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Best "deal" when paying for cruise


chaserdog53
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A grocery store near our place sells Disney gift cards. When you spend 100 bucks, you get 10 cents off a gallon. So 100 bucks in gift cards to pay for a cruise means cheaper gas..

 

I know there are other things like this. Was wondering if anyone has done it, and are there any other deals that are better?

 

 

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Best card deal I've seen is when Target is selling Disney gift cards at a reduced rate. This is typically at black Friday and Christmas deals when the cards are discounted 5%.

 

The grocery store deal near us is good on one purchase of up to 35 gallons...so on $100 in gift cards, you'd save a max of $3.50 and likely less (my vehicle doesn't hold 35 gallons). If I did the gift card thing, I'd get about a 2% savings.

 

DO be sure that you get DISNEY gift cards, not "Disney Store" gift cards (which can't be used for a cruise).

 

Of course the best deal is rebooking on board which gives you 10% off the cruise fare portion of the ticket on most cruises.

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The best deal for us - Florida Resident rates!

 

Also, we have the Disney Chase Visa. I am going to get our reward dollars put on a redemption card. Then when we get on the ship, have them apply them to our shipboard account as credit.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Book through Costco, and you'll get a Costco gift card worth about %10 of the price within a week after your return. You can trade it into them for cash or use it for merch.

This is definitely the best perk available from any TA. I've never heard of being able to exchange it for cash though.

 

You can book this way and still use things like Disney gift cards purchased at a discount to pay for the cruise.

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And get your onboard booking discount too.

 

 

Have you done this lately? About 3 years ago this particular agency was not accepting any bookings made on board whether they were named at the time or transferred within the 30 day grace period.

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BJs warehouse sells $100 Disney gift cards for $94.99. You can buy them online without being a member and they ship to you for free. Currently, Discover card is offering 5% cashback from BJs when you activate your cashback bonus offer. So, it is nearly a 10% savings if you buy the cards from BJs with your registered Discover card.

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We're from Canada; have never used the gift card option. Can the gift cards be applied to your cruise fare, or is it for onboard purchases?

Either/both. Just keep the cards--if for any reason you have to cancel the cruise, the money will be refunded to the card. There is a way to get around it if you no longer have the card, but it is a pain and takes a while.

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Either/both. Just keep the cards--if for any reason you have to cancel the cruise' date=' the money will be refunded to the card. There is a way to get around it if you no longer have the card, but it is a pain and takes a while.[/quote']

 

Thank you!

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Sams club everyday price on a 3 pack of $50 gift cards is $143.98 and the $500 for $479 if you can find it in store (available online in $500 gift card but I haven't seen in store). Combine with credit card offers for 5% cash back and if buying online a cashback site

 

 

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Have you done this lately? About 3 years ago this particular agency was not accepting any bookings made on board whether they were named at the time or transferred within the 30 day grace period.

 

Sure. Did it last year for our cruise last month.

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  • 1 month later...

So this was how I got 847 in cash back/OBC for a Disney Cruise

 

First sign up or use your ebates account to book online.

If you have never heard of ebates. They offer cash back for online booking at many stores. They have been around for years. Cash is paid to paypal or they can send you a check.

 

As of this writing - Expedia was offering 10% cash back, Orbitz was offering 9% cash back and Travelocity 7% cash back. When I booked back in February Expedia was offering 14% cash back. It changes frequently depending on what they are pushing. I paid for my cruise in full at the time of booking to ensure I got the maximum cash back.

 

My Disney cruise was eligible for on board credit of $300 when booking through Expedia. That same offer is still showing on their website. It has terms and conditions (at the time I had to book with a master card, now it doesn't seem to be the case).

 

I booked with my Sam's Club MasterCard which gave me 3% cash back on travel purchases.

 

In total:

$437 cash back from ebates (after I cruise - excludes taxes and fees)

$300 Onboard Credit

$110 back from my credit card (will get rebate next year as Sam's pays it out only once a year)

 

Total $847. My TA could not touch that for a Disney Cruise

 

If you are willing to consider ebates click the link below. Full disclosure - I may get a bonus for referring you. But you will also get a $10 cash in your ebate account after purchasing more than $25 (I think) through their links. If you don't want to use the link below then just go to ebates directly and sign up. If you do then I thank you :)

 

https://www.ebates.com/r/JSPUBL2?eeid=28187

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