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The cruise industry continues to grow in popularity every year. In 2023, it’s estimated that 32 million passengers will take a cruise [1]. With so many people looking to book cruises, there is huge potential for cruise affiliate marketing.
As a cruise affiliate, you earn commission when someone clicks your link and books or purchases a cruise. Commission rates typically range from 4-12%, but can be as high as 17%.
We’ve compared the top 10 Best Cruise Affiliate Programs available in 2024 so you can easily choose the right ones for your audience and niche.
This is a high-level overview before we dive into the details:
| Affiliate Program | Commission Rates | Cookie Duration | Top Perks |
|---|---|---|---|
| CruiseDirect | 8-12% | 45 days | Custom coupon codes, marketing tools |
| Cruises.com | 4-12% | 30 days | Year-round promotions, marketing creatives |
| Cruise Critic | Up to $70 per booking | 60 days | High EPCs, targeted cruise audience |
| Expedia Cruises | Up to 17% | 7 days | High commissions, Expedia travel audience |
| Priceline Cruises | $25-$115 per booking | 60 days | Generous flat commissions |
| Vacations To Go | $50-$115 per booking | 180 days | Large flat commissions, niche cruise focus |
| Cruise118 | £20 per booking | 90 days | UK-focused cruise traffic |
| Iglu Cruise | £15-£30 per booking | 180 days | UK-focused luxury & river cruises |
| CruiseWatch | $10-$20 per booking | 60 days | Cruise deals and discount focus |
| Avoya Travel | Up to 14% | 60 days | Network of travel agents (B2B) |
Below we have provided more details on each cruise affiliate program along with the types of commissions, cookies, and promotions they offer.
1. Cruise Direct
Commission Rates: 8-12% per booking
Cookie Duration: 45 days
CruiseDirect features cruises across all major cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. They have a high repeat customer rate of 40% so affiliates have good potential for additional commissions.
The program provides custom coupon codes as well as banner ads, text links, deals, and promo copy to help you promote effectively. You also get access to their Partner Portal which offers detailed stats and reporting.
2. Cruises.com
Commission Rates: 4-12% per booking
Cookie Duration: 30 days
Cruises.com is one of the largest sellers of cruises worldwide, covering over 450 cruise ships across various cruise lines. They offer year-round promotions and special rates travelers can’t find anywhere else.
As an affiliate, you get access to custom marketing creatives including banners, text links, coupons codes, and native ads. Detailed reporting and analytics is also available in their Partner Portal.
3. Cruise Critic
Commission Rates: Up to $70 per booking
Cookie Duration: 60 days
Cruise Critic focuses specifically on cruise vacations, making it a prime source of engaged cruise travelers. They offer some of the highest affiliate earnings per click (EPCs) compared to other travel affiliate programs.
The site provides cruise reviews, ship ratings, forums connecting over 7 million members, and the latest cruise news and tips. This makes their readership highly targeted for cruise conversions.
They offer custom links, banners, deals, and destination guides to support your promotions. You also get access to their Cruise Critic Partner Portal for detailed reporting and statistics.
Read Also: Best 7 Cheapest Cruise Destinations
4. Expedia Cruises
Commission Rates: Up to 17% per booking
Cookie Duration: 7 days
Expedia Cruises taps into Expedia’s audience of over 75 million monthly travelers providing massive exposure for your cruise promotions.
You get some of the most generous commission rates in the industry along with marketing tools like text links, banners, and travel offers. Their concise reporting shows clicks, referrals, impressions, etc.
5. Priceline Cruises
Commission Rates: $25 – $115 per booking
Cookie Duration: 60 days
Priceline Cruises offers fixed commissions instead of percentages, making earnings more predictable. Payouts range from $25 for a deposit booking to $115 for a Balcony and above category booking.
This program provides a nice range of banners, text links, coupons codes, and promo copy for your campaigns. You can track clicks, sales, EPCs, and more through their Publisher Portal.
6. Vacations To Go
Commission Rates: $50-$115 per booking
Cookie Duration: 180 days
Vacations To Go specializes in discounted cruises making it a prime source of motivated bookers. The program promotes major cruise lines as well as river cruises, luxury cruises, and exotic destinations.
They offer hefty flat commissions up to $115 per booking. You also get banners, text links and access to their Partner Portal for reporting and statistics.
7. Cruise118
Commission Rates: £20 per booking
Cookie Duration: 90 days
Cruise118 features discounted cruises from all the major cruise lines. With a focus on UK cruisers, they promote popular destinations like the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and more.
You earn a fixed £20 commission per booking. They provide a good selection of banners, text links and access to their Affiliate Zone for monitoring your program performance and payments.
8. Iglu Cruise
Commission Rates: £15-£30 per booking
Cookie Duration: 180 days
Iglu Cruise specializes in luxury ocean cruises and European river cruises. So the traffic consists of high-end travelers booking premium cruise vacations.
You earn commissions between £15-£30 depending on the type of booking. Iglu Cruise provides banners, text links and reporting through their Partners dashboard.
9. CruiseWatch
Commission Rates: $10-$20 per booking
Cookie Duration: 60 days
CruiseWatch focuses specifically on cruise deals and discounts making their traffic highly targeted. They feature last minute cruise specials as well as future cruise reservations.
You earn $10 for lead referrals that request price quotes and up to $20 for completed bookings. Published reporting shows your clicks, referrals and commission details.
10. Avoya Travel
Commission Rates: Up to 14% per booking
Cookie Duration: 60 days
Avoya Travel isn’t your typical affiliate program. They operate a network of thousands of independent travel agencies that book cruises and other vacations for clients.
When travelers book cruises through Independent Agencies in the Avoya Network, you can earn monthly overrides between 2-14% on their purchases. So your earnings come from agent bookings vs direct consumer bookings.
Ready To Promote Cruises (Best Cruise Affiliate Programs)?
Cruise vacations continue to grow in popularity year after year. So connecting your website visitors with the best cruise deals can be quite lucrative through affiliate marketing.
The top 10 cruise affiliate programs above offer nice commissions, targeted cruise traffic, and reporting to grow your earnings.
Narrow down programs that align best with your niche and audience to maximize conversions. Focus on providing value through guides, reviews, tips, and cruise vacation inspiration.
Many programs above offer cookies lasting 30-180 days, giving you plenty of time to gain secondary commissions from return visits and future bookings.
So get ready to set sail by adding cruise affiliate links and promotions to your website today!
Let us know if you have any other questions!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the best cruise affiliate programs?
Some top cruise affiliate programs are CruiseDirect, Cruises.com, Cruise Critic, Expedia Cruises, and Vacations To Go. Each specializes in different types of cruise deals from major cruise lines to luxury and river cruises. Most offer nice commissions from 4-17% per booking or fixed payouts from $25 to $115 per booking.
How much do cruise affiliates make?
Cruise affiliates typically earn between $100 to $900+ per booking depending on the cruise program. Commission rates range from 4-17% for percentage earnings. Many programs also offer fixed earnings between $25 to $115 per booking instead. Top earning affiliates promote high-end cruises earning commissions in the 10-17% range.
How much traffic do you need to make money with cruise affiliates?
You can begin earning cruise commissions with minimal traffic. Focus first on providing quality content and trip inspiration around cruise vacations to capture user interest. Once you have established traffic and email lists, add affiliate links and promotions to boost conversions and earnings. As you scale your traffic into the thousands of visitors, your monthly cruise affiliate income will grow steadily.
What sells best through cruise affiliates?
The most lucrative cruises to promote are often high-end ocean cruises, European river cruises, around the world cruises, and far destination cruises. These types of cruises cater to travelers booking premium vacations resulting in the highest commissions. You’ll also do well promoting popular mass market cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian due to immense buyer demand.
Advertorial: This post contains sponsored content, advertisements, or affiliate links. Read our full advertorial disclosure here.
