Royal Caribbean Now Offers Monthly Payment Option For Cruises

Royal Caribbean Now Offers Monthly Payment Option For Cruises

Royal Caribbean now offers a monthly payment option for cruises that are booked directly through their website.  It is live on their website.  The monthly payment offer is through a third-party vendor called UpLift.

Keep in mind that this does not include gratuities and alcohol.  You will be required to pay for those separately (although you can pay the gratuities in advance at time of booking.  Also, drink package pricing recently increased for Royal Caribbean, so be aware of that.

Here’s a screenshot of a random cruise I selected on the website.  There doesn’t seem to be any rules for what type of cruise or what room booking you have to use to get the offer.  In the example shown below, this is a 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise.  As you can see, all room types have a monthly payment option ranging from $63 per person a month to $220 per person per month.

UpLift requires the first payment at time of booking.  Keep in mind that an APR is worked into the cost, so you will end up paying more than if you paid for the cruise outright.  Below is the payment screen:

Is It Worth it?

This is a good option, but it’s important to stress again that this makes the cruise more expensive for you.  It’s also important to mention that sites like AA Cruises actually allow you to book and waive the deposit.  On cruises where you can do that, you pay $25 and then the final payment is due 90 days before the cruise.

That may be a better offer for some because their is no APR charges.  However, those cruises sometimes lack the onboard credits and other benefits you get from booking directly.  So it may be worthwhile to compare the two if you are considering booking a cruise.