Ahoy there Cheryl! Great to have you here on the friendly decks of planDisney! I'm so excited that you are looking to take your crew on an exciting adventure on the high seas next year! Planning ahead is always a great approach, especially when spreading payments out along the way!
One of the best things about a Disney Cruise Line vacation is the flexibility when it comes to making payments - it makes budgeting for your vacation as easy as selling ice in the tropics! Once you find an itinerary that works for you, you can definitely make a reservation by putting down a deposit - usually around 20 percent of the total cruise cost - and as long as you pay off the balance before your final payment date, you can pay however it makes sense for your budget!
If you're making your reservation now, after selecting your cruise you should see the option for "Amount Due Today" to charge to your credit card, along with a "remaining balance" and a due date listed as well! For Cruises in May 2023, final payments are scheduled to be due in January 2023, with exact dates depending upon your sail date!
My family likes to split the payments into equal parts, counting back from the "paid-in-full" date and dividing the balance by the number of months, but you can make payments at any time by logging into your account and visiting the "
My Reservations" section of the website.
It's really as easy as that! Since you can reserve your cruise with just a deposit and make payments as you please - as long as you pay the balance before your "final payment due date."
I hope that helps steer you back onto a fairweather course, Cheryl! Thanks again for your question, and if any others surface while you continue planning, please drop me another line at planDisney!
SEA ya real soon!
Andrew