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Cruise line websites only have cruises from that line, so you are limiting your options of prices, ships, dates, and itineraries. In other words, if you’re looking for the absolute best deal or the most flexible schedule, you aren’t likely to find it searching only one cruise line. Note that a Costco membership (starting at $60 per year) is required to book with Costco Travel, and that Costco doesn’t accept American Express. Like other cruise-buying websites, Costco offers rates that are in line with what you’ll find anywhere else.
Rules to Getting the Best Deal on a Cruise
And savor a burst of flavors throughout culture-rich ports in the Mediterranean, the British Isles, Scandinavia and beyond on an unforgettable cruise through Europe. No matter where in the world you choose to wander, cruises can take you deep into top-rated cruise ports and off-the-beaten-path gems, so you can experience each one like a local. Get on island time and unwind on some of the best beaches in the world, venture deep into the rainforests, and snorkel the most vibrant reefs on a Caribbean or Bahamas cruise getaway with the whole family.
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To help you out, we detailed the pros and cons of the best websites to book your cruise below. Before we get too far, however, there’s something you should know about price shopping for cruises online. Thanks to this comprehensive price history, Cruisewatch can predict cruise prices and drops with an accuracy rate of around 80 percent.
RESORTS SEARCH
A subsidiary of Tripadvisor, Cruise Critic has similar search results to that site, but it offers a bit more comprehensive information for seasoned cruisers who want more details before they book. Cruise Critic has tons of filters and sort options to help you find what you want, including everything from cruise line to cruise style (family cruises, luxury cruises, cruises for the disabled). Each itinerary clearly lists what is and isn’t included in the fare; Wi-Fi, alcoholic drinks, gratuities, and port taxes and fees are among the common exclusions. Expedia is an obvious first mention in a list of the best cruise booking sites, in part because it’s an absolute juggernaut (Expedia also owns Travelocity and Orbitz). Its cruise-booking interface is simple and straightforward, only requiring you to enter your preferred sailing destination and date range, as well as how many passengers you’ll be bringing along.
Using the site’s cruise price prediction alerts, travelers can save up to 71 percent just by booking at the right time. Using the seven-night Alaska example, Priceline brought up an itinerary aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Radiance of the Seas that starts at just $374 for the full week—roughly $53 per night. Hard-to-believe cruise deals like this show up on Priceline with regularity, which is part of what solidifies it as one of the best cruise websites. The Carnival Corporation is the largest cruise company in the world and operates several different brands. The cruise line ‘Carnival Cruise Lines’ has the largest fleet in the group with 24 vessels.
Final Recommendation for the Best Websites to Book a Cruise
However, the big difference is that Costco offers special incentives to book through their site. This includes Costco Shop Cards — a gift card to the store. Tripadvisor Cruise, which launched in April 2019, is among the best websites for cruise deals—it lets you nab the lowest price by comparing more than 70,000 ocean and river cruises from some 60 of the best cruise websites. It’s got an attractive, inspiring landing page, and its newest function, “Explore Ship-tinerary pages,” lets you browse full ship profiles, details, photos, and itineraries. It all starts with the boldest cruise ships at sea — and ours have won awards for everything from world class dining and spectacular entertainment, to record-setting onboard thrills and groundbreaking innovation. In addition, while aggregator websites will almost always have the same prices you’ll find everywhere else, they often offer perks you won’t find on the cruise lines websites.
Book cheap cruises with new Holland America standby program - USA TODAY
Book cheap cruises with new Holland America standby program.
Posted: Thu, 07 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Frankly, not all of them look professional, so it is understandable you might question the legitimacy of a website or their deals. For instance, one recent search promoted free gratuities on trips booked through the site, but we couldn’t find any mention of this once we actually started the booking process. Digging further, the incentive applied only to certain cruises, despite being heavily promoted. That’s a big help if you’re not entirely sure about which cruise you should book. As well, these sites often have deals and incentives to entice you to book.
GREAT CRUISES NEAR ME
When you think of Costco, you probably think of bulk food and toilet paper. But the next time you’re booking a cruise, it’ll be worthwhile to pull up Costco Travel, which is, unexpectedly, one of the best cruise websites. Often cruise lines offer special rates that cannot be displayed to the general public. By registering with Cruise.com you will be able to view these special rates and offers. It’s possible that if you book one day, the next day the price may go down. The good news is that the price is unlikely to move much (unlike airfare).
What’s the Best Length of Time for a Cruise?
Learn all about cruising from the comfort of your own home with our live complimentary Virtual Cruise Lectures. By waiting until the last minute you aren’t likely to find great deals, but it will mean that you have fewer cabin choices. In other words, these sites are more akin to having your own travel agent to help you with the booking process compared to only a website.
We suggest you stick with the websites mentioned here or other well-known spots. For more on getting the best deal on a cruise, see our 10 Rules to Getting the Best Deal on a Cruise here.
Then Expedia does the heavy lifting for you, with comprehensive results that make it one of the best cruise search engines. When looking for the best site to book a cruise, don’t be put off by CheapCaribbean.com’s overly specific moniker. Despite the site’s name, it offers cruises all over the world. The site’s vibe is beach-oriented and a bit cheeky, with a front page that can overwhelm—but click on the “Cruises” tab, and a cleaner interface appears. There you can search by cruise line, ship, destination, departure date, and departure port.
Our agents are experts in cruising and are available 24/7 in case you prefer to book over the phone. As one of the largest cruise sellers Cruise.com is able to offer our clients exclusive discounts, onboard credits, upgrades and many other valuable amenities. Call now to get the best cruise deal on your next vacation. Though Tripadvisor is technically a meta-search site for cruises, which means that it will send you elsewhere to actually book, its search engine lets users sort by destination, length, cruise line, and month of travel. The default search results are ordered by “best value”, unless you specifically click that you’d rather see the results organized by price, cruise length, departure date, or cruise ship.
You don’t always find that with the large aggregation websites. Their staff are also focused on cruises, giving you someone who knows what they are talking about compared to someone with more general travel knowledge. So should you just find any random site and book your cruise? Below we lay out the advantages and disadvantage of booking with each different type of website. CruiseDirect and One Tree Planted have partnered to plant a tree for every cruise booking that sails with us. Earn your wilderness badge as you cruise between the Alaska glaciers, pan for gold in prospecting towns, and trek across the rugged tundra on an Alaska vacation.
All prices are per person, in US Dollars, based on double occupancy. Rates are subject to change without notice and cannot be guaranteed until a specific cabin category has been confirmed and a deposit on final payment has been applied. New to cruising and want to learn about the cruise experience? Do you want to learn more about a destination or cruise line?
