Several unique terms and phrases describe the features of services we review on this site, some easier to grasp than others. This list briefly defines terms relevant to Caribbean Cruise.

Ratings

Ease of Use

Caribbean cruise services should let you to search, sort, book reservations, and find related information with ease, even if you're a computer novice.

Feature Set

We rated Caribbean cruise services on how well they provided the information necessary to find an ideal vacation at the best price. This information should include news, articles, pictures, maps, price lists, special offers and so on.

Search Capabilities

Caribbean cruise service websites should offer easy ways to search a wide variety of related subjects. For example, websites should offer a search tool and links to relevant articles, books and travel destination facts.

Ease of Booking

When buying a Caribbean cruise from a travel service, the process should be straightforward—not lengthy or riddled with interruptions. Reservation pages should be concise and include links to helpful information.

Help/Support

The Caribbean cruise service should provide help and customer support on their website, including live chat, fax, email and 24-hour phone support.

Feature Set

Low Price Guarantee

When offered, the cruise service will match a competitor's advertised cruise package or refund the difference to you.

Cruise Price Protection/Fare Guarantee

The cruise service guarantees the price of your package will not increase after you have booked the vacation.

Photos of Destinations

The service's webpage features photographs of the ports of call and surrounding areas included in the itinerary-this allows you to preview vistas you will see on the cruise.

Webcams of Caribbean

Some Caribbean cruise services have webcams set up at various locations including ports of call and on ships, allowing you to view real-time images.

Virtual Tours of Caribbean

The cruise service's website offers pictures of Caribbean ports of call using 360 degree photographs so you can preview panoramas of cruise destinations.

Videos of Caribbean

The cruise service offers streaming video of various destinations on their website-giving you a feel for Caribbean ambience.

Emergency Information

The cruise service gives a list of relevant emergency agencies and their phone numbers.

Insurance Information

The Caribbean cruise service offers information on various vacation insurance programs. These insurance programs give peace of mind if the unexpected happens, including travel interruptions, cancellation penalties, lost, delayed or damaged baggage, and emergency medical and transportation expenses for injury, illness or death.

Specials

The service offers cruise package deals at discounted prices for a limited period of time.

eMail Deal Updates

The service sends you email updates that often contain the latest Caribbean cruise package specials and other travel information. Signing up for email deal updates is optional.

Cruise Articles

The service's website has onsite articles or links to articles about cruise vacations.

Caribbean Articles

Articles about the Caribbean—either offered by the service or the service may provide links to other websites containing articles.

Books About the Caribbean

The cruise service website offers a list of recommended books about the Caribbean.

Ports of Call Information

The cruise service provides details about destinations-including specifics about shopping, activities, excursions and so on.

Excursion Information

The cruise service provides details about destination activities on their website; for example, some cruise packages include add-on options for water skiing, horseback riding, climbing, safari, kayaking, guided tours, fishing or other high-adventure experiences.

Free Vacation Offer

The cruise service may offer a free mini-vacation if you book a cruise through them. For example-a two-day, three-night retreat to Hawaii or Florida. These mini-vacations typically do not include travel expenses, meals or entertainment, just lodging. Free vacation offers are generally separate and not attached to the cruise.

Free Excursion

Some cruise services offer a free excursion during your cruise if you book through them—excursions include a guided tour, a safari, fishing and more.

Itinerary Maps

The service offers maps showing the ports of call cities and cruise ship courses. Some maps have the option of selecting a port of call to view information about the city and surrounding areas.

Search Capabilities

Inland Cruise Port Search

The cruise service's website offers a tool to search inland ports on major U.S. Rivers-these ports offer river cruises that may stop at major departure ports, so you can cruise to your cruise.

Caribbean Destinations

General descriptions of the Caribbean divided into regions, including Eastern, Western, Southern and Exotic.*

Eastern

The service offers cruises covering the Eastern region of the Caribbean (Miami, Nassau, St. Thomas, Philipsburg, St. Maarten and other areas).

Western

The service offers cruises covering the Western region of the Caribbean (Galveston, Progreso, Cozumel, Belize City, Fort Lauderdale, Half Moon Cay, George Town, Costa Maya, Key West and other areas).

Southern

The service offers cruises covering the Southern region of the Caribbean (San Juan, Charlotte Amalie, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, St. John's, Castries, Bridgetown Oranjestad, Willemstad and other areas).

Exotic

The service offers longer cruises with additional destinations that cover more of the Caribbean (including Eastern, Western and Southern regions) and also stops at less-traveled ports of call.

Duration

Caribbean cruises can be categorized by the length of the cruise in days-for example, 1-2 days, 3-6 days, 7-10 days and 10+ days.

Departure Port

Also called home port—the cruise begins and usually ends at this port.

Departure Date

The date the cruise ship leaves from the departure port (also called home port).

Cruise Line

Refers to the names of the different cruise ship companies featured on the service's website. (i.e. Holland America, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney and so on).

Sailing ID Number

A number the service gives to you after you have booked a cruise-use this number to access your itinerary quickly.

Sort

The service's website is capable of categorizing cruise packages according to price, cruise line, ship, length, departure date and so on.

Price Range

The service is capable of sorting cruises by price.

Search Star Rating

The service is capable of sorting cruises by star rating.

Ship

The service is capable of sorting cruises by ship name.

Advanced Cruise Search

The service provides a search tool with more factors to help narrow your search results.

Compare Cruises

The cruise service is capable of making side-by-side comparisons (including ship specifications, price, length, activities, pictures and more) of two or more cruise packages.

Articles

The cruise service provides a tool to search the database for specific articles or has links to other websites that have related articles.

Books

The cruise service provides a tool to search their database for specific books or has links to other websites that have related books.

Attractions and Activities

The service provides information about attractions and activities at cruise destinations-this may include excursions and tours.

Ease of Booking

Airfare Booking

The ability to book a flight on the cruise booking page to make planning travel arrangements more convenient.

Book Hotel on Cruise Booking Page

The ability to book hotels on the cruise booking page to make planning logistics easy and convenient.

Floor Plan of Ship

A diagram or map of each deck on the ship allows users to become familiar with the layout of the ship.

Cabin Floor Plan

A drawing or layout of each cabin allows you to become familiar with different cabin designs and choose the best one to suit your needs.

Traveler's Rating

A traveler's review of the cruise ship and its itinerary will give you a previous guest's opinion of the vacation.

Photo Gallery of Ship

Photographs of the ship, including dining areas, exercise areas, swimming pools, view decks, guests participating in activities and more, so you can get a glimpse of ship amenities and ambience.

Photos of Cabins

Photographs of cabins, or ship rooms and suites, allow you to choose a comfortable room that matches your expectations.

Cruise Package Summary

A detailed itinerary will inform you of everything that will happen during the cruise, including meal times, activity times, dress codes and so on.

Cruise Lines Offered

Many different Caribbean cruise lines offer similar packages so you can compare and pick a plan that best fits your needs and budget.

Star Ratings Offered

A system of rating cruises-one star is low and five stars is perfect. You can compare cruises according to their star rating.

Port Parking Info

The cruise service site includes directions to and from and the parking lot of the home port as well as other important parking information.

Helpful Articles on Booking Cruises

Reading up on information and travel tips is a wise move when choosing and booking a cruise.

Help/Support

Form Support

The service's website provides you with a template to reach customer support.

Toll-Free Customer Service

The Caribbean cruise service's website offers a toll-free customer service telephone number.

Seven Days a Week

The cruise service has a customer support department open seven days a week.

24-Hour Service

The cruise service has a customer support department open 24 hours a day.

FAQs

A list of Frequently Asked Questions is available for quick reference. For fast answers, check the FAQs page before contacting customer support.

eMail Address

The cruise service has an email address for customer questions.

Live Chat

The service offers instant messaging online so you can instant message a customer service representative.

Forum

The Caribbean cruise service provides a chat room where individuals can discuss the cruise industry-this is a good place to learn previous guests' opinions about a service.

Testimonials

The cruise service provides quotes and reviews from previous guests about their cruise experiences.

*Some cities are included in more than one region.

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