First-time Carnival cruiser - Promo questions

[kayjaypea42]

Hello all.  While I have been on several NCL and a single RCCL cruise, I have never sailed with Carnival before.  I am excited to book the Mardi Gras for this December, but I'm waiting to book to try to find a better offer.  Specifically, is the RU2 code that I've heard about offered as a loyalty perk or is it more commonly offered with higher cabin classes or as a timed special?  I just want to know if I should be on the lookout for that.  Also, are there better times than others to book?  I don't want to wait too long; I'm wondering what the standard sales / deals typically looks like for Carnival.  Thanks so much!

Edited April 26, 2023 by kayjaypea42

[mz-s]

RU2 doesn't exist anymore really. It was a booking code they offered during the initial restart after COVID.

 

The best time to book is now because in general prices are only going up and availability is only going down.

[LatinaInTexas]

I had FCC from a cancelled cruise so I started looking around Sept for something in Feb or April. Had decent, pretty good offers but I wanted better so told myself to wait. Might even get another crazy once in a lifetime offer for Alaska like last year.

Was I ever wrong, offers started getting worse, hoped for a Black Friday deal, nope. Offers got even worse, basically worthless lol.

So here we are almost 9 months later and offers are worthless and it's so high. So yeah I will never wait again.

All was not lost though because last month my local casino gave me a free Carnival cruise so I'm booked and got to use that FCC😁

 

[ninjacat123]

Almost every cruise I have booked since Restart has gone up in price.  I book at least 9 to 12 months in advance of my cruise.  Plus I like picking out specific cabin location.  

Mardi Gras is great!!  Have lunch at Big Chicken and do not miss out on Emeril's.  Small upcharge for yummy food!!

Good luck on your choices!!

Edited April 26, 2023 by ninjacat123

[tonit964]

2 hours ago, mz-s said:

RU2 doesn't exist anymore really. It was a booking code they offered during the initial restart after COVID.

 

The best time to book is now because in general prices are only going up and availability is only going down.

I received an RU offer in January which I took advantage of. I don’t know the reasoning for how they send the offers though. 

[Woody14]

On 4/26/2023 at 12:41 PM, kayjaypea42 said:

Specifically, is the RU2 code that I've heard about offered as a loyalty perk or is it more commonly offered with higher cabin classes or as a timed special? 

RU2 is now a rare offer.   Have seen lots of RU0 -  basically a slight discount on adding cheers separately and occasionally RU1 which puts cheers on at about 50% of as a separate add on.  I haven't had a RU2 come across my promos for at least 18 months.

[Cruisin_Mo]

Are there different RU2 offers? That is the only one I get. But for me it's not free. It added around $200 for a 5 night cruise. But I couldn't use it for my next cruise because I needed a 3 person room. This has been my offer since my last cruise in August 2022.

[Illbcruzn4life]

On 4/26/2023 at 3:57 PM, mz-s said:

RU2 doesn't exist anymore really. It was a booking code they offered during the initial restart after COVID.

 

The best time to book is now because in general prices are only going up and availability is only going down.

What do they have now, just RU0 and RU1?

[mz-s]

30 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

What do they have now, just RU0 and RU1?

 

I don't think anybody is really getting the RU codes anymore.

[crooooze]

RU2 is definitely out there. I am looking at one right now. $290 higher than the Early Saver Bonus Sale (PEH) rate.

[BlerkOne]

It won't help on your first cruise, but spend some time in the casino and maybe you'll start getting casino offers from almost free staterooms, free drinks while playing, maybe even free drinks anywhere.

[Illbcruzn4life]

30 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

I don't think anybody is really getting the RU codes anymore.

my son constantly has RU0. Just checked now and he has it now.

 

But why not. I don't know how Carnival gets away with it.

 

If you buy the cruise and buy the Cheers package separately it is cheaper than if you use the RU0 code.

[BlerkOne]

6 minutes ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

If you buy the cruise and buy the Cheers package separately it is cheaper than if you use the RU0 code.

That depends on when you buy the cruise.

[kelkel2]

Honestly, the only time I saw that offer was then the restart was happening. I had a suite booked on the Mardi Gras back in January and I have a suite booked on Jubilee and I’ve never seen any of these deals so I doubt it has anything to do with cabin class. I wish there was more of a method to the madness, but I wouldn’t hold out for snagging that elusive RU2 deal. 

[Illbcruzn4life]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

That depends on when you buy the cruise.

That’s true. I have heard rumors that to get a discount instead of taken for a long ride on a short pier with the RU0 code you MUST book on the 2nd Tuesday of the week.

[kayjaypea42]

10 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

That’s true. I have heard rumors that to get a discount instead of taken for a long ride on a short pier with the RU0 code you MUST book on the 2nd Tuesday of the week.

So is that Monday when the week is already long af or Wednesday when the weekdays are just running together? LOL

Edited April 28, 2023 by kayjaypea42

[mz-s]

One thing you can do if you want a deal is gamble at a local Indian casino and get some status, Carnival will then extend offers to you. Other than that, as a new cruiser, your options are basically limited to the offers everyone else gets - Early Saver, reduced deposit sales, etc.

[kayjaypea42]

3 hours ago, mz-s said:

One thing you can do if you want a deal is gamble at a local Indian casino and get some status, Carnival will then extend offers to you. Other than that, as a new cruiser, your options are basically limited to the offers everyone else gets - Early Saver, reduced deposit sales, etc.

That's totally fine. I was just wondering what those typically look like. For example, while NCL pretty much ALWAYS has their Free at Sea promo, and their Free at Sea almost always includes beverage, dining, wifi, and excursion credit, they only sometimes with some sailings offer 3rd and 4th person free / discounted, and only sometimes offer air discounts. 

[mz-s]

3 minutes ago, kayjaypea42 said:

That's totally fine. I was just wondering what those typically look like. For example, while NCL pretty much ALWAYS has their Free at Sea promo, and their Free at Sea almost always includes beverage, dining, wifi, and excursion credit, they only sometimes with some sailings offer 3rd and 4th person free / discounted, and only sometimes offer air discounts. 

 

When you actually look at it, Free at Sea isn't so free. I remember once I looked at a Free at Sea cruise, the "gratuity" for the free drink package cost almost $500. Granted that's less than Cheers but surprisingly expensive "gratuities".

[kayjaypea42]

 

1 minute ago, mz-s said:

 

When you actually look at it, Free at Sea isn't so free. I remember once I looked at a Free at Sea cruise, the "gratuity" for the free drink package cost almost $500. Granted that's less than Cheers but surprisingly expensive "gratuities".

Oh yeah, absolutely! There's a reason I'm branching out. NCL has gone off the rails with their pricing, and the Prima was terrible. That said, NCL was the only line where the drink package was worth it to me. I'm not a big drinker, but I can do $30 bucks in booze in a day. A glass of wine and two cocktails will do it. 

[bucfan2]

16 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

It won't help on your first cruise, but spend some time in the casino and maybe you'll start getting casino offers from almost free staterooms, free drinks while playing, maybe even free drinks anywhere.

Indeed.   The casino offers are pretty amazing.  Free drinks (if one enjoys a bit of indulging) ends up costing less than the cost of port fees...pretty nice to cruise for free.

[notscb]

On 4/26/2023 at 3:57 PM, mz-s said:

RU2 doesn't exist anymore really.

Could have fooled me. It's been in my "deals" for the last several months.

[mz-s]

1 minute ago, notscb said:

Could have fooled me. It's been in my "deals" for the last several months.

 

Are you a new Carnival cruiser like OP?

[notscb]

On 4/26/2023 at 3:41 PM, kayjaypea42 said:

Also, are there better times than others to book?

 

The best time to book is when the price is agreeable to you, and never look back.

 

Deals, in my experience, come and go with Carnival and you should sign up to be notified by email so you can see the trends as they come through. If you're looking for the Cheers offer, i don't know that any of us can really say what the magic is behind it- I've had it in my offers for several months since my last cruise, and every time they email me that the offer is running out it's still there a month later. Carnival seems to price low to begin with, so you might just look out as far as you can and see if you find what you're looking for.

[notscb]

2 minutes ago, mz-s said:

Are you a new Carnival cruiser like OP?

 

Basically. My last cruise with them before December 2022 was 2009.