Cruise line gift cards: Where to buy them, how to spend them

If you’re racking your brains for the perfect gift for your cruise-loving family member or friend, consider buying them a gift card or certificate from their favorite cruise line.

Crusaders will appreciate a gift they can use towards purchasing their cruise fare or towards a beverage package, specialty restaurant or spa treatment. Don’t exclude first-time visitors from your list; You can help fund their first cruise trip or surprise them with something extra to make their upcoming trip special.

If you’re a cruise ship, you might also want to buy a gift card for yourself, especially if you find an offer. AARP sometimes offers digital gift cards for cruise lines like Princess, Holland America, and Royal Caribbean with savings of 10%. Gift cards purchased with Target’s RedCard receive a 5% discount. You can also look for Black Friday sales for Disney gift cards at Sam’s Club and other promotions offered by the cruise lines or retailers.

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Not every cruise line offers gift certificates, and some have alternative ways to pay for part of someone else’s vacation. But if you’re in the cruise line gift card market, read on to find out which seven lines offer them, where to buy them, and how to use them.

Holland America Line

Holland America offers gift certificates ranging in value from $25 to $2,000 that can be purchased on its website. You can either buy a physical card that you send along with a personal message, or choose a digital version that the recipient can open online with personalized audio files and photos.

The line offers one or two sales per year that come with an added benefit, such as: B. A $100 bonus card with a $1,000 purchase.

You may use the Cards to pay for cruise bookings, pre-cruise expenses, or onboard fees that include specialty restaurants, beverages, shore excursions, spa treatments, gratuities, and other purchases. They can also be used to purchase Holland America’s Have It All package, which includes a beverage package, shore excursion credit, WiFi and specialty restaurant meals.

Holland America gift cards are also available in preset amounts from online retailers including Amazon, Target and Walmart. Certain banks also offer credit card programs where you can redeem points for cruise line gift cards. If you prefer to shop in person, you can find the gift cards at stores like Target, Publix, Kroger, Giant Eagle, and HEB.

See also: Holland America’s 4 Classes of Ships Explained

Gift cards are only available in US dollars. Gift cards are activated upon receipt and cannot be resold. Additionally, buyers cannot purchase a total amount greater than $10,000 in one day.

Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises also offers gift cards ranging in value from $25 to $2,000 on its website. Shoppers can personalize the line’s eGift Card with photos and audio for the recipient. Princess Classic gift cards come in the mail, and the line offers free shipping on cards over $100. Expedited shipping is available.

Princess gift cards can be used to pay for your cruise, including fares with the Princess Plus and Princess Premier all-inclusive packages.

Recipients can also settle all or part of their onboard bill with gift cards at the end of the cruise at the passenger services desk. This means gift cards can essentially pay for meals at specialty restaurants, shore excursions, spa treatments, and other onboard extras.

You cannot use the gift card to pay for cruise shore excursions, flights booked through Princess or gratuities.

See also: The Ultimate Guide to Princess Cruises Ships and Itineraries

You can find Princess gift cards at grocery stores like Kroger, Harris Teeter, and Giant Eagle, and online at retail sites like Amazon, Target, and Best Buy.

Gift cards are only available to residents of the US and Canada. Classic gift cards cannot be shipped to Canada, so Canadian residents should select the eGift Card option.

Shoppers are limited to a total online purchase of $10,000 in one day and a maximum of five transactions per day. Anyone can use the gift card as there is no name on the card.

Carnival cruises

Carnival Cruise Line online gift cards are customizable from $100 to $1,000. They can be purchased as a physical card that ships in the mail, and you can even have them canned and shipped for up to five cards for an additional $1.99. If you prefer, you can select an e-gift card to be sent to the recipient online.

The gift card can be used towards a cruise booking, pre-booked shore excursions or spa treatments. You can also apply it to drink packages and tips. If you wish to use the card as an onboard credit, you must contact the Guest Services Desk or Sail & Sign kiosk to use the gift card to pay your onboard bill once on board.

Related: Cruise Onboard Credit: What it is, where to get it and how best to use it

Carnival gift cards are available at over 9,000 retail locations including Kroger, Albertsons, Lowe’s, Safeway, Winn-Dixie and Publix. You can also purchase gift cards aboard Carnival ships. You can buy as many cards as you like, but there is a maximum online transaction of five gift cards at a time.

All gift cards are in US dollars and will not be accepted on ships with a different onboard currency. You can transfer the gift card to another user as the cards do not contain names.

Disney cruise line

Disney Cruise Line gift cards are sold online at shop.disney.com in preset amounts ranging from $25 to $500. You can choose from over 60 Disney physical gift card designs and have them sent, or you can send a themed eGift card.

Gift Cards are also sold at Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and Disney retail stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. If you buy them in person, you can load them for any amount between $15 and $1,000. The cards can be reloaded with as little as $5 and up to $1,000. They can be reloaded at any location that sells the gift cards. This option is not available online.

See Also: 11 Ways to Save Money on a Disney Cruise

Disney Gift Cards can be used to purchase a cruise, shore excursions, shipboard merchandise and other onboard expenses. Cards can also be issued at Disney-owned properties such as Disney’s Vero Beach Resort; when traveling or cruising with Adventures by Disney; for Disney on Broadway; in retail stores and other Disney businesses.

You can also find them in preset quantities at retailers like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy.

Norwegian cruise line

Norwegian Cruise Line ended its gift card program in 2021, but you can still send cruise ships gifts in the form of onboard credit or spa credit. Onboard credit is available in increments of $25 up to $100. Mandara Spa certificates are offered in denominations of $25, $50 and $100. In order to send the gift, you need to know some personal information, including the recipient’s date of birth or the reservation number for the booking. You can order the gift of onboard credit on Norwegian’s website.

CruiseFirst Certificates are another gift option. These advance purchase vouchers can be used on cruises six days or longer and are worth double the value. For example, you pay $150 for a $300 certificate. You can transfer these vouchers to another person as a gift free of charge.

You can purchase up to 10 certificates per person at a time and they can only be applied to new reservations on trips scheduled at least 120 days after the certificate purchase date. Only one certificate can be used per sail – and there are a few other restrictions. These vouchers expire within three years of the date of purchase.

royal caribbean

Royal Caribbean is another line that uses a gift certificate program instead of gift cards. Certificates are available in the following US dollar increments: $50, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $1,500, $1,700, and $2,000. These vouchers must be redeemed at least 10 days prior to the cruise.

They may be used to pay for the cruise fare or shipboard credit, with some restrictions, to cover specialty dining, beverage packages, spa treatments, gift shop purchases and other items. If you wish to use the gift certificates as payment for expenses on the ship, you must redeem them online 10 days prior to the sailing date. They cannot be used towards government taxes, fees, tips or casino gaming.

Also see: 35 Royal Caribbean Cruise Tips and Tricks That Will Enhance Your Trip

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises has an online store where you can purchase shipboard credit to celebrate a birthday, honeymoon, anniversary or any other memorable occasion during the cruise. Gift certificates are available in $25 increments and can be used anywhere on the ship, including the casino. If they are redeemed in the casino, a processing fee of 5% applies. These certificates can be purchased online if you know the recipient’s reservation information, or you can call the Celebrity’s Store customer service team to place an order.

They can also issue specialty restaurant certificates for $45 each. If the amount charged is lower, the remaining amount will be credited to the passenger’s onboard account.

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