Kayak.com Launches First Metasearch Product for Cruises

January 12, 2007; 02:29 AM

Kayak.com, the world's largest travel site, has launched the first metasearch product for cruises. Unlike other travel sites, Kayak.com will search multiple cruise sites for prices and itineraries and is the only site that offers consumers a choice of where to book. Through a partnership with World Travel Holdings (WTH), Kayak.com will search several leading cruise brands including CruisesOnly, Cruise411, Cruises.com and Vacation Outlet. Kayak.com will add additional sites including supplier direct in the coming months.

"Metasearch has changed the way people search for air, hotel and rental cars and we are delighted to apply our award-winning search functionality to the cruising sector," said Steve Hafner, co-founder and CEO of Kayak.com. "Finding the perfect cruise can be a tedious process since so many factors affect the itinerary and price. Only Kayak.com simplifies the search experience by returning hundreds of options and providing the sorting and filtering tools that enable users to edit search parameters and see results refresh instantly."

Users can access the cruise product by clicking on the "Cruise" tab. From the cruise homepage, consumers can pre-select preferences to receive more qualified results. Options include:

* Destination: Caribbean, Mexico, Bahamas, Alaska, Europe, Hawaii, Bermuda, Canada/New England/NY, Panama Canal/Central America, South America, South Pacific, South Pacific-Australia, Transatlantic, U.S.-all, World cruise, Exotic-Asia/Africa/other and cruise to nowhere
* Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Orient Lines, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises and Windstar Cruises.
* Departure Date: by month
* Length of cruise: 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-11, 12+ days
* State of residence: for applicable discounts
* Checkbox for 55 and older: for applicable discounts

On the cruise results page, users can sort results and filter preferences for easier comparison. Kayak.com is the only site that allows users to select more than one option, providing a more comprehensive results set. Tools include:

* Sort Results: Instantly sort results by clicking on column headers for price, rating, cruise line and sail date.
* Filters on the left help users narrow in on the perfect cruise. Consumers can click checkboxes and move sliders and see results re-sort instantly. Tools enable users to:
-- Set a maximum and/or minimum price
-- Display only the cruise lengths of interest
-- Narrow the departure dates within a specified window
-- Show cruises that leave from one or more preferred ports as well as a snapshot of the best price from each port
-- Display cruises from desired sub-region(s)
-- Show prices and availability for a specified set of stateroom types (inside, outside, balcony and suite)
-- Toggle between favorite cruise lines and view a snapshot of the best price available per cruise line.
-- Free form search for a favorite ship ("Freedom", "Queen")
* Only Kayak.com allows users to "Pin" and save preferred flight, hotel, rental car and now cruise results. By "pinning" a specific result, users can keep that selection atop the search results as they evaluate additional options. For registered users, these pinned results will remain at the top during all future searches.

For additional information about an itinerary, the details link opens a box providing ports of call, photos and a list of booking options with prices per stateroom type. Consumers choose where to book and are sent directly to the site to make a purchase. Kayak.com is the only site that also provides the agency's phone number for consumers unwilling to buy over the Internet. Unless otherwise marked, prices are per person based on double occupancy in $USD and do not include taxes and fees.

Tip Box

Kayak.com's sorting and filtering tools have received raves from users and media; however some visitors do not take advantage of theses tools. Since consumers who interact with the sorting and filtering tools are more likely to find what they're looking for, Kayak.com has created an interactive "Tip Box" that walks users through the process. The Tip Box is available at the top of the results page, across all verticals. Users can click through and read all tips or close the box at any time. The corresponding section described in each tip is highlighted for easier understanding.

About Kayak.com

Kayak.com, the world's largest travel search engine, scours more than 120 travel sites providing prices and itineraries for hundreds of airlines, more than 145,000 hotels and all leading rental car companies. Kayak.com has been named "Best of the Web" by BusinessWeek, "Best of the Web" by Forbes.com, "50 Coolest Websites" by TIME Magazine, "Best Travel Search Engine" by the Associated Press, "Best Search Aid" by Travel + Leisure Magazine and "Best of the Web" by US News & World Report. Launched in 2005 by co-founders of Orbitz, Travelocity and Expedia, Kayak.com's investors include General Catalyst Partners, Sequoia Capital, America Online, Inc and Accel Partners. For more information, visit http://www.kayak.com/.

About World Travel Holdings

With more than two decades of experience selling direct to consumers, World Travel Holdings (WTH), which acquired NLG in July of 2006, is a global leader in the travel industry. WTH's business model consists of its own well- recognized brands -- CruisesOnly, Vacation Outlet, Cruises.com, CruiseOne, and Cruises Inc. -- and a wide array of private-label partnership brands. Forbes listed its cruise web site as "Best of the Web" three years in a row and it is the only cruise site named to Travel+Leisure magazine's Top 35 Travel Websites. For more information on WTH or its subsidiary brands, log on to: http://www.worldtravelholdings.com/, http://www.cruisesonly.com/ or http://www.vacationoutlet.com/.