Military benefits? I don’t think so do you?
We all know that our armed forces do a great job and are extremely brave but are they really more deserving than others?
Do you know that if you are a serving member of the armed forces or a retired member then some cruise lines may offer you an additional on board benefit?
Princess Cruises offers on board credit of up to $250 per qualifying passenger depending on the duration of the cruise.
Cunard offers on board credit of up to $200 per person depending on the duration of the cruise.
P & O offers on board credit of up to £125 per person depending on the duration of the cruise.
These are offers to British Military Personnel however many other lines offer added incentives to US and Canadian Military Personnel only at the moment.
However what I want to discuss at the risk of being shouted at is this. Are Military Personnel more deserving than other professions? I have several family members who have served or are still serving within various factions however do they deserve extra benefits? I don’t think so!
After all they were not forced into joining up, they did it voluntary and knowing the risks involved. Admittedly at the moment it is a dangerous job especially if posted to Afghanistan or Iraq but how do you measure one profession against another.
If you are talking bravery then surely our fire fighters and police officers along side perhaps prison officers should also be entitled to it or how about people who influence our future outcomes like doctors and nurses or teachers? Or how about stay at home mums? Where does it stop?
I actually posted this on several cruise forums to see what people thought and was not surprised that many people declined to comment. What do you think? Do you think it’s fair?
29 Comments on “Military benefits? I don’t think so do you?”
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Some people are shopaholics, some are chocaholics and some like me are cruiseaholics! Okay you got me I am also a slight chocoholic as well. I guess my love affair for cruises began in the late 1970's when I used to watch "The Love Boat", which was an American TV…
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I’m not sure that your comparison with other jobs is valid. The main object of the armed services is to defend, or to go on the offensive, when necessary. This makes the object of the job specifically a hazardous one in a positive way. The fire service is also hazardous but in a passive way and the police service can be a bit of both.
So I would most definitely support the armed services getting something extra from the cruise companies and that they deserve it.
Your sentence about many people declining to comment puzzles me. They either comment or don’t comment. Your statement implies that they have said that they don’t want to comment! Maybe I’m misunderstanding it.
Thanks for your comments and what a great way to explain the differences involved between the armed services and services such as the fire brigade. The sentence about people declining to comment was regarding the fact that I had posted the post heading in a cruise forum and several people put “no comment”. I believe people were afraid to commit to a definitive response either way!
Yes I do think they are entitled,I served for twelve years have a forces pension which is taxed at source,you need to get a life,let me know how many forces people have been informed about this perk as you seem to think.I have been on at least seven cruises and not had any ,paid same as other passengers so do not have a go at forces.
Hi Rob – thanks for your comments even though I don’t agree with this perk I have mentioned it to several of my clients and secured it as a benefit for them. What I do not agree with is why armed services personnel should be treated any differently, as members of the fire service and police force also do a good job but don’t get this additional benefit. I am certainly not having a go at the services as I have several family members still serving and actively support many soldiers charities. For future reference this perk is offered for P & O, Princess and Cunard so make sure you ask next time you book with your agent.
As a 20 year veteran of the US Army with approximately 10 cruises under my belt, I do appreciate the gratitude offered by some of the cruise lines. I’ve never received an on board credit, but I have received a “miltary” discount of no more than $75 per qualified person. With that being said, the “military vet” community is very large and old so any business that can grab a piece of that demographic is smart. Vets tend to drink as well, so in a nutshell, it may appear to be an unfair generosity for vets, but I tend to think its a win win for the cruise lines. JMHO
Thank you for your comments Philip. I had not considered that there was such a huge community of “military vets” and as you said is a very astute move by the cruise lines. Wish you all the best on your next cruise.
I have to say that I am shocked at the comments you have made. Before you make these kind of statements you really should check your facts.
Most civil servants, firemen, nurses, police and teachers receive far more “benefits” than any serving or retired forces personnel ever get. However, I do concede that firemen and nurses deserve far higher salaries than they receive. With regard to teachers, their salaries are not too bad considering the paid holidays they get, and that includes training days.
As for doctors, their “income” far exceeds whatever salary and/or discounts forces family’s or lower grade civil servants get.
Many/all forces family’s would be extremely grateful for any small discount available to them as those that are available are few.
My son is currently serving in the Royal Navy and my husband served 24 years with the Royal Navy. He is now retired, on a pension and is now disabled. Having served his country for all those years, he is not entitled to financial help to get any disability chair or scooter, nor for any ramps to gain access to our home. He is also not entitled to any help with the costs of necessary property adaptations.
So, please don’t make out that forces people receive more benefits than other deserving professions I have mentioned because it’s not true.
Eileen
Thank you for your comments Elaine and I am so sorry that you are unable to gain help for your husband after his service to the country. I have no issue with the armed forces and if you read my comments below you will see I have family members and friends actively serving and also support several Soldiers Charities however I do feel it is unfair to give one profession a benefit in this case on board credit and not give it to another. I wish you and Mr Jones all the best and your son safe adventures wherever he is.
YES!
If you read & understand the terms & conditions of these schemes you will see that its not just the Armed Forces that Qualify The Police & the Fire Service also do as well . Those that serve there Country should be rewarded for doing so..
Thank you for your comment however as far as I am aware and I did read the Terms & Conditions then only UK Forces retired or serving can claim the on board credit with Cunard, Princess or P & O. Many of the other lines do in fact include the fire service etc but this seems to be only open to US personnel. I may be wrong and if you can point me in the right direction I would be happy to add a codicil to my blog.
Yes yes yes – surely anyone who is public-spirited enough to risk his/her life to give me a nicer one should enjoy some enhanced quality of life before the time may come to lose their own life or their capacity to enjoy it! Other jobs – police – firemen – sewer unblockers etc should obviously be paid to reflect the disadvantages of their job, but they do not risk life in the same way!
Hi Christine – Thank you for your comments and yes I agree that armed forces risk their lives but so do firemen and the police force. Are they less deserving?
As a recipient of the Veteran’s OBC on numerous occasions I thought I’d declare my interest.
Firstly though I note you state that you have brought this subject up on a number of forums. Now, to the best of my knowledge I haven’t seen it on your own Cruise.dot one. Indeed, I see only six credits to ‘Moly’, all to do with a freebie river cruise. (Perks of the job?).
To understand the principle of the UK Armed Forces Veterans scheme you have to turn the clock back 5 or 6 years. It has always been a marketing tool in the United States – they tend to value their servicemen a little more than we do.
Anyway, Cunard and Princess were offering this benefit as were other US based cruise lines and an astute UK cruiser raised the matter with Cunard UK. The then MD , Peter Shanks, agreed and the rest is history.
So from my point of view this is a good scheme that shows a degree of appreciation to those who. Place their lives on the line while your quoted teachers, firemen and nurses are busy striking.
Finally of course I feel your gripe completely unjustified as it has no impact whatsoever on the prices, costs and OBC of other cruisers.
Whatever next? A campaign to stop us Carnival shareholders from receiving our additional OBC perks.
Thanks for your comments. I have raised this on several social media sites and several people replied they did not wish to comment and in the end the the posts were removed as the admins felt it would create bad feeling. My main “gripe” as you put it is that so many other “professions” are also deserving so why should one be singled out. I was interested to discover that the only reason our UK forces now receive the benefit was down to a UK cruiser and as for a campaign to stop Carnival shareholders from receiving additional OBC I am afraid I will not be doing that as I have several family members who are Carnival shareholders who would not be best pleased if I started that as a campaign! I do appreciate your comments so thank you for taking the time from your day to raise them.
Have a Look here. http://funcruisedeals.us/Articles/CarnivalCruiseDealsSecretsAndTips.aspx
Thanks for this.
Senior Citizen Rates
Senior Citizen Rates are offered on select sailings. To be elligible for a Senior Citizen Rate on Carnival, one guest in the cabing needs to be age 55 or older at the time of departure. The search form of any cruise booking site should allow you to indicate whether you are eligible for a Senior Citizen rate. Senior Citizen rates may not always show up in the search results if they are not the best price available.
Military and Community Appreciation (Teachers, Police Officers and Firefighters) Rates
Cruise lines may lower their rates on selected sailings by offering discounts to Active and Retired Military. These “Community Appreciation” fares are also sometimes elligible to used by teachers, police officers and fire fighters as well. Most cruise booking web sites make it easy to search for Military Rates by allowing you to select this in your search criteria. Teachers, Police Officers and Fire Fighters should call the travel agency / online travel agency to inquire whether there are any special discounts available
I agree, people who serve there country should get benefits … but … why only American, British and Canadian ? What about Dutch, French and German soldiers and veterans ? Don’t they all fight for freedom in the world, loose there lives and get injured in the same wars ? Look at Afghanistan. Side by side they fought.
This is not right !
Now that’s a very different perspective on it. Thanks for raising that.
Oh Molly….how negative and jealous. I (and my family) spent over 30 years in the armed forces, we were separated for approximately one third of that time (unlike the other services you mention, I have the utmost respect for them by the way). A little perk as a sign of recognition for that and the 3 major conflicts I served in is not much
Do something positive, you wont be as bitter and sad
Thank you for that I had never thought about the time spent away from family etc. I had really just thought why don’t other professions also get it such as the fire service etc.PS I do lots of positive things like supporting The Soldiers Charities, Royal British Legion, Reubens Retreat as well as volunteering with the Samaritans in my spare time with four children and working full time.
I find it sad that you appear to begrudge this token acknowledgement by some cruise lines to our servicemen past or present. I understand in America discounts are offered by other companies to veterans, apart from cruise lines.
Perhaps Americans just appreciate their service personnel more than we British?
I would imagine that a good number of veterans cruising today are getting on in years.
You might be interested to know that prior to April 1975 there was NO pension provision for UK servicemen unless they had completed 16 years service, from the age of 21 (officers) and 22 years service, from the age of 18 (other ranks).
This means that many ex – servicemen, still alive today who might have given just short of 16 or 22 years service to their country ( UK ) prior to 1975 receive no military pension!
I would be interested to hear whether you think this is FAIR treatment to UK veterans?
Thank you Frank no I do not think that is fair at all regarding pensions however my issue is why one profession is more deserving than other professionals such as the fire service and police.
How sad Molly, it sounds a little like sour grapes to me. You are very lucky to be able to go out to work and earn a wage. As an army wife for 30 years mainly living abroad meant the only work I was able to do was unpaid – thrift shop duties, hospital visiting which could be a eighty mile round trip (using my own petrol) and supporting the families of soldiers under my late husband’s command. Molly you sound like a very intelligent lady please start a debate on a more deserving subject.
of course they deserve it, can you name any other job where you spend most of your time looking for equipment that should be supplied but you get it only after you no longer need it, where your life could be over before the day is out, and if you survive all that you will find just as you get to see the family for the first time in months you find you have been made redundant by the Westminster warriors…
We should be proud of our military. What an awful wom to bregrudge them
Dear Molly, some of us were not volunteers we were conscripted.
I understand that Mr Bottomley as my Great Grandfather fought in the First World War and my two Granddads in the Second World War and were conscripted. The main point I was making was not that they should not get the benefit but that other services such as police and fire brigade should also get it.