New to NCL.. What are the Negitives of paying cruise off early ?

[mr jailerman]

Just curios as my final payment is Due the first week on February ? If the price drops before final payment, will I still get the reduction or an OBC ? Thanks for any info and have a great night. :)

[newmexicoNita]

Just curios as my final payment is Due the first week on February ? If the price drops before final payment, will I still get the reduction or an OBC ? Thanks for any info and have a great night. :)

 

there are no negatives: yes, if you pay it off today and the price drops before final payment is due (nothing to do with when you made final payment) they will honor the new price. Of course if the new price is a promo for new bookings only, that could be a different story.

 

Good luck and happy cruising

 

Nita

[weloverunning]

Jailerman: There is only one negative.

Once your upcoming cruise is paid in full, then you figure you might as well start looking to book another cruise since the other one is paid for.:D

[mr jailerman]

Jailerman: There is only one negative.

Once your upcoming cruise is paid in full, then you figure you might as well start looking to book another cruise since the other one is paid for.:D

:D Already Done ! Carnival Triumph out of New York City next August ! :D

[saleandsail]

The other negative is that NCL is getting the interest on the money instead of you.

[Arwenmark]

there are no negatives: yes, if you pay it off today and the price drops before final payment is due (nothing to do with when you made final payment) they will honor the new price. Of course if the new price is a promo for new bookings only, that could be a different story.

 

Good luck and happy cruising

 

Nita

 

That has not been my experience and according to NCL and my TA. It is company policy, as opposed to most other lines that there will be NO price adjustment or credit once final payment has been made. they MAY upgrade you if the price of your category has dropped, but no guarantee there either.

[NevadaHiRoller]

That has not been my experience and according to NCL and my TA. It is company policy, as opposed to most other lines that there will be NO price adjustment or credit once final payment has been made. they MAY upgrade you if the price of your category has dropped, but no guarantee there either.

 

Correct, and NCL is tighter about this than any other line.

[newmexicoNita]

Correct, and NCL is tighter about this than any other line.

Thank is a 110% wrong advise...You can pay in full the minute you book and still get adjustments if prices go down. If it is after final payment is due (75 days prior to sailing) then you can get an upgrade but no price adjustment. It has absolutely nothing to do with when a person makes final payment, only the final payment date...I think this is probably what your travel agent told you and you misunderstood final payment with final payment date.. Or, at least I hope that is what she/he said.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

That has not been my experience and according to NCL and my TA. It is company policy, as opposed to most other lines that there will be NO price adjustment or credit once final payment has been made. they MAY upgrade you if the price of your category has dropped, but no guarantee there either.

Absolutely not true: there is a difference between final payment and final payment date. I deal with this on a daily bases...As long as final payment date has not passed the price will be adjusted. After final payment date NCL will offer an upgrade if one is available.

 

Sorry to get so ticked, but I hate wrong advise!!!!!!

 

Nita

[CruisnGram]

OP: Nita is absolutely correct.

 

If your final payment due date has passed, then no adjustments other then perhaps an upgrade will be offered by NCL if your cruise price falls. But, if you make your payment early, and final payment date has not yet passed, you are still eligible for price reductions etc. Making your payment early does not affect anything.

 

CG

[Arwenmark]

...

[elephant98]

A couple years ago, I booked a cruise on the Jewel about three months before final payment was due. Since the time for final payment was fast approaching, I went ahead and paid in full at the time I booked. When the price of the cruise dropped about $75/person soon thereafter, I called NCL and they honored the price drop because the due date for final payment had not been reached. The only oddity is that instead of crediting the money back to my credit card, NCL issued me a check for $150. I don't know if that was standard operating procedure or not. In any case, I did get a refund.

[mr jailerman]

Absolutely not true: there is a difference between final payment and final payment date. I deal with this on a daily bases...As long as final payment date has not passed the price will be adjusted. After final payment date NCL will offer an upgrade if one is available.

 

Sorry to get so ticked, but I hate wrong advise!!!!!!

 

Nita

Thanks Nita..:) I did just pay it off just to have one less thing to remember to do next month. NCL did tell me the same thing that you just said about price reductions and final payment DUE DATE.. Thanks once more and I will still be watching those prices for another 6 weeks or so..;)

[garycarla]

He who has the MONEY has the MOST control.

 

Other than maybe forgetting to pay or spending the money foolishly, I see no reason to pay early.

 

The lost interest argument is pretty weak as it might not be in an interest bearing account anyways, and at 3%, a $2,000 cruise comes to $5 a month. On the other hand, if a credit card could be paid off and somebody is paying 18% interest, that is another story.

[johnql]

Personally, I never part with my money until I have to, so I would never pay off a cruise (or anything else, for that matter) well before final payment date. You never know if you'll need access to the money for something else (e.g., an emergency), so holding onto it until the last minute makes more sense to me.

[terrymtex01]

Personally, I never part with my money until I have to, so I would never pay off a cruise (or anything else, for that matter) well before final payment date. You never know if you'll need access to the money for something else (e.g., an emergency), so holding onto it until the last minute makes more sense to me.

 

While I do see the wisdom in that, we do just the opposite. When we get any bill we cut a check for it that day or book any vacation, we pay it the minute we book it. Just one of those "different strokes for different folks" kind of things. We like the peace of mind knowing the payment, for whatever the payment may be for, isn't looming over our heads.

 

Speaking of.. my "inlaws" will be booking a cruise with us for 2010 and I am sure they will want to pay theirs out. I know or at least I think I know you have to pay $250.00 deposit for each of them, but how does NCL handle the balance? Do you get to just pay ever so much when you can as long as it is paid in full by final payment date? Or does NCL create a payment schedule? Since we have always paid ours in full, I'm not for sure what to tell my inlaws.

[cpcanuck]

While I do see the wisdom in that, we do just the opposite. When we get any bill we cut a check for it that day or book any vacation, we pay it the minute we book it. Just one of those "different strokes for different folks" kind of things. We like the peace of mind knowing the payment, for whatever the payment may be for, isn't looming over our heads.

 

Speaking of.. my "inlaws" will be booking a cruise with us for 2010 and I am sure they will want to pay theirs out. I know or at least I think I know you have to pay $250.00 deposit for each of them, but how does NCL handle the balance? Do you get to just pay ever so much when you can as long as it is paid in full by final payment date? Or does NCL create a payment schedule? Since we have always paid ours in full, I'm not for sure what to tell my inlaws.

 

My experience of this is: I have been able to make any amount of a payment when ever I want to by simply calling NCL (whom I booked directly with), and yes as long as I have it paid in full by the due date, they don't care how often I make payments nor what the amount I pay each time. This has worked well for me! cpcanuck

[terrymtex01]

My experience of this is: I have been able to make any amount of a payment when ever I want to by simply calling NCL (whom I booked directly with), and yes as long as I have it paid in full by the due date, they don't care how often I make payments nor what the amount I pay each time. This has worked well for me! cpcanuck

 

Great.. thank you.. I kind of thought that was probably the case.. Appreciate your answer.

[calmac]

Terry, you can also pay via NCL's website and, prior to final payment date, there is an option to pay in full or to pay an amount less than the full amount which you enter.

[johnql]

While I do see the wisdom in that, we do just the opposite. When we get any bill we cut a check for it that day or book any vacation, we pay it the minute we book it. Just one of those "different strokes for different folks" kind of things. We like the peace of mind knowing the payment, for whatever the payment may be for, isn't looming over our heads.

As you said, "different strokes for different folks", but honestly I've never understood the peace of mind business. We all have bills and I rarely hear about anybody pre-paying their rent, their property taxes, etc. Don't get me wrong - I always pay my bill in full when it arrives; I'm not about to pay the cc company interest when I don't have to, for instance. Plus, I can understand the benefit of pre-paying a mortgage because it reduces the principle and directly shortens the life of the mortgage. So, if the cruise line offered me a benefit to paying early, I would do it. For instance, I have traveled a number of times with Overseas Adventure Travel on land tours and they offer a % discount if you pay in full early. That makes sense to me. Otherwise, bills loom all the time - what's one more bill as long as you know you have the funds ready when the time comes?

[gkrnjlr]

mr jailerman, thanks for posting this. I was wondering the same!

Since we're both new to NCL and both coming from CCL - maybe we can help each other figure out all the "little" things that might be different between the two.

 

Too bad we're not going on the same cruise/sailing!

[SueSea]

I guess the question is, how early? A month, a year? The basis of the time value of money is that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar in the future. You could pay off your cruise in full, but you lose the interest on those funds if you saved them, or the return if you invested them, or (most critical to me) the ability to use those funds for something else if there is a compelling need. To put it into terms cruisers can relate to, I would hate to have to pass on a great deal for a last minute cruise because my vacation funds were tied up in a cruise I'm not taking for a year! ;)

[Us2inFL]

I know this has been discussed before, but it never affected us until now. With NCL shutting down the Compass coupon offer as we knew it, we're due to get three $500 coupons shortly after the new year. We have a final payment due mid January for a cruise in April.

 

If we get the coupons after final payment, does NCL refund the ($1500) when they receive the coupons, even though the cruise is paid for in-full?

[mr jailerman]

I agree with not letting the cruiselines hold your $$ for to long , But since mt final payment was due in 6 weeks anyway I really wont lose much as far as interest. To not have that payoff hanging over my head is worth something to me also. :)

[mr jailerman]

mr jailerman, thanks for posting this. I was wondering the same!

Since we're both new to NCL and both coming from CCL - maybe we can help each other figure out all the "little" things that might be different between the two.

 

Too bad we're not going on the same cruise/sailing!

:D Probably best that we are not on the same cruise..:D You would get me in trouble. ;) :D