The Best Cruise Vacation Sites

Saturday, December 14th

2024 Cruise Vacation Site Reviews

Cruise Direct

Founded by an experienced cruise industry veteran, Cruise Direct partners with 14 cruise lines to offer over 47,000 sailings with competitive pricing and valuable perks. Their user-friendly website features curated collections that make it easy to browse destinations and excursions, while their risk-free shore excursions come with smaller tour groups and a $1,000 missed-ship guarantee. Cruise Direct's helpful agents provide personalized assistance throughout the booking process, and you'll find bonuses like free gratuities, WiFi, and gift cards up to $500. With no booking or cancellation fees, a free price hold option, and a 100% Best Price Guarantee, Cruise Direct stands out from competitors. Their exceptional 4.9-star Trustpilot rating and "A+” BBB rating reflect strong customer satisfaction, particularly with their booking experience and responsive customer service. When compared to other booking platforms, Cruise Direct excels, making it the top choice for your next cruise vacation.

GoToSea

GoToSea is a travel agency offering bookings with over 15 cruise lines without agency fees and provides onboard credit perks with expert advisors. You can browse nearly 30,000 sailings through their modern website interface, which features easy filtering options and the ability to save favorites for comparison. While their deals might only save you a few dollars compared to booking direct, they offer additional perks like 10% off shore excursions. The advertised bonuses require careful review of the fine print, as some perks come with additional fees. Their website lacks transparency about how deals work, though their responsive live chat support can clarify policies. Following cruise line policies for cancellations and price matching, GoToSea doesn't charge additional fees but also doesn't offer a loyalty program or payment plans. Despite limited verifiable customer reviews, GoToSea's straightforward customer service and competitive offerings earn them a very high rating.

Cruises

Cruises, owned by World Travel Holdings since 1998, lists nearly 30 cruise lines with 11,000 sailings. They advertise bonuses of $50 to $3,000 in onboard credits and have a 4.3-star Trustpilot rating average for booking, but customers report these bonuses often aren't honored. They also charge a $24.99 booking fee, $100 cancellation fee, and savings compared to direct bookings may be small. Reviews after cruises reveal problems like missing amenities and denied boarding. You might want to use a better-rated booking site that doesn't charge agency fees and has happier customers.

Cruises Only

If you're searching for cruise deals, Cruises Only offers over 11,000 sailings through their parent company World Travel Holdings. You'll find useful features like price matching, loyalty programs, and bonus offerings, though some customers report issues receiving promised perks. While their booking process earns high marks with a 4.9 average Google rating, the company charges booking and cancellation fees that may impact your vacation budget. You might want to explore other cruise booking specialists first unless you find an exceptional deal through the Cruises Only platform.

Cheap Cruises

If you're looking to book a cruise, Cheap Cruises offers about 5,500 sailing options from 10 cruise lines through their user-friendly website. While they advertise attractive bonuses like up to $3,000 in onboard spending and have a loyalty program, you could still find better deals booking directly with cruise lines. You should be cautious about their nonrefundable booking and cancellation fees, and be aware that some customers have reported misleading practices by their agents regarding refunds and promotional deals.

Vacation Outlet

Vacation Outlet is similar to its siblings owned by World Travel Holdings and has been booking cruises since the late 1980s, offering nearly 11,000 sailings. The website is outdated but functional, with helpful filters for destinations, dates, and special discounts. Their prices may match direct booking rates, but they offer a 110% Best Price Guarantee, plus you can earn rewards through their tiered loyalty program offering $25 to $100 vouchers. They charge both a processing fee ($24.99) and a cancellation fee ($100). There isn't much customer feedback about this company. It doesn't stand out from its sibling companies, and it can't compete with our top picks.

Travelocity

Short If you're looking to book a cruise, Travelocity might save you some money compared to booking directly with cruise lines, but their service has some major drawbacks. You won't find many special perks or bonuses with their bookings, as less than 1% of their cruises come with extra benefits like onboard credits or drink packages. While they offer access to over 20 cruise lines and don't charge booking fees, their poor customer service ratings and lack of travel agent support suggest you might want to book your cruise elsewhere.

Priceline

When you book a cruise through Priceline, you'll find some great deals and bonuses you can't get elsewhere, including onboard credits starting at just $750 spent (as opposed to $1,000). Their website is easy to use with helpful search filters and live chat support, though you'll need to watch out for their $24.99 booking fee and strict cancellation policies. Unfortunately, many customers have reported poor experiences with Priceline's customer service, and their trustworthiness is questionable due to past controversies, leading to their mediocre rating here.

Orbitz

You'll want to steer clear of Orbitz for booking cruises, despite their large selection of over 51,000 sailings from 25 cruise lines. While you might save a small amount through their Agency Specials and onboard perks, their "C-” rating from the Better Business Bureau and poor customer service make them a risky choice. Their website lacks helpful features like curated collections, and they're not transparent about their fees and policies, making it safer to book directly through cruise lines or use a more reputable travel agency.

Expedia

Expedia offers some savings on cruise bookings compared to direct bookings, with discounts (up to $126 in one case) and good search features. But there are major problems with this online travel agency. It has a very low 1.2-star rating average on Trustpilot, bad customer service, unclear fees, and confusing rules for cashing in your bonus offers like onboard credits. While you can sort cruise options easily and book different travel services together, the many negative customer reviews about refunds and communication issues make it too risky to book your cruise through Expedia.