CruiseWatch vs Cruise Radar - Which Cruise Price Tracker Is Better?

Cruise price trackers promise to help you spot real deals. But not all trackers deliver accurate data — and bad data is worse than no data.

This comparison breaks down CruiseWatch and Cruise Radar: how they work, where they fall short, and which one actually helps you book smarter.

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The Short Answer

CruiseWatch is free and covers 20+ cruise lines. But it has documented accuracy problems — prices that don't match checkout, alerts that don't fire, and a 3.2-star Trustpilot rating with 50% 1-star reviews.

Cruise Radar (by All Aboard Deals) is newer and works on 6 websites — but covers pricing data for 9 cruise lines (including Carnival and Princess through OTAs like Cruise.com). It shows deal scores directly on booking sites via a Chrome extension, uses a transparent 0-100 algorithm, and has no reported accuracy complaints.

Bottom line: If you sail Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, MSC, Carnival, or Princess — Cruise Radar gives you better data where you're already shopping (Carnival and Princess via Cruise.com or Cruisebound.com). For other cruise lines, CruiseWatch is your only option, but verify everything before booking.

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Quick Comparison

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What Is CruiseWatch and How Does It Work?

CruiseWatch is a website where you search for cruises, view price history, and set email alerts.

The workflow:

1. Find a cruise on CruiseWatch
2. Set a price alert
3. Wait for email notifications
4. Visit the cruise line's website to verify and book

The site covers 20+ cruise lines and offers AI-powered price predictions claiming 80-90% accuracy. You can filter by ship, destination, port, and cabin type. You can also set price thresholds — "alert me below $800."

It's completely free. No paid tier.

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CruiseWatch Pros

• Covers 20+ cruise lines
• AI price predictions (unique feature)
• 100% free

CruiseWatch Cons

• Requires checking a separate website
• No context while you're shopping
• No quantitative deal scoring
• No price drop thresholds
• Documented data accuracy issues (see below)
• Must create an account

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What Is Cruise Radar and How Is It Different?

Cruise Radar is a Chrome extension built by All Aboard Deals. It activates when you visit cruise line booking sites.

Instead of switching tabs, you see deal scores, price history, and averages right next to the cruise you're viewing.

The score uses 12 factors: seasonal demand, ship quality, historical averages, per-night cost, days until departure, and more. A score of 85 means the price is in the top 15% of value we've tracked.

All Aboard Deals tracks 35,000+ fares weekly across 75+ ships — updated every 6 hours.

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Cruise Radar Pros

• Shows data on booking sites (no tab-switching)
• Transparent 0-100 scoring algorithm
• Shows savings vs 90-day history
• Lowest price seen view
• Granular alert settings with price thresholds
• Updates every 6 hours
• Free tier requires no account
• Pro includes "Book or Wait" guidance and re-book alerts

Cruise Radar Cons

• Works on 6 websites (not directly on Carnival or Princess sites — use Cruise.com or Cruisebound.com for those)
• Chrome-only (no Firefox/Safari)
• Advanced features require Pro ($12/month)
• Newer tool (launched January 2026)

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Is CruiseWatch Accurate?

This is where CruiseWatch struggles.

Their Trustpilot page shows a 3.2-star rating. Half of all reviews are 1-star.

Here's what users report:

Prices don't match checkout. One Reddit user found CruiseWatch showing $638 for a Celebrity cruise. Clicking "Book Now" revealed $808. Their actual booked price was $709.

The user asked: "Is CruiseWatch's 'current price' effectively click bait?"

Database errors. Another thread titled "Cruisewatch Sucks - Any Other Options" reported missing cruise dates and wrong itineraries — including a Caribbean cruise listing Mykonos as a port.

Charts disconnected from reality. A Trustpilot reviewer manually tracked a Carnival cruise. Real checkout prices swung from $2,600 to $1,700 to $2,400. CruiseWatch showed a steady downward trend.

Their verdict: "Scam. Totally misleading price charts."

Alerts that don't work. One user set alerts six months prior. Zero notifications — despite confirmed price changes.

Unreachable support. A reviewer trying to cancel a cruise 3 days out couldn't reach anyone. "All numbers provided take me to a different travel agency."

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Is Cruise Radar Accurate?

Across Reddit, Trustpilot, Facebook groups, and Chrome Web Store reviews — no users have reported accuracy issues with Cruise Radar.

Here's a recent Chrome Web Store review:

"Been using this cruise price tracker for a few weeks now. What I like is it just shows up when I'm on Royal Caribbean or Norwegian's website — I don't have to go anywhere else or remember to check something. The score tells me if the price is good compared to the historical price average.

Caught a balcony cabin at 86 that ended up being way under the 90-day average. Also stopped me from booking one that looked like a deal but scored in the 60s. Pretty much what I wanted it to do."

— Samy Events Hub, January 2026

The difference is methodology.

CruiseWatch uses qualitative labels ("Very good price") without explaining criteria. Cruise Radar uses a transparent 12-factor algorithm you can verify by comparing displayed data against cruise line websites.

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Which Cruise Price Tracker Should I Use?

It depends on what cruise lines you sail and how you shop.

Use CruiseWatch if:

• You're tracking cruise lines Cruise Radar doesn't cover yet (Disney, Holland America, Viking, etc.)
• You want completely free price alerts
• You're comfortable verifying all data on cruise line websites
• You want AI price predictions (accuracy disputed)

Use Cruise Radar if:

• You browse cruise line websites directly
• You want instant context on whether a "sale" is real
• You value data accuracy and transparent methodology
• You're willing to pay $12/month for advanced features
• You sail Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, MSC, Carnival, or Princess

Use both if:

• You want broad coverage AND on-site intelligence
• You're tracking lines Cruise Radar doesn't cover but want deal scores for the ones it does

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What About Re-Book Alerts?

This feature is worth highlighting.

If you book a cruise and the price drops before final payment, you can often get onboard credit or a fare adjustment. But you have to catch the drop.

Cruise Radar Pro includes re-book alerts. Users report saving $550-600 per cruise by monitoring post-booking drops.

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At $89/year, one successful re-book request pays for the subscription 6x over.

CruiseWatch offers price drop alerts too — but given documented issues with alerts not triggering, you may miss the window.

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The Bottom Line

CruiseWatch is free and covers more cruise lines. If you're tracking Disney or Holland America, it's your only automated option — just verify everything independently.

Cruise Radar covers fewer lines but delivers better data accuracy and meets you where you're already shopping. No tab-switching. No guesswork.

For frequent cruisers, the Pro subscription pays for itself with a single re-book alert catch.

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Related

• How Cruise Radar's Deal Scores Work
• The Best Time to Book a Cruise
• Cruise Price Tracker Features