[.ca] The Unofficial Guide to Cruises (ISBN 0470087919)

Not as complete as the "Frommer's Carribean Cruise" book:
I had already booked my cruise when I purchased this book. I was looking for details on shore excursions, shipboard info and how to get to the port of Miami. Frommer's Carribean Cruise book had more of the information I was looking for. This "Unofficial Guide to Cruises" would be good if you were trying to decide which cruise to take. But again, there wasn't any information on what I was looking for in shore excursions, sightseeing, maps, etc.

overwhelmed no longer, thanks to this book:
I am planning my honeymoon cruise with my bride, and I was feeling completely overwhelmed at the beginning of our quest to plan the voyage. I feared being "taken" and going into even more debt (you don't even want to know how much the wedding costs!). I bought this book to bring me up to speed fast and protect me from tourist traps for wasting money. The book has been an excellent primer and reference guide, all in one. The first hundred or so pages teach you about the history of cruising and present cruising market, gives guidelines for choosing the cruise package right for you, and lists ways to capture those elusive "deep discounts." The second section (the next several hundred pages) gives detailed discriptions of the cruise lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, etc.) and reviews of the individual boats in the line; detailing dining options, crew, tipping, recreational activities and more. The only knock on this book is that it promises to be critical of the cruise lines (saying it is an "unofficial" guide, so it can be negative) but it never is critical. It rates some boats as a 5 out of 10 on quality and a "C" on value, but it will go on to say that the boat is "exquisite" and "lavish" and leaves the reader wondering why the boat deserved the much lower rating ...

Very Good Source For Cruise Information:
"The Unofficial Guide to Cruises 2003" is a well written book that is a quite complete guide to virtually all cruises that you might realistically be interested in. The detail on different ships and lines is excellent, though I personally think that the Berlitz book "Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships 2003" is more detailed on the ships themselves, and is generally easier to use than "The Unofficial Guide to Cruises 2003," though both have strong and weak points. The strength of this book is in the complete and clear explanations of every aspect of a cruise for someone new to cruising. Some people like the breakdown by separate quality and value scales, but I didn't find it particularly user friendly, and often was scratching my head trying to resolve the grades received with narrative about particular ships. Once again, I think Berlitz has a more straightforward numerical system where it is clear why each ship got the overall score that it got. While I prefer the Berlitz book marginally, this is also an excellent book with it's own unique viewpoints and strengths. My strategy has become to use the two books in tandem, as together there is a complete picture that neither book completely captures on it's own. Overall a noble effort and in the end this book is recommended for anyone considering a cruise, especially first time cruisers.

The book that convinced me to take a cruise!:
What more can I say about a book that convinced me to take a cruise? This book is a handy guide to choosing a specific cruise. You are told what to expect (and what not to expect) during your cruise. The first part of the book gives you an overview of cruising in general, and advise on how to select a cruise. The second part is a review of cruise ships. They are arranged by cruise line, with general classes of ships grouped together. A map is provided at the beginning of each line's listings showing where they cruise. The third part of the book discusses non-tradiditional cruises such as sail boats and freightors. The fourth part of the book is a reference guide showing each ships planned iteneraries. The book is a very easy read, and doesn't waste space on a lot of trivial or repetitive information. The only minus with the book is that the individual ship descriptions are hard to find amongst other ships of the same type, and are quite brief. If only other passangers on my cruise read this book, they would have learned what was not included in their cruise fare, and not have been so upset when they got the bill on the last day!

First Stop for Shoppers:
As a first-time cruiser, the choices can be bewildering and overwealming. This book took the mystery out of the process, and serves as a comprehensive guide to cruise lines and ships. Especially appreciated is the typical passenger demographic info provided, and the general character of each line and ship. Plus, general information on cruising in general and finding the best deal makes this a book we'll refer to again and again.