Saving money on a cruise - I hope Oz has something similar.

[JJK2008]

I think most folks want to save money on their cruise. We certainly do. There are of course the shareholder OBC, perks from TA's etc. In the USA we have an organization you may already know about - the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons). You folks perhaps have seen threads here on CC where it is discussed. I don't know if Oz has a similar organization with similar perks. Anyway, AARP provide members lots of discounts. For example, AARP members who also are Mariner members on HAL can get an OBC from HAL just by being an AARP member.  AARP also sells discounted cruise E Gift Cards for CCL, RCCL, Princess, Hal. The E Cards save you 10%. Now the CCL E Cards are excellent in that they can be used for anything, fares, excursions, casino, etc. And CCL is VERY easy to work with when applying the E cards. RCCL not so much. RCCL are still 10% discount, but they are very restrictive. You must read the T & C carefully, understand them and follow the instruction to the letter, otherwise RCCL won't honor them. Although anyone over 18 can join AARP, only members with a USA address and phone number can purchase through the Reward Program. The E Cards do NOT have any name on them and can be redeemed by anyone. We live in Florida (called God's Waiting Room) where AARP has a large membership (us too). About 1/3rd of our community are Canadian "Snowbirds" (Canadians who escape the Tundra during the winter months). Many of them cruise and of course have American friends. they have their friends purchase the cards for them and then use the cards to save 10% on their cruise, perfectly legitimate. There are a number of on-line companies that sell cruise line E Gift Cards, but they are normally at face value price. But occasionally there are sales. There was one Ad recently from Newegg that was offering the CCL E Gift Cards at a 10% discount. But this is a Newegg sale - for a limited time and a limited quantity. The AARP E Gift Cards are discounted 10% all the time. Hope there is something similar in Oz that you can take advantage of. Worth looking into, I think. 

[Aus Traveller]

As far as I know, there isn't anything similar in Australia.

[MicCanberra]

Not as far as I know.

The best I can do is getting a % percentage off travel insurance with a company due to having some loyalty and other insurance policies 

[arxcards]

The only travel benefit for seniors is very cheap fares on our public transport networks. That would get me to the cruise terminals cheaper.

 

For Carnival, and some others?, at 55 you can get a discounted fare on selected cruises.

[JJK2008]

That is very unfortunate that there is not a similar organization in Oz with similar perks. That said, there are other ways to obtain these E Gift Cards, and most of you probably already know this. I apologize if I'm posting old info. There are a number of sites that you can get cruise line E Gift Cards. CardCash is one. On this site people buy and sell gift cards. You can buy discounted cards for a number of different products including cruises. As I mentioned in my prior posts, Newegg is another site that sells cruise E Gift Cards but usually at face value. However, Newegg does have sales. One recently had CCL E Gift Cards at 10% off (a $500 gift card would be $450). This was a limited time offer with limited quantity. Also, as I mentioned in my first post, HAL offers OBC of $50 - $200 to AARP members. No purchases required. Only thing required is an AARP membership. ANYONE 18+ can be a member of AARP. First year membership is $12 then $16 after that. Your AARP membership number attaches to you HAL Mariners number. If you cruise HAL, then the AARP membership may be worth it. Lastly, the AARP E Gift Cards I mentioned prior are transferable. So, if you have relatives/friends or such in the USA they could buy the cards for you. Yes, it is jumping through a few hoops, but if you have a $4 - $5 thousand dollar cruise then saving 10% is worth a little effort (IMHO). If any of you do decide to check this further, keep in mind all the prices I quoted are in USD, so take that into consideration. PLEASE read and understand the T & C for each site and cards. As mentioned before the CCL cards are a breeze to use but YES there are T & C to understand with CCL also. The RCCL can be used but are very restrictive. You must follow the T & C to the letter. One condition that I read here on CC often is people will book their RCCL cruise through a TA and then try to apply the AARP E Gift Card and RCCL rejects it. You must book directly with RCCL to apply an E Gift Card. This catches a lot of folks off guard, and they get really ticked off (they DON'T read the T & C). READ the threads here on CC. Some really good info and of course some really bad info, you decide. We like saving money. If we reprice a cruise or get OBC or use a gift card or whatever and save some money, we look at it like a win. Just a silly little game we play. For us it's amusing. Best of luck to all, hope this info is not repetitive and some of you save some cash. If anyone needs further answers I will do my best to provide them. Or if you know of other ways to save, I'd love to hear them. Yes, I know there is a thread here on CC that people post saving money tips on. Stay Safe & Healthy. 

 

Cheers, 

John

[Kellyansapansa]

Australia does have a scheme called the Seniors Card which runs in most states.

 

I don't think they offer gift cards in the same way but there are lots of discounts available, including some related to travel.

 

This is the link to the South Australian scheme: https://www.seniorscard.sa.gov.au/benefits/discounts-and-deals/search