how to buy cruise tickets

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The Best Ways to Book a Cruise

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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 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 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.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 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.

Expedia Rewards is now One Key™

Find discount cruise deals.

For expert cruise advice, call 1-866-403-9848.

Find your voyage

Best Cruise Deals by Popular Destination

Disney Cruise Line Deals

Cruise Tips & Cruise Packing Guide

Popular cruise destinations.

Departure Ports with Great Cruises Leaving from

San Francisco

Most popular cruise lines.

• Royal Caribbean International

Disney Cruise Line

• Carnival Cruise Lines

• MSC Cruises

• Norwegian Cruise Line

• Princess Cruises

Find the best cruise vacation for you

How can i find a cheap cruise.

Cheap cruise deals are fairly easy to find in most cases, and you can begin by considering what kind of features and itinerary you want. The more simplistic the experience is, the cheaper it is in general. On Expedia.com, you can filter for specific features and sort your results by price. By mixing and matching certain features, unforgettable experiences may be available with discount cruises. For example, booking a cruise with stunning restaurants and live performances while opting for an inside cabin without an ocean view window or balcony could be ideal for a traveler who doesn't plan on spending much time in their cabin anyways

What is the cheapest month to take a cruise?

The cheapest month to take a cruise varies based on your destination and the cruise line company that runs the ship. A Caribbean cruise , for example, is generally cheapest in the late summer and early fall since it's the local hurricane season.

Can I cancel my cruise booking?

Yes, you can cancel, but there may be fees for canceling depending on how far in advance you cancel and what kind of booking you have. You can check the specific cruise lines’ cancellation policies in your itinerary on Expedia.com.

Are river cruises worth the money?

River cruises are quite relaxing, with much more varied scenery than you'd experience on an ocean cruise. These ships often also feature several stops along the river, so passengers can enjoy a greater variety of destinations to explore. Viking river cruises are especially adept at providing this unforgettable experience.

What cruises are best for families?

The best family cruises in 2024 / 2025 tend to be Disney cruises with plenty of offerings for kids and adults alike, though MSC cruises are known for their iconic Children Cruise Free promotion. Disney cruises, specifically, are essentially a Disney theme park on a boat with live shows, rides, and attractions with your kids' favorite characters.

How much does a cruise ship cost?

Cruise prices can vary quite a bit, with cheap cruises and especially luxurious all-inclusive cruises available. Budget lines can offer cruise tickets as low as $50 per night in some cases, while the more high-end experiences can reach up to $1,000 per night and more.

What are some of the best cruise lines?

Several different cruise lines have a lot to offer, such as Viking cruises , which are known for traversing oceans and rivers with a style that blends outdoor and indoor splendor. Celebrity cruise line is more upscale with luxurious features like WiFi, included beverages, champagne, and suites with panoramic views. Other top cruise lines include Royal Caribbean International , Carnival Cruise , Disney Cruise , and Norwegian Cruise .

How far in advance do you need to book a cruise?

It's generally best to book a cruise about 6 to 12 months before your cruise departure. That's the safest way to balance availability and affordability. Technically, you can book earlier or later than that, with some last-minute cruise deals occasionally available up to a weekbefore cruise departure.

Are cruise trips affordable?

They can be, and it's especially simple to search for more affordable cruises with Expedia.com. Not only can you filter by cruise length, cruise line, and cabin experience, but you may also sort your results by price to put the more affordable options first on your search results page.

What is it like to go on a cruise?

A cruise is generally designed to offer the most relaxing experience possible. Despite the size of the ship, it's possible to feel the wave. Many passengers report that the movements help them sleep. Additionally, many fun cruises offer live stage performances, several restaurants, and shopping opportunities. When the ship is in international waters, you may even be able to enjoy a bit of tax-free shopping.

Are cruises a good way to travel?

Cruise travel is great if you're looking for some varied fun. Compared to a plane or a train, cruises have their own attractions and can be considered an integral part of cruise vacations. Plus, a cruise can hit several different destinations as well, with plenty of time to enjoy the cruise and scenic locales. It's certainly worth it for a unique experience no other method of travel can match.

Which cruise line is the cheapest?

The actual cheapest cruise available depends on a variety of different factors. Still, Carnival Cruise tends to be very affordable overall, most of the time with great options like the Carnival Sunrise and Carnival Horizon . Royal Caribbean is also another fantastic cruise line offering great deals if you are watching your budget.

How can I get the best cruise deals in 2024 / 2025?

If you're looking for some of the best cruise deals, booking through Expedia.com makes it easy since you can sort your cruise search results by price and have access to special deals. One Key members can earn  OneKeyCash  on all eligible bookings and get instant discounts with Member Prices. Sign up today!

What do I need to know when I book a cruise?

To book a cruise, you'll need to know where you'll be setting off from and where you'll be going, in addition to how many people will be with you and the features of the specific cruise you book. Keep in mind that you'll want to factor in spending money in your budget for the cruise's restaurants and shops in most cases.

Where should I go on a cruise in 2024 / 2025?

Plenty of incredible cruise destinations are accessible such as cruises to the Bahamas and cruises to Mexico . You may also be interested in cruises to Alaska or cruises to Europe for something outside of the Caribbean.

What countries are best to visit by cruise ship?

A lot of countries are accessible via a cruise, but the best include a cruise to Australia . However, a cruise to Australia is quite a long trip at sea and really allows you to take in everything the cruise ship has to offer.

Can I get last-minute cruise deals?

Yes, last-minute cruise deals are often available, and you can find them on Expedia.com by inputting your travel dates in your search and sorting your results by price. The deals will automatically be applied to the price estimates so that the cheapest estimates will show up first on your search results page.

Are cruises all-inclusive?

Cruises aren't always all-inclusive, but they can be. If you're interested in all-inclusive cruises, you can activate a search filter for it to ensure your search results only show cruises that meet your all-inclusive standard.

Is food free on a cruise?

Food is sometimes free on a cruise, but there are often specialty restaurants that aren't included with the general booking that you'll have to pay for separately. Check the details of each cruise before you book in the "What's included" section after clicking the cruise on your search results page.

What cruise lines are adults only?

Several lines offer adults-only cruise experiences, including Viking cruises , Carnival cruises , and Princess cruises . With an adults-only cruise, you can relax in a tranquil and laid-back setting without kids running around and enjoy all the cocktails you want.

What cruise lines are considered to be the most luxurious?

Viking cruises are considered exceptionally luxurious, with smaller ships and larger cabins that make them feel more exclusive, but Celebrity cruises offer luxury cruise lines too. Booking a luxury cruise means you can expect high-end amenities including gourmet restaurants, sizable suites, top-tier performances, massive pools, and much more.

What are the best cruises for couples?

Viking Cruises have much to offer for a more romantic experience. Holland America Line cruises can be quite refined and romantic as well, with an adult-oriented experience that's sophisticated rather than rowdy. Romantic cruises offer exceptional service as well as cozy suites for you and your partner to enjoy that's complemented by delicious food often themed around the cruise destination.

Why should I go on a cruise for my honeymoon?

Going on a cruise is a great way for you and your new spouse to be pampered with luxury while also being able to explore a new destination. Whether you're taking a cruise to Hawaii or a cruise to Bermuda , a particularly romantic experience is almost guaranteed thanks to the sheer number of things to do.

Are there any Christmas cruises?

Yes, quite a few cruise lines operate around Christmas, and you can find them easily by entering travel dates around Christmas into your 2024 cruise search. Some of the most popular Christmas cruises are available with Carnival and Disney.

Do I need a passport to go on a cruise?

Whether or not you need a passport depends on where you're going and the kind of cruise it is. Any US territory like Bermuda and Puerto Rico won't require a passport, of course, but you also don't need one if you're on a closed-loop cruise. This is a cruise that begins and ends at a US cruise terminal, even if there are stops in other countries on the way.

Why should I book a cruise with Expedia.com?

Booking a cruise with Expedia.com makes it easy to find a cruise type that works best for you. You can use the cruise finder and sort by cruise line, type, destination, length, and itinerary. One Key members also earn OneKeyCash on all eligible bookings that can be used to save on future eligible trips.

What happens if a cruise is canceled?

Every cruise has a different cancellation policy, but generally, passengers are entitled to either a full refund or a credit for a future cruise at a later date. Remember that they may automatically change your booking to their rescheduled date, so you may have to contact them if that date doesn't work for your schedule.

*OneKeyCash is not redeemable for cash and can only be used on Expedia,  Hotels.com  and Vrbo.

Other vacations you might like

• Explore a world of travel with Expedia

Top Cruise Destinations

• Cruises to Alaska
• Cruises to Bahamas
• Cruises to Caribbean
• Cruises to Europe
• Cruises to Hawaii
• Cruises to Mexico

Top US Cruise Departure Ports

• Cruises from Boston
• Cruises from Fort Lauderdale
• Cruises from Galveston
• Cruises from Honolulu
• Cruises from Los Angeles
• Cruises from Miami
• Cruises from New Orleans
• Cruises from New York
• Cruises from Port Canaveral
• Cruises from San Diego
• Cruises from San Juan
• Cruises from San Francisco
• Cruises from Seattle
• Cruises from Tampa

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• Holland America Line

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The 9 Best Sites to Book a Cruise

Avital Andrews

Avital Andrews, SmarterTravel's editor-at-large, is a travel and lifestyle journalist who is also a contributing editor for AAA's Via magazine. Her stories have been among the 10 most emailed or viewed on the Los Angeles Times, Outside, Sierra, and SmarterTravel websites, and have also appeared in USA Today, HuffPost, Apple News, Business Insider, and many other nationwide outlets. Her travel book , sold at bookstores and on Amazon, is in its fourth edition, and her journalism gets national media attention, including from The New York Times , The Atlantic , Time , NPR, and MTV. She's currently working on her first children's book. Follow her on Twitter @avitalb .

The Handy Item I Always Pack: My laptop—the lightweight and stylish HP Spectre x360—since I'm almost always on deadline.

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: A round-the-world cruise that makes stops to experience Aurora Borealis, the Olympics opening ceremony, Borneo, Madagascar, the Jerusalem Festival of Light, the Bolivian salt flats, Kenya's Giraffe Manor, the Galapagos, the Maldives, Bora Bora, the Seychelles, and every Disney park. (That itinerary definitely exists, right?)

Travel Motto: I'll steal Saint Augustine's: "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."

Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: Window, always. For the views and also the naps.

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Booking a cruise isn’t always simple. It can be a complicated, time-consuming process that involves dozens of open tabs and maybe a spreadsheet or two. But knowing the best site to book a cruise can help a lot.

And while would-be travelers are accustomed to clicking around on travel search engines to find the best deals on flights , hotels , and rental cars , many people don’t realize that they can use these same types of sites to book cruises, too.

But is there one best site to book a cruise? That depends on what you’re looking for. Sometimes the best cruise website is actually a cruise line’s own site—since technically, cruise booking websites aren’t allowed to undercut the prices that the cruise lines set.

Often, though, the best cruise search engines are indispensable for locating incredible deals, including ones that throw in booking incentives worth hundreds of dollars—in Amazon gift cards, complimentary shore excursions, onboard freebies, and so on.

To save you the hassle, SmarterTravel investigated the glutted space of cheap cruise sites to determine which are worthy of listing as the best cruise websites; below are a few that come highly recommended.

The Best Sites to Book a Cruise

• Expedia (including Travelocity and Orbitz )
• TripAdvisor

Avoya Travel

Cheapcaribbean.com, cruisedirect, cruise critic, costco travel, cruisewatch.

Expedia is an obvious first mention in a list of the best cruise booking sites, in part because it’s an absolute juggernaut (Expedia also owns Travelocity and Orbitz ). Its cruise-booking interface is simple and straightforward, only requiring you to enter your preferred sailing destination and date range, as well as how many passengers you’ll be bringing along. Then Expedia does the heavy lifting for you, with comprehensive results that make it one of the best cruise search engines.

On Expedia, it’s common to find bookable cruises for 70 percent off face value, with the ability to sort by price so the best cruise deals come up at the top of the list, saving you the scrolling. A sample search for a mid-June cruise to Alaska, for example, quickly came up with a seven-night itinerary starting at $389 per person—that’s less than $56 per person, per night for a mostly inclusive weeklong vacation.

Expedia’s cruise deals tend to come paired with other enticing offers, including steep discounts on pre-departure hotels when you book both your cruise and hotel through Expedia. There’s also a dedicated 800 number that lets you speak to Expedia’s cruise experts and, often but not always, a generous amount of onboard credit thrown in for good measure.

Best feature: Sheer search power. Expedia’s easy-to-use cruise search engine generates a useful and well-ordered list of the best cruise deals, without much effort required from the user. Also, Expedia’s prices frequently match what the cruise lines themselves offer.

Check out Expedia

Priceline is another powerhouse among cheap cruise websites. The initial interface comes off a bit clunkier than, say, Expedia’s or Kayak’s, but the tradeoff is that you can quickly search by cruise line, both standard and luxury, as well as by cruise length and departure port.

Using the seven-night Alaska example, Priceline brought up an itinerary aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Radiance of the Seas that starts at just $374 for the full week—roughly $53 per night. Hard-to-believe cruise deals like this show up on Priceline with regularity, which is part of what solidifies it as one of the best cruise websites.

Also adding to the appeal: deals exclusive to Priceline, plenty of bonus amenities (examples include $50 in onboard credit, third and fourth guests sailing free, and free specialty dinners for two), no money down to book certain sailings, frequent onboard credit sales, an 800 number to call should you need assistance while booking, and a loyalty club that’s ties in with every cruise line’s loyalty program. Priceline also lets you click a “senior discount” box if that applies to you.

Best feature: Priceline’s “ 110% Best Price Guarantee ” promises that if you find your cruise listed at a lower price on another website within 48 hours of booking, then Priceline will refund you 110 percent of the cost difference, including port charges.

Check out Priceline

Tripadvisor

Many people think of Tripadvisor mainly as a travel review site, where you go to get real talk on hotels and attractions, and to see non-glamorized photos of places as seen through actual travelers’ eyes. But Tripadvisor is also an excellent site for travel deals, including on cruises.

Tripadvisor Cruise , which launched in April 2019, is among the best websites for cruise deals—it lets you nab the lowest price by comparing more than 70,000 ocean and river cruises from some 60 of the best cruise websites. It’s got an attractive, inspiring landing page, and its newest function, “Explore Ship-tinerary pages,” lets you browse full ship profiles, details, photos, and itineraries.

Though Tripadvisor is technically a meta-search site for cruises, which means that it will send you elsewhere to actually book, its search engine lets users sort by destination, length, cruise line, and month of travel. The default search results are ordered by “best value”, unless you specifically click that you’d rather see the results organized by price, cruise length, departure date, or cruise ship. Even when you click on “price,” the lowest-priced offering doesn’t always come up first, though it only takes a few seconds of scanning to determine which itinerary has the lowest price—that seven-night Royal Caribbean International trip to Alaska came up on Tripadvisor starting at $365.

Best feature: What makes Tripadvisor one of the best sites to book a cruise? In addition to having one of the best cruise search engines, Tripadvisor lets you read other cruisers’ candid reviews of the cruise that you’re considering, so that you get the non-sugarcoated truth about each sailing.

Check out Tripadvisor

7 Things You Should Never Do on a Cruise Ship

A rarity on the internet, Avoya Travel is a family-owned company that has been dealing in travel for more than 55 years. Avoya is one of the best sites to book a cruise in part because of its patented technology that lets travelers search cruises by destination, date range, cruise line, and last-minute status—and then get matched up, in real time, with one of Avoya’s expert vacation planners, who use that algorithm to customize a cruise booking to your specific preferences. (From Avoya’s website: “…we combine the ease of online search, with the expertise and personalized service of Independent Vacation Planners, plus secure exclusive deals and extras so you get more out of every vacation.”)

Avoya’s team of staffers and wide network of independent agencies make for a cruise booking website that’s a bit different from the rest. Its front page shows the “Best Travel Deals,” which might include half-off cruise fares, onboard credit, prepaid gratuities, and free or reduced airfare.

Like several of the other best cruise websites, Avoya offers a low-price guarantee; if you book a cruise with Avoya and then find a lower rate on another website within 24 hours of booking, Avoya will refund the difference.

Best feature: Avoya offers free membership, and members get exclusive deals and discounts, access to unpublished fares, first dibs on promotions, the ability to save favorite searches, and the right to book, change, or cancel travel without incurring any Avoya fees.

Check out Avoya Travel

When looking for the best site to book a cruise, don’t be put off by CheapCaribbean.com ’s overly specific moniker. Despite the site’s name, it offers cruises all over the world. The site’s vibe is beach-oriented and a bit cheeky, with a front page that can overwhelm—but click on the “Cruises” tab, and a cleaner interface appears. There you can search by cruise line, ship, destination, departure date, and departure port.

CheapCaribbean.com offers refunds on 24-hour cancellations (within certain parameters) and a “ 110 percent best price guarantee, ” a promise that if you find a lower price on the same cruise within 48 hours of booking, the company will refund you 110 percent of the difference. The site also lists traveler reviews about each cruise ship (as supplied by Cruiseline), though the reviews often include comments about the ship’s destinations other than the one you’re considering, which isn’t entirely helpful. There’s also a live chat widget if questions come up while booking.

Best feature: Helping to make CheapCaribbean.com one of the best cruise search engines is the fact that it lets you check boxes for additional discounts, including a senior discount, discounts by state (just enter your ZIP code), and past guest discounts if you’ve previously sailed with, say, Princess, Norwegian, or Disney.

Check out CheapCaribbean.com

Its front page is clunky and sort of in your face, but CruiseDirect is still one of the best cruise sites for a variety of reasons. As a cruise-only company, CruiseDirect doesn’t deal in flights, hotels, or rental cars, allowing it to focus its full capacity on helping you find the best cruise deal possible. On the site, you can search by destination, departure port, month, length of cruise, and cruise line. There’s real-time online chat and a contact number for support from a cruise expert. If you aren’t quite ready to buy, you can “heart” cruises to save them as favorites to refer back to later.

CruiseDirect offers perks on most sailings, like onboard credit, free drinks, free Wi-Fi, free gratuities, free travel insurance, or a free specialty dining experience—check out the “Bonus” box on the cruise listing you’re considering to see what extras it comes with.

Best feature: Like some of the other cruise websites on this list, CruiseDirect offers a “ best price guarantee ,” which means that if you find a lower price on another cruise booking website within 24 hours of your initial booking, you’ll get refunded the difference. But one key difference between CruiseDirect and the other cruise sites is that you don’t have to pay the cost of your cruise up front, just a deposit—and then if your cruise fare drops before you’ve made your final payment, CruiseDirect will readjust your rate accordingly.

Check out CruiseDirect

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A subsidiary of Tripadvisor, Cruise Critic has similar search results to that site, but it offers a bit more comprehensive information for seasoned cruisers who want more details before they book. Cruise Critic has tons of filters and sort options to help you find what you want, including everything from cruise line to cruise style (family cruises, luxury cruises, cruises for the disabled). Each itinerary clearly lists what is and isn’t included in the fare; Wi-Fi, alcoholic drinks, gratuities, and port taxes and fees are among the common exclusions.

Certain itineraries are marked with graphics declaring that the ship has won one of the site’s “Cruisers’ Choice” awards, denoting vessels that Cruise Critic members declare to be the among the best in categories such as cabins, entertainment, and family-friendly features.

You can sign up for price alerts, which will notify you by email when the fare on your selected itinerary drops.

Once you’re ready to book, Cruise Critic shows you a variety of offers from some of the best cruise booking sites, including bonuses such as onboard credit and prepaid gratuities. Then you click off to the site of your choice to make your purchase. Prices generally match what’s advertised on Cruise Critic.

Best feature: Under each search result is a tab for “reviews” where you can read reviews from Cruise Critic members who’ve previously traveled on the ship. On certain cruises you can click over to a full-length write-up of the ship by one of the experts on the Cruise Critic editorial team, including detailed information on dining options, cabins, entertainment, dress code, and more.

Check out Cruise Critic

When you think of Costco, you probably think of bulk food and toilet paper. But the next time you’re booking a cruise, it’ll be worthwhile to pull up Costco Travel , which is, unexpectedly, one of the best cruise websites.

The site doesn’t look fancy—it’s pretty bare-bones, visually—but the upside of going with a no-frills cruise-booking website is that Costco Travel offers extremely competitive prices, as well as some of the most attractive incentives, usually in the form of Costco Cash delivered to you after you get home from your cruise.

Though there’s no single point of contact if you need to call and discuss your cruise booking, Costco Travel’s call center is staffed with helpful agents from early morning until evening, seven days a week, and passengers can rest assured that Costco won’t go out of business before they set sail. Note that a Costco membership (starting at $60 per year) is required to book with Costco Travel, and that Costco doesn’t accept American Express.

Best feature: Rock-bottom prices—plus lots of cash back if you play your cards right: Costco Citi cardholders earn 3 percent cash back on cruise purchases, which can combine with the 2 percent Costco Reward for Costco Executive Members for a total of 5 percent back on Costco Travel’s already super low cruise rates.

Check out Costco Travel

Pondering which is the best site to book a cruise? Keep Cruisewatch in strong consideration—more than a typical cruise booking website, Cruisewatch bills itself as a “digital cruise advisor” that couples data power with personalization.

As an artificial intelligence cruise advisor, Crusewatch created technology that makes searching and booking a cruise more efficient—the first, it calls “Cruise Price Prediction.” In short, Cruisewatch collected and stored the daily price for each ship and cabin over a span of five years, resulting in millions of data points—and a massive database that informs exactly when cruise prices are lowest, and when the greatest saving potential exists.

Thanks to this comprehensive price history, Cruisewatch can predict cruise prices and drops with an accuracy rate of around 80 percent. Using the site’s cruise price prediction alerts, travelers can save up to 71 percent just by booking at the right time.

In addition to being able to predict prices, Cruisewatch tailors user search results to match their established preferences through customizable profiles and other similar features. This means you won’t waste time wading through cruises that may be cheap but don’t align with your vacation goals.

Best feature: Cruisewatch’s easy-to-set price alerts, based on tons of data, allow users to be notified in real time of the best new cruise deals the minute they come online.

Check out Cruisewatch

Book a Stay With SmarterTravel Hotels

Need a place to stay the night before you set sail? Search SmarterTravel Hotels for great accommodations in your port of call.

Some of the links featured in this story are affiliate links, and SmarterTravel may collect a commission (at no cost to you) if you shop through them.

Follow Avital Andrews on Twitter  @avitalb  or on  Facebook .

Editor’s note: Sarah Schlichter contributed to this story.

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Everything to Know Before Booking Your First Cruise

By Mark Ellwood and Ramsey Qubein

Approaching how to book a cruise for the first time has always been somewhat daunting, with a dizzying assortment of itineraries, companies, destinations, and ships to choose from. How can first-timers  book a cruise without going wrong? We asked three  Traveler -approved experts for their seasoned advice: Gene Sloan is cruise editor for  The Points Guy ; Jason Leppert is cruise editor for  TravelAge West ; Carolyn Spencer Brown is  Cruise Media’s chief content officer. All three are industry experts that have decades of experience across various types of cruises.

What’s the ideal cruise length for a first-timer?

A week or so is the  sweet spot for most first-time cruisers , which will offer three to six ports. Three-day sampler itineraries won’t allow you to explore more than one or two destinations, and you can’t decompress as thoroughly, either. Still, Leppert suggests a weekend trip could be enough for those that just want to try out cruising for the first time to see if you like it. 

While that’s  a good idea for some, Sloan also points out that cruise lines don’t always put their best ships on shorter runs. The ships on these itineraries can sometimes be older and have fewer of the bells and whistles that draw people to cruising in the first place. He says it is not exactly representative of the latest cruising has to offer, and the destinations on super-short cruises are not always the most unique offerings.

What’s the best way to book a cruise?

Many may wonder: Is it cheaper to book a cruise direct? Sure, you can  book a cruise online—but it’s a rookie mistake. Smart cruisers know the best place to book a cruise is with a  travel agent . Though agents’ roles have diminished in the mass-market travel biz, they remain crucial for cruising. Not only can specialists offer seasoned advice, but they can also wrangle deals and promos: Ask them about shipboard credit, which is the ocean equivalent of a gift card to spend onboard—$100 or so is a standard bonus. They may also have access to group rates, according to Sloan. Even if their prices are similar to those when booking direct, the volume of business agents do with cruise lines means you are more likely to score perks like a cabin upgrade or welcome bottle of Champagne when using one.

As the industry reinvents itself in the wake of the pandemic, it’s never been more important to have expert counsel, adds Spencer Brown. “At the end of the day, you’re going on this trip to relax, have fun, learn something, and get away from your everyday world. I want that support system.”

If something goes wrong, an agent can help rectify the situation faster than you may be able to if you go it alone. You won’t be paying more for their service, either. Most make their money via commissions from the cruise lines. Leppert calls it “the best of the best” advice to go with a travel advisor. 

What’s the best time to book a cruise?

If you're looking to leverage new cruise deals, the best way to  book a cruise is by starting early since prices continue to be robust. “There’s so much pent-up demand. People haven’t traveled for a year or more, so they’re spending more money on the trips they’re going on—upgrading to a nicer suite, perhaps,” says Spencer Brown. This could make it harder to secure the cabin you want on the sailing you want.

Leppert highlights  Wave Season (January through March) for booking a future cruise since this is when cruise lines typically announce their best deals although last-minute bargains always pop up. Like Spencer Brown, he says that demand is outpacing inventory so it is best to book as soon as possible.

Sloan agrees and says people  book cruises much further in advance than a hotel or flight, which means that inventory can get gobbled up quickly. Many cruise lines open up their reservation window as far as two years in advance, which means certain cabins can get snatched up. Don’t forget that many travelers are looking to use leftover credits they have from the pandemic, which further compounds the demand.

Most major cruise lines offer the equivalent of a price adjustment—if the cost of your cruise drops after you pay a deposit, but before the final payment, you’ll be protected, and refunded the difference. This means there is little penalty to reserving as early as possible.

What are the best types of cruises for first-timers?

Opt for a winter sun trip in the  Caribbean . It’s easy and affordable to reach the boarding port, and shuttling between the clusters of islands offers a compact, convenient way to experience a multitude of cultures. “Think of a cruise as a tapas menu,” says Spencer Brown—it allows you to sample destinations to which you might later return for a longer visit. Even handier, when on a Caribbean cruise almost every island accepts payment in dollars, so there’s no need to juggle currencies. The waters also are largely calm, keeping seasickness to a minimum.

River cruising is another smart first-time choice, adds Spencer Brown. “You can literally walk off the ship into town, go to a park or ride a bike, or just sit on the top deck breathing the air—it’s marvelous,” she says. 

Sloan offers another take saying that your travel budget should lead the way. If you are prepared to drop $1,000 a night on a cruise, start out on an upscale line with smaller ships like Silversea Cruises or Seabourn. These will give you a taste of cruising with fewer passengers, and often to smaller, less-frequented ports. 

If the budget leans more toward the $100 per-day price point, try one of the newer mega-ships from Norwegian Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean. These newer ships can have a bustling resort vibe that will keep you busy no matter what your cabin type.

Seasoned cruisers know that ship amenities are often less buys while at port.

Understanding cabin categories

There’s a dizzying array of options (and pricing) for staterooms, especially on larger ships. First-timers who simply want a place to crash often book the cheapest category, an interior cabin with no window or balcony. 

Anna Borges

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Karthika Gupta

If you fall for the trappings of a bargain-basement deal, that cheapie stateroom might be right across from the service area, with a door slamming shut 24/7 or underneath the kitchen, with heavy carts rolling at 6 a.m. Avoid cabins below frequently used passageways on the top decks where footsteps and the sound of deck chairs moving frequently can be annoying. Even higher category cabins can be one deck below the main deck so it is wise to ask about this when reserving.

There are several websites with exhaustive cruise deck plan maps that offer advice and user-generated feedback, almost like a sea-going counterpart to SeatGuru’s airline seat maps. These can be a lifesaver when choosing a cabin type.

The scoop on shore excursions

For a first-timer, these can be confusing. Details aren’t often added to an itinerary until six months or so before sail date; check back regularly, snap up a place on any excursions that are of interest, and book early—popular options can reach capacity long before sailing. 

Still, some travelers choose to go off-menu and arrange private excursions, using independent companies, which can often be cheaper than the line's options. Just keep in mind that when taking an independent excursion, the ship won’t wait for you if you’re late. Staying with the cruise line’s jaunts may be more expensive, but is a safer bet if you are not sure of a new destination.

Sloan says that it really depends where the ship is going. In some ports like Barcelona or Venice, it is easy to venture off on your own without an excursion. Others, however, may require longer drives or special access passes making excursions a safer bet.

Another consideration is to use port days to spend more time on the ship. Leppert notes that onboard amenities like pools, buffets and waterslides are less crowded when most people are ashore. If a particular destination doesn’t appeal to you (or perhaps you have been many times before), it’s ok to enjoy the ship instead.

What is a sea day?

Transits, when the ship is en route between ports, are known as sea days (like the term shore excursions, it's more  cruise lingo ); passengers, obviously, remain on board. Many newbies fret about wasting time at sea rather than exploring, but they’re often a fun chance to explore the ship itself, as well as decompress between ports. Some travelers actually  book cruises that have at least one or two sea days, especially if it’s a larger ship with loads of amenities like water parks, race car tracks, zip lining, and multiple shows. 

What's the best first cruise for a family?

The mega ships are always primed to be the best first choice for families, whether Norwegian’s 4,200-passenger  Escape or the newest Oasis class of ships beginning with the  new  Wonder of the Seas . Their emphasis is on activities like adrenaline-rushing water slides, surf simulators, and three-tiered race tracks.

Disney Cruise Line is an obvious place to start for families, but it has a surprising number of activities and experiences for adults, too, including adults-only areas on board. Still, this isn’t the line for an adult-only vacation unless you’re a hard-core Disney fan.

How much does it cost to book a cruise?

You may be wondering how much does a 7-day cruise usually cost? The answer is that it depends. The time of year you travel (avoid school holidays, for example), the destination, and the ports of call can affect the overall cost. 

Many travelers enjoy, for example, taking repositioning cruises. These happen typically as the seasons change and cruise lines move their ships from one region to another (between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, for example). Sometimes, these cruises visit islands that are rarely frequented making them more expensive. Many experts say that they are not ideal for first-time cruisers, however, as there may be many sea days. 

Shorter cruises that rely on drive-market travelers typically come with a lower price point than those in far-flung destinations. Special deals and repeat traveler discounts can also affect the overall cost.

What is the cheapest cruise ship to go on?

These are generally the shorter sailings from Miami or Port Canaveral, for instance, using the larger brands like Carnival, Princess Cruises, or Royal Caribbean, according to Sloan. The best deals are generally in the fall (the low season for Florida departures). Cruises to the Bahamas or the Caribbean tend to be more affordable than those to places like Europe or Alaska.

West Coast travelers can find great bargain deals on cruises to Mexico, too, adds Leppert.

What to know about cruise insurance

Don’t skimp on  cruise insurance . Cruise vacations can easily fall prey to flight disruptions or storms that can snarl plans. Check online for insurance policies from places like VisitorsCoverage and Seven Corners, which have reasonable prices for comprehensive coverage.

If you’re flying to the embarkation point, plan to arrive the day before—even the most perfect cruise won’t wait if you’re stuck in air traffic congestion all morning. Yet another reason to ensure you’re insured.

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• Travel Tips

How To Buy Cruise Tickets

Published: December 21, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Iolanthe Sheaffer

• Travel Guide

Introduction

Planning a cruise vacation is an exciting and rewarding experience. Whether you are a seasoned traveler or embarking on your first cruise adventure, buying cruise tickets requires careful consideration and research. With so many cruise options available, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. But fear not! In this article, we will guide you through the process of buying cruise tickets step by step, ensuring you make an informed decision that suits your preferences and budget.

From researching different cruise lines to selecting the perfect itinerary, and ultimately making the booking, each step is crucial in ensuring a memorable and enjoyable trip. We will also cover key aspects such as reviewing the terms and conditions, making the payment, and receiving the confirmation. Additionally, we will provide tips on how to prepare for your cruise, making sure you have everything you need to make the most of your voyage.

So, whether you’re dreaming of an island-hopping adventure in the Caribbean, exploring ancient cities in Europe, or cruising along breathtaking fjords, this guide will equip you with the knowledge and tools to make your cruise ticket purchase a breeze. Let’s dive in and start planning your unforgettable cruise vacation!

Step 1: Researching Cruise Options

The first step in buying cruise tickets is to research the various options available. Start by considering the destination you want to explore. Are you looking for a tropical getaway in the Caribbean, a cultural immersion in Europe, or perhaps an adventure to Alaska? Different cruise lines specialize in different destinations, so it’s important to choose one that aligns with your preferences.

Next, consider the duration of the cruise. Do you prefer a short weekend getaway or an extended voyage? Cruises can range from a few days to several weeks, so it’s vital to choose a duration that suits your schedule and desired level of exploration.

Once you have identified your destination and duration, it’s time to research the cruise lines that operate in those areas. Pay attention to factors such as reputation, onboard amenities, dining options, entertainment, and customer reviews. Each cruise line offers a unique experience, so take the time to read about their offerings and narrow down your options.

It’s also important to consider the type of ship that suits your preferences. Some ships are designed for families, offering a wide range of activities for children and teens. Others cater to adults, providing a more serene and sophisticated atmosphere. If you’re a solo traveler, some cruise lines offer single cabins, making it easier for you to embark on your journey.

In addition to the cruise line and ship, take note of the departure ports and available dates. Choosing a departure port near your location can save you time and money on travel expenses. Furthermore, check for any special promotions or deals that may be offered during specific dates, allowing you to make the most of your budget.

Gathering all this information will help you make an informed decision about which cruise options best suit your preferences and budget. Once you have narrowed down your choices, it’s time to move on to the next step: setting a budget.

Step 2: Setting a Budget

Setting a budget is a crucial step when buying cruise tickets. It allows you to determine how much you are willing to spend on your cruise vacation and helps you make informed choices throughout the booking process.

Start by assessing your overall financial situation and determining how much you can comfortably allocate towards your cruise. Consider factors such as transportation to and from the departure port, onboard expenses such as dining, drinks, and gratuities, as well as any additional excursions or activities you may want to participate in during the cruise.

Take into account any special promotions or discounts that may be available. Cruise lines often offer early booking incentives, last-minute deals, or discounts for certain demographic groups such as seniors or military personnel. Research these options and factor them into your budget planning.

It’s important to strike a balance between your desired cruise experience and your budget constraints. While it may be tempting to splurge on a luxurious suite or exclusive amenities, be mindful of the overall cost and consider if it aligns with your priorities.

Once you have determined your budget, it will serve as a guideline when comparing different cruise options. It will help you narrow down your choices and choose a cruise that offers the best value for your money.

Remember, setting a budget doesn’t mean you have to compromise on quality or enjoyment. It simply allows you to make informed choices and allocate your funds wisely. With a well-defined budget in place, you can move on to the next step: choosing a cruise line that meets your preferences and budget.

Step 3: Choosing a Cruise Line

Choosing the right cruise line is a crucial step in buying cruise tickets as each cruise line offers a unique experience. Consider your preferences, interests, and the type of vacation you want to have to help guide your decision.

Start by evaluating the reputation and track record of various cruise lines. Look for reviews online, check customer testimonials, and seek recommendations from friends or family who have previously sailed with different cruise lines. This will give you insights into their overall service quality, onboard amenities, and customer satisfaction.

Next, consider the target audience of each cruise line. Some cater to families with children, offering a range of kid-friendly activities, while others cater to adults, providing a more serene and sophisticated atmosphere. There are also cruise lines specifically designed for couples, solo travelers, or even adventure enthusiasts. Choose a cruise line that aligns with your preferences and travel companions.

Pay attention to the onboard amenities and facilities offered by each cruise line. Are you someone who enjoys a variety of dining options? Are you looking for a spa and wellness center? Do you want access to entertainment venues like theaters, nightclubs, or casinos? Make a list of the amenities that matter most to you and compare them across different cruise lines.

Consider the size of the ship as well. Larger ships typically offer more amenities and entertainment options, while smaller ships allow for a more intimate and personalized experience. Think about which atmosphere you prefer and choose a cruise line accordingly.

Another important factor to consider is the destinations and itineraries offered by each cruise line. Some specialize in specific regions or have exclusive partnerships that allow for unique shore excursions and experiences. If you have a specific destination in mind, check which cruise lines offer it and compare their itineraries to find one that matches your desired ports of call.

Lastly, compare the cost of the cruise tickets across different cruise lines. Keep in mind that the price includes not only the accommodations but also the onboard amenities and services. Be sure to factor in any additional costs such as gratuities, specialty dining charges, or optional excursions when comparing prices.

By considering all these factors and weighing them against your preferences and budget, you will be able to choose a cruise line that best suits your needs and sets the stage for a fantastic cruise experience.

Step 4: Selecting the Cruise Itinerary

Once you have chosen a cruise line, the next step in buying cruise tickets is selecting the itinerary that suits your interests and desired destinations. The itinerary determines the ports of call and the activities available during the cruise, so it’s important to choose one that aligns with your preferences and travel goals.

Start by considering the duration of the cruise. Do you prefer a short getaway or a longer voyage? Determine how many days you are willing to spend at sea and how many destination stops you’d like to have. Keep in mind that longer cruises often offer more diverse itineraries with a greater number of ports to explore.

Think about the destinations you want to visit. Are you dreaming of crystal-clear waters in the Caribbean, historical landmarks in Europe, or wildlife encounters in Alaska? Research the itineraries offered by the cruise line and see which ones include your desired destinations. Take note of the duration of stay in each port to ensure you have enough time to explore and experience the highlights of each location.

Consider the activities and excursions available at each port of call. Some itineraries may include popular tourist attractions, while others may offer more off-the-beaten-path experiences. Think about the types of activities you enjoy, whether it’s snorkeling, hiking, sightseeing, or simply relaxing on beautiful beaches. Choose an itinerary that offers a good balance of activities that appeal to you.

It’s also essential to consider the season and weather conditions in the destinations you want to visit. Some regions may have specific peak seasons, where the weather is ideal for outdoor exploration or witnessing unique natural phenomena. Take this into account when selecting your itinerary to ensure you have the best possible experience in each destination.

Once you have identified a few potential itineraries, compare them in terms of cost, included amenities, and any exclusive experiences they may offer. Consider any special promotions or deals for specific itineraries as well. This will help you narrow down your options and choose the itinerary that provides the best value for your money.

Remember, the itinerary sets the stage for your cruise experience. By selecting the right one, you can create unforgettable memories and discover new destinations. Take your time to research and choose wisely before moving on to the next step: booking the cruise tickets.

Step 5: Booking the Cruise Tickets

After finalizing the cruise itinerary, it’s time to proceed with booking your cruise tickets. This step involves securing your spot on the chosen cruise and ensuring all necessary details are provided accurately.

First, contact the cruise line directly or visit their official website to make your booking. Many cruise lines provide a user-friendly online booking system that allows you to select your preferred cabin type, input passenger information, and choose any additional add-ons or upgrades.

When booking, be prepared to provide necessary personal information such as full names, contact details, and passport information for each passenger. Ensure that this information is accurate to avoid any complications during boarding or disembarkation.

Consider the different cabin options available on the ship. From interior cabins to ocean-view cabins and luxurious suites, choose the accommodation type that best suits your preferences and budget. Take note of the specific deck location and any additional amenities offered with each cabin category.

During the booking process, you may have the option to select dining preferences, beverage packages, and any special requests or celebrations you’d like to arrange during the cruise. Take advantage of these customization options to personalize your experience and make the most of your time on board.

Before finalizing the booking, review all details carefully. Double-check the chosen cruise dates, itinerary, cabin type, and any selected add-ons to ensure everything is accurate. Take note of any cancellation policies or refund terms provided by the cruise line.

Once you are satisfied with the details, proceed with making the payment. Most cruise lines accept major credit cards, and some may offer alternative payment methods like bank transfers or payment plans. Provide the necessary payment information securely and confirm the booking.

Upon successful payment, you will receive a confirmation email or booking reference number. Keep this information handy as it will be essential for future communications with the cruise line, as well as for any pre-cruise preparations.

It’s important to note that prices and availability of cruise tickets can vary. Booking early often provides better choices and allows you to take advantage of promotions, while last-minute bookings may offer discounted rates for unsold cabins. Balancing your budget and preferences, choose the booking option that suits you best.

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the booking process. The next step is to review the terms and conditions thoroughly to ensure a smooth and enjoyable cruise experience.

Step 6: Reviewing the Terms and Conditions

Once you have booked your cruise tickets, it’s crucial to carefully review the terms and conditions provided by the cruise line. These terms outline important details, rules, and policies that govern your cruise experience. By familiarizing yourself with the terms and conditions, you can avoid misunderstandings and ensure a smooth and enjoyable journey.

Start by accessing the cruise line’s official website or the booking confirmation email. Look for a section or link that provides access to the terms and conditions. Take your time to read through the document thoroughly, paying attention to the following key areas:

1. Cancellation and Refund Policy: Understand the terms regarding cancellations, refunds, and any associated fees. This will help you make informed decisions in case you need to modify or cancel your booking.

2. Travel Insurance: Review the cruise line’s policy on travel insurance. Consider purchasing travel insurance to protect yourself against unforeseen circumstances such as trip cancellation, medical emergencies, or lost baggage.

3. Passport and Visa Requirements: Ensure that you have the necessary travel documents and understand the passport and visa requirements for each destination on your itinerary. Familiarize yourself with any visa application processes and timelines.

4. Age Restrictions and Traveling with Children: If you are traveling with children, review the cruise line’s policies regarding age restrictions, child supervision, and whether or not a minimum age is required for certain activities or facilities on board.

5. Onboard Policies and Prohibited Items: Take note of any specific rules or restrictions imposed by the cruise line, such as dress codes, smoking policies, and prohibited items. This will help you pack appropriately and ensure compliance with onboard regulations.

6. Health and Safety Measures: In light of recent global health concerns, familiarize yourself with the cruise line’s health and safety protocols. Understand any requirements for COVID-19 testing, vaccination certificates, or other health-related guidelines.

7. Disembarkation Procedures: Review the procedures and guidelines for disembarkation at each port of call. Understand the expected timelines, documentation requirements, and any restrictions on independent shore excursions.

It’s crucial to thoroughly understand and adhere to the terms and conditions set by the cruise line. If you have any questions or concerns, reach out to the cruise line’s customer service for clarification. By being well-informed, you can ensure a smooth and hassle-free cruise experience.

Once you have reviewed and understood the terms and conditions, it’s time to move on to the next step: making the payment for your cruise tickets.

Step 7: Making the Payment

After reviewing the terms and conditions and ensuring that all details are accurate, it’s time to make the payment for your cruise tickets. The payment process is essential to secure your booking and confirm your spot on the cruise.

First, determine the accepted payment methods offered by the cruise line. Most cruise lines accept major credit cards such as Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Some may also offer alternative payment options like bank transfers or payment plans. Choose the payment method that is most convenient for you.

If you are making the payment online, navigate to the payment page provided by the cruise line’s website. Enter your payment details accurately and securely. Ensure that the website is secure by looking for the padlock symbol in the URL bar and checking that the website is using encryption to protect your personal information.

Double-check the payment amount to ensure it matches the total cost of your cruise, including any additional fees or selected add-ons. Take note of any currency conversion rates or foreign transaction fees that may apply if you are paying with a credit card issued in a different currency.

If you are making the payment over the phone or through a travel agent, provide the necessary payment information as instructed. Confirm that the payment amount and details are clearly communicated and that you receive a receipt or confirmation of the payment.

Be aware of any payment deadlines or due dates specified by the cruise line. Late payments may result in the cancellation of your booking or additional fees. Set reminders or alerts to ensure that you make the payment on time.

Keep all payment receipts, confirmation emails, or booking reference numbers as proof of payment. These documents will be important for future reference and any potential disputes or inquiries.

Remember to monitor your credit card or bank statements to ensure that the payment is processed correctly and that there are no unauthorized charges. Report any discrepancies to the cruise line immediately.

By making the payment promptly and accurately, you secure your booking and confirm your place on the cruise. With this step completed, you can move on to the next step: receiving the confirmation of your cruise booking.

Step 8: Receiving the Confirmation

After making the payment for your cruise tickets, it’s time to await the confirmation of your booking. The confirmation serves as proof that your reservation has been successfully processed and provides important information regarding your upcoming cruise.

The confirmation is typically sent via email to the address provided during the booking process. Keep an eye on your inbox and check your spam or junk folder in case the email gets filtered incorrectly.

When you receive the confirmation email, carefully review the details to ensure everything is accurate. Pay close attention to the following information:

1. Booking Reference Number: The confirmation will include a unique booking reference number. This number is essential for any future communication or inquiries with the cruise line, as well as for online check-in.

2. Itinerary and Cabin Details: Double-check the dates, duration, and ports of call to ensure they match your intended cruise itinerary. Verify the cabin type, deck location, and any special requests or upgrades you may have selected during the booking process.

3. Passenger Information: Review the names of all passengers listed on the booking. Ensure that they are spelled correctly and match the information provided during the booking process. If there are any discrepancies, immediately contact the cruise line to rectify the issue.

4. Additional Services and Add-Ons: If you opted for additional services such as specialty dining reservations, beverage packages, or spa treatments, ensure that they are correctly reflected in the confirmation. Make a note of any specific instructions or requirements provided for these services.

5. Payment Details: Confirm that the payment amount, including any taxes, fees, or add-ons, aligns with the amount you paid. Verify that the payment method you used is correctly indicated in the confirmation.

If you notice any errors or discrepancies in the confirmation, promptly contact the cruise line’s customer service to address the issue. It’s crucial to resolve any discrepancies before your cruise to avoid any complications during the embarkation process.

Print a copy of the confirmation and keep it in a safe place along with any other relevant documents, such as your passport, travel insurance, and other travel essentials. Having all the necessary paperwork organized will make your pre-cruise preparations more convenient.

With the confirmation in hand, you can proceed to the final step: preparing for your upcoming cruise adventure!

Step 9: Preparing for the Cruise

With the confirmation of your cruise booking secured, it’s time to prepare for your upcoming cruise adventure. Proper preparation ensures a smooth and enjoyable experience on board. Here are some essential steps to take:

1. Review the Pre-Cruise Checklist: Most cruise lines provide a pre-cruise checklist or guide on their website or in the confirmation email. Go through this checklist to ensure you have completed all necessary tasks, such as obtaining travel documents, arranging transportation to the port, and packing essentials.

2. Complete Online Check-In: Take advantage of the cruise line’s online check-in process, if available. This allows you to provide necessary passenger information, select dining preferences, and expedite the embarkation process when you arrive at the port.

3. Pack Smartly: Refer to the cruise line’s guidelines regarding baggage restrictions and dress codes. Pack appropriate attire for various occasions on board, including formal nights, casual dining, and recreational activities. Don’t forget essentials like toiletries, medications, swimwear, and comfortable walking shoes.

4. Purchase Travel Insurance: Consider purchasing travel insurance to protect yourself against unforeseen events such as trip cancellations, medical emergencies, or lost luggage. Review the coverage provided by the insurance policy and ensure it meets your needs.

5. Explore Excursion Options: Research the shore excursions and activities available at each port of call. Take note of any popular attractions, cultural experiences, or adventurous tours you may be interested in. Pre-booking excursions can save you time and ensure availability.

6. Familiarize Yourself with Ship Amenities: Study the ship’s deck plan and explore the various onboard amenities, including dining options, entertainment venues, fitness centers, swimming pools, and spas. This will help you navigate the ship and make the most of your time on board.

7. Stay Informed: Keep an eye on any communication from the cruise line regarding updates, safety protocols, or last-minute changes to the itinerary. Stay informed about travel advisories, weather conditions, and any necessary vaccinations or health requirements for the destinations you will be visiting.

8. Prepare Travel Documents: Gather all necessary travel documents, including your passport, visas, and any other identification or documentation required for the cruise. Ensure that these documents are valid, easily accessible, and stored securely throughout your journey.

9. Make Necessary Arrangements: Arrange transportation to the departure port and plan your arrival time accordingly. Consider hotel stays the night before or after the cruise if needed. Coordinate with family members, friends, or pet sitters for any necessary arrangements during your absence.

As you prepare for your cruise, make sure to review all relevant information provided by the cruise line, including the embarkation procedures, onboard policies, and any health and safety measures put in place. Stay organized, pack accordingly, and keep a positive mindset as you embark on your exciting cruise vacation!

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the journey of buying cruise tickets. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you have taken the necessary steps to ensure a memorable and enjoyable cruise vacation.

From researching cruise options and setting a budget to choosing a cruise line, selecting the itinerary, and booking your tickets, each step has played a vital role in shaping your cruise experience. Reviewing the terms and conditions, making the payment, and receiving the confirmation have provided the necessary assurance and documentation for your upcoming adventure.

As you prepare for your cruise, remember to take the time to familiarize yourself with the ship’s amenities, pack smartly, and make any necessary arrangements. Stay informed about any updates or changes, and keep your travel documents organized and easily accessible.

During your cruise, make the most of your time by participating in onboard activities, exploring the destinations, and indulging in the various amenities and dining options available. Take advantage of shore excursions to immerse yourself in local culture and create lasting memories.

Remember, a cruise vacation is not just about the destinations you visit, but also about the journey itself. Embrace the opportunity to relax, unwind, and connect with fellow passengers, cruise staff, and the beautiful surroundings.

Lastly, be open to new experiences, embrace spontaneity, and have a positive attitude throughout your cruise. Cherish the moments, create lifelong memories, and return home with a renewed sense of wanderlust.

Thank you for joining us on this journey of buying cruise tickets. May your cruise vacation be filled with incredible adventures, relaxation, and unforgettable moments. Bon voyage!

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The 17 Best Websites To Book Cruises at the Cheapest Prices [2024]

Katie Seemann

Senior Content Contributor and News Editor

343 Published Articles 49 Edited Articles

Countries Visited: 28 U.S. States Visited: 29

Senior Editor & Content Contributor

88 Published Articles 653 Edited Articles

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Keri Stooksbury

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1. Cruise Line’s Website

2. cheapcaribbean.com, 3. cruise critic, 4. cruisedirect, 5. priceline, 6. tripadvisor, 7. cruisesonly, 10. cruises.com, 11. american airlines cruises, 12. delta skymiles cruises, bonuses for united premier members, use united mileageplus miles to pay for your cruise, use marriott bonvoy points to pay for your cruise, 15. costco travel, 16. cruise.com, 17. travelocity, price comparisons, final thoughts.

We may be compensated when you click on product links, such as credit cards, from one or more of our advertising partners. Terms apply to the offers below. See our Advertising Policy for more about our partners, how we make money, and our rating methodology. Opinions and recommendations are ours alone.

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.

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 one 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

• Simpler search functions make it easier to locate specific cruises.
• There’s no middleman (another website) to deal with if there is a problem.
• 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.

CheapCaribbean.com is an OTA that specializes in travel to the Caribbean, Mexico, and Central America. It was founded in 2000 and prides itself on offering the best prices and great U.S.-based customer service . The site’s sales agents are available 7 days a week to help you plan your ultimate Caribbean vacation.

Despite the 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, like extra onboard spending credit. Plus it offers a 110% best price guarantee — if you find the exact same cruise for a cheaper price (available to the general public) on another website, 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

• Occasional special deals like extra onboard credit may be offered.
• 110% best price guarantee.
• There’s a $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. 

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

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

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

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 next to each sailing date — just click on each icon for details. 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

• Bonuses are offered with each cruise ranging from discounts, shipboard credit, or discounts on shore excursions.
• The bonuses offered are often from the cruise line and not exclusive to CruiseDirect, so you can get them regardless of where you book.
• The site is a bit cluttered and can be hard to navigate.

Kayak is a popular online travel agency but the site doesn’t support cruise searches anymore.

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 30% off every guest .

Plus, Priceline offers a 110% best price guarantee — if you find a lower, publicly available 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

• Extra deals like onboard credit or room upgrades are sometimes offered.
• The site offers a 110% best-price guarantee.
• Some offers, including the one for up to $1,000 in shipboard credit can be confusing. Once you read the fine print, you’ll realize you need to spend $20,000 to get the full $1,000 credit.

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

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

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

CruisesOnly claims to be “the best” because each of its call center agents has an average of 5+ years of experience plus professional training.

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 and onboard spending credits.

The V.I.P. Customer Loyalty Club only applies to cruises on these cruise lines:

• Holland America
• Royal Caribbean

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

• The V.I.P. Customer Loyalty Club is free and offers plenty of benefits.
• The site offers a 110% best price guarantee.
• The site, like many other OTAs, can be very busy, making it hard to narrow down the cruise you really want to take.
• The loyalty program only applies to 6 cruise lines.

When booking a cruise through an OTA, be sure to use a card that earns bonus points on travel purchases, such as the  Chase Sapphire Reserve ®  which earns 3x Ultimate Rewards points on cruises purchased from any website or travel agency.

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.

It also does a nice job of showing exactly what’s included and what might cost extra.

Pros and Cons of Expedia

• The site sometimes offers extra bonuses like onboard credit.
• It’s easy to use and is very clear about what’s included in the price.
• No price guarantee is offered

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

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.

Like Expedia, Orbitz does a good job at displaying prices clearly so there’s no confusion.

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

• It offers a best price guarantee.
• There are no booking, change, or cancellation fees.
• Cruises aren’t eligible for Orbitz Rewards

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

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 $2,000 cashback, $1,500 to spend onboard, or a Visa gift card. However, after reading the fine print you’ll notice that in order to get the full bonus you’d have to spend $20,000+ on a cruise. To top it off, the bonus is only available for select cruise lines.

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

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

• A loyalty program is offered for past guests.
• There are sometimes extra bonuses beyond what’s offered by the cruise line.
• 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.

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)
• Occasionally, additional bonus points will be offered for select cruises

Hot Tip: Base miles earned by booking a cruise through American Airlines will also count as 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

• AAdvantage members have the ability to earn lots of American Airlines miles and Loyalty Points.
• There is a $24.99 processing fee on every booking.

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

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

Currently, you’ll earn 2 SkyMiles per $1 spent on a cruise , excluding the taxes, fees, and port charges.

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

• Earn extra Delta SkyMiles.

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

13. 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 $1 spent on an interior or oceanview stateroom
• Earn 4 MileagePlus miles per $1 spent on a balcony stateroom or suite
• Any United MileagePlus credit cardholder will earn 4 MileagePlus miles per $1 spent on an interior or oceanview stateroom
• Any United MileagePlus credit cardholder will earn 7 MileagePlus miles per $1 spent on a balcony or suite stateroom

Additionally, there are sometimes opportunities to earn even more 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 charges a $24.99 processing fee on every booking.

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

• A bottle of wine and chocolate-covered strawberries in your stateroom
• $100 spa credit
• $200 onboard credit
• $250 onboard credit

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

• 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.

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.

14. Marriott Bonvoy Cruises

Marriott Bonvoy Cruises allows you to earn Marriott Bonvoy points on your cruise 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 $1 spent . Chase Marriott Bonvoy credit cardholders will earn an extra 2 Marriott Bonvoy points per $1 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.

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, so you might want to look into other ways to redeem your Marriott Bonvoy for hotels or flights .

Pros and Cons of Marriott Bonvoy Cruises

• 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
• You’ll be charged a non-refundable processing fee of $24.99 per reservation.
• Marriott cruises can only be booked with Marriott Bonvoy points over the phone.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Pros and Cons of Cruise.com

• Lots of deals for a variety of cruise lines are offered.
• The website is very busy and cluttered.
• No price guarantee is offered.
• You may be contacted by cruise.com after searching for a cruise on the site.

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

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

• There are no booking fees.
• It’s simple to use.
• No rewards program or extra bonus points.

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

Let’s get to the important part — price comparisons! We priced out a 7-night Eastern Caribbean cruise from Miami on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas. Prices are for 2 adults in an Infinite Central Park View Balcony room.

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 exception in this example was Cruise.com, which offered a savings of $50 on the price of the cruise. However, some of the extras offered by other sites could be worth more than that, so it’s always a good idea to price your cruise on multiple websites before booking.

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. 

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. Cashback and onboard spending bonuses are generally tied to your stateroom level as well which means you’re not going to get anywhere near the amount advertised if you’re booking an interior or ocean-view cabin.

No matter where you book your cruise, be sure to check out our post with cruise tips and a downloadable packing guide !

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get the best deals on cruises.

To get the best deals on a cruise, it’s important to know which website is offering the most bonuses. The base price of your cruise will be the same from website to website 9 times out of 10, so you’ll need to find the website that’s offering the best bonuses like onboard credit or free specialty dinners.

Is it better to book directly with the cruise line?

Surprisingly, you’ll usually get a better deal when you book your cruise through an OTA (think Cruise.com, Expedia, or United Cruises). When you book through these types of sites you’ll get any deals that are being offered directly by the cruise line plus any extras offered by the OTA.

Is it better to book cruises last minute?

While you can find some great deals on last-minute cruises, it’s not a guarantee. If you have any preference about your cabin type or location, you’ll want to book as early as possible to make sure you get exactly what you want. If you’re traveling with a group and want to book cabins that are next door to each other, you’ll also want to book ahead of time. However, if you’re super flexible and don’t care what type of cabin you’re in, where it’s located, or even what cruise you’re on, you can often find some good deals at the last minute.

What is the best website for booking cruises?

Unfortunately, there’s no one site that always offers the best cruise deals. Most of the OTAs like CheapCaribbean.com, Cruises.com, or Priceline offer the same prices. The difference usually comes when you factor in extras like onboard credit or free gratuities.

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About Katie Seemann

Katie has been in the points and miles game since 2015 and started her own blog in 2016. She’s been freelance writing since then and her work has been featured in publications like Travel + Leisure, Forbes Advisor, and Fortune Recommends.

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The Vacationer • Cruises • Cruise Guides

20 of the Best Websites for Booking Cheap Cruises in 2024

Think that the only place to go for booking a cruise is directly via the cruise line’s website? Or through a travel agent? Think again. You can also find cheap cruises through a bevy of affordable travel booking websites. Here are 20 of our favorites, as well as the pros and cons of each option, so you can book your next cruise for the best price possible.

Table of Contents

Cruise-Specific Booking Websites

While you could go to an online travel agency that offers flights, hotels, and cruises, why not try a cruise-specific booking website first? After all, these are the pros that specialize in cruising, so they know what you’re looking for and how to give it.

1. CruiseDirect

Screenshot: cruisedirect.com

Yeah, CruiseDirect’s website looks a little outdated, but that’s only because this cruise booking provider has been around for about two decades. You know they know their stuff. 

One of the coolest features on this website? As you’re searching around for a cruise, you can “heart” the cruises you like, so you can go back later and reconsider them. Additionally, the website doesn’t require you to pay the full cost of your cruise at the time of booking — just a deposit.

• Booking incentives such as free dining experiences and travel insurance
• No need to pay up-front

Cons: 

• Price matching is only available for the first 24 hours after you book
• Clunky website

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at CruiseDirect

2. Cruise Critic

Screenshot: cruisecritic.com

Cruise Critic is a great little corner of the internet for those who love all things cruising. Here, you can find tons of information about your favorite cruise lines, cruise ships, routes, and more. Get in-depth reviews, cruising tips — it’s all there. But, beyond providing all of this extra info, Cruise Critic also allows you to book cruises. Unfortunately, it’s not Cruise Critic offering those cruises for sale. Cruise Critic just aggregates all of the pricing info and then presents it to you. You have to go to another website to book your cruise.

• Tons of information about any and every cruise
• Robust forum community of cruisers
• You’ll have to go to another website to purchase your cruise fare

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at Cruise Critic

3. Cruisewatch

Screenshot: cruisewatch.com

If you love the power of data, though, Cruisewatch might be the perfect cruise-booking platform for you. The website uses a compilation of data points to predict the best time for you to book your cruise based on price — allowing you to get the best deal, not just the best deal that the website decides to push that day. Additionally, it uses a handy algorithm to better suit the website’s recommendations to your tastes. As you “like” or “dislike” certain cruise features, the website learns your preferences and makes its recommendations accordingly.

• Tech-savvy search capabilities and personalization
• Real-time price drop alerts
• Search functions don’t go as in-depth as some of the others on our list
• Doesn’t show all the prices for all of the cruises available unless you hand over your personal info

4. CruisesOnly

Screenshot: cruisesonly.com

CruisesOnly offers … you guessed it: only cruises. What makes it a little different from other cruise-booking platforms on this list is its unparalleled level of customer service, with on-demand agents available to answer any of your cruising or cruise booking questions. The website also has a loyalty program, allowing you to earn extra bonuses and perks the more you book. For example, after just two bookings, you can get vouchers for shore excursions, cash back, and/or an Amazon gift card.

• Free loyalty program
• On-call booking agents
• Doesn’t always offer the lowest prices

5. Cruise.com

Screenshot: cruise.com

Cruise.com is just about as specific and simple as you can get. It’s a website, named after exactly what you want to book — a cruise! Unfortunately, while the name is simple, the website isn’t always as simple as it could be. This is a site that’s a little more catered toward the seasoned cruiser. It gives you a lot of information and a lot of options, meaning newbie cruisers could feel a little overwhelmed. One great thing, though, that this site offers that some of the other cruise-specific booking websites don’t? The ability to bundle your cruise fare with airfare.

• Book your airfare and cruise fare in one place, for one price
• Find a lot of extra offers, packages, and rates, all in one spot
• Lots of information in what can be a confusing interface
• This site is not newbie-friendly.

6. Cruises.com

Screenshot: cruises.com

So what about Cruises.com? Yes, cruise.com and cruises.com are two separate things. While the former is known primarily as a site that offers deals you won’t necessarily find elsewhere and gives you a lot of extra info, cruises.com is known for potentially lucrative deals. The only downside to these deals is that you have to be careful to read the fine print. If not, you could feel like you didn’t get your money’s worth or you could find yourself, unfortunately, scammed. That’s not to say it happens every time, though, so just do your due diligence.

• Find lucrative cruise deals
• Sometimes those deals aren’t as good as they seem

7. Vacations To Go

Screenshot: vacationstogo.com

Okay, so Vacations To Go sounds like it would give you the option to book everything you might need for an entire vacation. But, one quick look at the website’s homepage shows that it bills itself as an online cruise agency. It boasts that it’s the largest cruise agency in the world. It also says it can save you over 80% on cruise fares, but that’s not proven. 

Vacations To Go’s website may seem a little outdated, but it does have some nice features. It allows you to search for cruises with certain port stops. You can also search for cruises with particular themes, such as a singles cruise or cruises for emergency personnel. There’s also a 90-day ticker feature that shows you last-minute available cruises. 

The big downside to this website, though, is that you have to call the brand’s number to book. The only thing you can do online is ask for a quote. You’ll have to speak with someone to reserve your cruise.

• The website offers a robust search function
• You can find last-minute cruise deals, for cruises departing in 90 days or sooner
• You can’t book your cruise directly on the website
• You have to call a Vacations to Go representative to book

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs)

But if you’re a frequent traveler, you’re probably already pretty familiar with the very popular online travel agencies out there. Priceline , Expedia — it’s incredibly common that you’ll find your best hotel and flight deals with one of these websites. But many of these online travel agencies likewise offer deals on cruises.

8. CheapCaribbean.com

Screenshot: cheapcaribbean.com

CheapCaribbean.com is technically a Caribbean-specific travel booking platform, but don’t let the name fool you. Rather, you can find cruises for all around the world here, not just Caribbean cruises. The nice thing about this booking platform is that it allows you to search via a few extra categories (like cruise themes) that you won’t find on the other platforms above. Additionally, CheapCaribbean gives you plenty of incentives to book on the platform, with discounts, credits, and even a loyalty club.

• Free, 24-hour cancellations
• Lots of booking perks, from spa credits to cash back
• Lots of search functionality
• Not 100% focused on cruises
• Reviewers report poor customer service
• Not as cheap as the name would suggest

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at CheapCaribbean.com

Screenshot: expedia.com

Comparatively, Expedia is one of the larger travel booking platforms out there. From vacation rentals to flights, rental cars to cruises, Expedia offers a little bit of it all. The site is easy to use, making it a top pick for those who want a hassle-free cruise-booking experience. The only downside, though, is that the cruise-booking experience is so simple on Expedia that you don’t have the chance to get down into the nitty-gritty of what you want from your cruise when searching. That could be either a pro or a con, depending on what you’re looking for.

• Some of the best cruise-booking deals available 
• Large, reputable platform
• Simple-to-use interface
• Conversely, the site could be considered too simple, and it doesn’t include all the search features an avid cruiser might want

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at Expedia

10. Priceline

Screenshot: hopper.com

Similarly, Priceline is another well-known travel booking platform, with just as much clout as Expedia. However, where Expedia fails in allowing for in-depth searches, Priceline shines. You can search for a range of cruising experiences, whether you want a balcony cabin, a luxury cruise, or even a cruise with a certain theme. You can also search for cruises with particular discounts, such as a senior discount. This makes Priceline quite competitive with CheapCaribbean when it comes to search features.

• Lots of ways to search for your perfect cruise 
• Bonus incentives for booking through Priceline, such as credits and shore excursion savings
• Priceline’s famed “name your own price” feature doesn’t apply to cruises

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at Priceline

Screenshot: kayak.com

Kayak is more of a travel deal aggregator than a legitimate online travel agency, but that’s precisely why Kayak aficionados prefer the site. It brings together travel deals from around the web and then even compares them to the deals you’ll find with competitors like Expedia and Priceline, so there are fewer websites you’ll need to scroll through, to find your best cruise deal. Further reading: see our complete guide to using Kayak to book cheap travel .

• Find more prices in one place
• Great user experience via the Kayak app 
• Unfortunately, Kayak pushes “suggested,” higher-cost cruises over the legitimately cheaper fares

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at Kayak

12. TripAdvisor

Screenshot: tripadvisor.com

Like Cruise Critic, TripAdvisor is a great place to go to find reviews and cruising information, but did you know that you can also book cruises via this website? You can find cruise deals from a wide array of sources, for cruises all over the world. However, also like Cruise Critic, TripAdvisor won’t allow you to actively book your cruise on the site. Instead, it’ll send you elsewhere to do that. But, it’s a nice feature if you’re already frequently on the site, reading up ahead of your next cruise.

• Real reviews and info plus booking and deal recommendations all in one spot
• You’ll be redirected to a different website for booking

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at TripAdvisor

13. Avoya Travel

Screenshot: avoyatravel.com

Next up, Avoya Travel is a unique option, as it combines online search features and travel agent know-how to give you what it calls a superior cruise-booking experience. You enter some info about what kind of cruise you want, and then a planner uses your information to show you the best cruises for you. Better yet, a website membership gets you access to unpublished deals, as well as free cruise booking changes and cancellations.

• Personalized service and cruise recommendations 
• Free membership comes with exclusive deals and perks
• The low-price guarantee is only available for 24 hours after booking 
• Not ideal for those who want a hands-off, DIY booking experience

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at Avoya Travel

Screenshot: orbitz.com

Another online travel agency where you might frequently book your other travel, Orbitz also offers cruises — and there are a lot of reasons why you might want to book with Orbitz. The site offers a loyalty program for frequent travel bookers (and it’s very possible to frequently book with Orbitz since the site offers entire vacation packages, rental cars, activities, etc.). It also offers deals and savings you might not find elsewhere. And, if you do find a better price on your cruise on another site, within 24 hours, you can take advantage of Orbitz’s best price guarantee.

• If you prefer to streamline your travel booking and do it all in one place, Orbitz will allow you to do that, with its wealth of options
• You only have 24 hours to take advantage of the best price guarantee
• Cruise bookings don’t qualify for the Orbitz loyalty program rewards

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at Orbitz

15. Travelocity

Screenshot: travelocity.com

Much like Orbitz, Travelocity is another online travel agency where you’re most likely to book a cruise only if you use the site for all of your other travel bookings. If you already book your flights, hotel rooms, and car rentals on Travelocity, it’s worth checking out their cruise deals. 

However, you might find the cruise booking portion of the agency’s website a bit clunky. For this reason, some users just use the website to browse their cruise options and then they call Travelocity directly to book their chosen option.

• Cruises offered in the same spot you potentially book all your other travel, for a streamlined experience
• Users find a poor website design (at least for the cruising portion)
• It’s sometimes easier to book over the phone

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at Travelocity

Airline, Hotel, and Other Brands

But sometimes, you can also purchase cruises through providers who aren’t online travel agents, or cruise lines, or even anything close. Airlines, hotels, and other brands also offer deals on cruises for their most loyal customers.

16. Costco Travel

Screenshot: costcotravel.com

Costco members can purchase cruises, hotels, airfare, and car rental packages all online. While the cruise fares aren’t necessarily cheaper through Costco than what you might get with some of the other providers on our list, the incentives are what make booking through Costco worth it for some. The favorite incentive? Hefty Costco gift cards.

• Incentives include Costco gift cards that can really add up
• The prices aren’t always cheaper than what you’ll find elsewhere
• A Costco membership is necessary to book

Click Here to See Cheap Cruise Deals at Costco Travel

17. American Airlines Cruises

Screenshot: bookaacruises.com

If you’re an American Airlines AAdvantage member, you may want to book your cruise through your existing American Airlines loyalty membership. Doing so allows you to earn airline miles, while also taking advantage of savings. Just like many of the above booking platforms, American Airlines Cruises promises a 110% best price guarantee, meaning they’ll refund you 110% of the difference if you find your cruise offered at a lower price within 48 hours of your initial booking.

• Earn up to 10,000 AAdvantage miles per cruise 
• Earn even more miles if you have an American Airlines credit card
• You’ll be charged an extra processing fee for your booking

18. Delta SkyMiles Cruises

Screenshot: skymilescruises.com

Very similarly, if you’re a SkyMiles member versus an AAdvantage member, you can earn miles for your cruising when you book with Delta SkyMiles Cruises. Rather than receiving a certain number of miles for which cruise line you cruise with, you’ll receive miles based on how long you cruise, up to 10,000 SkyMiles. You also get extra perks if you book more luxurious rooms.

• Earn up to 10,000 SkyMiles per cruise
• Receive extra cruise amenities based on your Delta Medallion status

19. United Cruises

Screenshot: cruises.united.com

Likewise, you can earn United MileagePlus miles if you book your cruise through United Cruises. Rather than base the number of miles you earn on nights cruised or cruise line, though, United Cruises bases your miles earning on the type of stateroom you book. You can earn up to 100,000 bonus miles on select cruises.

• Earn up to 100,000 MileagePlus miles per cruise
• Receive extra cruise amenities if you have Premier status

20. Marriott Cruises

Screenshot: cruise-with-points.marriott.com

But what if you’re not a member of any frequent flyer program? You can still earn points for an existing loyalty program if you’re a member of Marriott Bonvoy . Earn points based on how much money you spend for a cruise booking, via Marriott Cruises. 

You can earn up to 8 points per $1 spent on a cruise, putting you that much closer to a free night at your favorite Marriott-owned hotel. You can also use Marriott points to pay for your cruise if you so wish.

• Earn up to 8 points per $1 spent on a cruise
• Pay for your cruise using Marriott Bonvoy points

Booking Direct

Read all of the above and still tempted to book direct? We don’t blame you. There are reasons why you might. It’s easy. You know exactly what you’re getting. All the information about the line, its routes, and the individual ships is right there at your fingertips. However, despite this, you could still be missing out on some great deals. 

So what’s your best course of action? Before booking any cruise, look around at the various prices offered in a range of places. After all, you never know where an awesome deal could be lurking!

Further Reading: Can You Bring Food, Alcohol, Water, & Snacks on a Cruise Ship? , the Best All-Inclusive Cruise Lines , and the Best Credit Cards for Booking Cruises .

It all depends on what you’re after. If you want the most affordable cruise fare possible, you can usually find great deals the closer you get to a cruise date, as the cruise line tries to fill up cabins. However, waiting until the last minute could mean you end up with fewer choices in terms of cabin and amenities.

If you’re looking at a specific cruise across a swathe of websites, you’ll usually find that the base price is the same across a handful of sites. From there, you’ll have to look at the various “extras” the site is offering — drink packages, shore excursions, room upgrades, etcetera — to see which is providing the most value for that lowest price.

It’s a good question! Many cruise booking websites, even some of those we’ve listed above, look a little sketch. But don’t let an outdated website put you off. If it’s listed above, you can trust it. Just make sure to always read the fine print before you book any sort of travel online.

It does make sense that a cruise line might drop its prices to sell out cabins right before a cruise is set to launch. However, even having empty cabins on a cruise is a lot less common than you might think. Most cruises are full when they set sail. So, if you thought you might wait around and take a last-minute cruise that’s half-off the week before sailing, you might just want to abandon that idea.

Often, cruise lines will offer sales and deals in the late winter-early spring, January through March. These months are popularly known as “wave season.”

Most cruise lines will allow you to book a cruise as much as a year and a half in advance. If you decide to book this far out, just make sure that your cruise of choice offers some sort of travel booking insurance or a cancellation policy that allows you to adjust your schedule as needed without losing the entire cost of your cruise fare.

The Vacationer’s Final Thoughts

Cruise-specific booking websites are great resources to find your next trip at sea. However, OTAs can often have cheaper prices and worthy reward programs. Also, consider booking through a specific airline or hotel brand. This can help you maintain or gain status on an airline or with a hotel brand you use regularly. Additionally, booking with a cash back credit card such as the Chase Freedom Unlimited® can put 1.5% or more back in your wallet. Lastly, stacking these savings with another cash back program such as BeFrugal or Rakuten will further increase your savings. See also our guides on the best websites for booking cheap flights , the best websites for booking cheap hotels , and the best websites for booking cheap car rentals .

By Holly Riddle

Holly Riddle is a freelance travel, food, and lifestyle journalist who also dabbles in ghostwriting and fiction. Her work appears in publications ranging from Global Traveler to Golf Magazine, Mashed to Forbes, and Bloomberg. When she’s not writing, you can find her exploring the mountains near her home in the Adirondacks. Her favorite travel destinations include Chicago and New Orleans.

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Protect Your Trip »

How Much Does a Cruise Cost?

The average cost of a cruise varies by ship, destination, trip length and more. Use this guide to learn more about cruise costs.

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With the rising cost of everything, including travel, cruise fares – some as low as $26 per person per night based on double occupancy – seem like an incredible bargain. And they certainly can be, but the fares you see advertised online often don't include extras like taxes, fees, port expenses, gratuities, shore excursions, specialty dining, alcoholic beverages, specialty coffees, room service fees and more.

Cruise pricing can be confusing with so many variables; unless you're sailing with a smaller luxury line that is all-inclusive , your bill on the day of disembarkation may be unexpected or even shocking. Small things like buying bottled water or renting noodles for floating in the ocean at a cruise line's private island can add up quickly. To help you plan better for a cruise vacation , U.S. News has broken down some of the costs and add-ons you need to take into consideration before booking your next getaway on the high seas.

How much does a one-week cruise cost?

A cruise can cost anywhere from about $171 per person for a four-night Bahamas cruise to up to $94,999 per person for a 154-night world cruise and anywhere in between. Cruise fares vary based on itinerary, number of nights, cabin type, amenities and cruise line. Here are a few examples of base cruise cost ranges on larger cruise lines for various regions:

• A seven-night Caribbean cruise in November costs approximately $424 to $1,158 per person.
• A seven-night Alaska cruise in May costs approximately $244 to $1,632 per person.
• A seven-night Western Mediterranean cruise in June costs approximately $439 to $3,218 per person.
• A seven-night Mexico cruise in January costs approximately $529 to $695 per person.
• A seven-night Canada and New England cruise in October costs approximately $470 to $954 per person.

What's included in the base fare with a larger cruise line?

Mass-market cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean International , Norwegian Cruise Line , MSC Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line – and more upscale lines like Celebrity Cruises , Holland America Line , Cunard Line , Disney Cruise Line and Princess Cruises – advertise "starting from" base fares, which are for inside cabins. These are the least expensive staterooms on the ship, and they do not have windows. Staying in these accommodations still gives you access to all the complimentary dining venues, several types of nonalcoholic beverages (nonbottled water, iced tea, lemonade, juices, hot coffee and tea), the ship's pools, the gym, kids clubs and onboard entertainment.

If you want a room with a view – or a larger stateroom – consider booking an ocean view room with a porthole or window, or a cabin with a balcony or veranda. With these rooms, you'll have access to all the ship's included amenities and typically more spacious accommodations for the week. Of course, this option will come at a higher price point.

No matter which room category you choose, port expenses, taxes and fees are not included in the base fares, and they're automatically added to the cost of your cruise. The amount of these charges will depend on the length of your cruise and where you're sailing. Gratuities for the staff and crew are also additional.

Find the best value sailings on  GoToSea , a service of U.S. News.

What if you want more amenities and perks?

If you splurge on a suite or a higher room category, such as Celebrity's Concierge Class, you'll get perks like priority embarkation, a Welcome Aboard Concierge Class Lunch, complimentary sparkling wine and daily tastings (upon request), concierge service, invitations to exclusive destination seminars, pillow selection and more.

With Disney Cruise Line's Concierge Staterooms and Suites, guests have a dedicated concierge agent offering personalized assistance for pre-arrival planning for port adventures, dining reservations, other onboard activities and special requests. You'll also have priority check-in and boarding, complimentary Wi-Fi, access to a private lounge, and other perks.

You may opt to stay within an exclusive area of the ship, such as MSC Cruises' Yacht Club, Norwegian's The Haven or Celebrity's The Retreat. These high-end private retreats offer an all-inclusive experience with additional features, while still including access to all the entertainment, dining venues and more on board. The accommodations can cost hundreds more dollars per day, but you'll have an experience similar to sailing on a small luxury vessel.

For example, the MSC Yacht Club offers an intimate all-inclusive space within its larger ships. The private area is accessible with a key card and features luxurious suites, a dedicated concierge, 24-hour butler service, a private restaurant and lounge, a rooftop pool, and other amenities. There are also additional dining and snack options throughout the day at the pool and lounge.

You'll find similar amenities in Norwegian's and Celebrity's private retreats, including priority boarding and disembarkation, exclusive sun deck areas, and priority access when boarding tenders for going ashore.

What factors determine pricing?

Base pricing and the additional components vary greatly among the cruise lines, so you'll need to determine what your budget is for the trip – and what you can and can't live without when it comes to accommodations and amenities. Travelers may also find that one cruise line has a deal or promotion with reduced pricing that includes airfare, specialty dining, a beverage package, free Wi-Fi or other perks in the advertised rate, while another line isn't running any specials for a similar itinerary. 

Voyages on older cruise ships tend to be less expensive, so if you're on a tight budget, consider a ship with fewer bells and whistles. If you're sailing on a short itinerary in the Bahamas and plan to lounge by the pool or on the beach all day, you may not be concerned about having high-tech onboard amenities, martini bars and several specialty restaurants.

Save the money to splurge on more expensive fares when you're planning to sail on longer voyages on larger and newer ships. You'll want several days at sea to enjoy the onboard amenities on some vessels, such as a three-level racetrack and a 10-story-tall slides on a new ship like Norwegian Prima or its new sister ship, Norwegian Viva, set to debut in summer 2023.

Another significant factor to consider is the time of year you want to travel. Better deals are available in the offseason, but the offseason varies depending on what part of the world you're traveling to. For example, May is a great time to find a deal in the Caribbean. The offseason – or shoulder season – in that market typically runs from May to November. However, keep in mind this period overlaps with hurricane season .

You also may be able to find last-minute deals in many other destinations if you're flexible. Working with a travel agent is an excellent way to learn of last-minute specials and cruise deals that offer add-ons like beverage packages, specialty dining inclusions, shore excursions and other perks. You can also check out the online specials that change frequently.

Read: The Best Cruise Lines for the Money

Solo travelers may pay more

If you're traveling alone , you may also need to factor in a single supplement, which can add up to as much as 100% of the cruise fare. To save money, bring a friend so you can access the lower double occupancy fare or consider lines that feature rooms for solo travelers; select Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Celebrity ships offer solo cabins.

These smaller accommodations – around 100 to 200 square feet in size – are priced and designed for solo travelers. Key card access to Norwegian's Studio Complex and Lounge is included with the line's solo cabins and offers a place to relax and mix and mingle with other cruisers. Other lines that offer solo cabins include Holland America, MSC and Virgin Voyages . While the price may not be as inexpensive as the double occupancy fare when traveling with someone else, these accommodations offer some savings over a typical solo fare.

Some lines often feature special deals on select sailings where the single supplement is waived or reduced. A knowledgeable travel agent specializing in cruises can assist in finding the best offers for solo travelers.

Read: The Top Cruise Lines for Solo Travelers

Kids cruise free promotions can help families save

If you're traveling with kids, many cruise lines – such as Holland America, MSC, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Disney and Princess – offer "kids sail free" promotions periodically throughout the year. You can also find discounted fares for the kids on select sailings. Regent Seven Seas Cruises has fares as low as $999 for children 17 and younger on a variety of select voyages whose regular fares are around $6,000 and up. This fare also includes unlimited shore excursions and all the benefits and perks of sailing with an all-inclusive luxury cruise line.

Read: The Top Cruises for Babies and Toddlers

Food and beverage packages are another expense to consider

Once you determine your total cruise fare with the taxes, fees, port charges and gratuities, you'll need to budget for the additional expenses you'll have on the ship – and these extras can add up quickly. Meals at specialty dining venues , alcoholic drinks and other beverages may not be covered in the basic cruise fare. You'll also have to pay for room service on most ships.

You can purchase specialty dining, beverage and Wi-Fi packages before or during your cruise. These packages offer savings over purchasing everything individually – and it's best to buy them once you book your cruise, as they're typically cheaper to purchase before you board the ship. For an example of the savings, Royal Caribbean offers up to a 40% discount with a dining package. This package includes reduced pricing for children ages 6 to 12, while kids 5 and younger eat for free. The cruise line's unlimited dining package also offers discounts on bottles of wine.

In addition to specialty dining venues that charge a flat fee – usually between $30 to $50 – there are also restaurants that charge as much as $75 or more for dinner. Other venues feature a la carte menus with sushi, bar food and even steakhouses that price out individual courses. Some of these may not include gratuity, so that's another add-on. If you decide to dine at any of these spots – and they're not included in your package – you'll have to budget for them in the total cruise price. Enticing dessert items in the gelato and ice cream shops on some ships also come with a price, including Coco's and Dolce Gelato on Norwegian or MSC's Venchi.

There are endless options when considering beverage packages, too, so you need choose what fits best with your interests and budget. Some of the package options are only for nonalcoholic drinks like fountain sodas, sparkling waters and coffees, while premium or deluxe beverage packages cover beer, wine and cocktails, so they are more expensive. Depending on the cruise line, most premium packages will usually cover drinks up to $15, but many craft cocktails on cruise ships can be quite expensive, costing much more, especially if you request a call brand for the liquor. If you have the premium package and want to splurge on the fancy beverage, you'll have to pay the difference.

Other lines have packages that cover top-shelf beverages of up to $20 each and include wine, large bottles of water and soda, and other perks. You'll need to budget around $85 per person per day for this option – and an additional 18% gratuity. This type of package can add up to quite a bit of money on a seven-day cruise or longer.

For additional savings, look into bundle pricing that includes specialty dining, Wi-Fi, photos and more. Purchasing them together may be more cost-effective. For example, Holland America offers a "Have It All" package that encompasses a shore excursion credit, a signature beverage package (including the service charge), one evening of specialty dining and Wi-Fi. If you're sailing on longer cruises of 10 to 21 days or more, the benefits increase. The line estimates savings of 50% when you purchase this bundle.

While these packages may not always work out in your favor, you'll at least know what your dining, imbibing, excursions, Wi-Fi and even additional activities on the cruise will cost.

Read: Cruise Drink Packages: Your Options by Cruise Line

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Additional costs on a cruise ship

Cruisers will also incur additional fees from excursions, fitness classes, spa treatments, access to thermal spa rooms, babysitting services, ship tours, wine tastings, cocktail demonstrations, cooking classes, laundry services, and some entertainment venues and activities on the ship – such as Norwegian's racetrack and Carnival's first roller coaster at sea, BOLT. See some of the more popular added costs you'll want to consider below.

Wi-Fi access

If you need Wi-Fi during the cruise, that's another cost to factor into the total price. Here are two examples of pricing for internet plans for two cruise lines.

Carnival offers three options for Wi-Fi, using Starlink. The basic Social Wi-Fi Plan gives you access certain social media channels like Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp and more starting at $12.75 per day per person. The cost increases to $17 per day per person with the Value Wi-Fi Plan. This option gives you access to your email and to sites for weather, news, finance and more. It does not support Skype or music and video streaming services like Spotify and Netflix during your cruise.

Carnival's Premium Wi-Fi Plan starts at $18.70 per person per day and offers speeds up to three times faster than the Value plan. With this plan you can make Zoom calls and use Skype. For all three of these plans, you can save 15% off the total price if you book in advance of your trip.

Celebrity also uses Starlink. The line's "Always Included" fare includes basic internet, a classic drink package and gratuities. If you don't book that fare, Wi-Fi plans range from $20 per day for basic service to premium Wi-Fi at $35 per day.

• Shore excursions

If you're traveling to far-flung or new destinations, you'll want to book shore excursions. Cruise lines recommend that you book excursions directly with them rather than hiring an independent tour company or operator, but it can be more expensive to book tours through the cruise line.

However, if you experienced a delay on an independent tour and couldn't get back to the ship on time, there's a chance you could get left behind if you're not on a ship-sponsored tour. If you decide to go with a private tour guide, be sure to book an excursion where you'll arrive back at the ship with plenty of time to spare before the vessel departs for the next destination. Most tour operators in busy cruise ports work with the cruise ship schedules all the time, so you should be fine with a reputable independent guide.

Some trips last an entire day or are once-in-a-lifetime adventures like dog-sledding on a glacier in Alaska or taking a helicopter ride in Iceland. These types of excursions can be costly, ranging anywhere from hundreds to even thousands of dollars.

If these types of experiences are not in your budget, then look for historic walking or panoramic driving tours. These excursions are shorter in duration and typically the least expensive tours available on the cruise. Most of these types of tours will cost less than $100. And, of course, there are always other options available that range between the lower and higher price range of excursions.

If your ship is docked directly in the town or city, then you'll be able to explore off the ship on your own for free. Some cruise lines also offer complimentary shuttle buses into town, or a round-trip ride for a nominal fee, if it's not within walking distance of the ship. That's another less expensive option for you to sightsee, shop or grab lunch in town.

Transportation

Transportation is another expense that's often overlooked in the total cost of a cruise. Consider if you'll be driving or flying to the cruise port. If you're driving, you'll have to pay for gas and parking at the port – and maybe a hotel the night before the cruise, depending on when you arrive and when your ship is scheduled to set sail. Don't forget the meals or beverages you'll purchase on the way.

If you're flying to the port, especially on a long-distance flight, it's best to come in a day early. In that case, you'll also have to pay for a hotel, transfers from the airport to the hotel and then a transfer (private hire, Uber or cab) to the ship's terminal. There will also be meals to budget for while you're in town before the cruise and a ride back to the airport after the cruise.

Souvenirs or forgotten items

Don't forget to account for purchases on the ship. Items that you forgot to bring from home will be more expensive on the ship. It's also easy to run up the bill when buying souvenirs for yourself or the kids. It's a good idea to periodically check your bill online or with guest services to see the current balance. You can keep a running tab of what you've billed to your stateroom – and also make sure that the charges are correct.

Cruise pricing checklist

To sum it up, here's a checklist of major items that will help you to compare costs across cruise lines and tally up the total cost of a cruise:

• Base cruise price
• Taxes, fees, gratuities and port expenses
• Specialty dining
• Beverage package
• Optional activities
• Miscellaneous expenses
• Air or ground travel to the port
• Hotel prior to embarking

If you don't want to budget for all the individual expenses related to a cruise – and you don't need the over-the-top entertainment of a larger cruise ship – consider booking a mostly all-inclusive or fully all-inclusive cruise with a luxury cruise line . These cruise lines include almost everything in your cruise fare.

Mostly all-inclusive cruises

One option for a mostly all-inclusive cruise is Viking Ocean Cruises . The line's nine all-veranda ocean-going vessels accommodate 930 passengers – and all of Viking's ships feature the same categories of staterooms and suites, dining, lounges, and entertainment venues across the fleet. The ships offer an immersive cultural curriculum on board with regional dishes, destination performances and enrichment lectures.

Viking's fares include veranda accommodations, port taxes and fees, free Wi-Fi, access to The Nordic Spa and fitness center, 24-hour room service, ground transportation (if you book airfare with Viking), and one complimentary excursion in each port. You'll also have complimentary alternative dining options and free beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner on board the ship. Specialty coffees, teas and bottled water are available 24 hours a day at no extra charge. Guests are also invited to a welcome cocktail party and farewell reception.

If you like to have an aperitif before your evening meal or an after-dinner cocktail, those beverages will be at an additional cost. You'll also need to budget for any optional shore excursions that are not included in the fare.

Keep in mind that Viking is an adults-only cruise line, so children younger than 18 are not permitted.

Read:  The Best Adults-Only Cruises

All-inclusive cruises

Silversea Cruises , Regent Seven Seas and Seabourn Cruise Line boast all-inclusive luxury experiences with shipwide amenities such as ocean-facing suites, butlers, premium spirits, fully stocked in-suite bars, no tipping and complimentary dining at world-class restaurants.

Additional perks with Regent Seven Seas include complimentary shore excursions, free two- or three-night land programs, a free one-night hotel stay before the cruise departure, transfers from the airport to the ship, and business class or economy airfare, depending on the destination.

Silversea offers door-to-door arrangements where everything is handled by the cruise line. You can also opt for a port-to-port all-inclusive rate if you prefer to make your own travel arrangements. If you're on one of the cruise line's expedition cruises, fares will include a pre- or post-cruise hotel stay. All Silversea fares cover a selection of complimentary shore excursions in each port.

If you're interested in an even smaller ship – and are sailing to the Caribbean or Mediterranean – SeaDream Yacht Club features an intimate luxury experience on its two 56-stateroom yachts. The fares include top-notch cuisine, open bar and gratuities, complimentary daily yoga, access to water sports activities and nightly movies under the stars.

Read: The Top Cruises on Small Ships

How much does a luxury cruise cost for two?

If you want to go on a mostly adults-only luxury ship, what can you expect to pay for two people? This will depend on the ship, where you want to sail and for how long – and what amenities are included in the fare.

For a seven-night cruise in the Baltic region in June with Regent Seven Seas, an all-inclusive fare with suite accommodations is $12,540 ($6,270 per person). There are also additional perks available, depending on where you book the cruise. Some of the extras include a cash-back offer, a two-category upgrade and shipboard credit.

Silversea has a similar itinerary in June, and the fare also comes with added perks for $13,860 for two people ($6,930 per person) in suite accommodations.

While the price tag may seem high, compare the total cost with the base fare on a larger cruise ship and then add in all the extras.

See the top cruises on  GoToSea .

The bottom line

The average cost of a cruise is all over the map – and there are many variables to consider. Hiring a cruise specialist to navigate the rough waters may be your best option. Cruise specialists are also privy to special deals and incentives that you may not be able to access on your own.

Travel agents can also advise you of promotions that may include free specialty dining, beverage packages, complimentary Wi-Fi, shore excursions, discounts on solo and family travel, and more. This approach will save you the hassle of searching online or calling the individual cruise companies to check on what specials are available.

If you'd rather have one price with everything included so there's little room for surprises at the end of the trip, consider a mostly or fully all-inclusive cruise fare. If you don't need waterslides for the kids, big Broadway shows and high-tech entertainment, opt for a cruise on a small luxury line.

When doing the math and comparing the costs, you might be surprised how similar in price cruising with a larger mass-market cruise line and a smaller luxury line can be. In the end, your decision will come down to your personal preferences and what you value most for your cruise vacation.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Gwen Pratesi has been an avid cruiser since her early 20s. She has sailed on nearly every type of cruise ship built, including the newest megaships, paddle-wheelers on the Snake and Columbia rivers, and an 18-stateroom river ship on the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Most recently, she traveled on a small luxury expedition vessel in Antarctica and crossed the notorious Drake Passage twice. She covers the travel and culinary industries, specializing in cruises, for major publications including U.S. News & World Report.

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The Best Time to Book a Cruise (Save Money, Better Cabins)

When it comes to booking a cruise, everyone wants to get a good deal. And the truth is that you can get the same exact cruise for hundreds — and sometimes thousands — of dollars less just by sailing during the right part of the season.

So when is the best time to book a cruise? Below, we’ll explain exactly the best time to buy your vacation.

Before we get too far, however, you should know that the biggest factor in how much you’ll pay depends on one thing: timing. And when it comes to timing your purchase, there are two things to consider: when you actually buy the cruise and when the cruise departs .

Below, we go into detail on both fronts with some actual data to show you exactly when to time your purchase and when to set sail to save the most money.

Best Time to Buy  Your Cruise: As Far in Advance as Possible

When should you buy your cruise? While the lure of last-minute cruise deals tempt people, data actually suggests that it’s a much better idea to book as far in advance as possible.

This isn’t because you’ll get amazing deals by buying earlier. But there is a different benefit to booking early. Truth is that cruise prices will vary, but tend to hover around the same price point, whether the trip departs next month or next year. 

But what about last-minute deals?

It seems like basic logic that if a cruise were about to set sail with empty rooms, the company would slash prices to get people on the ship. After all, once a room leaves empty, it earns no money for the cruise line.

However, if every cruise line slashed prices last-minute, people would catch on and wait to book their trip. There would be no reason to book early.

This would be disastrous for the cruise lines, who want you to book as soon as possible. In fact, some lines refuse to drop prices any lower once the cruise gets within a few weeks of departure .

Where you can get burned waiting until last-minute is with cabin selection . If you wait until a couple of weeks before the cruise sails, then you’re going to be left with cabins that other passengers didn’t want. This usually means there are no or limited balcony rooms, and the locations of available rooms are often less desirable.

In other words, by waiting you can actually see fewer options for cabins and locations on the ship .

If that weren’t enough to convince you to buy as early as possible, you should also consider how waiting until closer to the cruise sail date doesn’t always save money. And even if you book farther out and the price drops, you can often be compensated for the lower price.

Prices Behind Buying a Cruise Earlier Instead of Later

The price difference between a cruise bought close to the sail date or farther out is not always clear. Sometimes it’s cheaper to book sooner. Other times it’s cheaper to book later. It really depends on the demand for that cruise. In that case, we think it makes sense to go ahead and book your cruise early if you can and lock in a better cabin location.

The table below shows the headline fare for one cruise as an example. This cruise is aboard Harmony of the Seas on a 7-day cruise departing Galveston . Since the cruise is scheduled regularly for more than a year into the future, we can compare the price of the cruise now with the price of the same cruise at the same time next year.

As you can see, the prices for this trip are similar from one year to the next, though there is some variation across weeks. 

The prices below are shown per person for an interior cabin, before taxes and fees. 

Bottom line: Yes, there are some slight price differences and it’s not set in stone that buying sooner or later will save you money one way or the other. But if you’re going to end up paying around the same price whether you book the cruise a month before it leaves or a year before it leaves, it makes more sense to book as early as possible. That way, you have the most options available for cabin types and location.

Another Reason to Book Early: Price Protection If Prices Fall

Yes, prices for trips can vary but are usually similar whether you book early or not. There is another reason to book early, however. When you book early, you can often get price protection included in your fare.

How does this work? Like airfare, cruise fares can move up and down over time (though not near as drastically). If you book a cruise and see the price drop later, you should call the cruise line and request a refund of the difference.

Many last-minute cruise fares (those sold within 30-45 days from the sail date) have their prices locked. What you pay is what you get. If the price drops after you book, then it can be more difficult to get the difference in cruise fare refunded.

If you book well in advance (usually 90+ days), you can usually get some sort of price guarantee included with your fare. Book a fare, and if you see it drop later, you can call the cruise line and get the price difference either refunded or get the difference back as onboard credit.

There are rules and stipulations for each cruise line as to whether your fare is eligible to get refunded should the price goes down. You’ll want to make sure you read all the fine print of your fare before you buy. For instance, you can learn more about Carnival’s different fares here .

You can also learn more about getting your money back after a price drop here .

Is There a Best Month/Season to Book a Cruise (Such as Wave Season)?

We mentioned earlier that we suggest booking as early as possible. This gives you the most options as far as lowest prices, most cabins available, and price protection.

What about the actual date that you book your cruise? Is there a month or time of year (e.g. “Wave Season”) when the cruise lines offer the best sales if you book?

In our experience, there isn’t much difference in the time of year that you book.  For example, the same cruise isn’t automatically cheaper if you buy in January versus if you buy in July.

This makes sense. Say there was a month or two out of the year when cruises were drastically cheaper for you to book, no matter when you sailed. If that were the case, passengers would catch on and wait until then to book.

That would lead to fewer people booking throughout the year; instead they would wait until that one time a year when cruises were cheaper. Obviously the cruise lines wouldn’t want this. That’s why there’s not a best time of year to actually buy your cruise. You can find deals throughout the entire year. 

Instead, what will have the biggest impact on what you pay for a cruise is when you sail , not when you book.

Best Time to Sail for Cheap: Go When School Is in Session

Knowing the best time to purchase your cruise is just one part of the puzzle. The other piece of that puzzle? When you actually set sail. When you sail has a much bigger impact on what you pay than when you buy.

The simple rule of thumb is that prices are lowest when school is session .

When school is back in session, it’s much more difficult for many people to set sail. That means cruise lines offer cheaper cruises in an effort to get more people on the ship during these times. So you’ll find the cheapest time to book a cruise is in the fall and winter.

Specifically, the following times of year see cheap fares:

• January and February
• April and May
• September through November
• Between Thanksgiving and Christmas

Meanwhile, you’ll see the highest fares during summer, Spring Break, and the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays.

How much can you save based on when you sail? Take a look at the chart below. We’ve charted the per-person cabin prices for both a balcony and interior room. Specifically, these prices were for a 3-day cruise aboard Carnival from Miami that sailed regularly throughout the year.

During the course of a year, the price of the cruise varied from a low of $299 for a balcony cabin (during October and November) and a high of $539 (Christmas/New Year’s) even though this is the same trip on the same ship.

In other words, if you can sail at the least expensive time, your cruise can be a sharp discount off the peak price.

Again, the best time to take a cruise if you want the cheapest price is when school is in session. If you have to sail during the summer or holidays, expect to pay a premium.

What About Sailing During the Winter or Hurricane Season?

We’ve shown you the best time to sail if you want to save money. But what if you’re wondering about the best time to sail due to weather?

For example, is it fine to sail in the middle of winter or during hurricane season?

The good news is that there is no wrong time of year to sail for most cruises, such as those heading to the Caribbean or Bahamas. 

Let’s take winter . While it might be cold in North America, the weather stays fairly consistent in the Caribbean. For instance, the average high temperature for Cozumel is about 84 degrees in January and 91 degrees during the peak of August. So temperatures are cooler during the winter, but not by much. 

Where there is a difference during winter months is with your departure port. If you are sailing from a port in the United States (outside of South Florida), then the winter months can be cold. That means the first day of your cruise during the winter can be chilly as the ship heads south.

One more thing to keep in mind is the summer months in the tropics can often mean regular afternoon thunderstorms. (For example, Nassau in The Bahamas see about nine inches of rain in August.) Late winter and early spring months are drier. Even so, it can rain any time of year in the Caribbean.

Hurricanes are always of interest to the Caribbean, and hurricane season runs from June through November. For cruise passengers, the risk of being caught in a hurricane on a ship is low. Cruise ships actively avoid storms and steer for better weather.

Even so, hurricanes can impact your cruise. They may mean adjustments to the itinerary as storms hit near ports or delay ship arrivals. That can cause headaches.

In past experience, however, it seems fruitless to worry about storms if sailing during hurricane season. Their formations are simply unpredictable more than a week in advance. Outside of avoiding sailing between July-September (the peak of the season), there simply isn’t much you can do. (See our article: Is It Crazy to Book a Cruise During Hurricane Season? )

What About Waiting For Sales to Book/Sail?

Now that you know the best time to book a cruise, there is one final thing to mention — cruise line sales. You might wondering if they have an impact on the best time to take a trip.

Frankly, cruise lines are similar to clothing stores in that they are always running sales. Sometimes it might be an incentive to book and receive onboard credit, or a sale where additional passengers sail for a discount, or a percentage off the total cruise.

Truth is, there rarely seems to be a difference in what you end up paying for a cruise based on sales. Deals run so often that cruises seem to be in a constant sale. If you are short on cash right now, cruise lines do run deals with lower deposits to book cabins from time to time. However, the overall price that you’ll pay tends to end up the same.

In other words, if you’re looking for the best time to book, then focus on buying earlier and sailing when school is in session. Those factors play a much bigger role than constant sales offered up by cruise lines.

For more tips on finding cruise deals, be sure to read our 10 Rules for Getting the Best Deal on a Cruise .

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When is the best time to book a cruise?

The best time to book a cruise is when you've done your planning, picked a ship and found a cruise fare that fits your budget and offers good value. But that doesn't stop vacationers from wondering if they'd find a cheaper price if they wait to book tomorrow, next week or next month.

I'd love to give you a magic date to circle in red on your calendar, so you'd know for sure that was the best time to book a cruise. The truth is there's no one best day, but knowing a few things about how cruise lines price cabins and when they tend to run promotions will help you identify high-value deals. When you see one, you'll know it's as good a time as any to book your next cruise vacation.

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

What is the best day to book a cruise?

Everyone wants to know the cheapest day to book travel — as if fares drop like clockwork on Wednesday morning and rise with the sun on Thursday. It doesn't work that way.

It used to be that lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line would offer midweek sales on select cruises every Tuesday or Wednesday. These lines still offer the occasional flash sale, but they don't always fall on the same day of the week.

Within a given cruise sale's promotional period, I've seen cabin prices fluctuate daily and I've seen them stay the same for a week. It all depends on how many cabins a cruise line has allocated for a specific fare class and whether those rooms happen to sell out or not.

I could tell you that it's cheaper to book a cruise at the beginning of a sale because availability is greatest. However, if the line sees a certain cabin category on a specific ship failing to sell as expected, it could drop rates halfway into the sale period.

The exception is world cruises (and other highly anticipated and publicized short-season sailings, like Great Lakes cruises ). World cruises have sold out within hours, even with price tags of $150,000 per couple.

Related: The best credit cards for booking cruises

What is the best month to book a cruise?

If there's no best day to book a cruise for the best deal, you might think there's a best month. While you can find cheap cruises any month you look, I can give you some pointers about which months are most likely to feature cruise sales with value-added promotions.

The best months to book a cruise are January through March, when nearly every cruise line launches some kind of "wave season" promotion , and November through December, when Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales often start well before Thanksgiving and end days or weeks after. You might find a cheap cruise deal or a fare packed with extras (like complimentary beverage packages, free kids fares or reduced deposits).

Are you guaranteed to find the cheapest, most freebie-laden pricing during these months? Of course not! Cruise lines sometimes inflate prices before a sale, so deals for 30% or 50% off may not be as good as you think. Or, the cruise line may offer its best fares in a one-off sale at another time of year.

Whether the winter months are the best time to book a cruise depends on which itinerary you're hoping to book and how popular that sailing is that year. In a year when Alaska cruises are popular, the wave season promotions in January and February might not be especially good because the lines don't need to discount to fill cabins. But if Alaska cruise bookings are soft, the wave season specials could be the best of the year as cruise lines pull out all the tricks to fill ships.

Related: How to book a cruise with points and miles

What is the best time of year to book a cruise?

I could say that winter is the best time of year to book a cruise because that would cover the late-fall Thanksgiving week sales and wave season promotions. I can guarantee that your cruise line will offer some promotions during the winter, but that doesn't mean it's the best time to book.

If you want to book a solo or family cabin on a Mediterranean cruise in July, you likely want to book much earlier than January for the most availability and the best prices. As I said earlier, great sales and deals can pop up year-round, including on other holidays such as Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

How far in advance should I book a cruise?

All this talk of the best time to book a cruise raises the question of how far in advance you should book. The key to the answer is recognizing that cruise lines adjust pricing as cabins sell out (or fail to do so) on any given ship and itinerary.

Cruise lines want you to book as early as possible. Not only do they get cash in hand sooner, in the form of your deposit, but they can rest easy when a ship sells out early, knowing they don't have to work to get people to come on board and spend more money.

Therefore, cruise lines often offer their best fares when bookings open to incentivize travelers to book early. Cruises open for bookings a year or more in advance. For example, as of March 2023, I can book a cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line through spring or fall of 2025, depending on the ship.

Related: 15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on ships

Now, it might be the itinerary I'm looking at won't be popular, and the cruise line will lower the fare closer to sailing. Or, the itinerary will sell well, and prices will only go up from the original price. I can't know for sure, though I can guess that peak-season trips to popular destinations on a newer cruise ship are more likely to sell quickly. Christmas and New Year's cruises , top suites and limited specialty cabins (such as solo and family cabins ) also tend to sell out early.

If you ask me, the answer to "How far in advance should I book a cruise?" is as early as possible for the most popular cruises and cabin categories and at least nine months before most sailings.

Can I book a cruise at the last minute?

Yes, you can book a cruise at the last minute, but that doesn't mean you should.

In the cruise industry, a last-minute booking is considered any cruise purchased after final payment is due, generally 60 to 90 days before sailing. That means you have to pay the entire cruise fare at the time of booking rather than paying a deposit and the rest at a later date.

The final payment date is a day of reckoning for cruise salespeople. It's the last date that undecided travelers can cancel without penalty. Once final payment is due, the cruise line has a more accurate picture of who is likely to sail (since once you pay, you're likely to go, barring an emergency). At that point, the line can see if the ship is comfortably full (meaning it can hold prices steady or raise them because it's not worried about filling the ship) or is too empty (meaning it better run some promotions to get more folks in cabins).

If it's the latter, that's when you get last-minute deals on cruise ships with unsold cabins. However, even if that last-minute cruise is cheap, the 11th-hour airfare or pre-cruise hotel booking could eat into your savings.

For the real procrastinators out there, the absolute last day you can book a cruise before its departure has changed over the years. Currently, a cruise line could accept a booking mere hours before sailing, as long as boarding is still open and the ship's manifest (the list of passengers and crew members on board) has not been submitted to the authorities.

In actuality, most cruise lines will sell available cabins through the day before sailing, but limit or deny same-day bookings. Depending on the line, you may only be able to book cruises within a day or two of departure directly with the cruise line's reservations department.

Booking a cruise just days before sailing should only be attempted by travelers within an easy drive of the cruise port. You should also make sure that you have time to get any necessary documentation, as well as make related travel plans.

How do I know if I'm getting a good deal when I book?

Regardless of when you're booking a cruise, you'll want to know if the fare you're paying for your vacation at sea is a cheap deal, average or overpriced. Sadly, the best way to know that is to do your research.

Tracking prices allows you to watch the rise and fall of cruise fares over time, so when the fare drops, you'll recognize the price as a deal and be able to pounce on it. This strategy is best if you plan to book early and aren't as concerned about the ship selling out immediately.

Don't forget to watch for value-added promotions, as well. For example, Norwegian's Free at Sea promotion currently includes six booking perks (free beverage package, shore excursion credit, specialty dining, Wi-Fi, extra guests and buy-one-get-one-free airfare).

If that sounds like too much math homework, I recommend that you call a travel agent . A cruise-knowledgeable travel adviser can help you plan your trip and determine if the current pricing is good or if you should hold out for a deal.

Bottom line

I'll say it again: The best time to book a cruise is when you see a price and promotion that seems like a good value to you. If you feel like you're getting your money's worth on a cruise purchase, go ahead and book that dream vacation. There's no way to be absolutely sure you're buying when the cruise fare is the lowest possible price with the maximum number of fare inclusions.

Sometimes you may be forced to choose between the cheapest possible fare and one that offers a greater total value, given the included perks. Knowing when cruise lines will likely run promotions will help you strategize, but sales can pop up anytime — and not every promotion offers the cheapest fares.

Stop trying to game the system and focus instead on planning the perfect cruise vacation you and your loved ones will reminisce about long after you've forgotten how much you paid for the trip.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• 15 ways cruisers waste money
• 15 best cruise ships for people who never want to grow up
• The ultimate guide to what to pack for a cruise

How To Buy Cruise Tickets

Don't miss, what are the best cruise ship jobs, should i buy cruise insurance, what cruise ships go through the panama canal, how much are cruise tickets, why are viking cruises so expensive, are there any pet friendly cruises, are there any cruises for single seniors, buy your ticket with amtrak guest rewardpoints.

First, you have to join Amtrak Guest Rewards points program.; Either earn points from Amtrak trips, through Amtraks Guest Rewards shopping links or buy points when theres a good bonus points reward program in progress.

If you look at this same photo above, youll see the option to select book with points.; Its right next to Find Trains.; Enter all the usual travel parameters and instead of the button for Dollars, tick the Points button.; The next screen will tell you how many points you need for that route.; You can add sleeping accommodations, too.;;

Then you can compare and decide which to use; points or dollars.; Its also possible to purchase additional points online and then apply them to your new reservation.; Call the Amtrak Guest Rewards desk and someone there can walk you through your purchase and new train reservation.

What you cant do is buy an Amtrak ticket online using points if its more than one route.; For example, Orlando to Washington to Chicago is two routes.; To use Amtrak Guest Reward Points, youd have to buy each segment separately.;;

If this is too daunting, call Amtrak Guest Rewards at 1-800-307-5000and speak with a real person who can then combine two routes to buy with; points.;;

Another Reason To Book Early: Price Protection If Prices Fall

Yes, prices for trips are similar whether you book early or not. There is another reason to book early, however. When you book early, you can often get price protection included in your fare.

How does this work? Like airfare, cruise fares can move up and down over time . If you book a cruise and see the price drop later, you should call the cruise line and request a refund of the difference.

Many last-minute cruise fares have their prices locked. What you pay is what you get. If the price drops after you book, then it can be more difficult to get the difference in cruise fare refunded.

If you book well in advance , you can usually get some sort of price guarantee included with your fare. Book a fare, and if you see it drop later, you can call the cruise line and get the price difference either refunded or get the difference back as onboard credit.

There are rules and stipulations for each cruise line as to whether your fare is eligible to get refunded should the price goes down. Youll want to make sure you read all the fine print of your fare before you buy. For instance, you can learn more about Carnivals different fares here .

You can also learn more about getting your money back after a price drop here .

Want A Cheap Cruise Study This Chart

Before we get into the rules, we want to walk you through some of the research so you can see exactly what weve found.

First, we want to show you the most important resource when it comes to what you will pay for a cruise.

The chart below shows the per-person cruise fare for both an interior cabin and balcony room for a 3-day Carnival cruise during the next two years . This particular cruise sails from Miami, with a stop in Nassau, Bahamas.

We selected this cruise because it runs weekly, giving us a chance to compare the price of the trip over multiple years and see the trends in the fare.

There are a few things to point out in this chart, which we will detail later on

First, you can see from the blue line that prices to travel last minute are consistent with the same time a year later. In other words, you dont see that much of a discount if any by waiting until the last minute.

Second, notice the trends in the rise and fall of the prices. Cruise fares see large spikes during holidays and the summer. The basic rule of thumb is that if schools are out, then cruise fares are high . Cruising off season can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Of course, there is so much more to learn about finding the best rate on your next cruise. We go into full detail of all the rules you should follow to find the lowest rate possible

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Rules To Getting The Best Deal On A Cruise

Tell us if this process sounds familiar.

You want to book a cruise, so you start searching around. A web search takes you from one site to another. Before you know it, youve looked at a dozen different sites to try and find the best deal.

Whats more, youve tried searching multiple dates, itineraries, cruise lines, and room types, searching for that best combination of price, time and route.

Its enough to make your head spin and thats before you actually purchase your fare.

After that, you end up checking the same cruise obsessively, making sure youve gotten the best price possible.

The good news is that it doesnt have to be this way. Weve spent years studying the cruise industry and have come up with our best rules to follow to make sure youre getting the absolute best rate with as little headache as possible.

Its no guarantee that youll get the lowest rate offered for your cruise, but these rules will help you be smarter about buying your vacation.

In This Article…

• Special Note: Cruise Deals After the Health Crisis

The Best Types Of Cruises For First

Plump for a winter sun trip in the Caribbean . Its easy and affordable to reach the boarding port, and shuttling between the clusters of islands offers a compact, convenient contrast in cultures. Think of a cruise as a tapas menu, says Spencer Brownit allows you to sample destinations to which you might later return for a longer visit.;Even handier, when on a Caribbean cruise almost every island accepts payment in dollars, so theres no need to juggle currencies. The waters also are largely calm, keeping seasickness to a minimum.

The CDCs constraints on cruising have also led many lines to reposition ships that might have roamed the globe onto less far-flung itineraries, so you can trial ultra-luxe operators like Crystal , for example, on a short jaunt to and from the Bahamas. River cruising is another smart first time choice, says Spencer Brown. You can literally walk off the ship into town, go to a park or ride a bike, or just sit on the top deck breathing the airits marvelous, she says.;

Destination programming has been upended by the pandemic. Many lines now focus on bringing passengers to their own private islands , a reassuring if slightly soulless optionbut the advantage is that theres no risk from any local interactions; its effectively just a landlocked version of the ship.

Read Also: How Far Is Rome Airport To Cruise Port

Rule #: Do Monitor Price Dropsand Call The Cruise Line

So what if after all this you book your cruise, and then the price drops?

First, you should be monitoring the price of your cruise after you book if you want to save money. Were not saying to check it every day, but once or twice a week is sufficient.

If you run across a price drop, then you should contact the cruise line immediately. This is where having put down only a deposit and not paying in full buys you some leverage.

Many times the cruise lines will work with you to compensate for the lower fare, even though they often arent obligated to do so. They can refund the difference or offer onboard credit to make you happy.

Some lines have price protection policies in place. Carnival, for example, has its Early Saver Program :

1. When you book a 3-5 day cruise three months in advance, or 6 day or longer cruise five months in advance, you are assured the lowest rate. 2. In the unlikely event that you do find a lower Carnival-advertised rate after booking your cruise, we will honor it and adjust your cruise rate accordingly. Simply fill out the Price Protection Claim form and well take care of the rest.

If you only have a deposit down, and they wont work with you on the price difference, determine the refund policy to see if it is worth it to cancel your original trip and re-book the cruise at the lower rate.

Book Cruises Via An Airline Portal

If you are paying cash and want to earn miles simultaneously, airlines allow you to earn bonus miles by booking cruises via their site. For example, there are United Cruises , American Airlines Cruises , Delta SkyMiles Cruises and more.

The cruises we priced out via United Cruises were the same price as booking directly with the cruise lines; the only difference is that you would earn bonus United miles per dollar spent for booking via the United site.

On our test Royal Caribbean cruise booking, United credit cardholders can earn up to 7 miles per dollar spent on the cruise cabins base rate;for booking via the airline website. Your earnings are capped at 45,000 MileagePlus miles per purchase.

Keep in mind that these bookings are considered third-party purchases, so cruise lines are not obligated or may not be inclined to allow you to make changes.

For this Royal Caribbean sailing for a family of four, that could mean picking up 8,372 United miles valued by TPG at a total of $109 in miles.

Those with United elite status can also cash in on some perks . Bonuses vary per cruise line and are based on your elite status tier, but you could get anything from relaxing spa treatments to complimentary wine, or even up to $300 to spend onboard.

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Pay For A Cruise In Cash And Earn Points

Its always fun to earn a free trip thanks to points and miles . But there are a few times when it will make more sense to pay cash for a cruise rather than splurge your precious travel currency on the ocean.

You might wonder, When is this the case?

While these factors will vary by person, the following scenarios may help guide your decision:

Discover Amsterdam With A Canal Cruise

Taking a canal cruise is one of the most popular things to do in Amsterdam. The Canal Cruise Ticket offers the most flexible and convenient way to get on a canal cruise along the historical Amsterdam waterways. Buy your ticket online, receive it on your smartphone and use it to get on a cruise.

• Your ticket is valid at all major canal tour operators
• Pick a date, time and location that suits you best

Just hop on at one of the departure locations as shown on the interactive map below

Also Check: Best Time Of Year To Cruise The Mediterranean

Watch And Use Price Drops

After youve booked your cruise, check the rates for remaining cabins once or twice a week to see if the price drops. If there is a drop on the same type of cabin youve already booked, you can call the cruise line and ask for a refund of the additional fare.

It may be refunded back to you, or you could be given onboard credit to use during your vacation. Either way, you will still be able to take advantage of the savings, but you wont know unless youre paying attention and ask for the price guarantee.

There are many different ways to find the best deal on a cruise, and savvy travelers will take advantage of different options to get their dream vacation without a nightmare price. Dont forget to keep on saving before your cruise and while youre onboard , and even the most amazing cruise wont break your bank!

Book A Cruise Online With The Best Cruise Finder And Cruise Booking Website

CruiseDirect is a leading online cruise travel company dedicated to providing customers with better deals than any other cruise website and access to great deals on cruise vacations. Offering special rates and savings on cruise bookings with some of the most popular cruise lines in the world, we are so confident in our cruise packages that each and every deal is backed by a price guarantee. You won’t find these prices on other cruise booking sites.

Since 2001, we’ve helped our customers find the perfect cruise packages and book dream cruise vacations for less. We are a cruise finder and booking website committed to helping you research all your cruise travel options to find a cruise that fits what you’re looking for. After you find the perfect cruise, make your reservation with our cutting-edge booking engine. We are the best site to book a cruise with because we are driven by our passion for cruise ship travel. Book a cruise today and enjoy the excitement of cruising the world with us!

Recommended Reading: Marriott Vacation Club Points Cruises

What About Sailing During The Winter Or Hurricane Season

Weve shown you the best time to sail if you want to save money. But what if youre wondering about the best time to sail due to weather?

For example, is it fine to sail in the middle of winter or during hurricane season?

The good news is that there is no wrong time of year to sail for most cruises, such as those heading to the Caribbean or Bahamas.;

Lets take winter . While it might be cold in North America, the weather stays fairly consistent in the Caribbean. For instance, the average high temperature for Cozumel is about 84 degrees in January and 91 degrees during the peak of August. So temperatures are cooler during the winter, but not by much.;

Where there is a difference during winter months is with your departure port. If you are sailing from a port in the United States , then the winter months can be cold. That means the first day of your cruise during the winter can be chilly as the ship heads south.

One more thing to keep in mind is the summer months in the tropics can often mean regular afternoon thunderstorms. Late winter and early spring months are drier. Even so, it can rain any time of year in the Caribbean.

Hurricanes are always of interest to the Caribbean, and hurricane season runs from June through November. For cruise passengers, the risk of being caught in a hurricane on a ship is low. Cruise ships actively avoid storms, and steer for better weather.

What Is A Sea Day

Transits, when the ship is en route between ports, are known as sea days ; passengers, obviously, are confined on board. Many newbies fret about wasting time at sea rather than exploring, but theyre often a fun chance to explore the ship itself, as well as decompress between ports. Make sure theyre evenly scattered through an itinerary, though, rather than bookending a weeks voyage, as you wont benefit as much from the downtime.

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Too Expensive Heres How To Lower The Cost

Theres no doubt that its expensive to live on a cruise ship, but there are ways that you can trim that amount. If youre interested in cutting down the price, here are a few ideas.

Limit Onboard Spending: In our estimate, we used the average spending Carnival Corporation sees across all its cruise lines, which is 45% of the cruise fare.

You dont have to spend near that much. After all, when people cruise they are on vacation and likely willing to spend more freely than they would normally. By limiting the amount spent on board, you can cut thousands off this estimated total.

Its doubtful you can get by without spending at least some money on a cruise, but our estimate comes out to about $450 per person, per week. Being able to spend less than that should be relatively easy.

Older Ships: Our estimate is aboard the Carnival Horizon. We chose this ship because it is relatively new , but it also runs a regular schedule from Miami .

That said, in general newer ships like the Horizon are more expensive to sail aboard. If you look for older ships, you should be able to cut the price down.

Be Flexible for Cheaper Trips: For this estimate, we priced out a years worth of cruises on a single ship. This makes it easy if youre sailing long-term; you simply stay on the ship and dont have to worry about changing ships, or ports.

What do you think about the cost of living full-time on a cruise ship for a year? Let us know in the comments below.

Leave The Deals Search To The Experts

If you don’t have time for Twitter, online cruise research or gathering up a group of 20 friends, nothing beats a good travel agent to help you score a deal.

Because agents often book in bulk and work directly with the lines, they have access to deals that normal cruisers don’t. Cruise lines will offer their top agencies special discounts that the agents can’t promote on their websites, so even if you see a good deal online, it’s best to talk to a real person and ask for the best fare.

Even if savings aren’t necessarily there for every sailing, agencies often offer deals with value-added perks like onboard credit or prepaid gratuities, which can amount to nearly $100 per person on a weeklong sailing.

Read Also: Are Msc Cruises Any Good

All Your Questions About Booking Dream Cruise Singapore Tickets Answered

Yes, you can book your Dream Cruises Singapore tickets as they are open for booking!

Your Dream Cruises Singapore tickets can be purchased online and in advance.

A number of safety measures are in place on World Dream cruises such as regular disinfection of all premises, the use of masks throughout, and compulsory temperature screening.

You can choose your tickets based on different rooms and number of days, such as a 2-day or 3-day stay in the Balcony Stateroom.

Your World Dream Cruises Singapore tickets cannot be cancelled or rescheduled.

Your Dream Cruises Singapore ticket is valid for the date and time selected at checkout.

The best time to take a World Dream Cruises Singapore trip is between November and March, when the weather is mild.

This depends on your World Dream Cruises tickets. You can choose between a 2-day or 3-day cruise.

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Many Believe Tom Cruise May Make an Unexpected Move on Daugther Suri’s Birthday Today

• Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later. More content below

Suri Cruise — America’s infant sweetheart — is 18 today. A legal adult! Suri. Cruise . Who was once the most public celebrity child, can now register to vote (yay!), and buy cigarettes (please don’t!) and buy lottery tickets (although, does she need to hit the jackpot?).

We’re sure she’ll get a whole lot of love today from her lookalike mom Katie Holmes. But the question on everyone’s mind is, will she hear from dad Tom Cruise ? The two have a notoriously estranged relationship. So much so, that it’s believed they haven’t seen each other since Holmes and Cruise divorced in 2012.

More from SheKnows

Tom Cruise Is Caught up With This Major Project as Estranged Daughter Suri Turns 18

Cruise is a leading figure in Scientology, and in “typical” situations, members of the Church are not allowed to speak to family members who left the Church. But given Cruise’s profile, it’s unlikely that rule will be enforced.

“If you are a regular church member you could be told to disconnect from your wife and daughter, but because Tom is a celebrity — he’s the top celebrity — he gets to ignore all this stuff,” Scientology reporter Tony Ortega previously said . “Your average member would be kicked out, but [the leader of Scientology] David Miscavige can’t do that with Tom.”

So will Suri be getting a birthday call? It’s hard to say. There’s plenty of precedent to think she’ll be getting an extravagant gift. He’s certainly been generous with costars on their big days. Dakota Fanning recently told Harper’s Bazaar that Cruise has been getting her birthday gifts every year since they costarred in War of the Worlds in 2005, when she was just 11 years old. Plus, he got her her first cell phone.

“It was a Razr, Motorola Razr,” she recalled. “Oh, my God, I was so excited … I felt so cool,” she said, despite “not having anybody to call or text.”

Plus, in court documents obtained by the New York Post , former Scientologist Leah Remini claimed she was made to “raise money for Scientology causes led by Cruise” and “ forced to donate money to name a seat in a Scientology auditorium after Suri.”

… Just what every teen wants!

Or , will Suri be the one to make a move? Maybe instead of getting a birthday tribute from her dad, she’ll be posting an Instagram tell-all. Holmes likely had to sign nondisclosure agreements at the time of the divorce that keeps her from talking about her former marriage and time inside the Church of Scientology, but Suri would have been too young to have a signature — much less sign a contract.

“She will now be free to talk if she wants to and it’s going to be really interesting if she has something to say,” Ortega said.

Regardless of how any family drama plays out, we’re wishing Suri a very happy 18th birthday!

Before you go, check out these celebrity parents who love to spoil their kids with expensive gifts .

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