How do you pay for your cruise?

[AndreAggie]

We use a TA and I pay the deposit at booking. Then we take the remainder of the balance, divide by how many months until PIF date (usually about a year), and make small monthly payments with our Disney Visa CC. It takes the sting off a little when it's paid is smaller, monthly payments!

 

[dragynally]

We use a TA and I pay the deposit at booking. Then we take the remainder of the balance, divide by how many months until PIF date (usually about a year), and make small monthly payments with our Disney Visa CC. It takes the sting off a little when it's paid is smaller, monthly payments!

We do similarly. It seems a bit more manageable that way.

 

[AndreAggie]

We do similarly. It seems a bit more manageable that way.

Plus, the travel agent handles everything! I just get a monthly email that tells me the payment was made!

 

[smiths02]

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 was looking into DVA and it looks like the bonus money isn't guaranteed after December? Our cruise is June 2018 (payment April 2018), and without that bonus, I'm wondering if I should bother.

I need to figure out what we are going to do. We are going to get a tax refund this year, so that is paying the deposit and insurance (and I need to get insurance quickly to be within 14 days of deposit!) I put the deposit on my Disney Visa just in case our tax refund is delayed (I have it all done just haven't submitted it yet), there will be no interest fees accrued.

I have a "vacation club" account through the credit union that matures every May ...what I will probably do is use half of it this year for summer things (even though we aren't going on a vacation) and then half towards the cruise. Then I will adjust how much I need to be contributing to it each month for the cruise to be paid off by the time the account matures again in May 2018. When pay-in-full date comes in April 2018, I'll again put the balance on my Disney Visa and then wait for the vacation account to mature and then pay off the credit card.

I have thought about just making the monthly payment to Disney (through my TA), but my vacation club account is honestly easy enough to have a "small" amount just gone from each check, and while the money isn't as easy to get to as my checking account, it is easier to get to than waiting on credit card refunds from Disney if for some reason the cruise doesn't end up happening for us.

I, personally, don't feel like I have to have all the money the minute I book a vacation, especially when we are talking booking more than a year out, but I also am not comfortable with paying for the vacation AFTER the vacation.

 

[havaneselover]

I was looking into DVA and it looks like the bonus money isn't guaranteed after December? Our cruise is June 2018 (payment April 2018), and without that bonus, I'm wondering if I should bother.

I need to figure out what we are going to do. We are going to get a tax refund this year, so that is paying the deposit and insurance (and I need to get insurance quickly to be within 14 days of deposit!) I put the deposit on my Disney Visa just in case our tax refund is delayed (I have it all done just haven't submitted it yet), there will be no interest fees accrued.

I have a "vacation club" account through the credit union that matures every May ...what I will probably do is use half of it this year for summer things (even though we aren't going on a vacation) and then half towards the cruise. Then I will adjust how much I need to be contributing to it each month for the cruise to be paid off by the time the account matures again in May 2018. When pay-in-full date comes in April 2018, I'll again put the balance on my Disney Visa and then wait for the vacation account to mature and then pay off the credit card.

I have thought about just making the monthly payment to Disney (through my TA), but my vacation club account is honestly easy enough to have a "small" amount just gone from each check, and while the money isn't as easy to get to as my checking account, it is easier to get to than waiting on credit card refunds from Disney if for some reason the cruise doesn't end up happening for us.

I, personally, don't feel like I have to have all the money the minute I book a vacation, especially when we are talking booking more than a year out, but I also am not comfortable with paying for the vacation AFTER the vacation.

My PIF date is 4/8/2018. If the bonus isn't extended, I will likely be paid in full by the end of the year.

 

[smiths02]

My PIF date is 4/8/2018. If the bonus isn't extended, I will likely be paid in full by the end of the year.

Hmmm...so if I open the account soon and they decide not to extend, I can still get my 120 days in by December and pay at least whatever chunk I've saved by December 31. That is an idea. My vacation club through my credit union gets almost no interest. And I can still get my credit card points if I use my credit card to contribute.

 

[havaneselover]

Hmmm...so if I open the account soon and they decide not to extend, I can still get my 120 days in by December and pay at least whatever chunk I've saved by December 31. That is an idea. My vacation club through my credit union gets almost no interest. And I can still get my credit card points if I use my credit card to contribute.

Yes. If it isn't extended the spending just has to happen in 2017. I've already gotten a bonus for the deposit on my 2018 cruise.

 

[JJZMgailey]

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!

Thanks so much for starting this great thread!

We loved it so much that we featured it on today's edition of the DIS Daily Fix!

 

[dragynally]

Thanks so much for starting this great thread!

We loved it so much that we featured it on today's edition of the DIS Daily Fix!

I'm famous! Thanks you DIS and Jackie!!!

 

[oufpat]

Paid the deposit and will pay the remainder on my Disney Visa card, then pay off credit card in full when bill comes. (We save up for vacations before we take them and use credit card for perks)

 

[Msmit002]

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

Exactly. I don't book unless I can pay it off, but I'll keep it in the bank to collect interest until I *have* to pay it. Deposit at booking, PIF on the PIF date.

 

[JW9DVC]

Pennies at a time.

 

[JW9DVC]

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

Yes. It's called a debit card.

 

[dragynally]

Pennies at a time.

Truth!

 

[JenPinks]

I buy discounted gift cards and then put them into my DVA where I get a $20 gift card bonus from them for every $1000 I put into my account.

 

[Ginamarie]

Pay the deposit when we book- save up with discounted Disney gift cards so we can pay off the balance on or before the PIF date.

 

[Alicatt]

Has anyone ever had push back from a TA when you've tried to pay with gift cards? I will be paying off my balance with 7 cards. I did consolidate.

 

[havaneselover]

Has anyone ever had push back from a TA when you've tried to pay with gift cards? I will be paying off my balance with 7 cards. I did consolidate.

No and if i did they would lose my business going forward. If you did though you could deposit them in a Disney Vacation Account. You call that in directly to DCL.

 

[Alicatt]

I wish I had known that! I would have done that all along!

 

[ThistleMae]

I put everything on my point earning credit card, paid off every month. And here is a little tip that gets me more points. I book everyone's vacation for them, and put it on my card. Only family. Then I get the points. They always pay up!