders, but it does cost RCL money. In this time of economic slowdown and cuts, it would not be a shock for RCL to make some changes in the policy. Again, I hope they do not, but am just being realistic.

 

I do not think that their paying their quarterly dividend for many straight years has anything to do with whether or not they will maintain the shareholder benefit.

[negc]

I fully agree with you second paragraph, but not so much with the first. $100 or so per shareholder multiplied by the number of people who use this benefit adds up to likely a rather significant amount. I hope they keep the benefit in place, but it is no guarantee. A more likely scenario is that they make it non-combinable with other types of OBC (like Carnival's shareholder policy) which would significantly weaken the usefulness of the benefit (as there are already easy methods in place to get OBC without owning the stock).

 

While I agree that there is no guarantee, I have a difficult time coming up with a rationale for them to weaken the OBC. The OBC generates new bookings at a cost that is likely far less than they would have to spend on advertising to get those new bookings. Reducing its attractiveness would really be a case of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Now, there is always a danger of overestimating the intelligence and common sense of corporate executives, but RCCL's executives usually exhibit a good sense of what is best for their company and I'm willing to believe that they recognize the value of the shareholder's OBC and have little interest in decreasing its worth.

[Gonzo70]

While I agree that there is no guarantee, I have a difficult time coming up with a rationale for them to weaken the OBC. The OBC generates new bookings at a cost that is likely far less than they would have to spend on advertising to get those new bookings. Reducing its attractiveness would really be a case of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. Now, there is always a danger of overestimating the intelligence and common sense of corporate executives, but RCCL's executives usually exhibit a good sense of what is best for their company and I'm willing to believe that they recognize the value of the shareholder's OBC and have little interest in decreasing its worth.

 

But how do you explain CCL not making their Shareholder OBC combinable with other types of OBC? Do you think this is hurting CCL's business or increasing their revenues? I think the latter.

[negc]

But how do you explain CCL not making their Shareholder OBC combinable with other types of OBC? Do you think this is hurting CCL's business or increasing their revenues? I think the latter.

I can no more explain CCL's practices in this matter than I can in their delay in settling with the Florida Attorney General on the matter of fuel surcharges.:rolleyes: I don't know which corporation established the shareholder OBC first nor am I privy to each one's corporate philosophy regarding such matters. Regardless of the fact that CCL's policy is different from RCI's, my point is that I don't see that it would be a significant factor in RCI deciding to adjust its current policy. Perhaps, if there were numbers that demonstrated that non-combinable OBCs generated as many or more bookings than OBCs that can be combined with others, that would make the argument, but lacking that evidence, I think that RCI's philosophy is successful as it currently stands and does not cry out for change.:) It is one of those "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" situations.;)

[Gonzo70]

I hope you are right :)