AARP Rewards Online Community Cruise Contest 2024

Bring clothes pins.  Your shower has a small pull across clothes line to hang your bathing suits, etc.  It’s very helpful for handwashing your clothes.  

I use AARP carnival cards to buy cruise cash at a discount for on board purchases 

I have cruised many times and greatly enjoy it! One tidbit of advice is to plan your days to coincide with your sleep time and you will enjoy your vacation a lot more! Example: if tomorrow morning you and your husband are going on an 8AM journey to look at waterfalls, DO NOT stay up the night before until 3AM singing Karaoke in the martini bar. Save that for a night you plan to sleep in the next morning and maybe have breakfast delivered to your room to enjoy on your balcony. This ensures you won't need a "vacation from your vacation". I have not been an AARP member for my past cruises, but this time my hubby and I are taking advantage of all the AARP perks planning our 2025 cruise. So excited!!!

I went on my first cruise after winning a lottery.and have enjoyed cruising ever since 

I need a cruise!!

I've been looking into cruises and I see there are so many ways to save using my AARP member benefits. I see that i can use my AARP rewards points to purchase discounted gift cards for Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Holland America Cruise lines with 10% savings, or Princess cruise gift cards with 8% savings.

Clicking the "Travel" tab brings me to articles with tips on ways to save money on vacation, especially https://www.aarp.org/travel/vacation-ideas/cruises/, which has a bunch of articles related specifically to cruising. There's also the AARP Travel Center powered by Expedia with awesome deals on cruises, as well as flights, cars, and packages.

May 2020 was supposed to be my first cruise ever to celebrate my 50th bday and 25th wedding anniversary, but of course it was canceled, so i don't have a lot of tips to share about actual cruising, but i know how to save money and AARP can help me do that when the time finally arrives to take my first cruise (trying to get my first mate "onboard" again). Winning a gift card could sway the odds in my favor. 😅

cruise onward>>>>>

I have been a couponer for over 10 years and I will say I am at the expert level. With that being said, I use coupon strategies in my every day life to save money. So when it comes to planning vacations, including cruises, I continue to use these tips, tricks and hacks.
Begin by planning early. Yes, planning a cruise 1-2 years ahead of time gives you lots of time to save money and plan. Planning early gives you better options and planning well in advance gives you opportunities to hit the sales on cruises and excursions. Black Friday and Presidents day are typically the couponers dream days to shop because of deep discounts and cruise lines have sales too! The time of year you want to set sail, will also dictate cost. You will pay more during the summer and winter holiday times. The lower prices seem to be in the months of January and September. Another tip is using price drop alerts. Another strategy, is last minute cruise deals. If you are not a planner, you might strike a deal using the last minute cruise options. These deals are there to insure cruises are full. The choice of rooms may not be optimal, but there are some deals to be had. The next step would be choosing the right cruise line, this is essential. There are cruise lines that are cheap to luxurious. There are kid friendly, adult only, and so on. Different cruise lines have different destination options as well. Once you have chosen the cruise line you would like, your destination and time of year, its time to purchase your gift cards. Using gift cards can save you up to 10% on your cruise. Currently, you can purchase Princess, Holland, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises gift cards directly from the AARP website under AARP Rewards. Keep in mind you should buy the gift cards BEFORE you book your cruise, because some cruise lines only allow you to pay with gift card for a new cruise booking and not for an existing cruise. Paying for the gift cards should be done on a credit card that gives you some type of benefit. Some give you 2% back on all purchases.and up to 5% on travel. If you are not receiving perks from your credit card then it’s time to look into getting a new credit card! Using these couponing strategies and AARP gift cards to lower your out of pocket expense and cash back on your travel purchases will have you saying “Bon Voyage!”

I have been on a couple of cruises and love them.  I believe getting the drink package is well worth it if you plan on drinking.  Also, not going on excursions gives you a lot more room in the pool.  Look over the itinerary every night so that you don’t miss anything.  Enjoy!

I start my cruise with a thin pocket folder for all related documents, flight information and passport so I don’t forget to pack. Two items to include is one small roll of postage tape. Great for rough seas. Tape bathroom door and bureau draws from opening and closing. A tiny flashlight helps in finding dropped items.  These are two items not common in other type trips. Very helpful in many ways. Looking forward to my next cruise this summer.