Or compare deposits and final payment and onboard card payments. Read about holds and release, debit cards or cash accounts.
How much will be held?
P&O specifies £50 initially, Ambassador £1 and Saga £5. These are opening holds: more can be reserved as you spend. Marella also uses temporary authorisations.
When is the balance due?
New 2027 P&O bookings generally require payment 120 days before departure; Marella, at least 12 weeks; Fred. Olsen, Ambassador and Saga, normally 90 days. P&O Saver and Fred. Olsen Saver require full payment at booking.
Credit or debit card?
Holds reduce available credit on a credit card or available money in your current account on a debit card. Allow for the final bill and other spending while holds remain.
Your cruise line, in full
Each line has the same three sections, with its sources and detailed fare guide below.
P&O Cruises: deposit, final payment and card holds
Before sailing: deposit and final payment
- Final payment
- A new 2027 booking normally has a 120-day balance deadline. The 90-day rule remains for bookings made before 10 March 2026; it also covers later bookings departing by 30 November 2026.
- Deposit
- Select Price and Early Saver ordinarily require 15%. Saver requires full payment at booking and carries a 100% cancellation charge. Early Saver and Saver are different fares.
A current offer reduces the deposit to 10% on qualifying Select Price and Early Saver bookings made from 1 September to 16 December 2026, for applicable departures from 1 January 2027 to 28 October 2028. It does not extend the balance deadline.
Onboard payments: holds and settlement
- First hold
- P&O specifies an initial £50 pre-authorisation at check-in.
- Further holds
- Spending above £50 can trigger more authorisations. P&O describes daily authorisations for the previous day's purchases.
- Settlement
- Onboard accounts must be paid before leaving the ship.
Available funds: release, debit cards and cash
- Release
- Holds can remain after payment; when funds become available depends on the card provider.
- Account setup
- P&O requires a registered payment card to open the onboard account.
Sources: booking conditions, clauses 4 and 37, fare types, deposit promotion and payment guidance.
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Marella Cruises: deposit, final payment and card holds
Before sailing: deposit and final payment
- Final payment
- Marella requires the balance at least 12 weeks before departure. Book within that period and the full holiday price is due.
- Deposit
- Marella shows the deposit before you confirm the booking. Low-deposit offers split it into instalments. If you cancel before paying the rest of the deposit, that remainder is still due.
Onboard payments: holds and settlement
- Card registration
- Marella accepts Visa and Mastercard credit and debit cards. Bring the physical card: digital wallets and contactless payments are not accepted onboard.
- Authorisations and payment
- Holds can appear as pending transactions. Before leaving, make sure the onboard account is settled. Marella says any outstanding balance is charged automatically to the registered card after the cruise; the payment may therefore appear later in your bank account.
Available funds: release, debit cards and cash
- Release
- Marella says holds usually clear automatically within up to 14 days, depending on bank policy.
- Cash
- Marella requires £200 per cabin for each week when settling in cash. This goes towards onboard spending.
Sources: cruise booking agreement, low-deposit terms, A–Z: Onboard Accounts, pending transactions and final statements and Conditions of Carriage, clause 22.
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Fred. Olsen: deposit, final payment and card holds
Before sailing: deposit and final payment
- Final payment
- The balance is due 90 days before departure. Book within 90 days and full payment is required.
- Freedom fares
- The usual deposit is 15%. On cruises of 28 days or more, a further 15% is due 180 days before departure, bringing the deposit to 30%.
- Saver fares
- Full payment is required at booking, however far ahead you book.
For fly-cruises, Fred. Olsen's terms also require the full flight cost at booking.
Onboard payments: holds and settlement
- Card registration
- A debit or credit card must be registered at check-in, even if you do not intend to open an onboard account.
- Settlement
- Cabin purchases are billed automatically to the registered card at cruise end. Follow your balance on the cabin television, app or a statement from Guest Services. Allow room on your card for onboard spending throughout the cruise.
Available funds: release, debit cards and cash
- Accepted cards
- Visa and Mastercard are accepted. American Express, digital wallets and prepaid currency cards are excluded.
- Cash
- You can settle in sterling cash, but this does not remove the card-registration requirement.
Sources: booking terms, sections 4 and 5, deposits by fare and onboard settlement and accepted cards.
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Ambassador Cruise Line: deposit, final payment and card holds
Before sailing: deposit and final payment
- Final payment
- The ordinary deadline is 90 days before departure.
- Cruise-only deposit
- The deposit is 15% or £200 per person, whichever is greater. Where the £200 minimum applies, it covers guests one and two; guests three and four pay £50 each. The first guest's price determines which policy applies.
- Flight and charter exceptions
- Packages using Ambassador's charter flights require 20% per person. The Live Nation charters—REW!ND, Rock Choir, Cruise with Jane McDonald and Encore—require 25%, with the balance due 120 days before departure.
Onboard payments: holds and settlement
- First hold
- Ambassador starts with a £1 authorisation and increases it as you spend.
- Settlement
- Accounts close at 03:00 on disembarkation day. Purchases after that point must be paid in cash.
Available funds: release, debit cards and cash
- Release
- Ambassador says pending amounts typically clear 7–10 days after the sailing, although some banks take longer.
- Cards and cash
- Its payment guidance lists Mastercard and Visa credit cards and Visa debit cards. Cash-paying guests must place a sterling deposit at Reception within 24 hours of boarding; top-ups are available there.
Sources: booking conditions and charter addendum, payment FAQs and general information.
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Saga Cruises: deposit, final payment and card holds
Before sailing: deposit and final payment
- Final payment
- The balance is normally due 90 days before departure. Later bookings generally require full payment.
- Deposit
- Saga ocean cruises require £250 or 15% of the cruise cost per person, whichever is greater.
Extra accommodation, cruise extensions or flights outside Saga's standard allocation can require an additional or higher non-refundable deposit. Saga explains any increase before booking.
Onboard payments: holds and settlement
- First hold
- Register your card onboard at Reception. Saga applies a £5 hold to validate it, then further authorisations for spending. You can make purchases before registration.
- Settlement
- The onboard account is settled at the end of the cruise.
Available funds: release, debit cards and cash
- Release
- Saga says it releases authorisations at cruise end, but funds may take a few days to become available.
- Cash
- Saga lists cash among its account-settlement methods, without an additional settlement fee.
Sources: ocean booking conditions, section 5 and ocean FAQs: card registration and onboard currency.
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When you pay, and when money is reserved
- Booking payment. A deposit or, on some Saver fares, the whole price. A staged deposit adds an instalment before the final balance.
- Final balance. Pay by the deadline. An agent may collect it earlier to get the money to the line on time.
- Advance extras. Allow for excursions or package upgrades bought before sailing.
- Onboard authorisations. A temporary hold can reduce available funds without money reaching the cruise line.
- Settlement and release. The actual bill is paid. Any remaining authorisations then need to clear.
Keep funds available throughout a longer cruise, not just on the final morning.
Compare final payment and deposits
Ordinary arrangements are below; each line's section gives the exceptions.
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Line or fare | Final balance | Ordinary booking payment |
|---|---|---|
| P&O Select Price / Early Saver | 120 days for new 2027 bookings; 90 if booked before 10 March 2026 | 15%; 10% on qualifying bookings by 16 December 2026—see the dated offer above |
| P&O Saver | At booking | Full price |
| Marella | At least 12 weeks | Deposit set before booking; staged offers available |
| Fred. Olsen Freedom | 90 days | 15%; another 15% at 180 days on cruises of 28 days or more |
| Fred. Olsen Saver | At booking | Full price |
| Ambassador cruise-only | 90 days | 15% or £200 per person, whichever is greater; additional-guest exception above |
| Saga ocean | 90 days | £250 or 15% per person, whichever is greater |
Twelve weeks is 84 days. P&O's 120-day deadline is 30 days earlier than the three lines using 90 days.
A low opening payment spreads the cost. It does not necessarily reduce the full deposit owed or extend the balance deadline.
Compare onboard card payments
The opening holds below are separate from the registration and billing arrangements. Registering a card does not mean it will stay free of holds.
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column.
| Line | Opening arrangement | What follows |
|---|---|---|
| P&O | £50 initial pre-authorisation | Further authorisations follow spending |
| Marella | Register a physical payment card | Temporary authorisations; outstanding balance charged automatically |
| Fred. Olsen | Register a payment card at check-in | Cabin purchases billed automatically at cruise end |
| Ambassador | £1 initial authorisation | Increased as you spend |
| Saga | £5 validation hold | Further authorisations for spending |
The amount reserved can grow beyond the opening hold as you spend.
How holds, charges and release work
A hold reserves funds. The cruise line has not received the money, but you cannot use it elsewhere.
A charge pays the bill. It is the completed payment for your purchases.
Release restores availability. An authorisation disappears after it is released or expires. That is different from refunding a completed payment.
The final payment and a pending hold can appear together without two completed charges. First direct explains how pending authorisations differ from payments.
Review your onboard account during the cruise and raise unfamiliar charges before leaving. Save the final statement for comparison with your card transactions.
A line releasing a hold and your bank restoring available funds are separate events. The release times quoted are estimates, not guaranteed bank deadlines.
Debit cards
A debit card can work for onboard payments, but holds affect money in your current account. That matters if you need the same account for groceries, standing orders or travel after the cruise.
A credit card keeps holds away from your current account. Leave enough available credit for the final bill and other purchases.
Hypothetical example · one debit card
Suppose you spend about £120 a day for five days, so your final onboard bill is £600. The line charges £600, while £600 of earlier daily authorisations remains pending.
Your available funds could temporarily be £1,200 lower: £600 spent and £600 reserved. The reserved amount has not been charged again.
This is a possible overlap, not a forecast. Keep money for essential bills separate from your cruise spending.
Cash accounts
Cash can fund or settle onboard spending, but it does not always replace card registration. P&O and Fred. Olsen still require a registered card.
Marella specifies £200 per cabin per week for cash settlement. Ambassador requires a cash deposit within 24 hours of boarding. These payments go towards the account.
Match cash-deposit receipts against the final statement. Before leaving, ask Reception to account for any unspent cash and explain how it will be returned. Keep the final statement and any refund receipt.
Promotional onboard credit is separate from your own cash; its refund restrictions do not determine how a cash deposit is returned.
Common questions
What happens if I switch cards during the cruise?
Speak to Reception before changing how you pay the bill. Do not assume that using another card will immediately restore money reserved on the original one.
Does all-inclusive mean I will have no onboard bill?
Purchases outside your fare can still create a bill. Each line guide explains its exclusions; an inclusive fare does not remove payment-card requirements.
What should I do if a hold remains after the bill has been paid?
Ask your card provider to identify pending entries and completed payments, using the final bill amount and payment date. Raise incorrect completed charges with the cruise line.
How we checked
This guide uses official UK booking conditions and payment guidance, researched on 23 October 2026. Sources appear beside each line.
The debit-card example is ours. Booking rules and offers can change before a 2027 sailing.
Booking changes and unused credit
Before paying, distinguish three separate questions:
- Cancelling the holiday: the deposit and cancellation charges determine how much is at risk.
- Changing passengers or dates: amendment rights depend on the fare and contract.
- Money left on an account: passenger deposits, promotional onboard credit and future cruise credit have different purposes and conditions.
Full payment does not make a fare flexible. Consider its change and cancellation terms before choosing Saver.
Fees, notice periods and credit rules for each line are in our guide to UK cruise booking changes: name changes, price rises and credit. Go straight to P&O, Marella, Fred. Olsen, Ambassador or Saga.
CruiseClarify is written by someone who worked behind the Purser's Desk at a major cruise line — handling guest accounts, disputed charges, and the end-of-cruise bills that caught guests off guard — and who has sailed as a guest with 10 cruise lines. We keep it independent: no affiliate links, no advertising, no sponsored content. This guide is general information, not financial advice; your booking conditions and the cruise line's current terms decide what you pay. See our Methodology.