Making Payments Before Final Payment Date

[STREETKING]

We have booked a 16-day Hawaiian cruise sailing in January 2025. I would like to start making payments but wasn't sure if I should do this or wait for the final payment date. Is there any disadvantage to starting to prepay before final payment ?

[deliver42]

There's no advantage or disadvantage  other than giving them money before you have to.

[Pine Man]

19 minutes ago, STREETKING said:

I would like to start making payments

If that was me, and I live in the UK, I would start paying, definitely NOT to Princess but into a savings account where it would gain interest!

[coo359a2]

I would make partial payment on all our pre pandemic cruises and then have a smaller final payment due.  Once the pandemic started and cruises were being cancelled, it was taking longer to get back  whatever pre payments you had made - either paid in full or with more than just the normal deposit.  I decided at that time that when cruising  started back, I would only make the $200 deposit and wait to pay in full on the due date.  That way, if anything else happened in the world, I would only be waiting for $200 refund versus several $1000.

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 hour ago, STREETKING said:

We have booked a 16-day Hawaiian cruise sailing in January 2025. I would like to start making payments but wasn't sure if I should do this or wait for the final payment date. Is there any disadvantage to starting to prepay before final payment ?

I do this all the time. Especially if I'm using gift cards.

[AZjohn]

1 minute ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I do this all the time. Especially if I'm using gift cards.

+1 😉

[dog]

3 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I do this all the time. Especially if I'm using gift cards.

I also do this occasionally when I need to top up my aeroplan miles, as I rarely have to pay for a flight.  Always purchase refundable fares/ buy cancel for any reason insurance.

[9tee2Sea]

I had been making monthly payment for my last two cruises ( I book them about 1-2 years out). Even though I can make the final lump sum ( with a big gasp), I just prefer to make monthly payments.  So far, I have never cancelled a cruise before final payment, so I am not concerned about how the monies paid get back to me should I cancel

[kitty2264]

30 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I do this all the time. Especially if I'm using gift cards.

I agree!  Since you can only buy $2K per month/person from AARP, I just turn right around and immediately add them to my cruise and that way I no longer have to keep track of the ids and pin #s.

[Ken the cruiser]

7 minutes ago, kitty2264 said:

I agree!  Since you can only buy $2K per month/person from AARP, I just turn right around and immediately add them to my cruise and that way I no longer have to keep track of the ids and pin #s.

??? My DW and I buy up to $5000 of AARP gift cards per month to help pay for our PCL cruises. She purchases hers, five $500 gift cards, using her AARP account, and I buy five $500 gift cards using my free AARP Rewards account (even though I'm also a member of my DW's AARP account).

[Rick&Jeannie]

14 minutes ago, kitty2264 said:

I agree!  Since you can only buy $2K per month/person from AARP, I just turn right around and immediately add them to my cruise and that way I no longer have to keep track of the ids and pin #s.

I *strongly* suggest that you continue to "keep track" of those numbers and PINs!  If anything happens and you must cancel (for whatever reason) you're going to need that original documentation!

 

I print out *all* GCs and just keep them in my cruise folder for that particular cruise.  When I get home...then I shred them.

[Rick&Jeannie]

21 minutes ago, 9tee2Sea said:

I had been making monthly payment for my last two cruises ( I book them about 1-2 years out). Even though I can make the final lump sum ( with a big gasp), I just prefer to make monthly payments.  So far, I have never cancelled a cruise before final payment, so I am not concerned about how the monies paid get back to me should I cancel

To date...the only cruise that I have cancelled myself was on Celebrity, where I was not using any GCs.  That cruise (for Feb 2024) was to Israel & Egypt.  Shortly after I cancelled (with no penalty...it was before final payment) Celebrity changed those ports to ports we had already done before, so I'm glad I was able to get it cancelled in time.  That's still a bucket-list cruise for us...I just don't think that right now is the right time.

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, STREETKING said:

We have booked a 16-day Hawaiian cruise sailing in January 2025. I would like to start making payments but wasn't sure if I should do this or wait for the final payment date. Is there any disadvantage to starting to prepay before final payment ?

Wait.

 

You're giving Princess free money, money you could be investing. 

 

 

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 minute ago, startedwithamouse said:

Wait.

 

You're giving Princess free money, money you could be investing. 

 

 

Everybody (myself included) cannot make a total lump sum payment at final payment.  Yes, you can always "set it aside" like a savings account...that just doesn't work for some.  I like to treat it like the old "layaway" plans.

[beg3yrs]

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I do this all the time. Especially if I'm using gift cards.

This was my thinking as well. I look at purchasing gift cards with the 8% discount as kind of pre-paying for a cruise with the benefit of getting the discount. I don't however, use the GCs to pay up until it's final payment time. That way if something comes up and we aren't going to cruise, it's so much simpler without having to get GCs refunded.

[Honolulu Blue]

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Everybody (myself included) cannot make a total lump sum payment at final payment.  Yes, you can always "set it aside" like a savings account...that just doesn't work for some.  I like to treat it like the old "layaway" plans.

To bend this around a bit, I know Carnival the cruise line has Uplift to set up monthly payments... probably with monthly fees involved.

 

The charter cruises I've been on (none on Princess yet) have offered interest-free payment plans which stretch from the purchase date to 1-3 months before the cruise.

 

And one of my Chase cards has a standing offer for my biggest purchases to put any of them on payment plans... with fees and/or interest.

 

I've never worried too much about making the final payment because either 1) I've booked within the final payment deadline and I know I have to pay in full in order to book, or 2) my cruises haven't been all that expensive.  I have one cruise next year that has a hefty final payment that could cause some problems, but I'll worry about that when I get there. 😁

[SKCruiser007]

1 hour ago, beg3yrs said:

This was my thinking as well. I look at purchasing gift cards with the 8% discount as kind of pre-paying for a cruise with the benefit of getting the discount. I don't however, use the GCs to pay up until it's final payment time. That way if something comes up and we aren't going to cruise, it's so much simpler without having to get GCs refunded.

I love using gift cards, but it makes me a bit nervous to hold them. I like them applied and credited to my cruise asap. If a refund has to be made to a gift card, and this has happened for me, the funds were back in the card within minutes of a call to Princess.

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, kitty2264 said:

I agree!  Since you can only buy $2K per month/person from AARP, I just turn right around and immediately add them to my cruise and that way I no longer have to keep track of the ids and pin #s.

Actually, you do.  You should keep all records of GC numbers and PINs until AFTER you have sailed in case either you or PCL cancels as the refunds go back onto those GCs.

[9tee2Sea]

3 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

To date...the only cruise that I have cancelled myself was on Celebrity, where I was not using any GCs.  That cruise (for Feb 2024) was to Israel & Egypt.  Shortly after I cancelled (with no penalty...it was before final payment) Celebrity changed those ports to ports we had already done before, so I'm glad I was able to get it cancelled in time.  That's still a bucket-list cruise for us...I just don't think that right now is the right time.

I did a similar cruise with NCL that went from Dubai-Athens earlier this year. Overnights in Israel and Egypt.  It really is an amazing cruise.  Might be couple of years before i would even think of doing that again.

[startedwithamouse]

4 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Everybody (myself included) cannot make a total lump sum payment at final payment.  Yes, you can always "set it aside" like a savings account...that just doesn't work for some.  I like to treat it like the old "layaway" plans.

But you pay yourself, as if you were paying the cruise line, and invest.

 

It seems really odd that what seems to be the majority of posters complain about tiny upcharges on Princess, won't do this, as make money.  It's similar to pennywise and pound foolish.

Edited December 7, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[cactusrose]

9 hours ago, STREETKING said:

We have booked a 16-day Hawaiian cruise sailing in January 2025. I would like to start making payments but wasn't sure if I should do this or wait for the final payment date. Is there any disadvantage to starting to prepay before final payment ?

If you're planning on getting Princess Vacation Protection remember you can't buy it after you make the final payment.  Otherwise, there is no issue with making payments early.  If you cancel before the final payment due date you will be refunded for what you have paid in.

Edited December 7, 2023 by cactusrose

[upsmanclt]

I just invested $2300 to purchase $2500 in Princess gift cards at AARP. 

[Rick&Jeannie]

2 hours ago, upsmanclt said:

I just invested $2300 to purchase $2500 in Princess gift cards at AARP. 

Make sure you get them applied as soon as you can.

[MacMadame]

10 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

Wait.

 

You're giving Princess free money, money you could be investing. 

I've already given the money to Princess by buying the AARP Gift Cards. 🤷‍♂️

[kdr69]

Give it now or give it later your still giving it. I dont think putting it in a savings acct is gonna make a whole lot of difference in 12 months.