what is the cheapest web site to buy a cruise trip?

The best deal is to search the lines you're interested in, on their own websites, get familiar with prices for the cruises & itineraries you're interested in.

Travel Agents can NOT give you a deal on a cruise, as in they can't lower the price of a stateroom unless they've pre-booked a lot of rooms (and thus got a deal that they can pass onto you). They can, however, give you on board credits. So if you book it yourself, then shop around for a TA who will give you the best deal, that could save you money too.

Last minute cruises can save you cash, but you might have trouble getting a flight.

For help on buying a cruise from a website or more tips, check out these links. It's for the same website, but 2 different sections to help you out. The boards are really active and you can ask specific questions and get lots of answers from ppl with experience. They have boards for each individual cruise line so you can make the best decision for yourself. Hope this helps!!

http://www.cruisecritic.com/

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/

Lizzy P is correct. Cruise lines have policies against discounting thier cruises unless they have obtained written permission for thier blocked space which is far and few between. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara and Crystal are reall strict about not discounting and now Crystal has even included that agents can only offer perks up to a certain precentage of thier advertised cruise fare. Generally looking for the extra perks is you best bet. Onboard credit, pre paid gratuities, free or reduced priced travel insurance and so on. Cruise agencies are often not allowed to advertise these deals either so request a quote or make a call and then ask if they offer any extra perks. Keep in mind many travel agents are paid on commission so they are likely givining up a part of thier income to the benefit of making the sale and helping the customer. A great site to research your cruise and request a hassle free quote and I know they include onboard credit with every quote is www.bctravelcompany.com and they offer great personal service.

I hope this helps

Use the cruise line's own web site to find the cruise that you want. Going where you want to go, on the dates you want and get a price.

Then look around the cruise travel sites to see if you can find a better offer / deal. At least then you will know if it is a good deal or not.

If you are planning on travelling by air as part of the holiday, I have found that it usually better to arrange your own flights as there are horrendous stories of cruise-line air travel arrangements and cost.

Vacationstogo prices are ok but there customer service stinks

Cruisecompete can sometimes be good but watch out alot of these agents do bogus bids to get a reply.

Forget YTB Travel Network no good

I would try http://www.vacationsnbeyond.com/ Request a quote and tell them the price you got so far and they usually beat it.

Lizzy P your wrong, Agents can discount on some lines, not all. Royal i was hearing getting rid of Travel Agents all together (I would stay away from them right now)

A good travel site to book cruises is with "18K Travel

http://www.ytbtravel.com/18ktravel

note: pay no attention to mizopps answer about YTB,

fact: YTB just won Carnivals Top Pinnacle Award for the third year in a row for top sales.

fact: YTB had a one days sale on carnival on November 8 and booked over 13,000 cruises

fact: YTB booked over 250 million dollars in travel sales last year.

These are just some facts to chew on when you make your decision.

I recommend you do your research and decide what is best for you.

Here are some sites that are pretty cheap and sometimes offer incentives such as free airfare.

www.bookit.com

www.vacationstogo.com

www.cruisesonly.com

www.cruisecompete.com

This site has good info

http://allcruiselines.info/

yahoo travel