When should I make Early Saver final pmt?

[sturderick]

Is there an advantage to making my final payment early for my early saver rate? I always wait until the last minute but am not sure if I get a price adjustment if it will change me to that deal and take my early saver away? Is this confusing haha?

[thomarvin]

I always make final payment on or near the final payment date. I don't drink a lot so i don't want a lot of OBC which is what happens when you have made final payment and you have a price drop.

[forwardcabin]

Makes no difference when make final payment---as long as it is paid in full by the final payment date. If price goes down prior to final date and you have not yet paid it off, then it is applied to remaining balance due. If price goes down after final date or after you have paid in full, then you get OBC.

Edited August 1, 2015 by forwardcabin

[sturderick]

Gotcha. If the price goes down before you make final payment and it is a different promotion, do you get switched to that promotion or are you still early saver.

[bakersdozen12]

Personally, I wouldn't wait until the day it's due. What if there's a problem with the transaction? Someone just posted about that very thing happening to them (the payment didn't go through, though I'm not sure if it was their fault or Carnival's), and their cruise got cancelled. They were luckily able to get it reinstated, but lost their FTTF in the process. Personally, I'd rather not risk it. I just paid mine off yesterday even though it's not due until 8/8.

[sturderick]

I always wait until the end and MAKE SURE I verify through my email and my account on the web. I just want to make sure my early saver benefits don't get compromised. We are platinum and most of ours are booked early saver, but one time I got a price adjustment and it changed the entire promotion I was under. I just wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. I'm sure it was a misunderstanding on my part so I'm just making sure. Right now it looks like the only benefit is getting cash instead of OBC if there's a price change. I'm ok with OBC, so that's not an issue for me. Thanks for your help!

[Troublemaker47]

Gotcha. If the price goes down before you make final payment and it is a different promotion, do you get switched to that promotion or are you still early saver.

 

 

If you file for a price reduction to a different sale, then yours would be changed to the new package and you would lose previous package. Look out though, if your original was a reduced deposit, and the lower is full deposit, you would owe the difference (if you hadn't paid that much to your cruise yet). If not paid on that day you would be cancelled due to deposit not being paid. That happened to us our original deposit was $99, filed price drop, new deposit was $250, was about $17 shy of new deposit on 2nd cruise, pvp called to inform me and got it paid before it got cancelled.

 

 

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[CRU1Z1N]

Gotcha. If the price goes down before you make final payment and it is a different promotion, do you get switched to that promotion or are you still early saver.

 

 

My PVP said that if you originally booked early saver, you are always early saver.

 

Example: I booked early saver, military matched the rate and gave me $100 OBC. Immediately after I booked early saver and paid my deposit she switched me to military. Then there was a past guest sale, I again switched, price drop of $160! Lost $50 OBC but still ahead. Then early saver had a sale and my price dropped another $20. So I'm back again to early saver.

 

This is why I love my PVP. I ask her to check for price drops etc and poof. I don't have to do a thing. No mock bookings or fare viewer. She does it for me...all I have to do is ask her to heck for me!!

 

Also I get price drops until final payment then OBC until two days before I cruise!!!

Edited August 1, 2015 by CRU1Z1N

[mississauga]

My PVP said that if you originally booked early saver, you are always early saver.

 

Example: I booked early saver, military matched the rate and gave me $100 OBC. Immediately after I booked early saver and paid my deposit she switched me to military. Then there was a past guest sale, I again switched, price drop of $160! Lost $50 OBC but still ahead. Then early saver had a sale and my price dropped another $20. So I'm back again to early saver.

 

This is why I love my PVP. I ask her to check for price drops etc and poof. I don't have to do a thing. No mock bookings or fare viewer. She does it for me...all I have to do is ask her to heck for me!!

 

Also I get price drops until final payment then OBC until two days before I cruise!!!

 

 

Agree with everything you said. Plus my PVP always asks if I want my final payment on the same card. If so, Carnival will automatically bill your cc right at midnight of your final payment date and send you a new confirmation so you don't have to worry about final payment being made on time.

 

One time my PVP was on vacation and when I booked a cruise through another PVP, he forgot to ask me and I did not realize it until I got a notice that my cruise would be cancelled unless I made final payment within 5 days. So Carnival does give you a little bit of notice to alert you that final payment is due.

[NHNEV2003]

Personally, I wouldn't wait until the day it's due. What if there's a problem with the transaction? Someone just posted about that very thing happening to them (the payment didn't go through, though I'm not sure if it was their fault or Carnival's), and their cruise got cancelled. They were luckily able to get it reinstated, but lost their FTTF in the process. Personally, I'd rather not risk it. I just paid mine off yesterday even though it's not due until 8/8.

 

 

You changed your picture!

 

We too usually make final payment 1-2 weeks prior to the due date to ensure no problems.

[bakersdozen12]

You changed your picture!

 

We too usually make final payment 1-2 weeks prior to the due date to ensure no problems.

 

Hey Gary!!! Yes, I changed the pic. Figured the parrot was prettier to look at than my face. :D

 

My PVP said that if you originally booked early saver, you are always early saver.

 

Example: I booked early saver, military matched the rate and gave me $100 OBC. Immediately after I booked early saver and paid my deposit she switched me to military. Then there was a past guest sale, I again switched, price drop of $160! Lost $50 OBC but still ahead. Then early saver had a sale and my price dropped another $20. So I'm back again to early saver.

 

This is why I love my PVP. I ask her to check for price drops etc and poof. I don't have to do a thing. No mock bookings or fare viewer. She does it for me...all I have to do is ask her to heck for me!!

 

Also I get price drops until final payment then OBC until two days before I cruise!!!

 

I'm confused by this. You said once Early Saver, always Early Saver, but then you gave an example about how your PVP switched you back and forth between different booking types. Plus, didn't you lose $50 pp when you switched from Early Saver to Military? I suppose if you made out on the deal, it's a moot point, but I'm still confused at your comment about staying Early Saver, but then specifically noting that you switched to other rate types and then back to Early Saver at a certain point.

[islandatsea]

We always make final payment 1 to 2 weeks before the final due date. Then we double check our Carnival acct/email confirmation that the payment was applied to our cruise.

[mississauga]

My PVP said that if you originally booked early saver, you are always early saver.

 

Example: I booked early saver, military matched the rate and gave me $100 OBC. Immediately after I booked early saver and paid my deposit she switched me to military. Then there was a past guest sale, I again switched, price drop of $160! Lost $50 OBC but still ahead. Then early saver had a sale and my price dropped another $20. So I'm back again to early saver.

 

This is why I love my PVP. I ask her to check for price drops etc and poof. I don't have to do a thing. No mock bookings or fare viewer. She does it for me...all I have to do is ask her to heck for me!!

 

Also I get price drops until final payment then OBC until two days before I cruise!!!

 

 

I'm confused by this. You said once Early Saver, always Early Saver, but then you gave an example about how your PVP switched you back and forth between different booking types. Plus, didn't you lose $50 pp when you switched from Early Saver to Military? I suppose if you made out on the deal, it's a moot point, but I'm still confused at your comment about staying Early Saver, but then specifically noting that you switched to other rate types and then back to Early Saver at a certain point.

 

I don't think she meant that she was ever not ES. Once ES, always ES is true. What I think she meant was ES rate. She booked ES but was able to get price drops due to other rates she qualified for. The last drop she got was due to a drop in the ES rate so she was back to the ES rate and not military or past guest. "Rate" was what she was referring to. At least that is the way I Read it.

[Carnival Cutie]

My understanding is that you lose Early Saver status if you change to Guaranteed status meaning Carnival selects your cabin. At least that is what I was told when I upgraded during one of their Suite sales not too long ago. I was able to upgrade to a suite for $30/person and the price for guaranteed suite was cheaper than the balcony they advertised during the sale. But the person that helped me told me I could switch back to ES as long as the cabin I selected was the same price or more than what I was paying. I know where I'll be on the ship and I'm okay with not knowing until a couple of weeks prior to the cruise which is in October. Normally I stick with Early Saver but the sale was too good to pass up.

[bakersdozen12]

I don't think she meant that she was ever not ES. Once ES, always ES is true. What I think she meant was ES rate. She booked ES but was able to get price drops due to other rates she qualified for. The last drop she got was due to a drop in the ES rate so she was back to the ES rate and not military or past guest. "Rate" was what she was referring to. At least that is the way I Read it.

 

 

Oh, ok. Well that would make sense then. But it was confusing the way it was worded.

[CatlinSTJ]

Always give yourself a cushion before the due date, but I wouldn't pay it off TOO early. First, money in the bank = interest for you instead of the cruise line. Second, a few years ago I had paid about 3/4 of the cruise fare thinking that left plenty of room for price drops, right? Would have until the Triumph incident when cruise fares plummeted. We ended up paid off with about $800 in OBC. We didn't lose the money, but I would have preferred that money in my bank account. Typically, once the money is paid you end up with OBC, not a refund if the price drops below what you've already paid.

 

 

Next cruise: Carnival Vista - July 2016

[love my grandkids]

We always make final payment 1 to 2 weeks before the final due date. Then we double check our Carnival acct/email confirmation that the payment was applied to our cruise.

 

this is what we do also

[LadyGal4]

Always give yourself a cushion before the due date, but I wouldn't pay it off TOO early. First, money in the bank = interest for you instead of the cruise line. Second, a few years ago I had paid about 3/4 of the cruise fare thinking that left plenty of room for price drops, right? Would have until the Triumph incident when cruise fares plummeted. We ended up paid off with about $800 in OBC. We didn't lose the money, but I would have preferred that money in my bank account. Typically, once the money is paid you end up with OBC, not a refund if the price drops below what you've already paid.

 

 

Next cruise: Carnival Vista - July 2016

 

 

So how did you spend 800 in OBC? That's a lot unless you hit the casino

[pbsteve]

So how did you spend 800 in OBC? That's a lot unless you hit the casino

 

wife and I had over 900 on the last cruise, it went to cheers and a spa day for her. and pictures.

 

I book when I'm OK with the price. pay it off right away, or soon after I book. That way, my vacation is paid off. I anticipate some OBC becuase of this, but know that some of my onboard expenses will already be covered. In many ways, it becomes an all expense cruise because of the OBC we get.

 

 

As far as are you always Early Saver. Yes. you always are, but may be price matched to a different offer, in other words, you keep the rate plan name, but get the better price.

 

OBC can be tricky, if a price drop gets you lets say 100 price drop and 50 OBC, and the price drops another 50.00 the next weeks' promotion, but the new sales has no OBC. getting the new price doesn't matter, since you lose the 50 OBC offer when the price went down 50, since the new offer doesn't have OBC.

[CRU1Z1N]

I don't think she meant that she was ever not ES. Once ES, always ES is true. What I think she meant was ES rate. She booked ES but was able to get price drops due to other rates she qualified for. The last drop she got was due to a drop in the ES rate so she was back to the ES rate and not military or past guest. "Rate" was what she was referring to. At least that is the way I Read it.

 

 

Yes..exactly. Sorry for any confusion. Basically since I first booked Early Saver I can switch between offers (military, guarantee, past guest etc) up until 2 days before sailing. You cannot switch unless you first booked early saver. Hope that clears things up a bit.

[near the beach]

We always try to pay in full as soon as possible. Gives us time to pay for other things such as excursions so at the end of the cruise we don’t owe anything.

 

The OBC you get from early saver is money you have already spent. However it is nice to spend it on whatever you want on the ship.

 

On our Dream cruise we had over $1,300 in OBC. On our first Breeze cruise we had over $1,200 in OBC. We received refunds of over $500 for each cruise.

 

The best thing about early saver is you find the cruise you want and book it. If the price drops you get on board credit. If it doesn’t that means you got the best price.

[kelkel2]

I like to pay my cruise in small increments that work for my budget. Especially if I book a more expensive cruise. That being said, I really try not to make my payment too late. I usually get it paid off several month before the final payment date. Especially if you booked Early Saver, you still qualify for price drops until the day before the cruise. Lately our categories have either sold out (aft extended) or the price has gone up so it has been irrelevant but you're not penalized for paying off your cruise with Early Saver.