Cruising is literally the easiest (and most cost efficient) way to travel–its a floating luxury hotel at sea that is inclusive of food and entertainment–what could be wrong with that?
While cruising can be a cheaper route to booking a luxury vacation, even at rock bottom prices it can be hard to pay for your entire cruise up front.
Here are a few ways to finance your trip:
Book Early.
The earlier that you book, the more time that you will have to make payments on your cruise. Most cruise lines require the entire balance of a cruise to be paid up front if you book within 30-60 days of when the cruise is scheduled to sail. Meaning that if the cruise you book your cruise on April 15 and your cruise is set to sail on May 5; that you will owe the entire amount of the cruise up front. When you book a cruise early, you usually get lower rates AND the cruise line will let you put down a deposit and pay the rest at a later date.
A good rule of thumb to get the best rates and to have time to pay off your cruise is to book at least 6 months in advance if you can.
PayPal Credit and Payment Plans.
Many for the group cruise travel agencies that advertise on our site offer Paypal credit. With PayPal Credit, you can enjoy special financing offers like this one: No Payments + No Interest if paid in full in 6 months on purchases of $99 or more. Some travel agencies will also offer a payment plan for you to pay off your cruise. Please check with each company.
Ask your Travel Agent.
Cruise lines will sometimes have special arrangements made with travel agencies that allow them to have a later final payment date than if you book the cruise yourself. Call your travel agency and see if you are able to pay for your cruise in payments. A lot of the time, a travel agency will help you to come up with a payment plan for your dream cruise vacation.
