TripAdvisor Now Offers Cruise Reviews and Price Comparison

Contributing Editor Carl Unger believes that every trip is worth taking. He loves an extended trip to Europe as much as he enjoys exploring the towns and landscape near home. Basically, you'll find him wherever there is good food, fresh air, and plenty of stories to bring home.

Carl has been writing for SmarterTravel since 2005. His travel writing has also appeared on USA Today and the About.com Boston travel guide.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "It's not revolutionary, but a small Moleskine notebook is my one travel must-have. It's great for noting things you want to remember and it takes up hardly any space in your bag."

Ultimate Bucket List Experience: "Japan. I'd love to take a month off and visit the cities, temples, and countryside. I'm fascinated by the country's juxtaposition of ancient traditions and modern ambitions."

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Aisle, Window, or Middle Seat: "Window."

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TripAdvisor users can now create and share cruise reviews and photos and compare cruise prices with TripAdvisor Cruises. In a statement, TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) said the new feature will simplify the process of planning a cruise by bringing the hotel, flight, and cruise components together on one platform.

“The addition of Cruise will help solve the complexity of planning and booking a voyage,” said Bryan Saltzburg, president of TripAdvisor Flights, Cruise & Car. “For example, cruisers can research and book their flight to the port, a hotel room for the night before departure, review ‘Ship-tinerary’ pages, compare cabin options, book excursions, and read reviews all in one place.”

TripAdvisor says 32 percent of its users have cruised before, and 44 percent are “cruise shoppers.” And cruises are evidently popular overall; 30 million people are expected to take a cruise in 2019, an increase of more than 34 percent in the past five years, according to Cruise Lines International Association.

The State of the Stateroom

The centerpiece of TripAdvisor Cruise is the Ship-tinerary, which TripAdvisor claims is “the most comprehensive tool in cruise planning.” Ship-tineraries are robust ship profiles that TripAdvisor says allow travelers to “quickly get a sense of ‘is this the right ship for me.'”

Ship-tineraries are the equivalent of TripAdvisor’s hotel reviews, built from on unbiased TripAdvisor user reviews, advice and photos, as well as detailed amenities and itineraries.

In addition, TripAdvisor will extend its travel metasearch tool to include cruises, giving travelers the ability to compare prices while they read reviews. TripAdvisor says it will offer an inventory of over 70 million cruises.

Readers: Are you interested in using TripAdvisor Cruises for a trip? Comment below.

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