How I Got a “Free” Cruise (Twice So Far!)
I gamble. Not professionally, not recklessly — but enough to have loyalty cards from a handful of casinos. MGM, Caesars, Harrah’s, my home town Seneca Niagara Casino etc.
What I didn’t expect was that those cards would end up covering most of the cost of a week-long Caribbean cruise.
Last fall, my brother and I booked a 7-night cruise on Carnival Mardi Gras, one of Carnival’s biggest and newest ships. We sailed to the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Grand Turk — and the whole thing cost $179 per person, taxes and fees included. Also bonus, we got free drinks in the casino.
Here’s how it worked:
Carnival has a Casino Fun Match Program that matches your status from land-based casinos. Once you upload your player’s card and fill out a quick form, they’ll send back offers — sometimes deeply discounted, sometimes technically free, and often with onboard credit and drink packages tossed in.
I got a free interior room email offer almost immediately after signing up. I hadn’t been on a Carnival cruise in 18 years. I rarely spend more than $1-200 in a casino.
In our case, the base cruise fare was $99 per person. But we each got a $100 onboard credit, so the net fare was essentially zero. Taxes and port fees made up the rest. Even better, we landed a Havana cabin, which normally costs more — it came with access to a private pool and a quieter lounge and bar area that felt like a nice little upgrade. We made it our home and I worked one day on my laptop at the bar.
The Mardi Gras itself? Honestly, impressive. Tons of food options (including Shaq’s Big Chicken and Guy’s Burger Joint, which we hit hard), solid entertainment, and a ship that felt modern and sleek.
Carnival sometimes gets a bad rap, but this was absolutely worth it - especially for the price. If you haven’t cruised in a while, this isn’t the old buffet-and-bingo setup anymore.
Carnival also offers Starlink Wi-Fi, and it actually works really well. I had no problem with Zoom calls from our room when needed — the connection was stable, clear, and about 5X faster than the hotel Wi-Fi the night before.
Even better, I cleaned up on the casino so we got paid to take a week cruise!
If you’re in Atlanta, it’s an easy trip. Port Canaveral’s just over six hours by car, or you can fly into Orlando or Tampa for cheap — often under $100 roundtrip, or use as few as 5,000–6,000 points with airlines like Southwest(Iknow), JetBlue, or Delta. I think paying cash and using your credit card travel portal to 5X that cash into points is probably the best option on a short flight like this.
A few other notes for the curious:
You don’t need to be a high roller to get this deal. Some people have reported matching just from signing up for a players card during a weekend in Vegas.
You don’t have to gamble on the ship, although I’m guessing your chances of repeat offers improve if you do.
The offer I received is good up to three times.
In fact, my wife and I used the same deal again in March. We skipped out of town for a long weekend — all for around $300 total, taxes and fees included. This time, we got a $50 spa gift certificate, and I’m not sure why. I assume it was a thank you for casino play.
And I’ve booked the Mardi Gras again with our full family and close friends in 2026 at a fraction of the regular cost.
If you’ve got a players card — or if you’re near a casino and don’t mind grabbing one — this is one of the better travel hacks I’ve come across.
You can check it out here:
👉 Carnival Casino Fun Match
We’ll see if the third time’s as good as the first two. Either way, I’ll take a week in the Caribbean over a comped buffet in Vegas any day.
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