There might be a good reason to buy a Royal Caribbean gift certificate now. 

Royal Caribbean sent an email update advertising its gift cards, which now offer easier ways to redeem the cards.

Traditionally, Royal Caribbean's gift cards/certificates had stringent redemption rules that made that impractical.

With the old cards, you had to redeem them many weeks before your cruise began, and couldn't be redeemed onboard the ship.

With the new change, the Royal Caribbean Gift Card is a pre-paid gift card similar to a gift certificate. It is valid for both Royal Caribbean or Celebrity Cruises.

There are four ways to redeem them:

• On the Royal Caribbean website
• By calling the cruise line at 866-562-7625
• Through your travel agent
• On sailings where the onboard currency is USD (most sailings except China), gift cards can be used onboard as payment toward your onboard expense account. 

At this time, gift cards cannot be used towards pre-cruise purchases such as shore excursions, beverage packages, internet, etc.

Gift Cards cannot be redeemed for cash or quasi-cash (for example, gaming chips, money orders, deposits, wire transfers, traveler’s checks, foreign currency, and similar items).

The funds on these gift cards don’t expire, but if the card’s full value hasn’t been used within nine years from the date of purchase, you will need to contact customer service to transfer the remaining funds to a new gift card number.

Anyone can use the card because your name does not appear on the card. You may use it yourself or give it to anyone you choose. It's imperative you guard the number, as anyone can use it.

How to buy a Royal Caribbean gift card

The can buy purchased online at the Royal Caribbean website, as low as $50 and up to $2,000.

When purchasing the card, you have the option of buying it for yourself or for someone else.

Currently, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Apple Pay and PayPal are accepted. Checks are not acceptable for the purchase of gift cards.

International purchases for gift cards are not available at this time. Gift card currency is restricted to USD.

Your gift card will be sent to the recipient via email on the delivery date you choose at the time of purchase. For same-day delivery, most gift cards are sent within an hour of your purchase. 

The recipient will receive a message on the delivery date you chose informing them of your gift, with a link to retrieve it online.

The link in the email leads to a page that shows the gift card you created — complete with the design you selected, the recipient’s name, the card’s value, card number and your personalized message. 

What can you buy with a gift card?

Royal Caribbean allows you to use its gift cards towards the balance of your cruise fare, or onboard the ship as a kind of onboard credit.

Read more: Royal Caribbean onboard credit

If you use it pre-cruise, then it goes towards your cruise fare.

However, if you wait to use it onboard, then it will be used as a credit against your onboard charges.

Is a gift card worth it?

With the simpler redemption rules, this makes a Royal Caribbean gift card more attractive as a way to help someone taking a cruise have some extra money to spend.

Under the old redemption rules, it made using the certificates cumbersome.

Given that the card can be used towards cruise fare or onboard purchases, it gives a great deal of flexibility with no fine print to hold you back.

Another advantage of a gift card is it makes it far easier for the recipient to use, and ensures the funds are used for a cruise vacation.  A cash gift could be used for anything.

Royal Caribbean's online destination for purchasing gifts, decorations and everything that can be delivered to your cruise ship, Gifts and Gears, has gotten a new web site design.

As part of Royal Caribbean's overall redesign of their web site, the Royal Gifts section of the site now has a new look to go with the new name.

From here, guests can 

• Rent tuxedos
• Order gifts to their home
• Order gifts and products to their stateroom
• Purchase items from the bedding collection
• Purchase gift certificates
• Shop Royal Weddings
• Shop Royal Celebrations

Over the last few months, Royal Caribbean has been updating the look and feel of its website and the Royal Gifts section is the latest section to receive the update.

Orders for ship delivery are accepted up to 48 business hours before debarkation (with the exception of flowers and packages containing flowers).

If someone you know is going on a Royal Caribbean cruise, it can be a fun surprise to buy them a gift that will be delivered to them in the stateroom during their cruise.  Royal Caribbean offers a means of purchasing a wide variety of gifts for someone going on an upcoming cruise.

In fact, you can buy it for yourself for your cruise or someone you're cruising with.

What you need

In order to purchase a gift for someone cruising on Royal Caribbean, all you need is

• Ship they are sailing on
• Sail date
• Reservation number

Royal Caribbean will not provide reservation information to anyone other than a guest listed in the reservation (for security purposes).  However, if you do not know the reservation number, you can call Royal Caribean at 1-800-722-5443 and they can look up the information to place the order without divulging it to you.

What you can buy

Royal Caribbean offers quite a bit to choose from their Gifts & Gears program

• Celebrations: Cakes, decorations and packages.
• Culinary Collection: Varity of tasty culinary favorites from chocolate covered strawberries to wine and cheese baskets.
• Scrumptious Treats: Great treats to enjoy during the cruise.
• Floral Expressions: Beautiful flowers delivered to the stateroom for all occasions.
• Romance Packages: Packages to make a cruise with the special someone even more special.
• Wine Cellar: Collection of wines (750ml bottles) for guests to enjoy in their stateroom to relax or get ready for dinner and a show.

When can you order

For cruises to leave on a weekend, orders must be placed by 7:00pm EST the Friday before sailing.

However, you can still place an order past that time but there till be a $10 late order fee.

Gifts can generally be ordered up until the second day of sailing, with the exception of floral arrangements.

How to order

There are two ways to order gifts for someone sailing on a Royal Caribbean cruise

Online

You can order gifts through Royal Caribbean's website at http://www.royalcaribbean.com/giftcatalog/home.do.

As stated earlier, you will need to know all the reservation details in order to order this for someone.

Phone

You may also contact the Gifts & Gear Department at 1-800-722-5443 and an agent can assist you. This is the best option if you do not know all the information.

With Hanukkah beginning tonight and Christmas around the corner, you may be in the market for the perfect gift for that Royal Caribbean super fan on your list.  Sure a cruise is always the best gift, but if you're looking for something less expensive, then how about a taste of Royal Caribbean at home?

Over the years Royal Caribbean has released a number of books as well as paved the way for others in the company to write books.  These are fun looks at the cruise line and a great way to get your Royal Caribbean "fix" if you going on a cruise right now isn't in the cards.

Royal Caribbean International Cookbook

Written by Rudi Sodamin, this first edition is from 2001 and is a collection of recipes from Sodamin's collection.  There are recipes for dishes like osso buco, grilled island strip steak with caramelized onion and rum glaze, the pasta, shrimp, and salmon salad, and the rigatoni pesto.

It's organized to help you put together a whole meal - it goes from appetizers, soups and salads and follows through with pastas, entrees, and desserts.

Buy it on Amazon

SAVOR: The Royal Caribbean International Cookbook (Volume 2)

The next cookbook Royal Caribbean put out was in 2008 and this book is a complilation of recipes from 30 chefs across Royal Caribbean's fleet.  

Like volume one, this book includes 110 recipes for appetizes, main courses and desserts.  In addition, each recipe has a wine recommendation for each dish from the chef.  There's shrimp udon, asian duck, grilled vegetable antipasti and dolcetti alla portofino.

But it on Amazon

Savor; the Royal Caribbean International Cookbook Volume 3

The last cookbook was published in 2010 and is an update to volume two. A little more than half of the recipes in volume three and carry overs from volume two, but there's new recipes with great photos to show you what it will look like.

Buy it on Amazon

Carte du Jour The Restaurants of Royal Caribbean International

This recipe book is more of a coffee table book give its size and great photos of each recipe. Like the other books, it features recipes from across Royal Caribbean's fleet.

Buy it on Amazon

The Captain : Johnny Faevelen : The Fisherman Who Became Captain of the World's Largest Cruise Ship

This book is the story of "Captain Johnny", who lived his dream of becoming the captain of the world's largest cruise ship and his time from a boy in a small fishing village in Norway to achieving his dream.

Having sailed with Captain Johnny on Mariner of the Seas, I know first hand what a great guy he is and his book is an inspiring read about the challenges he faced, as well as the importance of family, and how values like treating others as you wish to be treated.

Buy it on Amazon