Sailing Along, with Expedia Cruises
Written: May 04 '05 (Updated May 27 '05)
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Have you ever dreamed of sailing the open seas? If so, then a cruise vacation might be just what you need to satisfy your craving for an ocean adventure. And one web site that can help you find your ideal cruise is Expedia Cruises, a web service for finding the perfect cruise vacation.
What Does This Service Offer?:
Expedia cruises can be found by logging into the main travel site, Expedia.com, and then clicking on the “Cruises” link at the top of the screen. Once here, you can find information on the following:
Cruise Travel- This is the obvious reason people visit this site- to book a cruise. Cruises can be searched by selecting a region of the world you wish to cruise or by selecting a link from the special deals section.
Cruise and Ship Reviews- Maybe you’re thinking about a cruise but are not sure what the different cruise lines offer. If so, you can look up information on the different cruise lines and ships in this section. Each cruise line is examined, with a history of the line and individual information on each of the different ships.
Cruise Calendar- If you’re wondering when a specific cruise line’s individual ships are going to be hitting the water in a specific area, you can look this up on the cruise calendar.
Ports of Call- This area of the site helps you locate ports of call for the various cruise ships. It also gives you tips on what to do, what to wear, what language to speak, where to shop, and how to get around in the various port cities of the world.
Cruise Protection Plan- This service is offered to those who would like to be insured against loss from cancellation of a cruise. It is an insurance policy offered by Berkely Group Insurance.
Besides these informational products and services to buy, Expedia Cruises also offers a company news letter to help inform you when hot cruise deals become available. It’s free, and all you need is an e-mail address to receive it.
Payment Methods/Shipping Charges:
Expedia.com Cruises accepts most major credit cards for payment, like Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. They will usually accept debit cards as well, as long as the card has the logo from one of the major credit cards.
Customer Service:
Questions can be answered by either consulting the company web site, expedia.com, or by calling Expedia directly. The customer service and support line is 1-800-EXPEDIA (1-800-397-3342) and the lines are open 24 hours per day, seven days per week to assist you.
Final Thoughts:
Expedia is one of my most- used travel web services. I got into the habit of using Expedia many years ago when I first introduced to this web service by a friend who was a frequent booker of on- line travel. He said he liked the way Expedia’s search function worked and the quickness of the site. I logged on, booked my first flight, and have been using Expedia on and off ever since.
Expedia Cruises is just one of many travel services offered by Expedia.com. I have used the flight searches, car rentals, hotels, etc., many times over. But I was unfamiliar with the cruise search/purchase feature until recently when I took my first ever cruise. Before then, I hadn’t really bothered to even look at the cruise section of Expedia or any other site because cruising just didn’t have very much appeal. I was hooked on my usual vacationing plan, which involved getting a time share rental for less than $200 for a full week in a fancy resort and then booking the airline flight to and from my destination.
Now, I have experienced Expedia.com Cruises for the first time, and I am here to report that this web service is a good one, but some parts about it left me less than satisfied. First of all, I think the search function needs to be improved. You can search by selecting a region of the world to cruise, a month of departure, and a cruise line (or default to all lines); OR you can run a more advanced search by requesting a specific cruise length, star rating, and port to depart from. The advanced search function needs to be improved by allowing the customer to search for multiple ports at once. The way it works now, you have to type in the name of a city to search, but you can only type in one. There is no drop- down menu- you have to type it in yourself and you can only enter the name of one city. If you default to all port cities, the results page will show every port town. The bad thing is that it doesn’t provide any way to sort by port. You can only sort by price, Expedia pick, cruise length, or cruise line.
Customer service is also a little frustrating with Expedia.com. Depending on the cruise vacation you select, you may or may not be able to book on- line. Sometimes, you will be instructed to call a representative and book the cruise over the phone. Other times, a few clicks and the entry of a credit card number is all it takes to finish the deal. For those cruises that allow you to book, the site will walk you through the selection. After you choose your desired cabin, you will be presented with a diagram of the ship, along with the available cabin locations to choose from. You then select the cabin of your choice; add a flight, if necessary; read and accept the rules and restrictions associated with your cruise; sign- in (or create a login ID if you don’t already have one) and complete the booking. Expedia.com will quickly send you an e-mail confirmation of your purchase, along with any important information pertaining to your cruise.
Tickets are mailed out as soon as the money has been received and you are ready to go. If you would like to learn more about your selected cruise line, or a port, or activities, or anything else, you can logon to expedia.com cruises and look up all sorts of facts. This is one of the site’s strong points, for it provides pages and pages of information about cruise vacationing; port excursions; city life; the exact size, capacity, and amenities of each ship; inside and outside photos of each ship; etc. Expedia Cruises goes all- out in educating its customers and in providing answers to questions. This is one of the site’s best features and I have spent many hours looking at the different cruise ships, port cities, etc., and learning more about them.
Prices quoted on these cruises do not include cruise surcharges, taxes, or the Expedia booking fee. When these prices are factored in (at the end, when you are prepared to finalize your purchase), you can expect the per- person cruise price to jump by $100 to $200 per person. These prices, once all of the extra charges are added, could very well make Expedia Cruises less competitive than other cruise sites. At this point, it would be wise to open up another window and search on exactly the same cruise elsewhere to compare prices. I found that other sites were selling the same cruise for equal to or less money. Often, the difference was negligible ($20 or less per person), but Expedia is often the higher- priced on- line retailer.
One other small complaint I have with this site is that it doesn’t keep its cruise ships’ room availability updated as frequently as I would prefer. When I was shopping for a cruise, I often found myself selecting a cabin, only to be told on the next page that the category had been sold out. They need to work harder at keeping this up to date. Once a cabin is sold out, Expedia needs to move quickly to remove that cabin option from the web site for that specific cruise.
Overall, Expedia.com cruises is a good web site with great information and facts about cruising, with some nice photos and other functions to entice you to book a cruise. Its prices are not always the best, and there is a good chance you will need to call Expedia.com directly to complete your booking. But this site is still pretty good, with a wide variety of cruise options available from all over the world.
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read More Reviews of Other Popular Travel Web Sites:
American Express Travel
Cheapairlines.com
Travelnow.com
Cheaptravel.com
Hotel Discount.com
Bestfares.com
Hotwire.com
America’s Vacation Center
Expedia.com Flights
Expedia.com Hotels
Travelocity.com Flights
Travelocity.com Hotels
Priceline.com Flights
Priceline.com Hotels
Vacations To Go
Vacationspot.com
Flycheap.com
LowestFare.com
Mytravelco.com
Placestostay.com
Orbitz.com
Cheaptickets.com
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Caribbean Cruise
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