How to Save Money on Your Cruise with Discounted Gift Cards
An Easy Hack That Adds Up to Big Vacation Savings!
Let’s be honest—cruising is one of the best ways to vacation, but those extras can add up fast. Between excursions, drink packages, WiFi, and onboard shopping, it’s easy to go a little overboard (pun totally intended) on spending.
But here’s one of my favorite hacks that I use to save real money before I even set foot on the ship:
🎯 Buy Discounted Cruise Line Gift Cards
Yep—it’s that simple. Instead of paying full price when booking or paying off your cruise, you can buy gift cards at a discount and apply them directly to your cruise line account. The best part? You can stack your savings without waiting for a sale!
💡 Where to Buy Them:
Go to Rakuten.com and search for cruise line gift cards. Here's what you can find right now:
Carnival Cruise Line – 7% off
Royal Caribbean – 7% off
Celebrity Cruises – 4% off
Princess Cruises – 12% off
🎉 And as a bonus? Rakuten gives you 1% cash back just for purchasing through their site.
🛳️ What Can You Use These Gift Cards For?
These aren’t just for booking your cruise (though that’s a great use!). You can also apply them to:
Paying off your final cruise balance
Purchasing drink or WiFi packages
Booking shore excursions
Onboard shopping and spa treatments
Specialty dining or gifts
Just log into your cruise line account and apply the gift card to your reservation like you would any other form of payment.
🔐 Pro Tips:
You can use multiple gift cards when checking out—just add them one at a time.
Keep your gift card codes saved somewhere secure in case you need to re-enter them later.
Pair this with cruise line sales or promotions for even more savings!
💬 Final Thoughts
Buying discounted gift cards is one of the easiest ways to stretch your cruise budget—and it takes less than 5 minutes. I use this trick every time I book, and those savings really add up across multiple sailings.
So before you hit "checkout" on your cruise… go grab those discounted gift cards and keep a little extra in your pocket for poolside drinks!
Want more cruise hacks and money-saving tips? Be sure to follow me—I share new ones all the time!
