How to pay for a cruise

[SRF]

...now if the cruise line offered an incentive to pay off the balance early I would consider doing it.

 

This.

 

I would rather accumulate the funds in an account under MY control, until I need to pay.

 

And maybe even make a dollar or two on interest.

[NMLady]

The question was - why is "getting it out of the way" attractive in the case of service charges, when it isn't in the case of fares.

 

The fare doesn't show up on shipboard account so we wait until final payment is due to pay it.

 

The service charge is charged daily per passenger so takes up lots of lines on shipboard account. So we prepay service charges to make shipboard account easier to read.

[zqvol]

Hi there! Getting ready to book my first cruise and it appears in previous posts here that holding off on last payment in case of cancellations is the wAy to go. Can this be confirmed? What worked best for all you cruise lovers? Any help is appreciated, thanks!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

It doesn't matter when you actually make the final payment as far as cancellations are concerned. The key is the date that final payment is due, not when you personally make your final payment.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Just be sure if you are booked through an agent that they don't miss the deadline.

 

Most people pay pretty close to when the final payment is due unless they are booked with a cruise line that offers an early payment discount.

 

Keith

All of the TAs that I have used, required me to give them payment authorization at least one week prior to the cruise line's final payment date. Also I was just researching the benefits and requirements of a big-box TA, and they require payment authorization two weeks prior to the final payment date.

[Z'Loth]

Hi there! Getting ready to book my first cruise and it appears in previous posts here that holding off on last payment in case of cancellations is the wAy to go. Can this be confirmed? What worked best for all you cruise lovers?

 

First off, I use a credit card that gives me a little bit of cash back each month. Every little bit helps. :halo: (To be fair, I have a low-interest credit card that I pay off every month.)

 

Second, as there are no finance charges beyond the deposit, why not wait until payment is due?

 

To be fair, I also purchase travel insurance almost immediately after placing the deposit to waive the pre-existing condition.