AARP gift cards and cruise cancellation

[july2012]

Hello All,

 

If you use AARP gift cards to pay your cruise and you need to cancel cruise before final payment and or using the vacation protection.

 

Do you get your refund in gift cards? If so do the gift cards expire?

 

Thanks in advance

[july2012]

I went to carnival website and FAQ's. I have answered my own question:)

 

If you use your Carnival Gift Card and then later cancel, any refund due back will be sent in the form of a new Carnival Gift Card. It will be mailed to the address on the booking profile and take 5-10 business days. If the booking was made through a travel agency, we will need to obtain your address in order to mail out a new Carnival Gift Card

 

If I use vacation protection and cancel for any reason...I would get 75% cruise voucher. If a covered reason I would get 100% in cash. I'm not sure about buying the vacation protection this cruise.

 

I want to save money using the AARP gift cards. I want to pay close to final payment. But don't think if I can wait to purchase AARP gift cards. Not sure how often they are available? I see online now has the $100 available.

 

I try to take a cruise every 2 years, but our next one may be until 2022. Got a kid going to college, and I probably will not spend money on cruise vacations until my kid graduates college. So I would not want to be "stuck" with a carnival gift card. If for some reason I had to cancel I would want my money back...

 

I need to make a decisions on this.

[CruzCrazy]

The gift cards have no expiration date. You could buy some here and there when they're available and just hold onto them until you have a cruise booked. If you get the e-gift cards (no shipping charge), print them out from the e-mail link and keep in a folder, etc., until you're ready to apply them. I do that in case something should happen to the e-mail--I like having a hard copy. As far as being stuck with gift cards, that's a chance I'm willing to take. No cash refunds as far as I'm aware (although once on board if you don't use the entire amount, you can "cash out" in the casino). Otherwise, if you've applied more to your sail and sign account than you use, I believe they send you a gift card by mail. I've never had any left over, LOL.

[tidecat]

I recently had to cancel two bookings, and I’ve had to write Carnival about getting the actual refund. Carnival can be a bit inconsistent about processing refunds on gift cards - I’ve had a card for $4.95 overnighted to me, but I’ve had to ask multiple times to get the cruise fare above the deposit and shore excursions refunded.