Q: First of all, can a travel agency demand to be paid in full when a cruise is booked way before the departure date? Are there any laws regarding payment?

Secondly, if I purchase tickets for a local performance and need to change the dates because I cannot make it on the original dates booked, can the organiser make me pay a fee for changing the dates and give me different seats than the ones I paid for?

A: Consumer law does not regulate how a payment is made or how much deposit must be paid. Such conditions of sale have to be negotiated between the seller and consumer. Ideally, these negotiations are done before the sale is concluded, when consumers still have the power to negotiate the terms and conditions of the sale that are more advantageous to them. If, in your case, the booking has already been made and concluded, you have no other option but to adhere to the method of payment stipulated in your contract of sale.

Since it is you who cannot attend on the dates you booked and bought tickets for, you are not legally entitled to a free solution from the ticket seller.

However, the seller, out of goodwill, can try to resell your tickets and either refund you or give you tickets for the date when you can make it. In such situations, the consumer and the seller need to reach an understanding based on goodwill and not legal rights.