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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. 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. Many people think of Tripadvisor mainly as a travel review site, where you go to get real talk on hotels and attractions, and to see non-glamorized photos of places as seen through actual travelers’ eyes. But Tripadvisor is also an excellent site for travel deals, including on cruises.
The Best New Cruise Ships of 2023
For example, a deal was offered for up to $2,000 cashback, $1,500 to spend onboard, or a Visa gift card. However, after reading the fine print you’ll notice that in order to get the full bonus you’d have to spend $20,000+ on a cruise. The V.I.P. Customer Loyalty Club is free, and you’re signed up automatically if you have booked with CruisesOnly at least once before. Benefits include things like shore excursion credits and onboard spending credits. We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology.
The Vacationer’s Final Thoughts
Both have fantastic itineraries that take passengers not only to the Inside Passage, but also to Anchorage, Denali National Park, the Yukon, Kenai Peninsula, Talkeetna and Fairbanks. Additionally, you'll have one day spent cruising the Inside Passage and one focused on "scenic cruising," where you can enjoy the landscapes but won't go ashore. This is not nearly as boring as you might think since you'll see incredible sights like Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve or Hubbard Glacier. You'll find magnificent mountains (often snowcapped, even in the summertime), lush forests, waterfalls, fjords and calving glaciers.
Cruise Deals
Cruises.united.com benefits from its partnership with United Airlines, offering travelers the option to bundle flights and cruises for added convenience. Users appreciate the site’s easy navigation and the ability to earn United MileagePlus miles for their bookings. The integration of travel options makes it a convenient choice for United Airlines loyalists. 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.
TripAdvisor
Depending on individual needs, this can be seen as an advantage or a disadvantage. Next up, Avoya Travel is a unique option, as it combines online search features and travel agent know-how to give you what it calls a superior cruise-booking experience. You enter some info about what kind of cruise you want, and then a planner uses your information to show you the best cruises for you.
Cashback and onboard spending bonuses are generally tied to your stateroom level as well which means you’re not going to get anywhere near the amount advertised if you’re booking an interior or ocean-view cabin. While Travelocity doesn’t advertise as many deals and savings as other sites, the price still manages to come out about the same as other websites. When booking a cruise with Marriott Bonvoy points, you’ll only get 0.4 cents per point in value.
You can sign up for price alerts, which will notify you by email when the fare on your selected itinerary drops.
Much like Orbitz, Travelocity is another online travel agency where you’re most likely to book a cruise only if you use the site for all of your other travel bookings. If you already book your flights, hotel rooms, and car rentals on Travelocity, it’s worth checking out their cruise deals. But if you’re a frequent traveler, you’re probably already pretty familiar with the very popular online travel agencies out there. Priceline, Expedia — it’s incredibly common that you’ll find your best hotel and flight deals with one of these websites.
Instead, it aggregates pricing information from multiple sources and presents it to you. Cruisedirect.com is valued for its straightforward cruise booking process and access to exclusive deals and bonuses. Travelers appreciate the site’s Best Price Guarantee, ensuring they get the lowest available rates. The site’s user-friendly interface and real-time availability make it a convenient choice for booking cruises. Orbitz.com stands out for its intuitive booking process and the “Orbitz Rewards” program, which offers members exclusive deals and discounts.
Royal Caribbean’s website, Royalcaribbean.com, is celebrated for its innovative and adventure-packed cruise offerings. The site showcases groundbreaking features like skydiving simulators and robotic bartenders, catering to thrill-seekers and tech enthusiasts. Travelers appreciate the website’s wealth of information on onboard activities, making it easy to plan an action-packed cruise vacation. MSC Cruises’ website, Msccruisesusa.com, is adored for its Mediterranean-inspired luxury cruises. Travelers are captivated by the glamorous and sophisticated onboard ambiance, as well as the diverse range of itineraries. The site’s easy booking process and transparent pricing options make it an attractive choice for those seeking European-style cruising.
Holland America Line’s dedication to excellence in service and the arts, including onboard museums and live music, adds to its charm. Cruise.com is a cluttered website and can be overwhelming when you’re searching for a cruise (especially if you’re a first-time cruiser and not quite sure how everything works). It offers lots of deals and discounts, but many of those are actually offered through the cruise line, so it can be hard to tell which bonuses are actually coming from Cruise.com. While you might think of Tripadvisor as just a place to get reviews and photos of hotels, restaurants, and activities, it’s actually much more than that.
Many people trek to Alaska to commune with nature, but there's also history here that you shouldn't overlook. Furthermore, Cruise Critic makes no guarantees for availability of prices advertised on our site. The Hottest Cruise Line DealsSearch for Daily Cruise Deals by searching from the Web's Largest Cruise Database - you can browse Cruise Line Deals by Destination, Departure Port, Cruise Ship, Month and # of Days. Christian Petzold is a successful touristic entrepreneur, experiential traveller and round-the-world backpacker. Get the latest travel tips, crucial news, flight & hotel deal alerts...
In summary, cruise booking sites serve as a convenient and comprehensive resource for anyone looking to embark on a cruise adventure. Cruise vacation booking websites are online platforms dedicated to simplifying and streamlining the process of planning and reserving cruise vacations. These websites serve as comprehensive resources, offering travelers a one-stop destination to explore a vast array of cruise itineraries, cruise lines, and destinations worldwide.
Since Marriott Bonvoy points are generally worth about 0.7 cents each, you’ll be missing out on some value, so you might want to look into other ways to redeem your Marriott Bonvoy for hotels or flights. Cruise Critic is a cruise-focused website that features reviews, tips, and advice for a huge community of cruisers. The Cruise Critic forums provide a place to ask questions, give advice, and get help booking your next cruise. We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews.
See St. Michael's Orthodox Cathedral with its onion dome and the Russian Bishop's House. The best Alaska cruise ports are also the most crowded because no matter which type of itinerary and cruise line you select, you'll likely visit a mix of the same ports. The immediate port area will be filled with tourist shops and eateries. If you want to see nature at its finest, you must book a tour or venture farther afield.
The only downside to these deals is that you have to be careful to read the fine print. If not, you could feel like you didn’t get your money’s worth or you could find yourself, unfortunately, scammed. That’s not to say it happens every time, though, so just do your due diligence. Here are some frequently asked questions about the best cruise booking sites. When you book a cruise using United Miles, you’ll get about 0.7 to 0.8 cents per mile in value.
