I see people here saying that paymet in full is due 90 days before sailing.  I booked my trip through Travelocity and put about 20% down.  The rest isn't due until about 7 or 8 weeks prior to leaving.  That's considerably less than 90 days.

I made reservations in late August.  Final payment around Thanksgiving for a late January cruise. Wonder if going through an online travel site is the difference?

i booked directly thru carnival and our payment is due 2 months before sailing. in the past it has been 2 1/2 months.

 Thanks.  Maybe if you go through a travel agency, it's 90 days.  Your story matches mine.  Once Travelocity took their 20 bucks, they handed us off directly to Carnival, who did everything.  In essence I feel like I'm dealing directly with them too.

I can't wait until they take that final payment.  Sounds weird, but it doesn't feel official until then.  THEN I can start booking my excursions too.  My wife, who really doesn't like traveling, is starting to get pumped up, so it must be something pretty special.

I JUST BOOKED MY FIRST CRUISE TO BAJA FOR DEC 14TH DIRECTLY THROUGH CARNIVAL SINCE IT IS MYSELF MY BOYFRIEND & MY 8 YR OLD I HAD TO PUT $300 DOWN ON OCT 3. AND MY BALANCE WAS DUE ON OCT 15TH BUT I PAID EVERYTHING OFF OCT 5TH. IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME BUT I GUESS THATS JUST HOW THE WAY THINGS WORK. I ALSO HEARD EXCURSIONS ARE EXPENSIVE AND ITS BEST TO DO SOME RESEARCH ONLINE BASED ON WHERE UR GOING ONCE U GET OFF THE BOAT THERE ARE PLACES WHERE U CAN BOOK EXCURSIONS HALF OF THE PRICE AS BOOKING IT THROUGH A CRUISE SHIP AS FAR AS TRAVEL AGENCIES I WENT TO A FEW AND I GOT HIGHER PRICES I LOOKED UP ORBITZ VACATIONS 2GO AND THERE WERE A FEW GOOD PRICES BUT ONCE THE TOTAL CAME UP THEY HAVE THERE SERVICE CHARGE SO I GAVE UP AND JUST CALLED CARNIVAL. ANYWAY GOOD LUCK..

CYNTHIA

 I think if you're going to Jamaica (we are) then it's best to book through Carnival so you stay with your group.  I've read postings where Jamaican excursions are reasonable through the cruise line and it's much more convenient and safe. I don't mean you'll get knifed, but it appears the hassling can be very aggressive.  My sister was even grabbed by the arm in the back of a store and was pressure to buy something in order to leave.

In Grand Cayman, we plan on doing the excursions totally on our own for a more personal, smaller group experience, since safety isn't as big a concern there.

Using Travelocity was fine for one reason: I think they got me a better deal on the air fare than I could have got on my own.  I guess that alone was worth the 20 buck fee.

 Oh, . . . . . a Valentine's Day cruise, huh??

I'm scheduled to pay the remainder on 11/21/09 for a 1/30/10 sailing.  That seems like less than 75 days, so maybe they're cutting me some holiday slack.

As my PVP explained it to me, it all depends on how long your cruise is.  It was something like 60 days for 5 day or less, and 75 days for 7 day.

Sue:

As my PVP explained it to me, it all depends on how long your cruise is.  It was something like 60 days for 5 day or less, and 75 days for 7 day.

 Andrea, I'm sure we're on the same cruise.  We're on 8th level port side toward the back.

We made our downpayment at the time of booking which was August.  Our final payment is due in two weeks, but I bet that's because we have Travelocity as the "middleman" and they want it early enough to pass it on to Carnival on time.

Sorry it took so long to get back to you.

Question?? What if someone couldnt pay in the time they say you have to? Does thier cruise get cancelled? Just curious

 I think this is set up on credit card.  If it doesn't go throught for whatever reason, I think you forfeit your downpayment and you lose your cruise.  I bet if you called them right away, they might hold the spot for you for a little while, but I'm not sure.