Royal Caribbean's gift card sale was so popular that the cruise line had to pull it down just hours after it went live.
The offer helped cruisers save 10% on gift card purchases, with Crown & Anchor Society members receiving an additional 10% off.
This meant that if you purchased a $2,000 gift card, C&A Society members would get $400 (or 20%) off, bringing the total to just $1,600. The offer applied to all purchases of $350 or more.
Unfortunately, the promotion was too popular for its own good. The unexpected surge in demand caused the cruise line to halt the sale within hours of its launch.
Despite being advertised as a limited-time offer running through December 20, 2024, the sale's terms and conditions stated that the deal could change at any time without notice, which is exactly what happened.
Royal Caribbean gift cards are great holiday gifts because of their versatility. Not only can they be used as onboard credit during your cruise, but they can also be applied directly toward your cruise fare.
Plus, they can be used on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity and don't expire.
While the link is still valid, the 10% to 20% discounts are no longer automatically applied. If you add a $2,000 gift card to your cart, the price will remain $2,000 without the discount.
However, it’s still possible to purchase gift cards at their regular price, and they can be used on the balance of a future cruise or towards onboard spending for Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises.
Read more: How to save money on a cruise
"Looks like the gravy train is over"
Less than 24 hours after the offer went live, people began reporting that the deal was already marked as expired, with cruisers expressing their disappointment in a Reddit post shared to the r/royalcaribbean thread.
wiredtobeweird said, "I’m so sad I had it in my cart and was cruise shopping and finally settled on a cruise and went to buy it and it was gone."
"I think they reached their limit of how many they could sell," added just---chillin.
In another post, one Reddit user shared how they were waiting for their wife to come home to purchase a gift card to use on their honeymoon cruise. "That sucks, could have really helped," GameSyns remarked.
"Dang it, I was hoping to buy another one tomorrow or within the next few days after moving some money around," commented RyouRusi.
Despite being pulled, some users are hopeful Royal Caribbean will reactivate the promotion
"[H]opefully they bring it back, I'm gonna consistently check for the next couple days. I'll even take the 10%, which I'm not even seeing. so must be a temporary removal I hope," said otbalingit.
RyouRusi shared similar thoughts, indicating they're hopeful because the original terms said there would be a "'code' that '[could] only be used once'."
"Someone messed something up I feel like. So maybe they'll bring it back in the 'proper' 1 time use form," they added.
To be clear, it's unclear whether Royal Caribbean will bring back the promotion. This is just speculation from cruisers who are hoping for a second chance to save money.
However, with some Reddit users sharing they purchased, two, three, four, and even seven gift cards, it's clear that many took advantage of the deal more than once before it was pulled.
Read more: Things I Don't Pay Extra for on Royal Caribbean Cruises To Save Money
