I love hearing from readers who are making redemptions to take their families on dream trips! Here, Kasie shares how she saved over 50% on a Disney Cruise! Be sure to stick around until the end for more information on the cards mentioned in this article. Here’s Kasie’s story:

KASIE’S DISNEY CRUISE: saving over 50%

Ok—let me tell you how we made a magical Disney cruise happen for our family of four… without blowing our budget.

We just took a 4-night Disney cruise aboard the Disney Magic and the total cost? $3,631.84. But thanks to Amber (and the world of credit card points), we paid LESS THAN HALF of that—including prepaid gratuities!

As a mom, all I want is more quality time with my family—and yes, I want to enjoy vacation too. But I’ve always struggled with the idea of spending thousands of dollars for just a few days away. Amber opened my eyes to a whole new way of traveling smarter, and now I’m hooked.

The Dream: A Disney Cruise

I had my heart set on something fun and special for our family—and when I heard people talk about the magic of Disney cruises, I knew that was it. I started planning and learning.

HOW WE MADE IT HAPPEN

Step 1: Rakuten for Everyday Cash Back

Amber showed me how to use Rakuten to earn cash back on the purchases I was already making online. Sign up for it here. It’s a game changer. I know some people prefer using MR points, but for my specific goal, this was the perfect fit.

Rakuten Savings: $570

Step 2: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

Amber also taught me how to use my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to redeem Capital One miles for any purchase coded as “travel.” That means I could literally reimburse myself for chunks of the cruise bill with my points.

Capital One Points Redeemed: 119,171 = $1,191.71

Step 3: Chase Bank Bonus

After following Amber, I took a deep dive into the world of banks and found bank bonuses. Chase was offering a bonus for opening a checking and savings account and meeting certain requirements—and it paid off!

Chase Bonus Earned: $900

Final Breakdown of saving over 50% on a Disney Cruise:

• Total Cruise Cost (with tips): $3,855.84
• Total Savings: $2,661.71
• What We Actually Paid: $1,194.13

This wasn’t the most optimized points redemption in the game—but it was perfect for us. And more importantly, it gave us memories, joy, and time together… without sacrificing our financial goals.

What’s Next? We’re Already Planning Ahead!

Our next Disney cruise is officially booked, and we’re stacking up more bonuses to cover the cost.

• My husband and I both opened a Wells Fargo checking account and received $325 each after meeting the $1,000 direct deposit requirement.

Total Bonus: $650 toward the cruise

• We’re now eyeing the U.S. Bank Triple Cash card for our business, which offers a $750 cash back bonus.
• And we’re considering adding another Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card to the mix for an additional $1,000 in travel rewards.
• We’ll be using Southwest points for our flights and Chase points for a Hyatt stay the night before our cruise sets sail.

We are so incredibly grateful for Amber for introducing us to this world. I used to think vacations like this would always feel out of reach or cause financial strain—but now I see a way to travel well and wisely.

If you’re curious or overwhelmed but want to start learning—Amber is your girl.

With gratitude,

Kasie

HOW TO REPLICATE THIS TRIP: and save 50% on a Disney Cruise

The Capital One Venture X card is a great card for cruises and other travel purchases that aren’t quite as easily booked with points. Both the Capital One Venture X and the Capital One Venture Rewards have great welcome offers – even when they aren’t elevated.

With each of those cards, you’d be able to cover about $800 of travel expenses after meeting the welcome bonus if you choose to! That can put a huge dent in the cost of a cruise!

Flying to cruise ports on Southwest Airlines can be a great deal for families. The Southwest Companion Pass is one of the best options out there for families flying domestically.

Staying at Hyatt hotels pre or post cruise will help slash costs also. The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is one of the best ways to earn points that transfer to Hyatt to book those hotels. The Chase Ink Business cards allow you to earn a lot more transferrable points too – which we love!

If you want to use the shopping portal, Rakuten, you can click here to sign up. Rakuten is so unique because you can choose to earn cash back, Bilt, or American Express Membership Rewards® Points depending on your preference. I have a whole article about it here.

CONCLUSION

I hope this Guest Pointers story inspired you to book your dream trip – and save over 50% on a Disney Cruise – with the help of some points of course!

Please email me with your redemption stories HERE to be featured in the Guest Pointers series.

xoxo, Amber