Any significant advantages to paying in-full before the deadline ?

[nwnittany]

Title.

 

Are there any perks or advantages to paying in-full before the deadline ?  I might be mistaken, but the only one I can think of is the ability to try the upgrade lottery, but even this is roughly the same timeframe as full-payment deadline.   Is the answer different if booked via TA, cruise planner, or directly with Princess ?

 

Other than peace of mind, what am I missing ? 

[Jeter02]

No perk or vantage of paying in full and advance. Personally I always say never pay an advance in full because you can always adjust in case the price goes down and you can refare and save some money on your sailing.

[antsp]

If you are not elite, you can pre book your dining times

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, antsp said:

If you are not elite, you can pre book your dining times

Although several reports on this forum have indicated folks who are not yet Platinum nor Elite (yes, it includes Platinum) are able to make reservations prior to full payment.  What has not been clear to me is if this is now broadly the case and no perk, or whether these are isolated situations where the IT programming has somehow allowed early reservations where folks should not be able to do so.

Edited May 28, 2023 by Steelers36

[skynight]

None. We always pay a few weeks before the deadline. 

[PacnGoNow]

2 hours ago, skynight said:

None. We always pay a few weeks before the deadline. 

May I ask why you would pay a few weeks ahead of FP?  Why not just a few days ahead, in case of price changes or the need for cancellation? TIA

[Coral]

17 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

May I ask why you would pay a few weeks ahead of FP?  Why not just a few days ahead, in case of price changes or the need for cancellation? TIA

Technically you can still price adjust (if it allows) or cancel up until final payment in the US.

[jwattle]

If you booked EZ Air and want to get early ticketing...

[PacnGoNow]

1 minute ago, Coral said:

Technically you can still price adjust (if it allows) or cancel up until final payment in the US.

Thanks. I just thought it would be easier for all involved to wait closer to FP.  Regarding refunds, etc.  JMO

[Coral]

4 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

Thanks. I just thought it would be easier for all involved to wait closer to FP.  Regarding refunds, etc.  JMO

It probably is. But credit cards can reject charges or there can be other issues (person traveling, agent traveling) - I can see why some would pay a few weeks early.

[Coral]

9 minutes ago, jwattle said:

If you booked EZ Air and want to get early ticketing...

This can be complicated if you book Princess insurance and file a claim. I found out the hard way. Not sure if I will ever ticket early again.

Edited May 28, 2023 by Coral

[jwattle]

Do you mean insurance with EZ Air was hard because you paid final early, or...?

[Coral]

1 minute ago, jwattle said:

Do you mean insurance with EZ Air was hard because you paid final early, or...?

If you ticket early, it becomes Restricted. If you file a valid medical claim with Princess insurance with a Restricted air ticket, you will not get reimbursed for air from the insurance, you will get an air credit that can only be used with Princess.

[theloo]

This is the first time I have booked a cruise early.  Can I wait until final payment is due to buy trip insurance?

[Coral]

4 minutes ago, theloo said:

This is the first time I have booked a cruise early.  Can I wait until final payment is due to buy trip insurance?

Technically yes. Though if you have pre-existing conditions, it becomes complicated based on the policy you purchase.

[2011mom]

On 5/28/2023 at 5:30 AM, Steelers36 said:

On 5/28/2023 at 2:58 AM, antsp said:

If you are not elite, you can pre book your dining times

Although several reports on this forum have indicated folks who are not yet Platinum nor Elite (yes, it includes Platinum) are able to make reservations prior to full payment.  What has not been clear to me is if this is now broadly the case and no perk, or whether these are isolated situations where the IT programming has somehow allowed early reservations where folks should not be able to do so.

I have no status and I am booked for April 2024. If I make my full payment, can I then make dining room reservations? The princess website states that I can make reservations after full payment, but I don't know if that means when I make full payment, or when their full payment deadline is.

[Boiler Cruiser]

I don't pay any of my fare until it is due (usually a few days before the deadline).  Our next cruises demonstrate a good reason why.

 

My DW and I have 2 cruises coming up in 2024.  I just found out that the current fare on the Princess website is lower than what the fare was when I originally booked.

 

I contacted my TA and she is getting both refared.  I will save close to $2000 as a result!

Edited May 29, 2023 by Boiler Cruiser

[Boiler Cruiser]

10 minutes ago, 2011mom said:

I have no status and I am booked for April 2024. If I make my full payment, can I then make dining room reservations? The princess website states that I can make reservations after full payment, but I don't know if that means when I make full payment, or when their full payment deadline is.

You will have access to making reservations on the Princess app after you pay in full.  However, in my experience (such as on our last cruise), if you wait until near the final payment deadline to pay in full, you will still have plenty of choices for making dinner or specialty dining reservations in the 90 days before your embarkation date.

[nwnittany]

When one re-fares, are the odds high that the same room can be rebooked ?  Or is it a bit of a gamble (ie, have to de-book, return the room to the 'pool', then re-book and try to claim the room before anyone else does) ?

[PacnGoNow]

23 minutes ago, 2011mom said:

I have no status and I am booked for April 2024. If I make my full payment, can I then make dining room reservations? The princess website states that I can make reservations after full payment, but I don't know if that means when I make full payment, or when their full payment deadline is.

Yes, you should be able to, but I really don’t think you need to.  You will have plenty of time after FP.  
 

Did you try to book DMW on the app?  It may not even be available yet for anyone.  Sometimes they are, sometimes not, even for Elites.  Mostly if it’s a new ship.  
 

You could ask if someone on your roll call, Elite or others have been able to reserve DMW yet?

 

We never pay until a few days before FP, as there could be many changes before FP is due.  YMMV

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, nwnittany said:

When one re-fares, are the odds high that the same room can be rebooked ?  Or is it a bit of a gamble (ie, have to de-book, return the room to the 'pool', then re-book and try to claim the room before anyone else does) ?

I have never had a problem with that.  In theory, it could happen, but takes a few minutes for a cabin to re-appear.  I believe the Princess reps have a way to hang onto a cabin in POLAR.

[Coral]

24 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I have never had a problem with that.  In theory, it could happen, but takes a few minutes for a cabin to re-appear.  I believe the Princess reps have a way to hang onto a cabin in POLAR.

When one re-fares, they can keep the same cabin (one doesn't have to give up the cabin to re-fare).

 

It is when one has to create a new booking, that there is a chance that they could lose the cabin. Good agents are quick and most of the time, they can grab the cabin quickly. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

2 hours ago, nwnittany said:

When one re-fares, are the odds high that the same room can be rebooked ?  Or is it a bit of a gamble (ie, have to de-book, return the room to the 'pool', then re-book and try to claim the room before anyone else does) ?

Your need to make sure that specific cabins are still available in your cabin category. If not, you might cancel a booking and rebook, and find that all that are available are guarantees, even though you just returned a cabin to inventory. 

[Steelers36]

34 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

I have never had a problem with that.  In theory, it could happen, but takes a few minutes for a cabin to re-appear.  I believe the Princess reps have a way to hang onto a cabin in POLAR.

 

9 minutes ago, Coral said:

When one re-fares, they can keep the same cabin (one doesn't have to give up the cabin to re-fare).

 

It is when one has to create a new booking, that there is a chance that they could lose the cabin. Good agents are quick and most of the time, they can grab the cabin quickly. 

Stand corrected.  I read that post too quickly for my own good.  Thanks.

[Steelers36]

5 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Your need to make sure that specific cabins are still available in your cabin category. If not, you might cancel a booking and rebook, and find that all that are available are guarantees, even though you just returned a cabin to inventory. 

Yes, it is best if an agent handles it so that should not happen.  Of course, that is a re-book situation and not a re-fare as I was corrected.