19 Best Websites To Book Cruises at the Cheapest Prices [2022]

So, you’ve decided you want to go on a cruise. Great news! But, do you know where to book it to get the best price?

There’s no shortage of websites out there that can help you book a cruise. There may even be more options to book cruises than hotels or flights. In addition to the traditional online travel agencies, there are a bunch of cruise-only sites that you can choose from, too. So how do you know which site offers the best price? That’s where we come in.

We combed through the most popular websites used to book cruises to look at their pros and cons and to do some head-to-head price comparisons.

If you’re only concerned about finding the cheapest price, scroll down to the price comparison section at the bottom of this post to see how all of these sites stack up against each other.

1. Cruise Line’s Website

Your first instinct when booking a cruise may be to go directly to the cruise line’s website, especially if you have elite status with a specific cruise line. There are definitely some benefits to this — it’s simple and there are fewer hassles if you have to make any changes.

If you’re sure of the cruise line you want to take, it makes your search a little easier because you’re just looking at 1 specific line.

The big drawback when booking directly on a cruise line’s website is that you can miss out on extra deals that online travel agencies (OTAs) may offer.

Pros and Cons of Booking Directly with the Cruise Line

Pros:

• Simpler search functions make it easier to locate specific cruises

Cons:

• You might miss out on extra deals offered by other sites

Bottom Line: No matter where you choose to book your cruise, be sure to use the right credit card — refer to our list of best credit cards for cruises to get you started.

2. CheapCaribbean.com

CheapCaribbean.com is an OTA that specializes in travel to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. The site, which was founded in 2000, prides itself on offering the best prices and great U.S.-based customer service. Their sales agents, called “Beachologists,” are available 24 hours a day to help you plan your ultimate Caribbean vacation.

Despite their name, you can book cruises to destinations other than the Caribbean through CheapCaribbean.com, including Europe, Canada, Hawaii, and Alaska.

CheapCaribbean.com sometimes offers extra bonuses when you book with them, like extra onboard spending credit. Plus it offers a 110% best price guarantee — if you find the exact same cruise for a cheaper price on another website within 48 hours of booking, CheapCaribbean.com will refund 110% of the price difference.

The not-so-great thing about CheapCaribbean.com is that it charges a $24.99 processing fee on each booking. It’s lumped into the taxes and fees, so you may not realize it unless you read the fine print.

Pros and Cons of CheapCaribbean.com

Pros:

• Occasional special deals like extra onboard credit may be offered
• 110% best price guarantee

Cons:

• $24.99 processing fee on each booking
• You need to sign up for emails or call in to book a cruise if you want to access exclusive deals

Hot Tip: Want to save more? CheapCaribbean.com offers exclusive deals to email subscribers and offers unpublished fares and exclusive offers if you call in to book your cruise. 

3. Cruise Critic

Cruise Critic is a cruise-focused website that features reviews, tips, and advice to a huge community of cruisers. The Cruise Critic forums provide a place to ask questions, give advice, and get help booking your next cruise.

The site also acts as a metasearch engine for cruises, allowing you to compare prices from lots of other websites. You can search for your perfect cruise and when it’s time to book, Cruise Critic will transfer you to another site to complete your booking.

Pros and Cons of Cruise Critic

Pros:

• The site offers lots of cruise reviews, plus cruise tips and a travel forum to help you plan your trip
• You can sign up for email alerts so you’re notified when the price of a cruise drops

Cons:

• The prices you see are not guaranteed and may be subject to other fees or restrictions depending on what website they are from

4. CruiseDirect

CruiseDirect is a website that specializes only in cruises. The site allows you to quickly search cruises by destination, cruise line, departure port, or last-minute deals. You’ll find lots of different types of cruises, from budget to luxury and from mega-ships to riverboats.

With each cruise listing, you’ll see bonus details underneath the pricing. Some of these are already reflected in the price and some are extras like onboard ship credit or discounts on shore excursions.

Pros and Cons of CruiseDirect

Pros:

• Bonuses are offered with each cruise ranging from discounts, shipboard credit, or discounts on shore excursions

Cons:

• The bonuses offered are often from the cruise line and not exclusive to CruiseDirect, so you can get them regardless of where you book

5. Priceline

Priceline gained fame from its “Name Your Own Price” feature but has since transformed into a more traditional OTA. In addition to hotels, flights, and rental cars, you can use this site to book cruises, too.

Priceline often offers deals above and beyond what’s being offered through the cruise line. At the time of writing, a few different deals offered perks like $1,000 in onboard credit or a 2-category room upgrade (you’ll need to call 800-735-8000 to access some of these deals).

Plus, it offers a 110% best price guarantee — if you find a lower price for the exact same cruise within 48 hours of booking, you’ll be refunded 110% of the price difference.

Pros and Cons of Priceline

Pros:

• Extra deals like onboard credit or room upgrades are sometimes offered
• The site offers a 110% best price guarantee

Cons:

• Priceline advertises hidden deals and lower pricing if you call, which can be a negative if you’re looking for a simple way to book your cruise

Hot Tip: For more information, check out our detailed guide on booking travel with Priceline.

6. Tripadvisor

While you might think of Tripadvisor as just a place to get reviews and photos of hotels, restaurants, and activities, it’s actually much more than that. In addition to reviews and traveler forums, Tripadvisor acts as a metasearch engine, comparing prices on lots of other websites.

When you’re searching for a cruise, just click on the drop-down arrow that tells you how many deals there are — then you’ll be able to see that cruise’s price on many sites.

Pros and Cons of Tripadvisor

Pros:

• It offers lots of great ship reviews and travel forums
• It’s a great site to quickly compare prices on many sites at once

Cons:

• You may not be able to see all the deals being offered on each site

Hot Tip: For more information, check out our detailed guide to booking travel on Tripadvisor.

7. Cruisewatch

Cruisewatch is another metasearch engine and OTA that focuses solely on cruises. It monitors over 25,000 cruises and combines that information with price history and reviews to help you choose the best cruise at the best price. You can see price predictions for your selected itinerary and set up alerts that will email you whenever the cruise you selected drops in price.

If you’ve got some flexibility, you can check out their selection of price drops, last-minute deals, and best cruise deals. Plus, there’s lots of information that helps you quickly compare cruise lines, cruise ships, and destination ports.

One of the big red flags we found with this site is buried in the terms and conditions — post-purchase price increases. This policy states that Cruisewatch can charge your credit card for any price increases that may happen after you purchase your cruise!

On top of that, the charges for taxes and fees aren’t broken down, so you can’t see exactly what taxes and fees you’re being charged.

Pros and Cons of Cruisewatch

Pros:

• You can set up price alerts so you know when the price of your cruise drops
• Price predictions

Cons:

• Post-purchase price increases
• Taxes and fees aren’t broken down

Hot Tip: When booking a cruise through an OTA, be sure to use one of the best travel credit cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve® because it earns 3x Ultimate Rewards points on cruises purchased from any website or travel agency.

8. CruisesOnly

CruisesOnly claims to be “the best” because each of its call center agents is an industry-certified expert that has gone through extensive training and accreditation programs.

While that might be helpful if you’re new to cruising or need some advice about which cruise line, ship, or destination you should choose, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the best price (scroll down to the Price Comparison section to see how CruisesOnly stacks up against other websites).

CruisesOnly also has its own loyalty program. The V.I.P. Customer Loyalty Club is free, and you’re signed up automatically if you have booked with CruisesOnly at least once before. Benefits include things like shore excursion credits, onboard spending credits, or deposit waivers.

CruisesOnly’s best price guarantee is similar to other sites — a refund of 110% of the price difference if you find a lower price on an identical cruise within 48 hours of booking.

Pros and Cons of CruisesOnly

Pros:

• The V.I.P. Customer Loyalty Club is free and offers plenty of benefits
• The site offers a 110% best price guarantee

Cons:

• The site, like many other OTAs, can be very busy, making it hard to narrow down to the cruise you really want to take

9. Expedia

Expedia might be one of the first websites you visit to search for flights or hotels (and it’s probably a site you have used for a long time), but did you know that you can book a cruise through Expedia as well?

The site is straightforward, easy to use, and offers cruises from all the major cruise lines. While Expedia doesn’t charge any booking fees, it also doesn’t offer any price guarantees. However, you can sometimes find additional bonuses for booking your cruise through Expedia.

Pros and Cons of Expedia

Pros:

• The site sometimes offers extra bonuses like onboard credit

Cons:

• No price guarantee is offered

Hot Tip: For more information check out our complete guide to using Expedia.

10. Kayak

Kayak is a popular metasearch engine that will search other websites to show you who has the best deal on flights, hotels, and more. When searching Kayak for a cruise, you’ll enter your search criteria and then be transferred to Cruise Critic. Once on Cruise Critic’s platform, be sure to use the Fare Insights dropdown to get an idea of whether or not you’re getting a good deal.

Pros and Cons of Kayak

Pros:

• It’s a great site to quickly compare prices on lots of other sites at once

Cons:

• You may not be able to see all the deals being offered on each site

Hot Tip: For more information, check out our complete guide to using Kayak to book travel.

11. Orbitz

Orbitz is a typical OTA that offers flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages, and cruises. There are no booking fees on cruises and a price guarantee is offered. However, the price guarantee isn’t as strong as some of the other sites — you’ll need to find a lower price within 24 hours to receive the difference in price as a refund.

One of the nice things about Orbitz is that it offers a rewards program. But, unfortunately, cruises are not eligible for Orbitz Rewards.

Pros and Cons of Orbitz

Pros:

• It offers a best price guarantee

Cons:

• Cruises aren’t eligible for Orbitz Rewards

Hot Tip: For more information, check out our complete guide to using Orbitz to book travel.

12. Cruises.com

Cruises.com is another site that claims to be the best place to book your cruise. It can offer some impressive deals, but once you read the fine print, well, you realize there’s a lot of fine print!

For example, a deal was offered for up to $1,500 to spend onboard. However, after reading the fine print you’ll notice that in order to get the full $1,500 you’d have to spend $20,000+ on a cruise. To top it off, the bonus is based on the base fare for 1 person only, not the total price of your cruise.

So while the deals offered could be lucrative, they aren’t necessarily a slam dunk.

Cruises.com offers the 110% best price guarantee that you’ll find on many cruise sites — if you find a lower price for an identical cruise within 48 hours of booking, you’ll be refunded 110% of the price difference.

Cruises.com also has its own loyalty program. It’s free and you’re signed up automatically if you have booked with Cruises.com at least once before. Benefits include things like shore excursion credits, onboard spending credits, or deposit waivers. Benefits are identical to those offered through the CruisesOnly loyalty program.

Pros and Cons of Cruises.com

Pros:

• The site offers a 110% best price guarantee
• A loyalty program is offered for past guests

Cons:

• There is a lot of fine print with its offers

Hot Tip: Cruises.com and CruisesOnly are both owned by World Travel Holdings, along with other websites, including Cruise411.com. These sites offer the same loyalty program and similar perks, however, their prices can be different.

13. American Airlines Cruises

Did you know that you can book a cruise through American Airlines? The best part is that when you do, you’ll earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles for your purchase (in addition to any points or miles you will earn from your credit card!).

• Earn 1 AAdvantage mile per $1 spent on cruises booked through American Airlines (up to 10,000 miles)
• American Airlines credit cardholders will earn 2 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent on cruises booked through American Airlines (up to 20,000 miles)
• Earn 20,000 to 100,000 bonus AAdvantage miles on select cruises:

Cruise Line
Bonus Miles You Can Earn on Select Cruises

Ama Waterways
10,000 AAdvantage miles

Azamara
20,000 AAdvantage miles

Carnival Cruise Line
10,000 AAdvantage miles

Celebrity Cruises
20,000 AAdvantage miles

Norwegian Cruise Line
20,000 AAdvantage miles

Oceania Cruises
10,000 AAdvantage miles

Regent Seven Seas
100,000 AAdvantage miles

Royal Caribbean
20,000 AAdvantage miles

Seabourn
100,000 AAdvantage miles

Silversea
10,000 AAdvantage miles

Hot Tip: Miles earned by booking a cruise through American Airlines will also count as new Loyalty Points that help you earn American Airlines elite status.

American Airlines Cruises also offers a 110% best price guarantee — if you find the exact same cruise priced lower within 48 hours of booking, you’ll be refunded 110% of the price difference.

The bad news is that you’re charged a $24.99 processing fee on every booking.

Pros and Cons of American Airlines Cruises

Pros:

• AAdvantage members have the ability to earn lots of American Airlines miles and Loyalty Points
• The site offers a 110% best price guarantee

Cons:

• There is a $24.99 processing fee on every booking
• The miles aren’t useful if you don’t fly American Airlines

Bottom Line: While you can book a cruise through American Airlines, you can’t use AAdvantage miles to pay for it.

14. Delta SkyMiles Cruises

In addition to flights, you can book a cruise through Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles Cruises and earn Delta SkyMiles at the same time.

The number of SkyMiles you’ll earn is based on the length of the cruise you book:

Length of Cruise
Number of SkyMiles You Will Earn

1 to 5 nights
1,500 SkyMiles

6 to 8 nights
3,000 SkyMiles

9 to 12 nights
5,000 SkyMiles

13+ nights
10,000 SkyMiles

Additionally, you’ll be able to earn bonus points on select cruises with these select cruise lines:

Cruise Line
Bonus Miles You Can Earn on Select Cruises

Ama Waterways
10,000 SkyMiles

Azamara
20,000 SkyMiles

Carnival Cruise Line
10,000 SkyMiles

Celebrity Cruises
20,000 SkyMiles

Norwegian Cruise Line
20,000 SkyMiles

Oceania Cruises
10,000 SkyMiles

Regent Seven Seas
25,000 SkyMiles

Royal Caribbean
20,000 SkyMiles

Seabourn
25,000 SkyMiles

Silversea
20,000 SkyMiles

SkyMiles Cruises also offers a 110% best price guarantee — if you find the exact same cruise priced lower within 48 hours of booking, you’ll be refunded 110% of the price difference.

Pros and Cons of Delta SkyMiles Cruises

Pros:

• Earn extra Delta SkyMiles
• 110% best price guarantee

Cons:

• There is a $24.99 processing fee on every booking
• The SkyMiles are not useful if you don’t fly Delta
• Bonus miles are minimal unless you book a very long cruise

Bottom Line: While you can book a cruise through SkyMiles Cruises, you can’t pay for your cruise with Delta SkyMiles.

15. United Cruises

When you book a cruise with United Cruises you can choose to either earn United MileagePlus miles for your purchase or you can use MileagePlus miles to pay for your cruise!

United Cruises offers different ways to earn miles on your next cruise:

• Earn 2 MileagePlus miles per dollar spent on an interior or oceanview stateroom
• Earn 4 MileagePlus miles per dollar spent on a balcony stateroom or suite
• Any United MileagePlus credit cardholder will earn up to 7 MileagePlus miles per dollar spent on qualifying cruises (up to 45,000 points)
• Earn 20,000 to 100,000 bonus miles when you book select cruises:

Cruise Line
Bonus Miles You Can Earn

Celebrity Cruises
50,000 MileagePlus miles

Crystal River Cruises
75,000 MileagePlus miles

Hurtigruten Cruises
50,000 MileagePlus miles

Paul Gauguin Cruises
25,000 MileagePlus miles

Ponant
100,000 MileagePlus miles

Princess Cruises
30,000 MileagePlus miles

Royal Caribbean
20,000 MileagePlus miles

Seabourn
100,000 MileagePlus miles

United Cruises offers a 110% best price guarantee — if you find the exact same cruise priced lower within 48 hours of booking, you’ll be refunded 110% of the price difference.

Unfortunately, United Cruises charge a $24.99 processing fee on every booking.

Bonuses for United Premier Members

If you have any Premier status with United Airlines you’ll also receive onboard extras with select cruise lines:

• Norwegian Cruise Line
  • A bottle of wine and chocolate-covered strawberries in your stateroom
  • $100 spa credit
• Oceania Cruises
  • $200 onboard credit
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises
  • $250 onboard credit

Use United MileagePlus Miles To Pay for Your Cruise

Paying for your cruise with miles is a great option to have. Unfortunately, you’ll lose out on some value if you do so.

When you book a cruise using United Miles, you’ll get about 0.7 to 0.8 cents per mile in value. United miles are generally worth around 1.3 cents per mile (or more if you’re booking business or first class flights), so you’re getting less value than you could get if you used your miles for a flight.

However, if you have a bundle of United miles and prefer cruising to flying, it might be a good redemption for you.

Pros and Cons of United Cruises

Pros:

• MileagePlus members have the ability to earn lots of extra miles
• United Premier members receive extra perks with Norwegian, Oceania, and Regent Seven Seas Cruise Lines
• The site offers a 110% best price guarantee

Cons:

• There is a $24.99 processing fee on every booking
• MileagePlus miles are not useful if you don’t fly United

Bottom Line: When you choose to book your cruise through United Cruises, you can either earn United MileagePlus miles on your purchase, or you can pay for your cruise using your United MileagePlus miles.

16. Marriott Bonvoy Cruises

Marriott Bonvoy partners with Cruise With Points to allow you to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on your purchase, or you can choose to pay for your cruise with Marriott Bonvoy points!

When you book a cruise through Marriott, you’ll earn up to 3 points per dollar spent. Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit cardholders will earn an extra 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per dollar spent on a cruise booked through Marriott Bonvoy Cruises.

Marriott Bonvoy also offers a 110% best price guarantee — if you find the exact same cruise priced lower within 48 hours of booking, you’ll be refunded 110% of the price difference.

Hot Tip: If you book a cruise through Marriott Bonvoy, know that you’ll be charged a non-refundable processing fee of $24.99. That’s a pretty hefty fee considering many other sites don’t charge any fees.

Use Marriott Bonvoy Points To Pay for Your Cruise

It’s a great option to be able to pay for your cruise with points, and Marriott Bonvoy makes that possible. However, it’s not the best way to use your Marriott Bonvoy points.

When booking a cruise with Marriott Bonvoy points, you’ll only get 0.4 cents per point in value. Since Marriott Bonvoy points are generally worth about 0.7 cents each, you’ll be missing out on some value. You might want to look into other ways to redeem your Marriott Bonvoy for hotels or flights.

Pros and Cons of Marriott Bonvoy Cruises

Pros:

• Members can earn extra Marriott Bonvoy points
• You can pay for your cruise with Marriott Bonvoy points
• The site offers a 110% best price guarantee

Cons:

• You’ll be charged a non-refundable processing fee of $24.99 per reservation
• Marriott Bonvoy points are not useful if you don’t stay at Marriott hotels

Bottom Line: When you book a cruise through Marriott Bonvoy, you can pay for your cruise with points or you can choose to pay cash (I mean, credit card!) and earn Marriott Bonvoy points on your purchase.

17. Costco Travel

Costco Travel is an in-house travel agency that’s only available to Costco members. Costco offers 2 levels of membership: Gold Star for $60 per year and Executive for $120 per year. Executive membership comes with a valuable extra perk for travelers — 2% back on your purchases through Costco Travel (up to $1,000)!

Another great thing about Costco Travel is that you’ll sometimes find deals that offer extra shipboard credit or a Costco shop card as a bonus.

Costco Travel is easy to use and offers all of the search and filter functions found on any other website.

Pros and Cons of Costco Travel

Pros:

• Executive members receive 2% back on purchases through Costco Travel
• Costco shop cards or onboard credit are sometimes offered as a bonus

Cons:

• Costco Travel is for members only

Hot Tip: For more information, check out our detailed post on using Costco Travel.

18. Cruise.com

Cruise.com is a cluttered website and can be overwhelming when you’re searching for a cruise (especially if you’re a first-time cruiser and not quite sure how everything works). It offers lots of deals and discounts, but many of those are actually offered through the cruise line, so it can be hard to tell which bonuses are actually coming from Cruise.com.

Cruise.com appears to have the ability to book your flight right along with your cruise. However, in practice, that feature was unavailable at the time of writing.

Pros and Cons of Cruise.com

Pros:

• Lots of deals for a variety of cruise lines are offered

Cons:

• The website is very busy and cluttered
• No price guarantee is offered

Hot Tip: Don’t be confused — Cruise.com and Cruises.com are 2 separate websites!

19. Travelocity

Travelocity is a website that many travelers use to book flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises. The simple interface and the fact that there are no booking fees will make this a good choice for many travelers.

While Travelocity doesn’t advertise as many deals and savings as other sites, the price still manages to come out about the same as other websites.

Pros and Cons of Travelocity

Pros:

• There are no booking fees
• Simple interface

Cons:

• No rewards program or extra bonus points

Hot Tip: For more information, check out our complete guide to booking travel with Travelocity.

Price Comparisons

Let’s get to the important part — price comparisons! We priced out a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise from Galveston, TX on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. Prices are for 2 adults in the least expensive balcony room that’s available.

Booking Website
Total Price
Extras

American Airlines Cruises
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $50 onboard credit, 6,845 miles (3x per $1) and Loyalty Points

CheapCaribbean.com
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $100 onboard credit

Cruise.com
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $50 onboard credit

Cruise Critic
N/A

CruiseDirect
$2,281.78
$75 Visa gift card and 10% off of shore excursions booked through CruiseDirect

Cruises.com
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $50 onboard credit, $50 Visa gift card

CruisesOnly
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $100 onboard credit, $100 Visa gift card

Cruisewatch
N/A

Delta SkyMiles Cruises
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $50 onboard credit, 3,000 Delta SkyMiles

Expedia
$2,821.78
None

Kayak
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $50 onboard credit, $50 to $100 Visa gift card

Marriott Cruises
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $50 onboard credit, 6,845 Marriott points (3x per $1)

Orbitz
$2,821.78
None

Priceline
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $100 onboard credit

Royal Caribbean
$2,508.78
None

Travelocity
$2,821.78
None

Tripadvisor
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $50 onboard credit, $50 to $100 Visa gift card

United Cruises
$2,281.78
Free prepaid gratuities, a free specialty dinner for 2 people, $50 onboard credit, 9,127 United Miles (4x per $1)

As you can see, most websites offer the same price. The difference comes in the extras like onboard credit, free specialty dinners, free gratuities, or bonus miles.

The exceptions in this example were Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity. All 3 of these sites were priced $540 more than the other sites. The Royal Caribbean site was also priced higher than most of the websites.

Bottom Line: The base cost of a cruise is generally the same across most websites. The big difference comes in the extras — onboard credit, specialty dinners, cash-back, or bonus miles. 

Final Thoughts

No matter where you book your cruise, you’ll be paying the same base price 9 times out of 10. Even though a website might be offering “the best prices” or a “50% discount,” when you actually look at the numbers they’ll usually be the same as every other website.

To get a great deal, you’ll need to look for bonuses that a particular website is offering, such as onboard credit, free specialty dinners, cash-back, or bonus airline miles.

The higher the room category you’re booking, the more bonuses you’ll be able to get. Keep in mind that lots of the bonuses you may see advertised won’t kick in unless you book a balcony stateroom or a suite. Cash-back and onboard spending bonuses are generally tied to your stateroom level as well which means you’re not going to get anywhere near the amount advertised if you’re booking an interior or ocean view cabin.

No matter where you book your cruise, you’ll have a great time — and be sure to check out our post with cruise tips and a downloadable packing guide!