The Unofficial Guide to Cruises 2001

For planning our first cruise, this book is excellent. Prior to reading this book, even though I had spent countless hours on the web, I was uncertain as to the best cruise choice for us. This book provides so many details that made it a simple matter to compare ships and make a decision. Especially helpful is the information on fellow passengers and recommendations to find the ship that best matches one's preferences. The detailed descriptions of the ships' features and life styles were extremely valuable in making a selection. The section on preparing for the trip and settling in is great for first-time cruise travelers. So much information is crammed in this book, and it is very well written. Would be nice to have an index, but the book is well organized so that one can easily bookmark sections of interest.

This book had good details about the various ships cruising in the Carribean. It gives details about ports of call and pricing that other books don't include. I especially appreciated his detailed rating system since you can't use the star rating system anymore. He compared each ship line and individual ship thoroughly.

Showker's cruise guide is right on target, what the Fielding guide once was before the reviews became dated. I love her focus on value for money, descriptions of fellow passengers and the comprehensive coverage of all aspects. Great for first timers or the experienced cruiser.

This book was informative enough, entertaining enough, honest enough and impartial enough to motivate me to book my first-ever cruise. There is useful - indeed, necessary - information about every facet of a cruise, from booking the best deal, to required documents and from incredibly detailed descriptions of every cruise (and all of their ships) to a full description on what a day on a cruise is like. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is considering a cruise, particularly for the fisrt time.

This is a great book. I like it because it gives information but is not opinionated. It is full of practical advice on how to figure out the most important variables of a cruise, how and why to book through a travel agent, and why trip cancellation insurance is important and a good value. It includes about 20 pages of maps (cruising areas of the world). It also helps the reader think about the differences between cruises that stop at many ports of call vs. the benefits of just spending time at sea. The authors articulate the many types of cruises, and links various cruise lines, individual ships, and specific locations with categories of people you might find on that particular cruise.I never thought I would be interested in a cruise but after reading this guide I realize there are as many different types of cruises as there are people. I feel empowered to work through a travel agent with an understanding of how these industries work, knowing that if I'm flexible I'm going to get a good value.This book is a cut above your typical guide book. It has more information than you would ever want about cruise lines and individual ships including background and history on the cruise line companies. I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I recommend it to anyone who wants to research cruise alternatives. It is a great way to begin.