Thanks so much to the Cruise Critic Carnival Board!

We booked our first Carnival cruise on the Magic for this June. Thanks to these boards, I saved $200 using my American Express card and $350 using AARP gift cards. I also was able to have our booking adjusted to the current promo and saved almost $800 (between the 5 staterooms we have booked). The remainder of my trip is being purchased with my credit card travel points. Also, I'm so excited about the awesome shore excursions I have planned, based on the recommendations of cruise critic members. I'll be writing my review when we return - but just wanted to say thank you to all who take the time to share information on these boards!

One lesson I did learn on my own (I'm sure that this information is on the boards as well, but I missed it). There is a limit to how many AARP gift cards you can purchase within a 7 day period. So don't wait until right before final payment to purchase them!

I agree there is a lot of good information here, and a lot of posters who consistently take the time to answer questions.

I hope you enjoy your cruise.

I am not a novice cruiser but I always learn something here. :-)

It's funny, my DW often gives me a hard time for the amount of time I spend on CC but she doesn't realize how much valuable information I've learned over my 16 years on this board and how much it has helped us have fantastic cruises. And as mentioned, it's all thanks to folks sharing. :)

Op: hope you thoroughly enjoy your cruise on Magic!

It's funny, my DW often gives me a hard time for the amount of time I spend on CC but she doesn't realize how much valuable information I've learned over my 16 years on this board and how much it has helped us have fantastic cruises. And as mentioned, it's all thanks to folks sharing. :)

 

 

 

Op: hope you thoroughly enjoy your cruise on Magic!

Couldn’t agree more with this comment. My husband is always asking how did you find out all of this information? But have learned so much from just reading posts on this site and some very valuable information!

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We continue to get great info on these boards

You're so right! Wish I would have known about CC before our first cruise. It's helped me plan the next four, without a doubt.

And I also like to maximize my payment perks. I'll be purchasing Carnival gift cards from our local grocery store chain, which kicks back ten cents per gallon for each $50 spent on gift cards. That will help pay for my diesel fuel for the Super Duty for horse show season this summer. Additionally, I'll use the Cabela's credit card to pay for those cards, so hubs can get his rewards from that card.

Back when we booked our first cruise in 2016, Carnival had their own message boards called Carnival Funville. That's where I spent all my time for the year and a half before the cruise. Similar to CC, it was chock-full of information. I absorbed as much as I could. We went on that cruise with two people who cruised often and I learned so much from the boards that I already knew things they'd tell us and even things they didn't know themselves. When Funville closed in late 2016, I joined CC. We booked our upcoming June cruise in March of last year. One of the first things I learned about here were the discount Carnival gift cards from AARP & Allstate. They saved us over $350 so far. More once we buy some for OBC. For anyone willing to spend some time, the information you can find here (or on the old Carnival boards) is priceless.

I just used the AMEX promotion to pay for my cruise last night! I would have never known about it without CC

Thirty cruises and still learning. I love suggestions about saving money and specific ship information.

This is a great board. Many helpful and enjoyable posts daily!

Same! I learned about booking excursions with Carnival and finding the other people that do the same ones for cheaper, then getting Carnival to match. I have learned about the discounted LEGIT gift cards and that saved me tons. I have learned about embarkation lunch and hidden gems on the ships and when to utilize them to save time. Even though there are a bunch of people on here that get in arguments over stupid stuff, it's still a great wealth of information.