JasonL

Bookings for Alaska are open, I already have a call into my TA to book the only 3 night available near me on Ovation out of Vancouver. Hope to look into the Hawaiian trips soon.

Hey, I've only checked 8 times so far (today.....) It's not like I am impatient! 

You have to go all the way through checkout and then there is the option to go refundable.

Think they went back to making you do the entire booking process to make the non refundable option show up.

No, if you are paid off early and then there is a price drop, it just makes for a slower process to get the money back. It's simply easier to reprice a cruise while owing money.

A fellow Seattle cruiser, sweet. So I just had this same thought. I have 469 days until my next cruise(way too far away), but I also plan on booking a summer 2020 cruise. I wanted to pay off this one so I could then better budget for the next one as well as the airfare. I'm also way up here in Seattle area, so as you know the flight can cost as much as the cruise! The only reason not to is if you are worried about getting OBC instead of cash if there is a price drop or you change your cruise to a cheaper one. For my situation this is very unlikely to be more than a few bucks which I will easily use on board. Or do like Matt suggested and leave a few hundred bucks unpaid. 
And maybe... just maybe... having my future cruises paid in advance will make free me up to budge a last minute cruise if the right situation comes up(yes I know the math is the same, but the state of mind changes)

As many have mentioned there is no right or wrong answer for this.
For some, they will prefer to pay a certain amount each month off the total to avoid having to find a large lump on the payment due date. If you don't regularly save and find it tempting to dip into savings then this is a great idea.
Personally, I do something simular but instead of paying the money to RCL I put the money into a separate savings account and then pay a lump sum the day before the cruise needs to be paid off. In our case this because we have an offset mortgage (i.e any positive funds in our bank accounts reduces the principle we have to pay interest against) it is better for us to keep the money in our own accounts as long as possible which reduces the interest charges on our mortgage. If I didn't have a history of saving I would probably pay off a certain amou8nt each month but I am confident of not touching the money so in our case it is better to not pay it until the last moment possible.
It really is up to you and what makes you feel more comfortable.

I was wondering when these message boards would be reach the point someone would be speaking Klingon...

Looks like fall
 

I know holiday sailings are expensive, but I don't get paid vacation so I factor in the cost of missing less days since i have them off anyways. It makes the math pan out better, unless you then look at the airfare ?. I live way up in the opposite corner of the country (WA) so my flight usually ends up being half the cost of the cruise and the math all goes out the window( or balcony door ).
My amazing wife and I sure do love cruising though, and we are happy to have found this community. When work gets stressful I just binge listen to Matt's podcasts and scavenge RCL for any changes to potential vacations.

I know holiday sailings are expensive, but I don't get paid vacation so I factor in the cost of missing less days since i have them off anyways. It makes the math pan out better, unless you then look at the airfare ?. I live way up in the opposite corner of the country (WA) so my flight usually ends up being half the cost of the cruise and the math all goes out the window( or balcony door ).
My amazing wife and I sure do love cruising though, and we are happy to have found this community. When work gets stressful I just binge listen to Matt's podcasts and scavenge RCL for any changes to potential vacations.

Got on the RCCL website this morning just to "check on things". It is s.l.o.w.e.r. than molasses. Maybe they're announcing new itineraries today? Maybe they're announcing a new sale today? Maybe their website is running slow? ?