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You've finally got some time off, and you've decided you want the full-experience: sailing, relaxing, and new and exciting ports of call everywhere you go. With meals and (sometimes) drinks included, who wouldn't want to sit back, relax and let a cruise crew take care of you during a well-deserved vacation?
Whether you're taking a quick 3-day trip or you're looking for a long experience-packed cruise, there's options out there for everyone. But finding the right company to book your cruise through can be overwhelming. While some people like to book directly with a cruise line, booking through a travel site or an agency can often lead to big cost savings.
Friday, March 31st
Cruise Direct is the perfect choice for booking your next cruise vacation. The website offers effortless browsing and cruises based on your preferences including luxury cruises, family cruises, LGBTQIA+ cruises, or cruises for adults only. Cruise Direct provides promotions and discounts to decrease the price, and a price-match guarantee if the price offered on the site can be found lower somewhere else. Cruise Direct delivers excellent value for money and a user-friendly system for discovering and booking your next cruise, making it our top recommendation in this review.
Priceline offers an affordable cruise booking service with a user-friendly search function and modern design. Despite the $24.99 non-refundable booking fee, their Price Match Guarantee program and special deals for email subscribers make it an attractive option. Priceline is $100 cheaper on average compared to booking directly with the cruise ship. Although reviews are mixed, it is more popular than many options in this review. Overall, Priceline is a website worth checking out for an affordable cruise vacation or vacation package, and it easily comes in as the second-place option in this review.
Cruises Only offers a wide range of cruises, including popular and luxury options, with exclusive deals and a price-match guarantee. However, there's a non-refundable processing fee and the site's interface can feel outdated. Customer ratings are generally positive, but some mention difficulties with customer service and insurance options. Overall, Cruises Only is a good option for people looking for a variety of cruise options, competitive prices, and exclusive deals. It follows closely behind our second-place option in this review.
Expedia is a well-known travel booking site, but it has poor customer feedback regarding the site's customer service. While Expedia does offer discounted prices for popular cruises, it wasn't designed specifically for that type of vacation, so it has a less user-friendly interface for cruise searches than its competitors. With these things considered, you might want to search somewhere else for your next cruise. However, if you need to book other travel arrangements along with your cruise, Expedia may be worth considering.
Compared to top-rated, full-service cruise booking websites that provide comprehensive services, Vacation Outlet doesn't compete. Despite its claim of providing outlet prices, we found no notable discounts compared to other booking sites that are ranked higher in our review. The site has an outdated interface and the company has received negative customer reviews for its customer service. Although it may be a more suitable option for individuals seeking a complete itinerary, it is still behind other more modern and comprehensive booking sites in our review. Therefore, we recommend selecting a higher-rated service for your next cruise vacation.
Orbitz is a popular travel agency that is owned by the same company as Expedia, but it falls short of other companies in terms of cruise search engine competitiveness. Although the website's browsing and booking process is similar to Expedia's, the pricing isn't nearly as good. On top of this, the considerable number of negative customer reviews for Orbitz is a concern. While Orbitz might be good for arranging extensive trips, there are superior choices for booking cruises.
Travelocity is another company owned by Expedia Group and offers some of the same pitfalls in searches or narrowing criteria as its sister websites. The website's browsing and booking process is similar to Expedia's, with minimal search options and criteria for the initial search. However, the reviews for Travelocity are even worse than for its sister companies. With the considerable number of negative customer reviews, we don't feel very confident about Travelocity. Since it's worse than its sister companies, it falls, unfortunately, in last place in this review.
Booking a cruise through a travel agency or booking site can provide you with helpful comparisons of various cruise lines, ships, and itineraries all in one place. A good site allows for easy searching so you can find the cruises that best match your preferences. Travel agents have access to exclusive discounts, promotions, and package deals that may not be available to the general public.
Plus, with many sites you can book other travel arrangements you need at the same time. Want to take a cruise from Spain? A vacation website can help you find the best deals on flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements so your cruise can go off without a hitch.
Online travel agencies are a popular choice for booking cruises. In a survey conducted by Statista in 2020, 61% of respondents who had booked a cruise in the past two years said they had used a travel agency to make the arrangements. The survey found that users booked cruises through travel agencies to get peace of mind and convenience. A good travel agency will provide you with support and assistance, ensuring that you have a stress-free and enjoyable vacation.
Cruising is an amazing experience, and you deserve to really enjoy your time off. Finding the right online travel agency to book your cruise vacation is essential to having a stress-free experience. So, how can you pick the best place to book your next cruise vacation?
Here are several factors to keep in mind as you search for the best seafaring voyage.
To help you streamline the booking process for your next at-sea getaway, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked the best sites that offer cruise vacations available today. We hope this information helps you relax and enjoy your next voyage with confidence about your entire travel itinerary. Bon voyage!
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