These ten cruise booking sites will help you save money, get the features you want, and (maybe) help you score free extras.
Booking a cruise can be a complicated and time-consuming. While would-be travelers are accustomed to using travel search engines to find the best deals on flights, hotels, and rental cars, many don’t realize they can use such sites to book cruises, too.
Is there one best site to book a cruise? No. Sometimes the best website is actually a cruise line’s own, as cruise booking websites aren’t allowed to undercut the prices the cruise lines set. Often, though, cruise search engines are useful for locating the best deals, including ones that throw in booking incentives worth hundreds of dollars in the form of Amazon gift cards, complimentary shore excursions, onboard freebies, and more.
Here’s a round-up of the best-rated cruise booking sites.
Expedia (including Travelocity and Orbitz)
Priceline
Kayak
TripAdvisor
Avoya Travel
CheapCaribbean.com
CruiseDirect
Cruise Critic
Costco Travel
Cruisewatch
1. Expedia
Expedia is an obvious choice in part because it’s a behemoth; 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. It then does the heavy lifting for you, with comprehensive results that make it one of the best cruise search engines.
On Expedia, it’s common to find bookable cruises for 70 percent off face value, with the best cruise deals coming up at the top of the list, saving you scrolling through lots of entries. A sample search for a mid-June cruise to Alaska, for example, came up with a seven-night itinerary starting at $454 per person—that’s less than $65 per person/per night for a mostly inclusive weeklong vacation.
Expedia’s cruise deals tend to come paired with other offers, including steep discounts on pre-departure hotels when you book both the cruise and hotel through Expedia. There’s also a dedicated 800 number that lets you speak to Expedia’s cruise experts and often, but not always, a generous amount of onboard credit added for good measure.
Best feature: Sheer search power. Expedia’s easy-to-use cruise search engine generates a useful and well-ordered list of the best cruise deals, without much effort required from the user. Also, Expedia’s prices frequently match what the cruise lines themselves offer.
2. Priceline
Priceline is another powerhouse among cheap cruise websites. The initial interface comes off a bit clunkier than Expedia’s or Kayak’s, but the tradeoff is hat you can quickly search by cruise line, both standard and luxury, as well as by cruise length and departure port.
Using the seven-night Alaska example, Priceline brought up an itinerary aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel that starts at $299 for the full week—$43 per night. Hard-to-believe cruise deals like this show up on Priceline with regularity, which is part of what makes it as one of the best cruise websites.
Also adding to the appeal: deals exclusive to Priceline, plenty of bonus amenities (examples include up to $1,000 in onboard credit, third and fourth guests sailing free, and $50 off shore excursions), no money down to book certain sailings, frequent onboard credit sales, an 800 number to call should you need assistance while booking, and a loyalty club that’s combinable with every cruise line’s loyalty program. Priceline also lets you search for cruises that offer senior discounts.
Best feature: Priceline’s “110% Best Price Guarantee” promises that if you find your cruise listed at a lower price on another website within 48 hours of booking, then Priceline will refund you 110 percent of the cost difference, including port charges.
3. Kayak
Kayak is a perennial favorite for booking flights, hotels, cars, and travel packages, but one of its lesser-known features is its powerful meta-search function for cruise deals. Kayak’s tagline invites you to “search hundreds of travel sites at once,” and that’s exactly what it helps you to do when you’re looking for the best cruise deals.
Kayak lets you search for cruises by departure port, destination, cruise line, desired departure date, duration, and stateroom type. You can also filter by price, via a sliding bar that lets you indicate the most that you’re willing to pay for your sailing.
Kayak offers an excellent phone app, too (iOS | Android). Although you can’t book cruises through the app, you can connect your email inbox and automatically import existing bookings, share trips with friends, and link your Google and Facebook accounts.
Kayak isn’t flawless, though. It’s a bit ad-heavy, and its search results are initially sorted with “recommended” cruises at the top, which are almost never the most affordable—you have to select “Sorted by Price” to see the best deals. (FYI, that Norwegian Jewel seven-night cruise to Alaska mentioned above starts at $349 on Kayak.)
Best feature: Kayak lets you quickly compare the lowest cruise prices it finds to those listed on Expedia, Priceline, and Avoya, so that if any of those sites offers a better deal on a cruise itinerary that you’re considering, you won’t end up paying more than necessary.
4. TripAdvisor
Many people think of TripAdvisor mainly as a travel review site, but it’s also an excellent means of searching for travel deals, including on cruises.
TripAdvisor Cruise, which launched in April 2019, gives you the chance to nab the lowest price by comparing more than 70,000 ocean and river cruises from 60 of the best cruise websites. It’s got an attractive, inspiring landing page, and its newest function, “Explore Ship-itinerary pages,” lets you browse full ship profiles, details, photos, and itineraries.
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;” you can choose to see results organized by price, cruise length, departure date, or cruise ship, too. Unfortunately, when you click on “price,” the lowest-priced offering doesn’t always come up first, though it takes only a little scanning to determine which itinerary is the cheapest. (For example, that seven-night Norwegian Jewel trip to Alaska came up on TripAdvisor starting at $349.)
Best feature: In addition to having one of the best cruise search engines, TripAdvisor lets you read other cruisers’ candid reviews of the cruise you’re considering, so that you get the non-sugarcoated truth about each sailing.
5. Avoya Travel
Avoya’s 170 staffers and network of 1,250 independent agencies make for a cruise booking website that’s a bit different from the rest. A rarity on the internet, Avoya Travel is a family-owned company that has been in business for more than 55 years. Its patented technology that lets you search cruises by destination, date range, cruise line, and last-minute status—and then get matched up, in real time, with one of Avoya’s expert vacation planners, who use the algorithm to customize a cruise booking to your specific preferences. (From Avoya’s website: “We believe the very best vacation experiences promise more than any online booking engine alone can deliver. Technology will take you part of the way, but there are limits only real human interaction can overcome.”)
Avoya’s landing page shows the “Best Travel Deals,” which may include half-off cruise fares, onboard credit, prepaid gratuities, and free or reduced airfare. Like several of the other best cruise websites, Avoya offers a low-price guarantee; if you book a cruise with Avoya and then find a lower rate on another website within 24 hours of booking, Avoya will refund the difference.
Best features: In addition to live assistance, Avoya offers free membership; members get exclusive deals and discounts, access to unpublished fares, first dibs on promotions, the ability to save favorite searches, and the right to book, change, or cancel travel without incurring any Avoya fees.
6. CheapCaibbean.com
When looking for the best site to book a cruise, don’t be put off by CheapCaribbean.com’s super-specific moniker. Despite the site’s name, it offers cruises all over the world. While the site’s vibe is beach-oriented and a bit cheeky, with a front page that can overwhelm, once you click on the “Cruises” tab, a cleaner interface appears. There you can search by cruise line, ship, destination, departure date, and cruise theme, including family-friendly cruises and cruises from ports near you.
CheapCaribbean.com offers refunds on 24-hour cancellations (within certain parameters) and a “110 percent best price guarantee”—a promise that if you find a lower price on the same cruise within 48 hours of booking, the company will refund you 110 percent of the difference. That seven-night Norwegian sailing to Alaska comes up on CheapCaribbean at $299, with your choice of bonus amenities. The site also lists traveler reviews about each cruise ship (as supplied by Cruiseline), though the reviews often include comments about the ship’s destinations other than the one you’re considering, which isn’t entirely helpful. There’s also a live chat widget if questions come up while booking.
Best feature: CheapCaribbean.com lets you check boxes for additional discounts, including a senior discount, discounts by state (just enter your ZIP code), and past guest discounts if you’ve previously sailed with a certain cruise line, such as Princess or Disney.
7. CruiseDirect
Its front page is clunky and sort of in-your-face, but CruiseDirect is still one of the best cruise sites for a variety of reasons. For two decades, the company has served more than 500,000 global travelers out of its New Jersey headquarters.
On the cruise-only website, you can search by keyword, destination, departure port, month, length of cruise, cruise line, and last-minute cruises. There’s real-time online chat and a contact number for support from a cruise expert. If you aren’t quite ready to buy, you can favorite cruises and refer back to them later.
CruiseDirect offers perks on most sailings, including onboard credit, free drinks, free Wi-Fi, free gratuities, free travel insurance, and free specialty dining experiences; check the “Bonus” dropdown on the cruise you’re considering to see what extras are included.
Best feature: Unlike other cruise sites, you don’t have to pay the cost of your cruise up front, just a deposit—and then if your cruise fare drops before you’ve made your final payment, CruiseDirect will readjust your rate accordingly. CruiseDirect also offers a “best price guarantee,” which means if you find a lower price on another cruise booking website within 24 hours of your initial booking, you’ll be refunded the difference.
8. Cruise Critic
A subsidiary of TripAdvisor, Cruise Critic has similar search results to its parent site, but offers more comprehensive information. The site has lots of filters and sort options to help you find what you are looking for, including everything from cabin type 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.)
Certain itineraries are marked as “Cruisers’ Choice” awards, denoting vessels hat Cruise Critic members declare to be the among the best in categories such as cabins, entertainment, and family-friendly features. You can sign up for price alerts, which will notify you by email when the fare on your selected itinerary drops.
Once you’re ready to book, Cruise Critic shows you a variety of offers from some of the best cruise booking sites, including bonuses such as onboard credit and prepaid gratuities. You then click on the site of your choice to make your booking. Prices generally match what’s advertised on Cruise Critic.
Best feature: Under each search result is a tab for “reviews,” where you can access a full-length write-up of the ship by one of Cruise Critic’s editorial team, including detailed information on dining options, cabins, entertainment, dress code, and more. You can also read reviews from Cruise Critic members who’ve previously traveled on the ship.
9. Costco Travel
When you think of Costco, you probably think dark chocolate potato chips and toilet paper. (I do!) But the next time you’re booking a cruise, pull up Costco Travel, which is one of the best cruise websites.
The site isn’t fancy—it’s pretty bare-bones, visually—but it does offer extremely competitive prices as well as some really attractive incentives, usually in the form of Costco Cash delivered after you get home from your cruise.
Though there’s no single point of contact if you need to call and discuss your cruise booking, Costco Travel’s call center is staffed with helpful agents from early morning until evening, seven days a week. Note: A Costco membership (starting at $60 per year) is required to book with Costco Travel.
Best feature: Rock-bottom prices, plus lots of cash back if you play your (credit and membership) cards right: Costco Citi cardholders earn three percent cash back on cruise purchases, which can combine with the two percent Costco Reward for Costco Executive Members for a total of five percent rebate on Costco Travel’s already low cruise rates.
10. Cruisewatch
Cruisewatch bills itself as a “digital cruise advisor” that couples data power with personalization. The company collected the daily price for each ship and cabin over a span of five years (more than 100 million data points) to create a massive database that shows exactly when and where the greatest saving potential exists.
Thanks to its trove of comprehensive price history, Cruisewatch can predict cruise prices and drops with an accuracy rate of around 80 percent. Using the site’s cruise price prediction alerts, travelers can save up to 70 percent just by booking at the right time.
In addition to being able to predict prices, Cruisewatch also features a tool that matches travelers with a sailing based on their specific preferences—you “heart” or “X” images and sentences that match or don’t match your perfect vacation image (“a bit like Tinder for cruises,” the site says), then Cruisewatch fires up its algorithm to automatically translate your responses into concrete search criteria, resulting in suggestions for cruise itineraries that are highly specific to you.
Best feature: Cruisewatch’s easy-to-set price alerts, based on tons of data, allow users to be notified in real time of the best new cruise deals the minute they come online.
Twist’s Take: These ten cruise booking sites will help you save money, get the features you want, and (maybe) help you score free extras.
