Take a Virtual Cruise Ship Tour Before You Book
A cruise preview guide: see the ship, check your cabin and know what to expect.
Get Free Cruise QuotesTake the Tour Before You Take the Trip
A virtual cruise ship tour is the closest thing to walking a ship before you sail on it. In a few minutes you can stand in the atrium, look across the pool deck, check how far the theatre is from your cabin and see whether the dining room feels grand or cosy. That is what a good cruise preview is for: fewer surprises, and a ship that turns out to be the one you pictured.
This site is a guide to previewing a cruise properly. We explain where cruise lines publish 360-degree tours and what to look at while you are in one, how to preview your cabin and its neighbours, how to preview the brand-new ships arriving in 2027 that nobody has sailed yet, and how to set reviews against what you have seen. We do not post fares; when you are ready, our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will price the ships you liked.
Five Ways to Preview a Cruise
360 virtual tours
Spin through public rooms and decks on screen, or in a VR headset, where a line has published one.
Cabin previews
Photos, videos and the deck plan together tell you what your cabin, and its surroundings, will be like.
Royal Caribbean 2027
Previewing Hero of the Seas, the fourth Icon Class ship, through what has been announced and its sister ships.
Carnival 2027
Previewing Carnival Festivale, the fourth Excel-class ship, due at Port Canaveral in 2027.
Reviews
How to use professional and guest reviews to check what a tour cannot show you.
What a Preview Can and Cannot Tell You
| A good preview shows you | Only sailing (or a reviewer) tells you |
|---|---|
| The layout: where the pools, theatre, restaurants and lifts are | How crowded those places feel on a full sailing |
| The style of the public rooms, from modern to classic | How good the food and service are this season |
| Cabin size, layout and balcony furniture | Noise from the deck above or the corridor outside |
| Which venues are included and which charge extra (with the fare details) | Queues at embarkation, lifts and the buffet |
| Accessible routes and cabin features, where published | Sea conditions on your particular route |
Previews are best for deciding which ship and which cabin. For deciding which line suits you, Cruise Compares explains how to compare lines fairly, and Cruising Experiences describes what there is to do on board.
Why Preview at All?
Ships within the same cruise line can be very different. A line’s newest ship might have water slides, a dozen restaurants and Broadway-style shows, while an older sister has a smaller, quieter layout that some guests prefer. The brochure language is often similar for both. A virtual tour shows you the difference in minutes.
Previewing also helps with cabins. Two balcony cabins in the same category can face a lifeboat, sit under a late-night bar or sit beside a quiet stairwell. A careful look at the deck plan — Cruise Ship Deck Plans explains how to read one — avoids most of the classic disappointments.
And previewing is useful for groups. Families can agree on a ship by looking at the kids’ areas and pool decks together; friends planning a celebration can check the bars and lounges. Travellers with limited mobility can look at the distances between venues and the published accessible-cabin layouts; Accessible Ocean Cruises covers what to ask about.
If you are still choosing between lines, sign up for the Mister Cruise cruise-offers newsletter or browse current promotions on Wave Season while you preview.
Help From People Who Have Been Aboard
This site is part of the Smart Traveler network, led by Mister Cruise. He has sold travel since 1972 and worked full-time in the industry since 1977. He has sold or originated more than $500 million in cruises and has trained more than 500 travel agents.
When you ask for a quote, our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise handle it personally — not a call center — and book everything for you. Meet Mister Cruise →
Cruise Preview FAQ
What is a virtual cruise ship tour?
A set of 360-degree photos, videos or an interactive model that lets you look around a ship’s public rooms, decks and sometimes cabins on a screen, before you book.
Do all cruise lines offer one?
No. Some lines publish full 360-degree tours, others offer photo galleries, deck plans and short videos. Coverage varies from ship to ship within the same line.
Can I preview a ship that has not launched yet?
Only through the line’s renderings and announcements, and by looking at its sister ships, which share most of the layout. See our 2027 previews for Royal Caribbean and Carnival.
Can someone tell me which cabin to choose?
Yes. Use the free quote form and our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will suggest cabins on the ships you are considering.
More Cruise Sites From Our Network
Also in our network: the Official Cruise Directory lists our cruise sites, the Official Travel Directory covers all travel, Best of the USA covers America’s best, and Be a Travel Agent is for anyone who wants to sell travel.
Seen a Ship You Like?
Tell our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise which ship and dates you are considering, and we will price the cabins for you.
Price This Ship