CruiseOnline.com
CruiseOnline.com is a privately held Dutch OTA founded in 2012 that aggregates inventory from 21+ cruise lines into a self-service booking platform serving primarily Dutch and Belgian leisure travelers, with offices across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the US, and the UK.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersRotterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CruiseOnline.com does
CruiseOnline.com, operated by CruiseOnline Group BV, is a Dutch online travel agency founded in 2012 (previously operating as CruiseReizen.nl) that specializes exclusively in cruise vacation bookings. The company is headquartered in Rotterdam with wholly-owned subsidiaries in Belgium (Antwerp), Germany (Lingen), the United States (Miami), and the United Kingdom (London), and employs 40+ cruise experts and web developers. Its core product is a self-service web booking platform that aggregates inventory from 21+ cruise lines including Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Princess, alongside luxury brands such as Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, and Seabourn.
The platform offers interactive deck-plan cabin selection, a cruise comparison tool, a package builder that lets customers bundle flights, hotels, and ground transfers with their cruise, and native iOS and Android mobile applications. A separate customer portal (My Cruise Dossiers / Mijn Dossiers), a B2B portal for travel agents (WavesOnline), a loyalty/points program, and a visa application assistance service round out the product surface. Marketing is multi-channel, combining SEO-driven content, Instagram, and an email newsletter offering a EUR 50 signup discount.
The business model is a pure commission/take-rate OTA: CruiseOnline.com earns transaction fees on cruise bookings and on package add-ons (flights, hotels, transfers), with cruise-only packages starting from EUR 188 per person and deposits starting at EUR 250. No booking or reservation fees are charged to the consumer, and a lowest-price guarantee (Laagsteprijsgarantie) underpins the value proposition. The company is ANVR- and SGR-registered, providing Dutch statutory consumer protection, and targets Dutch and Belgian leisure travelers as its primary segment, with secondary personas covering families, adults-only travelers, and fly-free cruise seekers. The company is privately held with no disclosed investors or parent entity.
CruiseOnline.com firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CruiseOnline.com
- Legal name
- CruiseOnline Group BV
- Website
- https://cruiseonline.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- CruiseOnline.com is a privately held Dutch OTA founded in 2012 that aggregates inventory from 21+ cruise lines into a self-service booking platform serving primarily Dutch and Belgian leisure travelers, with offices across the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the US, and the UK.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CruiseOnline.com industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Agency
- NAICS
- Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Cruise Agencies & Cruise Booking Platforms (THAKAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Cruise Booking Platforms (THALAFAG)
Keywords
Where CruiseOnline.com is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rotterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
CruiseOnline.com business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Cruise Booking Commission: Earns commission from cruise lines (Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, etc.) for bookings made through the platform.
- Package Components: Revenue from packaging cruises with flights, transfers, and hotels as add-on services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Cruise-only packages starting from €188 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
CruiseOnline.com product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CruiseOnline.com is an online travel agency that lets customers search, compare and book cruise holidays worldwide through its consumer website and localized country portals. It also operates a parallel B2B agent portal (WavesOnline) that enables travel agents to make cruise bookings on behalf of their clients. The company is paid by cruise lines via commissions on bookings generated through the platform.
Product overview
CruiseOnline.com operates as an online cruise vacation booking platform that aggregates cruises from 21+ major cruise lines (including Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, and others). The platform offers a comprehensive cruise booking experience with a cruise package builder that allows customers to add flights, hotels, and transfers. Additional services include a loyalty program, visa application assistance, and dedicated mobile apps for iOS and Android. The company serves both direct consumers and travel agents through separate portals (wavesonline.com for agents, my.cruiseonline.com for customer dossier management). Key differentiators include the Lowest Price Guarantee, no booking fees, and SGR/ANVR consumer protections.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- CruiseOnline.com consumer booking website Consumer-facing online cruise booking portal that lets individual travelers search, compare and book cruise vacations worldwide, including itineraries, cabins and onboard packages across multiple cruise lines.
- WavesOnline (B2B travel agent portal) Dedicated B2B cruise booking portal that enables travel agents and travel agencies to search, price and book cruise vacations for their end clients, with access to the same cruise line inventory as the consumer site.
- CruiseReizen.nl (legacy consumer booking site) Original Dutch-language consumer cruise booking site that the company operated prior to its current CruiseOnline.com branding.
- Country-localized cruise booking websites (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, USA, UK) Localized versions of the cruise booking platform operated through country subsidiaries (Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, USA, UK) to serve travelers in each market with local language, currency and cruise offerings.
Quantifiable outcome
- Customer satisfaction rating of 9.8/10
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use CruiseOnline.com
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
CruiseOnline.com technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
CruiseOnline.com partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
25 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Holland America LinecorePrimary cruise line partner offering cruises from Dutch ports (Rotterdam, Amsterdam, IJmuiden) including Norwegian Fjords, Iceland, Baltic States, and Canary Islands routes
- MSC CruisescoreMajor cruise line partner with current promotions including up to 40% discount on Mediterranean, Caribbean, Northern Europe and Canary Islands cruises
- Norwegian Cruise LinecorePartner cruise line known for Freestyle Cruising concept with flexible dining and entertainment options
- Disney Cruise LinecorePremium family cruise line partner with ships including Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, Disney Destiny, and Disney Adventure (2026)
- Celebrity CruisescoreModern luxury cruise line partner with itineraries to Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and Caribbean
- Royal CaribbeancoreMajor cruise line partner with large ships offering global itineraries
- Princess CruisescorePartner cruise line with current promotions including up to $1,500 discount per cabin
- AIDA CruisescoreGerman cruise line partner popular for Mediterranean and Northern Europe itineraries
- Costa CruisesminorItalian cruise line partner for Mediterranean destinations
- Cunard LineminorBritish cruise line partner known for classic elegance and transatlantic voyages
- Virgin VoyagesminorModern, adults-only cruise line partner with innovative ship design
- Oceania CruisesminorPremium cruise line partner focused on culinary excellence and destination immersion
- Regent Seven Seas CruisesminorLuxury all-inclusive cruise line partner
- Silversea CruisesminorUltra-luxury expedition cruise partner offering unique itineraries including Iceland and Greenland
- SeabournminorUltra-luxury small ship cruise partner
- Hapag-Lloyd CruisesminorGerman luxury and expedition cruise partner known for Arctic itineraries including Spitsbergen
- P&O CruisesminorBritish cruise line partner with adults-only ships Arcadia and Aurora
- Azamara CruisesminorBoutique cruise line partner focused on destination immersion
- Carnival Cruise LineminorFamily-focused cruise line partner with Fun Ship product
- Explora JourneysminorLuxury lifestyle cruise line partner under MSC family
- Mein Schiff (TUI Cruises)minorGerman premium cruise partner with modern ships
- ANVRcoreDutch Travel Trade Association membership (Number 05138) providing industry standards compliance and consumer confidence
- SGRcoreStichting Garantiefonds Reisgelden membership (Number 3.640) providing financial protection scheme for travelers
- CalamiteitenfondscoreEmergency Fund membership providing additional consumer protection for package holidays
- CLIAminorCruise Lines International Association membership (Number 00042389) representing global cruise industry
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CruiseOnline.com competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Trip.com: Major global OTA with cruise offerings, particularly strong in Asia but expanding into European cruise, competing on inventory breadth and bundled travel.
- Booking.com: Global OTA that has expanded into cruise and attraction inventory, leveraging massive European traffic to compete for cruise bookings despite its broader travel focus.
- Expedia: Major global OTA with significant cruise offerings as part of its broader travel marketplace, serving overlapping customers but without a cruise-specialist focus.
Direct peers
- CruiseDirect: US online cruise booking platform aggregating major cruise lines with a comparable comparison-driven, online-first booking experience for cruise-only and cruise-package transactions.
- Iglu Cruise: UK-based cruise travel agency offering online and agent-assisted cruise bookings across major cruise lines, with a comparable product offering in an adjacent European geography.
- Avoya Travel: US-based travel agency network with strong cruise specialization and independent agent model, pursuing a comparable multi-channel cruise distribution strategy with direct cruise line inventory access.
- Cruise Nation: Cruise-specialist online travel agency offering deals across major cruise lines, with a comparable product-led booking experience and cruise aggregator business model.
- Dreamlines: European cruise-specialist OTA operating across multiple European markets including Germany, aggregating 20+ cruise line inventory with a comparable packaged-cruise booking model.
- Captain Cruise: Dutch cruise travel agency and direct competitor in the Netherlands offering online cruise booking across a comparable portfolio of major cruise lines for Dutch-speaking travelers.
Others
- Traveltek: B2B travel technology provider offering cruise booking APIs, inventory, and platforms that compete in the underlying technology layer CruiseOnline builds upon, relevant as an adjacent infrastructure partner or competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CruiseOnline.com social profiles
Digital presenceCruiseOnline.com financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CruiseOnline.com leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
CruiseOnline.com subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
CruiseOnline.com funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CruiseOnline.com M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CruiseOnline.com
What does CruiseOnline.com do?
CruiseOnline.com is an online travel agency that lets customers search, compare and book cruise holidays worldwide through its consumer website and localized country portals. It also operates a parallel B2B agent portal (WavesOnline) that enables travel agents to make cruise bookings on behalf of their clients. The company is paid by cruise lines via commissions on bookings generated through the platform.
Is CruiseOnline.com a public or private company?
CruiseOnline.com is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CruiseOnline.com founded?
CruiseOnline.com was founded in 2012. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is CruiseOnline.com based?
CruiseOnline.com is headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does CruiseOnline.com make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Cruise Booking Commission is the primary driver. The others are package Components.
Who are CruiseOnline.com's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Trip.com, Booking.com and Expedia. Direct peers are CruiseDirect, Iglu Cruise, Avoya Travel, Cruise Nation, Dreamlines and Captain Cruise. Traveltek is listed as an others.
Does CruiseOnline.com have an API?
No public API is recorded for CruiseOnline.com.
What industry is CruiseOnline.com in?
CruiseOnline.com's product category is Online Travel Agency. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAKAB, Online Cruise Agencies & Cruise Booking Platforms, with a secondary code of THALAFAG, Cruise Booking Platforms. Its NAICS code is 561520 and its SIC code is 4400.