How do you pay for your cruise?

[cruisehopeful]

I do the minimum deposit and pay the balance when it is due. Rather than make several payments, I pay myself in a sub savings account.

 

[CamColt]

For many years I would pay the deposit and then the balance before our booking/check in date with a credit card. I usually had the money saved up to pay that off the credit card with the next bill. Now that I use gift cards to pay the balance I will wait until I have about $1000.00 saved up and buy the gift cards for that payment,making periodic payments of $1000.00 at a time.

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

We pay the deposit, and pay the rest in about $500 chunks, which is money earned through working overtime and Disney gift cards. By the PIF date it's all paid for... and then we continue to safe for the port adventures. We of course use our cc for the cash back rewards, but this way we can pay the credit card off right away (don't like having balances on cards, even with 0% APR)

 

[dragynally]

This is what I was going to say. It's not like you can pay cash through the computer or phone.

I didn't mean a literal payment method. I figured most people use credit cards. I meant what is your payment plan.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I usually book a placeholder onboard using my Disney Visa for the 0% for 6 months. Then to pay the balance, I buy Disney gift cards at a grocery that offers discounts on gas for gift card purchases, taking advantage of any double fuel point events. I buy the gift cards a little at a time, using my Disney Premier Visa to get 2% rewards points back or my Chase Freedom Visa if it is offering 5% on grocery purchases, and load them into my Disney Vacation Account. Then about a week before my PIF date, I pay off the cruise using the DVA.

I always pay my credit card balances in full each month so I don't get charged any interest, excepting the 6 month 0% offer of course, but even the 0% part usually gets paid off in 4 or 5 months. And I would never book a cruise that I didn't already have enough in my savings to pay for outright. I take advantage of the full time to pay off the cruise because why should I give them money sooner than I have to?

 

[jujubiee4]

I am very frugal. Fantasy is our favorite ship and we were priced out for a while. I got
into the revolving credit card game from reading the budget board. Before i just used my
Amex and paid it off every month. Now thanks to maneuvering new credit card bonuses and
travel credits we can travel more. Coming from the west coast and not having to pay for flights
was a HUGE boost to vacation fund while maintaining zero balance.

Now that being said once the actual ship cost is paid for I write down EVERYTHING from shuttles
to car rentals.. gas..tolls..food on plane whatever else is needed. That along with onboard
account has to come from monthly living. For example i have 3 banks for loose change by
the stairs everyone uses. I have monthly set amounts for utilities groceries etc... Anytime
i come under that it goes towards Disney GC. Spring Break my husband is taking younger
daughter to visit a relative and older daughter is going to Grandparents. Not having to buy
groceries for a week is huge. I take the money i would have spent and buy a GC.

Little things like that add up quickly. I am frugal in the sense I paid for the cruise. Any excursions
smoothies popcorn souvenirs etc the family loves will have to come from somewhere else.
I'm content and happy just to be on the boat.

 

[cruiser21]

I didn't mean a literal payment method. I figured most people use credit cards. I meant what is your payment plan.

I got that, but that was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read your question.

 

[dragynally]

I got that, but that was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read your question.

Understood

 

[Vijoge]

I pay the required down payment when I book and then pay the balance about a week before the final payment date.

 

[Neptune's Fork]

From what I've learned reading this forum, pay the deposit, then open a DVA (if you don't already have one), pay into the DVA over time, then on PIF date, transfer from DVA to DCL to PIF. That way you can at least get the bonus gift cards to use on board.

 

[dragynally]

From what I've learned reading this forum, pay the deposit, then open a DVA (if you don't already have one), pay into the DVA over time, then on PIF date, transfer from DVA to DCL to PIF. That way you can at least get the bonus gift cards to use on board.

I may be learning the same thing.

 

[M<3'sMickey]

I pay the initial deposit in full, which is put on my Disney Visa so at least I'm earning rewards dollars. I knew I was booking this upcoming cruise so for everything that my husband and I were getting gifts for, we asked for Disney Gift Cards. We used those to pay down the balance some and then I put the remaining amount on my Disney Visa so I would get the 6 months 0% financing. In order to make sure we had the money, I tutored and worked the after school program at my school and my husband worked at MetLife Stadium and reffed kids hockey games. We're lucky that we can work extra things that don't impact our day to day schedules and allow us to use all of this money earned as our Vacation Fund. And once the balance was put on my Disney Visa, I know I earned rewards dollars for that too, all of which will be used to pay for our excursions and things we buy on the ship.

 

[LilacBarries]

I'm not trying to get to personal or detailed. However I was wondering how people pay for their cruises. For example DH and I save until we can make a certain size payment then make 4-5 of them until the cruise is payed off. How about you? Do you just do the down payment then pay in full? Payment plan? Do you pay ASAP or wait until closer to the PIF date? No right or wrong answer. Just curious. Thanks!

We pay the deposit and then have a monthly amount we pay (usually the balance devided by how many months until out pif date) if there's any unexpected money that comes along, if I babysit, tax return etc well throw more at it.

We're making payment this time around with our Disney visa we got after our last trip so we can get the points, then turning around and paying it off. We also ask for any birthday/holidays for Disney gift cards and if we get any we'll use those towards it. Last time we use those for spending money but thus time between our obc and our points we won't need to do that.

 

[WeLoveDisneyAlways]

I am very frugal. Fantasy is our favorite ship and we were priced out for a while. I got
into the revolving credit card game from reading the budget board. Before i just used my
Amex and paid it off every month. Now thanks to maneuvering new credit card bonuses and
travel credits we can travel more. Coming from the west coast and not having to pay for flights
was a HUGE boost to vacation fund while maintaining zero balance.

Now that being said once the actual ship cost is paid for I write down EVERYTHING from shuttles
to car rentals.. gas..tolls..food on plane whatever else is needed. That along with onboard
account has to come from monthly living. For example i have 3 banks for loose change by
the stairs everyone uses. I have monthly set amounts for utilities groceries etc... Anytime
i come under that it goes towards Disney GC. Spring Break my husband is taking younger
daughter to visit a relative and older daughter is going to Grandparents. Not having to buy
groceries for a week is huge. I take the money i would have spent and buy a GC.

Little things like that add up quickly. I am frugal in the sense I paid for the cruise. Any excursions
smoothies popcorn souvenirs etc the family loves will have to come from somewhere else.
I'm content and happy just to be on the boat.

We are 100% the same and there's nothing I hate more then hearing from people "must be nice" when they have no idea how much I cut back to get to Disney every year. It's our one trip we take and I do my best to make it a great one, the past two years we've only stayed at WDW and skipped the parks to budget for next years "the big one" cruise. We bring all our snacks from home so there is no spending while on vacation we each get a souvenir and that's it. I prepay DH a 6 pack of beer so I know it's taken care of. We do budget a few hundred dollars for ice cream etc but on the cruise that's included

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I usually pay the deposit at booking on a cc then when the balance is due pay that. I usually put everything on my Sapphire card because it has the best insurance attached.

Usually when I book DCL it's already within the PIF window so I just throw it all on the cc. I tend to just roll with the flow of extras on vacation, I tend not to really budget those things.

 

[MUN]

This is what I was going to say. It's not like you can pay cash through the computer or phone.

You're right. I put down a deposit with a credit card and then I pay off the balance with the credit card on or very near my paid in full date. I've never asked my TA if she accepts cash or checks. A credit card is so simple to use and most have cash back/points/mileage incentives.

 

[seacruise]

I just pay whatever the minimum deposit amount is at time of booking. Usually have a future cruise deposit already paid depending on what line we are sailing on. I don't pay anything more until final payment - no reason to give the cruise line more money any earlier than I have to. Final payment goes on a credit card - either Disney Visa or mileage card if going on a different cruise line. Then pay the full amount when the credit card is due.

 

[Pkltm]

I use a Visa debit card, come straight out of my bank account, it gets a better exchange rate for me (Canadian) than my credit card.

I do a biweekly payment, and we will be pif 2 months prior to due date. We have already prepaid for our land portions (dvc rental points and Canadian passes), we have the cash put aside for flights, just need a good price

 

[SuperDry]

With only one exception, I've always booked after the PIF deadline, so that means immediate full payment at time of booking. That then gets paid off at the end of the month from savings. DCL is already expensive enough as it is, without having to add interest on top of it.

 

[Mrspeaks]

For our Disney world and cruises I like to pay with gift cards. I use my 2% cash back card to buy gift cards at Kroger when the are 4x fuel points. $250 gets $1 off up to 35 gallons. I continually buy cards throughout the year and make payments towards whatever vacation we have booked. I book my cruises through Costco to get the cash cards back. I haven't been diligent about the Disney vacation account. I should go that too.