Paid Off Cruise

Or you could find that the fare has doubled as my upcoming cruise fare has, but I’m already paid off at my original fare.

Four months seems to be the post-Covid standard. I agree with you that it stinks. Many premium cabins like concierge can require full payment even before then.
The odds, however, of them giving you a perk if the price is dropped are extremely low. Usually when they drop prices during that period, it is for “guaranteed” cabins where you don’t get assigned a room until check-in. A cruise line will tell you that you paid more for the privilege of picking your room. Having been in some incredibly crappy cruise rooms, I think picking your own room is incredibly important and worth the premium.
Also, I agree with the other poster that often times prices just continue to rise. This happened this year with a Disney cruise that our family had our eye on. Due to health reasons, we need to book last-minute for trips and the price just continued to rise and rise such that it was not a good deal at all.

4 months is generous compared to my recent River Cruise. We had to pay in full 10 months in advance. I think it was down payment in April and then 3 months later the full amount was due. Glass half full; it was like a free trip because we'd paid it off so long ago ;)

Bostonphil, does NCL automatically offer the credit/perks or do you need to be proactive and ask?

Hello Stephen nd Kelly

I did not realize that the cruise price could increase (even double) after final payment was due. I thought that they always went down in price. I learned something.

Kelly, I have gotten perks more than one time after final payment. If price goes down on this upcomng cruise, I will ask for a perk and I will let you know what happens.

Hello Allen

I always watch the price of the cruise after final payment. And I always call and ask for something if the price goes down.

But I think that it may depend on your Cruise Consultant. I have read guests saying that their Cruise Consultant called them to offer them something and often it had something to do with price going down.

But I am alone in a booking for one person, often in a studio.

It might be that the guests who are called by their Cruise Consultants about perks are in more expensive cabins, maybe the highest priced cabins.

Ten months is a very long time to have to pay in full. I guess this is a luxury line and they are very good about refunding.

@bostonphil7 - what cruise line has given you perks when the price went down? I’m super intrigued/interested. To be fair, our family has only sailed Disney for the past 12 years and they are kind of an anomaly in the cruise world. Let’s just say that their prices never go down, ha ha! But before we became Disney cruise loyalists, we had sailed Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Carnival.

I sail Norwegian and have received what I call perks when the price of my cruise went down after final payment.

If the price of the cruise goes down before final payment, then I get some money back but when it goes down after final payment, then I can not get money back but I can get upgraded or given on board credit in my account or given a Future Cruise Credit. I can not choose. Norwegian decides what I get and how much.

From what I have heard and read, Disney Cruises are top of the line and expensive. Disney never does reduce the price of the cruise but most guests re very satisfied with the value.