Cruise line's tougher booking rules ignite backlash over higher deposits and payments
If you're booking a Princess Cruises sailing departing Jan. 1, 2027 or later, the new rules — effective for bookings made Sept. 2 onward — apply to you. Expect deposits of $300 per person for inside, oceanview, balcony and mini-suite cabins (up from $250), and $600 per person for suites (up from $500). Final payment is now due 120 days before departure, and missing that deadline triggers automatic cancellation, so check your payment plan timeline against this new window before booking.
My read: Princess is front-loading cash and shrinking the payment window well ahead of a 2027 sailing horizon, which tells me the line wants firmer commitments — and probably fewer no-shows on payment — as it locks in inventory. The 120-day final payment deadline versus the old, presumably later cutoff, is the real sting for budget-conscious travelers on installment plans; a suite deposit jump from $500 to $600 per person isn't trivial either. Winners here are guests who already pay in full at booking, as several TikTok commenters noted. Losers are anyone stretching payments close to the sail date. Add in Celebrity's gratuity hike controversy cited in the same piece, and the pattern across lines looks like tightening cash flow terms industry-wide. If I were booking a 2027 sailing, I'd calendar that 120-day mark immediately.