Fodor's Caribbean Ports of Call, 7th Edition (Fodor's Caribbean Ports of Call)

Rating:
Summary: Small and light on info, but decent overview
Review: I bought this book expecting a good overall look at the Carribean ports of call. Found it to contain mostly the same info and scanty maps as the other guidebooks, but the small size made it worthwhile to take on board with me.

Rating:
Summary: Perfect Size for a Cruise!
Review: I just came back from a 7 island (San Juan, St. Thomas, Tortola, Dominica, Martinique, Barbados, St. Kitts on Carnival) cruise of the Caribbean and I found this book to be the most practical guide of the 3 that I took with me. The maps are good and the advice on beaches was helpful. This is a book that you can take onshore with you in your backpack. It serves as a good intro, but of course you'll have to find other sources for more in-depth coverage of culture and history. What I found to be a huge surprise on my cruise was that almost all of the excursions that were offered by the ship were available as you got off the dock from private suppliers for a good 30% off the cruise price. The risk is very small and after a few ports almost everyone that I talked to went on their own privately arranged tours instead.

Rating:
Summary: Good for quick reference. Easy to tote around.
Review: This is more the book to take along if you have already taken a cruise and/or have already visited the ports of call to which you're going -- in other words, if you just want to know what's doing in each port of call THIS year.

Each port of call (listed alphabetically) includes a map and the following sections (in order): Currency; Telephones; Shore Excursions; Coming Ashore; Exploring (points of interest are numbered, corresponding to the map); Shopping; Sports; Beaches; and Dining.

Due to its appealingly small size, descriptions and maps are less detailed than in other ports-of-call guides (e.g., Frommer's). But if you're looking for "just the facts," this book delivers.

Rating:
Summary: Good book but lacking...
Review: While this book will give you a good overview of the islands you will be visiting, the data contained in it seems minimal compared to other books. I like the restaurant recommendations but they are limited to 3 or 4 per port. One thing I don't like about this book is the lack of information on Roatan, Honduras and Belize City, Belize. It appears as though more and more cruise lines are heading to these places but the information is missing completely from this book.