AARP Carnival cards issues?

[Organized Chaos]

Well, I placed my order Sunday. I knew it wasn't going to be processed until Monday, though. My AARP account showed a status of "Processed" by late Monday morning, so I was hoping it'd ship Monday afternoon. I didn't get any alerts from UPS MyChoice (I set it to alert me when it's ready for shipment).

 

Tuesday morning I decided to contact AARP to see if they had a tracking number available. While I was on the phone with the rep., their computers went down, so she couldn't access my account. She said to call back in an hour to an hour & a half. I waited almost two hours and by then, their phone lines were full and I had to wait about 10 minutes on hold. The next rep. told me that they just started "updating" their computer system and I should call back in an hour. I told her I was already calling back from two hours prior, was told the system was down, and I was already told to call back. She said as far as she knew, the system had only been updating for a few minutes. At that point, I felt like she was just blowing smoke to keep them from looking bad and they didn't want to admit their system was still down two hours later. I gave her the name of the first woman I spoke with, the time I called, and said that woman admitted the system went down and asked that I call back. She said she didn't know anything about it, call back in an hour. Incidentally, I've never had a very good experience with their customer service.

 

So I waited another two hours and called a third time. Got put on hold again...about 5 minutes. That time their system was finally up & running and she was able to access my account. But no tracking number. She said that it can take up to two days to process and ship out. I said my account showed it was processed Monday morning. That didn't get me anywhere, she just said as long as I got the confirmation, I'm good.

 

So here it is, late Tuesday night and, as far as I know, it still hasn't shipped. There are plenty of AARP threads on this forum and I've seen multiple accounts of people saying they got their cards (through UPS) 3-4 days after ordering. If that's possible for me, they'd have to ship tomorrow and be sent overnight shipping. We're just antsy because we're trying to book a cruise this winter, but want this card to pay the deposit. It's filling up fast and we're trying not to lose a particular cabin.

[bingomamma19]

18 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

Well, I placed my order Sunday. I knew it wasn't going to be processed until Monday, though. My AARP account showed a status of "Processed" by late Monday morning, so I was hoping it'd ship Monday afternoon. I didn't get any alerts from UPS MyChoice (I set it to alert me when it's ready for shipment).

 

Tuesday morning I decided to contact AARP to see if they had a tracking number available. While I was on the phone with the rep., their computers went down, so she couldn't access my account. She said to call back in an hour to an hour & a half. I waited almost two hours and by then, their phone lines were full and I had to wait about 10 minutes on hold. The next rep. told me that they just started "updating" their computer system and I should call back in an hour. I told her I was already calling back from two hours prior, was told the system was down, and I was already told to call back. She said as far as she knew, the system had only been updating for a few minutes. At that point, I felt like she was just blowing smoke to keep them from looking bad and they didn't want to admit their system was still down two hours later. I gave her the name of the first woman I spoke with, the time I called, and said that woman admitted the system went down and asked that I call back. She said she didn't know anything about it, call back in an hour. Incidentally, I've never had a very good experience with their customer service.

 

So I waited another two hours and called a third time. Got put on hold again...about 5 minutes. That time their system was finally up & running and she was able to access my account. But no tracking number. She said that it can take up to two days to process and ship out. I said my account showed it was processed Monday morning. That didn't get me anywhere, she just said as long as I got the confirmation, I'm good.

 

So here it is, late Tuesday night and, as far as I know, it still hasn't shipped. There are plenty of AARP threads on this forum and I've seen multiple accounts of people saying they got their cards (through UPS) 3-4 days after ordering. If that's possible for me, they'd have to ship tomorrow and be sent overnight shipping. We're just antsy because we're trying to book a cruise this winter, but want this card to pay the deposit. It's filling up fast and we're trying not to lose a particular cabin.

It does ship overnight for the $500 cards once they are shipped.

 

I just ordered $2700 cards last week...ordered on a Friday---got the email on Monday that they were shipped and received them on Tuesday. 

 

Don't worry, I bet you get the email tomorrow that they have been shipped.

[Organized Chaos]

4 minutes ago, bingomamma19 said:

It does ship overnight for the $500 cards once they are shipped.

 

I just ordered $2700 cards last week...ordered on a Friday---got the email on Monday that they were shipped and received them on Tuesday. 

 

Don't worry, I bet you get the email tomorrow that they have been shipped.

 

That's good to hear. Thank you. This process was so much easier with the e-cards. 😝

 

Once we get this deposit taken care of and book the cabin we want, we can relax. We still have a lot more gift cards to order, but we won't be in such a time crunch.

[2wheelin]

8 hours ago, bingomamma19 said:

It does ship overnight for the $500 cards once they are shipped.

 

I just ordered $2700 cards last week...ordered on a Friday---got the email on Monday that they were shipped and received them on Tuesday. 

 

Don't worry, I bet you get the email tomorrow that they have been shipped.

 

I have never had service that fast and never gotten email notifying of shipping.

8 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

That's good to hear. Thank you. This process was so much easier with the e-cards. 😝

 

Once we get this deposit taken care of and book the cabin we want, we can relax. We still have a lot more gift cards to order, but we won't be in such a time crunch.

Not to rain on your parade but—-I have usually ordered on Wed or Thurs and never have they been shipped before Mon.. Before MyChoice, I always had to call for tracking number and they were always very helpful. I was also once told that they have up to five business days to process the order. I usually receive cards on Wed or Thurs a week after ordering. 

Everyone has different experiences so I hope you get yours in time to get the cabin you desire.

Renew the hold if you have to. I was once in a similar position when I wanted to cancel and rebook under a better offer and lost it by a few hours. Turned out to be for the best anyway.

Happy sailing

[bingomamma19]

49 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

 

I have never had service that fast and never gotten email notifying of shipping.

Not to rain on your parade but—-I have usually ordered on Wed or Thurs and never have they been shipped before Mon.. Before MyChoice, I always had to call for tracking number and they were always very helpful. I was also once told that they have up to five business days to process the order. I usually receive cards on Wed or Thurs a week after ordering. 

Everyone has different experiences so I hope you get yours in time to get the cabin you desire.

Renew the hold if you have to. I was once in a similar position when I wanted to cancel and rebook under a better offer and lost it by a few hours. Turned out to be for the best anyway.

Happy sailing

The email of shipping comes from UPS because I am subscribed to their shipping notifications.   I don't get anything from AARP, just UPS.   

 

The last 2 times I have ordered--last week being the most recent, it did happen that fast.   I was expecting a few days before hearing anything so I was pleasantly surprised when I got the ups emails saying they were shipped.

[Organized Chaos]

3 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

I have never had service that fast and never gotten email notifying of shipping.

 

The last rep. I talked to did say I'd get a shipment notification via email. I knew I've read on here many times that they don't automatically send one, but I just let it go. If all else fails, I'll call again to get the tracking info. if need be.

 

3 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

I have never had service that fast and never gotten email notifying of shipping. 

Not to rain on your parade but—-I have usually ordered on Wed or Thurs and never have they been shipped before Mon.. Before MyChoice, I always had to call for tracking number and they were always very helpful. I was also once told that they have up to five business days to process the order. I usually receive cards on Wed or Thurs a week after ordering. 

Everyone has different experiences so I hope you get yours in time to get the cabin you desire.

Renew the hold if you have to. I was once in a similar position when I wanted to cancel and rebook under a better offer and lost it by a few hours. Turned out to be for the best anyway.

Happy sailing

 

I guess we'll hope for the best, but be ready to wait even longer. I haven't had to order physical cards in over 2 years, and that was an order under $500. It came USPS. Ordered on a Wednesday and they arrived that following Monday. I guess we've gotten lucky since then being able to always get e-cards.

 

So Carnival doesn't care if you repeatedly hold a cabin? I just didn't want to seem like a jerk and hold it for an extended period of time, but we are truly going to book it. So far, we've had it on hold twice (4 days), but that's because I used my wife's account first, then my own. I didn't know if it would let the same account hold a cabin more than once. If they do allow it, that's a bit of a relief. That way if the card does take longer, we'll just keep the hold going. When you log on, there's a countdown clock showing when it expires, so this last time I just logged on at the right moment and held it the second time.

[Organized Chaos]

3 hours ago, bingomamma19 said:

The email of shipping comes from UPS because I am subscribed to their shipping notifications.   I don't get anything from AARP, just UPS.   

 

The last 2 times I have ordered--last week being the most recent, it did happen that fast.   I was expecting a few days before hearing anything so I was pleasantly surprised when I got the ups emails saying they were shipped.

 

Ah, ok. I do have my MyChoice set to email me when it's ready to be shipped. Like I said above, the AARP rep. said I'd get a shipment notification (from AARP), but I knew that wasn't the norm. Nothing we can do now but wait...impatiently.

[bingomamma19]

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

Ah, ok. I do have my MyChoice set to email me when it's ready to be shipped. Like I said above, the AARP rep. said I'd get a shipment notification (from AARP), but I knew that wasn't the norm. Nothing we can do now but wait...impatiently.

I know the feeling...I am an impatient person myself  LOL

 

Let us know when you do get that email and your mind can be at ease :):)

[CruizinKittie40]

Has anyone tried to buy one since the 20th? I looked on the website and don't see them. 

[jbethel11]

50 minutes ago, CruizinKittie40 said:

Has anyone tried to buy one since the 20th? I looked on the website and don't see them. 

I was able to put four $500 gift cards in my cart in hopes of purchasing them within the next couple of days. 

[CruizinKittie40]

Not sure why I can't even see them.  Thanks! 

[jbethel11]

Here is what I see.

[Organized Chaos]

On 7/25/2019 at 4:27 AM, CruizinKittie40 said:

Has anyone tried to buy one since the 20th? I looked on the website and don't see them. 

On 7/25/2019 at 5:30 AM, CruizinKittie40 said:

Not sure why I can't even see them.  Thanks! 

 

Any luck yet? If not, I'd say try the old standby of clearing your browser's cookies/cache. Or try another browser. That's probably not it, but it can't hurt to try.

 

A long time ago, there were a couple instances in the Allstate Rewards thread where certain people were seeing gift cards in stock when others weren't. They seemed to depend on a person's location. But there hasn't been any talk about that for quite some time. The company that operates the Allstate Rewards website also operates AARP's. I suppose there's a possibility that something similar is happening with you.

[AtSeaWithChris]

On 7/25/2019 at 4:27 AM, CruizinKittie40 said:

Has anyone tried to buy one since the 20th? I looked on the website and don't see them. 

We bought one Wednesday 

[bury me at sea]

On 7/25/2019 at 4:27 AM, CruizinKittie40 said:

Has anyone tried to buy one since the 20th? I looked on the website and don't see them. 

 

I bought a 100.00 card yesterday afternoon (Thursday).  500.00 were also available.

[Organized Chaos]

Just wanted to give a little update on my situation. I finally got the notification from UPS that our card had shipped yesterday evening. It won't be here until Monday. That bummed us out. We've been holding our cabin all week now waiting for this dumb card. Sometime early Thursday morning (or maybe Wednesday night) the price went up $85 on this cabin. After doing the math, we decided to bite the bullet and pay the deposit without the gift card. Even without it, it was still better than to go with the new rate and I was tired of messing with this hold mumbo jumbo. Our most recent hold expired this afternoon, so I decided to call our PVP for the heck of it. I explained what was going on and he was able to put an extended hold on the cabin until Monday, so we'll get to use the gift card after all! 👍 And he got us a rate $10 cheaper than what we've been holding. He kept saying, "See, this is why you call me." I'm going to do my best not to underestimate his powers ever again.

 

The frustrating thing is, the gift card will make it to a UPS sorting facility 25 minutes away from us by this evening. But I guess AARP doesn't pay for Saturday delivery, so we wait.

[bury me at sea]

I get how frustrating these situations can be.  Glad the card is on its way, and that you got the cabin you wanted at a good rate.

[bingomamma19]

13 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

Just wanted to give a little update on my situation. I finally got the notification from UPS that our card had shipped yesterday evening. It won't be here until Monday. That bummed us out. We've been holding our cabin all week now waiting for this dumb card. Sometime early Thursday morning (or maybe Wednesday night) the price went up $85 on this cabin. After doing the math, we decided to bite the bullet and pay the deposit without the gift card. Even without it, it was still better than to go with the new rate and I was tired of messing with this hold mumbo jumbo. Our most recent hold expired this afternoon, so I decided to call our PVP for the heck of it. I explained what was going on and he was able to put an extended hold on the cabin until Monday, so we'll get to use the gift card after all! 👍 And he got us a rate $10 cheaper than what we've been holding. He kept saying, "See, this is why you call me." I'm going to do my best not to underestimate his powers ever again.

 

The frustrating thing is, the gift card will make it to a UPS sorting facility 25 minutes away from us by this evening. But I guess AARP doesn't pay for Saturday delivery, so we wait.

Glad to hear it all is working out!    I agree with the benefits of a good PVP...mine is wonderful  and I have had him since 2009.

 

 

[n6uqqq]

2 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

Just wanted to give a little update on my situation. I finally got the notification from UPS that our card had shipped yesterday evening. It won't be here until Monday. That bummed us out. We've been holding our cabin all week now waiting for this dumb card. Sometime early Thursday morning (or maybe Wednesday night) the price went up $85 on this cabin. After doing the math, we decided to bite the bullet and pay the deposit without the gift card. Even without it, it was still better than to go with the new rate and I was tired of messing with this hold mumbo jumbo. Our most recent hold expired this afternoon, so I decided to call our PVP for the heck of it. I explained what was going on and he was able to put an extended hold on the cabin until Monday, so we'll get to use the gift card after all! 👍 And he got us a rate $10 cheaper than what we've been holding. He kept saying, "See, this is why you call me." I'm going to do my best not to underestimate his powers ever again.

 

The frustrating thing is, the gift card will make it to a UPS sorting facility 25 minutes away from us by this evening. But I guess AARP doesn't pay for Saturday delivery, so we wait.

 

When you get the gift card, call Carnival, apply it, and then have your credit card payment refunded. I have done this numerous times and Carnival has never once balked at refunding the credit card. I have done this for 4 person rooms that had a deposit of 1000 dollars.

[Organized Chaos]

2 hours ago, n6uqqq said:

When you get the gift card, call Carnival, apply it, and then have your credit card payment refunded. I have done this numerous times and Carnival has never once balked at refunding the credit card. I have done this for 4 person rooms that had a deposit of 1000 dollars.

 

We wondered if this was an option. Good to know for the future. But it worked out in a different way. We've yet to pay the deposit. Our PVP put an extended hold on the cabin until Monday (end of day). The gift card is scheduled to arrive by mid-afternoon, so I'll call him and apply it to the deposit.

 

So for you UPS MyChoice users...it gives me an estimated delivery time, a 4-hour window, from late morning to mid-afternoon. In your experience, is that window usually accurate?

[2wheelin]

27 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

We wondered if this was an option. Good to know for the future. But it worked out in a different way. We've yet to pay the deposit. Our PVP put an extended hold on the cabin until Monday (end of day). The gift card is scheduled to arrive by mid-afternoon, so I'll call him and apply it to the deposit.

 

So for you UPS MyChoice users...it gives me an estimated delivery time, a 4-hour window, from late morning to mid-afternoon. In your experience, is that window usually accurate?

One time it was to come in the afternoon and came at 9am. We weren’t home so had to go get it the next afternoon at the store. Next time it came in the afternoon window. Not totally dependable but the day was right.

[SNJCruisers]

On 7/11/2019 at 9:51 PM, Skip36 said:

hurry up and use your points because that program is being discontinued

I have 55,000 accumulated that will go to waste. 

[bingomamma19]

1 hour ago, SNJCruisers said:

I have 55,000 accumulated that will go to waste. 

You have until September to use them

[jbethel11]

10 hours ago, n6uqqq said:

When you get the gift card, call Carnival, apply it, and then have your credit card payment refunded. I have done this numerous times and Carnival has never once balked at refunding the credit card. I have done this for 4 person rooms that had a deposit of 1000 dollars.

Will this work after FPD? I see 2 adjoining room on Magic that I worry won't be available by the time the gift cards come in!

[n6uqqq]

5 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

Will this work after FPD? I see 2 adjoining room on Magic that I worry won't be available by the time the gift cards come in!

 

It should work. I just call and explain that I have received gift cards and ask if they can refund my original credit card payment and apply the gift cards and have never been given any trouble at all. I usually book 4 person rooms and the deposit is typically 1000 dollars and it never caused any issues getting the deposit switched to the gift cards long after I booked the cruise. I would say call and ask to be sure, but one thing we all know out here is that you may get 3 different answers from 3 different Carnival reps 🤣