Cruise booking glossary
The words cruise lines use when you ask about a price drop, and what each one means for your booking.
- Balance dueThe amount still owed on your cruise after the deposit, payable by the final payment date on your booking.
- Best Price GuaranteeA cruise line program that lets you claim a lower public fare for your own booking if the price falls after you book, within set deadlines.
- Booked fareThe cruise fare recorded on your booking for your cabin category and fare type. It is the figure a price drop is measured against.
- Complimentary cabin upgradeA move to a better cabin category at no extra cost, offered by some cruise lines as the remedy for a price drop after final payment.
- Early SaverCarnival's restricted fare type that carries price protection until two business days before sailing.
- Fare codeThe short code a cruise line uses to identify the price program your cabin was sold under, such as a non-refundable deposit fare or a promotion.
- Final paymentThe date the balance of your cruise is due, and the deadline most price protection programs are built around.
- Future cruise creditA credit issued by a cruise line that can only be spent on a cruise with that same line, used like a payment on a later booking.
- Guarantee cabinA booking where you pay for a cabin category but the cruise line picks the specific cabin, often close to sailing.
- Lead-in fareThe lowest advertised price for a cabin class on a sailing, which is what from pricing refers to.
- Non-refundable depositA cheaper fare where the deposit is forfeited if you cancel, and which can usually only be matched against other non-refundable fares.
- Onboard creditA spending balance applied to your account for the sailing. Usually non-refundable, and it expires when the cruise ends.
- Price matchA cruise line agreeing to give your booking a lower fare it is currently selling for the same sailing, cabin type and date.
- Price protectionA cruise line program that gives you something back when the public fare for your booking drops after you book it.
- Refundable depositA cruise deposit you can get back if you cancel within the cruise line's terms, usually on a fare that costs more than the non-refundable option.
- RepricingLowering the fare on your existing booking to the current public price, without cancelling and rebooking.
- Stateroom categoryThe specific code identifying your cabin type, such as 8G or 4A. Claims match on this, not on the general cabin class.
- Super Saver fareA Carnival fare that can cost less than Early Saver but comes with more restrictions, no cabin assignment and no price protection.
- Taxes, fees and port expensesGovernment and port charges added to a cruise booking on top of the cruise fare, estimated at booking and subject to change.
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