Travelocity Review: Cruise Vacation Sites

Travelocity is part of the Expedia Group and has been in business since 1996. They handle cruise vacation bookings in addition to flights, rental cars, hotel rooms, and other vacation packages.

20 cruise lines, 49,000 sailings

Although cruises aren't Travelocity's primary offering, their search capabilities are still pretty good. You can filter your results by ship, by cruise line (of which there are 20+ options), departure port, price, and cruises eligible for special discounts. At the time of our visit, there were over 49,000 sailings listed on Travelocity. As an aside, we found Travelocity's presentation of their listings to be a bit dull - where other cruise booking sites feature a photo of the ship or a port of call, Travelocity shows you a digital map of the stops on the itinerary. You'll need to click into the listing to see more of the details that will get you excited about your cruise.

Far fewer bonuses on Travelocity-booked sailings than from competitors

One reason to book through a travel agency like Travelocity is for the bonuses they offer that you won't get when booking directly. If that's why you're here, make sure to turn on the "Agency Specials" filter when you search, because unlike other cruise booking sites in our review, less than 1% of Travelocity's listed sailings come with these bonuses.

Go over terms of bonuses with a fine-toothed comb

What are some of these bonuses? Travelocity advertises WiFi packages, dining and drink packages, excursion and onboard credits of $25 or $50, and "agency specials". Be sure to click on these to read the fine print, though, as it differs by cruise line and type of bonus. For example, if you book a cruise with a dining and beverage package, you're responsible for 20% of the gratuities based on the retail value of that package at the time you booked it.

Cancellation policy determined by cruise lines, no booking fee

Travelocity follows the cancellation policies of the cruise lines they work with. They do not charge booking fees or their own cancellation fees.

May be cheaper to book through Travelocity than direct

We compared a 5-day Caribbean cruise on the Norwegian Pearl with stops in Key West, Cozumel, and Great Stirrup Cay. Norwegian priced this cruise at $453 per person for 2 adults occupying an inside stateroom. Travelocity priced it at $402 per person. In this case, Travelocity had the better price. We did notice that the bonuses Travelocity advertised were also available when booked directly.

Doesn't consistently perform travel agent duties

Travelocity has an "A+" from the Better Business Bureau, but a dismal 1.4-star average on Trustpilot from more than 8,600 reviews. One customer complained that a Travelocity agent tried to deceive them when booking over the phone, trying to convince them that the price being $250 higher than advertised by Travelocity was because the cruise line had raised the price while the customer was in the booking process. (The customer checked the cruise line's website, and the price had not changed.) Another customer complained that Travelocity does not fulfill their responsibilities as a travel agent. They claim that their agent dragged their feet on rebooking a delayed flight or issuing a refund for it.

Doesn't work for you the way a travel agency should

Travelocity's deals are less frequent and less unique than competitors, and cruises are not Travelocity's specialty. The main benefits of using a travel agent - having someone work on your behalf rather than the cruise line's - are not fulfilled here. They offer lower onboard credits compared to competitors. While there's potential for savings, Travelocity's poor Trustpilot rating pushes us to recommend you look elsewhere.

On the Travelocity website