The Best Websites to Book a Cruise in 2024

Table Of Content

• Booking Direct Through Cruise Line Websites
• Best Caribbean cruise for couples: Holland America
• Best Destination for Families Runner-Up: The Western Caribbean
• Cruise Critic’s Editors Pick Their Best Cruise Destinations by Itinerary
• To review several cruise prices at once: CruiseDirect
• Best cruise destination for bucket-listers: Antarctica
• Vanautu & Fiji Cruises
• View all flight deals from your city.

Here's one to put on your radar if you're looking to book — but not necessarily sail — in 2024. It's a new Mediterranean itinerary that doesn't start up for nearly three more years, in 2026. The SeaDream routing brings stops at seven ports that are rarely visited by cruise passengers. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

The Best Ways to Book a Cruise - NerdWallet

The Best Ways to Book a Cruise.

Posted: Wed, 17 Apr 2024 16:01:35 GMT [source]

Booking Direct Through Cruise Line Websites

For example, cruises in August offer the ability to sail when the kids are out of school (meaning entire families can travel together). On the other hand, August is also notorious for hurricanes disrupting travel to Caribbean ports. In addition, while aggregator websites will almost always have the same prices you’ll find everywhere else, they often offer perks you won’t find on the cruise lines websites. Each of these cruise line websites will allow you to be as narrow or as broad with your search as you wish.

Best Caribbean cruise for couples: Holland America

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. In 2022, Carnival announced its Costa by Carnival concept after revealing it would be transferring ships from its Costa sister brand to the Carnival fleet. What's notable about the offerings is that they will aim to immerse passengers further into the destinations by including overnights in a total of 11 ports across all itineraries. That means more time to explore Hanoi's Old Quarter as the sun sets, indulge in nighttime gastronomy in Hong Kong, visit one of Bangkok's many markets, or learn why Osaka is known for street food.

Best Destination for Families Runner-Up: The Western Caribbean

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. 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. Passengers can choose seven-night sailings that visit idyllic favorites like Tahiti, Moorea and Huahine and which also include overnights in Bora Bora. Or, they can cruise for twice as long by selecting a 14-night voyage that calls on the same ports as the seven-night option but with Fakarava, Nuku Hiva, Fatu Hiva, Atuona and Tahuata added. Passengers will visit the usual Alaska ports, such as Ketchikan, Sitka and Juneau, with scenic sailing through the Inside Passage, past Hubbard Glacier and to Glacier Bay.

You can fish for salmon (and have it shipped home), zipline above a landscape inhabited by black bears and gaze down at massive glaciers from a seaplane or helicopter (and even land atop one). For example, cruises often begin in Istanbul, home to the 6th-century Hagia Sophia and the elaborate Blue Mosque, constructed between 1609 and 1616. Ports of call also in Turkey may include Kusadasi for the nearby Roman city of Ephesus and its wondrous Library of Celsus. In Greece, medieval and Venetian architecture are thoughtfully preserved in the islands of Rhodes and Corfu, respectively. Your cruise might end in Athens, site of the 2,500-year-old Parthenon and its antiquities.

Or take an overnight tour from your cruise to Cambodia to gaze at the magnificent 12th-century temple of Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world, surrounded by dense rainforest. Asia is a mesmerizing combination of intricate temples and centuries-old tradition overlaid with futuristic skylines, designer shopping malls, and ultra-modern restaurants. After sensation-packed days ashore, you’ll love relaxing into the soothing luxury of your ship.

Nearly every major cruise line has a presence in Alaska from May through mid-September, with some offering sailings as early as April or as late as October. Cold temperatures, icy waters and a long snowy season are not conducive to early spring and late fall cruises. Alaska might be one of the most beautiful places in the world, but it's rugged and can be tricky to get around. Explore the Last Frontier by cruise ship, and you can travel to gold rush towns, glaciers, Alaska Native heritage sites and natural areas brimming with wildlife in comfort, even luxury. That said, with our experiences having sailed seemingly every month on the calendar, we have found there are definite advantages and disadvantages to sailing each month of the year.

Vanautu & Fiji Cruises

Travelers are turning to trusted lines to help minimize the hassles of country hopping and maximize relaxation time in each destination. Much further south, marvel at towering glaciers and ice-strewn bays of the Antarctic Peninsula, on the lookout for seals, more penguins, and humpback whales that cruise slowly through the nutrient-rich water. You’ll also set sail to the port of Cairns, the tropical gateway of Queensland where rainforests house immense biodiversity and beautiful beaches line the shores of the city.

View all flight deals from your city.

On an expedition cruise, generally roundtrip from Ushuaia, Argentina, you'll first have to cross the Drake Passage, a notoriously rough and windy body of water. Safely on the other side, you'll arrive at landing points in the South Shetland Islands along the Antarctic Peninsula. Kobe is your access point for Kyoto, with its temples and gardens, while Shimizu is your gateway to scenic Mt. Fuji. Visit the moving Peace Memorial Park honoring the tragedy of WWII in Hiroshima and historic Hirosaki Castle in Aomori. In Kanazawa, explore the well-preserved samurai and geisha districts.

The sense of freedom and self-growth that comes from traveling is unbeatable. Look to UnCruise Adventures, Alaskan Dream Cruises, Hurtigruten and Lindblad Expeditions for the best adventure cruises. If you're eager to spot bald eagles in the wild, ride a dog sled atop an ice field or pan for gold after a hearty salmon feast, an Alaska cruise is calling your name. Dive into The Points Guy's Alaska cruise guide for all the planning tips you need for your dream cruise up north. Also, just keep in mind that you should expect the highest cruise fares of the year during this time. As well, if you’re headed to the Caribbean, March can be warm — but not too warm compared to the heat of the summer months.

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. The line's Dominican Haze five-night itinerary to Bimini, Bahamas and Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, sails out of Miami on the 2,700-passenger Scarlet Lady. With two sea days, the sailing offers a good mix of onboard shenanigans and port-of-call exploration. Party by the pool or swim with stingrays during your day at Virgin Voyages' Bimini Beach Club.

The remainder of the cruise will be spent calling on ports in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia (historic coastal Cartagena), Mexico and the Caribbean. It offers an incredible 46,600 miles of coastline (longer than the shorelines of all the lower 48 states combined) and a unique and plentiful mix of wildlife. If Israel and Jordan are must-visits, look for a cruise with Holy Lands in its title. These sailings often depart from Athens and also call on several Greek islands and Cyprus. Sure, the weather is changeable, and you're as likely to be kayaking in the rain as you are to see the sun. With its mountains and glaciers, eagles soaring above and whales surfacing from below -- taking in the scenery is the real reward a cruise in Alaska, no matter what the temperature.

Tour Darling Harbor by boat for a unique view of the city center and historic Pyrmont Bridge. You’ll get the chance to see cascading waterfalls and steaming geysers, soak in geothermal springs, and even descend into the ice under a glacier. You could also sail from Hong Kong and Singapore to Vietnam and Thailand, with a chance to explore incense-scented temples, golden palaces, and lively street markets, as well as the poignant history around Ho Chi Minh City. If you’re looking for an island packed with character, Hydra is one of the most unique places to visit in Greece. The whole island, which has an arty, bohemian atmosphere, is car-free.

Port Douglas, Queensland is the gateway to dense rainforest; why not take a cruise on the Daintree River and see if you can spot lurking crocs? Or for the ultimate snorkel trip, join a Great Barrier Reef cruise and drift over the rainbow-colored corals, observing the intricacies of life on the reef. In addition to a main restaurant and casual buffet, Rotterdam features five separate specialty dining venues — everything from a pan-Asian eatery to an upscale steakhouse. Extensive onboard entertainment includes clubs featuring blues and classic rock as well as various musical performances in the main theater.

Floatplane and helicopter tours take you around scenic areas like Misty Fjords or land you on a glacier, perhaps for a dog-sledding or hiking adventure on the ice. If you prefer to stay grounded, you can find informative trolley tours of ports like Skagway. Hop a bus, kayak, boat or plane to look for bears, eagles, whales, sea otters and other wildlife. Note that moose don't regularly show up in the Inside Passage; you'll need to head farther north to find them. If you want to cruise Alaska but also see some of the interior and enjoy a stay in a lodge or hotel, go for a cruisetour package from either Holland America or Princess Cruises.

A cruise here will whisk you from the cool fashion scene and artisan cafes of San Diego to a gossip-fueled tour of the opulent stars’ homes in Los Angeles. From the top of Hong Kong’s Victoria Peak, you can gaze across the entire metropolis before riding the iconic green-and-white Star Ferry across Victoria Harbour to explore incense-scented temples and bustling seafood markets. You’ll need a head for heights in Tokyo, too, as you zoom up the Tokyo Tower to the viewing platform 492 feet above the neon lights of the Japanese capital. Cruises to Alaska present a great opportunity to extend your stay with an Alaska cruisetour into the vast Denali National Park. Here, you’ll have jaw-dropping views of the icy peaks of Mount Denali, as well as a chance to spot moose, grizzly bear, caribou, and even wolves.