American bookings re: final payment time frame

[silverwillow]

Given that American bookings often have better conditions i.e on board credit, voucher books, ability to cancel without fees before final payment, lower deposits, ect ect I was wondering if Americans have a shorter time from payment to cruise for final payment or whether they have to pay in full by the same dates as those of us residing in oz?

 

Also do cruises usually drop in price after the final payment (exempting peak times or very popular cruises)?

[annenic]

Silverwillow - I believe that 3 months out is the final payment for everyone and yes, prices often drop just after that - probably because when final payment time comes there are many who decide to cancel for a variety of reasons with probably the main reason being affordability.

 

In the US, with the no cancellation fee right up until final payment, it is easy to lock in a cruise in the hope that you can pay for it when the time comes.

 

Anyhow, at that price drop time - it is possible to pick up some great upgrades very reasonably ;)

[cwtravel]

I am booked on the 22 March, 2014 sailing on the Solstice from Auckland to Sydney. Final payment is due in early January. Until that time I can cancel and get a refund for the deposit (I actually used a future passages booking made on an earlier Celebrity cruise that cost $200 USD for myself and my wife).

[icat2000]

I thought it was 75 days.

[Pushka]

10th April for a 12th July cruise. But full refund of any deposits within 75 days; loss of deposit 57 days out; 50% of fare 25 days out; 75% up to 15 days out. Extremely generous. This is for a 7 day cruise on celebrity.

 

I think it's a TA thing to charge final payment earlier than 75 days out.

[croydonCruiser]

I booked directly with HAL Australia for our 3 Oct '14 cruise. Final payment is due 20 July (76 days before departure). I can cancel anytime up to and including 19 July and get the full deposit back. I can also get any price drops that occur between now and final payment, unless they are marked for new bookings only. So I'm pretty happy with that! I think those conditions are pretty much the same as the Americans have.

The HAL rep I spoke to was very good in that the cabin I wanted (a 4 berth VC) wasn't available for our 24 night cruise, but plenty were for the two 12 night sections. He contacted Seattle and managed to get one for me! :D

Edited November 25, 2013 by croydonCruiser

[rugbypopsie]

Even when the price drops are marked "new bookings only" they usually give them to you, after all if you can cancel without penalty there is nothing to stop you doing that and rebooking..unless you don't want to lose the particular cabin.

 

Sue

[croydonCruiser]

Even when the price drops are marked "new bookings only" they usually give them to you, after all if you can cancel without penalty there is nothing to stop you doing that and rebooking..unless you don't want to lose the particular cabin.

 

Sue

 

Yes, that's true. I guess if a price drop comes and we need to cancel and re-book, we'll need to weigh up how important the cabin is compared to the saving. From the reading I've done on the HAL board, these particular cabins on deck 4 have a 7.5 foot deep balcony, compared to the normal 6 foot (or 4 foot for the middle section on deck 5 :eek:), so with four of us in the cabin, the extra space is a bonus! :)

 

It's all hypothetical at the moment, so I'm not really going to give it much thought until it happens. We are very happy with what we have! :D

[Scrapnana]

Given that American bookings often have better conditions i.e on board credit, voucher books, ability to cancel without fees before final payment, lower deposits, ect ect I was wondering if Americans have a shorter time from payment to cruise for final payment or whether they have to pay in full by the same dates as those of us residing in oz?

 

Also do cruises usually drop in price after the final payment (exempting peak times or very popular cruises)?

 

My one week Disney cruise had final payment at 75 days out. My Cunard World Voyage was 90 days.