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I’m excited for my family to try Carnival Cruise Line for the first time. We booked a cruise on the new Carnival Celebration ship, which debuts later this year. Last month, I shared how I used Chase Offers to save $175 on this cruise. Today, let’s look at a few other ways to save on a Carnival Cruise.
AARP Discounted Carnival Gift Cards
Update: AARP has discontinued offering Carnival gift cards as of December 2024. Yes, AARP is targeted for people aged 50+, but there actually is no minimum age to join. Sign up for AARP Rewards, purchase an AARP membership, and you have access to 10% off Carnival Cruise gift cards.
Gift cards can be used for cruise fare, drink packages, excursions and more.
An AARP membership is not free, but you can get a 3-month trial membership for just $1. A full year membership is $12, and that might be worth it if you sail on Carnival often.
Allstate Rewards Discounted Carnival Gift Cards
Allstate has a similar program, Allstate Rewards. You don’t have to have Allstate insurance to sign up. If you’re not an Allstate customer, you do have to agree to the Drivewise program.
Carnival gift cards are 10% off, but you do have to use points to qualify. You can earn points by just signing into your account, for insurance activity or doing surveys.
A Note About Giftcards
I have purchased discounted Disney gift cards in the past for Disney cruises. One word of caution: If you have to cancel your cruise (or if your cruise is canceled due to the pandemic or any other reason), the refund goes to the gift cards. It’s not the same as getting a cash refund.
I feel comfortable buying Disney gift cards because I know my family will use them at Disney eventually (whether it’s on a cruise or in the parks). Since this is our first Carnival cruise, I’m not so sure. I plan to wait until closer to our sail date to purchase some discounted gift cards.
Do you buy discounted gift cards to save on Carnival cruises? Let me know in the comments if you’ve found other sources of discounted Carnival gift cards.
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
They are still on there
I’ve been all over the AARP website today, and it looks like they’ve discontinued the travel gift card specials. 🙁
@Sara HC Are you on the AARP Rewards site? I’m still seeing the discounted Carnival gift cards as an option for me. You have to sign up on the AARP Rewards site and also have an AARP membership to see the discounts.
Carnival gift cards are better than many other cruise lines. I think Celebrity is the most restrictive in general. I would think you could resell them and not get hurt too bad if you had to.
I agree. I had a Royal Caribbean gift card and it was very restrictive.