Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America gift cards can cut your cruise cost. Learn how each one works before you book.
A cruise is one of the few purchases big enough that a small discount turns into real money. Knock 7% off a $3,000 fare and you have saved $225, which is a balcony upgrade or most of a drink package. The way you get that discount is simple: buy the cruise line's gift cards below face value, then pay with them at booking.
The catch is that cruise gift cards do not all work the same way. Some pay for the fare and your onboard account. Some only apply to a new booking and never touch onboard spending. Buy the wrong type for what you need and you are stuck holding value you cannot use the way you planned. So before you buy anything, it helps to know which camp each line falls into.
Retailer policies and checkout systems change frequently. The details below were accurate at the time of writing, but it's always worth checking a retailer's current payment FAQ if you run into trouble.
The two kinds of cruise gift cards
The lines owned by Carnival Corporation, which are Carnival, Princess, and Holland America Line, sell true gift cards. Those work for the cruise fare and for onboard purchases like dining, drinks, the spa, the casino, and shore excursions. You load them onto your onboard account once you are aboard and spend them like cash.
The lines under Royal Caribbean Group, which are Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises, are sold as gift certificates. These apply to a new booking only. They do not work for onboard spending, and Royal Caribbean's version has to go on a brand new reservation, not an existing one. There are redemption caps too, which we cover below.
One rule holds across every line: a gift card only works for the line it was bought for. Carnival cards do not work on Princess or Holland America even though all three share a parent. Celebrity certificates do not work on Royal Caribbean. Buy for the exact line you are sailing.
Line by line
Carnival
Carnival cards are the most flexible of the group. Pay for the fare by logging into Carnival.com or calling 1-800-764-7419, choosing gift card as your payment method, and entering the card number and PIN. Carnival takes up to 10 gift cards on a single booking, and you cover any remainder with a credit card. Onboard, Guest Services loads the balance onto your Sail and Sign account for everything else. One limit worth knowing: Carnival cards only work when you book directly, not through Expedia, Costco Travel, or other third parties.
Princess
Princess cards work the same way, for both the booking and onboard. Apply them at princess.com or by calling 1-800-774-6237, then load any leftover balance onto your onboard account at Guest Services once you are sailing, where it ties to your OceanMedallion. Multiple cards per booking are fine, with the rest on a credit card. Princess sits on the premium end, so Alaska and European sailings that run several thousand dollars per person are where the discount really shows up.
Holland America Line
Holland America cards cover the fare and onboard spending. Apply them at hollandamerica.com or by calling 1-877-932-4259, and load leftovers at the Front Office onboard. These suit the longer, pricier Alaska, European, and world cruises Holland America is known for. Note that the discount is largest on the smaller denominations and tapers on the big ones, so check the live rate on each amount before you load up.
Royal Caribbean
This is where things change. The Royal Caribbean product sold through Card Depot is a gift certificate, and it has to be applied to a brand new individual reservation made directly with Royal Caribbean. Call reservations at 1-866-562-7625 to apply it. After the certificate is on the booking, you can transfer the reservation to a travel agent if you want. What it will not do: cover onboard spending, or attach to a group booking, charter, or customized group program. It is valid across all ships, departures, and stateroom categories for sailings priced in US dollars.
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity certificates are also new bookings only, with no onboard use, and they carry a hard redemption cap: up to $500 per person per sailing, and a maximum of $1,000 per stateroom. Apply them by calling Celebrity at 1-800-647-2251. The cap matters because Celebrity often carries the deepest cruise discount on the site, but you can only put so much of it toward one sailing. Plan around the $1,000-per-room ceiling.
What the savings actually look like
Say you book a $3,000 Carnival cruise and the current discount is 7.5%. You buy $3,000 in Carnival gift cards for $2,775 and apply them to the fare. That is $225 you keep, on a purchase you were making anyway.
Celebrity is the example where the cap bites. The discount might be higher, but with a $1,000-per-stateroom limit you can only run $1,000 of fare through certificates. At a 10% discount that is $100 saved on the certificate portion, with the rest of the fare on a card. Still free money, just bounded.
Rates move and vary by denomination, so the real number is whatever shows on the brand page the day you buy. Card Depot has saved cruisers 5 to 20% across brands, and the current cruise rates are always live on each line's page.
How redemption works, step by step
For the fare-eligible lines, the flow is the same. Log into your account on the cruise line's site or call their reservations number. Choose gift card as the payment method. Enter the card number and PIN. If your cards do not cover the full fare, pay the balance with a credit card, which is also a nice way to still earn points on part of a big booking. Apply multiple cards if you have them.
For onboard spending on Carnival, Princess, and Holland America, you do nothing at booking. You walk up to Guest Services or the Front Office on the ship, hand over the card details, and they load the value onto your onboard account.
For Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, redemption happens by phone with the line, applied to a new reservation, and that is the only step. There is no onboard component.
Stacking for more
Buying below face value is the floor, not the ceiling. Pay for the gift cards with a credit card that earns bonus rewards on gift card purchases and you add a second layer on top of the discount. Cruise line promotions stack too. Things like Carnival's Early Saver rates, Princess onboard credit, or Holland America's Have It All packages are pricing promotions, and your gift cards apply at the payment step, so they sit on top of whatever deal the line is running. For the full breakdown of how to layer discounts, sales, portals, and card rewards, see how to stack discount gift cards with store promotions.
A few things to watch
Your loyalty status is safe. Carnival's VIFP Club, Princess Captain's Circle, Holland America's Mariner Society, Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor, and Celebrity's Captain's Club all track status by days sailed, not by how you paid. Gift cards earn the same perks as any other payment.
Book direct. Cruise line gift cards work on the line's own site or phone line, not on third-party travel sites.
Know the refund path. If you cancel a cruise paid with gift cards, the money typically goes back to the original gift cards or to a future cruise credit, depending on the cancellation terms. The value is not lost, but it does not come back as cash. Check the line's cancellation policy before you book.
These never expire and carry no fees. They are closed-loop cruise line cards, so the same no-expiration protection that applies to major retailer gift cards applies here. If you want the legal background on that, see do gift cards expire.
Common questions
Can I pay for the whole cruise with gift cards? On Carnival, Princess, and Holland America, yes, up to the line's per-booking card limit, with any remainder on a credit card. On Royal Caribbean and Celebrity you can apply certificates to a new booking, but Celebrity caps you at $1,000 per stateroom.
Can I use cruise gift cards for drinks and excursions onboard? On Carnival, Princess, and Holland America, yes, by loading them onto your onboard account. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity certificates do not work onboard.
Do cruise gift cards expire? No. No expiration and no fees.
Will I still earn loyalty points? Yes. Every line bases status on days sailed, not payment method.
Do Carnival cards work on Princess or Holland America? No. Each line has its own gift cards even when they share a parent company. Buy for the exact line you are sailing.
Where do I buy them at a discount? Card Depot carries Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America, all delivered instantly as eGift codes.
Before your next sailing
Cruise fares are big enough that the discount is worth the two minutes it takes to buy a gift card first. Match the card type to how you want to use it, buy for the exact line, and apply it at booking. You can browse current cruise rates on the cruises page, and for more ways to make gift cards work harder, the Tips and Tricks page has the rest.
