Last week I wrote a post on how I scored a free-ish offer from Holland America thanks to my husband’s expiring MGM Gold status (obtained from no-longer-available Hyatt match). In that post I’ve linked to an excellent resource on Frequent Miler blog, and I recommend you bookmark it in order to keep up with the latest developments. Talk about going down the rabbit hole!
As a result of reading it, I started thinking that I might as well do the same type of match with Carnival and Princess (after contacting Holland America first). As far as I know, these are the only three cruise lines that allow you to get an offer by submitting screenshots online, no trip to casino required. I figured it may be our last chance to get in on these deals. Plus, it would be beneficial to our readers. Here we go.
1) Carnival
I went to this link right after getting a cruise offer from Holland America. Strangely, when I tried to submit my husband’s information, it said that he is not eligible since he has already registered in the past. That’s bizarre since I know for a fact that didn’t happen. I figured it’s some type of a glitch and moved on.
Then three days later we got this offer:
I have no explanation for what happened exactly, yet here we are. Carnival has always been a weird one. If you don’t get any free cruise offers for few weeks after submitting this match, I saw data points on Reddit suggesting to fill out your profile completely, including title and country.
You can book this offer online by going to a special link. As far as I can tell, there are very few sailings that offer free balcony cabins or even oceanview, and the schedule extends through April 2025 aside from few exceptions.
These are the sailings bookable through this offer:
Update: it looks like the schedule for Caribbean cruises has just been extended.
Also, if you want to cruise over holidays, it will be very hard to pull off. But there are deals to be had if you are OK with inside stateroom. I found a 10-day Alaska cruise from San Francisco sailing in June of 2025, which looked very tempting.
You can get a cabin for two people by putting down a nonrefundable deposit of $100 per person, and you would get it back in a form of onboard credit. You would also be responsible for taxes and port charges. Third and fourth passengers cost extra. Still, it’s a smokin’ deal. I reluctantly decided to let it go, but this is a good one even if you pay extra to upgrade to ocean view.
Otherwise, for families like us (stuck with school schedule), it will be slim pickings.
2) Princess
I got an offer via email telling me we could select a free interior room (taxes and port charges cost extra) on sailings of 3-11 days. We could choose between Caribbean, Alaska, California coast, Mexico and Canada-New England. We would also have to sail by January 3rd 2025.
I emailed the rep asking a few follow-up questions and got a response the next day. Here is what I found out. We have 30 days to book the offer (but I was told he could extend it by a few days or maybe weeks), but the sailing window can not be extended. If we decide not to take advantage of the offer, we could reapply at a later date by going through the matching process again. I was also told that holiday sailings (Thanksgiving and New Year’s) are excluded.
3) Holland America
I’ve already given the details in my previous post, so won’t rehash them. I did reach out to the rep and asked for more details on blackout dates as well as eligible sailings, but she wasn’t able to provide them to me. My hunch is that HAL offer is the least restrictive of the three. I’ve seen data points indicating that cruises up to 14 nights are eligible and that they can be anywhere in the world. YMMV
The cruise has to be booked over the phone by providing the certificate number.
What we ended up booking
My head was spinning from trying to figure out what offer we should accept, if any. My husband is almost out of vacation days, and we have so many travel plans already. In my previous post I indicated that I was thinking about going on HAL with my family, and getting one of the cabins booked through this deal. But Carnival offer changed everything. I was talking to my husband trying to figure out if we could take the kids on both cruises over the next year and a half. His response? Why not go on Holland America cruise by ourselves and do Carnival with the family. Indeed.
So, I picked an 11-night sailing on HAL next year we could do as a couple, and I’m super excited. We made out like bandits on this deal. At the time of booking I was offered to upgrade to a balcony for an additional $400 per person. It took me a minute to think it over, but I decided to accept it. Our total was $1,230 with all taxes and fees and we will be getting a $200 onboard credit. That’s for a fancy 11-night cruise in a balcony cabin, y’all.
Of course, I’m a little concerned about what effect it will have on my husband’s diabetes. We knew an old couple who went on a cruise and the husband ended up dying on the ship on his last night. I’m a little nervous about something like that happening to us. On the other hand, it’s not a bad way to go, and we would get our money’s worth. My husband agreed, and asked me to just toss him overboard if that happens, for efficiency sake.
All joking aside, I made a goal of doing at least one nice trip per year with just my husband. And looks like 2025 is taken care of. My MIL said she will be more than happy to keep the kids.
We also ended up using the Carnival offer for our family cruise on a weeklong sailing. I had to pay an extra $179+port fees to add a third passenger, but it still worked out to be an excellent price. I’ll need to book a second cabin at a later date, but the deal was simply too good to pass up. I think the kids will love Carnival. It’s not my favorite cruise line, but IMO its horrendous reputation is way overblown. Short cruises will be full of crazy drunk people, guaranteed. But longer sailings are usually more subdued. I guess we’ll find out.
To be honest, we really didn’t have extra funds for any of it. I’ve mentioned that my son recently broke his elbow, which caused an avalanche of bills. Still, this was an amazing opportunity that may not come around again. Speaking of…
The pathways to free cruises (what’s left)
Once again, I recommend Frequent Miler post for the updates. You may also keep an eye on this post on MilesTalk blog, as it does a good job of keeping up with the latest trends. Basically, if you are willing to visit casinos in person, you still have a few options. But you will need to hurry if you obtained your MGM Gold status via match from Hyatt, as it will likely expire on January 31st . That’s only a few weeks. MSC cruises via Caesars Diamond match look particularly good value-wise, as you are not charged extra taxes or port fees.
If you are like me, and going to casino is a deal breaker, you still have two options if you don’t currently have MGM Gold:
1) Apply for Wyndham Business Earner credit card (if you have a legitimate business)
This is the easiest path to Caesars Diamond status (via Wyndham match), which might unlock free cruise offers. Keep in mind, the card bonus is currently reduced and there is no guarantee that cruise lines will not pull these offers suddenly. But it’s a very easy option, and I wish I didn’t drag my feet on applying for this card.
I tried to the other day, and got denied. Reconsideration call to Barclays didn’t change the outcome. This is something I wish I did a few years ago, as it could have potentially unlocked a free Carnival cruise offer and save me a ton of money on that second cabin. Oh well.
I did look into Caesars Rewards credit card (non-affiliate link) that automatically gives you Platinum status, a tier below Diamond. Any data points out there that indicate you can get cruise offers by being Platinum? Let me know. The offer is subpar otherwise, but would give me 10k Wyndham points by transferring from Caesars program. I’m not interested in any other perks.
2) Founders Card
Update: as of 2/15/2024, Founders card no longer includes Caesars Diamond status, so this path is dead.
I don’t know much about it aside from the fact that it’s designed for executives and business owners. Miles to Memories blog has a special partnership that allows you to get it for $295 per year (not sure if the deal is still valid as the post was written in 2021). It’s not a credit card, but rather special membership that unlocks various discounts.
The main appeal of the card is a possibility of getting Caesars Diamond status. Just make sure it’s still included as a benefit.
This is by far the most expensive path, and there is no guarantee that you will get anything in the end. I will be skipping it, but if you don’t mind risking $300, it will pay off big time after just one “free” cruise.
Final thoughts
We went from having zero cruises planned in the next year, to booking two sailings. I will have to let Princess offer go, but perhaps we can score a deal in the future. You can’t win them all, and I’m super happy with what I’ve been able to snag in the eleventh hour, before MLife Gold status expires. I’m especially excited about Holland America cruise with my husband. More importantly, he is excited, as he loves that cruise line. I just hope grandma can still drive next year, otherwise we will have to pull the plug (on the cruise, not grandma). That’s why I got “cancel for any reason” travel insurance.
In the end, the cruise will be anything but free. Still, it’s an epic deal for something I wanted to do anyway. And you can’t beat that.
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
@Aleks You know, Alaska cruises are my favorite. I loved cruising Inside Passage, and would go back in a heartbeat. The first time we went we ended up also driving to Denali. Absolutely spectacular scenery!
I was really tempted by this Carnival deal from San Francisco, but it would take up 2 weeks since it leaves on Monday. That’s just too long, unfortunately.
It’s convenient and more fun for family travel.
I’ve consider a cruise-tour to Alaska (ship/rail/bus) with HAL but been there twice (by the car & RV), and did not see much appeal of cruising there with the exception of the Inside Passage on a Canadian side. And flying to/from Alaska can be tiring. It is beautiful & wild, with most parks are better experienced on land.
With Caribbean cruises it’s always warm, hence wider window to sail there, plus you located much closer to it 😉
@Aleks Yeah, I use the term “free” loosely here. More appropriate to say “deeply discounted”, but I’m sticking to their marketing language.
Personally, I’m fine cruising every few years. I enjoy it, but it’s not my favorite type of travel. My kids love it, so we were planning on doing something like this Carnival cruise next year. It just got pushed back thanks to this deal.
Nice going with those matches. Those are not totally free, but at good discount after counting in taxes, port fees and crew gratuities (up to $20 pp per day).
My friend got similar deals and sailed with HAL on 10-day New England & Canada cruise in fall, plus booked Caribbean week with the Carnival.
After the end of COVID restrictions cruises became very popular and lots of ships get fully booked. So the prices went up considerably, despite the fact that quality and quantity of food went down. But cruising is still a good option for close to having an “all-inclusive” vacation: accommodation, food, entertainment and transportation under one roof (or deck).
Happy travels!
@Sara When I told him he might die by the end of the cruise, his words were: “One can only hope!”
Awesome info! Congrats on both stellar deals! I can’t wait to hear more details when you actually go on your trips- including if dear hubby must be buried at sea – jk!
@Michelle I honestly don’t know, as my husband and I don’t gamble, period.
I’ve read before that some people make sure to gamble a certain amount on each cruise, and then get free cruise offers that more than make up for any losses. I’m sure someone has cracked the code on it. But I can’t tell you the nitty gritty, as it’s not something I would ever pursue for various reasons.
If you have a business, getting Wyndham Earner card is a no-brainer if you are even remotely interested in cruising.
@Shaun Congrats on getting the offer! Glad I could help.
That list of codes is quite long. Thanks for providing it, I’m sure it will be helpful for those willing to check each code individually. I have a feeling that most cruises qualify, unless it’s a special sailing over New Year’s or something along those lines.
Any data points on how much you have to spend/lose at a casino to start getting offers? I spent a week in a casino last year attending Miss America and didn’t spend a dime gambling. LOL. Now, I’m rethinking perhaps I should have played a little.
Did the Holland America one off your article. Approved for a interior cabin on the following sailings (book/sail date April 2025)
Below are the included cruises I got. If anyone has a better way to see what cruises these are lmk. The agent said to google “D431 Holland America”. An actual list would be nice.
D431 D432 D433 D434 D438 D439 D440 D441 D445 D446 D447 D448 D452 D453 D454 D455 D459 D460 D461 D462 D467 D469D D472 D474 D477 D478 D481 D482 D485 D486 D510 D511 D514 D515 D518 D519 D522 D523 D526 D527B D527C I433 I434 I435 I438 I439 I440 I443 I444 I445 I448 I449 I450 I453 I454 I455 I458 I459 I460 I463 I464 I465 I468B I472 I474 I477 I478 I479 I482 I483 I484 I487 I488 I516 I519 I520 I525 I526 I529 I530 I531 I534B J431 J434 J435 J438 J439 J442 J443 J446 J447 J450 J454 J455 J458 J459 J462 J463 J466 J469 J470 J473 J474 J477 J510 J511 J514 J515 J518 J519 J522 J523 J526 J527 J530 J531 J534 K426 K427 K428 K429 K433 K434 K435 K436 K440 K441 K442 K443 K447 K448 K449 K450 K454 K455 K456 K457 K461 K462 K463 K467 K468 K470 K472 K473 K476 K477 K478 K481 K482 K510 K520 K521 K525 N430 N431 N432 N435 N436 N437 N440 N441 N442 N445 N446 N447 N450 N451 N452 N455 N456 N457 N460 N461 O422 O430 O432 O433 O436 O437 O440 O441 O444 O445 O449 O452 O453 O456 O457 O460 O461 O464 U430 U435 U454 U455 U458 U459 U462 U463 U466 U468 U472 U475 U476 U479 U480 U483 V418 V419 V422 V423 V426 V427 V430 V431 V434 V435 V438 V439 V442 V446 V447 V450 V451 V454 V455 V472 W430 W431 W434 W435 W439 W442 W443 W446 W447 W450 W451 W454 X431 X432 X433 X434 X438 X439 X440 X441 X445 X446 X447 X448 X452 X453 X454 X455 X459 X460 X461 X465 X466 X469B X473 X520 X521 X523 X524 X525 X525A X525B Y429 Y430 Y433 Y434 Y437 Y438 Y440 Y441 Y444 Y445 Y448 Y449 Y451 Y452 Y455 Y456 Y459 Y460 Y463 Y467 Y470 Y471 Y474 Y475 Y478 Y479 Y512 Y515 Y518 Y519 Y522 Y523 Y526 Y527