Final payment question

[bucknbass]

I booked a cruise last week and the final payment is already due. Does it have to be paid so quickly? The funds are not a problem but I've read several times that you can get a discount if the fare goes down and you haven't made the final payment. What can they do if you delay paying it?

[wrongwaywatson]

Final payment has nothing to do with when you book the cruise. It is xx# of days before the ship sails. You could book a cruise that is past final payment date, and technically you would have to pay for it then.

[GTO-Girl]

If final payment is due you need to pay it. You don't want them to cancel your reservation.....

[Ken076]

I booked a cruise last week and the final payment is already due. Does it have to be paid so quickly? The funds are not a problem but I've read several times that you can get a discount if the fare goes down and you haven't made the final payment. What can they do if you delay paying it?

 

the deadline for discounts/OBC is the Final Payment Due Date, not when you actually paid off the cruise. ken

[Colo Cruiser]

If you don't pay on the due date the cruise will be cancelled.

[paul929207]

For most cruises, final payment is due 75 days before you sail.

[rjack22]

Yes, by all means pay your bill! If you don't they will cancel your cruise.

 

Final payment is a fixed date. You can usually get price reductions before that time but not afterward. If you have booked less than 75 days before your cruise then your money is due immediately in full. You will be cancelled if you don't pay in full now.

[benbell]

Yes, by all means pay your bill! If you don't they will cancel your cruise.

 

Final payment is a fixed date. You can usually get price reductions before that time but not afterward. If you have booked less than 75 days before your cruise then your money is due immediately in full. You will be cancelled if you don't pay in full now.

 

Actually, if you book through the Princess Agents you can "reserve" a cabin/cruise for 24 hours before you have to make the payment.

 

When I booked my cruise 30 days before the cruise date she booked the room and told me I had till the close of business the following day to pay for the room before it was canceled.

[bucknbass]

The sail date is right at 75 days so I guess that's why I need to pay so quickly. I will do it today to be sure we're in good shape. I thought the booking agent might be pushing a bit but that's evidently not the case.

[fourkittys]

I booked a cruise last week and the final payment is already due. Does it have to be paid so quickly? The funds are not a problem but I've read several times that you can get a discount if the fare goes down and you haven't made the final payment. What can they do if you delay paying it?

If the price goes down after you have made final payment, check with your TA and you might be able to get OnBoardCredit. Carnival does for their clients.:D

[Pam in CA]

I booked a cruise last week and the final payment is already due. Does it have to be paid so quickly? The funds are not a problem but I've read several times that you can get a discount if the fare goes down and you haven't made the final payment. What can they do if you delay paying it?

It's very unusual that prices come down after final payment on a Princess cruise. Other cruiselines, yes; not Princess. And, final payment is due about 75 days before you sail, 90 days for longer cruises and holidays. If you choose not to pay and wait for a lower price, you'll loose your booking and possibly pay much more for your cruise. For instance, the pricing for my upcoming Sapphire cruise is a lot more than what it was when I booked, or even two months ago and only insides or full suites are available. If I were booking now, I'd pay a heck of a lot more for an inside cabin than I did for my mini-suite. It's always a gamble but not paying and waiting for prices to come down after final payment carries lousy odds.

[john2003]

If it is rare for Princess pricing to come down after final payment date, does this mean that they are willing to sail with empty cabins or do they start to drop the pricing earlier?

[Ken076]

If the price goes down after you have made final payment, check with your TA and you might be able to get OnBoardCredit. Carnival does for their clients.:D

 

Carnival's Policy since December 2008 is no more OBC or price adjustments after Final Payment date (except for the new Early Saver booking, which has a non-refundable deposit).

 

ken

[Ken076]

They tend to have their "sales" before Final Payment, but if bookings are lagging after Final Payment date they's still have their "flash" sales. ken

[Sandytoes]

My final payment is due 90 days before the sail date :confused:

 

I am not taking a Holiday or World cruise.:cool:

[Pam in CA]

If it is rare for Princess pricing to come down after final payment date, does this mean that they are willing to sail with empty cabins or do they start to drop the pricing earlier?

Most Princess cruises, even in today's economy, sell out or are close to sold out months in advance. I've taken cruises that were essentially sold out 18 months before sailing. Princess will have a promotion to fill those cabins, usually before final payment date. At least that's been my experience for my Crown cruise this summer. There were lots of cabins left in February so they reduced prices. Most of the cabins were snapped up and now the pricing has come way up.

[Pam in CA]

My final payment is due 90 days before the sail date :confused: I am not taking a Holiday or World cruise.:cool:

When are you cruising and how long is the cruise?

[Sandytoes]

When are you cruising and how long is the cruise?

Aug on the CB

9 days

[Pam in CA]

Aug on the CB

9 days

Hmmm... that doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps someone else knows more about that. My July 18th 12-day cruise is due May 4th to my TA.

[Sandytoes]

Hmmm... that doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps someone else knows more about that. My July 18th 12-day cruise is due May 4th to my TA.

Wonder if TA's set their own final payment date? ? ? :confused:

[Pam in CA]

Wonder if TA's set their own final payment date? ? ? :confused:

They do, but it's rarely a week before the cruiseline's final payment date. They do that to make sure that payment by the passenger goes through. A few years ago, my sister and brother-in-law and I had gone on a cruise and given our TA our final payment information for our next cruise which was due while we were gone. Turns out my BIL's credit card expired while we were gone and wouldn't go through. Since he hadn't received the new card and didn't know what the new expiration year was, she needed another card. He doesn't do any email while on a cruise; the TA knew that and contacted me. I got the info, passed it on, and all was well but they could very easily have lost the booking due to non-payment if the TA didn't know to contact me or I wasn't checking my email.

[Toto2Kansas]

Wonder if TA's set their own final payment date? ? ? :confused:

 

The TA I used to use had the final payment date 5 days before it was actually due. The TA I use now doesn't ask for it until the actual date the cruise line requires it.

[Sandytoes]

They do, but it's rarely a week before the cruiseline's final payment date. They do that to make sure that payment by the passenger goes through. A few years ago, my sister and brother-in-law and I had gone on a cruise and given our TA our final payment information for our next cruise which was due while we were gone. Turns out my BIL's credit card expired while we were gone and wouldn't go through. Since he hadn't received the new card and didn't know what the new expiration year was, she needed another card. He doesn't do any email while on a cruise; the TA knew that and contacted me. I got the info, passed it on, and all was well but they could very easily have lost the booking due to non-payment if the TA didn't know to contact me or I wasn't checking my email.

Lucky the TA was able to contact you.

 

This is good info to pass on to those who have several bookings and have to keep up with final payments.

(I should be so lucky :rolleyes:) Meaning having several bookings....;)

The TA I used to use had the final payment date 5 days before it was actually due. The TA I use now doesn't ask for it until the actual date the cruise line requires it.

Just a thought, could it be possible that certain TA's who deal in "volume" request final payments earlier.

:confused: