CruiseDirect.com is a website that allows you to compare 15 cruise lines at once, including Carnival Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Disney Cruises, and Princess Cruises to destinations such as the Caribbean, Hawaii, Bahamas, Mexico, Alaska, Africa, Australia and Europe from over 22 departure ports including Galveston, Miami, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Seattle, New York, and Port Canaveral.
USER EXPERIENCE
Cruise Direct is a one-stop-shop for your cruise vacation, and makes comparing prices a breeze. Simply go to the “Cruise Finder” tab to begin your search by destination or by cruise line. We like the variety of options available. For instance, if you don’t know where you want to go, choose “any destination” or “any departure port” to get some ideas and pricing. You are also able to search within a “date range“, so you can see what dates offer the best pricing. The booking process is simple and allows you to select your cabin.
FEES
There are no booking fees on CruiseDirect.com. The cancellation policy varies depending on cruise line, which is clearly posted in the terms of each cruise. As a word of caution, it is highly recommended that you purchase airfare (if needed) together with the cruise. This is because“booking air through the cruise line protects you if your flight is delayed and you either miss your cruise or are running late. If you are running late for your cruise, cruise line representatives will make every effort to get you to the ship before departure. If you miss your cruise altogether, the cruise line will reimburse you up to $500 in costs incurred while catching up with your ship at its next port of call. In addition, air rates offered by the cruise lines are often less expensive than those available to the general public–especially on holidays and during high seasons–and the departure times and dates ensure that you will reach your departure port on time, barring any prolonged delays”.
PRICING
Although you can compare cruise prices on larger travel agency websites, such as Expedia, we prefer the Cruise Direct website because that is their specialty and the Cruise Finder search engine has flexible options to help you find the cheapest price. If you are traveling with children, search the Disney and Holland America cruise lines because they generally offer a discounted rate for children. Most other cruise lines charge full-price for children. Cruise Direct has a 24-hour Best Price Guarantee and Low Price Assurance which protects you if the cruise fare drops before you make your final payment, they will adjust the rate for you.
REPUTATION
We found few customer complaints about Cruise Direct online. However, we found reviews that special requests were not communicated properly to the cruise line, and that their customer service agents are slow to respond. Overwhelmingly, the customer feedback about Cruise Direct seems to be positive.
UNIQUENESS
Cruise Direct specializes in cruises and has many features that you won’t find on other travel agency websites. Instead of paying for your cruise at the time of booking, Cruise Direct offers flexible payment plans. At the time of booking, you pay a refundable deposit and pay the final payment at least 60-75 days prior to departure depending on the cruise line. Another nice feature is that Cruise Direct will give you a dedicated cruise agent for the duration of your trip from booking to departure.
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Cruise Direct Revews | CruiseDirect.com
CruiseDirect.com added on the travel insurance automatically and did include the ’10 days to cancel’ information in the confirmation they sent us. 3 weeks before we even go on the trip and they will not cancel the policy, neither will the insurance agency. Clearly working together to slip it in there. Customer service is discouraging, they are not actually looking to help you, just to let you know they got you and there is nothing you can do about it. very disappointed. *******Don’t forget to UN-CHECK travel insurance on PG 5 of your online booking****** Their insurance claims probably produce similar results.
Be careful about Cruise Direct ‘s promotion of on-board credit. I took Norwegian Epic two weeks ago because of the $400.00 on-board credit offer. I made sure by calling them before trip. But, on the ship, I found out it wasn’t credit but $400.00 worth coupon book. That coupon book was useless …Don’t get fooled when Cruise Direct says “on-board credit”. It is a trap. I am writing this to protect other customers.
The Cruise Direct website was very easy to use. I always go to them so I can chat with an agent and not have to call. The customer service department is very friendly. I got an extra $100 for booking with them as well. I would use Cruise Direct again.
I like the chatting with a real person without having to call, i managed to make my cruise reservation while at work:-) Not having to pay anything extra was a plus too.
Cruisedirect.com makes it seem like your getting the whole $100 during the check out but you dont. I also didnt want the $66 insurance but they still charged me with it. They dont let you confirm your order. Kinda shady in my opinion.
I have been a loyal follower your website. I always make sure that I am up to date with their tour and cruise packages. Long live your website!
CruiseDirect has a web page for Carnival Cruise Lines that has terms and conditions that are hidden unless you accidentally mouse over a spot on the page.
That, coupled with a misleading offer for Carnival Cruise cost me my deposit.
The other misleading information on CruiseDirect was regarding a 20% savings if you selected an Early Saver Offer which was in reality only $15, plus carried no non refundable deposit clause.