If Carnival Cruise Line fans weren’t happy before, they certainly won’t be now.
In early November, the news broke that AARP changed its discounted rate on Carnival gift cards from 10% to 8% off. As an example, this means a $100 gift card would now cost AARP members $92 instead of $90.
But now, just over a month later, AARP has once again cut its Carnival discount – this time from 8% off to 5% off. So now instead of saving $8 on that $100 gift card, members would only save $5.
The monthly purchase limit of the gift cards – which was lowered from 25 to five per month as part of the previous discount update – still remains in place.
“So I noticed today that the AARP discounted carnival cruise gift cards have been dropped down to only a 5% discount. They used to be 10% a month ago. Then AARP revamped the rewards website and knocked the discount down to 8%. Checked the AARP website today and they lowered it again down to 5%,” one member posted on Reddit – with the change also reflected on the AARP website.
Since the gift cards can be used to book cruises, as well as experiences and amenities onboard, many seasoned cruisers like to buy the discounted gift cards to make their sailing more affordable.
Between the recent gift card limit and the lessened discount, many were disappointed – with some saying it was time to cancel their membership.
“Damn. I guess they will still probably save me a couple hundred bucks but this still sucks,” one member shared.
“So we can only buy 5 and it’s only 5%?? Pfft cancelled,” another added.
“Thanks for reminding me to cancel my AARP membership,” a third echoed.
It also likely doesn’t help that AARP’s annual membership dues are increasing from $16 to $20 per year starting in January 2025.
That said, the non-profit, which caters to people over 50, still has better discounts on other cruise lines – with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises gift cards at 10% off as of the time of this writing.
Some AARP vacation packages might also offer better rates – with the website currently advertising early Wave Season cruise deals onboard Princess Cruises, Holland America, and Celebrity Cruises that come with up to $100 in onboard credits.
Is Carnival Responsible?
With Carnival already feeling the heat after a website glitch that prevented guests from using their onboard credits and gift cards online, some may be eyeing the Miami-based cruise line as a possible culprit behind the slashed discounts – as they did for the November change.
At the time, Brand Ambassador John Heald received an onslaught of messages complaining about the change on his Facebook page.
“I have received a large amount of bollockings this morning about a change to the percentage of something to do with the gift cards. This has nothing to do with the cruise line, this is all decided as all gift cards are by the people that distribute them,” Heald wrote at the time, before directing his followers to contact AARP with any further questions.
Indeed, the discounts can vary based on demand and availability – with even the AARP website caveating that the Carnival Cruise Line gift cards are a “limited time offer, while supplies last.”
Read Also: Carnival Cruise Gift Cards: What You Need to Know
At the moment, future guests might not even be able to use their gift cards on the Carnival website due to an ongoing glitch.
In addition to website maintenance that went on much longer than anticipated on December 14, 2024, there has also been an ongoing issue that has prevented guests from making pre-cruise purchases online using onboard credits or gift cards.
As of Heald’s most recent update on the matter three days ago (December 19, 2024), the issue still wasn’t resolved.
“Once again, I have to say the word sorry…I do understand for many of you posting this morning that you can still not use your gift card or OBC on the website. I promise you that we are very much aware and we will continue to keep you informed and hopefully I will have some good news a little bit later today,” the brand ambassador wrote.
Heald is now on vacation until after Christmas, and there have been no further updates from him on this matter.
Per the comments section of his post, it appears that some have regained their ability to use onboard credits, while others have not.
