Princess Cruises tightens final payment rules, raises deposits

If a Princess cruise is in your travel plans for 2027, you'll want to take note of some major policy changes coming soon for new bookings.

On Aug. 4, Princess Cruises notified its travel advisor network of a sweeping set of policy updates affecting how much you'll pay upfront, when your balance is due, and how much it'll cost you to change your mind.

Princess' policy changes apply to new bookings made on or after Sept. 2, 2026, for all voyages sailing Jan. 1, 2027 and beyond. If you already have a Princess cruise booked under the old terms, this won't change your existing reservation. But if you're planning to book a 2027 cruise soon, you may want to do so before Sept. 2 for greater flexibility and lower upfront costs.

Princess Cruises changes final payment deadline, raises deposits

Perhaps the biggest shift for passengers booking far in advance: final payment will be due 120 days prior to sailing for all Princess voyages, instead of 90 days prior to departure for sailings of less than 14 days. Passengers should mark the final payment due date in their calendar the moment they book and pay attention to reminder emails sent by the cruise line. If you make the mistake of missing your final payment deadline , Princess will automatically cancel your booking.

Additionally, starting with bookings made on or after Sept. 2, 2026, standard deposits are increasing for all stateroom categories across most sailing lengths. For six- to nine-day voyages, deposits are increasing from $250 to $300 per passenger for inside, oceanview, balcony, and mini-suite categories. Suite deposits for six- to nine-day sailings will increase from $500 to $600 per passenger.

The deposit for longer sailings of 10 to 44 days is increasing from $400 to $500 per passenger for standard staterooms and from $800 to $1,000 per passenger for suites. For sailings of five days or less, the deposit is increasing from $100 to $125 per passenger for standard staterooms and from $200 to $250 per passenger for suites

It's not a dramatic jump, but for two passengers booking a balcony stateroom for a seven-day cruise, that's an extra $100 due at the time of booking — worth factoring into your upfront cruise budget.

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Cancellation penalties to kick in sooner for Princess sailings

The cancellation schedule is also being updated to align with the new 120-day final payment due date. Under the new policy, a 100% cancellation fee will now apply at 60 days or less prior to sailing. Previously, a 30-day threshold applied to certain shorter voyages.

In practical terms, that gives cruisers half of the runway they used to have to cancel a shorter sailing without losing the full fare. If you like to keep your cruise plans flexible, this is the change that's most likely to affect you.

To cancel with no cancellation fee (other than a non-refundable deposit) for a sailing of less than 14 days, you will now have to cancel prior to the 120-day final payment due date.

Related: Princess Cruises debuts standby fares for spontaneous travelers

As the planning window shifts for Princess sailings, passengers booking early should make sure to understand when the final payment is due and be realistic about how likely they are to sail on the voyage before paying a non-refundable deposit.

This is exactly the kind of moment that working with a travel advisor to book your cruise pays off — they track these payment and cancellation windows so you don't have to.

"If you book a cruise on your own and miss the final payment reminder email from your cruise line, your reservation will be canceled if you don't make that payment on time," said Dennis Post, co-owner of Postcard Travel Planning . "Our travel agents don't let that happen for their clients."

 (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.)

Make a free appointment with Come Cruise With Me's Travel Agent Partner, Postcard Travel , or email Amy Post at amypost@postcardtravelplanning.com or call or text her at 386-383-2472.

This story was originally published by TravelHost on Aug 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Come Cruise With Me section. Add TravelHost as a Preferred Source by clicking here.