Paying remaining balance

[Hilux5972]

Hi all

 

Ive paid a $300 deposit on my cruise, now how do I pay the remaining balance? Is there a bank account I can pay it into on a weekly basis? 

 

Cheers

[tv24]

We use a credit card and the payment is arranged by our travel agent.  Cunard will happily accept your credit card.

[kentchris]

8 hours ago, Hilux5972 said:

 

Ive paid a $300 deposit on my cruise, now how do I pay the remaining balance? Is there a bank account I can pay it into on a weekly basis? 

 

Why give the money to Cunard before you need to, unless final balance is due very soon anyway? If I was going to be organised about it (I never am) I'd make regular payments into a savings account to remove the temptation to spend it on day-to-day stuff, and then pay the balance from that. Even if NZ savings accounts pay the same paltry interest as in the UK it'd be better use of your money.

[Stella1250]

I save the money in my bank, then make the payment through my TA with my AMEX card. Then, I use the saved money to pay the AMEX. This way, I get the FF miles from AMEX. More importantly, my AMEX is the platinum one, so I get the travel insurance because I put the trip on the card. Works every time. Do this for the airline tickets as well.

[Bigmike911]

If there is any possibility that you won't take the voyage, watch out for the penalties. The penalties kick in before the final payment is due, so if for any reason, you have to cancel, you should do it before the penalties kick in or you will loose your deposit and perhaps owe more money for a trip you won't take. Your confirmation will tell you more about the penalties and when final payments are due. 

 

As for payment, you can make payments by credit or debit card to your travel agent who booked the voyage, or To Cunard Directly if you booked through them. I presume you can also send a check but I have not used that path. A call to the booking source would tell you where to send payment. 

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, Bigmike911 said:

If there is any possibility that you won't take the voyage, watch out for the penalties. The penalties kick in before the final payment is due, so if for any reason, you have to cancel, you should do it before the penalties kick in or you will loose your deposit and perhaps owe more money for a trip you won't take. Your confirmation will tell you more about the penalties and when final payments are due. 

 

As for payment, you can make payments by credit or debit card to your travel agent who booked the voyage, or To Cunard Directly if you booked through them. I presume you can also send a check but I have not used that path. A call to the booking source would tell you where to send payment. 

Not sure what laws are in NZ but if anything like in the UK if you cancel even if its was before final balance once you have booked your deposit is non-refundable.

[Underwatr]

3 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

you will loose your deposit and perhaps owe more money for a trip you won't take

 

True, but I've never read a contract that imposes a cancellation penalty higher than required payments to date. You may lose your deposit, and even US bookings on some lines begin to make a refundable deposit nonrefundable about a month ahead of the final payment deadline but you'll never be in a situation where you cancel and are obliged to pay more.

 

Even if you pay ahead of schedule your cancellation penalty won't be higher than what they've required to date, such as the required deposit amount.

[Bigmike911]

2 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Not sure what laws are in NZ but if anything like in the UK if you cancel even if its was before final balance once you have booked your deposit is non-refundable.

In the US there is a refund schedule. For my 10 day Hamburg to NYC in September it is the following; if canceled by 27 May, the penalty is 12.5% or $3,334.38 of my total fare of $25,675. The deposit I have made with a future cruise credit is $300. Final payment is due 26 June. On 27 June the penalty is 40%, 26 July it goes to 50%, 25 August 75% and 10 Sept 100%. So if I decide after 27th May to cancel I will owe Cunard an additional $3034. even though I will not be traveling. 

[Bigmike911]

4 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

 

True, but I've never read a contract that imposes a cancellation penalty higher than required payments to date. You may lose your deposit, and even US bookings on some lines begin to make a refundable deposit nonrefundable about a month ahead of the final payment deadline but you'll never be in a situation where you cancel and are obliged to pay more.

 

Even if you pay ahead of schedule your cancellation penalty won't be higher than what they've required to date, such as the required deposit amount.

On the back of the booking confirmation they have fine print in the booking that directs you to the T's and C's and they direct special attention to section three which is cancellations. I will get a full copy of the Ts & Cs from Cunard tomorrow and we will know. 

[Bigmike911]

15 minutes ago, Bigmike911 said:

On the back of the booking confirmation they have fine print in the booking that directs you to the T's and C's and they direct special attention to section three which is cancellations. I will get a full copy of the Ts & Cs from Cunard tomorrow and we will know. 

I found the Contract of Carriage in the voyage personalizer for my voyage. There are several sections on cancellation fees which vary slightly from those on my confirmation but I did find this note. "For those guests booking a reduced deposit promotion, the initial cancellation fee of “deposit amount” will not exceed the deposit required/paid at the time of the booking" Assuming my Future Cruise Credit is 'reduced deposit promotion, the max penalty would seem to be my deposit. 

 

I believe you are correct Underwatr. 

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, Bigmike911 said:

In the US there is a refund schedule. For my 10 day Hamburg to NYC in September it is the following; if canceled by 27 May, the penalty is 12.5% or $3,334.38 of my total fare of $25,675. The deposit I have made with a future cruise credit is $300. Final payment is due 26 June. On 27 June the penalty is 40%, 26 July it goes to 50%, 25 August 75% and 10 Sept 100%. So if I decide after 27th May to cancel I will owe Cunard an additional $3034. even though I will not be traveling. 

It is very similar in UK where the closer you get to sail date the more you pay if cancel until at one point you pay full fare. The point I was making is that if you cancel a cruise in UK 12 months or more or even the day after you have booked it you lose your deposit as it is non refundable from the day of booking.

 

 

Period before departure within which written notice of cancellation is received by Cunard
Cancellation charges
(percentage of fare)
From the date of booking until 91 days before departure
Deposit
90 to 57 days
50%
56 to 42 days
60%
41 to 16 days
75%
15 to 6 days
90%
Less than 6 days before departure or failure to embark.
For fly-cruises, departure day is the date of the flight departure

100%

 

Edited March 3, 2019 by majortom10

[Bigmike911]

51 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

It is very similar in UK where the closer you get to sail date the more you pay if cancel until at one point you pay full fare. The point I was making is that if you cancel a cruise in UK 12 months or more or even the day after you have booked it you lose your deposit as it is non refundable from the day of booking.

 

 

Period before departure within which written notice of cancellation is received by Cunard
Cancellation charges
(percentage of fare)
From the date of booking until 91 days before departure
Deposit
90 to 57 days
50%
56 to 42 days
60%
41 to 16 days
75%
15 to 6 days
90%
Less than 6 days before departure or failure to embark.
For fly-cruises, departure day is the date of the flight departure

100%

 

Thanks Major, it is always interesting to see how companies handle the laws and customs of different countries. I always buy future cruise credits which act as the initial deposit when I book. If I cancel a voyage as I have done once or twice, the full value of the FCC comes back to be reused. If not used after 4 years, they send you a check for the full value.  Additionally, they accept telephone cancellations as well. There is always some new I learn from this Forum. 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Bigmike911

[majortom10]

12 minutes ago, Bigmike911 said:

Thanks Major, it is always interesting to see how companies handle the laws and customs of different countries. I always buy future cruise credits which act as the initial deposit when I book. If I cancel a voyage as I have done once or twice, the full value of the FCC comes back to be reused. If not used after 4 years, they send you a check for the full value.  Additionally, they accept telephone cancellations as well. There is always some new I learn from this Forum. 

There is another difference if we book a FCD on Cunard if we dont book a cruise within 12 months of buying we lose the money it is not refunded.

[Bigmike911]

3 hours ago, majortom10 said:

There is another difference if we book a FCD on Cunard if we dont book a cruise within 12 months of buying we lose the money it is not refunded.

They seem to take a tough stance for U.K. Bookers. I wonder why?

[Underwatr]

34 minutes ago, Bigmike911 said:

They seem to take a tough stance for U.K. Bookers. I wonder why?

Because they can!

[Stella1250]

Of course, all of these penalties do not apply if you have insurance and you cancel within the guidelines of the policy, right?

[Bigmike911]

2 hours ago, Stella1250 said:

Of course, all of these penalties do not apply if you have insurance and you cancel within the guidelines of the policy, right?

Presumably insurance applies when you have to cancel for some named reason, illness, emergency. I suspect that the insurance company would expect that you had tried to cancel with Cunard, and for some reason failed to get a full refund, before they would make payments. I doubt changing your mind a few days or weeks before a cruise would be covered. But then I have been mistaken before. 

[Underwatr]

In my experience the insurance company insists on documentation of payments and refunds as well as the line's cancellation policy.

 

Some insurers sell "Cancel for any reason" coverage which typically refunds 70 or 75% of the nonrefundable cost - for a price.

[Stella1250]

I would never cancel that close for anything but a major reason. I was away once, and my father got sick. I had to rush home. The insurance I bought through the airline paid my change fees, paid for the non-refundable hotels we booked and also paid for some tours that we had already paid for. It was such a relief not to have to deal with all of that. I am assuming that the cruise insurance would do the same should someone get sick or pass away.