tylerzmommy

While I haven't used this tip saving for a cruise, I did use it years ago to help pay for a trip to Disney that I surprised my husband and son with.  I needed ways to save up as much money as possible without my husband finding out what I was up to (it was a surprise for his birthday) so I started using every possible coupon/cash back opportunity I could on the things that we typically bought.  Since we already had a weekly grocery budget amount set, I knew I could spend up to that amount without him catching on.  When I checked out, whatever I had saved in coupons OR not spent out of the weekly budget on that trip automatically got transferred into a savings account.  While this technique didn't pay for the entire trip, of course, it did help save quite a bit because I got very good at finding coupons or cashback offers! 

With everything else that's happened so far in 2020, would it be dubbed unreasonable to anticipate any decent deals on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?  We've found a cruise for 2021 we'd like to book but could hold off if there may be any deals.  Have there historically been any decent offers for cruises, excursions or onboard packages (cheers, bubbles, spa, etc.) on either of those days?  Not to say that just because it's been done in the past means it'll happen this year, just wondering if it's something to maybe look out for.  

1 hour ago, Buffalofirsttimer4 said:

 

We don't even turn the balcony light on...to be honest we didn't even realize we had one the first balcony we had .

 

We do bring with us a battery operated candle, mini blue tooth speaker to play smooth jazz and relax in the evenings with a cocktail.

Umm. . .I want to hang out with you on your balcony!

$1000 sold out but $500 still available as of 7:51am EST 1/26/20

no $100 cards even listed. 

Grand Turk -- we are booked on a cruise this coming November and I just got notification that our stop to Grand Turk has been replaced with Amber Cove.  I'm SO upset about it.  AC is *okay*, but I love Grand Turk and was SO excited to be going back. 😞

18 hours ago, PrincessArlena'sDad said:

They sell out, disappear, and reappear in a few days.  It's a common thing.

 

Hopefully, they'll be back soon.

This is where the gift of patience eludes me entirely.  I'm dyyyyyyyying waiting to see them show back up again.  I can honestly say I don't think I've ever wanted to throw my money at someone so bad for a gift card before! 😄

21 minutes ago, Galatz said:

Read even closer at the RC restrictions. Look all the way down at #12 "Certificate is nonrefundable and not replaceable whether lost, stolen or if booking is cancelled."

 

Non-refundable if BOOKING IS CANCELLED. Are you willing to risk losing every penny due to canceled cruise?

Nope!  That would cause quite a stir, I can imagine!  My guess is that the certificates would still be valid to be used toward a different sailing should one be cancelled.  I would sure hope so!! 

So, if you already have an existing booking and you open the card, is the $250 credit only going to be good toward a future booking or could it be used for things on the already booked cruise?  

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

There are gift certificates at the top of the listing, but still gift cards further down the page. From what I've seen, the Carnival cards will still show up for some time after selling out, but eventually disappear altogether until more are stocked. I don't think there's any need to worry. It's still ran by Deluxe Rewards.

I hope you're right!  What concerns me is in looking at the terms for the RC gift certificates currently listed on the site, (if I'm reading them correctly) it looks like you can only use those towards a NEW booking not existing reservations. I'm hoping that if/when Carnival restocks, they will be the normal gift cards we all know and love.  Like many of us, I've got a sailing booked that I need to pay off and have been building up a $$ stash to redeem for the gc's.  Been watching and waiting for them to get restocked so I can (hopefully) jump on it while the jumpin' is good. 🙂 

Has anyone noticed that what used to be "gift cards" on Allstate now seem to be "gift certificates"?  I hope it's just a temporary thing but they don't even list Carnival anymore.  Last week, they were sold out but at least still listed.  Today, there isn't anything for Carnival and several of the retailers in the travel space are now listed as gift certificates.

If you are a member of USAA, check out Limitless. 2.5% cash back, no categories, no annual fee. Simple. Use this for everything except gas which I use USAA Amex, 5% gas, Marvel 3% dining.

Limitless is an online pilot right now so the offers are limited and appear to be targeted. Additionally, to qualify for the 2.5%, one must have a USAA checking account with a minimum $1,000 monthly direct deposit into that account. With that being said, it does look like a great card.

I found these which I might get for my family: https://www.amazon.com/Microfiber-Towel-Travel-towels-travel/dp/B00W22FZ8G/ref=cm_wl_huc_item

I love love LOVE my Cap One Quicksilver card. It's simple, straightforward, and just freaking easy to use. 1.5% cash back on EVERY purchase with no annual fee. Yes, there are cards out there that have higher return rates but I don't like keeping up with categories (and when they revolve per quarter, I get cranky) and the customer service platforms with Cap One are phenomenal. I also travel a lot for work (ironically, I work for Capital One so my opinion of my card is probably 100% biased) so I rack up points for hotels and rental cars and way and cash them in for personal travel. I won't be paying out of pocket for a hotel room for our rooms on either end of our upcoming December cruise!

81 until Carnival Sunshine!

I"m on floor 8, also! btw your snippiness of the GS people is hilarious! I can't wait for this cruise.

 

So, on the cruises before that we did not have a fridge we just asked for ice over and over for our bucket, but as someone suggested above, i think i'm going to try to find a really good collapsable cooler to keep in our room. I've never spent much time in my room anyway, but nice to keep cold water or fruit.

We will definitely have to make it a point to bump into one another, then!

My snippiness regarding the GS associate is really a result of how inadequately she handled the request. For one, she snarkily responded to my question about asking for a fridge onboard (as I had read in some of these online forums) that "they don't just go handing them out to anyone who asks". She also (multiple times) said things like "if he validly needs his medication to be kept chilled. . ." and "for our guests who actually need it. . .". She even went so far as to tell me that if my situation "actually called for the fridge that badly" that I may want to seriously consider the "upgrade" that she was offering me: a spa room with a regular balcony (we got a premium balcony -- I don't really know what that means but she said the "upgrade" would be a smaller balcony) for MORE money. I told her that didn't feel like an upgrade and she got snippy with me and told me "you'd get the fridge, wouldn't you?". I damn near strangled her through the phone!

While it would be nice to have the fridge to keep waters or whatever sodas we bring onboard for our son, my primary goal is to keep that medication chilled for my husband. Having to jump through hoops like this and be treated like I'm trying to game the system is beyond irritating and NOT getting our first Carnival cruise off on the right foot!

Chris -- I'm on the same cruise as you AND my husband has a need for a fridge for medical reasons (medication which must be kept refrigerated). On the advice of others that it was as simple as calling Guest Services and asking for one, I did so. That started a conversation with a snippy little GS associate who crossed my nerves the wrong direction. Long story short, No, you cannot get a fridge simply by asking for one. I was told (by more than just this associate -- I took it a couple levels above her smart-mouthed little head) that we could either hand his meds over to GS on the ship to hold (which meant he would need to go down to the GS desk each morning to retrieve his medication) or we could pay $70 for a medical cooler to keep in our room. However, when explaining the medical cooler, they were VERY clear that it was not sized/suitable to hold beverages. Which leads me to believe that many people who don't have a fridge in their staterooms are opting for this "medical cooler" and then providing feedback on it's size? Additionally, the $70 price tag seems high.

Given that this is our first cruise on Carnival (DCL and RC previously), I never even thought to ask if our stateroom has a fridge. We've just always had one. Although, the descriptions of our stateroom category online indicate that ours should have a mini-fridge but apparently no rooms on 8 have them despite the fact that our stateroom fits within that category.

You should be getting cash back.

Not necessarily, not all of the products through Capital One earn rewards.

eta: Oops, didn't realize a specific card was called out. Quicksilver SHOULD be earning rewards.

For those of you looking to know how long it takes to get physical cards in the mail, I ordered 2 $500 cards on Tuesday. Just had to take a break from reading recent board posts to go sign for them. So, in my case, 3 days. :)

how do you know if they've dropped?

When they change the wording for the adult comedy show to say 18+ or mature youngsters, then it's OK. Until then it says 18+. Period. End of discussion. Just because it's not a "law" doesn't mean it shouldn't be adhered to.

Then I think the beautiful thing here is that unless they card the event or someone tells you that an individual in the audience is younger than 18, you may never know. I would MUCH rather sit next to a well-behaved mature 17 year old at a comedy club and enjoy my evening than a raunchy, loud, immature 50 year old. Any day, anywhere.

I don't mean this to insult anyone, its just an observation (altho I will probably get flamed....lol, oh well). Why do people even consider its ok to just disregard the age rule? The "R" rated comedy show is 18+....it says it on Fun Times, they make announcement before the show. If you are in the comedy show with your under 18 child, they have to leave....If its necessary that you all have to stay together, you all need to leave and go to something else that is "family friendly"....Why is this even a question? I think this just as much, if not more to any ship club that is deemed 21+. I would ask people if they would take their under age kid into a club meant for adults (21 and over) on land? If not, why would you do it on the ship. Don't they have "teen clubs" up to 18 yrs old? My personal opinion, if I go to an adult event, I want to hang out with adults, not kids. So before people start taking my post to an extreme and twisting it where you are going to accuse me of calling your parenting skills into question, I am not doing that. I am just stating that if there is an age restriction at a certain venue, why cant we just follow that instead of looking for a loophole?

If we are sticking to your example of the comedy club (and not extending it to bending the rules regarding underage drinking for which I'm not in favor of), I do have some thoughts on why a parent may opt to "disregard" the 18+ guideline (because unlike the drinking age, which is a law, the age restrictions on the comedy club are a guideline): parents differ in the content that they allow/prefer their children to be exposed to. I'm thankful that there is an 18+ callout on the comedy clubs as I take it to mean that there will be adult content/language and that gives me, as the parent, the ability to make my own decision about whether my child should stay to hear it or not. However, I take it as little more than a heads up vs. a "rule" or a "law". Granted, my son is only 12 now so he would never be allowed (by me or anyone else) to be in an environment where adult language/content was being presented at this age. However, at 16 or 17 depending on his maturity and ability to handle it at that time, I may allow him to stay if he wishes and his presence is such that he's not standing out as being obviously underage. Afterall, I am his parent and I know better than anyone what content he should/has been exposed to and is able to handle. With that being said, if he were ever asked to leave, we would not resist.

Part of my perspective on this is how I was raised. I was always a bit more mature than my numerical age. I graduated high school, started college, and moved onto campus when I was 16 years old. Were my parents completely on board with that, eh. . .they weren't entirely sure about it but they supported me in my decision that I felt ready. Yes, there were experiences that first year of college that were. . .interesting as a 16 year old but most people had no idea that I was so much younger as I didn't stand out like I was still a kid. Whereas, there are PLENTY of 20 or 21 year olds who still act like they are 15. My point is that age really is sometimes just a number and it's more in the maturity and way one presents themselves that should be judged vs. their numerical age.

Again, the legal drinking age is 21 and I'm not in favor of bending that as it's a law. And this is coming from the girl who couldn't even legally drink until over a year AFTER she graduated college!

Thanks so much for the review! I just booked a Xmas cruise on the Sunshine yesterday and am SO excited!

Yes, they'll get more. AARP is one that doesn't always have them available. Lately, it's been kind of hard to estimate how often they're available. It was every couple of weeks, then for a while it was more frequently, but I think it's settled back down again. Usually someone will post to this thread (or one of the other AARP threads) when they become available, but it doesn't hurt to check often yourself because there's times when they go fast. Especially the $500 cards. Good luck! :)

 

Did you know there are a couple other sources of the discounted gift cards? Verizon has them through their rewards program, but you do have to be a Verizon customer. Also, Allstate insurance sells them through their rewards program. You do not need to be an Allstate customer, but non-customers have to register a rewards account through their Drivewise smartphone app. If you'd be interested in those, do a search for those threads for tips on how to sign up. The good thing about the gift cards through Allstate is that they're almost always available. And you have the option of ordering them as e-gift cards that are sent to you right away via email. Signing up for more than one of the rewards programs offers a better chance of racking up more points. ;)

Thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!! I feel so much better now. I also didn't know about the Allstate thing (knew about Verizon, but we aren't Verizon customers. :loudcry:) so I'll check that out too!! :)

After doing these aarp quizzes for a couple of months to save up enough points for the gift cards that I need for our Christmas cruise, I just went to redeem them tonight and Carnival isn't showing. :( Please tell me they'll get more!