The 10 BEST Websites to Book a Cruise (2023)

Best websites for cruise deals is undoubtedly Cruisedirect.com. It has got 4.7-star reviews based on 10,000 customer ratings.

On this site, you can book today and pay later through the uplift program. The customers can pay monthly installments for their vacation.

Cruisedirect gives the facility to hold and lock price figures. It makes vacation goers figure out the best deals matching destinations and cruise companies.

In 2023, there are 36,038 cruises featured in cruise direct. You can get bookings from almost every company. 

Pros:

• Plants one tree for every tour booked
• 20-years of experience
• Book now and pay later

Cons:

• Old designed website
• Price matching available for only 24 hours
• Less U.S. departure ports

CruiseCompete is listed as one of the best websites to find cruises in 2023. They have served passengers for 20 years.

You can browse different vacations through CruiseCompete as they have options such as Ocean, River and Expedition categories.

The dashboard menu has included length for the filter to select the required number of days package. One can create an account and join the members-only pricing option.

Through this, you can request a quotation for the package by contacting your preferred booking agent.

Have a look at CruiseCompete from here.

Pros:

• Users can browse ships
• Shore excursions are displayed
• More number of ports

Cons:

• Old fashioned design
• Fewer exploration options
• Less facilities for site account holders

Vacations To Go is a really old company - we mean really old. It has been operating since 1984 and has served 8 million travelers.

Their specialty is to find bargain deals comparing numerous cruise companies. They also guide you to pick the best time to book a Cruise for 2023 monitoring through a 90-day tracker.

But before searching for cruises, you must create an account and log in. Without this, you won't be picking any deals.

View all deals on the website from here.

Pros:

• 90-day price tracker and last-minute cruise deals
• Easy-to-use search tools
• No booking fees are required

Cons:

• Difficult to book directly from the website
• Customer should call a representative after booking
• The customer can only ask for a quote

Cruisewatch is the top site to book Alaska cruise. The website simplifies cruise planning to find the perfect vacation.

It breaks downs the latest cruise price drops with top deals featuring room types and packages. Alaska cruises are featured in individual dashboards so users can find ship deals starting from $299 per night.

Cruise lines, ships, ports, and destinations are also put individually for more convenience. Through search options, users can find deals with all menus included.

You can visit the website for more details.

Pros:

• Price drop alerts for the users
• Time saving with up to 71% discount
• Featured hot deals in the website

Cons:

• Doesn't show prices until you explore inside the deal
• Surfacial search functions
• Real time price drops only for logged users

Expedia Cruises is a travel franchise of Expedia Group. The site is easy to use with a hassle-free cruise booking experience.

Most of the deals featured in Expedia are from renowned cruise companies. They do not include small scale operating cruises that are emerging.

That means, budget booking deals are less compared to other websites. Also, in Expedia, you do not get in-depth knowledge regarding the vacation tour.

Most of the times while clicking the website, you have to go through a lengthy process of dice identification called "Bot or Not" which is also irritating for the users.

You can explore more through this link.

Pros:

• Only best booking deals
• Renowned group for travel
• User-friendly website layout

Cons:

• Less features compare to other websites
• Low on options
• No discount booking deals

Also read: Cruise From New York To Europe

Carnival.com is the best websites for booking a cruise. However, you can only get vacation packages on Carnival Cruise.

It focuses more on user comfort with menus including destination, port and packages. Carnival does not operate from many U.S. ports to destinations like Transatlantic, Transpacific & more.

So, if these destinations are on your bucket list, you should switch to other sites.

As Carnival has one of the top Cruise ship Inside cabins, you can handpick them through their official website and book a tour.

Pros:

• World's largest cruise company
• No third-party involved
• Passengers get discounts on drinks packages 

Cons:

• Have to search for limited destinations
• More focused on the Bahamas and the Caribbean
• Low on Discounts

Best website to book Royal Caribbean Cruise is none other than royalcaribbean.com. Thousand of deals with discounts are featured on the website.

You can search individual packages by choosing the destination or can surf through the selected sections for deals.

Royal Caribbean has been aggressively running vacation campaigns worldwide with two ships - Icon of the Seas & Utopia of the Seas, arriving in 2024.

On their website, you can also look for cheaper last-minute calls with added packages.

Pros:

• Deals with extensive itineraries
• More information about ship available
• Users can get 'Royal' deals

Cons:

• Vacation fit only for Royal Caribbean Cruise
• Limited number of itineraries in Northern Europe
• More focused on the Bahamas & the Caribbean

Costco Vacations have 11 cruise companies' tours. They also have hotels, rental cars and travel packages.

Only six ports are available and they offer 12 destinations. Costo has themed cruises, fun cruises & other special packages for travelers.

The site dashboard mentions savings and extra perks in different packages. You can visit the site for more information.

Pros:

• Simplified menu for users
• Packages from top cruise companies
• Alaska Cruises dedicated menu

Cons:

• Only 6 departure ports
• A limited number of cruise companies
• Less discount offers

iCruise.com has been serving people since 1998. Currently, there are 44,988 cruise itineraries listed on their website.

iCruise categorizes cruise deals into numerous types like Rive Cruise, Family Cruise, Luxury Cruises, Small Ship Cruises and more.

A wide range of options is available, which is enough for a traveler to search for. One can select the desired package by selecting a destination, timeline - month, number of nights alongside the departure port.

Pros:

• All types of itineraries are available
• Last-minute deals with discounts featured
• Reputed company

Cons:

• The lengthy process of booking a cruise
• So many options at once make displeasing to the eye

Norwegian Cruise Line's official website lets you explore cruise deals, ports, ships and onboard experiences.

Travelers won't get much detailed information about the company from other websites. While you surf, you'll see a menu to explore 646 cruise holidays traversing the world.

The chatbot on this website helps search packages according to users' interests. If you find having the deals through the search menu confusing, go for the chat option.

The website can be visited via this link.

Pros:

• Users can explore cabins and onboard experiences
• More information about the ship
• Picturesque definition of itineraries

Cons:

• Only dedicated to one tour company
• A limited number of itineraries
• Fewer discount deals

Also read: Transatlantic Cruises From Florida to Europe