book direct with cruise line or travel agent

Best Way to Book a Cruise: Travel Agent or Direct with the Cruise Line?

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If you’re thinking of booking a cruise , you might be wondering if it’s better to book with a travel agent or directly with the cruise line? There are a few factors to consider, and questions to ask, before you decide.

In this post, we’ll go over the benefits of using a travel agent or cruise specialist, as well as the advantages of booking directly. When it comes to the best way to book a cruise, you may have wondered…

• Why do people use travel agents to book a cruise?
• Do travel agents get better deals on a cruise?
• What questions should I ask the travel agent?
• When is it better to book directly with the cruise line?

For most people, the benefits of using a travel agent experienced in selling cruises are well worth it. Travel agents will help you to choose a cruise, offer travel advice and answer questions, and can often find great cruise deals. Some may also provide an extra amenity, like an onboard cash credit or bottle of wine. 

However, there are some instances when some people will prefer to book directly with the cruise line. We’ll go through when and why this makes sense. I’ll also go through some of the most important and frequently asked questions about booking a cruise.

How to Book a Cruise – Travel Agent or Direct with the Cruise Line?

If you’re a first time cruiser , the process of how to book a cruise might seem confusing. However, even for repeat cruisers, some of this information may be helpful as well.

You can book your cruise with a travel agency or directly through the cruise line. This can mean using a local travel agency or booking online through a cruise vacation website.

Travel agents who specialize in selling cruises, are often referred to as Cruise Specialists or Cruise Consultants. This is important, as you will want to use a travel agent who is knowledgeable and trained in selling cruises.

Which Travel Agents Sell Cruises (examples)

• A local travel agency storefront
• A large online booking website
• Independent travel agents (who may work for cruise agency franchises)

When you do book online with a large website like Expedia Cruises or Vacations to Go, these are large travel agencies. In some cases, depending on the company, you can work with a specific cruise specialist for every cruise. For experienced cruisers, this can often be the best option.

Deposits and Final Payments

When you book a cruise several months or even a year or more in advance, cruise lines will ask for a deposit (which may or may not be refundable). The deposit secures your reservation until final payment. Cruise line final payment dates range from 120 days before your cruise, to 60 days before your cruise. Always check the cruise line confirmation and note the payment dates.

Should You Use a Travel Agent to Book a Cruise?

There are several benefits to using a travel agent to book your cruise. In fact, a majority of cruisers use a travel agent, whether a local agency or an online booking website, to book their cruise. 

According to the Cruise Line International Association , when people did use a travel agent, they reported a high degree of satisfaction with the advice, knowledge and value received.

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Benefits of Using a Travel Agent to Book Your Cruise

Experience and Advice

One of the biggest advantages of using a travel agent to book a cruise is getting great advice. A cruise specialist can guide you to the right cruise line and ship based on your vacation preferences and goals for the trip.

If you’re new to cruising, using a travel agent to book a cruise is a good idea. First time cruisers need to know about travel documents, online check in, cruise line gratuities , new health protocols and more. Having a travel agent to hold your hand and answer questions, right up to embarkation day , is very helpful.

Cruise specialists are also aware of more than one cruise line, and for avid or repeat cruisers, this can be especially useful. Our tastes change over time, and we get older. What we loved about the cruise line we sailed with when the kids were young , may not be the best fit years later.

Travel agents can bring our attention to other cruise lines and travel experiences , especially as you may want to plan some of those bucket list cruises.

Service and Convenience

Travel agents can take care of the booking and making payments, and even help with booking flights and pre and post cruise hotels . Of course, if you prefer to book online with an online travel agency website, that’s a convenience too.

This will come as a surprise to many, but when you book a cruise, the service of your travel agent is free. The price will not be higher than booking with the cruise line directly. Now this doesn’t mean they don’t get paid, but rather that the cruise line pays a commission to them directly.

There can be exceptions to this, as some travel agents may charge booking or administrative fees. They should let you know if this is the case.

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What to Look for in a Cruise Travel Agent

I love travel agents. In my experience, they are passionate travelers themselves, and can offer excellent first person advice. However, when it comes to cruising, you need a travel agent that specializes in cruise travel.

Travel agents who specialize in selling cruises are often called Cruise Specialists or Cruise Consultants. They are usually passionate cruisers themselves who have a keen interest in learning about cruises and sharing that knowledge with their clients.

When looking for a travel agent, make sure this person is knowledgeable and trained in selling cruises. When booking with an Cruise Agency franchise like Cruise Planners or Expedia Cruises, this should be the case. 

Questions to Ask Your Travel Agent or Cruise Specialist

When you make a payment (deposit or final payment), does the travel agent pay the cruise line directly on your behalf.

It’s best to have the travel agent make the payment for you using your credit card, directly with the cruise line. This is safer than the travel agent taking your payment, and paying the cruise line themselves. Paying directly ensures that your payment is made to the cruise line, and is standard practice for most agencies.

You can also ask to receive the booking confirmation from the cruise line, showing payments, for your records.

Do you have a back up to contact if you’re on vacation or unavailable?

Travel agents go on cruises and travel. While this is great, who is available if you have a question or need assistance? Often, those working for larger agencies or franchises will have a main contact number if the need arises.

Will you monitor my cruise fare for price drops or should I contact you?

Did you know that many cruise lines will adjust your cruise fare if it drops before final payment? Often it needs to be on the same cabin category and it won’t be combinable with past promotions, but it’s always worth checking.

While many travel agents will try to keep an eye on price drops, the reality is it can be missed. It’s a good idea to keep track yourself as well.

Are there any fees I should be aware of?

Some travel agents charge an administrative fee, or even a cancellation fee. While booking the cruise may be free, booking a flight or hotel may have additional fees. It may still be worth their service, however if you’re keeping track of your cruise vacation budget , it’s good information to know.

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Do Travel Agents Get Better Deals on a Cruise?

Travel agents may have access to better deals on cruises. In most cases, larger agencies or franchises have huge influence and buying power with the cruise line. This can mean better pricing on some cruises and/or some extra perks or amenities.

The Earlier the Better

Travel agencies often hold inventory on cruise ships that are likely to be popular with their clients. They reserve several cabins at the earliest and lowest rates, and can continue to sell them even as prices increase with the cruise line.

However, these cabins can be limited, and may not be available closer to sailing. Book 6 months to a year, or more, before your cruise for access to these special rates.

Extra Perks

Travel agencies that sell cruises may also have some perks if you book with them. This can include an onboard credit (can be used on drinks, excursions and more), a bottle of wine or a plate of chocolate covered strawberries,  and even travel points.

Suggested:   Cruise On Board Credits (OBC): How Can You Use Them?

Special Promotions

Another advantage of using a travel agent or cruise specialist, is being able to book when they have a special promotion with the cruise line. Agencies partner with cruise lines at certain times of the year and will offer a booking incentive, such as prepaid gratuities or specialty dining .

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How to Get the Best deal on a Cruise

The best ways to find deals on a cruise is to keep informed. Sign up for your favorite cruise line’s emails, as well as emails from travel agencies and online booking websites.  If you get too many emails, consider working with only your favorites.

If you’re happy with the service and value of a specific travel agent, keep in touch and let them know what cruises you’re considering even a year or two down the line. This way, when she sees a new promotion or great deal on a cruise, she can let you know.

Should You use a Travel agent to Book a Group Cruise?

If you’re planning a group cruise, using a travel agent will be enormously helpful. 

Your cruise specialist will take care of everything you need, and manage all the reservations. If you’re planning a group cruise with friends or family (like a multi-generational cruise ), the travel agent will work with each party to make sure all their questions are answered. In addition, they’ll coordinate dining reservations and cabin locations.

If you’re the group leader, you can concentrate on the fun stuff, like matching t-shirts , and leave the boring details to your cruise consultant.

Suggested:   27 Cruise Travel Hacks of Repeat Cruisers

When Should You Book Directly with the Cruise Line?

If you know what cruise ship, itinerary and cabin you want, and prefer to do a lot of your own research, you may want to book directly with the cruise line. In addition, if you prefer to have control over all aspects of your cruise booking, and think you’ll be likely to make a lot of changes between placing a deposit, and sailing, booking direct will be most convenient.

When you book with a travel agent, they’re responsible for your booking, and all major changes need to be done through them. Things like changing cabins or requesting a price reduction, if the cost of your cruise drops before your final payment, will need to be done by your travel agent.

However, things that have to do with your own vacation planning are left up to you. As an example, reserving your shore excursions , making specialty dining reservations, and even booking your cruise line air flights are able to be done online, within your cruise reservation.

It’s worth giving this some consideration, as there are pros and cons to using a travel agent versus booking directly.

Planning a cruise? These articles can help:

Should You Prepay Gratuities on a Cruise or Pay Onboard?

10 Cruise Ship Cabins to Avoid

63 Things NOT to Do on a Cruise Ship

What To Wear on a Cruise Vacation (when dress codes are changing)

Cruise Essentials List – Favorite Amazon Items

Video: How to Book a Cruise: Should You Book Direct with the Cruise Line, Travel Agent or Online

If you enjoy cruise tips, news and reviews, please subscribe to our channel, Life Well Cruised on YouTube.

Final Thoughts: Is It Better to Book a Cruise with a Travel Agent or Direct with the Cruise Line?

To recap, in this article we’ve gone through the benefits of booking with a travel agent for a cruise, as well the disadvantages. In addition, we’ve also gone through what to look for in a travel agent and what questions to ask.

When booking a cruise with a travel agent, there’s no additional cost, and it may be cheaper in some cases. You may even receive travel rewards or an onboard gift from your agent. If you’re a first time cruiser or booking a group cruise, booking with a travel agent is probably best.

However, the disadvantages of using a travel agent include not having control over all aspects of your booking. You’ll have to communicate with your cruise specialist for questions and changes you wish to make.

Have you booked a cruise using a travel agent or directly with the cruise line? Please let me know any questions, as well as any tips that you may have.

Happy cruising!

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Should I use a travel agent or book directly with a cruise line?

One of the most common questions I find myself passionately answering both in person and on online communities (I’m looking at you Reddit), is about how to actually book a cruise.  Should you use a travel agent or book directly with a cruise line?  I’ll tell you right out the gate that whether you’re looking into your first cruise or well on your way to the highest levels of a cruise line’s loyalty program, I highly recommend using a good travel agent, but let’s talk about why by addressing some common questions and misconceptions.

Do people still use travel agents?

More travelers than ever leverage the expertise and assistance of travel agents for their vacations.  Let’s look at some quick facts: In fact, according to ASTA (the American Society of Travel Advisors), 

• In 2021, 27% of travelers always or often used a travel advisor before the pandemic, and at 44%, nearly half of respondents overall said they are more likely to use a travel advisor once the pandemic has passed
• In 2016 year 22% of leisure travelers from households earning at least $50,000 used a travel agent – up from 14% just three before.
• ‘Millennials’ seem the biggest fans of using travel agents, with over 30% having used an agent in the last year.  
• They seem satisfied: in 2016, 59% of millennials indicated that their trips planned with agents were better than trips planned without agents.  This compares to 53% and 58% for gen x-ers and baby boomers, respectively.  

So yes, more people use travel agents each year, and the majority feel their trips were enhanced by using a travel agent.  We cruise many times a year, and we get great service and often, better deals.  You can get a free consultation from the same great folks that help us !

How is a travel agent paid, doesn’t it cost me money to use an agent?

In short, it generally doesn’t cost you money to use a travel agent, and in fact, the agent can very often help you save money on your trip (more on that in that below).  When an agent books a hotel room, cruise, tour, etc, this means the provider doesn’t have to sell, market, or service the booking – the agent takes care of all of that.  As such, a travel agent may get a commission from the cruise line you’re sailing with.

Many agents don’t charge fees for their services, though some do, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  These fees could be for value-added services (such as keeping track of price changes) or for booking airfare, something that agents generally only do as part of trip with a cruise, hotel stay, etc.  Much of the time if an agent does charge fees, they'll credit them towards your booking once it's finalized.  This is because an agent doesn’t want to do your research and planning so you can go book on your own.  

What is the advantage of using a travel agent?

Beyond the perks offered with your booking, another great reason to book with a travel agent is the service.  A good travel agent has personal experience with travel, but also gets great feedback from his or her clients so they’re continuously learning about different offerings.  This means that the agent can help get to know you, find out what you enjoy, what type of vacation you’re looking for, etc, and make recommendations based on the knowledge they’ve amassed.  There is no “best cruise line”, but there probably is one that is best for you, and for this particular trip.  

Another great service agents provide is being your primary point of contact for your trip.  This can be a big factor, as your cruise may be much more than just a cruise.  You might need a car to get you to the airport, a flight to the city you’re cruising from, a hotel in that city, a rental car, restaurant reservations, your cruise, shore excursions , and more.  Your agent can not only make these arrangements, but if you need to make changes or get more information, you’ve got one person you can speak with that will help you with everything.

Can’t I get a better deal booking directly with a cruise line?

As mentioned, cruise lines generally require that with the exception of groups, prices are the same across all travel agents, and this applies to the cruise lines’ internal sales teams as well.  Cruise lines depend on travel agents to sell cruises and help service those bookings, so they certainly don’t want to undercut the agencies they work with.  Additionally, the cruise line has to market cruises, guide prospective guests through the process, and then be available for any changes or challenges that come about.  When a travel agent does this for the cruise line, that’s money that in a way, the cruise line has saved, which get’s back to why cruise lines and other companies pay travel agent’s commission.

Getting a deal also means knowing that you’re getting the right cruise for you - a lower price isn't the only measure of value.  While it’s true that 10+ years ago there was far less information out there on cruise line, hotel, and rental car websites – making the role of a travel agent more essential if you didn’t know exactly what you wanted, the amount of information on the internet today can be overwhelming.  Yes, cruise lines put their information out there on the web, but like any other business, they control the message – so Princess Cruises may have a ton of information, but they’ll understandably be slanted to make their own line seem to be the most logical choice no matter what your preferences may be. 

That’s great, but I like doing the research, and I don’t want to give up control of my booking.

Me too!  According to another ASTA study, the biggest reason people say they don’t use a travel agent (aside from the 57% who said they just hadn’t thought of it) is that they want control.  While it is true that when you book with a travel agent you’ll see certain changes aren’t available to you online or on the phone (such as changing stateroom categories, or adding a person to your reservation, for example), that doesn’t mean you don’t have control.  Many of these changes can be a pain to understand, or require waiting on hold for a cruise line to do it.  Let your agent wait on hold and figure out these changes.

Many other arrangements, such as booking shore excursions and specialty dining can be handled directly wih the cruise line if you’d like, but your agent can take care of them for you as well, and in many cases, is able to help with things that might leave you stuck online, such as finding out your desired dining time is booked – an agent may be able to get you waitlisted, or even work some magic on his or her side.  In some cases, a travel agent can even help you skip to the front of a waiting list for a sold-out sailing or other tour.

In the end, you’re not relinquishing any control, in fact, you’re making it so you have slightly more control, potentially less waiting on hold, and you have a single point of contact for all your travel needs.

When you book a cruise directly you’re entering your contact info, birthday, picking your dining time, bed arrangements, traveling companions’ information, etc.  Is it a real pain point?  No, it’s not terrible, but now imagine doing the same for your rental car, hotel, cruise, and more – all while triple checking for mistakes.  An agent will take care of all of this for you, once again, a single point of contact.  Booking multiple trips?  A hotel and a cruise?  Your agent will note and remember your preferences.  For example, my spouse recently found out she is allergic to down pillows.  If I’m booking directly I need to remember to note this, but first I have to figure out how to even communicate this information.  My agent has ways to annotate bookings, and knows just who to reach out to, so I know that any cruise or hotel stay he arranges for me will result in our walking into our room on day one with foam pillows instead of down.  

Because this relationship has been established, when I book a trip, I usually do so in a two sentence email to my agent.  He has my information, knows my preferences, how I like to pay for things, etc.  In the end, I get a nice summary of my trip with all the pertinent information.  Done.

If you really enjoy the process of clicking through and booking on your own, many cruise lines let you do this and then transfer your booking to an agent as long as you make the request within the first 30 days or so.  This means, if you want, you setup the initial booking but your agent can still maintain it.

Want to have more control but with less work?   Use a travel agent .

Should I use a travel agent to book a cruise?

We just spent some time answering this, but the real answer is that you should use a travel agent for booking much more than just cruises!  We mentioned that if you have pre or post cruise plans, an agent can help with your hotel, car, and other reservations - but it turns out some people take trips that aren't cruises! Who knew?  Keep this in mind, as whether it's business travel or a land vacation, it really can be a relief.  Personally, we've booked hotels and other arrangements for entire department meetings using our cruise travel agent, and looked like the hero when we just said, "don't worry everyone, I'll handle it all."

Okay, you’ve convinced me, but how do I find a good agent?

At the beginning of this post, I emphasized the importance of using a good travel agent.  This means finding someone you click with, and someone that isn’t just a call-center worker for a travel company, but a person that will remember your preferences, providing a real value.  In this way, it’s somewhat personal – we all communicate and work differently, so I’d recommend asking a trusted friend, or perhaps a frequent traveler.  Don’t be afraid to speak with an agent about what value they provide – just like any other service, a simple “why should I choose you over others” may be quite revealing.  If you speak with an agent about a cruise, and they ask you just a question or two about your trip before making a recommendation, speak with another agent.  A good agent will want to understand your likes and dislikes, what you do for fun, what type of restaurants you go to, what you’ve liked or disliked about past vacations, etc.  The more an agent knows about you, the better recommendation they can make to ensure you pick the right trip for you.

True Story: For a decade now, we've used the same travel agent for dozens of land trips, cruises, Disney parks vacations, etc. If you want to try the same agency we trust and use, check out Touring and Cruises (formerly known as TouringPlans Travel)!  You can also click here to get a quote!

To get agent recommendations, you can ask cruise lines or others for agencies they work with, or just do a search and read about different agencies online to see how they resonate with you.  You may already belong to some groups that have travel agencies, such as certain credit card companies, social groups, professional organizations, etc.

Ultimately, once you find a good agent, it makes your traveling easier, more rewarding, and at times, more affordable.  This means you can take more cruises if you use a travel agent.  Well, that was my takeaway at least. Do you use a travel agent?  Why, or why not?  Have tips for finding a good agent?  Comment below, or reach out to us on Twitter  or Facebook !

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Normally when booking hotels and flights I normally book direct. I see a lot people on here have their favourite tour operator or agent for cruises . Last and only cruise I was on over 15yrs ago and I didn’t have to handle the bookings.

We were planning on flying in to Miami 2 days before and flying out 3 days after, booking the Cruise direct on the Celebrity website and flights direct with the airline . Is there a benefit to book with Cruise agent? If so which one do you recommend if booking from the UK?

8 replies to this topic

From what I have seen, UK agents often will include flights and pre & post cruise accommodation in their packages. US agents will sell cheaply or give onboard credit. Some agents may get a better deal from the cruise line than others.

Where I am, we get the worst deals but things are improving as more and more people take up cruising. The best thing for us is that gratuities are often included. I will always look at exchange rates, different agents as well as direct with the cruise line and compare like with like. I will also compare with vacationstogo.com which often have better deals than elsewhere.

In the UK if you book cruise along with flights , your booking is cover by ATOL Certificate. Which is helpful if one or other parties of your booking goes out of business. Not sure how helpful, never had to use it, touch wood!

Not sure if you have read anything yet about Celebrity changing their “All Included” package? At the moment it’s Classic drinks package, Wi-Fi & Gratuities.. They are removing the Gratuities from the All included cruise price from all new bookings from start of Oct 2023. So if this is something you’d consider booking along with the cruise then I’d get it book before you loose the gratuities.

Hope this helps

If you have a problem then getting through to customer services is a nightmare. Using a travel agent to sort the problem is far easier.

This post has been removed at the author's request.

Pros and cons in using an agent / or direct.

Travel agent Pros…

- yes at times Agents can get a slightly better deal for you.

- yes you can ring them if something goes wrong

Travel agent cons …

- if a TA makes a mistake with your name, you have to pay for any costs to get it changed ( if it’s outside the cancellation period) - this happened to me years ago

- many agents have their own T&C in addition to the cruise lines T&C.. eg if you book directly with a cruise line, you know what the cancellation period is. When you book through an agent, change you mind say within a week, a cancellation fee = to the deposit may be charged - happened to a friend in mine.. she wanted to Change her cruise to a different date.

- some agents will offer a better price but it may be a GTY canon rather than a specific cabin - this happened to me… the TA and I looked at the deck plans, I chose my cabin and said this is the one I want. After I left her office I read the paperwork…my cabin on the ship was not guaranteed until I had paid in full.. WTF??? She planned to book a GTY cabin hence the discounted rate. I didn’t book with her

- some agents will not return calls after you’ve made the booking. There’s not a lot in it for them so the least amount of time they spend on your booking is better for them.

- a couple of months before you leave, the agent rings you in a panic and blames the 3rd party for not booking the airline etc… finds another flight for you on “Dodgy Airlines ” - it happened to me. I did get a consumer group involved in that and the agent had to fly us out earlier, reversed the last part of our itinerary and put us up in a hotel = to what we had arranged some 9 months prior.

- your OS and find that your booking does not match what you’ve paid for/ written on the invoice. Try contacting your agent then.. chances are they won’t be available - happened to me…sane agent/ trip as previous “Con”.

Direct pros

- you can get the information from the horses mouth and book it, only T&C that apply are those of the cruise line

- they sell you what they have .. although your choice to pay less with a GTY cabin or pay a little extra and get the cabin you want.

- sometimes they have deals as past passengers that are only available through them.

- sometimes months after the booking was made they can re-fare the cruise .

- anything goes wrong on the cruise , see the front desk

- if you are someone who likes to know exactly what’s going on with your booking, this is best for you IMO

- you may not get as much OBC or a cheaper deal* ( *unless you book a GTY cabin

- sometimes getting through to the cruise line is difficult - I’ve not had that issue when making a booking but others have.

I always prefer the security of a reveal agent. These days, who knows and it makes us feel better to have a travel professional on our side.

There was one more “con” I forgot to mention .. it may only apply in Australia due to our “Privacy” laws. If a travel agent makes a booking for you, you cannot get any information about your booking from the supplier .. only the agent who made the booking.

It’s ridiculous but true that you can spend thousands of dollars and not get what you actually stipulated you wanted but cannot confirm it with the supplier .. and yes it happened to me. When we came home from our trip we took action against the agent for not supplying what was on the invoice “our contract”.

Turns out the agent deliberately lied to us and that the supplier had sent them various emails telling them that what they booked was not available.

I’ve never dealt with that large well known agency again… this is also a good example of agents who are set up to look like professionals but really aren’t.. they are only interested in making “X” number of sales per month and “keeping their seat” at the agency…. Sales reps not travel agents and definitely not professional IMO.

Over the years I’ve come across many agents have not travelled that much and when they have, it’s usually a short freebie where they are given extra special care, the best rooms etc. At worst, they are great at remembering “spiels” which when you look at brochures, is often pretty much word for word from a glossy brochure !! At best, some do care about clients and do have experience and have travelled… I gave up looking for that elusive “professional” and prefer to book directly.

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Cruise Trip: Should You Work With A Travel Agent Or Book Directly?

It's never easy choosing between working with a travel agent or booking directly with the cruise line. Read on to see our take.

Let’s face it. It’s always hard deciding on whether to use a travel agent or to deal directly with a cruise line. Each option has its disadvantages as well as advantages. Also, a cruise trip is not like a road trip. There are many factors to consider. According to our opinion, we think the best scenario will involve working with a travel agent but not living everything to him—in a hands-off manner that many imagine.

Therefore, one should, for instance, check the cruise line’s website or call their representatives to get what they would offer as the best deal. With this amount in mind, call the travel agent and give him or her—the baseline price—while asking if a better deal is possible. After this, monitor price movements daily , and then inform the travel agent to get a re-price in case of a drop.

Here’s our reason.

Why You Should Work With A Travel Agent On A Cruise Trip While Still Maintaining Control

We all know this trite phrase: trust but verify. That’s the same attitude one should assume when working with a travel agent. The danger, like with most things in life, is to sit on the extremes. One extreme is to believe that booking a cruise trip directly with a cruise line is the best option— always . At the other end of the spectrum, the decision to deal with an agent—and leave everything for him to handle is a little naive, even gullible. Here’s the truth: booking directly not only feels secure but is actually secure. It’s unlikely that one will be scammed or seriously inconvenienced. Secondly, the prices of cruise lines are almost always the best one can get. Still, working fully with them may make you miss out on certain perks and incentives. And aside from the parks, there’s actually a chance that one can get a lower price when working with an agent—than the one quoted by the cruise line.

That’s the reason we advise working with a travel agent—while still doing both preliminary and continuous research throughout the trip. While leaving everything in the hands of the travel agent may appear so relieving, it’s better to be in the know regarding many travel elements to be sure of a good deal. The main advantages of working with a travel agent are: the possibility of getting better On-board credits, the agent’s ability to price adjust in cases of price drops, the possibility of getting lower prices due to group rates that cruise lines give travel agents—and the ability and competence of the travel agents to expertly handle logistics-related issues that may be hard or just impractical, especially for a novice. Remember, on a cruise trip, there could be a lot of complex nitty-gritty to consider. For instance, there are issues a couple will want to consider that a solo traveler won’t.

Related: Top 10 Best Cruise Journeys To Take In 2022

In the end, working with a travel agent while putting one’s fingers on the pulse, is the best strategy. It’ll ensure one will get the best that both have to offer. With this in mind, one should ensure his or her choice of a travel agent is the best.

How To Choose A Travel Agent For A Cruise Trip

Since we’ve advised working with a travel agent, even if still closely being involved, the next step in the process is to identify a reliable cruise trip travel agent. Let’s make this simple. It might appear odd but the best method of getting a reliable travel agent for a cruise trip is through the old, tried method of referral. While one can pour through a thousand reviews on online sites of agents, and read each and every review, nothing compares to word-of-mouth referral by a friend, colleague, or family member. A referral is important because it’s a true story of someone that’s known—and who’s close—and therefore reliable. A good step would therefore to ask for such information from a network of friends. Also, when a traveler engages a travel agent because of a referral and mentions the same to the travel agent, the travel agent will be motivated to exceed—or at least equal the desired expectations. This is because they would want to maintain that reputation as it can earn them even more business.

Related: The Best Argument For Hiring A Travel Agent In 2022

Still, even if a referral is the best way to choose a travel agent for a cruise trip, one should still check the online reviews and feedback for a big-picture perspective. Other than referrals and reviews, a good cruise ship travel agent should be someone who’s detailed and thorough. If in an initial engagement, an agent is ready to proceed with a reservation before knowing more about a traveler, then that’s a red flag. This desired information should include stuff like hobbies, personality, preferred food and drinks—and the desired type of restaurant or nightlife—among many others. It’s this information that’ll provide a profile on which basis the agent should select the cruise ship. Of course, as a traveler, one should also be involved in the selection of a cruise ship .

Here’s the take-away. For one wondering whether to book a cruise ship directly or work with an agent, the best option is to work with an agent in a close, deliberate manner. The key is to get a fine travel agent.

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The Best Ways to Book a Cruise

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money .

Not all cruise sites are created equal. While you may find comparable prices on different sites, each site has its own benefits, offers and cancellation policies. 

Before you book, though, have a look at these credit cards that come with cruise benefits to sweeten the pot even more.

What is the best way to book a cruise?

The best place to book a cruise will vary depending on what you're looking for out of the experience. We've broken out cruise booking sites based on common booking goals.

From our findings, here are the top cruise booking sites for your next vacation, plus the pros and cons they offer travelers.

For sailings across the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America: CheapCaribbean

CheapCaribbean.com is the best cruise website for the Caribbean, Mexico or Central America. It offers a best-price guarantee plus limited-time offers and discounts.

If you find a better deal within 24 hours of booking, CheapCaribbean will price match and beat it by $25. The company's customer service is available seven days a week, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.

Best-price guarantee.

Customer service is available seven days a week.

Charges a $24.99 processing fee on reservations.

Must provide an email address to receive the best deals and promos.

» Learn more: The best cruise lines

For consulting reviews from other cruisers: Cruise Critic

Cruise Critic is an independent website that encourages community members to post reviews and share tips.

Its message boards offer ways for website visitors to ask questions and share feedback with others based on their personal experiences and opinions. The site also acts as a metasearch for cruise deals, pulling in prices from multiple cruise websites.

Read cruise reviews from travelers who've been on that itinerary before.

"Deal Score" ranks deals to find the best value.

Price tracker shows 90-day trends for cruise prices.

Must click through the deal to book your cruise on other websites.

Prices are not guaranteed and can change before booking due to fees and restrictions on the sites where the cruises are being sold.

To review several cruise prices at once: CruiseDirect

CruiseDirect is the best cruise website when all you want are cruise prices. It doesn't offer hotels, flights, rental cars or other reservations you may want for your next vacation. CruiseDirect does, however, offer bonuses for travelers booking through its site.

Travelers can filter search results by destination, cruise line or departure port on various ships. This site offers cruises for every type of traveler, from budget to luxury, and every type of ship, from riverboats to mega-ships.

Bonus offers on every reservation provide extra value.

Best-price guarantee and free reservation holds.

Buy now, pay later financing options.

Promos offered by cruise lines aren't exclusive to CruiseDirect.

Customer service can be unfriendly.

» Learn more: Should you insure your cruise?

For budget-friendly options: Priceline

Priceline was originally known for its "Name Your Own Price" promotions, but has grown into a full-service online travel agency offering flights, hotels, rental cars and cruises, saving consumers more than $1 billion dollars per year.

Travelers who book a cruise with Priceline receive up to $2,000 to spend at sea, plus waived deposits on their reservations.

Up to $2,000 to spend on board.

Waived deposits of up to $500 when booking your cruise.

110% best-price guarantee within 48 hours of booking.

Ability to book flights, hotels, rental cars and more from the same site.

Must call Priceline to get exclusive offers and unpublished fares.

Restrictions make the best-price guarantee harder to benefit from.

» Learn more: Tips for getting the best cruise deals

For booking travel experiences beyond the cruise: TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor is an online reviewer community where travelers share their experiences, pictures and ratings of hotels, suggested activities and more. This honest feedback and travel inspiration also make it one of the best websites to book a cruise.

Search over 70,000 cruise deals from more than 60 sites at once.

Dedicated ship pages share details, reviews, photos and itineraries.

Too many search results make it harder to narrow down your choices.

» Learn more: Are cruises all-inclusive?

To match with a vacation planner: Avoya Travel

Avoya Travel is a family-owned website that matches travelers with a vacation planner based on their preferences. It's the best way to book a cruise using a travel planner because it offers a low-price guarantee without charging extra fees for the planner.

The downside is that online pricing is not "live." Therefore, you must speak with a travel planner to get the latest prices and book your cruise.

Match with cruise planners according to your needs.

Does not charge Avoya fees for booking, changes or cancellations.

Get a low-price guarantee and the expertise of a vacation planner without extra fees.

Must become a member to unlock the best deals.

Pricing on the website is not "live" pricing, so actual cost may vary.

Cannot book a cruise online. You must speak with an independent vacation planner.

» Learn more: The best cruise insurance right now

To book a vacation package with an airline or hotel

American airlines cruises.

American Airlines AAdvantage members can earn airline miles when booking cruises at BookAACruises.com . All members earn one mile for every dollar they spend on cruise reservations, up to 10,000 miles. Some cruise specials offer up to 100,000 miles based on your selected cruise.

If you have an American Airlines credit card, you'll earn 2x miles, up to 20,000 miles. These miles and Loyalty Points count toward airline elite status. Additionally, trips booked through this site are eligible for promotions offered by the cruise lines.

Earn miles and Loyalty Points toward travel and elite status.

Cardholders earn 2x miles, up to 20,000 miles on cruises.

Cruise experts are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Cruise reservations are offered by a third party, so customer service issues can be a challenge.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Delta SkyMiles Cruises

Delta Air Lines is another airline that allows members to earn airline miles when booking cruises through its portal. Booking through SkyMilesCruises.com helps you earn Delta SkyMiles on your purchase.

Members get up to 10,000 miles on most cruises and up to 100,000 miles on luxury cruises. Plus, the site waives deposits on eligible cruise reservations.

Can earn up to 100,000 miles when booking a cruise.

Waives deposits when booking eligible cruises.

110% price guarantee within 48 hours of booking.

Most cruise awards are capped at 10,000 miles.

Miles earned are based on the length of the cruise, not the amount spent.

United Airlines Cruises

United Airlines MileagePlus members can earn up to 25,000 miles when booking a cruise through United at Cruises.United.com .

When you have a United Airlines credit card, you'll earn up to 45,000 miles. By offering up to 4x miles per dollar spent (or 7x as a cardholder), this site is the best way to book a cruise and earn airline miles on your purchase. If you have Premier status, you receive additional perks on select cruise lines, like wine and onboard credits.

Earn up to 7x miles on cruises.

United MileagePlus Premier members receive additional perks.

Can redeem miles to pay for some or all of your trip.

Not all cruises can be booked online.

Prices do not include a nonrefundable $24.99 processing fee.

Marriott Bonvoy Cruises

If you want to earn hotel points on your cruise, Marriott Cruise with Points is the best cruise website for you. You'll earn up to 6x points on your cruise purchase, or you can redeem Marriott Bonvoy points to pay for your trip.

Plus, Marriott cardholders can earn an extra 2x points when they use that card for their purchase. While most cruises max out at 25,000 Bonvoy points earned, some luxury cruise lines offer up to 250,000 Marriott points.

Earn up to 6x points on your cruise, up to 250,000 Marriott points.

Marriott cardholders receive an extra 2x points when paying with their cards.

Can use Bonvoy points to pay for your cruise.

Redemption value of Bonvoy points is only 0.4 cent.

Must call to book cruises using points.

Processing fee of $24.99 per reservation.

» Learn more: Airline credit cards vs. hotel credit cards

For cruise package deals: Costco Travel

Costco is a retailer that offers exclusive products and pricing to its members. Through its Costco Travel website , members receive exclusive prices and benefits when booking hotels, rental cars, cruises and travel packages.

Executive Members earn 2% back on Costco Travel purchases and receive additional benefits on select packages. Plus, Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi cardholders earn 3% cash back rewards on Costco Travel purchases.

Earn 2% rewards and extra perks with Executive Membership.

Some cruises offer Costco gift cards or onboard credit.

Must be a member to book reservations with Costco Travel.

Directly with the Cruise Line

In some cases, booking directly with the cruise line can be best because it eliminates a third party. If there's a problem with your reservation or you need to make a change, you don't have to worry about the booking site and the cruise line pointing fingers at each other.

This may be the best approach if you know which cruise line you want to book and which cities you want to visit. However, you may miss out on promotions offered by third-party sites.

Simple search functions.

No hassles with third parties for problems, changes or cancellations.

Less likely to get scammed by fraudulent sites.

Miss out on deals offered by third-party sites.

Harder to compare prices, benefits and routes from multiple cruise lines.

Comparing cruise prices across websites

Without being able to compare prices, it can be a challenge to determine the best site for booking a cruise. To make it easier to compare, we priced out a 7-night Caribbean cruise for two adults. 

We selected the lowest-priced balcony room on Royal Caribbean departing from Miami in August 2023. Here are the results:

Mitigate cancellation policy risks with travel insurance

If you're worried your trip plans being disrupted by bad weather or a change of plans, travel insurance might help. This optional standalone insurance can be purchased separately from your cruise bookings.

But you might not even need to pay out-of-pocket for trip insurance because many credit cards offer travel insurance as a built-in benefit to customers who pay for travel expenses on that card.

» Learn more: The best credit cards for cruises

Travel cards with cruise benefits

You can get even more perks by booking your cruise with the right card.

on Chase's website

on Bank of America's website

on American Express' website

Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Receive 60,000 online bonus points - a $600 value - after you make at least $4,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Terms Apply.

Get 25% more value out of your points when you book cruises through Chase.

Book with your card to get automatic travel protections for your cruise.

Redeem miles as a statement credit to cover spending on cruises.

Book with your card to get automatic travel insurance coverage for your cruise.

Earn 2x points on travel spending, including cruises and some ship excursions.

Book with your card to get trip delay reimbursement, trip cancellation coverage and other travel assistance services.

Get American Express Cruise Privileges Program benefits when you book at least five nights with eligible cruise lines. Terms apply.

Cruise program benefits include $300 credit redeemable toward dining and spa services plus amenities like wine, chocolates and champagne. Terms apply.

Booking a cruise recapped

When looking for the best way to book a cruise, the price is virtually the same on every website. The difference lies in how each seller sweetens the deal.

Several cruise booking sites set themselves apart from the competition by offering additional benefits to encourage booking through them. Additionally, being able to book other parts of your trip — like flight and excursions — on the same site, or offering access to a travel agent, distinguishes some of the best cruise websites. 

When prices are the same, we recommend cruise bookers compare the perks being offered, then book on the site with the most appealing bonuses, like onboard credits, airline miles, hotel points or cash back.

If you're searching for cruises on a third-party website, you may question the legitimacy of that site. This is especially true if the site doesn't look professional or some of the information is outdated.

For this reason, you should stick with one of the best cruise booking sites on this list because they've been vetted for legitimacy and have a good track record with travelers.

Yes, last-minute deals can be the best way to book a cruise. If your travel plans are flexible, these deals can save you a lot of money. Keep in mind that you may not be able to book your preferred destination or routing if it is sold out.

Unfortunately, most cruise lines do not offer free cancellations or changes to take advantage of price drops after you book. Passengers can always negotiate with a booking site or cruise line, but they aren't obligated to refund the difference. Instead, they may offer you onboard credit, complimentary excursions or credit toward another cruise booking.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

75,000 Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's over $900 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5x-2x Earn unlimited 2 points for every $1 spent on travel and dining purchases and unlimited 1.5 points for every $1 spent on all other purchases.

60,000 Receive 60,000 online bonus points - a $600 value - after you make at least $4,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.

Comparing Cruise Line Booking Platforms: Direct Vs. Third-Party Sites

Imagine you’re sailing on the open seas, free to explore exotic destinations and indulge in luxurious experiences.

But before you set sail, you need to make a crucial decision: should you book your cruise directly with the cruise line or through a third-party site?

This article will guide you through the pros and cons of each option, empowering you to make an informed choice that suits your desires for freedom and flexibility.

Table of Contents

Pricing and Availability

When comparing cruise line booking platforms, you should consider the pricing and availability options offered by both direct and third-party sites. It’s important to have the freedom to choose the best option for you, without any hidden fees.

Direct booking with the cruise line gives you the advantage of dealing directly with the source. You can browse through their website, compare options, and find the most suitable cruise at the best price. Additionally, direct booking often provides exclusive deals and promotions that aren’t available through third-party sites.

On the other hand, third-party sites offer a wider range of options and can sometimes provide lower prices due to their partnerships with multiple cruise lines. However, it’s crucial to be cautious of hidden fees that may be added during the booking process. Make sure to read the terms and conditions carefully to avoid any surprises.

Ultimately, comparing pricing and availability options between direct and third-party booking platforms allows you to make an informed choice, ensuring that you get the best deal without any unexpected expenses.

Booking Process

To book a cruise, you can easily navigate through the booking process on both direct and third-party sites, ensuring a seamless experience every time. Whether you choose to book directly with the cruise line or through a third-party site, you’ll have the freedom to explore different options and make the best choice for your travel preferences.

When it comes to cancellation policies, both direct and third-party sites have their own set of rules. Direct sites often offer more flexibility in terms of cancellations and refunds, allowing you to make changes without incurring hefty fees. On the other hand, third-party sites may have stricter cancellation policies, as they’ve to adhere to the cruise line’s guidelines. It’s important to review the cancellation policies before making a booking, so you’re aware of any potential charges or restrictions.

Payment options also vary between direct and third-party sites. Direct sites usually accept major credit cards and often offer the option to pay in installments. Some cruise lines may even offer their own financing plans. Third-party sites may also accept credit cards, but they may also offer additional payment options such as PayPal or alternative payment methods. It’s worth exploring the available payment options to find the one that works best for you.

Customer Service and Support

For customer service and support, both direct and third-party cruise line booking platforms offer different options based on your needs.

When it comes to wait times, direct booking platforms tend to have shorter wait times compared to third-party sites. This is because when you book directly through the cruise line, you have direct access to their customer service representatives who can assist you promptly. On the other hand, third-party sites may have longer wait times as they act as intermediaries between you and the cruise line.

Refund policies also vary between direct and third-party booking platforms. Direct booking platforms often have more flexible refund policies, allowing you to cancel or modify your booking with minimal fees or penalties. They may also offer full refunds in certain circumstances, such as when a cruise is canceled by the cruise line.

Third-party booking platforms, on the other hand, may have stricter refund policies. They often have their own terms and conditions, which may differ from the cruise line’s policies. It’s important to carefully review the refund policies of both direct and third-party booking platforms before making a decision.

Loyalty Programs and Rewards

When it comes to loyalty programs and rewards, points are key.

With cruise line loyalty programs, you can earn points for every dollar spent on cruises. These points can then be redeemed for future bookings or onboard amenities.

In addition, earning points can unlock exclusive member perks. These perks can include priority boarding, complimentary upgrades, and access to special events.

Benefits of Loyalty Programs

If you’re a frequent cruiser, joining a loyalty program can offer you a range of exclusive benefits and rewards. Here are some of the perks you can enjoy:

Rewards Tiers : Loyalty programs often have multiple tiers, such as Silver, Gold, and Platinum, based on your level of loyalty. As you move up the tiers, you unlock more valuable benefits.

Member Benefits : Being a loyalty program member can give you access to special discounts, priority boarding, and onboard credits. You may also receive exclusive offers and early access to promotions.

Free Upgrades : One of the most coveted benefits of loyalty programs is the chance to receive complimentary cabin upgrades. This allows you to enjoy a higher category cabin without paying extra.

Onboard Amenities : Loyalty program members often receive additional perks like free Wi-Fi, spa discounts, and priority access to onboard activities and entertainment.

Earning and Redeeming Points

As a loyalty program member, you can earn and redeem points to unlock exclusive rewards and benefits during your cruise. One way to earn points is through cruise line partnerships, where you can earn points by booking with specific partner companies or by using their services while on board.

These partnerships can offer you opportunities to earn points faster and access additional perks. However, it’s important to be aware of point expiration policies. Some loyalty programs have strict expiration policies, meaning your points may expire if you don’t use them within a certain timeframe.

Others have more lenient policies, allowing you to accumulate points over a longer period. Make sure to understand the expiration policies of the loyalty program you’re enrolled in to ensure you can maximize your rewards and benefits.

Exclusive Member Perks

Maximize your cruise experience with exclusive member perks offered through loyalty programs and rewards. Take advantage of these member benefits and loyalty advantages to enhance your time at sea:

Priority boarding: Skip the long lines and be one of the first to step foot on the ship. Enjoy a seamless embarkation process and start your vacation stress-free.

Onboard credits: Receive credits that can be used towards various onboard amenities such as spa treatments, specialty dining, or even shore excursions. Treat yourself to indulgent experiences without worrying about the extra cost.

Cabin upgrades: As a loyal member, you may have the opportunity to be upgraded to a higher category cabin. Enjoy more space, better views, and enhanced amenities for an even more luxurious cruise experience.

Exclusive events and parties: Gain access to exclusive events and parties reserved only for loyalty program members. Mingle with like-minded individuals, enjoy complimentary drinks, and create unforgettable memories.

Flexibility and Customization

When booking a cruise, you have more flexibility and customization options when using a direct cruise line booking platform. These platforms offer personalized itineraries that allow you to tailor your cruise experience to your preferences and desires.

Whether you want to explore exotic destinations or relax in luxurious onboard amenities, a direct booking platform gives you the freedom to create the perfect itinerary for your dream vacation.

With a direct cruise line booking platform, you can choose from a wide range of itineraries that suit your interests and schedule. Want to spend more time exploring a specific port of call? No problem. With a direct booking platform, you can easily customize your itinerary to include longer stays at your favorite destinations. You can also choose from various onboard amenities, such as spa treatments, specialty dining options, and entertainment shows, to enhance your cruise experience.

Furthermore, a direct cruise line booking platform allows you to have greater control over the details of your trip. You can select specific cabin types, preferred dining times, and even add-on packages to make your cruise truly unique. This level of customization ensures that you have the freedom to design a cruise that meets your individual preferences and desires.

Potential Risks and Disadvantages

One potential risk and disadvantage of using a third-party cruise line booking site is the limited control you have over the details of your trip. When you book directly with the cruise line, you have the freedom to customize your itinerary, choose specific cabin locations, and even make special requests. However, when using a third-party site, you may find that your options are more limited, and you have less control over the details of your trip.

Here are four potential risks and disadvantages of using a third-party cruise line booking site:

Limited customization: Third-party sites may not offer the same level of flexibility and customization as booking directly with the cruise line. You may not be able to choose specific cabin locations or make special requests.

Cancellation policies: Third-party sites often have their own cancellation policies, which may differ from those of the cruise line. This can lead to confusion and potential financial loss if you need to cancel or make changes to your booking.

Hidden fees: Some third-party sites may advertise lower prices, but then add hidden fees during the booking process. It’s important to carefully review the terms and conditions to ensure you understand the total cost of your trip.

Lack of support: If you encounter any issues or need assistance during your trip, it may be more difficult to get support when booking through a third-party site. The cruise line may prioritize direct bookings and provide better customer service to those who booked directly with them.

While third-party sites can offer convenience and potentially lower prices, it’s important to weigh the risks and disadvantages before making your decision.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any hidden fees or additional charges that i should be aware of when booking through a third-party site.

When booking through a third-party site, it’s important to be aware of any hidden fees or additional charges. These can vary, so it’s crucial to read the fine print and compare prices before making a decision.

Can I Make Special Requests or Accommodations for My Cruise Booking Through a Third-Party Site?

You can make special requests for dietary or accessibility accommodations when booking through a third-party site. Enjoy the freedom to personalize your cruise experience and ensure a comfortable voyage.

What Happens if There Are Changes or Cancellations to My Cruise Itinerary? How Does This Differ Between Booking Directly With the Cruise Line Versus Using a Third-Party Site?

If there are changes or cancellations to your cruise itinerary, it’s important to know the policies. When booking directly with the cruise line, you may have more flexibility compared to using a third-party site.

Do Third-Party Booking Platforms Offer the Same Level of Protection and Guarantees as Booking Directly With the Cruise Line?

When booking through third-party sites, you may wonder about the level of protection and guarantees. Let’s start by saying that these platforms often offer similar safeguards as booking directly with the cruise line, ensuring peace of mind throughout the booking process and providing reliable customer support.

Are There Any Restrictions or Limitations to Using Loyalty Program Benefits or Rewards When Booking Through a Third-Party Site?

When using a third-party site, there may be limitations and restrictions on using loyalty program benefits and rewards. Make sure to check the terms and conditions to ensure you can take advantage of your rewards.

Scott is the passionate voice behind CruisingBuzz.com. With countless voyages under his belt, Scott's love for cruising is as vast as the oceans he's explored. Through CruisingBuzz.com, he aims to share his profound love for sailing with fellow enthusiasts and newcomers alike. When he's not writing or planning his next cruise adventure, Scott can be found gazing at the horizon, dreaming of the next port of call.

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The Best Websites to Book a Cruise in 2024

Looking for the best website to book your cruise ?

We wouldn’t be surprised if after a little bit of searching, your head is spinning a little bit.

Think of all the options you have to consider — the length of your trip, the cruise line, the ship, the date, ports of call, and more. And that’s before you even decide on which website to use to book your cruise.

Cruising is big business, and that’s why you have dozens of websites at your disposal, all competing for your travel dollars.

From the major cruise line websites like Carnival.com to major travel portals such as Orbitz or Expedia to lesser-known sites that specialize in cruises like AvoyaTravel.com, it can seem like your options are nearly unlimited… and overwhelming.

The good news? It doesn’t have to be stressful to book a cruise.

To help you out, we detailed the pros and cons of the best websites to book your cruise below. Before we get too far, however, there’s something you should know about price shopping for cruises online.

Cruise Buying Tip: Prices Are Often the Same Across Every Site

If you are worried about finding the best price for your cruise, there’s some good news and bad news. The good news is that cruise prices are usually the exact same across every single website you search .

Below are the results of a search we recently did for a July 2024 Carnival cruise from Miami aboard Carnival Celebration, with prices listed for each website:

As you can see, they all have the exact same rates. That means you don’t have to run yourself ragged trying to find the best deal.

The bad news? If you’re a deal-hunter, there isn’t some magic website that has cruise fares for dramatically cheaper than everyone else (that we’ve ever found). But there are differences on where you book.

That’s because some sites can offer perks like onboard credit or even a direct phone number to call to talk to someone with any questions you might have before you cruise.

So should you just find any random site and book your cruise? We’d suggest not. Below we lay out the advantages and disadvantage of booking with each different type of website.

For more on getting the best deal on a cruise, see our 10 Rules to Getting the Best Deal on a Cruise here .

Booking Direct Through Cruise Line Websites

It used to be that if you wanted to book a cruise, you’d visit a travel agent or call up the cruise line. You can still take those routes, but the cruise line websites make it simple to book your trip.

Every major cruise line allows you to book online and do everything from find a cruise to make upgrades, buy extras like drink packages, and pay for the trip. In other words, you can book your spot on the ship completely online at any time of the day.

Specific cruise line websites include:

• Carnival.com
• RoyalCaribbean.com
• DisneyCruises.com
• MSCCruisesUSA.com
• Princess.com

Each of these cruise line websites will allow you to be as narrow or as broad with your search as you wish. You can search all cruises, or search for trips on a specific ship, leaving a specific date, and from a specific port.

Advantages: The good thing about booking directly through the cruise line then there is no third-party company to deal with should there be an issue with your trip. Want to make a change or get a refund? You don’t have to worry about any sort of mix-up between the cruise line and another website. While this is rarely an issue, it could happen.

Disadvantages: The main drawback of using a cruise line website? It’s like going to a buffet and restricting yourself to only the salad bar.

Cruise line websites only have cruises from that line, so you are limiting your options of prices, ships, dates, and itineraries. In other words, if you’re looking for the absolute best deal or the most flexible schedule, you aren’t likely to find it searching only one cruise line.

If you are loyal to one specific cruise line, then that’s ok for you. But if you want to see all your options, it’s better to do a search on an “aggregator” website that will search all the cruise lines for that perfect vacation.

Bottom line: Know which cruise line you want to sail? Then going directly to the cruise line site is a good idea. Just know that if you want the cheapest deals or the most available cruises, then opening your search to more lines is ideal.

Booking on Aggregator Websites

While aggregator websites sound complex, they are actually just search engine for travel bookings. In fact, you’ve likely searched on these sites before for a hotel or a rental car. The sites include the big names that you’ve seen advertised heavily on TV and the Internet:

• Travelocity.com
• Expedia.com
• TripAdvisor.com

Just like searching for a hotel room, you can search these websites for a cruise across all of your options. This means being able to search across all the lines at once. They also give you the ability to narrow searches to specific dates of cruising, length of trip, destination, port of departure and more.

One thing to note is that many websites in this space are actually owned by a single company — Expedia. For instance, Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, and Orbitz.com, are all part of the Expedia family.

That means you’re going to find the same prices across these sites, along with similar search functions.

Advantages: There are two main advantages to using an aggregator website. First, they allow you to search across every cruise line.

So if you want to sail from Miami, you’ll see all the options from the port for every cruise line. That gives you a better chance of finding something that matches your budget and schedule versus just searching one line.

In addition, while aggregator websites will almost always have the same prices you’ll find everywhere else, they often offer perks you won’t find on the cruise lines websites.

For instance, a cruise might be priced the same as another website, but will have an offer of free onboard credit as an incentive to book through them. These perks usually aren’t huge, but are a nice to have.

Disadvantages: The drawback is that booking through third-party websites introduce a “middle man” into your cruise booking. The vast majority of the time that creates no issue.

However, if there is a reason where you need to change your booking or get a refund, then it could be a little more complicated than booking directly through the cruise line.

So should you use aggregator sites? We think so as they can help you look at every cruise available to find one that fits. Smart cruise shoppers use them to look at all their options and see what sort of incentives they have for booking through their site.

Bottom line: Not sure which cruise line you want? An aggregator site will search them all at once, allowing you to sort by price, date, and more. Use these to find the best deals and the most flexible dates.

Booking Through Specialized Cruise-Travel Websites

In addition to the large cruise aggregators, there are a number of smaller websites focused solely on cruises.

These sites include:

• AvoyaTravel.com
• CruisesOnly.com
• Cruises.com
• VacationsToGo.com

These websites are similar to the large aggregator websites in that they can help you search through every cruise out there to find the best deal. The difference? These websites focus solely on cruises.

With a focus on cruising, they are able to better serve cruise passengers — including having staff that you can call directly to help you book.

In other words, these sites are more akin to having your own travel agent to help you with the booking process compared to only a website.

That’s a big help if you’re not entirely sure about which cruise you should book. As well, these sites often have deals and incentives to entice you to book.

Advantages: Like the larger aggregators, the niche booking websites offer the ability to search across multiple cruise lines to see all of your options. As well, many of these sites also offer their own special incentives such as onboard credit or low deposits for booking through them.

In addition, these sites feature their phone number prominently for those who wish to talk to a person about their reservation. You don’t always find that with the large aggregation websites. Their staff are also focused on cruises, giving you someone who knows what they are talking about compared to someone with more general travel knowledge.

Disadvantages: While booking through these sites is largely the same as through the cruise line or an aggregator, we’ve found the incentives can be somewhat confusing.

For instance, one recent search promoted free gratuities on trips booked through the site, but we couldn’t find any mention of this once we actually started the booking process. Digging further, the incentive applied only to certain cruises, despite being heavily promoted.

That’s where having the phone number to call an agent of the company directly is a big help in getting things explained.

Bottom line: Sites like these offer the benefit of searching multiple cruise lines and the help of an agent you can call to help you book.

Booking Through Costco Travel

Are you a Costco member? If so, then you can book cruises online through the store. In fact, the offers are good enough that it’s usually worth it to become a member for a year just to book a cruise.

You can book online at CostcoTravel.com

Costco is well-known for its low prices, great deals, and customer service. Buying a cruise through the store might not enter many people’s minds, but it can save you big.

Like other cruise-buying websites, Costco offers rates that are in line with what you’ll find anywhere else. However, the big difference is that Costco offers special incentives to book through their site. This includes Costco Shop Cards — a gift card to the store.

Advantages: While the deals change from day to day on aggregator websites, Costco’s incentives are simple and straightforward. If you book through them, then they offer Costco Shop Cards. The amounts can be high as well.

For example, we found a cruise offering a $45 Costco Cash Card for booking the cheapest stateroom for just $409. In other words, that deal is like getting 11% off the price of your cruise . The cash increases substantially with upgraded cabins.

Disadvantages: First, in our searches, sometimes Costco’s pricing seems to jump around quite a bit. So you’ll see one price, click through, and then another price appears. Even so, sometimes that works in your advantage with seeing lower prices than you thought. Sometimes it doesn’t, but the Costco Shop Card more than makes up the difference.

The other disadvantage is that you need to be a member of Costco to book. An annual membership costs $60. In addition, the Costco Shop Cards are only valid at the store. It’s not the same as actual cash.

Bottom line: Costco can offer great cruise deals if you are a member, but not everyone is.

Final Recommendation for the Best Websites to Book a Cruise

Costco Members: If you are a Costco member, then we suggest CostcoTravel.com as the best website to book a cruise. It’s the largest and simplest incentive we’ve seen for booking online. Prices are competitive, but the cash back offers provide a lot of value. Just be sure to compare the total price there with what you find on other sites before booking.

Non-Costco Members: If you aren’t a Costco member and don’t want to join, then we suggest looking first at the specialized cruise travel sites to search all your options and find the cruise you want.

If the site offers a good incentive for booking through them, then know that you’ve found a good deal. If the incentive isn’t that strong or you don’t want to go through a third-party to your reservation, then booking directly through the cruise line is your best bet.

FAQ About Booking Cruises Online

How do I know if a website is legit to book a cruise? There are dozens — if not hundreds — of websites that you can use to book your cruise. Frankly, not all of them look professional, so it is understandable you might question the legitimacy of a website or their deals.

We suggest you stick with the websites mentioned here or other well-known spots.

Above all, remember the age-old rule that if something sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Be wary of any websites advertising cruise deals that are significantly less than the same cruise priced elsewhere.

What about booking last-minute cruise deals on websites? It makes sense that if a cruise cabin is about to sail empty the price would drop to fill it up. In reality, this doesn’t usually happen. In fact, cruise lines consistently have occupancy rates above 100% — meaning that more than two passengers are in some cabins.

By waiting until the last minute you aren’t likely to find great deals, but it will mean that you have fewer cabin choices. It’s best to book earlier compared to later.

What if I book on a website and the price drops? Cruise prices can fluctuate. It’s possible that if you book one day, the next day the price may go down. The good news is that the price is unlikely to move much (unlike airfare).

So what do you do if the price does change? In that case, you’ll want to contact the website that you booked through — not the cruise line (unless you booked through the cruise line’s website). For example, if you book through CostcoTravel.com, then contact them first for any price drops you see.

Have more questions about the best website to book a cruise? Let us know in the comments below.

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CruiseCompete.com allows you to get quotes from multiple travel agencies by requesting a quote only once. You open an account for free, enter the date/cruise you want to go on (their site has info on itineraries, dates, etc) and then travel agents will respond with their pricing and special deals (OBC’s, etc).

I totally agree. I know people like to think they’re getting a “deal” but there aren’t that many deals out there. Most websites and TA’s are basically selling the same thing, for the same price. Where you will find better “value” sometimes though, is with a travel agent that can help put the pieces of the trip together for you. You’re getting more personal service, without paying more. A nice little bonus when we booked through an online TA was that we received an onboard credit that we weren’t expecting, which was nice. The deals likely come with whatever credit card you use, getting points or cash back. Some cards are pretty generous with their cashback on certain things.

You are dead wrong about costco cash cards. As a costco member you can cash the cards at any store for actual cash money. Done so many times.

That’s a good tip.

What about booking thru an independant, or franchise, agent? ONLY an indepent person is able to/allowed to give you back some of their commission. Most often as OBC – but heck $100 of OBC pays your gratuities. fyi: There are THOURSANDS of agents that have the SAME inventory as Cruises Only. ALL under the World Travel Holding Umbrella.

Vacations to go has a amazingly well laid out web site with every imaginable ship or itinerary feature. Just check it out and see. Great price and incentives as well

Why no mention of “www.Vacationstogo” ? I booked many at a reduces price on their website.

you didn’t mention booking through credit card companies. For instance, you can earn points for booking your cruise through Capital One, or, if you have discover you can earn 5% cash back through booking a cruise. Also, There are a few other sites such as Sears or Shop Your Way where you can book vacations. It’s not just going to the travel aggregator sites. if you can’t find a lower price, at least you can get a discount through these card companies. If you have the card that is.

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Should I book a cruise directly or use a travel agent? - Cruises Forum

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Hello everyone;

I emailed an agent and they said they don't give a discount. So what is the advantage of going through a travel agent from your experience?

Thank you for the advice.

20 replies to this topic

If you have a particular cruise in mind, shop around to see what kind of deal you can get, including if buying direct.

I tend to book through travel agents for a greater discount but that's about your lot.

People spend little time in cabins except for sleeping resting and changing. On your cruise see if you can spot anyone on a balcony. $$$$$ more expensive but cruisers will tell you generally not worth the money. We had an outside a few times. You are not going to see much throw the cabin window and you will probably look only once . A large inside can be excellent value

The saver fare won't get you much apart from a cabin but the extra for the select is hardly worth it. I can always find cheap parking. Ships dock next to most ports so most people walk. The extra spending money can be as little as a 1/3 of the extra $$$$ pp on a select fare

So agent for lower overall price and cruise company for a little more protection and flexibility.

Pay by visa credit just in case

PS if you are booking with an agent in USA it looks like you may get perks. Sadly across the pond here in the UK zero perks using an agent.

shop around most TA's do not discount but they will give perks

Some will have Group rates even if you are just the 2 of you

My TA in the USA give pre paid gratuities & OBC some will give other deals depends on the line you are booking & if they offer pass through perks to the agency

If they belong to a consortium they may have better perks

You live in my area, so I can say with confidence, "Use an agent!" then back it up with examples. You will get either perks or on board credit - or both- through a travel agent. You won't get anything from the cruise line they're not offering *everybody*.

Much more important: you have someone to go to bat for you if the cruise line makes a mistake. That's priceless!

But first: what decisions have you already made? Like: when do you want to go, where do you want to go, how long do you want the cruise to be, and have you already decided on a cruise line?

Is it just 2 of you in one cabin?

DO NOT book airfare through the cruise line!!!!

The travel agent *might* do it free as a favour, but you'll likely have to book air yourself. And, you want to fly out of Detroit Metro, right? DTW?

You need to fly into the cruise port and stay at least one night before the cruise for insurance/missing the cruise reasons. If you want to see the cruise port itself, you should stay TWO nights before the cruise to give yourselves a sightseeing day. I seldom do that for Florida ports, but San Juan Puerto Rico and San Diego are gorgeous ports you could spend a WEEK each in, and not see everything.

Insurance is absolutely vital for Canadians - the usual package of cancellation, luggage and so on, but out-of-Canada medical is urgent. You MUST read the policy through, and it's vital to answer the questionnaire carefully and truthfully.

If you don't like the travel agent's out of country medical? Another alternative is insuremytrip.com, 800-551-1337, and male sure you ask for a CANADIAN AGENT. Buy US insurance accidentally and it's $$$ and worthless.

Which agent? Well, my home town agency is rock solid, but if you don't hit it off with the agent you're given? Ask for another.

CAA is pretty good, and you don't need to be a member to book.

I suspect you'll wind up on a Royal Caribbean ship if you haven't picked another line. I did. That's because Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has a very high satisfaction rating, and travel agents want happy passengers who come back and cruise again.

DO NOT book a first cruise with a USA online discounter like VacationsToGo.com or SmartCruiser.com. There are pitfalls for Canadian newbies. You'll get pitched USA insurance for one thing, because the process is automated and impersonal.

I always type these "tl:dr" posts, but there is so much you need to know....like I plan cruises a year ahead for best price and cabin choice.

90-120 days before sailing is "last minute."

Feel free to send me a private message - I could even give you my phone number that way. If this post doesn't seem helpful? Apologies: there's a lot of tips to share.

Omitted Chatham agent!

https://www.vellingastravel.com/

Book in person or by phone IMO.

Most people here in Canada & the USA use CC paying in cash is a UK thing & not usually done here

Except with Viking cruises

For us on this side of the pond if they ask for cash/debit that is a major red flag for us

Just my opinion

I will add to Fannish's post

if you have a brick & mortar agency in your area go in & have a chat with them & see if they meet your needs ask lots of questions

We have used T.I.PS. & RSA in the past had to file claims & they were very good with refunds

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6 Reasons to Book Your Cruise (or Travel) with a Travel Agent

Same or lower price, more added value and they have your back.

Not everyone knows that I started out as a cruise-oriented travel agency owner from my home in Michigan in 1992. I became a cruise junkie at age 8 but it wasn’t until a high school reunion that my friend Marci (who sold airline tickets from her home) told me that it was possible to be a home-based travel agent.

A few months later, after hanging around my neighborhood travel agency and sponging up all I could to book a cruise for clients, I opened my own agency.

Why am I telling you this? To let you know that I am well-versed in both sides of the business…from how to book your cruise direct through the cruise line, first as a consumer and then as a cruise seller.

So, to all of you Do-It-Yourselfers (that was me!), skeptics and control freaks, here’s why working with a cruise-oriented travel agent will save you money, time and even add unexpected perks and value.

Constant updates.

Every day travel agents receive email updates from cruise lines. From health reports and new menus to refurbishments and changes in itineraries. Calling the cruise line directly to get all of this info takes time and quite often that person doesn’t know the answers.

Save time. Forget the DIY.

I know some people (true do-it-yourselfers) who hate to relinquish their vacation planning to someone else. But if time is money, if someone else can get you a better price with more value, plus offer insight into why or why not the ship you thought you’d like wouldn’t be a good match, then using a cruise-oriented travel agent is your smartest solution. You don’t need to spend hours every evening and weekend scouring the internet to book your cruise with the best deal.

Travel agents have an inside track when they book your cruise.

All good travel agents have a close relationship with their salesperson (Business Development Manager) for each cruise line. I used to say that a BDM could pull a rabbit out of a hat. Just because the cruise line reservationist looks at a computer screen and says a certain type of stateroom isn’t available or the specialty restaurant is sold out, your travel agent’s savvy BDM can jump in and save the day. I have had it happen dozens of times.

Where are they?

The best way to find a really great cruise-oriented travel agent is a referral from friends or family. You can look on the website for the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) to find a cruise-certified travel agent in your area. Head over to the American Society of Travel Agents and find a certified travel agent. Also check out TravelSense.org to find a travel agent that specializes in cruise vacations.

With everything done electronically, I’ve had clients from all over the world book cruises with me in years past. If your neighbor in San Diego has a terrific travel agent in Poughkeepsie, it doesn’t matter.

Whether the travel agent works in a storefront or is home-based, they all have access to the same pricing structure. Where the difference lies is how well they know their product, their cruise line representatives and their actual experience in the cruise industry.

Keep in mind that a travel agents who works in a 9-5 store front agency may not always be available should you have an emergency over the weekend. However, some of those agencies have a 24-hour support number.

You don’t save money when you book your cruise direct through the cruise line.

People still believe to book their cruise, if they do it themselves and go direct through a cruise line reservationist, they’ll save the money that would have gone to pay a travel agent. This simply isn’t true. In fact, a travel agent may have special access to lower rates, find onboard credits to redeem as cash on the ship or add a bottle of wine or Champagne. They can arrange a special celebration event, whether a birthday cake at dinner, cabin decorations or even a wedding at aboard ship or at sea.

Membership is everything.

Almost all travel agents belong to a travel consortium. Consortiums are huge travel companies that negotiate better rates, onboard perks and amenities with the cruise lines plus hotels and other travel-related venues. This can give a travel agent a huge advantage over someone who books direct with the cruise line. Just ask.

Hiccups, delays and unfortunate situations happen.

Before, during or even after your cruise, trouble can arise. If you booked with a travel agent (who also recommended travel insurance which you purchased) should something go sideways, you can contact them directly to help resolve the problem; your travel agent can intervene when you cannot.

Miss your flight and need new connections? Is your stateroom realistically unsatisfactory and the front desk won’t do anything? What about help filling out insurance forms after you return home? That’s only a fraction of what a travel agent is trained to do.

They can guide you to choose the best cruise line for you.

A good cruise travel agent has been on dozens of cruises as well as ship inspections in port. They know their ships and what the cruise experience would be like on a particular cruise line. They also have first-hand knowledge of the ports and shore excursion info gleaned from hundreds of clients and other travel agents.

Every year, travel agents meet with destination representatives at major industry events to learn what each port has to offer. Combine this knowledge with knowing what you’re looking for in your cruise vacation. It takes the guesswork out of choosing the wrong ship, cruise line or even itinerary.

Need I say more. As the expression goes, “Without a travel agent, you’re on your own.”

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Hi Helaine, so nice to hear from you! I’ll send you an email so I can get more info on your cruise. Thanks for subscribing to my newsletter. Best regards, Sherry

Hi Sherry, I’ve been following your blog recently, and it is fun and interesting. David and I are going on a Princess cruise to Alaska in about a month. Still working on shore excursions. Any suggestions? Sounds like you are doing great. I see Jamie on FB. You two look so much alike. Take care, Helaine

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Updated on September 23, 2022 by Sherry Laskin

• Celebrity Cruises

Book direct with cruise line or travel agent

By Cordelia , November 6, 2013 in Celebrity Cruises

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Would be interested in how you book your cruises for the best rates, service, upgrades, etc. Cruise line direct or travel agent/booking agency

The one I used this yr. didn't do the job I expected based on other yrs.

Appreciate any suggestions

Hope to cruise more!:confused:

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I have used a travel agent for every cruise I have booked - they have always been able to get me the same price as the cruise line, but with better perks (usually in the form of OBC). I see no reason to book directly with the cruise line, and plenty of reasons not to.

Would be interested in how you book your cruises for the best rates, service, upgrades, etc. Cruise line direct or travel agent/booking agency The one I used this yr. didn't do the job I expected based on other yrs. Appreciate any suggestions Hope to cruise more!:confused:

See a good discussion of this subject in previous thread at

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1583565

I do a lot of research myself, but use a TA for the booking. That's worked well for me so far. If you weren't happy with your TA, hunt for a better one.

We do the work ourselves so we only need someone to book it.

We use an on line TA, have done for some time. She rebates us back anywhere from 8-12 percent of the commissionable fare in the form of OBC'c.

So for us, that is like getting a free cruise for every nine or ten we take. Certainly better than Celebrity's Elite perks!

I do a lot of research myself, but use a TA for the booking. That's worked well for me so far. If you weren't happy with your TA, hunt for a better one.   --------------- Same here! I simply tell our long time TA what we want and she books it for us and deals with any issues that may happen. We do NOT lose control of our cruise. Either she are one of her partners are always available to make any changes for us promptly.   While we do get OBC & gifts from her, that's not the reason. We like having her deal with the cruise line. Also, we like the insurance she sets up for us with the same coverage as the cruise line but less expensive.   LuLu ~~~~

phoenix_dream

We used to always book onboard, but stopped doing that with all the sales that required 'new bookings'. Then we booked online, but saw TA's offering a lot of extra perks. Now we usually use a large online TA but there are disadvantages. Primary are two: An extra cancellation charge if we needed to do that, and most important - the inability of this particular TA to be available on week-ends. Sometimes special prices or rooms come available on the week-end and we want to grab them but have to take a chance and wait until Monday or lose all the extra perks. Very frustrating. Land based TAs are usually available at least on Saturday mornings, but few offer the same kind of deals as the online TA's.

I always book directly with the cruiseline and 99.99% of the time on their website. For CCL and RCL I have shares of company stock so can get the OBC on any of their related cruiselines. Once and a while I see a couple more dollars offered by a TA then what I can get but never enough to entice me. I never have had a problem booking directly and can't even imagine the down side.

I think I know the agency you're talking about & you might want to shop around. I won't book with them anymore for the reasons you mentioned, particularly the cancellation charge, which I think is $50pp even if before FP. I use an online TA & they have no cancellation charge, have very nice amenity offers, and are open on Saturdays....and it's not a nightmare trying to actually speak with your agent!

junetraveler2014

Hi, we always use a local TA. We use the one most informed for cruising. Reason: we cruised on the Zenith to Bermuda from NY Sept 8, 2001. 911 happened, and although we finished our cruise we ended up in Baltimore with no way home. Called our TA from the ship, she made all the arrangements, we were home 6 hours later. Never know, so we want someone that knows us and will work for us and we always get her when we call. Hope this helps.

Is it against Cruise Critic rules to name here specific online Travel Agents that people are happy with? I would be very interested in some recommendations. We just booked directly with Celebrity, and although we got a sale price, we didn't get an OBC or other perks, so I should probably check around a bit.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.

Happy Cruiser 6143

It is against Cruise Critic rules to name any specific travel agencies.

I use a local agent. I've used her for years and have been very happy with her services. I tell her what I want, including what cabin. She deals with Celebrity when they screw up. I don't have to spend time on the phone with the Captain's Club or whoever. I could probably get a few $$ more OBC by using one of the big online agencies, but I like having someone who knows me and is in my corner.

Example: on my upcoming Reflection cruise, unable to access shore excursions or even sign up for the connections party. I rarely book Celebrity shore excursions, but there are several in St. Thomas which ferry you to St. John. Better than taking a cab to and from Red Hook to catch the ferry. According to the roll call, those excursions were filling up fast (obviously before Celebrity decided to launch its "new and improved" website). My TA was able to get us booked. I did not have to spend time on the phone with Celebrity. That's worth a lot in my book.

Is it against Cruise Critic rules to name here specific online Travel Agents that people are happy with?...

Yes. Cruise Critic is supported by advertising, including a few travel agents, so they generally do not allow TA's to be named in posts and they also do not allow links to web sites of TA's or travel web sites that might be considered as competing with Cruise Critic for travel advertising.

Is it possible to send people private messages like you can on tripadvisor?

We do the research ourselves, but in the end we use a cruise travel agent to do the actual booking for several reasons.

First we sometimes get a lower cruise fare (vs booking on-line with Celebrity).

Secondly, we get some money back in the form of pre-paid gratuities and/or OBC above and beyond what you can get by booking on-line with Celebrity.

Thirdly, after we book, this agent watches for price drops and new promotions and has helped us take advantage of them to save more money.

Finally, we have been booking the family cabins and you cannot book them on-line very far in advance--if at all (requires a phone call to Celebrity if you don't want to use an agent to book the FV).

Hi Kim, nope it is not possible. The PM feature does not work.

My suggestion is to search around your area (city, town) where you

live. Talk to a few travel agencies that you can see live in person. See

how it goes....if you get a good vibe and feel comfortable with them.

It is your $$$....find someone that specializes in cruising.

attilamom1217

We use a TA. We can book online or call directly. We not only get OBC from the TA, we also get a discount on our travel insurance. We also get whatever promotions the cruise line is offering - so it is a win-win situation using the TA. We get a good deal and the TA gets a commission!!

We did have a problem on one our cruises in the past. Those who used a TA were able to get a nice coupon for a future cruise (we got $200/person); while friends of ours who booked through the cruise line got only $50/person. Our TA was able to bundle the letters of complaint and forward them to the cruise line - the old adage - safety in numbers! Too many unhappy cruisers is not good for business.

Sailawaytoday

We always leave the ship with a reservation for our next cruise. We are able to get the "best pricing" at the time of booking, deposits are often less, and we get an onboard credit. The reservation is automatically switched to our travel agent (a brick and mortar agent not in our geographic area who has a large online presense) , who rebates part of the commission as OBC, gratuities or some other amenity depending on the value of the booking.

We monitor the pricing up to final payment, and if something better comes along, we switch. Sometimes we lose our Celebrity credit, sometimes not. We've never lost our cabin selection.

There is never any harm by booking onboard as a starting point. I'd say the times we've reworked our reservation after the fact is more than 50-50, but we've only been helped by the initial booking.

We always use a travel agent. I'll book the air, hotels, transfers, etc., myself but I prefer to have a travel agent between me and the cruise line.

However, that being said, when I mentioned to her that we were looking for a hotel for the night before our early morning flight, she was able to get us a great hotel for the night with 16 days of parking included for FAR less than what the parking alone would have cost. That kind of service is why we use a travel agent. :)

It is a matter of tradeoffs.

You lose control of your reservation when you give it to a travel agent and must rely on the TA to make changes and payments for you as you are no longer able do it yourself.

Your payment information even disappears from your own Celebrity account because the TA essentially "owns" the reservation.

I was just comparing two cruises that we have booked:

- one that we booked ourselves and did not transfer to a TA,

- the other one where we are using a TA.

Looking at the reservation that we control ourselves, it displays

our payment summary as well as the payment details.

We can see all our payment information, as well as the timetable and charges for cancellations.

We can make a payment or cancel the reservation.

We can add or update guests and change our dining preferences.

We can edit Family and Friends to link reservations.

On the reservation booked through the TA, we can't do any of these things.

We can't even see our own payment information on our account.

We must contact the TA each time and ask the TA to make the changes or payments for us.

If the TA is not immediately available, it means leaving voice mail messages or sending emails back and forth.

So if you are wondering why we even bother to use a TA, it is for the perks we get from the TA that we would not get otherwise.

When a TA does not offer significant perks (as sometimes happens with the last minute deeply discounted closeout prices), we don't bother to use a TA at all.

But when booking the higher priced cabins, or multiple cabins, we find that they make it very worthwhile to give them our business.

Still, it always pays to check because sometimes they will offer nice perks even on the last minute discounts, or offer discounted prices that do not show up on the cruise line's own site.

SPacificbound

We never use a travel agent regardless of the length of the trip, be it land or sea. The planning is half the fun, plus we have control, not a travel agent.

publicpersona

I recommend to those who have never cruised to use a brick and mortar travel agency who can listen to your particular desires and choose the right cruise line/ship/itinerary for them.

We about to take cruise #40, so we know more about the cruises appropriate for us than any travel agent could possibly know. We book through an online agency to get a few $$$ OBC. The bottom line cruise price is all I care about.

happycat Bainbridge Is

I always look at all the websites that give pricing information and then call a TA -- I have always ended up getting the same price as the best website or online deal, but I also have gotten some nice other perks, like OBC, paid gratuities -- and most recently, a heads up on the 1-2-3 perk about to be offered -- she re-booked and got us the free drink packages and the same great price. It was a pretty great deal.

I have been very dissapointed in the quality of info and service from the three or four travel agents I have tried. One in particular was a locally well known 'high end' TA who specialized in cruises. The info available on this forum simply trumps that of most agents and oftentimes the cruise reps themselves who are often uniformed. That said we have booked our last four cruises using a well known warehouse club. There prices are excellent and transparent, service is good, and a little known but huge benefit is the super competitive and flexible insurance they offer. If I was booking a cruise far out I would probably book with the cruiseline getting OBC and cabin I preffered and transfer to warehouse club closer to cruise. We did this on our last cruise and had 625 in OBC and saved approx. 500 on the base cruise fare upon transfer. JMHO as I know there is no 'right' answer to this question.

Celebrity only allows you to transfer a booking for 60 days after you book.

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FinanceBuzz

Going on Your First Cruise? 10 Essential Tips to Save Money

Posted: February 26, 2024 | Last updated: February 26, 2024

Booking a cruise is an investment, and the options — especially for first-timers — can be mind-boggling. 

From where and when to book? What to bring? What activities to schedule? There are a lot of options and you'll want to avoid wasting money when planning for your first cruise.

If you’re planning your first cruise, here is a list of tips to help you get the most out of your experience and your dollar.

Earn Points and Miles: Find the best travel credit card for nearly free travel

Book directly through the cruise line

Sometimes you can get better deals or even free upgrades by directly calling the cruise line and making your booking.

Once you’ve narrowed down the geographic location and a few cruise lines that fit your style, search for the best prices online. Then call the cruise lines to see if they can offer you a lower price that keeps more money in your bank account .

Strike a connection with the agent and you may even find yourself with a free cabin upgrade.

Are you a homeowner? Don't let unexpected home repairs drain your bank account.

Use a travel agent who specializes in cruises

Finding that perfect destination and cruising style can feel like a puzzle. Maybe you’re more about historical locations than beach resorts, but you wouldn’t mind a party atmosphere.

Or maybe any tropical destination will do, but you’re set on fine-dining and Broadway-level entertainment. An experienced travel agent will know which specific cruises check the boxes on your dream list.

And even though an agent might seem more expensive than shopping online on your own, if you use one of the best travel credit cards to book your trip, you’ll potentially make up some of the difference in cash back or rewards.

Get deep discounts by booking last minute

It’s possible to book a cruise directly with the company one to three days before departure and save up to 50%.

Although this works best if you live near a port city, many cruise lines also have deals with airline companies, so don’t pass up a cruise leaving from a destination that’s not close to you.

Keep an eye on your schedule and a handful of trips, be flexible with your requirements and give the cruise line a call three days or less before a cruise departure. You might be surprised at the offers that are available.

Research your cruise line’s alcohol pricing

Cruise lines have vastly different alcohol policies and prices, and while purchasing an all-inclusive beverage package for the trip may seem like a stress-free option, it might not be necessary.

Some beverage prices are exorbitant while others are just slightly higher than what you would find landside.

Do a bit of research beforehand on the cruise forums and reviews, calculate how much you typically drink while on vacation, and then decide if those packages are worth it.

Research your cruise’s non-alcoholic beverage prices

Some cruise lines provide beverages such as coffee or juice but charge for sodas and bottled water. Those same cruise lines might allow each passenger to bring a 12-pack of their favorite non-alcoholic beverages onboard — or they may not. 

How they handle beverages, might be one of those hidden cruise line costs you hear about.

You can avoid some extra spending if you pack a refillable water bottle — perhaps even one with a filter for shore days — and packets of flavored drink powder that you can mix in.

Pro tip: Book with the right credit card and you could earn cash back , saving even more on your trip or extra purchases. 

Book a shore excursion through a local tour company

While your cruise company may offer some fantastic shore excursions that would be difficult to arrange on your own, do some comparison shopping before your trip. In particular, check out the tours available with any local companies.

A quick search will show you reviews and options, and you may find a more unique, intimate, and economical experience.

For the truly adventurous, make friends with other cruise passengers and hire a local guide in-person at the port, which is usually the hub of activity. Creating your own shore excursion can help stretch your paycheck a bit further .

Rent a car and create your own tour

Renting a car in a port city is almost always easy to do. Plus it can give you some freedom and get you away from the cruise ship crowds. This is an especially great budget alternative if you’re booking one of those beach destination cruises that work with large resorts whose tour options might be expensive.

Do some research on your port city and map out locations you would like to visit. With well-known car rental companies, you can book online beforehand. Local car rental companies are typically within walking distance of the port, and often an agent can meet you right at the ship.

Pack smart and make your life easier

Typically there are no baggage limits on cruise lines. But in a tiny cabin and with a limited schedule, paring down will simplify your life and help you focus on your cruise experience.

Bring separates that are easy to mix and match instead of single outfits. Pack your bathing suit in your carry-on so you can hit the deck chairs immediately on disembarkation day, and go for shoes that can serve double-duty, like stylish orthopedic sandals or closed-toed shoes rather than flip flops and dress shoes.

Finally, don’t forget a messenger bag or backpack and portable battery charger for shore days, and never underestimate the usefulness of a rollable, washable tote bag for the beach.

Keep your cabin tidy and useful

Speaking of making your life easier, there are a handful of gadgets that will help maximize cabin space. Keep your cabin neat with a hanging, rollable toiletry bag and travel pill organizer.

Don’t worry about a converter — most cruise ships are outfitted with 120v power outlets — but outlets are usually limited, so bring along a multiport USB hub.

Don’t disregard those touristy spots

We’ve all seen a thousand photos of social media influencers, perched at the top of those incredibly photogenic white-washed stairs on Santorini Island at sunset. But as much as we all want our own unique experience of a destination, you know what’s truly unforgettable?

Being at the top of Santorini, clinking wine glasses at sunset.

Sometimes those crowded tourist hot spots are on postcards and all over social media for a reason. Don’t skip out on an iconic place if it really will be a fantastic experience.

Bottom line

Although booking and going on a cruise can seem like a budgeting nightmare, there are ways to save money. For instance, you can shop ahead of time and save on trip essentials with these Amazon shopping hacks . 

You can enjoy the experience while you  keep more money in your bank account . Don’t let money stop you from creating your dream trip — just be smart with your spending and it can truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

More from FinanceBuzz:

• 7 things to do if you're scraping by financially.
• 6 genius hacks Costco shoppers should know.
• Can you retire early? Take this quiz and find out.
• Are you a homeowner? Get a protection plan on all your appliances.

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• Cunard Line

Book direct or through Travel Agent?

By DaisyUK , January 4, 2023 in Cunard Line

Recommended Posts

Apologies if this question has been asked and answered previously. I have searched the forum and cannot find anything that refers. I am wondering whether most of you book direct with Cunard, or through a Travel Agent and, if the latter, the reason why and whether you receive a discount by so doing? 

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Unfortunately, I can't give any names out here but I have been lucky enough to find a wonderful agent. He has been the go between Cunard and ourselves for many years. He does not discount but the service he gives us is beyond a discount and everyone I have recommended him to, books with him.

There will be others like him ''out there'' and it's often a question of word of mouth which unfortunately, as I said, can't be done on here.

Good luck. 🙂

Always book through a specialist cruise tA and not a High St national TA. They always are cheaper than booking direct with Cunard direct. Can be as much as 5% discount which can be a significant amount.

35 minutes ago, majortom10 said: Always book through a specialist cruise tA and not a High St national TA. They always are cheaper than booking direct with Cunard direct. Can be as much as 5% discount which can be a significant amount.

I do agree about a cruise specialist  rather than general travel agents but I will add not all agents add a  discount to any Cunard pricing so are therefore not necessarily cheaper but find a good one and the personal service given will be beyond discounts. However, if discounts are important to anyone, there's plenty of research to be done via Google etc.

I use a well known cruise specialist. I think it is important to have someone who is used to doing business with Cunard. If you saw them, you could probably recognise them by baldness, as a result of the hair they have torn out over the years. 😀 But I much prefer having them deal with problems then having to gird myself up to do it myself.

11 minutes ago, Victoria2 said: I do agree about a cruise specialist  rather than general travel agents but I will add not all agents add a  discount to any Cunard pricing so are therefore not necessarily cheaper but find a good one and the personal service given will be beyond discounts. However, if discounts are important to anyone, there's plenty of research to be done via Google etc.    

Well I have very good cruise specialist TA who has won many awards on a yearly basis, gives excellent service and gave me 5% discount on price booking direct. When you are paying thousands of pounds for you cruise that 5% discount can run into a considerable sum of money.

9 minutes ago, majortom10 said: Well I have very good cruise specialist TA who has won many awards on a yearly basis, gives excellent service and gave me 5% discount on price booking direct. When you are paying thousands of pounds for you cruise that 5% discount can run into a considerable sum of money.

Then we are both happy bunnies.

I book onboard (Cunard voyage sales office)  The benefit is that the deposit is low and the OBC is often 'very generous' and as a return guest a 5% discount is offered  . The voyage sales office transfer the booking to my preferred 'CRUISE SPECIALIST' here in the UK ( who is a Cunard preferred agent) This cruise specialist in turn offers me a further discount ( approx 3%)   from the original booking invoice .  

21 minutes ago, exlondoner said: I use a well known cruise specialist. I think it is important to have someone who is used to doing business with Cunard. If you saw them, you could probably recognise them by baldness, as a result of the hair they have torn out over the years. 😀 But I much prefer having them deal with problems then having to gird myself up to do it myself.

I think mine will also have suffered from the same cruise induced Trichotillomania!  😀   It's been a heck of a few years for our agents and here's hoping for a return to some sort of new normality for them all. We are certainly doing our best to help ours return to ''normal''. 👍

7 minutes ago, Victoria2 said: I think mine will also have suffered from the same cruise induced Trichotillomania!  😀   It's been a heck of a few years for our agents and here's hoping for a return to some sort of new normality for them all. We are certainly doing our best to help ours return to ''normal''. 👍

To be fair, I imagine it has been equally awful for the Cunard staff at Carnival House, perhaps more so. And I will say that when I have spoken to Cunard direct, say about blankets rather than duvets, they have been universally charming and helpful, and nearly always effective.

5 minutes ago, exlondoner said: To be fair, I imagine it has been equally awful for the Cunard staff at Carnival House, perhaps more so. And I will say that when I have spoken to Cunard direct, say about blankets rather than duvets, they have been universally charming and helpful, and nearly always effective.

I'm positive Cunard agents have been equally challenged over the last few years and my hope for a sort of normality extends to all agents, independent or at Cunard. 

I'm glad you got the bedding issue sorted. Our agent sorted that out for us years ago.

28 minutes ago, Bell Boy said: I book onboard (Cunard voyage sales office)  The benefit is that the deposit is low and the OBC is often 'very generous' and as a return guest a 5% discount is offered  . The voyage sales office transfer the booking to my preferred 'CRUISE SPECIALIST' here in the UK ( who is a Cunard preferred agent) This cruise specialist in turn offers me a further discount ( approx 3%)   from the original booking invoice .  

Excellent way of booking if the cabin ''you'' want is available at the time. We used to do exactly as you described before our choice of cabins became more limited. Now we book on release.

Or we used to buy future credits to be utilised if the itineraries hadn't been released. Maybe one day those will be re introduced.

Solent Richard

40 minutes ago, majortom10 said: Well I have very good cruise specialist TA who has won many awards on a yearly basis, gives excellent service and gave me 5% discount on price booking direct. When you are paying thousands of pounds for you cruise that 5% discount can run into a considerable sum of money.

26 minutes ago, Bell Boy said: I book onboard (Cunard voyage sales office)  The benefit is that the deposit is low and the OBC is often 'very generous' and as a return guest a 5% discount is offered  . The voyage sales office transfer the booking to my preferred 'CRUISE SPECIALIST' here in the UK ( who is a Cunard preferred agent) This cruise specialist in turn offers me a further discount ( approx 3%)   from the original booking invoice .  

I use the same one @Bell Boy . The preferred Cunard agent that got you to the Queen Anne event in London a couple of moths ago I believe. 

14 minutes ago, Victoria2 said: Excellent way of booking if the cabin ''you'' want is available at the time. We used to do exactly as you described before our choice of cabins became more limited. Now we book on release.   Or we used to buy future credits to be utilised if the itineraries hadn't been released. Maybe one day those will be re introduced.

Indeed the demise of further cruise deposits for UK bookers is much lamented. But seeing how much prices have risen of cruises I booked when they were released, I’m glad I didn’t wait to book on board.

Unfortunately there are no direct Cunard staff in Southampton anymore as they are all employed by Carnival UK and deal with both Cunard and P&O. I phoned Southampton on 2 occasions last year one for. Cunard and one for P&O with regards price and availability and was dealt with by the same person even though different telephone numbers were rung. Sign of the times and personally think service has suffered that is why I don't book direct.

15 minutes ago, exlondoner said: Indeed the demise of further cruise deposits for UK bookers is much lamented. But seeing how much prices have risen of cruises I booked when they were released, I’m glad I didn’t wait to book on board.

I agree. Let's hear it for ''Dynamic pricing''! 😀

The price of one of our cabins rose dramatically and yet still sold out. Mind you, cabins selling out now and actually completing the purchase come time to pay the rest of the invoice  might be a different matter.

Cunard (and P&O) provide around 8% commission to travel agents, it is from this they can provide their discounts. 3-6% is my historic range for discounts through booking with travel agents (online/phone) with 5% discounts being where the most competitive (on price) agents currently offer.

I always book with an agent due to the discounts, it seems foolish that Cunard/P&O don't post discount codes online of a similar value (5%) like other marketing teams in other companies do to divert price conscious consumers away from agents. Any savvy consumer will know where to look to find these and it's better than coughing up 8% commission (or rather not being paid as much for the cruise because Cunard is paid net of commission, I believe).

Agents, for fly cruises (both P&O and Cunard), are available to offer special rates if they create their own packages. In the past, some of these have been extremely well priced, to the point where it is cheaper to book the package with flights and extra nights hotel accommodation in departure/arrival ports included than just pay the cruise only price directly with Cunard. However, from my experience, OBC has never been offered with these cut price deals vs. what you'd get with paying for the Cunard fare. 

Finally, it is possible, if you've booked with an agent before, to book on board availing yourself of the extra OBC for doing so and transfer your booking to that agent. You then get the discount and the extra OBC. 

The only exception was a recent P&O booking of very low value (<£500) where I booked direct because the discount would have been very small and may not have been honoured due to tiny commission being made. 

2Oldpeopleinlove

Dissenting voice here. Perhaps I’m a control freak,but we tried using an agent once, and I disliked the remove from direct communications. We’ve never had the drama with calling Cunard that many here describe. I prefer direct contact, and we’ve had deals we’re quite satisfied with booking onboard.

david,Mississauga

From reading these replies - and those on similar discussions - one might get the impression the best reason for using a TA is to get a discount. In Canada, discounts from TAs are not common. My reason for using a TA is service.  It is not for a possible discount or for the gifts we have received from our TA on board. 

This year is the 50th anniversary of our first Cunard voyage. Two of the crossings we had would not have been possible without the assistance of our cruise specialist.  When the cruise line says: "No, it can't be done" an experienced TA - especially one with connections with the line - can get things done.

A while back a CC member said it was nonsense to say that a TA works for you as opposed to the cruise line. Based on my experience in the past 50 years that person is wrong.  

 Fortunately, Canadians are still able to purchase future cruise deposits so we find there is no advantage for us to book on board.

3 hours ago, 2Oldpeopleinlove said: Dissenting voice here. Perhaps I’m a control freak,but we tried using an agent once, and I disliked the remove from direct communications. We’ve never had the drama with calling Cunard that many here describe. I prefer direct contact, and we’ve had deals we’re quite satisfied with booking onboard.

Thank you all for your various replies which I read with interest. Generally speaking we have always booked through an agent, mainly in order to get a good discount (in the region of 8-10% with RSSC). However, our agent only gives 2% discount for Cunard cruises (obviously because they don't get as much commission from Cunard as they do from RSSC).

The comment above (2Oldpeopleinlove) resonated because I have had problems with indirect communications with Cunard. For example, when we booked our last cruise, I might have missed it altogether had I not booked direct because it was my agent's day off and there was only one suite left in the category we wanted to book. 

For an 8-10% discount on an expensive cruise I'm happy to deal with an agent, but in my experience I have had better service from the cruise line direct (Cunard and RSSC). Perhaps I just haven't found the right agent yet!

Anyway, thanks again to everyone who responded..

3 hours ago, david,Mississauga said: From reading these replies - and those on similar discussions - one might get the impression the best reason for using a TA is to get a discount. In Canada, discounts from TAs are not common. My reason for using a TA is service.  It is not for a possible discount or for the gifts we have received from our TA on board.    This year is the 50th anniversary of our first Cunard voyage. Two of the crossings we had would not have been possible without the assistance of our cruise specialist.  When the cruise line says: "No, it can't be done" an experienced TA - especially one with connections with the line - can get things done.   A while back a CC member said it was nonsense to say that a TA works for you as opposed to the cruise line. Based on my experience in the past 50 years that person is wrong.      Fortunately, Canadians are still able to purchase future cruise deposits so we find there is no advantage for us to book on board.

I heartily agree with all you say.

Superb service from your cruise TA is beyond any offer of a discount and as I have said before, ''you'' really  find out how good your agent is when you  need them to sort ''things'' out for you. 👍

2 hours ago, Victoria2 said: I heartily agree with all you say. Superb service from your cruise TA is beyond any offer of a discount and as I have said before, ''you'' really  find out how good your agent is when you  need them to sort ''things'' out for you. 👍      

But even better when you get a good discount and superb service from one of Cunard/P&Os leading cruise TAs and award winning on a regular frequency.

We used an agent recommended by a friend who cruised at least six times a year until falling victim to ill health. The agent shows no sign of losing any of her blonde locks.

We only travelled on one B2B TA that she booked, but due to the pandemic it was the 5th sailing she booked for us, and we ended up with almost 40% more value than originally paid. She spent 6 months fighting with Cunard over a miscalculation of FCC they had made. Eventually she resolved the matter in our favour. We didn't need to do anything.

We won't be going to anyone else for our next booking.

1 hour ago, majortom10 said: But even better when you get a good discount and superb service from one of Cunard/P&Os leading cruise TAs and award winning on a regular frequency.

I am really happy for you to have such a good discount and superb service from one of Cunard's leading cruise TAs and award winning on a regular basis.

Some people like to broadcast their savings eg discounts. Others, like myself  prefer to keep a lid on transactions, safe in the knowledge our TAs are indeed, invaluable. 🙂

On 1/4/2023 at 7:54 PM, majortom10 said: But even better when you get a good discount and superb service from one of Cunard/P&Os leading cruise TAs and award winning on a regular frequency.

Good morning Major. 

I've noted that here in the UK there are a number of 'TAs' who have in the past been employees of some of the larger online agents and who have purchased a named cruise agent 'franchise' . The majority  of these franchise are sold and overseen  by a reasonably well known cruise company operating in the UK.

Hence with good reason an other member has indicated that the usual discounts, that you, I and @Bell Boy  receive, are not forthcoming. There is an extra mouth to feed.

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You can't trust a cruise deal: Here's how to actually get the best value on your next sailing

"Yeah, right," I muttered while staring at a deal on Royal Caribbean's homepage last week. A countdown clock just below the promotion told me that I only had seven hours, 40 minutes and 28 seconds left to pounce on the offer before it would magically disappear.

I knew it wasn't true. That deal would be back the next day.

I've been tracking the big promotions from the major cruise lines since November. Royal Caribbean , Norwegian Cruise Line , Carnival Cruise Line and a handful of other brands have been running the same standard bargains on their websites for months, each one claiming to have limited-time status.

What began as Black Friday promotions were repurposed and rebranded for wave season — the period during the first quarter of each year when cruise lines offer some of their best deals . Some have been extended as far out as the end of June.

At first, I was thrilled that travelers had additional time to take advantage of the deals. On second thought, I realized that if a deal is set to run for more than half the year, it's no longer a true deal. It becomes the standard baseline for fares and inclusions. All the pressure to book right this second is being manufactured by the cruise lines.

Want to get the best bang for your buck when you book? Don't take a cruise line's deals at face value when it's offering dollars off or percentage discounts off the so-called regular rate.

Here's why those offers you're eyeing right now aren't anything new or special and what you should be looking for instead.

For more cruise guides, news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG's cruise newsletter .

The truth about cruise deals

Cruises are selling so well in 2024 that cruise lines don't need to offer deep discounts or extra perks that will make passengers salivate. In fact, inventory is already limited for the summer and into the fall for many lines. When there's enough demand, the deals don't have to be as good — and right now, they aren't. Sure, that high-percentage discount might catch your eye, but with cruise fares at all-time highs, you might not be saving as much as you think.

Plus, instead of offering extra perks (such as free drinks or Wi-Fi) as part of a limited-time promotion, cruise lines are either making them part of extra-fee packages or making them standard inclusions and pricing sailings accordingly.

Holland America , Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises will sell you "all-inclusive" package add-ons . Additionally, NCL continues to give passengers the same Free at Sea add-ons it's offered for years. Don't think you're getting something for nothing when the line gives you booking perks, such as free basic Wi-Fi and alcohol packages, shore excursion credits, complimentary dining in specialty restaurants, and free third and fourth passengers when sharing a cabin.

With that in mind, don't let those countdown clocks or "Ends today!" banners fool you. Cruise lines are notorious for pressuring passengers to book by making it seem as though their deals will expire in a matter of hours or days. When that timer runs out, the offers are almost always extended.

How you can actually save on your next cruise

So, if cruise deals don't always offer the value they appear to on first blush, what's a traveler to do to ensure they're not overpaying? Here are some ways to save on your next booking.

Crunch the numbers

You can't trust exclamations of "2-for-1 fares" or "60% off" to indicate low prices. You need to know what the cruise you're eyeing usually costs to know when a better-than-average fare is on offer. Track cruise fares for your sailing, and it will be easier to determine whether you're scoring a deal when a cruise line offers you a discount. Fifty percent off a sailing isn't necessarily a bargain if the rates have increased first.

Also be sure that you're figuring out the true cost per day to see if you're paying an amount that's acceptable to you; the cruise fare is only the beginning. Most prices you see advertised are just the base cabin rate, per person, per night. Those numbers don't include taxes, port fees, daily gratuities (automatic service charges that can be more than $20 per person, per day on some lines) and things like travel to reach your embarkation port, hotel costs if you're heading into town early and spending for incidentals like drinks, shore excursions, souvenirs and spa treatments.

Set price-drop alerts

If you don't have time to look up cruise fares across several sellers every week, you can easily outsource that task. Use a website such as Cruiseline.com or Cruisewatch to set up price alerts for the ships and itineraries that interest you. If fares drop, you'll receive a notification that it might be time to book.

Use a travel agent

Do you know who already knows what cruises should cost and are experts at identifying great deals? Travel agents . Work with a trusted, cruise-knowledgeable adviser who can find you the absolute best fares and, perhaps, throw in a few extra complimentary add-ons. Plus, if something goes wrong during your voyage, you have a point of contact to make necessary arrangements on your behalf, which can also save you time and costly mistakes.

Be strategic about when you cruise

You will pay more or less for your cruise based on when it sails. So what's the best time to cruise ? If you're looking to save, try booking a sailing that departs during shoulder season or hurricane season (June through October), when prices tend to be lower. You might also want to avoid busy holiday and school break periods, when sailings are in the highest demand.

Be strategic about when you book

The timing of your booking relative to the sailing date is also a factor. It used to be that passengers could reel in lower prices for booking both well in advance of their cruises and also at the last minute. These days, with cruises soaring in popularity, last-minute deals are more difficult to come by than they used to be.

The best time to book is actually as early as possible. Plan to book months, if not years, in advance for the best pricing, as well as the best availability for the type of cabin you prefer.

Consider cabin type

This might seem obvious, but I'll remind you anyway: You'll almost always pay less for a windowless inside cabin than you will for any other type of accommodation on a ship. If all you plan to do in your room is sleep and shower, this could be a solid option if you want to save some cash.

You might also want to consider booking a guarantee cabin , which is another way to enjoy discounted rates. You'll be assigned a cabin in your chosen category, but you won't be able to choose which specific one it is. (Be warned that this could mean you're stuck in a room with an obstructed view or one that's near a noisy elevator or underneath the pool deck or kids club.)

Look to older ships

If you don't want an inside cabin and don't want to leave your fate in the hands of the guarantee gods, try pricing out a voyage on an older vessel. As a general rule, the older the hardware, the less expensive it tends to be to sail on it. The rule mostly applies on popular routes, such as in the Caribbean or Alaska, where you have a choice of ships. If the older ship is the only one on a far-flung, exotic route, the prices might not be as low.

Leverage points, miles and credit card offers

If you've racked up tons of points or miles, and you're looking to take a cruise, you can sail for less — or even for free — if you book through a portal like United Cruises , American Airlines Cruises or the American Express Cruise Privileges program, and apply your points or miles toward the cost. It's not always the best redemption value, but it will save you money versus paying outright for the entirety of your voyage.

Additionally, if you have a credit card that's offering extra points on gift card purchases, buy gift cards for your favorite cruise line, and use them to pay for part or all of your sailing.

Bottom line

Only you can decide whether a particular cruise offer is a good deal for you when you weigh your vacation budget against the fares you're paying and any extras your cruise line might include in the cost. Just because a cruise line is telling you something is a deal or a special limited-time offer doesn't mean you're getting especially good value for your money. When the same promotion runs for months on end, you need to dive deeper to find discounts — and not just depend on the cruise line to alert you to them.

Want to score an actual bargain on your next cruise? Find out how:

• More than 30 money-saving tips from an expert cruiser
• 6 ways to snag a deal on a cruise
• 15 ways cruise newbies waste money when they sail
• Try this trick for saving money on your next cruise
• Did you know you can book a cruise at Costco?
• How to get the most from points and miles when cruising
• Ways to cruise in a suite for less