Comparison

Embarkation vs Port Pal Pro

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Embarkation

Features
Read full description

Embarkation goes with your cruise before, during and after the trip: ports and weather, packing, excursions, crew and memories, all in one place. Choose • Find your next cruise by destination, month, length, budget or cruise line, with filters picked “For you”. • Sort by price, departure date, number of nights or price per night. • Spot the real price drops: the biggest of the last few days, old price struck through, under “Deals” with a free account. • See the itinerary on the map and indicative prices per cabin, collected every day. • Request a quote with no commitment: a partner travel agency replies by email. Before you sail • Already booked? Pick the ship, then the date: we find your ports of call. • A countdown and the steps to take at the right time: passports, insurance, online check-in. • The weather at each port, even when its day is estimated: seasonal normals, then the 5-day forecast. • Pack without forgetting a thing: the departure list in your language and AI-written tips based on the weather, added to your list in one tap. • Excursions at every port, fitted to your time ashore, with our partner GetYourGuide. • Bring your crew aboard: your loved ones join you with a code or a link. On board • Your cruise, day by day: day 3 of 7, the ship’s live position and speed, its wake over the last 24 hours. • Keep the logbook with your crew: photos, a few words, the mood of the day. • On-board bingo: a towel animal, the captain’s dinner, dolphins… • Your cruises and memories stay readable when the ship’s Wi-Fi drops. Back home • Your memories, cruise by cruise: an album shared with your crew or kept for yourself. • An animated recap to relive the trip: miles sailed, ports, highlights. • A cruise added afterwards counts in your passport once verified with a photo of your cruise card. • Embarkation passengers you crossed paths with on board: a number, never a name without consent. All year round • Your cruiser passport: stamps and counters, to share as a story with an invite QR code. • Invite your loved ones and earn your stripes, from Cadet to Admiral. • Ships, live: more than 200 cruise ships on the world map, your favorites in “My fleet”. Data and partners • Explore the catalog without an account. With an account, also see the price drops and find your cruises on all your devices and on the web. • Your phone’s location stays on the device: the app only uses it to show the ships nearby. • An AI writes the packing tips and excursion ideas, without any personal data. • A cruise card photo is only used to verify the cruise: an AI reads it, then it is deleted. • Weather: Open-Meteo. Ships: public AIS signals. Excursions: GetYourGuide partner links, Embarkation may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. • Free, with no subscription and no ads. In English and French. Fair winds!

About

Port Pal Pro

Organize all your past, present, and future cruises in one place. Discover handpicked shore excursions, access detailed port information, and view live ship tracking. Explore official deck plans and connect with a community of fellow travelers.

Highlights
  • Organize past and upcoming cruises
  • Browse and book shore excursions
  • Detailed port information and contacts
  • Live AIS ship tracking
  • Official deck plans for 330+ ships
  • Search past cruises from 2010
  • Community forum for cruisers
Features
Read full description

Port Pal Pro is the cruise companion that knows the port before you step off the ship. Add your cruise and it builds the real itinerary — every port, sea day, arrival and departure time — from live sailing schedules. Adding a past cruise? Port Pal fills in the route from the archive. Nothing is invented: if a port can't be confirmed, you can enter it yourself. What's ashore • 2,600+ ports in 200+ countries, each with local time, live weather (°C/°F, km/h/mph), port authority contacts and directions back to the ship • Ships in port on any date, with arrival and departure times — see who's alongside before you plan a shore day • Shore excursions with prices, ratings and real cruiser reviews, bookable through Viator; bookings attach to the right port day with a reminder before it starts • Deck plans for 330 ships across 26 cruise lines, fully zoomable • Live ship tracking on a map • A forum for every port, ship and cruise line Built for the day itself • Saved cruises work offline — itinerary and port details stay on your phone • Check-in and cruise-document reminders • English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese • No ads, no trackers. Your location is used only when you ask for directions Try everything free for 3 days. After that it's a one-time $4.99 purchase — not a subscription, no recurring charges. Made by a cruiser, for cruisers. Questions or ideas: info@portpalpro.com

Screenshots

Embarkation4 screens
Port Pal Pro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Embarkation at none against Port Pal Pro's 1. Embarkation also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 27.0). Port Pal Pro's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Port Pal Pro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Embarkation asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Embarkation ships an update every 3 months, Port Pal Pro every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Embarkation versus Port Pal Pro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEmbarkationPort Pal Pro
PriceFreeFree
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—80.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better27.0
Further details — not scored
Size56 MB69 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMinuit 11Robert Bonenfant

In-app purchases

None

Embarkation

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Port Pal Pro

One-time1
  • Port Pal Pro Unlock$4.99

Questions

Is Embarkation free?
Embarkation is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Port Pal Pro free?
Port Pal Pro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Embarkation or Port Pal Pro have ads?
Neither Embarkation nor Port Pal Pro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Embarkation or Port Pal Pro?
Embarkation ships an update every 3 months, and Port Pal Pro every 2 days. Most recently, Embarkation was updated on October 28, 2026 and Port Pal Pro on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons