AARP Carnival Gift Cards

[tw67]

42 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

Wednesday has come and gone.  And no new codes.  Huh.

Yup!  They got us used to it, so they changed it up!

[M4Travels]

shoplocal2K21

 

2000 pts

[Joe817]

2 minutes ago, M4Travels said:

shoplocal2K21

 

2000 pts

Thanks! 👍

[busymomintc]

shoplocal1k2021

 

1000 points

Edited November 18, 2021 by busymomintc

[babygrljaz]

Is anyone else having trouble purchasing cards today?  The website is so slow.  And now that I'm finally on the check out page, in the shipping address the dropdown for state is only a black line.  I've cleared cookies & cache.  I'm trying to download another browser, currently using Chrome.

[thewynn]

28 minutes ago, babygrljaz said:

Is anyone else having trouble purchasing cards today?  The website is so slow.  And now that I'm finally on the check out page, in the shipping address the dropdown for state is only a black line.  I've cleared cookies & cache.  I'm trying to download another browser, currently using Chrome.

Not specifically that but I just logged in, and then was kicked out and had a message to login through the App. I did and when I went to the rewards section from my phone I got a 502 Bad Gateway. I suspect they are having some system issues.

[mommysoncruiser]

^^ That!

[babygrljaz]

1 hour ago, thewynn said:

Not specifically that but I just logged in, and then was kicked out and had a message to login through the App. I did and when I went to the rewards section from my phone I got a 502 Bad Gateway. I suspect they are having some system issues.

I got it to work on my phone....finally!  Next cruise is booked & paid for woo-hoo!

[Organized Chaos]

On 11/16/2021 at 2:36 PM, babygrljaz said:

They can be loaded onboard using the kiosk I did it on Sept on Vista and in Oct on Dream. I personally prefer ecards because you get them immediately rather than having to wait for them to be shipped and get lost or take nearly a month to come in, both of which have happened to me.

 

It's pretty hit or miss when it comes to loading them from the kiosk. Given all the comments over the years, it seems like a majority of ships won't work. We were on Horizon last year and they wouldn't load using the kiosk. Or maybe some of them have been updated to work. That'd be nice.

[MeganGC1983]

2 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

It's pretty hit or miss when it comes to loading them from the kiosk. Given all the comments over the years, it seems like a majority of ships won't work. We were on Horizon last year and they wouldn't load using the kiosk. Or maybe some of them have been updated to work. That'd be nice.

On the Mardi Gras, we loaded one at guest services in the terminal before boarding. That took longer than any part of check-in because the lady took her time. There wasn’t anyone else in line. Once on board, I used a kiosk to load another one. I’m glad it was working. For the most part, the kiosk lines were pretty short in comparison to Guest service on board. 

[Organized Chaos]

Well, I blew past 700K points and can't use the dang things. We're very disappointed Carnival extended their vaxx requirements through March. Now we have to cancel our Sailabration cruise (Carnival's 50th anniversary cruises), which we were really looking forward to. Not trying to start an off-topic debate about the vaxx, just venting. We'll call our PVP and officially cancel this week. I sure hope they don't change their policy within the next few months (after we've already cancelled).

[tw67]

13 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

It's pretty hit or miss when it comes to loading them from the kiosk. Given all the comments over the years, it seems like a majority of ships won't work. We were on Horizon last year and they wouldn't load using the kiosk. Or maybe some of them have been updated to work. That'd be nice.

This is why I have started to buy cruise cash with them.  I know you are limited on the amount you can buy and you need to spend it all or it is lost.  One cruise the person who checked us in told us to do it on the ship, the kiosk didn't accept them, so we had to wait on line, and the guest services person was annoyed that we were using them.  We did have a lot, and I know it takes a lot of time for them to put them in.  

[tw67]

2 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

Well, I blew past 700K points and can't use the dang things. We're very disappointed Carnival extended their vaxx requirements through March. Now we have to cancel our Sailabration cruise (Carnival's 50th anniversary cruises), which we were really looking forward to. Not trying to start an off-topic debate about the vaxx, just venting. We'll call our PVP and officially cancel this week. I sure hope they don't change their policy within the next few months (after we've already cancelled).

I am so sorry.  You do so much to help others, I really feel for you on this one.  

[Calnev1]

5 minutes ago, tw67 said:

This is why I have started to buy cruise cash with them.  I know you are limited on the amount you can buy and you need to spend it all or it is lost.  One cruise the person who checked us in told us to do it on the ship, the kiosk didn't accept them, so we had to wait on line, and the guest services person was annoyed that we were using them.  We did have a lot, and I know it takes a lot of time for them to put them in.  

I am going to have a bunch of $100 GCs to load onboard in my first post-COVID cruise coming up Dec 11 on the Panorama.  Like you, my pre-COVID experience was that the guest services folks oboard is that it takes them awhile to load the cards, and on occasion they have seem annoyed and/or I have felt like I am holding up others waiting in line behind me.  So now I will think about prepurchasing some cruise cash.  Will have to research the Carnival site for any post-COVID experiences using cruise cash for chip purchases at the casino tables (yes, I know the slot thing is free and the chip purchases, if they let you make them, cost 3%).

[Organized Chaos]

10 minutes ago, MeganGC1983 said:

On the Mardi Gras, we loaded one at guest services in the terminal before boarding. That took longer than any part of check-in because the lady took her time. There wasn’t anyone else in line. Once on board, I used a kiosk to load another one. I’m glad it was working. For the most part, the kiosk lines were pretty short in comparison to Guest service on board. 

 

I know exactly what you mean. In New Orleans in 2019, they forced me to go to Guest Services in the terminal because I was using a cash S&S account and was going to load gift cards onboard. But since the account was empty to start, they wouldn't let me board w/o adding funds first. Mind you, I've always used a cash account and that was the first time they'd ever done that to me. The lady took FOREVER, had to get help from the lady next to her. We had FTTF and almost missed that boarding group because she took so long.

 

So last year I used a cash account again, but put some Cruise Cash on it to avoid a repeat. Didn't matter, they did it to me again (in Miami). The lady in the terminal didn't even know what Cruise Cash was. Finally got a supervisor and they let me go. But I did try the kiosks (Horizon) and they were a no-go for gift cards. If they're working for some people on some ships, it seems like a setting or a simple software issue and could probably be fixed on every ship if they wanted to.

[Organized Chaos]

14 minutes ago, tw67 said:

This is why I have started to buy cruise cash with them.  I know you are limited on the amount you can buy and you need to spend it all or it is lost.  One cruise the person who checked us in told us to do it on the ship, the kiosk didn't accept them, so we had to wait on line, and the guest services person was annoyed that we were using them.  We did have a lot, and I know it takes a lot of time for them to put them in.  

 

I mentioned it in my reply to Megan, but I put Cruise Cash on my cash account last year, and they still pulled me aside and made me go to GS in the terminal. The lady at the counter didn't even know what Cruise Cash was. 🙄 Took a supervisor to let me go.

[Calnev1]

2 minutes ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

I mentioned it in my reply to Megan, but I put Cruise Cash on my cash account last year, and they still pulled me aside and made me go to GS in the terminal. The lady at the counter didn't even know what Cruise Cash was. 🙄 Took a supervisor to let me go.

Uggh.   I was going to try a cash account for the first time this upcoming cruise, but your experience is discouraging.

[Calnev1]

5 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

Uggh.   I was going to try a cash account for the first time this upcoming cruise, but your experience is discouraging.

Maybe I can give them a $100 bill when I get to the first check-in counter??

[Organized Chaos]

14 minutes ago, tw67 said:

I am so sorry.  You do so much to help others, I really feel for you on this one.  

 

Thank you, I really appreciate that. We were looking forward to the meet-up at sea. Thought it'd be cool to see a gathering of ships together like that (not at a port). And they're supposed to have some retro events & activities from years ago, before we started cruising, so we wanted to see what that was like. Given their policy, we understand that we have to choose how badly we want to cruise, and we've made our choice, so it is what it is. But it doesn't make it any less disappointing.

 

I haven't participated in the Carnival forum (other than this thread) in several months because it got so toxic last year. I do miss chatting about cruising and have always enjoyed helping people out when I could, so I'm sure I'll get back into it at some point.

[Organized Chaos]

45 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

Uggh.   I was going to try a cash account for the first time this upcoming cruise, but your experience is discouraging.

 

Like I said, 2019 was the first time they'd ever done that to me. When I posted about my experience on the forum after the cruise, someone had said they tried doing it to her, but she insisted she was going to add funds onboard and they let her go. So I tried that last year. The girl just inside the door, before security & check-in, saw my boarding pass showed a cash account and she highlighted it, which signaled them to send me to GS. I told 3 different people I had Cruise Cash and planned to add more funds onboard. The first girl, the check-in person, and the lady checking boarding passes before the waiting area. But I still got sent to GS. I'm hoping those 2 instances were just a bad luck exception to the norm and not a new rule.

 

39 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

Maybe I can give them a $100 bill when I get to the first check-in counter??

 

🤣 👍

Edited November 21, 2021 by Organized Chaos

[n6uqqq]

On the Miracle now and can finally say I was able to load e gift cards at the kiosk for the first time ever. On a side note since Carnival is not doing the poker tournies the platinum and diamond are getting 25 in cash at the casino cage. At least I did on the miracle!

[SNJCruisers]

11 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

I mentioned it in my reply to Megan, but I put Cruise Cash on my cash account last year, and they still pulled me aside and made me go to GS in the terminal. The lady at the counter didn't even know what Cruise Cash was. 🙄 Took a supervisor to let me go.

Cruise cash...the only time it should ever be used is if you can buy it at a discount, like the short time that Carnival offered it at 20% off and you could buy up to 500.00.  Otherwise, you lose it if you don't use it. And there is really nothing positive about having cruise cash instead of regular cash.

And of course a credit card always trumps cash if you use it properly.  Have had a few over the last 40 years and have never carried a balance....ever.  Zero cc debt. Don't live beyond my means.

[SNJCruisers]

11 hours ago, Calnev1 said:

Maybe I can give them a $100 bill when I get to the first check-in counter??

Or just have a credit card on file.  They are readily available. You do have the option of paying cash before you disembark, thus never using the cc if you don't like carrying a balance.

[Calnev1]

4 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Cruise cash...the only time it should ever be used is if you can buy it at a discount,

If you buy cruise cash with a Carnival gift card that you purchased at a discount . . .  aren't  you buying the cruise cash at a discount?   I think that was the idea behind what tw67 was doing.   He/she wanted something in his account before he boarded the ship, but you can't put gift cards in your account before you board the ship.

[Calnev1]

4 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Or just have a credit card on file. 

Perhaps it doesnt make sense . . . but the reason I want to try an account without a credit card backing it is to find out if there are any limits to what OBC and gift cards can buy on the ship.   With a credit card behind the account, maybe I won't know until after the cruise whether a particular charge (for example, a casino slot charge) was covered by the OBC, the gift cards, or the credit card.  But with no credit card on file, I will know in fact while onboard whether the OBC/gift card was accepted by the ship for the particular charge.   It's kind of an experiment.   Maybe a dumb one.