01 Who Pays Us, and For What
The channels below are the ones that currently pay us. In each case the compensation comes from the company selling the trip, not from an extra charge we add — but pricing is theirs to set, so check what you are paying with whoever takes the booking.
Booking a trip through us. Seabound Journeys is a Florida travel agency and an Independent Affiliate of A.S.A.P. Cruises Inc. (Fla. Seller of Travel Ref. No. ST15578). When you request a quote, book a consultation, or book a cruise or tour through us, the supplier pays a commission on that booking — that is how a travel advisor is paid, and it is currently the main way this business makes money.
Shore excursion links. We participate in the affiliate programs of Viator and Shore Excursions Group. If you click through to either from one of our port guides and book a tour, we earn a commission on it. Both are marketplaces we link because readers ask where to book, not because either one pays us more than the other — and on plenty of pages we tell you the cruise line’s own tour is the better buy, which pays us nothing.
Cruise pricing links. Many pages have a “Browse current best rates” button that opens CruiseDirect, an online cruise seller, in a new tab. If you book there, you book with CruiseDirect. Not with Seabound Journeys, and not directly with the cruise line. We may earn a commission on that booking. The rates are the ones CruiseDirect is showing that day; we don’t check them against other sellers, and their availability and terms apply. The “Free Cruise Quote” button beside it is different: that one comes to us, and we quote you as your travel advisor.
Hotel and rental car links. Hotel links on our port pages go to Booking.com, and rental car links go to Discover Cars. Both are affiliate links, so a booking through one may pay us a commission.
Other affiliate links. Some links to travel insurers, tour operators and other travel companies are also affiliate links, and a qualifying purchase or sign-up through one may pay us a commission or referral fee.
02 What Commission Does Not Buy
It does not buy a ranking, a score, a recommendation, or a place on a list. No company on this site has ever paid to be rated, reviewed, or included, and no company sees a review before it publishes.
Not everything we write about is an affiliate partner, and some of the things we recommend most often earn us nothing at all. Where the honest answer is “book it through the cruise line” or “skip this entirely,” that is what the page says. How we research and score things is set out in our Editorial Standards.
03 Third-Party Purchases
Some links lead to third-party marketplaces or providers. Purchases made through those sites are subject to the provider's pricing, availability, terms, and policies — we don't control any of those, so confirm the final details with the provider before you book.
A marketplace link, such as a link to Viator or Shore Excursions Group, is there so you can browse what that provider actually has in a given port — it is not an endorsement of every individual listing. Unless a page says we have specifically looked at an experience and recommend it, treat a marketplace link as a place to compare, not a vetted pick.
04 Look for the Disclosure Near the Link
Pages containing affiliate links include a disclosure near the relevant links, so the relationship is clear in the moment you're reading it — not only on this page. If you have a question about a specific link or score, contact us at hello@seaboundjourneys.com.